American anthropologist Edward T Hall is renowned for developing Proxemics—the study of how human beings react and behave in regards to personal space. Hall's concept of a "personal reaction bubble" describes the various "invisible zones" that surround each and every one of us and who we'll allow in each. Outside of a 3.6 m bubble is the "public space", which is reserved for strangers; 1.2-3.6 m is the "social space" for new acquaintances; .45-1.2 m is the "personal space" for close friends and family; and inside .45 m is simply coined "intimate space" for significant others. On the whole, Hall's "bubble" theory helps describe why strangers getting "too close for comfort" always seem to make for an awkward situation. However, there's one major problem with this theory—its Western/American bias doesn't take into consideration "bubble" concepts in other cultures, as is immediately obvious to most Western expats in China, where it seems the personal bubble is completely nonexistent.

Photo: jiaxing.gov.cn

Popping the Expat's Personal Bubble in China

At one time or another, pretty much every Western expat in China has felt his or her personal bubble burst. With a sense of bemusement, we note that Chinese tend to be more "touchy-feely", especially with members of the same sex. For someone new to China, the sight of women walking hand-in-hand and men with an arm wrapped around a male friend's shoulder—as customs very different from those back home for many expats—certainly take some time to get used to. We also notice that in taxis, single passengers tend to sit in the front seat right next to the driver (as opposed to the back behind the guard rails) and that the passengers riding in trains—who are literally stacked on top of each other like sardines—don't seem to be bothered in the slightest. Chinese are also notorious for not queuing up properly, pushing you aside if you're in their way and cutting you off while walking, driving or riding a bike. In fact, at this very moment, a Chinese stranger is standing behind my shoulder inside my perceived "intimate space" watching me type this! Actions like these are clear violations of one's space in the West, understood as uncouth and irritating.

Many Western expats also remark that their psychological space is invaded while living in China, due to the perceived Chinese tendency of "interrogating" both new acquaintances and close friends and family alike—a communication style which makes many of us feel uncomfortable. A common question I'm asked when meeting new people is "Are you married?" When I respond that I'm not, they immediately demand to know why not!? The marriage question is often followed up by "How much money do you make?" and "Can I have your phone number and QQ number?" It should be said, that an expat's emotional space can also be invaded: when a car is repeatedly honking in your ear; being stared at relentlessly; a teen blasting the latest techno pop remix at you; or when someone sitting next to you is shouting at the top of their lungs into a cell phone.

Explanations for the Chinese Personal Bubble

While it's difficult to put a finger on exactly what determines a culture's concept of personal space, there are a few indicators that may help explain this social institution. First, China is not only the world's most populated country; it's also one of the most urbanized and densely populated. When you have so many people living in such close proximity, it's only natural to adapt, by deflating your own personal bubble and disregarding others' presence. At many Chinese universities, for example, students still bathe together in one large shower room, are crammed 6-8 people into a single dormitory room and use the bathroom openly in a communal stall. In the countryside especially, entire generations of family members still share the same living quarters, thus leaving their "private lives" wide open to everyone else. Residing in such surroundings may explain why Western visitors to India, (another dense populous country) also experience a personal bubble intrusion. It's easy to see why people living in heavily populated regions often neglect others' personal territory—simply because it's impossible not to in such a crowded environment.

Second, it's possible that remnants of China's staunch communist past also play a role. One example of this is "The People's Commune" (人民公社)—a social institution implemented by Chairman Mao during his progressive "Great Leap Forward" campaign. Residents of entire villages were organized into work units and made to live, cook, eat, shower, use the bathroom and sleep together in one large commune, forcing the individual to surrender their personal space due to the lack of privacy. With such radical ideas implemented from an authoritarian centralized government institution, the philosophy of creating a socialist utopia by eliminating individuality, private property and even personal space permeated society at nearly all levels and regions up until the late 1980s. It definitely seems plausible that the anti-individualistic mentality of the recent past could have left a mark on society that's still present today in New China.

Lastly, the personal bubble, like so many other customs around the world, could also be nothing more than a cultural phenomenon. Psychologists Roy Baumeister and Brad Bushman explain in "Social Psychology and Human Nature" that personal space greatly varies between cultures, countries, professions, socio-economic class, genders and ages. Within the Western world, Brazilians and Italians prefer a kiss (or kisses) on the cheek when meeting a stranger while the Americans and Germans opt to keep their distance with a handshake. According to other studies, Arabs and Latinos interact at closer distances than North Americans and Northern Europeans. It's also documented that women intermingle with other females at a closer distance than with males, while babies don't even gain a sense of personal space until the age of four or five. It's also hypothesized that the wealthier an individual is, the larger their personal bubble inflates. With so many variables, it's no wonder why tackling the issue of personal space proves to be so difficult.

But due to its vast discrepancies, it's safe to say that the lack of personal space in China could very well be deeply rooted in their culture for undocumented reasons. In other words, it's just the way their culture is.

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Keywords: public space in China; invasions of privacy Personal space in China