Surviving The Culture Clash
Some Unwritten Rules When Living In China
~ Charlotte Turner
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| October
2005
If you are considering going to live
and work in China, then I am sure that you have already begun your research
and read as much literature as possible regarding Chinese customs, culture
and lifestyle. I have lived in China now for over a year, (I taught
in Beijing during the academic year of 2002-2003 and I am currently teaching
in Shantou on a six month contract), and I wish to share some of the many
unwritten cultural differences that I have experienced during this time.
These are not things that I have ever found in the plethora of guidebooks
available on living in China, these have all been discovered on my confusing,
frustrating and sometimes painful, time in China.
One of the most apparent cultural
differences to a foreigner living in China is personal hygiene. It is well
known that spitting is common throughout China, but I did not know that
many Chinese consider blowing your nose straight onto the ground to be
fairly acceptable until I experienced it! To many foreigners, this is considered
unclean and often quite disgusting. On the other hand, however, I was not
aware that my idea of the hygienic way to deal with the same problem, (i.e.
blowing my nose into a tissue,) is considered fairly rude if done in public.
At best, it is considered very strange and will attract a great deal of
starring or sniggering if done in front of other people. |
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Another common problem for Westerners
is China is dealing with the omni-present problem of squat-toilets and
lack of plumbing. It is not uncommon in public places such as schools,
restaurants and shopping centres for the flushing mechanism to consist
of a tap and a bucket, and usually, the only public place where a Western
toilet can be found are in major international restaurant chains. A tap
and a bucket may sound fairly primitive, but this is often the classier
end of the spectrum. Do not be surprised to walk into a public washroom
and find a structure resembling a trough; in this situation, you are expected
to squat in a line with any other patrons of the facilities without the
luxury of dividing walls, doors or running water to act as sanitation.
If you are lucky enough to find something
resembling plumbing and the option of a western toilet, I would choose
the squat toilet anytime. This may sound odd, as squat-toilet will require
the ability to balance and aim in a straight line all at the same time,
and this is not something that many foreigners have a lot of practise in.
But another valuable culture difference in China is that, while many Westerners
consider squat-toilets to be old-fashioned and less hygienic, many of the
Chinese consider Western toilets to be equally unhygienic. Do not be surprised
if you walk into the stall and find the seat covered in footprints; it
is common for the Chinese to squat on top of the Western toilets rather
then use them in the slightly more traditional way.
Moving on to the slightly more acceptable
topic of fashion and what to wear in China, I would advise conservative
dress and covering up if you are to have any chance of minimising the level
of starring and attention that you will certainly receive as a foreigner.
This means refraining from wearing shorts above the knee for both men and
women, trying to wear short sleeves if at all possible in the uncomfortably
hot summer months, and certainly no cleavage for the women at any time.
Most guidebooks will tell you that it is acceptable to dress fairly freely
in China, but this is often not the case in reality. Many Chinese would
rather be too hot in their clothing during summer, (I have seen people
- locals - walking around in polo-neck jumpers in the height of summer,)
than to be showing as much skin as Westerners do. Tank tops that are favoured
by many Western women draw attention to our different body shape, and the
slightest hint of cleavage will give many Chinese the impression that you
are walking around in your underwear. The same can be said for shorts on
both men and women. This cultural difference is something that I have had
trouble coming to terms with, as it is not an uncommon sight to see people
walking down the street in their pyjamas at any time of day, and I still
find it confusing that a sleeveless, high-neck tank top can attract so
much attention in comparison to this. I find summer a highly confusing
time to determine what is considered to be acceptable clothing, as Chinese
women will wear shorter skirts than many of their Western counterparts,
and also wear dresses made of very thin, flimsy material. To many Westerners,
this would attract more attention than a sleeveless top, but one crucial
aspect to understand in China is that foreigners need to play by a different
set of rules to the Chinese in order to minimise the starring. Before going
to China, foreigners will need to accept that they will be starred at simply
for being different. We will usually be taller, fatter, and often paler
then most Chinese, and this means that the more of your white skin that
you expose, the more starring you will receive. You are expected to abide
by a different set of rules simply because you are a foreigner, and you
will be treated differently as such even if you act or dress in the same
way as the Chinese. In a bid to save my sanity, I have gradually learned
to stop trying to understand China and embrace its many quirks as a challenge.
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| Charlotte Turner is a travel
writer and an ESL teacher currently working in Shantou, South China. To
contact her Click Here |
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