The "Chinese Stare" Does it exist?

[AlexanderH]

Just curious -- I'm a tall American headed to Beijing long-term starting August.

Is it true that there is lots of prolonged staring that goes on? Or is this mostly due to exotic features (e.g. blondes with blue eyes, which get lots of attention in the middle east too).

I don't mind.. it'll probably give me months of chuckles, but I am curious as to whether or not this is true. I'm also male if that makes a difference.

[renzhe]

Is it true that there is lots of prolonged staring that goes on?

Yes. You'll get used to it eventually. The further away you get from tourist spots and big cities, the worse it gets.

[SiMaKe]

But you get a glimpse of what it's like being a celebrity.

[Yezze]

Yes. You'll get used to it eventually. The further away you get from tourist spots and big cities, the worse it gets.

I was always hoping people were over exaggerating that, but i guess not... Next summer is going to be loads of fun.

[tboasis7]

Celebrity status... hehe well that sounds fun

[kdavid]

Though I'm certainly "used to it", I hate being reminded everyday that I'm different.

As a white American male I'm used to not being looked at twice. I've been in China for four years now and this is something that still bothers me, though to a small extent, every day.

How much you'll be stared at depends a lot on where you'll be. In cities with lots of other foreigners, you won't get stared at much, unless you're freakishly tall like Yao Ming.

[889]

In places like Beijing and Shanghai, the staring's not too bad. But travel to more provincial places and you better have a thick skin.

In addition to the staring, the constant asides of 老外! Lao wai! can wear you down, especially since they're always made in a tone of mock surprise suggesting you're some odd animal in a zoo.

I don't think it makes much difference whether you're male or female, tall or short, red-haired or blond.

The stares and the lao wais only stop if you're out with Chinese friends, who seem to act as amulets warding off the rude behavior of their countrymen.

[roddy]

The further away you get from tourist spots and big cities, the worse it gets.

With the caveat that when you're actually in the major tourist attractions in Beijing - Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace, Badaling - you're going to be surrounded by Chinese tourists from small towns who've never seen as many foreigners before, and they like to get their eyefuls. These are the places you may actually get people asking to take a photo with you. The rest of Beijing will barely even glance at you.

[dumdumdum]

well you will get some if you looked different from them.

more if you acted different from them.

even more if you suddenly say something in mandarin.

but i guess it's more or less the same in every country.

[putonghua73]

As others have said, it exists - especially if you're female and blonde. My fellow class-mate who is Polish, and studied in America for a few years, is tall, super-skinny and very, very blonde. She recalled one occasion when she was stopped to have her photograph taken (at one of the famous mountains). She consented to what she thought would be one or two, and then looked aghast as approx 99 people all thrust their cameras towards her. 2 hours later she was done, and never agreed to have her photo taken again.

The stares are not too bad, it's people who rush up with their mobiles and take pictures without asking (mostly happens to females - particularly blondes).

If you're male with blonde hair and blue eyes, the attention is more bearable i.e. young, attractive (and not so attractive) females. A Norwegian class-mate has almost super-star status if he goes out to a club since he is also very tall.

Me? I had the arm around the shoulder the first time I arrived in Kunming a few times, and people siding up to me to make my acquaintance. Since that first week, absolutely no real attention, beyond the mundane curious glances in Carrefour. Mind you, I spend a fair bit of time in supermarkets giving appreciative glances to attractive women so it evens out (lots of attractive mothers in the supermarkets).

A blonde German female class-mate arrived last night, and I took her to breakfast at my usual place at weekends. I've been there before with other female class-mates and we've not received any real attention (except from kids, who are exceptionally curious). Today a couple sat next to us and started chatting in a mixture of English and Chinese - mostly talking to my blonde female class-mate. I'm convinced it's the blonde-hair factor [bHF].

Whilst the stares may be annoying to some, you'll rarely, if ever, get hassled - compared to other countries e.g. Middle East, which is notoriously bad for Western women (Egypt - although on NE Africa coast, features highly on the No.1 annoyance / seriously hassled spot).

Cheers!

[Chinadoog]

it's nice when cute girls are looking at you, but it makes me uncomfortable when 60 year old men are staring at me even after i notice that they're staring. it's like they're not even embarrassed for being caught straight up staring at someone. it's the worst when you're in resturaunts. trying to eat and having old chinese men looking at you.

[fanglu]

it's people who rush up with their mobiles and take pictures without asking

Speaking as someone who has taken photos of many people in many countries without asking, I don't get why this bothers you. I was amused rather than offended when people bragged to their friends about getting me and both my parents in one photo.

[xianhua]

I don't get why this bothers you.

Because if the pictures end up on Facebook (or an equivalent social networking site) and the account holder fails to change the default account settings, then that's a potential audience of 500 million.

[fanglu]

And with a tag of ‘老外！’ no doubt potential employers will find you easily

[skylee]

but it makes me uncomfortable when 60 year old men are staring at me even after i notice that they're staring. it's like they're not even embarrassed for being caught straight up staring at someone. it's the worst when you're in resturaunts. trying to eat and having old chinese men looking at you.

That happened to me too. But it was in Italy and it was an Italian old man who kept staring at me. But then I am Chinese and this did not happen in China, so I guess it was not as a big deal as the "Chinese Stare".

[GreenArrow45]

The staring does exist, as do plenty of rude or ignorant comments. I feel like as your Chinese improves, the more and more you find it irritating (as you understand more of what they're saying)...but, like others said, this happens more in rural locations and smaller cities. Beijing, Xi'an, HK, and the like you shouldn't encounter too too much of this stuff.

As to the picture thing, asides from the pictures going on some social networking site, it can be a bit irritating to have people taking a picture with you as though you are some spectacle at the circus. I can't think of many situations where it is polite to take someone's picture without their permission. The only times I can really think of is if said individual is a performer of sorts (ie: a street performer), they are posing for photos with people, or if they happen to be in the photo without them being the focus. I know several people who have broken a Chinese man's camera over this.

[roddy]

You'd think he'd have given up after the first time.

Given that the OP is going to be in Beijing, he doesn't really have to worry. Unless he's basketball-player tall, in which case he can expect to end up signing lots of autographs in the name of whichever basketball player he most resembles.

[Sarpedon]

I'm 6'7", blonde, blue eyes. In Seoul, I got a few laughs and stares but mostly from the "tween" crowd or the high school boys who would like to jump as I walked by them. After 2 years there I was able to ignore it. I found that they only issue was hitting my freakin' head every week on something or another, usually in the subway.

I imagine it's worse in China. Not sure where I'm headed yet but not Beijing or Shanghai, so I guess I'll have to see what happens.

[yonglin]

To be honest, I never experienced anything of the stare *at all*. Perhaps I'm just inattentive, or maybe 889 is correct that being around Asian-looking friends wards it off.

[Meng Lelan]

These are the places you may actually get people asking to take a photo with you. The

Traveling with my three boys in China, this actually was a problem. Namely, locals who tried to get one of the boys to pose with them for a picture. The attention was starting to bother them, so I told the boys to just politely wave no in Chinese style and say 不要 in 普通话.