Tania in China

Public vs. Private - Sensibilities in China

Having been in China for almost two months now, I have observered several differences in the sensibilities of the common person that I would like to share.

This is a sign next to the elevator in the 5 star hotel I have been staying in. In the west, I don't think anybody would ever think about spitting into an ashtray, especially one indoors. Here, spitting is a common custom. It is not uncommon to be walking down the street and have somebody "hocking a loogy" right in your ear. Maybe several times. Although it hasn't happened to me as much as I had expected from what I had read, it has happened at least once each time I have been out for a walk. It is usually middle age to older men doing this, and working class people. It is not the custom at all in the Ford office - I believe that the younger people and better educated find this unacceptable. But I have been warned against the pool or the Jacuzzi because of the spitting custom.

When walking down the aisle of a local electronics store, I passed a man walking the aisles picking his nose. He looked right at me, and continued on. While you can upon occasion catch somebody doing this in the US, the offender will quickly stop what he is doing and look away abashed. Not here - the man didn't think anything was wrong.

Most clothes for babies and toddlers here come without seams in the seat of the pants. This is so that when the little one has to go, they can just squat, the pants will part, and they can do their business right where they are. A coworker observed this happening, and the mother just scooped up the result with her hand and threw it in the trash can. The first time I saw a little kid I thought he had split his pants, but after a few dozen more, I realized it was on purpose. Some of the baby outfits don't have any seat to the pants at all - you have baby-bottom hanging right out in public.

There is absolutely no concept of standing in line here. From what I have heard, this is true throughout Asia. It doesn't matter who got where first - it is every man for himself. Back home we would never think of walking up to an elevator, then moving to stand in front of a group of people already there while waiting for the next car. Here that is perfectly acceptable. The same rule goes on the road. I have now stopped being polite in crowded places and just push my way in. If you are polite you are going to get stepped on.

From what I can figure, the driving rule of the road is that whoever is further ahead on the road has the right-of-way. So, if my car hood is a foot further along than yours, and I want to be in your lane, I have right-of-way so you had better watch out. In the US, you might end up shot for doing this too often. I really can't figure out the rules of the road here, but there must be some because I have yet to see an accident - either car-car or car-pedestrian. Also, anytime you are inconvenienced at all, honk your horn. It doesn't matter if there is a lineup of 10 cars and the light is red - you are stopped so you need to honk to get going again. And don't just beep your horn - hold it down until you are moving again. Even at 1am in an area where people are sleeping.

People are much less private in public spaces. When shopping at the supermarket, people will come over and stare at your cart to see what you are buying. People with children here say that the kids get touched and petted quite a bit, especially if they are blonde or redheaded. The amount of "private space" around a person is much less here, and westerners find people standing uncomfortably close in crowded situations. I was eating lunch the other day and a girl who recognized me from the office elevator came in, sat at my table, and started talking to me to work on her English. Back home we just wouldn't think about going into a restaurant where we were not going to order anything, and sitting at a table with somebody we had never spoken to before. My boss here has had waitresses take his order then ask for his phone number while his wife was sitting next to him.

Can you tell I am getting homesick?

posted by Tania @ 3:17 PM