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 for
almost eighteen months, (I taught in Beijing during the academic year
of 2002-2003 and I taught in Shantou, Guangdong Province 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 the country.
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 staring or sniggering if
done in front of other people.
Another
common problem for Westerners is dealing with the omni-present problem
of squat-toilets and lack of plumbing. Usually in public places such
as schools, restaurants and shopping centres, the flushing mechanism consists
of a tap and a bucket, and usually, the only public place where a Western
toilet can be found is 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 - an expertise that many foreigners
do not possess. 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.
It's not unusual to find a toilet seat covered in footprints - the Chinese
squat on top of the Western toilets rather than 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 staring 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 women should not show cleavage at any time.
Most guidebooks will tell you that it is acceptable to dress fairly freely
in China, but in reality this is not the case. Many Chinese would
rather be too hot in their clothing during summer, (I have seen
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.
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 staring.
Before
going to China, foreigners will need to accept that they will be stared
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 staring 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.
Meeting
New People and Doing Business in China When meeting
new people in China, there are some fundamental rules of etiquette that
will make the meeting go a lot more smoothly for all involved. Whether
you are in a business, formal or casual setting, it is always polite to
accept a drink when it is offered to you, even if you can only manage to
drink a small amount.
You will usually
be offered a type of Chinese tea or hot water on arrival, and you may also
be offered a small amount of food, depending on the occasion. This
may be a local delicacy, but the chances of you recognising what is being
offered are often fairly slim in my experience.
As a vegetarian,
I had a good excuse for not sampling something if I could not be certain
what it contained, but be aware that vegetarianism intrigues many Chinese
people and often provokes many more questions, some of which you may not
usually be comfortable answering. When you first meet a new person,
make sure to offer a small compliment on their ability to speak English,
no matter how low their ability may be. Similarly, if you can speak
a little Chinese, your companions will hugely appreciate this and will
often compliment you on it, no matter how pitiful you think your attempt
was.
Some topics
of conversation that would often be considered inappropriate or rude in
Western countries are not considered rude in China. As a foreigner,
it is fairly common to be asked how much money you make, whereas being
asked or asking about somebody’s personal life is not usually appropriate.
If you do not feel happy answering this question, it is usually acceptable
to explain why and talk a little about some cultural differences.
As a foreigner, you can get away with saying or doing almost anything,
(within reason of course!), as long as you back it up with a friendly
smile. It is generally assumed that foreigners are not aware of Chinese
customs and cannot speak any Chinese, so if you do speak some Chinese,
be prepared to hear people talking about you in the street, on the bus,
or even in your workplace. This may not be done discreetly or subtly
in any way, as they will assume that you cannot understand.
Many Chinese
directly associate money with status and intelligence, so it is important
to gauge an appropriate price when negotiating in a business environment.
If you are selling your skills or a product, aim for a price that is towards
the higher end of the spectrum. If you set a price that is too low,
this will be seen as a negative reflection on your skills or your product.
However, if you set a price that is too high, the other party will not
feel they are getting a fair deal and this will create some potential ill-feeling.
This is a delicate balancing act and requires some research into typical
market rates for your skills or products. Business relations (Guan
Xi) are highly regarded in China, and the initial financial discussions
will be seen as an important step towards building these relations.
When living
or working in China, be prepared to accept both positive and negative stereotypes
according to your colour, race, or religion, and remember that this is
not usually meant to cause offence. The Chinese associate pale
skin and fair hair with beauty and they will often form immediate opinions
about you based on your appearance. Some other stereotypes that I
have come across include associating Jewish people with business acumen
and intelligence, age with authority and Westerners with wealth.
If you do not conform to one of their more positive stereotypes regarding
physical appearance, then be prepared to experience some problems getting
work or dealing with people who are not used to dealing with foreigners.
The concept
of truth in China is very difficult for most Westerners to understand,
myself included. It is considered disrespectful to say “no”
or reply negatively in anyway to someone in a higher position than yourself.
This can include your teacher, your manager, or even a guest. I first
experienced this when I asked a question and later realised that I had
been told incorrect information. As this was the first time that
this had happened, I gave the person the benefit of the doubt and assumed
a simple breakdown in communication caused by the language barrier.
I attributed this to experience and vowed to explain myself more clearly
the next time. However, the next time that I discovered that I had
been misled, I was very confused. had made a fairly straightforward
request, and the person to whom I was speaking had a high enough level
of spoken English for me to safely assume that she had understood the basic
information of my request. After this happened time and time again,
and without any knowledge of any cultural difference that could explain
this, I began to assume that I had been lied to. However, what had
actually happened was that I had been told the answer that they thought
would make me happy.
As a teacher,
this happens on a daily business when I ask my students questions such
as, “Do you know how the television works?” or “What time does the lesson
finish?” The student will always reply in the affirmative, and then look
completely blank when I ask them for the actual answer. On another
occasion, I was asked to speak at an English club by a student of mine,
only to be told to attend on the wrong day. This happened when I
asked the student what day the presentation was on and she replied that
it could be on any day that was convenient for me. I could not make
the day that the student had originally suggested and suggested an alternative.
The student agreed to this because she thought it was disrespectful not
to, when in actual fact the English club needed the presentation to be
on a specific day. Feedback or criticism is never given directly
to someone who is seen as a superior, rather via a third party. In
my experience, this often resulted in a convoluted game of Chinese whispers
and a complete breakdown in communications.
To surmise,
I believe that all of the cultural differences that I have mentioned are
worth remembering and being aware of. These are issues that I
have come across on a daily basis during the 18 months that I have lived
in China, although some of the misunderstandings can be avoided if you
are dealing with an international company, or if the person you have contact
with is quite used to dealing with foreigners, or has anytime abroad themselves.
Charlotte
Turner is a travel writer and teacher from the UK. She has lived in China
for 18 months and returned to England in September 2005 to continue her
studies.
