6 April 2012
Are you 10 or 40? The Chinese love cute characters and dress up. Mickey mouse, hello kitty, barrettes, tutu like skirts and lacey 90s shirts. Even at 20 or 30 years old I think these girls look like they dress as a US middle schooler might.
Umbrellas are not just for rain. Umbrellas are an accesory that one like to shop for frequently. As chinese do not like sun, umbrellas are pretty much in use everyday.
No drinks to go with meals. It is not common for chinese to order or serve a beverage with their meal. This sucks when the food is spicy or just plain and simple to wash down the meal. I love my water or wine with meals.
China has a massive population so life here is accustom to being crowded. With a crowded life it is necessary to fight for your way and disregard many of the people around you. There is no cursing when people walk the wrong direction crossing your path because its just what happens. You must fight your way out or in the metro or up the stairs if you want to get to where you are going. If you wait, chances are someone else will always be ahead of you and you will get nowhere fast.
China has an upper class and a lower class but no real middle class society. So live for the bargain and cheap or live for luxury and brands. It is very hard to decide which way to really fit myself into as I can't quite afford luxe but the cheap is so shit that I hate to even give my money or fear I will get ill from such poor environments.
Fish are auspicious. I guess fish are a symbol of good luck or good life. I love the fish tanks that decorate nearly every room and the gold fish in nearly every available water source. But sometimes it can be a little over the top. And there is also fish banners, paper cuttings, sculptures, necklace charms and other figurines available.
Whitening, whitening, whitening...and I'm not talking about toothpaste. The beauty industry makes a killing off facial and skin whitening products. As a Chinese had told me westerners like myself are white, Chinese are yellow skinned. When one tans westerners get a great gold but Chinese just become more yellow. So whitest you can get is considered to be the most beautiful.
White noise. The street sweepers roll around with "its a small world" tune blaring from their trucks. The convenient stores have some child like music tune when you walk in the door. Music boxes with annoying nursery rhyme songs or classic cheap sounding tunes are sold everywhere. Personal karaoke machines litter the streets blaring aweful voices and people that can't sing. There is so much white noise or unwanted racket on a given day that I now can see that a little peace and quiet is taken for granted in the US. Or its just a much more reasonble/enjoyable way to live.
So here have been a few more cultural observations that highlight or make note to the nuances of living in Chinese culture.
