Culture Shock

First things first China is NOT America. In some ways and some places it may seem westernized but in many ways it isn’t. The ongoing transition to modernization is very visible in China and as such you will really get the feel in some places that this is a developing country. It’s impossible to list and name all the differences you will encounter in China and some you will have to find out for yourselves but I’ll try to highlight a few that were memorable to us.

Eating:

The first thing you’ll want to do once you get to China is eat. You’ll be tired and hungry and the allure of real Chinese food should start your mouths watering. Chinese food is so varied it’s impossible to say that it’s simply good or bad rather you will find very many dishes you love and very many dishes you want to regurgitate. Before you can even eat you better be ready to use chopsticks-no surprise here but nonetheless if you lack dexterity in your fingers get ready to taste more wood than food at first. The Chinese really like to cook with oil so expect lots of dishes to come with layers of grease. While this usually makes the food taste great it can be extremely taxing on your stomach resulting in frequent trips to the restroom. Now that you’ve started eating you begin to notice the people around you and there apparent lack of manners. Whether its people at other tables or your grad students you’ll notice that the Chinese are messy eaters. Slurping is a must when eating noodles. Spitting pieces of meat and bone onto the table after having chewed them for a while is completely normal. Manners as they exist in the western world are nonexistent in China. When questioned about manners my grad student looking puzzled said, “As long as you don’t drop your chopsticks its good. Just eat.”

Driving:

Luckily you won’t be driving in China-trust me you don’t want to. Like most rapidly industrializing nations the Chinese are buying more and more cars. Unfortunately traffic laws either haven’t been created yet or are ignored completely by both drivers and police officers. For the faint of heart any trip in a vehicle in China can seem like a life or death experience. Taxi drivers will weave in and out of traffic seemingly at will with no regard for the vehicles around them. Oh and wearing the seatbelt is a sign of disrespect for the drivers so most of the rear seats will have the seatbelts hidden or stuffed under seat covers. At times they will be completely inaccessible so you’ll have to do without. The front seats always have seatbelts so don’t be afraid to ignore the driver’s protests and buckle up. A side note on being a pedestrian is that you have no rights. I’m still not quite sure if Chinese cars have a horn as their right pedal or a brake. When faced with the option of honking or braking the vast majority of Chinese will lay on the horn without slowing preferring to be loud and swerve at the last second than slow down and drive safely. Remember that crosswalks don’t give you the right of way either they’re more like crosshairs for the drivers-making it easier for them to run down. In all seriousness though watch yourself when taking to the streets because it can get a little hectic especially in downtown Nanjing.

Chinese mannerisms:

I may have touched on this a little bit in the food section but there is so much to say about Chinese mannerisms that it requires its own section. First of all it is an every-man-for-himself type of atmosphere over there and as such you should watch over yourself and your belongings. Pick pocketing is a problem and while none of us had anything stolen we had a close call with one student almost having his camera taken from its case around his neck. As long as you’re careful you should be fine. This free-for-all attitude extends to many facets of Chinese culture. Lines don’t exist mainly because every Chinese person believes they should be the first served. To say that this is annoying is an understatement, however, it is possible to make it entertaining. Not letting people cut becomes incredibly satisfying as they seem perplexed and put out that you won’t let them in line. On numerous occasions I would jump back and forth holding back multiple people from getting in front of me only to laugh at their completely bewildered expressions. The Chinese also like to spit a lot pretty much everywhere. Sometimes you’ll hear someone hacking a particularly nasty loogie only to turn around find that’s it’s a decent looking 40-something year old woman. You’ll also notice the peculiar dress of small Chinese children. No those kids didn’t just rip their pants, actually the hole in the back allows them to squat and urinate where ever they please without having to go through the hassle of pulling down their trousers. You’ll notice this occurring mainly on sidewalks and streets. It can get kind of awkward walking around little children and their yellow puddles. Chinese people don’t see many foreigners in certain parts of china so be prepared to be stared at quite a lot. Often times people will walk past you and crane their necks to get one last look back at you. Many of them will also say hello randomly when walking by. All in all the Chinese are a fascinating people to observe it’ll be interesting to see how modernization changes some facets of their culture.

Chinese Generosity:

One thing I will say about the Chinese is that they are some of the most generous people you will ever meet. Without exception when we went to eat with our graduate students they paid the bill. It didn’t matter how much we protested or how hard we tried to beat them to it they always managed to get away with paying for everything. This is amazing considering they made only 400 Yuan a month. I remember in particular one time when I asked one of my grad students if they wanted watermelon from the cafeteria. I only asked because watermelon comes in big slices and I didn’t think I could finish one on my own. My grad student proceeded to get up and sprint to the fruit stand and purchase the watermelon for both of us. I had only made it halfway out of my seat by the time she was back. I will greatly miss how incredibly kind and generous the Chinese can be.