Chinese Traditions

Since being in China I have met many Chinese people preparing to embark upon a trip or period of study in the UK asking me worriedly about the culture and traditions of England. Fearful questions about whether speaking during dinner will earn them immediate ostracism or using their fork with their right hand will cause irreparable loss of reputation have been met by myself with baffled bemusement. I have many times assured people that in fact, yes, whilst traditional etiquette dictates the fork be used in the left hand, it is unlikely to be something that anyone would comment on or be bothered about. The reasons not to be too afraid are twofold, one: even if a tradition exists, most people are not especially fussed about it and two: even if you were to do something slightly against etiquette (asking someone about their salary on a first meeting for example), most people would put it down to you not being familiar with the culture and move on.

For people who are concerned about traditions and ethics in China, it is very much the same situation. Whilst there are certain ways of acting and a set of manners, most people do not get too hot under the collar about it, and failure to conform is usually forgiven on account of being in a foreign environment and perhaps unaware of the customs. Most schools for example will play the national anthem in the morning as the students are arriving. At my first school, from the first note to the last all the students and teachers would stop in their tracks and remain still until the end of the anthem. Personally I was never sure if I was expected to also remain motionless, or if it not being my anthem made me exempt from this. To be on the safe side I joined in, however on occasion if I was in a rush I continued walking – neither receiving disapproving stares nor an immediate lynching I thought it safe to categorise that as a custom that I needn’t adhere to rigidly.

A number of other traditions appear frequently in guides for China, however I think most fall within the aforementioned category. It is considered unlucky for example to place chopsticks vertically (in a bowl of rice for example) as it resembles the sticks placed in graves. When drinking alcohol, rather than drinking freely people will usually clink glasses with someone prior to every sip (for further etiquette regarding the clinking it is a mark of respect to place your glass lower than that of the host when you raise glasses). At some point or another I have broken all of these customs (either through forgetfulness or ignorance) and never been the recipient of criticism or judgement. On occasion people might correct your transgression, but this tends to be in a kindly manner as they do not necessarily expect foreigners to be aware of Chinese customs. In fact it can sometimes seem that Chinese people disagree on what is ‘Chinese culture’ and what isn’t. I have been told before when enquiring about the cost of having Chinese lessons that “Chinese people do not like to talk about money” yet the regularity with which taxi drivers ask me my monthly salary seems to contradict this assertion.

Every country has a number of customs, traditions and systems of etiquette. Yet my advice to any foreigners coming out to China would be not to worry about it – you won’t have your visa revoked for saying the wrong thing at dinner.

 

 

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.

New bars and restaurants opening up in Wuhan

This could have more to do with the fact that I didn’t know the city well when I first got here, but it certainly does seem like there is a recent glut of bars opening up in Wuhan. Whether this is a reflection of the rising incomes in the city or the growing proclivity amongst young Chinese people to go out for the odd drink I don’t know, but either way – I like it.

Bars in China tend to come in two forms; those that cater to groups looking forward a lively night out and those that cater to patrons looking for a nice drink in a good atmosphere. The former type of bar tends to stock cheap drinks, play loud music and attract a younger crowd. The latter will often stock better quality beer and spirits (though it will be expensive) and will not be quite so loud. In terms of cheap bars to start a night out, Helen’s is a popular choice amongst a younger crowd. With the first Helen’s opening in Wuhan 3 years ago, there are now 3 in Wuchang and 2 in Hankou, all of which regularly fill up on the weekends. Another bar similar to Helen’s is Coco, a recently opened bar near Guanggu that shows sports on big screens on the weekend – definitely worth a look. For sports fans in Hankou, the recently opened London Bar near Dazhilu plays most football games as well as other sports upon request. One other benefit of many of these bars is that they usually have an array of bar snacks and food for pretty reasonable prices.

Beyond the bars there has also been a number of new restaurants opening up that cater to western tastes. Admittedly the western food in Wuhan often leaves a lot to be desired but this is gradually changing. In the Lingjiaohu Wanda there is a new Italian restaurant that has authentic pizza and pasta, whilst the bakery at Wuhan Tiandi has a number of items worth looking into. In terms of fast food the new Burger King at Baotong Si offers a choice beyond KFC and McDonalds (though the huge lines of people queuing out the doors is a bit much..).

From the 3 years in which I have lived here the city has changed greatly. Not only the new roads, subway system and bridges but also in the new shops, restaurants and bars. One of the things I like most about Wuhan it still retains much of its character and is very much a Chinese city. The growing number of international outlets and cuisines have not changed this – though for people living away from home they certainly provide a comfortable reminder every now and again.

Travelling

There are three main times for foreign teachers to travel during their year in China; the National Holiday (first week of October) the Spring Festival (four weeks of January and February) and during the summer after the term ends. Of these holidays the National Holiday as well as the Spring Festival are incredibly busy, though in slightly different ways. The National Holiday is a popular time for Chinese people to go travelling so you will find that not only are the planes and trains sold out early but also wherever you go will be rammed with tourists – it is not the most fun time to travel. The Spring Festival sees an even higher movement of people, though this is mostly before the Spring Festival, so during the holiday itself travel is not that difficult. The Spring Festival sees most Chinese people return to their home towns which leaves the big cities somewhat empty, so visiting tourist attractions is quite easy. The other thing to remember when travelling is that China is a huge country so the weather varies quite a lot depending where you want to go; in the Spring Festival for example Kunming can be an airy 20 degrees, whilst Harbin sits uncomfortable low at -20 degrees.

Flying within China is fairly easy, though the price of flights can be variable. Trains are generally a cheaper and easier option though for some routes the savings made are probably not worth it (Twenty hour journey with a standing ticket….I don’t think so). Train tickets can be bought at any train station though you will also find train ticket offices spread throughout the city where tickets can be bought. Some hostels may also offer to buy train tickets for you, though they may add an extra charge for this (if you don’t speak Chinese this might be the simplest option though). Tickets can only be bought 10 days in advance of travel, and for peak periods this will mean lengthy queues outside the ticket offices. When buying tickets you will need your passport with you as well as the passport number for any other people you are buying tickets for as this number will be printed on your ticket. Buying train tickets can be a bit of a pain as there may be more than one class of train going on a given route as well as a number of different seat classes for you to choose from – spending a bit of time researching the relevant terms in Chinese before buying your ticket is definitely worth it.

Booking accommodation in China is as easy as anywhere else. There are plenty of hostels in the big cities for which sites such as hostelworld and hostelbookers are quite useful. Agoda is also quite a good website for booking hotels and has a very broad range of hotels to choose from. Hostels can be a good choice for many travellers as there will typically be many other foreign tourists there so meeting new people is easy. As well as this, these hostels will have English speaking staff who can help arrange day trips for you as well as buying train tickets etc. As big as China is, when you are on the tourist route it actually seems to contract. Many people go to the same cities (Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xi’an) and stay in a small handful of hostels. Once travelling with my sisters in Xi’an we got friendly with quite a large group of foreigners and had several nights out together. After going off on our separate ways we then saw six of them again in four different cities (it was getting slightly embarrassing by the end).

As far as planning your trip there is no shortage of information from brochures and books to guides and blogs. What I would say though is that when you have settled on where you want to go and what you want to see, getting the names of those places in Chinese characters can be a good idea (showing taxi drivers pinyin usually does not get you anywhere). Arriving in a city only to be unable to tell the taxi driver the location of your hotel is no fun. There are now some apps that can help with getting around. Taxi-Book is one such which has directories for a number of cities in China containing all manner of bars, hotels, cafes, restaurants and attractions coupled with written directions in Chinese characters.

Whilst China can be a difficult place to get around if you do not speak Chinese, this is usually not too bad in tourist areas and as long as you plan your trip properly you should not have a problem.

General tips

1. Get a city card.

These cards can be used on buses, the metro as well as on the sky train. Using these cards is not only convenient but will also give you a small discount on all journeys you take. Particularly enjoyable is walking past hordes of people queuing at the ticket machines on the Metro and making your way straight to the train (this is ruined slightly when you realise you have no money on your card and have to join the queue like a chump). You can top your card up at the metro station or in any Zhongbai Supermarket (of which there are hundreds around the city).

2. Hit the roof.

Admittedly this will not be applicable to everyone, but most apartment buildings will have an accessible roof. Generally there isn’t a great deal up there, but if you bring up some chairs, ipod speakers and alcohol it can be a fairly panoramic way to kick a night off (remember to bring friends as well though, otherwise you are just  a lonely alcoholic sitting on a roof).

 3. Join a group/team.

This one is fairly broad and could also be written as ‘get some Chinese friends’. Whilst there are not a great many clubs in Wuhan, many groups of friends will arrange informal games of football or basketball and getting involved in one of these kickarounds is a great way to get to know some Chinese people. Many badminton halls will have a club night, and again if you turn up plenty of people will want to have a game with you (I no longer think I’m good at badminton). Most Chinese people are very friendly and welcoming to foreigners and if you put yourself in a position to meet people on a social basis you will quickly make friends. This can happen anywhere; myself and some friends used to be members of a gym and got friendly with the staff who eventually invited us out for dinner and KTV. Despite the fact that only one of them spoke English and none of us spoke much Chinese it ended up being a great night – until we got way too drunk and belted out Savage Garden songs at the KTV, refusing to let anyone else have a turn. We just had the one night out with them in the end.

 4. Getting a haircut – be careful.

I don’t pretend to be fashionable, and my steadily receding hairline has meant that ‘hairstyle’ is no longer a word in my vocabulary, having said that I feel on solid footing when I say that the ‘cool’ and ‘hip’ hairstyles favoured by many young Chinese men are an affront to fashion. Worse though is that when you get your haircut by a Chinese barber they will inflict this upon you. Make sure you are clear with what you want, and be quick to stop them when the hairspray and comb come out. On the plus side they will wash your hair for you (twice) as well as give you a short head massage so there is an upside.

 

5. Supermarkets – they actually stock some decent stuff.

Confused and perplexed by the array of goods on offer at the supermarket in my first year in China, I invariably stuck with what I knew (coffee, chocolate, fruit). It is very much a case of trial and error, but there are some definite gems to be found. Frozen dumplings, baozi and instant noodles are fairly standard and are worth buying for those days when it is cold and rainy and you don’t want to go outside to buy food. Yoghurt is pretty decent and cheap whilst there is a porridge-esque cereal which you add boiling water to which makes a reasonable breakfast. Beyond that they have dried meat which is quite good for long journeys, and I can definitely vouch for the packets of duck neck (much better than it sounds). In terms of snacks they have a mushroom-shaped biscuity/chocolatey snack which is definitely worth buying as well as a very reasonable array of crackers. Probably give the pig trotters a miss though.

Chinese food – healthy or not?

It is difficult not to wonder sometimes how healthy Chinese food is, what kind preservatives and flavourings are used, and more often than not – what the hell am I eating?

Recently I saw a study (..it came up on my MSN newsfeed) that of all the countries in the world, China had the second highest life expectancy. I found this quite surprising as I’d assumed the widespread pollution issues and dubious nutrition would have a rather more adverse effect on life expectancy. In the article discussing the study it went on to mention a number of things that can be good for health which may have a beneficial role in increasing life expectancy, and certainly in the area of nutrition it seemed that China was doing a lot of things right. Eating more nuts and seeds was one thing that was mentioned, and you only need to look at the mounds of husks that are left behind by a hungry Chinese mob to see the popularity of that in China. Another thing mentioned was the need to eat more fruit – again, no worries there. I have been to buffets before and seen first-hand the elbowy rush to the fruit counter as people cram their plates with far more than they can hope to eat (buffets are where culture goes to die..). Things mentioned as having an adverse effect on health was eating too much red meat (good luck getting a decent steak in China) and far too much cheese and dairy products (cheese is virtually non-existent in Chinese cuisine).

Of course this is not to say that Chinese food is a fanfare of healthy eating and nutrition. The amount of oil used in cooking is impressive to say the least, and I’m pretty sure that heaping spoonfuls of salt onto every dish is not recommended by most doctors. You will find as well that you eat a lot of dishes at small food joints where the oil used and the preparation area is slightly questionable (in one restaurant I ate in I saw rats climbing up the wall…I did continue to eat there though). One thing that people often assume is that what you order and what you are given are two different things. The classic joke of ordering beef and getting dog is a little off though, whilst you can get dog meat most restaurants do not offer it and in ones that do it is quite expensive – it is more likely you will order dog and get given beef.

Generally speaking you will find that you eat a lot of noodles, rice and vegetables. Whilst you will probably eat meat every day, it will not be in large quantities, more often shredded and fried with vegetables. The amount of fruit eaten is of course up to the individual, though there are fruit shops and stalls everywhere and it is easy to get hold of. I think on balance Chinese food is fairly healthy, and most people I know who come to China for a long period of time tend to lose weight when they are here (if you choose to eat McDonalds on a weekly basis I cannot guarantee this will happen though…).

 

5 tips for living in Wuhan

1.       Be aggressive when waiting for a taxi, there is no queuing or courtesy when it comes to flagging down a taxi. People will see you waiting and just stand 10m further up the road to be in front of you. When you are waiting its likely you will have to push in front of someone at some point….it’s every man for himself. If a taxi is free there will be a little red neon light on the dashboard meaning the taxi is free. It can also be difficult to get a taxi around 5:00pm as a lot of the taxi drivers finish their shifts, so even though they might pull over unless your final destination is on the way to their house they probably won’t take you.

2.       Try to go travelling for Chinese New Year. The actual main celebrations last for about 7-10 days and during this time a lot of China completely closes down, many of your local shops and restaurants will close. Imagine Christmas day for about a week, because of mass migration from rural areas of China to the cities means that a large population of cities such as Wuhan, Beijing and Shanghai return to their respective home towns usually in the surrounding rural areas. It can feel like a bit of a ghost town although McDonalds is still open.

3.       Cars can turn right through red lights at all times. I didn’t realise this until a friend told me a few months after I first arrived here so I had a couple of occasions when I nearly got run over and had shouted abuse at drivers. I still think it’s a funny old set up and often forget on occasions as drivers here aren’t exactly cautious with their driving and come flying around corners. Quite a few foreigners working as teachers in Wuhan buy electric scooters to get around, although no matter how careful you are with driving them, other drivers in China can be unpredictable so I wouldn’t recommend using one.

4.       If you’re out and about and need the toilet do anything you can to find your way to a Starbucks. Some of the public toilets in China are disgraceful so using a clean western toilet is a real treat. Even some of the toilets in the modern expensive shopping malls are awful….the shops are spotless so…what are the cleaners doing? Most toilets in cafes and restaurants are acceptable but I’ve had occasions when I’ve been holding one in all day until I got home.

5.       On a freezing Wuhan day visit the spa. There are plenty of these all around the city, you are given a wristband with a tag on entry and you pay for various services as go. You can have a relatively cheap day unless you start paying for facials and massages which can be pricey. Wuhan can be really cold in the winter and as most buildings don’t have central heating it is nice to be toasty warm for an entire day. Spa places have an all you can buffet 3 times a day as well as hot baths and shower facilities, massages and beds to relax on with your own TV. Men, women and child all go although obviously the bath/shower facilities are separated by gender. You are given some matching Hawaiian shorts and t-shirts to wear, on a cold day it’s a great place to eat, play pool/table tennis and relax in the hot baths. It’s also not a bad idea to take your laptop so you can watch a few movies.