Some Additional Thoughts on Beijing

I’ve been a little busy settling into my new town and new job (as well as taking language classes) but I wanted to provide some other thoughts of my three weeks in Beijing.

Chinese People:

By-and-large, I liked the citizens of Beijing.  Though we could not be more different, in terms of how we look, what we eat, how we act, how we dress, our language, our non-verbal language, our politics, our school system, our transportation, etc., I think a lot of my pre-conceived notions for the most part, were inaccurate (some but certainly not all).  The inconsistencies came from my reading and watching TV over the summer of Chinese culture in preparation of this upcoming trip.  I thought everyone would be spitting and spewing phlegm (this happens but not as often as I thought).  I thought all the children would be using the public streets for their bathroom needs (again, this happens but not as often as I thought).  I thought I would always be pushed around and that queuing does not exist (queuing does exist, just not always, though China is trying to incorporate this into their culture more and more).  I thought I would have trouble eating as a vegetarian.  No problem.  I thought I may feel threatened at times in regards to safety but never once did I feel unsafe.  There are a lot of policemen roaming the streets.  Actually, to be correct, roaming might be a tad inaccurate.  I think they had stationary posts but there were a lot of them.  I did not get the feeling that one should test them though.  I feel Chinese people are a loud bunch or maybe it’s their language.  When they talk to each other, it sounds like they’re screaming at each other.  But I get this feeling from other cultures too (like Korean) so it may just be my ears and lack of knowledge.  You will see many Chinese men walk around with their shirts up so their bellies stick out.  This is for the heat I believe.  Also, it’s very common for Chinese men, when eating at an outdoor restaurant, to all take off their shirts.  Smoking is not as common as I thought.  Don’t get me wrong, China consumes the most cigarettes of any nation but you are not inundated with smoke everywhere you go.  They really don’t smoke on buses and trains which is good.  The Chinese people in Beijing thought we were a curious bunch and I feel they acted warmly towards us for the most part. 

Bathrooms:

As we all know, Americans use western toilets (you know, the ones you sit on) and the Chinese use squat toilets.  China has some western-style toilets (mainly upscale hotels, restaurants, & malls) but by-and-large, squat toilets make up over 90% of all toilets in China.  Even Peking University, the most prestigious University in China, where I taught & studied, one could not find a western-style toilet.  Thus, I never did #2 there.  If I had to, I would go back to my hotel.  Even as I write this, I have not had to use a squat toilet yet for #2 since my arrival and I hope to come back to the States not having to either.  Why?  Because they are simply, NASTY.  No other way to write it.  They always stink and are just gross and dirty.  Also, many times you’ll walk in and notice that someone missed the hole and #2 is just lying there.  No toilet paper too, by-and-large.  That is your responsibility (to bring).  Sometimes it’ll be provided free near the bathroom entrance, but most often not.  Some public restrooms, there will be a booth where you buy the toilet paper.  Also, 90-95% of the time, you will not find any soap or towels/hand dryer.  Why?  I cannot answer this for the life of me.  Ssssoooo different than America.  In America, it is seared into your childhood to always wash your hands with soap & water after using the restroom.  I think we all agree this is a smart thing to do.  I’m pretty sure it’s been scientifically proven that soap reduces germs and outbreaks.  So why would China not catch on to this?  Really weird.  I know by definition China may still be viewed as a developing country, but this is ridiculous.  You will not see soap in restaurants or hospitals.  That’s right, I went to a hospital to get some tests done (all foreigners are required to that plan on living in China) and soap was nowhere to be found after I gave a urine sample.  Enough said…

Split-pants:

This kind of ties in with the above but you will see children wearing split pants so they can readily relieve themselves at anytime, anywhere.  This whole thing is very strange for an American to understand.  Just yesterday, I saw two instances of this.  An old man was holding a young girl (maybe 5) and she just took a pee while he was holding her, with her legs up (hard to describe).  He was holding her about 5 feet off the ground in front of him.  There she went.  Right there.  On the sidewalk.  A busy sidewalk.  A really, really, busy sidewalk.  A sidewalk with many vendors selling meat, fruits, and vegetables.  Everyone walked by without a whim.  Then, later on, I saw a lady tell this boy of about 4 to go bathroom on the grass near my apartment.  She motioned to the grass and there he went, #2, on the grass, with his split pants.  I thought, boy how similar children are here like pets are back in the States.  That’s what I would tell Jo Dee (my pet dog) to do.  I would lead her to the grass and let her do her thing.  And no, no potty scooping in China.  It’s not uncommon to see children just drop everything at any given time to relieve themselves.  I also saw a boy playing basketball and right there, at center court; he just dropped his shorts and went (#1).  Right there on the court.  Old hat…

Signs, signs, everywhere there are signs:

Beijing is pretty built up and modern in a lot of areas.  Lots of large, neon signs above the restaurants and stores.  Some in English but most are in Chinese characters.  There are many extremely wide and large streets.  Many western brands.  You have your Wal-marts and 7-11s.  But there are a ton of Starbucks, KFCs, McDonalds, Subways, and Pizza Huts.  Tons of clubs and karaoke joints.  There are tons of stores for shopping.  Haggling and negotiating for the best prices are the norms.  Shops are usually open between 9-8pm and I don’t recall seeing sales tax.  Neon lights are the staple for clubs on Beijing’s corners though I didn’t go into any clubs or karaoke places.  It’s just not my cup-of-tea.

Smog:

It’s called ‘cloud cover’ in China.  Rarely do you see true sun in Beijing.  We know it’s not ‘cloud cover.’  Smog is impolite to say in China.  But that’s exactly what it is.  The humidity is stifling yet you cannot see the sun a lot of times.  The smog is brutal.  I was staying in Florida during the summer where the sky is blue and sunny and it feels like I was on a different planet just a couple of months ago.  I miss that.  The smog will hit you in the face as soon as you step outside the Beijing airport.  A lot of Chinese people go about their daily lives with those hospital masks on their faces when outside.  Terrible.  Not sure if the government plans to do anything but it’s a shame.  The price they’re paying for their rapid development at the expense of the environment is sad.  I was told that the government halted factories and their associated pollution for about a month prior to the ’08 Olympic Games so the air could be as clean as possible when so many foreigners were visiting in order to make a good impression.  After the Olympics, right back to the same.  I hope this gets resolved in my lifetime.

Food:

Probably the most welcoming aspect of my trip/stay here.  I’m a vegetarian and we vegetarians were told by so many different people and literature that it would be hard to be a vegetarian here.  Not true.  Yes, vegetarianism really does not exist in China, and no, that word is not really completely understood by the Chinese, and yes, many dishes that would be typically vegetarian in the States may have meat in them, but all-in-all, one can survive.  There are tons of vegetables to be eaten here and how the Chinese cook them are second to none.  There are a lot of non-meat dishes such as rice dishes, noodle dishes, tofu dishes, etc.  One can also get vegetable dumplings and steamed buns.  Tons of vegetables and different types of tofu on skewers.  My favorite is a type of bean curd/tofu skin roasted in garlic on a skewer.  Delicious!  Chinese make the best eggplant.  For one dish, you peel the eggplant from the skin via chopsticks and it’s so good.  They’re also drenched in garlic.  For other dishes, you can eat the whole eggplant too.  Great cucumber type of salads.  Can also get cooked cucumbers which I don’t ever recalling eating them that way before but they’re also delicious.  Great syrupy-type of corn dishes.  Awesome edame plates.  Excellent green bean dishes.  I can also go to a local supermarket and buy different types of prepared tofu (balls, blocks, squares, strips that look like fish strips, skin, flavored, shredded, smoked, etc.).  I try to stay away from soupy things as they will most certainly have a meat/chicken broth base.  But it’s possible to order things without beef, pork, chicken, lamb, etc.  There are times I have ordered dishes that had meat in them.  If it’s not a lot, I’ll just move them out of the way and try to finish the meal.  Back in the States, if I ordered something like that and it had meat in it, I would return it in a heartbeat.  Here though, I try to just make due as much as possible, try to adapt, and make the best of it.  Learn from it so when I order something the next time, it’ll be a better experience.  There are some tofu dishes I’ll stay away from as they’re typically made with meat (as I later found out) but with ordering and testing comes experience and knowledge and with knowledge comes power.  The Chinese also use a lot of spice which I like a lot.  I like food that has some kick to it.  All-in-all, eating here has not been a problem and is one of China’s best assets.  Also, the Chinese food you eat back in America (which I rarely did as much of it is not vegetarian) simply does not exist in China.  There’s no chow meins, lo meins, chop sueys, etc. here.  You ask for that, and they will not know what you’re talking about (it’s like going to an authentic Mexican restaurant and ordering fajitas – doesn’t exist).  The Chinese food back home is made to please the western palate by (very generally) using sweet, sugary, sticky, orangey type stuff and is certainly not authentic.  Any native Chinese in America will tell you this.  No fortune cookies or things like that.  But China is very large and there are so many different types of cuisines here (Northern-Beijing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangdong, Muslim, etc.) that I’m making a lot of generalizations above.  One dish in China can be made considerably different depending what region you’re in and in what style the chef is cooking it.  But mostly, it’s good no matter what/where.  As I mentioned in a previous post, many restaurants serve family style and splitting $ to pay a bill is uncommon among the Chinese and this amazes the Chinese waitress when us foreigners divide the bill.  I’ll have more regarding food throughout the year.  The above is just a sampling/some rambling thoughts.

Taxis:

Just sit back and enjoy the ride.  They will get you to your destination as fast as possible.  Weaving through traffic with no turn signals is how it’s done.  Also, the size of your vehicle determines the right of way for the most part as well as who gets there first, so being first is important.  Most drivers cannot speak English so having your destination in Chinese characters is the most convenient.  But it’s really pretty scary.  Everyone just changes lanes all over the place and so many times you think you’re going to get into an accident but I never saw one during my time in Beijing.  Taxis are plentiful and cheap though they could be a challenge to hail one during rush hour or at night.  You usually can only fit 4 people in a cab.  The drivers do not really like it when you try to fit five, which we tried a few times.

Traffic:

Crosswalks mean nothing.  Never does a pedestrian have the right of way, regardless if you have an active crosswalk signal that states you’re ok to walk.  I repeat.  Never, never, never does a pedestrian have the right of way.  If you’re in a crosswalk, drivers will honk at you and come within an inch of your knee telling you to get out of the way.  More than one time I yelled at them, “What’s the rush?” (as I was getting out of the way).  Chinese traffic is extremely dangerous for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.  It looks like at first there are no traffic laws but there are laws.  They’re just not enforced nor adhered to.  Running red lights is common and appears to be a right – a way of life.  Making a right turn on a red is just the same as making a right turn on a green.  No difference.  This can get extremely dangerous for a pedestrian, which I was.  The Chinese do not drive in opposite lanes of travel which is a good thing.  But this only applies to cars.  Bicycles, particularly motorized bicycles, which there are a plethora of, do not abide to this universal rule.  They are extremely dangerous as well.  These bicycles go in any direction at any time.  Also, did I mention honking?  It’s non-stop.  There can be no one around (which is rare in China) and you’ll hear honking.  The honking on the motorized bicycles are particularly irritating.  Also, some traffic rules will appear to be blatantly broken by drivers and there will be a police officer right there and he/she won’t do anything.  Really weird.  Also, you can park anywhere.  That means at a light, at an intersection, under a bridge to get out and play cards or take a lunch with another driver, on the median, etc.  Doesn’t matter.

Subway:

The Beijing subway was great.  The Chinese people queue for the most part when buying tickets.  The trains are clean.  People are mostly orderly.  Signs are in English & Chinese.  Fares are cheap.  Stops are plentiful.  Multiple-colored lines.  It serves the urban and suburban parts of Beijing.  All bags must go through an x-ray machine to get on board but if you have no bags, you have your own separate line.

Fake Stores:

Lots of fake retailers in Beijing.  There was a fake Apple store right near our hotel.  Certainly looked like the real thing.  You really got to watch what you’re buying.  It’s possible to buy a real item, a real fake, and a fake-fake.  Just depends.  I’m no expert when it comes to shopping but some items you can tell is a fake and still happily buy it.  Other times, it could look like the real thing and it’s not, leaving one disappointed.  Also, since I’m talking about shopping, most of the time a grocery bag is not provided.  You must bring your own.  If a store does have bags, most of the time they’ll charge you extra for it.  One time, when I first arrived, I bought a few groceries and the cashier didn’t bag them yet there were grocery bags there.  So I just grabbed a plastic grocery bag and boy did she yell at me.  She didn’t like that but I made it clear to her I thought the whole thing was amusing.  I bring my own book bag whenever I know I’m going shopping, particularly for groceries.

Politeness:

Much of it does not exist.  No need to say thank you when buying something, bless you when someone sneezes or sorry when you forget to hold the door for someone.  The quicker you get your ‘western politeness’ trait out of your mind, the better you’ll get acclimated and the less frustrated you’ll become.  People enter elevators the same time people exit.  No waiting needed.  Just push to get your space.  When queuing to buy tickets, still expect to get pushed around and stepped on but keep your space and push back.  No harm done.  Expect to get bumped when walking the sidewalks.  Just go with it.  No big deal.  Bump back if necessary. 

Taking Pics:

The Chinese love to take pictures of foreigners.  Sometimes they’ll ask you if they can photograph you (with one of them in it), others times not.  This happens all the time in Beijing.  I had no problem with it.  Never bothered me.  I just smiled and thought it was amusing.  It was just so weird though.  It just goes to show you how insular the Chinese are.  Many times, they just don’t see western foreigners.  And if you’re black, double the attention as my good, black friend Laila can attest to.  We would never do the same in the States as there’s so much diversity but not so much in China.  But when they asked if they can get a picture of you with a family member or one of their friends, they could not be more pleasant and always said thank you.  It was funny, but there was a fellow teacher with us who kept his own album taking photos of Chinese who were photographing us.  Pretty funny.

Trash:

Many Chinese simply throw their trash on the street even though they may be near a trash can.  This can get unsettling but one way to look at it is there are a lot of street workers cleaning the streets with their Chinese brooms.  So I guess it keeps people employed.  You will see workers sweeping the streets by hand every day.

Students:

While in Beijing, we taught English to students at Peking University.  The students were fun.  They thought we were so cool and they looked forward to seeing us.  They like to say hello right in front of you.  Seriously, there is no personal space in China.  They would get right into your grill and say hello and not move.  They liked to jump on you and touch your hair.  They also liked to touch your arm hair.  Who knows?  They also like to ask questions like why you’re fat (not to me but to other teachers), why you’re not married (same), why you don’t have blond hair and blue eyes, why your nose is big (same), why your lips are fat (same), etc.  So many of the students all look the same.  Same hair, skin, height, weight, clothes, etc.  I also thought they all looked younger than the same equivalent grade in America.  American children look older.  But the children were fun and we had fun teaching them American sports, music, holidays, movies, etc.