Tuesday, June 18, 2019

DO'S AND DON'TS IN CHINA

Another post as requested from my Instagram story a couple of weeks ago! Hope you all enjoy, and someone benefits from it.



Do’s: 

At the risk of sounding too patronising, I would advise anyone coming to China (and maybe Chengdu specifically) to take caution when crossing any road! I don’t know what it is about the area I live in, but the red light (generally meaning “stop”), does not really seem to actually stop cars on the road. On multiple occasions I have witnessed near misses or proper accidents on the roads, especially involving Tuk Tuks!    

Expect to be stared at, especially if you come to a rather “rural” area of China like Chengdu. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen locals just gawking at me, pointing and whipping out their phones in the hope they will be able to video a foreigner to show their friends. It is so common around the area I live for locals to have never seen a foreigner/westerner before. It comes as such a surprise to them. At times it makes me feel very uncomfortable while also making me feel even more of an outsider than I already am. But as time has gone on, I have just learnt to expect it every time I leave my apartment. Sometimes, it does feel quite nice!

Saving face is big part of the Chinese culture. This is essentially where Chinese people expect to be respected and do not want any embarrassment to come to them. The Chinese people see the concept of face as dignity or prestige, but it’s a bit hard for me to explain properly (sorry!). Because of this value they hold, they expect people to accept their gifts. For example, on numerous occasions I have been offered small presents, food and money from students, other teachers and friends I have met here. Any time I have tried to reject a gift (because it is simply in my nature to, I feel bad that students are giving me their food and pocket money), the person giving me said gift has felt that I have caused them offence, and they tend to think this is quite rude! As such, it is best to just graciously accept gifts, or to negotiate something else, like sharing a meal together instead. 

China is massive and it is guaranteed that you will find hidden gems everywhere you go. Try to do as much exploring as you can. Even if that means just hopping on the metro for 10 minutes and getting off at a random stop or travelling on the high-speed train and going to the outskirts of your province; this way you will always be seeing new places. 


Don’ts:

China has some of the best dishes in the world, so don’t fall into the trap of wanting to stay safe by eating western food at Italian or Mexican restaurants or places like KFC and Burger King! I am so happy (as I have mentioned on numerous occasions on this blog!) that I have stepped out of my comfort zone and away from what I normally eat. I love the food here and would recommend it to anyone and everyone! 

Don’t be afraid to try and speak some of the language. Once you have some of the basic phrases memorised, it more than enough to get by on a day-to-day basis. The times which I have used Chinese (which is becoming a lot more frequent, every day now in fact), the locals are pleasantly surprised and tend to warm to me faster. Even if it is just 你好 (hello), 谢谢 (thank you), 多少钱 (how much?), or 再见 (goodbye), it makes life a lot easier to know these phrases and always makes me feel like I am making more of an effort. 

Try not to rely on other people to take you to new places. Obviously, initially this is the way you are going to be able to find your way around but relying on these people too much will mean that when it comes to travelling by yourself, you will feel completely out of your depth. This is something I am guilty of doing! But over summer I plan on changing this and travelling to new places by myself. I may even visit a different country by myself too! 


So, those are my do’s and don’ts for China! They have been useful to me, and I hope they are to anyone reading this and planning on visiting this beautiful country. Do have fun, and don’t go back home with any regrets! 

B x   
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8 comments

  1. I have always wanted to visit China! Loved your do's and dont's!

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    1. You should, from what I have seen of it so far, it's an amazing country! Thanks for reading my post!

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  2. I would probably get run over a few times. I would love to visit mostly for the food though...

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    1. Yes I have almost been hit a couple of times! The food is a good enough reason alone to come to China!

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  3. This was such a good post to read, I'm so desperate to make a trip to China at some point I bet it is stunning x

    Kayleigh Zara 🌿 www.kayleighzaraa.com

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    1. Thank you for commenting and reading my post! China is so beautiful and I've only seen a tiny part of it! Well worth making a trip here"

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  4. The crossing the road part is so true ! Don’t use western concept of how to cross a road in China , just run !

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    1. The amount of times I have almost been run over is just scary! Thanks for reading and commenting! x

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