At the start of my Chinese class each week, my tutor asks me if I have any questions. Usually I have a bunch of things I want to say and need to know the best way to go about it. This week at the top of my list was the word “disgusting.” I immediately feel bad when I ask her. My eyes dart sheepishly to the floor. “Of course I don’t want to use it, not really,” I say…back pedalling faster than a fox in a lion’s den. “I just want to know if there’s a word for it, you know, just in case," I stammer. I can almost feel her heavy sigh…reverberating through my own body. Living in China, I am forced to constantly remind myself that what often seems inappropriate in my culture is certainly not in others. Of course, on this particular occasion, I’m thinking about my recent flight south to Guangzhou, which is when I found myself mentally searching for the Chinese equivalent of “disgusting.” On the trip down, a lady next to me proceeded to spit at random intervals into a paper bag, pulled from the seat pocket. She made no moves to disguise what she was doing and I guess I should be thankful she used a bag! And of course, no one but me batted an eyelid. Why would they? Spitting has been a 'thing' the world over since the dark ages and in China today, a good hoick (that's Aussie slang for spit) is largely par for the course. On my flight home, to Xi’an, a man next to me continuously made that loud, (to my untrained ears) cringe-worthy, hacking sound with this throat, you know, that guttural sound that signifies the build up of bodily fluids. I was tempted to reach over and pull out his paper bag! I desperately wanted to tell him to stop, because, well… it sounded “disgusting.” I didn’t though, mainly because I didn’t know the words — but mostly because I know to him it’s nothing of the sorts….and I was pretty sure I was also completely outnumbered in my disgust, as the only westerner on the plane! It begs the question about whether the belief that “it’s better out than in” is warranted. Given the amount of polluted air I’ve no doubt inhaled in the last few weeks as winter descends rapidly upon us, while I can’t quite bring myself to ‘flob’ on the ground, in a paper bag (or the floating candles in the hotel lobby for that matter - yes that's happened!) I am inclined to agree somewhat with the theory. Unfortunately, while the jury is still out, most evidence points to the fact that spitting does spread airborne diseases like tuberculosis, pneumonia and bronchitis. My tutor does agree that spitting on the footpath is “not so nice” but says it’s hard to educate the older generations. In many ways, she's right. I used to frown and shake my head profusely when I would see an elderly person or just for the record, a middle aged and often young person, spit directly in my line of sight…. suddenly causing me to veer sharply off my path to avoid colliding with said spittle. Now I realise it’s probably futile…locals have no idea why the strange, white woman is screwing up her face like a donkey’s ass, gesturing madly. Is she having conniptions? Does she need the toilet herself? "Spitting, my friends, is a sign of healthy lungs!" They proudly say. For me, living in China, it's often a case of two worlds colliding -- sometimes the clashing of my moral high ground with reality rumbles a little louder. The glamorous lady teetering on high heels up the main drag, so busy staring at my small person and I - with a cigarette swinging frantically in her pursed lips, as she shouts “Piaoliang!” (Beautiful) through her clenched teeth at my little blondie — all the while seemingly oblivious to the fact her own child is up against a tree, relieving himself in full view of a swarm of motorists and passersby on a busy tourist stretch. Or the car stopped outside the hotel, doors flung open, traffic banking up behind, daddy holding little Daisy over the gutter. “When you’ve gotta go….” Or how about the motorbike that ‘had to be seen to be believed’ this morning, it’s baskets front and back, piled high with dead chooks, feathers floating into the air. Disgusting right? Only to me, the lone foreigner traversing the morning traffic. And the toilets and their often obscene state which had my conference colleagues recoiling in horror. To my tutor’s credit, she immediately turns the conversation onto us unyielding foreigners. Do we really blow our nose, loudly in public? She questions! I have to think about that. Yes, well….um — she cuts in, crinkles up her nose and tells me about a time at the dinner table in Australia, when a man took out a tissue and makes a jolly old show, raucously relieving the contents of his nose like a foghorn into a tissue! And then put it back into his pocket! Disgusting right? Errr well…. I suppose it is. I nod meekly. After all your perception is your reality. And every culture is different. This is China. … [Read more...]
No Pain, No Gain! China Moments!
I let out an unavoidable grunt. A pack of dogs bark incessantly in the background and the ever present tune of “It’s a small world after all” rings out through the streets. I know it’s the street cleaner, spraying down the road, in what is largely a futile attempt to alleviate the thick blanket of dust that coats the city. It’s a cheery melody cutting through an otherwise bleak day. It’s a day when pollution has hit extreme levels in Xi’an. The air pollution index app flashes a cringe-worthy 400+ (the world health organisation says 25 is healthy) and we are ranking 4th in the world for worst air pollution. I think to myself, this is definitely one of those “China moments” …and then I'm pummelled back to reality with a thud, wincing in pain. I’m face down - on an extremely hard massage bed. Four of us have decided, on a whim, to escape the bubble (after days stuck inside) and come out for the “experience!” With the city resembling a scene from The Apocalypse, we’re all masked up - our throats burn and our eyes sting. Through the haze, our driver points out the sign “massage” amongst a throng of colourful Chinese characters. We’re met at a tiny entrance with an abrupt “Nihao” from a man in a white coat - he ushers us through a thin blue curtain to the “massage room.” This is no ordinary massage parlour. This is no dimly lit, private affair; the smell of essential oils definitely isn’t wafting in the smog-filled air, and there’s no music to sofly lull us into a relaxed state of mind. Looking much more like a stark hospital, there are four beds side by side. People are coming and going, shouting softly as only Chinese can and phones ring on an off. There’s an old pot belly stove in the corner, where a man heats up water in a shiny silver tea pot. English is pretty much non-existent so I surprise myself with some Chinese. My friend wants the toilet. Of course it’s squat and there’s no toilet paper. Eventually all four of us, are in face-plant position, stifling giggles. Fully clothed, we are on the beds, towels are draped over us from head to toe. Four serious looking men in white coats (probably a little bamboozled at the site of four “wai guo ren” chatting animatedly amongst ourselves) waste no time in getting down to business. We figure out early on, this not going to be soothing, relaxing or peaceful in any way! I hear traditional Chinese music ringing out and think “ahhh there is calming music after all” but it’s just one of the worker’s phones. The masseurs come and go throughout the massage. When they are on the job, these guys are hardcore — Chinese masseurs and their massage technique equals intense! Using acupressure they seem to find every knot that’s ever existed in my body. There’s no gentle lead up to kneading deep into the tissue. This, my friends is so fast and furious it will actually curl your toes! At one point, I am grimacing so hard, trying desperately not to let out an almighty shriek. “Breathe in, breathe out!” I silently tell myself. I laugh when I realise the girls are all doing the same. Consecutively, we seem to grunt, groan and giggle our way through one hour! At one stage, my French friend is in so much agony she’s lost her English words! I tell her in a muffled voice to chant the mantra “no pain, no gain!” It's a new motto for her, laughter erupts. At last our time is up. We all stumble from the bed, feeling (and no doubt looking) like we’ve been hit by a truck, or as my mum would say, "Dragged through a bush backwards!" At the same time, we feel looser, lighter and confident those knots have been thoroughly beaten out of us! And for a brief moment we’ve forgotten about the dirty, brown haze, that looms overhead, filling our nostrils with an intense burning smell. And for a mere 80RMB (US$12) who are we to complain! We tell them “Feichang hao” (Very good) and bid them “Zai jian!” (Goodbye). They wave, smile and look on - amused at the four foreigners - all masked up and ready to retreat back to their caves. This is China! … [Read more...]
The Backbone of China: Meet My New Friend – A 93 Year Old War Veteran
It's 9am, I’ve dropped the small person at school and I've picked up my good friend and ‘fan yi’ (translator)… When I say “I” — y’all know by now, I'm not actually driving, right? I think we’ve established that driving in China, for a foreigner like me, would be particularly hazardous on all fronts! So, it's our hotel driver who battles through the elements for us: rain, bumper to bumper traffic in the shape of vehicles big and small - a symphony of horns and random street walkers - to an area of town I haven't been in before. We're meeting ‘Elsa’ who so far, I've only encountered via text message. I've got absolutely no idea what to expect, but the element of surprise is something I’ve become rather accustomed to in China. In the name of 'book research' I asked around about interviewing some of the older locals. The ones who’ve really experienced the ‘changing China’ in all its glory: the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful! Through various contacts, 93 year old War Veteran Wang Shao Wu is put to me as a potential interviewee. I politely ask Elsa whether he's a good talker and how well he can hear. She assures me, he is old but he's smart and can talk under water! How can a girl say no? Elsa suggests I bring something small from my home country as a gift! Ahhh now you’ve got me… I scrounge around the house looking for stuffed koalas and Tim Tams, to no avail, making a mental note to bring back Aussie souvenirs! Think about stealing small person’s stuffed toys but know it will potentially invoke world war three. Decide it will have to be a combination of chocolates from Scotland and jam from Portugal… yeh.. I know…… Well I do hail from a Scottish clan! And then fruits! The mighty fruit platter is one of the most prestigious things you can take to a person’s home in China! Forget about wine and flowers. Fruits will automatically elevate you to elite visitor status. Arriving…in a slightly ramshackle part of town outside several blocks of apartments, Elsa informs me she's running very late but we could meet some other “friends” there who will escort us in. I'm not sure just how many people are coming to take part, but it seems we'll have an audience. Standing outside we are confronted by a couple of people wielding cameras who smile and look like our guys! They take us through some gates past a few people sleeping, we jump in a rickety old lift and arrive outside the ubiquitous red door…the entrance to their home. Mr Wang and his wife greet us with open arms and big smiles. Of course, a loud cacophony of voices erupts at once, everyone speaking rapidly in Chinese. All I can do is smile, nod enthusiastically and offer my 'fruits'. In what is a typical Chinese home, it’s a simple three bedroom apartment. I find myself scouring the room, trying to soak in a life time of living! So many little things that make up this family’s home or as he later tells me, his “mansion!” Even though things are worn, cabinets broken, boxes double as shelves, trinkets and bits and pieces occupy every nook and cranny, this is clearly a home filled with love (lots of plants and a few bottles of Baijiu in the corner)! We’re ushered onto a big, old, brown leather couch, ripped in places…but decidedly comfy. It’s clearly the centrepiece of the house - a coffee table sits adjacent, laden with bowls of sunflower seeds and of course the fruits and never ending glasses of warm tea. Mr Wang keeps touching my shoulder and smiling. I can’t help but reciprocate….his demeanour is charming and friendly and language is no barrier. I’m told again and again he’s extremely honoured to have us in his house, to which I obviously reply, it’s definitely the other way around. He disappears for a few minutes while we are getting organised and reappears - his medals pinned proudly on his chest. We sit down - me sandwiched between him and his wife….87 year old Nai Nai, as she’s affectionately called, which means grandmother in English. She keeps putting her hand on my knee. Nai Nai keeps asking if I’m cold. I'm sleeveless and she’s concerned. It’s 30 degrees out though and there’s no air-conditioning in the apartment. I reassure her I’m just fine. I set my phone to record and we’re away. (So much easier than a television interview!) Chao who has the arduous task of translating explains what we are hoping to talk about and it was as if the starter gun had fired and he was off… Elsa was right. There was no stopping him, literally. Born in 1924 this is a man who has seen China transform through the ages. A man who went to war against Japan in 1939 when he was just 15 years old. It was a time when China was on the brink of collapse. He passionately tells us how he had just one pair of shoes made from straw and that when he joined the army, he was given the choice of a blanket or a big overcoat. He proudly tells us he chose the overcoat believing he could wear it during the day and use it as a blanket at night. Bonus! He chokes up, telling me it was a time when Chinese people were afraid of nothing, so tough, united and determined to protect their country. Winters in north west China are brutal to say the least, and his time as a soldier was cut short when he got frostbite… unable to keep marching, the local villagers kindly gave him a donkey to ride to the next post. Then…. in what catches us all by surprise, he tells us how he went on to become a 'singer' in the army…. singing Qing Opera…one of China’s most popular forms of drama and music theatre that stems back more than a thousand years. At the time it was seen as a powerful tool in building cultural nationalism. He became part of a special army unit performing around the country for the troops in a bid to inspire them. In 1943, he was dismissed and it was time to return to normal life; that meant working in China's famous Salt Bureau. By now… Ye Ye (Grandpa) is on a roll… so I leave him and Chao to 'talk turkey' in mandarin. I ask Nai Nai what she thinks the secret to a successful marriage is. After all she’s clocked up 60 years. On cue, she digs out some old photos and says it’s being kind, tolerant…and not quarrelling. She tells me that he was poor when she met him and her family didn’t agree on the marriage, but she married him anyway. (Extremely progressive, I think, in a society that still places great emphasis on parental approval!) And the secret to longevity?…Having your children around, she says matter of factly. In fact, I find out one of her grandsons and his wife and five year old child - their great grandchild - also live in this tiny apartment with them. I think to myself -- along with people like Wang Shao Wu, family is the backbone of China. Whilst their grandchildren have enough money to buy their own house, they choose to stay with Nai Nai and Ye Ye and look after them. In China there still aren't many retirement homes. It’s expected your children will look after you in old age. At 87 she says she tells me, she still tries her best to cook breakfast for her family everyday. I'm impressed! I ask Wang about the Cultural Revolution in the sixties and seventies under Chairman Mao Zedong, he tells me how he was persecuted but he understands why it happened and that it was "for the good of China." I ask him about China opening up its economy to the world for the first time in 1980, was it a good decision? He believes it's improved the image of the country and people’s lives greatly! He tells me that before this they would only eat meat once a year. "Food was rationed. Now China is getting better and better. His children have been to university, and they live in this great mansion," he says….gesturing happily around him. He tells me before 1979, eight family members lived in a 12 square metre straw house. At the time of our interview China is hosting the G20 summit for the first time in history. He’s elated. Ultimately, he says, he fought for his country to be what it is today! In his eyes, China stands strong, a stoic symbol of 5000 years of tradition and culture. He’s recently had his story recorded in a book on the last of the Chinese soldiers and he proudly asks if I would like a copy. I would be honoured, I say. His hands shaking, he takes great care writing my name in Chinese characters. He wishes me all the best in life and good health and wishes my country prosperity and happiness. This is China. … [Read more...]
The China Dream: A Small Target of $15 Million!
Here in China, forget about Twitter, Facebook and Instagram! They’re all banned! What you have in its place though is We Chat and Weibo. We Chat is a cross between What’s App and Facebook, not to mention a mini wallet! (And just quietly, gives both a run for their money!) Similar to Twitter, translated, 'Weibo' translates as ‘micro-blog’ and is exclusively in Chinese. (Which is a small problem for yours truly, who can’t read a thing!) China has one of the world’s most active social media audience with 600 million people registered on Weibo since it started seven years ago. It’s fair to say, in China, Weibo is the new black! Like it’s western counterpart, Twitter, Weibo has a limit of 140 characters, but Chinese characters! Which of course say a lot more than one letter. Given the internet censorship situation in China, Weibo is controlled by various methods from the ‘powers that be’ and there’s actually a list of blacklisted keywords that will have your posts automatically deleted and/or your account blocked should you breach them! With China now the world’s second largest economy, it’s become a global force to be reckoned with. Given outsiders weren’t really allowed in to China until the 80’s, China and its 1.4 billion people are still an enigma to much of the rest of the world. With netizens having a damn good go at expressing how they’re feeling on Weibo, it's one way to gain an interesting insight into what the people of China are thinking today. So, I thought it might be a good idea to keep you in the loop with what topics are trending on Chinese social media. Think of it as a window into China’s young soul. 8-O My good friend and Chinese local, Chao, is going to keep us updated with regular posts on what’s going down here in the Middle Kingdom. By Chao Huang In China when it comes to Weibo, we’re like moths to a flame! One topic that recently had Weibo in a frenzy was a quote from China’s richest man! His name’s Wang Jianlin and he’s a multi-billionaire who makes 900 million a day. Famous for owning Wanda…. China’s largest real estate developer and a company that is taking over the world in leaps and bounds; if you haven’t heard of them already, you soon will! He’s also the world's largest movie theatre operator and owns 20 per cent of the Spanish football club Atlético Madrid. Last week he went on a celebrity television show and bamboozled viewers around the country when he was asked to give advice on start ups. His answer: “There’s no problem if you want to be on the fortune list, but first you should set an achievable small target, let’s say, for example, you earn 100 million RMB ($15.2 million USD).” Yep you read that right…. 100-million - just a small “achievable” target. Given much of China’s people still live below the poverty line ….it was a slap in the face! Of course, this “friendly advice” together with screen shots of him, instantly went viral on social media. The jokes came thick and fast, one netizen quoting Neil Armstrong, "One small step for Wang, but a giant leap for mankind.” Coincidentally, Jack Ma, the second richest guy in China (Founder and Chairman of e-commerce giant, Alibaba) also sent the internet crazy, saying "The happiest Chinese are the ones that earn only 20,000 to 40,000 Chinese yuan, can afford a little house and car and start a good family!” He went on to say “When (you earn) more than 10 million, the trouble will come; when it’s more than 100 million, the trouble becomes big.” Netizens fired back saying, “I am not afraid of having the trouble, I will start with a “small target” - earn 100 million, and see how much the trouble is!” The average annual salary in China is 5780 RMB a month; Only five per cent of the working class earn more than 8000 RMB a month. You see, that’s how ironic this whole thing is. The gap between the rich and poor is only widening in China. A survey in 2013 found China to be the most unequal society in the world. The top elites often forgot how most people (and I am not even talking about the underdogs or beggars on the street) are striving for money, for being rich, for having “the trouble” of being too rich. In a country that has worked from the ground up, starting all over again from scratch in 1949 (encompassing a time when most people were too poor to eat more than scraps) for the first time ever, China now has a middle class. Albeit a small one. According to Goldman Sachs, less that two per cent of China’s 770 million workers earn enough to pay tax. Both Wang and Ma, are business savvy, hard working, progressive and building mighty business empires through sheer perseverance, but there’s no denying they got lucky! Aged 51 and 61, they both hopped on the speed train after China opened up to the world in 1980 and became heroes. While their cases might be extreme, it’s still the “China Dream” we are all living for after the economy’s reform. The term has became hugely popular under now President Xi. (According to the Communist Party's theoretical journal the Chinese Dream is about Chinese prosperity, collective effort, socialism, and national glory.) When Jack Ma was an English teacher, there was barely a Westerner in China; when he first went to America as a translator on business back in 1995 and discovered the new world of the internet and how people do business on the internet, few people even knew what it was. When he quit his golden job teaching college and loaned money to start up the first e-commerce company in China, people around him said he was a “liar who talks nonsense”. Yet he was on the money. There is no place in the world that has developed as fast as China. Yet while much of the innocent, impoverished and tumultuous country of China was torn up and rebuilt, it has also made way for a different kind of turbulence. So here is what I am talking about: the world's eyes are on China and the rise and rise of the rich Chinese and their taste for luxury goods, including everything from designer labels to over-sized yachts and extravagant parties! But the truth is there are millions of Chinese out there, struggling for a dime to buy food and to find shelter. While statistics show Beijing recently trumped New York as the Billionaire capital of the world, half the population earns around US$2000 a year! Some argue against the amazingly fast paced development, debating if it’s worth the environment being destroyed. Are too many citizens being left behind in China’s wake? Will China slow down to wait for its average citizens to catch up? After all, for the majority living in this country, their small target is definitely not making $15-millon. … [Read more...]
Two Years in China: What I Know Now….
I’ve really struggled to write this post. I’ve procrastinated. Oh how I’ve procrastinated…sometimes choosing washing and window-cleaning over writing! Yes. I know. :roll: It’s just that - how do you sum up two years in this place? How do I describe my feelings without giving you the usual spiel about crazy drivers, squat toilets and constant fireworks erupting into the morning sky? Whilst there probably hasn’t been a day go by in these last two years where I haven’t thought, “What the heck are we doing here?!” - the ancient city of Xi'an, for all its complexities and challenges has become my home away from home, tucked in the middle of the world’s most populous country. This ‘experience’ that we’ve had (and survived) has been beyond even my wildest imagination. I often see pretty, no - make that ‘stunning’ pictures of my old, beloved home towns, Sydney and Hong Kong - on social media - and yearn for their beauty and comfort. But for all their pull, I still wouldn’t swap this journey for all the tea in China. (I know, I’ve used that line before, ironically as the title for my first blog post and two year anniversary in Hong Kong! Want to read it? Here it is.) Of course, the daily obstacles are at best, annoying! At worst, ‘crazy pulling hair out’ inducing! The necessity to stock up, when I’m out of town, with enough medication for any medical emergency that may crop up is constantly exasperating. (Thank goodness for friends who happily share their drugs when you forget an essential item!) The inability to use anything remotely technical (like a computer) with the simple push of a button, torments me. The fortnightly bouts of nausea from food, water, lack of hygiene, or whatever it may be - drains me. The impossibility to find a hairdresser who colours blonde hair or someone to wax my unruly eyebrows and so forth in a city of 9 million frustrates me. My incapability to decipher a full conversation in mandarin after studying the language consistently for two years pains me, as it does the hotelier (and many other expat workers) along with their daily frustrations at managing businesses conducted in a way that is generally foreign to us. The layers of bureaucracy for something as simple as buying groceries or getting a visa both amuse and perplex me. My lack of independence at being unable to drive bothers me and the mental muscle that’s required just to go for a coffee can be exhausting. Winter’s harsh pollution can get you down… and the constant flow of expat friends trailing out of our lives saddens us. Yet for all of these challenges, I have found myself richer in the knowledge and experience of a culture that is far removed from my own. (Not to mention given my sense of humour an incredible work out!) ;) China is a country that is evolving like no other country on the planet. No nation has ever risen as quickly or modernised as rapidly in human history as the Middle Kingdom, that is China. I know we're witnessing a truly fascinating time in history. For all of its economic glory, constant progression and seemingly infallible growth, Zhong Guo (China) is still a developing country. As I try to capture this moment in time for my upcoming book and speak to many locals and expats on the ground, I’m learning so much about these people who are known by many in the western world for little more than their uncouth behaviour when travelling overseas and a soaring economy that is currently only second behind the United States. But it is a country that until just a little over 30 years ago was utterly entrenched in poverty, having endured decades of chaos. While most people had a job, they had little money and basic commodities were scarce. In the late seventies a sign of wealth was having the so called “four big things” - a bike, a radio, a sewing machine and a watch. The People’s Republic of China is run by the Communist Party of China and has been for more than 60 years and while there's been unprecedented change, tradition runs deep. There is still an authoritarian rule from above that commands its people under a banner of glowing media headlines that constantly sing China’s praises. Most people have an overly-inflated view of their home country, which is possibly not a bad thing because the country appears united in its love for ZhongGuo. Most are oblivious to the perils of the Great Fire Wall and insist they are happy to have one party in power. Anything more and there’s a grave fear the country will fall into chaos and disunity. With a 5000 year history firmly etched in their minds, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who can’t recite a famous line from one of China's ancient dynasties or rattle off a centuries old poem and you’ll be just as hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t believe in the powers of warm water. Chairman Mao who infamously ruled China from 1949 to 1978 is generally hailed a hero, despite the atrocities during his reign. His face appears on China’s currency and pictures and statues are easily identifiable around the country. His legend lives on. Education is the lifeblood of Chinese. This nation’s children live and breathe it from the moment they are born until they finish university. In a country of 1.4 billion, it’s considered the only way to get ahead. Despite being the factory floor of the world and churning out almost every product known to mankind, China’s own shop floor is lacking in goods. All is not lost though because almost every one is a mad ‘Taobao’ shopper. An online eBay equivalent, where you can order almost anything you could dream of and at a fraction of the cost. Little Tuk Tuks race all over the city, piled high with parcels to deliver! Despite having more universities than you can count, many who train medical students from all over the world and develop groundbreaking medical practices, the standard of healthcare outside the first tier cities is questionable by western expectations. Some doctors still smoke in hospital corridors, hygiene is debatable and most women have little knowledge about life saving procedures like pap smears. The one child policy has recently been relaxed but abortions at very late stages are still taking place, legally. Busses proudly display large signs advertising the best place to get one. “Don’t feel bad if you are pregnant by accident. Easy to solve if you choose wisely.” The gay and lesbian community is largely underground….(at least in most cities outside the capital). It was only in 2001 when homosexuality was removed from the official list of mental illnesses in China. And political correctness isn’t really a ‘thing’ yet, (as you may have noticed on a recent China Air travel magazine doing the rounds on social media). The gap between the rich and poor is ever increasing…. there is an elite group of Rolls Royce driving, cigar smoking, designer bag-wielding patriots who rule the masses, but overall most of China’s people are still living below the poverty line. But, there’s a but… in their minds they are rich. What they all have now compared to just a few decades ago, when most people could not eat much more than scraps is insurmountable. And it shows. These people are fiercely proud. Family is everything….oh and food! Chinese don’t greet you with how are you? If anything it’s “Chi le ma?” Have you eaten? When they are younger, grandparents take care of their grandchildren full-time, while parents work - often having them live with them. That is a given. The very elderly are automatically taken care of by their children, usually living under the same roof and that is also non negotiable. Society still believes that women should be married by the age of 27 or they’ll be tarnished as ‘leftover’ women. Thankfully, despite the ongoing pressure, most of the young women I know aren’t buying into this anymore! China's other relationship is with ‘Guanxi’ (which translates as ‘relationship or connections’) and is otherwise known as giving money and gifts to solve everything and anything. Guanxi is ingrained in society from the bottom up, in almost every aspect of life. Currently, health and Safety is largely an after thought. Whilst many thousands of years ago this country built things to last for many thousands of years — today they live only for tomorrow. China has admittedly for all intents and purposes been so busy building itself from scratch to become a viable country, it’s only now that it seems they have time to turn around and reflect. Time to start educating the masses on etiquette, hygiene and manners and time to start caring for the environment. You can appreciate, it’s a mammoth task. How do you educate over a billion people? For all of its discrepancies, China is a country where it’s (mostly) safe to walk down the streets at night, people are always happy to help you (unless you are injured and they will steer clear for fear of being held liable) and are often as friendly (and curious) as a new puppy. As much as they admittedly talk in circles and it’s often hard to know what they’re really thinking, we’ve been lucky enough to witness their kindheartedness firsthand and make some special friends. From acupuncturists who make me lunch, to hairdressers who take me for coffee, waitresses who look after my small person and locals who’ve brought me soup when I’ve been sick. To locals who've translated for doctors when my child’s been sick, translated for me many times, at all hours of the day and night and given us gifts beyond their means. People who've basically helped us adjust to life in a foreign country. There is an enduring innocence, in a place where Tai Chi, Calligraphy and Mahjong are still the hobbies of the day. Most have never travelled overseas (only six per cent have a passport) but as the country grows along with people's individual wealth, they are now starting to embrace their newfound wings. This is nation of people who are emerging like butterflies from a cocoon, ready to fly…. But you can rest assured, they will always come back to their nest. Two years in, this is what I know now. This is China. … [Read more...]