Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Myth #4: With 5,000 years civilization history, The Chinese must be Highly civilized

Well, it depends on what your definition of a highly civilized person is.
And no, I'm not saying that they act like cave men and women, but sometimes I've been led to think this based on the way locals present themselves sometimes.

 I mean I don't think a country with 5,000 years civilization history need these posters posted across the city.

There are several reasons why I think the nation as a whole still needs a few more years, perhaps decades to fully reflect their highly claimed "Ancient" civilization. One of these reasons is the ubiquitous snorting and spitting in the bus, trains and public building. And don't even get me started on littering, especially when there's a garbage can just few meters away.
How about the pointing and name calling each time they see a foreigner, a black foreigner to be specific. Hello, I'm already aware of my skin color and my origin, I don't need you or your child pointing and calling me a black person (hei ren), African (fei zhou ren), foreigner (wai guo ren) or any other names you wish to call me. And oh, it's not necessary for you to get the attention of your child or friend, so you can both point and laugh together.
Me with a Tourist from I believe South West China

And last but not the least, I don't need your greetings, even if it's just an "innocent' way for you to show off your English skills. It's very common for Men to Scream "Hello" each time they see me walk by. And they will continue to scream it out loud until I reply with a Hello or just quickly walk out of their sight. Excuse me, I don't scream "Hello" at every Chinese person I see walking the streets of Toronto, so you have no reason to greet me, unless I know you.
I often excuse these "foreign" behavior when I think of what the country has gone through in the past few decades.

Personally, I was just completely shocked by local customs because I had gone into the country with an outdated and completely false preconception about the country. I had thought the Chinese would be the most highly-behaved people on the planet due to their history and a long list of superstition which are meant to encourage good living practices.

But then again, I guess this is why it's important to travel. Travelling definitely broadens our mind and opens our eyes to see the way the other part of the world REALLY is.

1 comment:

JenJen said...

I know what you mean. When I lived in ND sometimes young children would yell out loud, "look a black person" like I don't know that already.