1. People in China don’t call it China. They call it ZhongGuo or ZhongGhua. Zhong means middle. See the character on the left how its a line going through the middle of a box? That’s Zhong. Now Guo is a little more tricky since two characters mean Guo. The gif below will assist you. Most [...]
Archives for Culture Shock
Signs In China
I’ll add more as I find them. It’s true though, in China the signs are pretty blunt.
My Chinese New Year
I dropped my friend Li Hong Yen at the train station last night and there was a sea of Chinese people there heading home. Well actually not quite heading home, waiting to head home on a train where they sometimes have to stand for dozens of hours.
It was shocking to see all those people camped [...]
Toilet Paper & Bags
Not sure what it is but in China the two most safely guarded resources are : toilet paper (qi jin) and plastic bags (tai zah).
For instance none of the bathrooms are equipped with toilet paper, unless you’re at a fancy hotel or restaurant. They expect you to carry it around with you.
Now if you go [...]
Riding Taxi Cabs In Shenzhen
Welcome to take the Shenzhen Taxi. Please buckle up your seat belt and exit on the right.
This message plays after the driver dips the red vacant sign that starts the meter. One of the first things that you’ll notice is that there isn’t a female end for the seat belts. And you’ll wish [...]
i ate dog again
I willingly ate a dog skewer this weekend. I jokingly said to the street vendor “gourou” and he grabbed a skewer and put it on the grill. it looked like lamb. i was sort of curious to try it when i knew what i was eating so i didn’t stop him. this sort of thing [...]
Turning Chinese: Spitting and Littering
I have always been one to spit, or to cough up phlegm and then spit it out. People think I do this because I’m learning from the Chinese but really I’ve always done this.
In Hong Kong, it’s illegal to spit on the ground. “You will get a penalty!” my friend warned me. A penalty [...]
The Infamous Chinese Toilet
I had to use one. The Chinese toilet that is.
It’s a popular design in other countries in Asia also. My friend Wesley claims its actually “cleaner”.
Local Wai Laos call it the “high dive” or “long drop” and once you use it, you’ll see why.
I thought I would never use it, but like [...]
Shopping For Produce In China
Now let’s say you want to buy some produce at the supermarket. Naturally you’ll make your selections, bag em up, and bring them with the rest of your grocceries to the front of the store. In China it’s a little different.