cultural difference-China?

Question

if you were to move to China, what cultural difference would be the most difficult to deal with and what would be your fears and expectation?

Answer 1

mostly its the selfishness and complete lack of self-preservation instinct by drivers and smokers. (lack of education by older generation) Older people tend to be loud talkers, and that some people eat weird food we wouldnt go near- but only because we have never starved in living memory, and they have, so we cant judge that.

My main fear would be getting run down and having them drive away without stopping to get me to a hospital. Or worse, driving back over me to finish the job so they cant get caught.

The best expectation I have for China's future is for more people to learn how to APPEAR kind and helpful and eventually actually BECOME kind and helpful by habit. I also think that as more people in China get educated and speak to foreigners and start to travel, that the government will have to start opening up to change within itself, and eventually will have to start allowing some accountability. Probably not until the last crop of mass-murderers who run things from the 60's or 70's die off though. I doubt they will ever be held accountable while they live- fear is too powerful for most people there to speak out and nobody really likes getting run over by a tank for saying the truth... I would suspect you wont find too many martyrs left there. If there is one thing that you could say about china is that Darwins laws have been operating at full force there the last 60-80 years of survival of the fittest in a crucible of fire, death and 'revolution'- the people left over from that are probably tougher, smarter and stronger than most western people ever will dream of. of course the way they spoil their children will probably put that theory to dust soon... but there is probably some hope for even that crop of rotten apples.

I would expect it to possibly become a pleasant place in 30 years if they continue educating their youth and earning money and start creating things that customers actually want over the next while.

If businessmen there try to listen to what customers want instead of trying to force them and trick them into buying what they want to sell them- then China will be a good place to be. If people are forced to become brainwashed zombies again chanting weird North Korean style praises of their leaders and actually in their souls believing it out of fear... then the whole world will be a sadder, darker place.

We all need to help them become self-sufficient. That means, yes, trading with them and helping them learn new technology. Because without new technology to fix all the problems and new different ways of doing things- china is ALL of our childrens futures. We all will drown in our own waste if 1.6 billion people cant learn how to clean up their problems and learn to live in peace together- what chance does the rest of the world have?

So right now grin and bear it. Its gonna take alot of hard work even with some shifty people around there, they all know that they are the most important statistically significant testing ground for us that we can all imagine. We need them and they still need us wheather or not the morons in power there want to admit it or not.

Answer 2

It depends where you are moving from.
I have lived and worked in England, Australia, Thailand and Russia and all of them have their own unique style.
Strangely enough, the transition from England to Australia was the most difficult because their were so many similarities that the differences appeared more bizarre. Moving from a western to an eastern culture is quite easy provided you can accept that their way of doing things is only different and not inferior to the ways that you are used to. Learning a few words of the local language and not acting as if the locals are in some way retarded goes a long way to being accepted.
Cultural differences will probably be no problem but you will start to miss some things which you now take for granted. Shopping can be a nightmare and everything needs to be accepted as an adventure rather than as a punishment.

Answer 3

Mm, when I was 15 I was sent to China by myself to study at a university for a month in Beijing...so it was intimidating being in a foreign country where I didn't know anyone, speaking a language I hadn't quite mastered.
I survived, it wasn't bad.

-I had to get used to the uncleanliness but you develop techniques soon enough. Always carry toilet paper on you. You won't find any in public restrooms.
-I find that the best restaurants are sometimes the small and indiscrete ones.
-Things are usually pretty cheap. There are stores in the big cities, usually around university areas, called the "Friendly Store". They specialize in Western/American products that you can't really find in other stores. So if you're feeling a bit nostalgic for something, check in those. The people are also usually quite friendly to foreigners and used to their "strangeness."
-If you're non-Asian looking and you go to smaller cities, you're going to get stared at. If you have blonde or red hair, people might touch your hair. I think it's gotten better in the past few years, but you never know.
-Since it's your first time, I would start out in a big city that's used to foreigners, like Shanghai or Beijing, and then slowly progress into smaller cities. In Beijing, I spoke mostly English because everyone knew it. A good amount of people in Shanghai speak English as well, or at least can understand enough words and American Chinglish to know what you're talking about.
-People may seem rude, but that's because they just feel there isn't really time. Time is money of course. There's 1.6 billion people so people do get pretty annoyed sometimes. Most of the people who might be rude will be much much older, and probably not as well educated.
-I never got lost in China. When I thought I did, I just hailed a cab and told them where I wanted to go.
-Eh, but those are just generalizations, every city in China has a different flare and culture about it.

Answer 4

I am in China since Sept 2005 and here is what I can tell you. I am French so maybe the cultural differences won't be the same depending on where you come from :
- Chinese are quite dirty : spit everywhere ( street, restaurant, buses...), lousy ( the more you cry when you speak the better and they don't mind disturbing other people )
- they don't know how to drive : no lights at nights, few fasten their seat belt, they don't look behind when they turn, the bigger the better ( truck, bus, car, motorbike, bicycle and then the one walking ). They won't stop to let you pass.
- in the subway or bus they push and won't say sorry. They don't often say sorry in fact
- few speak English so you'd better learn a few Madarin before moving.

But not all is negative : great food, nice people to talk with ( once you know them you can abord any subject ), life isn't expensive

The first thing to remember is to not make them lose face in front of others. For instance shouting or insulting someone in front of his friends. He will lose face to his friends and it will be considered as an offence.

The first few months are difficult, after you don't want to leave China, just like me and most of my friends here.

Answer 5

i lived there for 8 months. Food is difficult, depending on where you go there may be limited western food. I'm not too adventurous with eating anyway and they eat anything. Cleanliness and sanitation standards, again this varies on where you are, beijing or shanghai are very nice and have no spitting signs but in smaller cities people spit in restaurants and urinate in the streets. Public Bathrooms are generally bad places to be. There is a chinese toilet that you have to squat over, your apartment should have a normal one though. People are generally no different though. There are good kids and bad, some study, some party. Nice old women and mean old ladies. Some People will try to rip you off, especially if you're white and american. I found it to be a very 80's style with the new air jordans that everyone wants and teenage girls being all dreamy about thier favorite pop star.

Answer 6

Food, getting lost, very busy in China, dirty, smelly, friends, clothes i guess
Shopping is cool, bigger malls than malls in normal US towns, sell stuff everywhere, schools are stricter (learn more stuff)

Answer 7

Getting used to the language, probably.

Answer 8

Be prepare to see people stop to watch you.Try to be in to the good side of the law.

Answer 9

greatest expectation: to have a shaolin temple bodyguard

greatest fear: no hot tanned big breasted blondes walking around in super short miniskirts and bikini tops!

Answer 10

Well for me I am white and my husband is Chinese, so just take it with a open mind. They are nice people. Don't judge, make your own opinion.