7 April 2012
Here are the first of many Chinese culture observations. I will post another again with more as I get accustom to the way of life here in Shanghai.
1. When entering or in a Chinese home house slippers much be worn. No exceptions. My host Ren has an entire cabinent of sandal/slippers for visiters.
2. Chinese people are not phased by peeing in public. They will leave the door open, walk into an occupied stall with no sorry. It's a unique experience to use a squat toilet as well.
3. Uniforms are a very big part of work establishments. Bank personal all match with uniform scarves, ties, and suit. Police offices, flight attendants, tourist attraction attendendants, bread shops...all uniformed 100%.
4. Uniform being said, police and building security are everywhere. When the armored truck delivery came to the bank the woman carrying money was surrounded by 4 guards with 3 foot long automatic guns. In the metro, at the zoo, sightseeing tower, museums, and lots more there are x-ray security scanners like the airport and if you have water they make you dump or drink it. Because liquid/water is a potential threat.
5. Chinese people eat just about anywhere and seems like anything. Restaurants are so indistiguishable. You can get street food, hole in the wall window servers, 10 seat areas, and fast food chains that don't differ much from snack bars, and sit in restaurants. Many people are seen on the street corner feasting over a garbage, on the metro, waiting for the bus, sitting against a building and chowing food. And with Chinese food, it's usually messy. Crab legs, shrimp tails, fish bones, soupy noodles and more don't be suprised if there is a pile of who knows what on the street.
6. Messy eating, spitting, and general garbage give way to street cleaners everywhere. Everywhere you look some person is sweeping the ground. Don't think man-made brooms either. They use twig or grass tied bunches on a stick and just go to town.
7. Overall cleaniness is poor. It seems that the chinese know that too. Food is eaten with a plastic glove or bag that is handed out with the order. House cleaning is not thorough just tidying up. People are constantly hack coughing lougies and spitting them out wherever they are. But all in all as I said there is always someone sweeping or mopping. They like clean floors.
8. Brands do not matter much. Chinese business structure is based off barganing and negotiating discount prices because it's likely that a few dozen other places are selling the exact stuff they are. I'll have to get some advertisment pictures later. Quite interesting.
9. It is accustom that good friends have close contact with each other. The chinese can be seen hanging on each other arm in arm while walking and standing around. A normal gesture that can be seem by boyfriend/girlfriends in the US on occasion. But, all the time, it's exhausting and a little annoying.
10. A love hate relationship with paper. Toilets do not typically have toilet paper. You can buy packs of tissues at the store to carry in your bag. Restaurants generally do not have napkins, again use the tissues you brought with you. On the other hand, every transaction at a store, a bank, and what have you is a paperwork procedure. Hand write and type in this, make a copy of this one, keep that one, file that one and so on. Why could one transaction need 5 reciepts or a money exchange a whole book of papers. Paperless system is far far away from China.
That's all for now, I am sure to have another 10 in a month or so.
Niko
