{"id":1234,"date":"2023-10-24T03:59:14","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/2023\/10\/24\/preparing-for-culture-shock-when-visiting-china\/"},"modified":"2024-06-03T23:01:31","modified_gmt":"2024-06-03T15:01:31","slug":"preparing-for-culture-shock-when-visiting-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/preparing-for-culture-shock-when-visiting-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing For Culture Shock When Visiting China"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though China is literally half the world away from you, it\u2019s easy to underestimate just how different life can be there. If you are planning on visiting, you\u2019re likely to experience some serious culture shock if you don\u2019t prepare yourself<\/a> ahead of time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Even though China is literally half the world away from you, it\u2019s easy to underestimate just how different life can be there. If you are planning on visiting, you\u2019re likely to experience some serious culture shock if you don\u2019t prepare yourself ahead of time. In the interest of easing into your new surroundings more seamlessly, you can use the following tips to mentally prepare before you arrive.<\/p>\n

Of course, the biggest contributor to culture shock when visiting any foreign country is the language barrier. You may find some English speakers in China, but it is never going to be as ubiquitous as you might hope. That\u2019s doubly true as you venture outside of the major cities. A good English to Chinese\u00a0dictionary\u00a0is an invaluable tool to keep at your side for the duration of your visit. You should also look into some basics of the language online before you arrive.<\/p>\n

Language aside, here are the top 10 things to expect during your trip:<\/p>\n

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\u00a01. Poverty Is More Common<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are many more people living in poverty in China than you might expect or be used to in your own locale. It is still a developing country in many ways. You will surely run into a lot of older infrastructure and more lenient standards for cleanliness. Keep the difference in average incomes in mind when visiting, and make sure any younger parties you are travel<\/a>ing with are also aware.<\/p>\n

You should prepare yourself for potential run-ins with beggars, especially within the major tourist areas. Those that are especially desperate might become overbearing. Do your best to understand their position and simply move on as best you can if you\u2019re unable to give them any aid.<\/p>\n

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Image: China Whisper<\/p>\n

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2.\u00a0Expect Loud Speaking Voices<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the western world, loud speaking voices aren\u2019t exactly the norm. The opposite is true in China. Unfortunately, the Chinese language can easily be misinterpreted for anger. In many cases, what you think may be aggressive dialogue will likely be about something completely harmless.<\/p>\n

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Image: China Whisper<\/p>\n

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3.\u00a0Personal Space Is A Rare Commodity<\/strong><\/p>\n

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China is a densely populated country and its major cities are just as cramped as you would expect. Your personal space is almost guaranteed to be intruded upon. Any kind of mass public transport will be filled in as tightly as possible. If you\u2019re uncomfortable in crowds, it is best to avoid rush hour travel as much as you can.<\/p>\n

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Image: China Whisper<\/p>\n

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4.\u00a0The Rules Of The Road Are Loosely Kept<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Despite some unfortunate stereotypes, the truth about driving in China is that the laws are obeyed in a fairly liberal fashion. It\u2019s not out of place to see drivers regularly running red lights. Road rage is also in ready supply, so you\u2019re bound to come across lots of aggressive<\/a> horn honking and shouting. If you have to ride in a taxi, make sure to hold on tightly! You should also be very careful if you have to cross the road.<\/p>\n

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Image: China Whisper<\/span><\/p>\n

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5. Squat Toilets May Be Unavoidable<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Unless you are staying in a particularly ritzy five star hotel in a major city, it is very possible you will have to deal with\u00a0squat toilets. The traditional western toilet is generally frowned upon and seen as unhygienic in China. Interestingly, their preferred alternative is akin to a hole in the floor that you have to squat over. You will also need your own toilet paper, wipes and hand cleaning sanitizer much of the time.
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Image: China Whisper<\/p>\n

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6.\u00a0Spitting Abounds<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Spitting is not quite as taboo or rude in China, so will be around quite a lot of it. It is especially common among older men that have lived a hard life of smoking and breathing in low quality air. There is a traditional belief in China that favors getting things out rather than holding them in. If you find spitting to be rude, you have to understand that it is merely a normal practice there.
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Image: China Whisper<\/p>\n

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7.\u00a0Smoking Is Everywhere<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Smoking is also a common practice in China. Many people smoke indoors still, even in Beijing where the act is now meant to be banned. Do not be surprised<\/a> to see people\u00a0smoking in bars, restaurants and even, elevators.<\/p>\n

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Image: China Whisper<\/p>\n

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8.\u00a0Staring Is Inevitable<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Given the dense population, you will definitely stand out to some extent. It might be less prevalent in tourist heavy areas, but it is simple human nature for the eye to be drawn to anything outside of the norm. You\u2019ll likely be stared at by some of the local residents. Try to remind yourself that there is no ill intent at hand. It is just a normal reaction that can\u2019t always be helped.<\/p>\n

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Image: Travel to Little Known Places<\/p>\n

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9.\u00a0Vendors Are Aggressive<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Chinese vendors are not too shy to literally follow you throughout the streets. Bootlegging and pirating laws are much more liberal in China and many vendors hope to pray on uninformed foreigners in tourist areas. They can be quite aggressive as they try to push various pirated wares. One phrase in particular will be your saving grace: \u201cBu yao.\u201d This is the same as saying you don\u2019t want it in the strictest sense possible. Be resolute and you\u2019ll eventually be left alone.<\/p>\n

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Image: China Whisper<\/p>\n

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10.\u00a0The Fourth Floor Doesn\u2019t Exist<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In Chinese, the word for \u201cfour\u201d is incredibly similar to the word for \u201cdeath.\u201d As such, it is considered a very unlucky number. Paranoia and superstition is common in China, so many buildings skip from the third floor to the fifth.<\/p>\n

Culture shock is bound to happen any time you enter a new country for the first time. Chinese life is significantly different from that of the western world, even more so than many assume. Use these tips to ease into your visit a bit more comfortably.<\/p>\n

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Image: China Whisper<\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0Laurent Huc, ChinaWhisper.com,\u00a0https:\/\/www.chinawhisper.com\/top-10-tips-to-help-you-prepare-for-culture-shock-when-visiting-china\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even though China is literally half the world away from you, it\u2019s easy to underestimate just how different life can be there. If you are planning on visiting, you\u2019re likely …","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[60,306,29,644,214],"class_list":["post-1234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-china","tag-hiredchina","tag-jobs","tag-preparing-for-culture-shock-when-visiting-china","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1234"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9879,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1234\/revisions\/9879"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}