Post by Prometheus on Feb 2, 2021 1:37:00 GMT
Before moving here 12.5 years ago, I went on the internet to research some basic rules of Chinese etiquette. I already knew some things because of my sister-in-law but she wasn't going to be tagging along with me everywhere so....
One of the things that just about ever site mentioned was that the Chinese value patience. What they didn't mention was that the Chinese value it in others as they are about the most impatient people I've ever come across. I mentioned this a little bit in the "Queuing" post, but let me give other examples.
In a market or shop:
Chinese people will push and shove to get at the best items. This is especially evident first thing in the morning at opening time. It's like Black Friday in America every day.
If you are talking to a salesperson in a shop, a Chinese person will interrupt to ask their own question and may even drag the salesperson away from you. Should the salesperson ask them to wait, an argument will ensue as the interrupting shopper rattles of a litany of invective and name-drops every important person they know in order to show how important they are. Just be patient or move on to the next shop.
If you are in a supermarket and the person in front of you at the check-out moves forward even a few inches, you had better move forward too or you might get rammed in your ass by a carriage being pushed by the old lady behind you. She obviously has to get to the next shop before anyone else and you are wasting her time. The fact that the 5 other people ahead of you are moving like snails is immaterial.
It should also be noted that the old lady behind you will probably take forever when it is her turn at the cashier arguing over a few pennies, deciding which things to not purchase because she can't keep a running total in her head while shopping, then digging through her purse for exact change, then studiously reviewing the receipt slip and any change she may have received.
It should also be noted that the old lady behind you will probably take forever when it is her turn at the cashier arguing over a few pennies, deciding which things to not purchase because she can't keep a running total in her head while shopping, then digging through her purse for exact change, then studiously reviewing the receipt slip and any change she may have received.
You are now thinking, "old ladies are like that everywhere." That's true. I used the term "old lady" as a catch-all phrase. Just about every Chinese person will do this.
Also, there are no baggers at the supermarket. The cashier will do it or just pass the items on to you to bag yourself. Most Chinese people will wait for all of the items to be scanned and paid for before even beginning the process of bagging their purchases. YOU need to be patient and wait for THEM while the person behind you rams their carriage into your ass as if it's your fault that the people in front of you are wasting time. They can't waste the time of the people behind them until you are out of their way.
Buses, Trains, and the subway
I mentioned in the "Queuing" post about buses and all of the pushing and shoving because there usually aren't any specified areas to queue so I won't do it again. However, train and subway stops are clearly marked on the platform that those boarding should stand to either side of the doors and let passengers disembark through the center.
While waiting for the train, you will see people queuing in the proper places. However, once the train arrives and the doors open, it's mayhem. The lines of people surge forward from the sides into the middle blocking the egress of the people trying to get off the train. And of course, the people on the train are jostling each other to try to get off the train first, because getting off the train first somehow shows your social dominance and therefore gives you face. Ditto getting on the train. This happens even when there are no seats to be had.
While waiting for the train, you will see people queuing in the proper places. However, once the train arrives and the doors open, it's mayhem. The lines of people surge forward from the sides into the middle blocking the egress of the people trying to get off the train. And of course, the people on the train are jostling each other to try to get off the train first, because getting off the train first somehow shows your social dominance and therefore gives you face. Ditto getting on the train. This happens even when there are no seats to be had.
I know what you're thinking: "Just be like them and push." but here's the rub: Chinese people don't often get upset when being pushed by other Chinese people. When a foreigner pushes, the foreigner is being rude. If you can deal with the hypocrisy, then push like a woman in labor.
Elevators
The hardest working guys in China have got to be the guys who have to replace elevator call buttons. Just about every Chinese person will press the call button even though it is already lit. Each and every one of them is so wrapped up in their own sense of self-worth that they are absolutely certain that the elevator will arrive faster if THEY push that button 1, 2, 3, or 20 times.
When the elevator arrives the mayhem of trying to get on before the other people get off ensues.
When the elevator arrives the mayhem of trying to get on before the other people get off ensues.
Each person who gets on will press the button for their floor (even if it's already lit) and then press the "Door Close" button even if there are still people getting off or on. Each of them are all more important than anyone else in the world. Their parents told them so.
Even when the elevator doors are on a timer to automatically close, people will be smashing that "Door Close" button. Those extra 2 or 3 seconds are valuable time away from their desks where they need to be in order to chat online, play computer games, or take a nap.
The only Chinese people who aren't banging away on the elevator buttons are those so engrossed in their smart phones that they forgot to press anything. When they do remember, they will start smashing as many buttons as possible so that they can get off the elevator and try again.
That said, as impatient as they are, the number of Chinese people who will wait for the elevator just to go up or down 1 or 2 floors is STAGGERING!
Driving
At some point, I will have to devote an entire post (or series) to Chinese people driving but let me just say (here) that traffic signals and double yellow lines don't mean shit!
When I moved here, an article in TripAdvisor (or some such tourism site) noted that crosswalks in this city were little more than target ranges, and it hasn't really improved much in the intervening 12+ years.
One more quick thing about driving here: most cities had to enact "Excessive Beeping" ordinances as many impatient Chinese drivers would simply put their vehicles in gear and lay on that horn to make people move out of their way so that they could get to their destination faster. Fucking pedestrians using the sidewalks....
Thank you for your patience in reading this post.
![[cheers]](http://storage.proboards.com/7182076/images/engyBVslEdpmpmdnBwZQ.gif)
