Is it just me, or is Beijing the rudest place on earth?
That’s the question I found myself asking as we began to explore this city.
The answer is yes.
Yes, to the uninitiated, people in Beijing are shockingly rude, especially compared to the ultra-polite Japanese.
And yes, it’s just me – most of the behaviors that I consider rude are really just cultural differences. Let me explain what I’ve learned:
Walking here is a contact sport.
Beijing is very crowded, and people are in a hurry most of the time. So, if you are walking down the sidewalk and aren’t moving fast enough, you will get bumped and shoved. And if you hesitate at the entrance to a mall or subway car, you might even get run over.
As a pedestrian here, it’s your responsibility – no, your civic duty – not to impede the masses.
Line etiquette is very different here, too.
If you’re waiting in line and not actually pressed against the person in front of you, that’s a signal to the 5 people behind you that you would like them to cut in front of you. That’s not rude, it’s just a cultural difference. Get it?
To the Chinese, it’s unhealthy to swallow phlegm.
Combine this with the fact that Beijing has some of the most polluted air on earth, and you get a lot of spitting. At first it’s a little unsettling to be walking down the street while almost everyone around you is hocking up loogies, but eventually you get used to it – and you learn to dodge.
Besides spitting, Chinese people also like to stare.
Almost everywhere we went in this town, people leered at us like we were circus freaks. This is not considered rude in China, and we were a pretty strange sight, after all. Not only because of our clothing and weird-looking round eyes, but because we have 2 children, which is basically illegal for most urban Chinese.
There’s one other thing: The Chinese language, especially the Beijing dialect, sounds a bit harsh to the untrained ear. Every time I hear people talking, they sound either angry or drunk (or both). Just my perception, of course, but it’s still unnerving.
We had been struck by the cultural differences in South America and Japan, but for some reason here it felt like we were being literally stuck by them.
Maybe you’d call that culture shock. I prefer to call it culture whack, because it feels like getting whacked in the head everywhere you go.
Despite all that, there are a lot of cool things to see in China, and we had some great experiences. More to come…
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Hi Marc, This doesn’t give me a lot of confidence. I have China and India down as my 2 challenge destinations! I hope it’s just my imagination and it won’t be as scary in real life!
Best wishes – when are you heading for home?
Hi Amanda! Don’t get freaked out by our experience. Lots of other traveling families have LOVED China. You are right to call it a “challenge destination”, but it isn’t scary.
And it’s worth it, we had some good times there, which I’ll post next.
We don’t actually have a home anymore, but we’ll be back in the US in time to celebrate her birthday.
Hurry home to polite non staring how can help you U S A , don’t forget it’s your moms birth-day as well
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