Chinese people’s reaction to foreigners in Wuhan

From the first day I arrived until now on a daily basis I’ve noticed people looking at me, if you’re with friends chatting away you don’t notice it quite as much but if you’re alone then it’s more obvious and can be a little disconcerting. Most people are merely pointing out that they can see a foreigner whilst others may want to start a conversation with you so expect to hear the same questions regularly. I don’t go a week without a few people asking me “Where are you from?” “How old are you?” “Can you speak Chinese?” “How much money do you earn?” Everyone is just curious and it’s harmless although it is a little monotonous responding to the same questions everyday so it can depend on what mood I’m in as well as how many people have asked me already that day to what my reaction will be. Admittedly its poor manners on my behalf but on numerous occasions I’ve told people I don’t have time to talk or have pretended I don’t understand. This is pretty rare and I probably sound like a miserable sod although in my defence I have had days when I’ve been approached 5 or 6 times in the same day.

About 95% of the time when people start talking to foreigners in the street it’s to ask those questions. The majority our teachers that come to China gain an anecdote or two from their time here. Often you might get parents approaching you in the street asking if you can teach their child English which is a nice little bonus and a good way to earn some extra cash in the evenings or at the weekend. From my experience its best to accept that people are always going to look at you and embrace it. It probably won’t be too long before the staring dies down a little as foreigners are becoming more and more common in China with each passing year. In Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou it’s more common to walk past a foreigner in the street than it would be in a second tier city such as Wuhan. But with the rate of development in Wuhan and growth of business, more foreigners living and visiting the city is inevitable and has been evident to me over the 3 years that I have lived here.

There can be a sense of adventure about being approached on the street by a stranger and it’s not great to always keep to yourself refusing talking to anyone who may approach. There have been a number of occasions when people have approached me and it’s resulted in me taking part in something that I wouldn’t have stumbled across otherwise. The first year I was in China a guy started talking to me at a bus stop, he was asking me where I was from and did I like playing football? I replied yes and he went on to invite me and my friend to play football with his team. I went on to play with them for a year and a half and it was a great chance to spend some time with Chinese guys as we always went out for dinner and drinks after the game. I have since moved house and live a little far away now but still try to get over to play when I have the time. I think when living in China it can be difficult especially during your first few months, it can feel a little lonely at times. However if you have a good attitude, take up people on their invitations and are open-minded to trying new things then you’ll give yourself a better opportunity to enjoying live in China.