Archive for May, 2010
Chinese Etiquette
9One of the most interesting things since arriving in China has been seeing the examples of simple etiquette differences talked about in our meetings before leaving materialize.
The first encounters began showing their faces just after arriving at our second hotel in Shanghai and meeting up with our Chinese partner Hong Kong Baptist University.
After unloading our bags from the taxis, our group of eight followed Professor Huang Yu of HKBU into the hotel’s restaurant where his students were having an early dinner.
It didn’t take long for the students from Hong Kong to realize that a group of westerners had entered the room.
A few of the students stood to greet us and, excited to meet the foreign students, I quickly walked to a couple of them giving them a good firm traditional United States handshake.
When I got to the fourth student and extended my hand it was obvious that she was a little surprised by the gesture but politely fumbled to move the napkin she was holding in her right hand to her left and shook my hand.
It didn’t occur to me until I had turned to walk back behind my group that I had been told in one our meetings before leaving that the Chinese rarely shake hands and when they do it’s a softer, less assertive handshake.
But, shrugging it off, I assumed that I would inevitably make mistakes like this from time to time.
I walked over and sat down with my fellow students and professors at one of the restaurant tables with Professor Huang who didn’t waste any time ordering beer, Coca-Cola, and orange juice for us to share.
After the drinks arrived at the table, I turned the lazy susan and filled my glass.
Looking across the table at Professor Huang, I watched him pick up a bottle of a Chinese beer, called Tsingtao, and, without asking if they’d like any, pour a glass for both of my professors and then himself.
Noticing that this seemed a little strange, I remembered in one of our small cultural info meetings that Dominic, our group’s communication studies major, had specifically told us that in China, it is a custom to serve those sitting next to you before serving yourself.
So after finishing my first glass and following Professor Huang’s lead, I reached for more, serving my fellow news major, Sarah, then myself, and set the bottle back on the lazy susan.
After finishing my second glass, Dominic, who is much more culturally wise than I, picks up a bottle of orange juice and fills the glass to his right.
When he turns to me and starts to pour me a glass, I quickly stop him, even after having served Sarah myself, impulsively saying “oh no, no thank you.”
Looking at Dom’s blank stare made me realize the mistake I had made even after seeing the Hong Kong professor set the example.
He was being polite by serving me, and in China it was impolite for me to refuse his gesture.
Professor Huang acted like he didn’t notice, and it’s likely that he really didn’t, but the next time around I made sure to wait until both of our glasses were empty to allow Dom to fill my glass, righting my wrong.
Food, food and more food!
70So far, a common theme of our visit to China is the food! In fact, one member of our BSU group said “it seems like all we’re doing is walking and eating!” And there’s a reason for it. Amazing food is everywhere! There are so many varieties to choose from that you want to try them all. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re eating, but we know it’s good.
After the first, week, some of us got a craving for American food. And we can find it almost anywhere in Shanghai. Yesterday, we dined on KFC, Burger King and Papa John’s. But even these American standards have a Chinese spin. I enjoyed a shrimp sandwich from KFC along with spicy fish. It was delicious. I only wish that Colonel Sanders would bring those exports home to the USA.
Food was a central part of our day on Monday. We spent all day Monday with our friends from Hong Kong Baptist University. It included tours of a silk factory, gardens, temples, a boat trip and a gourmet dinner. We definitely had quality time with the students and faculty members from HKBU.
Tuesday, we spent an amazing day at the World Expo and got a VIP look at the USA Pavilion. The day ended with an adventure on the subway. Someone else promised to write about that so I’ll leave it there.
Ode to the Western Toilet
3Don’t ask for a bathroom or a restroom in China because you may get some funny looks. But ask for a toilet and everyone knows what you are talking about; and so begins the great toilet bowl adventure. Once you’ve found the bathroom two words, or at least you hope two words greet you, squatting and pedestal. As a westerner you hope for a pedestal, which is a typical western toilet, the fear of God enters your body when you see only the word squatting when entering the toilet. Especially when you’ve forgotten the cleverly designed device, which looks like a funnel (thanks Jane Brannan), to aid your bathroom activities. A squatting bathroom is no more than a porcelain hole in the ground, and believe me, it’s difficult to maneuver. The balancing act that goes on while in the stall is amazing; making sure not to fall, making sure to hit the hole and making sure not to get something that is sure to smell later, all over yourself. Is that too graphic? If you are flexible enough to maneuver this, congratulations! But the adventure is not over. Make sure that you carry your own toilet paper with you because none will be provided. On top of all this, the males traveling with us say that the men’s room almost always has a western toilet at their disposal, which begs the question, who designed the public restrooms in this country?—probably a male! That is why I have begun to stop and use almost every restroom with the words pedestal, just in case I get stuck in a place with a squatting only toilet.
‘American Pie’ at the World Expo
8With me corn beef n’ cabbage blood, the Ireland pavilion was top on my list. This pavilion was one of my favorites until Dominic and I discovered disturbing information. We spoke to one of the workers there who was born in China, but lived in Ireland for a few years.
Dominic asked this gentleman what he generally thought about the US. He told us that he used the American Pie movies as a reference. If you are unfamiliar with this movie series, all you have to know is that sex, booze, and idiocy are the main themes.
We laughed after hearing this and tried to explain that it really isn’t all like that, but it really is no laughing matter. I would hope that this is not the universal feeling for the US, but I have an itch that it may be.
Don’t Worri. Just Smile :)
0After an entire day at the Expo, a few others from the team and I are standing on the Shanghai MTR awaiting our stop. I decided to join the locals in a session of the post-workday zone-out. Standing quietly in the middle of the train, looking at all the different people, I noticed a t-shirt that reminded me of something from home: “Don’t Worri. Just Smile.” Even though it’s not an exact quote from the famous Bobby McFerrin song (nor is it spelled correctly), it still reminded me of a saying and a song from back home… and I’ve learned that over here it has a whole new meaning.
I’m standing around at the Expo in the Africa Pavilion, looking at all the magnificent displays Africa has to offer. I make my way over to the exit area of the pavilion where there is this huge display that can only be described as the Mt. Rushmore of Africa. Giant faces of African tribesmen make movements thanks to the help of projectors painting the images onto the enormous canvas. Amongst the spectacle, tourists are gathered around to capture a moment with the towering structures. It seems to be like every photo taking opportunity I’ve seen since we’ve been here at the Expo, but one particular moment really caught my attention and stood out even more than the 7-story high faces.
A young couple was standing in front of the displays getting a photo taken. Both of them were smiling for the camera as their photo was about to be taken. The young man held his arm around his companion while she took her left hand and held up the peace sign. As soon as that hand went up, her companion pushed it down to her side in order to prevent it from being seen in the photo. This was no gentle and smooth transition from hand-up to hand-down either, this was a resisted connection that had as much tension as Chinese and Japanese relations (as I have learned is not very good). I saw these two hands fighting back and forth and thought to myself “Oh no, we are going to have a couples fight right here, right now,” but to my surprise nothing of the sort occurred. Once her hand went down, the picture was taken with great big smiles and they both rushed to the camera with delight, eager to see the joyous moment that had just taken place.
Say what you will about whether or not the peace sign should be in a photo or not, or what this moment might have to say about male-female relations, cause those issues might very well deserve their own articles. The core lesson here is about how people in China act in a public space. One of the core values in China, and Eastern culture, is the concept of “saving face.” This belief asserts that each person possesses a “face” (maybe similar to what we refer to as a “soul”) and it is wrong to bring negative feelings and painful intentions to that person, especially out in public. It is not to say that the Chinese do not express disagreement, they just do them in more subtle ways in order to prevent feelings from being destroyed. Despite the obvious disagreement between the couple, they both moved on and enjoyed their picture taking moment with smiles and laughter, instead of spending time arguing over whether the sign should be up or not.
It’s very possible they addressed the issue later that day in a private setting, or they solved the issue through ways that weren’t seen by my western eyes. Either way, it seems to be that, in China, one must always notice and give attention to faces, whether they are 7-stories high or not.
Best food, best friends of Ball State
1Simon Pan, the founder of “Best Food in China,” and his colleague, Summer Xia, gave the Ball State crew a real treat today. Over a tasty lunch at Wagas in downtown Shanghai, they shared stories about their business venture, a website and production company that produces English-language restaurant reviews for visitors to China. These are busy guys, but yet, they took three hours to spend with us. Not only did they talk about their business, they wanted to hear about our students and what they want to do. And we all brainstormed ideas about how to help their business grow. The conversation truly created food for thought, please pardon the pun (and cliche).
Simon Pan and Summer Xia of "Best food in China" discuss their business with Ball State students.
Also today, we ventured onto the subway for the first time. Even though we took a wrong turn or two, we got where we needed to go. And at the top of the subway station, it was all worth it. We discovered one more bit of America, Dunkin Donuts. A little taste of home is always a nice treat.
No matter what continent you're on, Dunkin Donuts is a treat for BSU students and faculty.
Skip the Cedar Point Ticket and Get a Cab Ride in Shanghai
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Shanghai expressway looking out from our hotel room. The metro line can be seen on the right side of the picture.
Mom always said look both ways before crossing the street. If there ever was a time to follow her advice, this might be it! The Shanghai traffic is incredible. All types of vehicles occupy the street from petite Volkswagens to trucks three times the length of an “American” truck. The flow of traffic reflects the people of the city. Traffic rules simply do not exist. Horns are used to the fullest potential. It seems an accident should happen every 30 seconds, yet there are very few.
I’ve simplified it down to two types of people who ride in cabs in Shanghai. There are those who are scared for the their life (cough, cough, our professors) and then there are those who absolutely love the ride. Weaving in and out of traffic, it is always a high-speed chase to your destination. Being cut off is the norm. The larger your vehicle, the more road you control. The younger the driver, the faster you will reach your destination.
Our interactions with the taxi drivers have been better then anticipated so far. A Shanghai local on the plane told us that most of the drivers are very honest and fair, as it’s very competitive. For the most part I’ve been able to communicate with the drivers on where we want to go. In such a big city it still amazes us the drivers know how to get there. With the majority of the taxi drivers only speaking Chinese the World Expo has gone to the length of setting up a hotline you can call should you need help communicating with the driver. Thankfully we haven’t had to call the number yet.
As with everything else here, the cab ride was extremely cheep. A ride from our hotel to the Expo, about 30 minutes depending on traffic, cost us only $10. Put four people in a cab and you’ve got a great deal. Beat that NYC!
Westerners
0Even after just three days in China I have already found myself wanting and looking out for opportunities to talk to or have any contact with people who come from western societies. Although we have our group of eight with which we can share feelings and ideas, simple communication with new faces and personalities is still desirable without a doubt.
Today was the first day that our group spent at the World Expo, presenting us with our first good opportunity to meet people without the separation of a language barrier. After struggling to tell our taxi driver where it was we wanted to go, it was refreshing stepping out onto a street typically packed with Chinese. Almost immediately, Suzy, Jeff, Sarah and I ran into a group from Florida and Michigan who helped remind us how nice it can be just to small talk. Being able to share the exciting atmosphere of the Expo with new people felt far better than I ever would have expected. Even interviewing a woman inside the Expo who was a Hong Kong native who spoke fluent English was a treat. Being immersed in a foreign culture is definitely a fun and interesting experience, but sometimes there’s just no substitute for simple human interaction.