Let’s face it—countries come with a set of stereotypes that
are hard to break. As an American citizen, I know that Americans are often
labeled as: “loud, rude, materialistic, geographically ignorant, and wearers of
sneakers” like a BBC America article states. I would admit that there is some
truth to these. I, myself, wear a lot of sneakers. At the same time, everyone
knows that stereotypes, if anything, are over-generalizations.
China is one of those countries that comes with its own set
of stereotypes. Having grown up and attended school with a large population of
Chinese people, I think I have heard about every stereotype out there. According
to an article on eChinacities.com, five common stereotypes include: “Chinese
people are quiet, Chinese employees are the hardest workers, Chinese women are
submissive, Chinese people are unwelcome to foreigners, and Chinese people are
the most polite.” I have taught English in Shanghai, China, for the past eight
months now and have come to recognize a lot of stereotypes to be false. These are
twenty things I have discovered about China that end up debunking a lot of the
stereotypes.
1. Goods in China are NOT inexpensive and NOT fake (all the time).
Americans are often under the impression that
shopping in China should be cheaper than the goods that are “Made in China” in
the United States. Understandably, goods that are shipped from China should be
cheaper when they don’t have to be shipped, but that is just not the case. According to People’s Daily Online, a Beijing-based newspaper,
“The made-in-China iPhone sells in the United States for less than 200 U.S.
dollars, but in China it goes for anywhere between 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, some
440 to 590 U.S. dollars. Also, there are plenty of fake markets where people
have to haggle for cheaper prices, but there are a TON of malls in China that
sell genuine name-brand clothes and accessories for even more than they would
cost in America. Malls in China have fine dining, hair salons, arcades, grocery
stores, and However, dining out in China is significantly cheaper than it is in
America.
2. Men grow out their fingernails.
There is a custom for men to grow out their
fingernails to show that they do not work in the fields or jobs where they have
to use their hands a lot. A lot of men take pride in their non-labor jobs.
3. People sell miniature dogs
on the street.
Contrary to what a lot of people think, dogs are not
eaten in all parts of China, mostly rural regions where wild dogs are actually
breed for food. Dogs are highly cherished as pets in China. Miniature dogs are
especially popular and dressed up often in kid clothes. A lot of dogs that are
sold on the street are in-bred so they are born smaller.
4. Not too many people speak English in Shanghai.
Although most young people are being taught English
in school, the majority of people living in Shanghai today do not know English
even though Shanghai is the most populated city in China and the world,
according to Wikipedia. Even if someone can speak English, their sentences are
riddled with pronunciation and grammar mistakes. What’s more, people in China
are taught British English so there are plenty of “mums,” “mobile phone,” and
“WC” thrown about.
5. It is common for people to ask your age and if you are married.
People are not shy about asking you
questions here.
6. Babies wear “split pants” so their bottoms show.
Sure there are toilets, and some bathrooms are like
any bathroom you would find in most cities in America. That being said, more
often than not, the toilets are what westerners like to call “squat toilets,”
or holes in the ground you have to squat over to use. Most bathrooms do not
have toilet paper either way. Traditional parents in China have their children
wear “split pants” without diapers (even in the winter sometimes). I have seen
children “going to the bathroom” on the street, being held over trash cans, and
on the metro.
7. Men and Women spit on the ground all the time in Shanghai.
It cannot be said that people in Shanghai,
Beijing, and other cities in China, have the best manners. Certain people bump
pass others all the time without saying a word, talk loudly on their phones on
the metro, clip their nails on the metro, stare unashamedly at foreigners, and
spit on the ground a lot. There is a lot of air pollution here which is why
people feel the need to spit as much as they do.
8. Cars have the right a-way. Scooters count as cars, and often drive on
the sidewalks.
People definitely have to
look both ways before crossing the street, not that people wait for the
pedestrian crossing signal to cross. Cars rule the streets and can make left
and right turns on red lights. In Hong Kong, cars drive on the opposite side of
the street. Scooters often make their way to the sidewalk and will honk for
people to get out of their way. A lot of people ride scooters.
9. Chinese food consists of a lot of soups, eggs, and meat. Rice is not
consumed at every meal.
Chinese food is certainly nothing like American
Chinese food. For one thing, it is much healthier. Chopsticks are used for
everything and people don’t usually use spoons; they drink their soup and drink
yogurt through straws. Also, fish is a big staple in the Chinese diet. It is
usually served as the whole fish—eyes, fins, bones, and all.
10. In the summer time, men wear
their shirts above their stomachs.
Why don’t they just take their shirts off? Curious.
China’s temperature reached record heights this past summer.
11. The metro stops running at around 10:30pm at
night.
But most bars and clubs remain open until 3am or even 5am.
12. A lot of people smoke.
A lot of people also do not
pay attention to the “no smoking” signs.
13. Solid deodorant, tampons, and blonde hair-coloring are not sold in Shanghai
stores.
This was surprising.
14. Mandarin is the official language of China.
Cantonese is often thought as the official language,
but that’s not true. However, Cantonese is commonly spoken in Hong Kong.
15. China is not as traditional as people think.
Cities in China are quickly developing into
powerhouse cities, boosting China’s economy. People are evolving their tastes
and goals right along with them. Women are no longer as submissive as they have
been in the past, although families would still rather have a boy over a girl.
This has led to a fear for the elimination of a generation. There have been
recent kidnappings of female children to insure a future wife for sons.
Clearly, the family is still deemed just as important as it always has been,
but there is a materialistic focus on everything that is new and improved.
16. People practice a variety of religions.
Not too many people actually practice a religion, but
Buddhism is not the only one people practice. However, people are not allowed
to preach their religion to others.
17. In most schools, teachers move around from
classroom to classroom, rather than the students.
Remember how in middle school, high school,
and college, students would have a few minutes to run to their next class?
Well, not in China. Instead, teachers switch off classes (even in elementary,
or primary school) and students remain in the classroom or close by between
classes. I have come to find that elementary students in China are more
attentive and participate more in class than their American counterparts. They
also spend many more hours in class throughout their time in school.
18. More people commute by metro, than by car.
There are still a lot of cars taking over
the streets and polluting the air, but more people actually use the metro in
cities like Shanghai. There are rush hours for the metro and people will
squeeze into the cars even if they are full.
19. The Western world is very appealing to a lot of
people.
In the malls, admiration of western culture can
easily be seen. Advertisements and commercials mostly feature white-faced
models, most stores are European or American brands, and fast-food restaurants
like Burger King and Starbucks pop up everywhere. “Whitening cream” can be
found in a lot of lotions and body washes. In addition, most students want to
end up in a university in America or Canada.
20. The one-child policy is not always enforced.
Most people know about
China’s one-child policy that was enacted in 1979, for population control. However,
rural families are allowed a second child if their first child is a girl or
disabled, ethnic minorities are allowed to have as many children as they want,
and parents that do not have siblings can have two children. Parents are also
allowed to have twins, and have two children in big cities, but they must pay
the government more money.
Easter isn't a holiday that is normally celebrated in China. Last week in class was the first time that many of my students had heard of Easter. 
