Comments on: 6 Things Everybody needs to know before going to China

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 01:53:23 +0000

Most of your point would be valable for any foreigner in any country no?
Maybe China is the first country you’ve staid?

Anyway I’ve started to work on the 5 point before going to China.
ChinesePod is good for the oral, I also use a more traditionnal online courses:
http://www.chinese-tools.com/learn/chinese

See you there!

By: Jeff G Deutsch

Jeff G Deutsch — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:41:06 +0000

Awesome post! Aside from #2, I agree with everything you said.

Now, on to #2. Heh, your turn-the-other-cheek advice for this writing project is exactly 180 degrees from mine, which is to go ahead and assert yourself. Instead of asking WWJD, I’d say ask WWGD (Would would 哥们儿 [Ge-menr] do)–my male Chinese friends probably wouldn’t go so far as to bark about the clerk’s mother, but they’d surely through in a few “什么意思”s. When in Rome…

Furthermore, there’s no better language practice than arguing. And yes, I would be pissed if a clerk at 7-11 wanted to charge me $3.50 for a $3.00 pack of cigarettes. And no, I wouldn’t cheat a foreigner just because I needed the money.

Jeff G Deutsch

By: The Humanaught

The Humanaught — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 03:00:59 +0000

@Rick: All good points. In particular, No. 9 sums it all up for me. It just sorta says (to me) “don’t lose yourself to what you see is the unpoliteness of others.” That’s really tough to do when you’ve been here for a few months.

Though, Jeff, I do agree with what you’re saying as well. There’s a balance to be made. If people, by my standards, are being rude, I’ll try and let it go, but if someone is blatantly ripping me off, I tell them to get fucked.

By: Steven

Steven — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 14:10:08 +0000

some good points there, and good to hear “Hold the door open for people, even if no one ever holds it open for you”, which is a nicely laid-back attitude.

By: John

John — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:33:08 +0000

I agree with everyone who agrees with Jeff. Just because they need the money, doesn’t mean every foreigner in China becomes a walking charity fund. I’m a locally engaged foreigner, yes, I make more money then most Chinese, but doesn’t mean I have lots to throw around. To most of those street venders, foreigners are walking dollar signs. Mind you, I think it is great they are actually doing something constructive to support themselves. Anyway, my partner (who is Chinese) would never allow me to pay too much, is intent on screwing down the price of any non-ticketed item as low as he can go. So, in my opinion, it is more than just being balanced, it is about being fair. And if you still have moral issues with that, then just think, why should you pay more for the same item when the locals get it cheaper??? If the locals won’t stand to be ripped off, then why should we?

By: admin

admin — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 18:54:12 +0000

Re: Point number 2–
I have to admit, very often I get too angry when faced with blatant cheating.
And for a while, I tried to come up with some effective way of letting them know they were being less-than-respectable citizens.

While the “Is your mother proud of you” line seemed to do the job, I found it was almost too effective. And I left the situation feeling like more of an ass than I thought they were.

I’m not completely sure of the best way to handle these situations. But the point I’m trying to make is, in a nutshell, don’t let assholes turn you into an asshole.

Try to conduct yourself a little better than the level those guys are operating on.

By: Negotiating with the Chinese

Negotiating with the Chinese — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:31:02 +0000

If you’re a businessperson who is going to China to do business or negotiate anything check this out. Some useful tips.

http://www.hrdo.com/Chinese-negotiation.html