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3 Things I Misunderstood About Chinese People Before I Came to China
Feb 12, 2010By Fred Dintenfass“Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it.”
--- Lao Tzu
Humans don’t process differences very well and living in China the seemingly natural tendency to generalize kicks into high gear. There are many reasons stereotypes spring up and many reasons why they persist – some certainly better than others – but it’s something, like syphilis, we should try to avoid passing around.
It is way too easy to generalize, to see a Chinese person spit and decide that all Chinese love to hock loogies in the street; in no time at all you’re thinking that spitting must be up there with ping pong as the national sport. Lack of cultural understanding and language barriers go a long way in promoting and perpetuating this sort of thinking.
Here are 3 things I thought misunderstood about Chinese people before I came to China:
1) Chinese people are small
This turns out to not be true. Everyday in the morning I find myself jammed into the tiny elevator with 16 other people, and invariably, one of them is as at least as tall as I am (188cm or 6’2”).
In fact, Chinese people are getting taller. In 2006, the Ministry of Health reported that Chinese children are growing, on average, 6 cm (2.34”) taller and 3 kg (6.6 pounds) heavier than they were in 1975. The main reason for this is nutrition – Chinese are no longer starving and, despite the dairy scares, Chinese are consuming far more dairy products than they ever did before.
When I first returned home to the US after a couple months here I was surprised to find that my fellow countrypeople weren’t noticeably taller than Beijingren. Immediately obvious, however, was how much wider Americans are. Except for the poor girls that work at the McDonald’s on Xueyuan Lu, Chinese people are generally quite fit - despite eating large amounts of oily food – stocky is about as big as they get. I hope China manages to fight the preservatives, chemicals, and lifestyle habits that have made Americans an average 20lbs heavier than they were in 1960 (and we weren’t exactly starving then).
Photo: ernop
2) Chinese people (all 1.3 billion of course) are quiet, prim, and proper
I’m not sure where this misconception originated, perhaps I was subconsciously mixing half forgotten impressions of China and Japan gathered from old movies – but whatever I did, I was shocked by the din of Chinese restaurants, some offices, and cities.
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My pay day's constant. Yours isn't?
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consistent, rather.
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Consistent, now, but still working on constant :) C.R.E.A.M.
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how infinitely complex we all are...stereotypes are merely something we use to sum each other up...and should be avoided in public discourse, but even in our own minds we tend to try to keep order, and sum things up so that they're manageable to think of, including, and maybe especially, how we think about people. Only by experience with them can we really know who people are, and even then, there is so much more to know over a period of time...you are having a wonderful experience, and thank you for sharing this!
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It's easy to generalize the Chinese or China for that matter, it's opposite land. Anything we take for granted or assume is common sense doesn't happen here, or at least not in away we assume it'll happen. So as long as you go into 90% of any situation while you're in china or dealing with the locals knowing the opposite of what you're expecting is likely to happen, you'll have a much less stressful time here.
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you may be familiar with the "WWJD" bracelet, well I have a custom made "TIFC" bracelet made, I'll let you figure it out! ;) Looking at it time and time again has lowered my BP by 20-30 points!
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F/Canada - you need to start manufacturing those bracelets. I'd buy a few for sure.
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your article is ignorant and honestly, not amusing whatsoever, especially when one of your misunderstandings about chinese people is that they are small...yes, all 1.8 billion of them. Granted, any article with the title "misunderstandings of..." are going to contain such sentiments of stereotyping, but the first two points go beyond stereotyping to simple ignorant stupidity. All chinese people are small? They are prim and proper (submissive?) come on, seriously??? I'm sure you have encountered Chinese people at least once in the states/canada/wherever you're from. It's not that China and the people don't make sense, it's your predisposed judgments.
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Did you not read and fully understand what was said? The author clearly stated that "all chinese people are small" was a one of the misunderstandings that people have and also clearly stated that from his experience he now knows this to be totally false. Please take your time to read and fully understand something before raging about it.
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There are only 1.3 billion Chinese people. Get it straight..
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Chinese people are crazy, I can't believe I thought they were restrained and orderly too.
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Yes, quietly primly and properly peeing and spitting everywhere.
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there are many good preceptions Chinese have of America or westren countries which when they travel there turn out to be false. Such as "freedom" which does not exist . It is more of a dictatorship in West and a policed state than in China. The freedoms here in China are better and truer . If not, then why so many Westerners here but not in their own countries?
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Why are there so many westerners in China???? So many?? I am sure there are more Chinese people working at the Happy Chopstick restaurant in your home town then there are westerners living in all of China.
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"The freedoms here in China are better and truer . If not, then why so many Westerners here but not in their own countries?"
pretty sure there are more Chinese in the West then Westerners in China! Why does every country have a China town? Chinese don’t want to live in their own country.
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The Chinatowns were built more than 100 years ago as a result of the wave of migration from the turbulent political situation in the country as it changed from monarchy to renmin power.
It does not mean Chinese do not want to live in their own country. We Chinese loves our 祖国 because there is no better place than one’s home country. And home is not in hostile foreign land living with hostile and prejudiced people with their strange customs and traditions.
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I like this website a lot. I arrived in China last week for my ten month stint. This particular website is preparing me and reminding me of what is in store for me.
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First of all, Chinese people are short compared to Americans. They are not tall like you are saying. They are getting taller than the original 4'9" that they were only 15 years ago, but they are not as tall as Americans. Second of all, the fact that they are getting taller doesn't really have to do with them eating meat or whatever else, since Mexican people eat meat and whatever and are still 5 feet 2 1/2 inches. Third, Chinese people exercise a lot (bike or walk everywhere), eat lots and lots of different kinds of fruits and vegetables (tangerines, kiwi, bottled juice drinks, bok choy, etc.) throughout the day, even while they are talking to people, and they eat millet, meat, vegetables, sometimes eggs, and more meat for breakfast. They are growing, because food is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very cheap there compared to food in the U.S.
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"It is more of a dictatorship in West and a policed state than in China. The freedoms here in China are better and truer . If not, then why so many Westerners here but not in their own countries?"
I am as critical of the current political climate in the US as the next person, but to imply that China is freer and that the political system is more responsive is simply ridiculous. Take the press, for example. The liberal bias is very strong and undeniable in the US, but it still beats the heck out of state run and censored press like they have in China. The fact that we have the right to vote (even if that right is compromised by the influence of big money) is certainly better than not having a say so in the nation's leadership.
As far as why so many people are emigrating to China, could it have to do with the rate of economic growth and therefore the financial opportunity? How many of those people do you think are moving to China so that they can have more freedom to express their views?
Get a clue, man.
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