What is it like to live in China? Lots of Questions.

[Magnum]

How friendly are Chinese people to Americans? What is the social life like for an American who moves to China for 6 months. Do the Chinese invite and accept foriegners, or do they exclude outsiders?

Is there any culture shock? Are there any things which are considered impolite in China, which is not impolite in the USA?

Has anyone who is not Chinese been able to get a date or been invited out? Or do Chinese people disapprove of mixing that way?

[Lu]

Some Chinese are excluding to foreigners, or laugh at them, but many are nice. It's not hard to make friends with Chinese. Many foreigners mostly hang out with other foreigners, though.

Expect a HUGE culture shock, China is completely different from the west. Be prepared for this, and don't let it get you down: just enjoy the differences.

White men often get Chinese dates extremely easily; the other way around is less common. Some Chinese disapprove of this kind of 'mixing', most aren't bothered by it.

I'd recommend reading some of the other threads in this forum ('Living in China'), it will answer some of the questions you asked and some questions you won't even think of.

[Redact207]

I'm an Australian, and have lived in China for 3 Months now and it's not what I was expecting. If you can speak the language (I study at uni everyday), then it opens up the country a tremendous amount. Nowadays most of my friends are Chinese, and I've found that they & other people have always been very open and friendly.

As yet still no culture shock, although studying working and a social life keeps you too busy to worry about such things. If you use common sense and a bit of intuition don't worry about being impolite - they'll generally forgive most of your misjudgements as being a Westerner.

In terms of going out, depending on who / how social / friendly etc you are, it's generally pretty easy to get invites. Dating is different to back home, but especially once you make some friends or set up a QQ account, meeting people is easy.

People have mixed opinions on the USA. Some think it's just a bully nation and boycot it, but generally they won't hold any resentment towards you. On the other hand some people praise America, hence it'll work to your advantage.

[atitarev]

Can we talk more about cultural shocks and what is considered bad manners one side (West vs China) but not on the other? Slurping food, as I heard is OK in China, being noisy in public places like tea-houses is also OK but not OK in the West. Not 100% sure, please confirm. On the other hand, if you lick your fingers (clean but if you have some food left-over, for example) is a shock for Chinese. I say, "When in Rome do as Romans do". This post was also inspired byt the topics in New Practical Chinese Reader, volume 3.

[Redact207]

heh, i think you're way too paranoid. Chinese meals are full of noise and excitement. If you're not making noise you're not having fun.

Feel free to spit out bones, seeds, anything you don't want to digest out on the table. If you can hold your liquor, the more respect to you. Learn to gulp a glass in one gulp too.

Don't lick your fingers, mainly cause it's unhygenic. use a napkin, and of course chopsticks.

Give respect to whoever's buying. Always leave some food on the table after (otherwise it implies they haven't fed you enough which is really bad form). A lot of wasted food also means the host has cash hence status to waste food.

Let the buyer order all the food, and when drinking, clank his glass towards the bottom with the top of yours.

Finally make sure the people around you are kept happy by topping up their tea/beer glasses regularly.

People will want to talk to you about touchy western subjects such as salary, marital status, personal equity etc; if you don't want to answer try and be diplomatic so you don't embarrass or insult whoever asked you.

For the rest of it, just have fun; that's what it's all about!

[atitarev]

heh, i think you're way too paranoid. Chinese meals are full of noise and excitement. If you're not making noise you're not having fun.

No, I am not paranoid, very tolerant to others, just stating what could shock others and stirring up the discussion.

[woliveri]

I experienced culture shock and have been with Chinese for 20 years in the states.

Things to expect:

1. Cutting in line. At restaurants, cafeteria, etc. people will step right up and shout out their orders regardless of who's in front of them or at Fast Food places will cut right up in line like you're not even there. Took me a long time to get used to and so now I know how to position myself to keep this from happening.

2. Spitting and blowing nose vomit (closing off one nostril and blow whatever is in the other nostril out) in public. This happens all the time with men and women. Be prepared. I get irritated at my school (SISU) as I see when I walk up stairs and see students have spit on the floors.

3. Smoking. Smoking here is like it was in the 60s and 70s in the states. No laws governing such meaning you can smoke just about anywhere.

Regarding being friendly: I find the more Chinese you know the more people are ready to accept and be friendly.

Regarding interracial couples. My girlfriend is Shanghaiese and we get nasty looks or heads shaking back and forth as though it was the most distcusting thing they have ever seen. But most are not affected or show reactions.

That's about all I can think of at the moment.

HTHs