I’m living in Guangzhou, China for the past 6 months. Few observations:
1. There are more Indians in China (and not just the big cities like Beijing & Shanghai) than you might realize. Found this out on a new year party in an Indian restaurant.
2. Westerners are seen more in Indian restaurants than Indians or Chinese.
3. Learnt about Tai Chi, which really is cool.
4. Get really strange looks from people in villages, especially young children, who might never have seen non-Chinese before.
5. Kids speak to you in English to practice their English, which they can’t do with their parents who don’t speak English.
6. Public transport is amazing. The frequency of bus/train is really good.
7. Want to visit a town that is 700kms away. How long would that take by train? 12hours, night train? Nope. 3hrs by train!!!
8. Crowd control in subways, amazing.
9. Pinyin is still not the exact pronunciation. You think you have it right, but you are not.
10. People work hard.
11. People smile.
12. People are kind and friendly.
13. Easier to bargain. Your skills honed in India comes handy.
14. People in mainland China are much kinder & gentle than those in Hong Kong.
15. People take their health seriously.
16. Chinese are blessed with natural fitness. They don’t have to do any exercise and still remain very fit. A Chinese friend of mine explained it as ‘it’s in our genes’.
17. China is not that different from India.
18. That longing that if only India also grows as fast as China.
19. The appreciation people show when you use Chinese words, Xie Xie!!
20. Public smoking, especially in closed spaces like restaurants. Glad this was banned in India.
21. Hey, I know that mobile brand!! It’s available in India too on flipkart!
22. Apple (not the fruit) is a big deal
23. It’s ok to make kids walk and not carry them everywhere.
24. Most of the children are being raised by their grandparents while the parents are busy with their career.
25. You see a lot of old, very old people, and they are fit.
26. The government destroys good roads and builds them again, just to create employment. Believe me, true story.
27. Flights are almost always delayed. People take it for granted that flights will be delayed and they plan their schedules accordingly. Hello Air China!!
28. You get a lot of greens (leafy vegetables like spinach, coriander leaves etc) in the markets. But boy it is tough to get Mint (pudina).
29. You are vegetarian and will have trouble in China! Don’t believe it. People here eat more vegetables than a lot of us.
30. What about all the ‘Chinese eat snakes, frogs, lizards, cockroaches’ hoopla. Don’t believe any of it. They eat more of Chicken, Duck, Turkey, Sheep, Cow, Pig.
31. And by the way, my regular lunch place does server frog & dog among other meats. I trust the chef knows which meat I order for.
32. Yes, it is common to find dog meat ‘curry’ in restaurants. I hear this is more common in the Canton region.
33. No, I haven’t tried any exotic meat in China. I say in China. You can’t hold against me that one time I had crocodile spring roll in London. OK, let’s not talk about it.
34. It is easy/common to get Snake, Frog or Turtle meat. Just go to a meat market or a super market, see which snake/frog/turtle appeals to you (they are alive & kicking (ok, not so much kicking) in a water tank). Point your finger at it and you have your meat for lunch ready.
35. The variety of fruits & vegetables available is refreshing.
36. Places with ‘Halal’ sign brings images of Briyani & Kebabs to your mind. Not in China. But the ‘pull noodles’ that you get in these places is a killer. Pull noodles with potato, chillies, onion..yum yum.
37. Chinese while speaking English answer your implied question and not the actual question. A typical conversation:
Me: Hi XXXX, would you mind translating this food menu for menu to find omlette? (expecting answers like No, No problem, Let me do it…)
XXXX: Yes
Me: (In mind voice:) oh, does that mean he minds doing it for me, so he won’t do it?
Learning: XXXX answered the 2nd part of my question, which is ‘translate the menu’.
To be kept in mind when someone is saying Yes or No.
(by Siva NS from Quora)
