Chinese get drunk easily
True or false?
True. Most Chinese canāt really drink a lot without getting drunk, BUT they still like to go out! So if you are (male and) going out with Chinese for dinner, they will make you drink a lot for sure! It is not very polite to refuse a drink offered by your host and Chinese love to ganbei (å¹²ęÆ ā dry cup). But of course you can say that you already had too much, just blame your poor foreign stomach. š
For women it is not that bad. Chinese girls normally donāt like to drink, because they get drunk so fast and itās not āappropriateā for them to be or get drunk.
KTV: Chinese love it!
True or false?
True. Not everybody likes karaoke singing though and going out for KTV is a serious thing in China. And it is also not true that Chinese only worship this Japanese invention and donāt do anything else in the evening. There are quite a lot of bars and clubs in Chinese towns (at least in the bigger ones) and especially young people like to go out for a drink and dance.
Chinese food: The real deal is disgusting
True or false?
False! Chinese food is amazing! There is some stuff you will not be used to eat and if you are not vegetarian like me, you will be surprised to find out that Chinese donāt value meat without bone in it, but in general the Chinese food is a lot better than the āChinese foodā you get in Europe. I also talked to a lot of people who were afraid of using chopsticks. Donāt worry, first: Itās easier than you might think, second: you can get spoons in most restaurants and third: Chinese will be happy to teach you! š
by Hanna
Come to China to see if your prejudices about Chinese are true or false! Send an email to info@internchina.com or apply through our website www.internchina.com
1) The Chinese are all poor and everything here is really cheap.
True or false?
Unfortunately not everything here is as cheap as it once was, due to the fact that the Chinese are no longer as poor as they may once have been. The economy has boomed in recent years and with it the creation of a middle-class who can be very wealthy! There are whole shopping centers full of Gucci, Dior, Ralph Lauren etc, with frighteningly high prices. You also see a fair few Ferrariās floating around. Based on the population, China still has a large proportion of people working in agriculture and living below the poverty line. You can probably bag yourself a bargain if you get yourself to a remote village; Iāve heard of whole meals costing under 20p! Even in the cities, daily life is still very cheap compared to living in London; a pint rarely costs more than 50p.
2) The Chinese created table tennis and they are all really good at it.
True or false?
Table tennis was actually created in Britain in the 1880ās, initially played by the wealthy as an after-dinner game. It had various nicknames, such as wiff-waff and ping pong because of the sound made whilst playing. The Chinese are however really good at it, taking 6 of the 8 possible medals at London 2012 Olympics. In China, lots of people do play. It doesnāt take as much space as tennis or other sports so fits in as a suitable sport in Chinaās busy environment.
3) People go everywhere on bicycles.
True of false?
Much to my dismay this is no longer the case in every Chinese city. In Qingdao, there are no cycle lanes so cycling is not to be advised (it is very dangerous!). I think bikes still play a large part of life in some cities, but Qingdao is not one of them. Qingdao however, more than makes up for the lack of bicycles with cars and traffic.
4) The Chinese love foreigners.
True or False?
Thanks to our comparitively tall frames and our range of eye and hair colours, the Brits generally get quite a good reception in China. When you say you are British, the days of the Opium Wars seem to be largely forgotten, we are now just seen as āBritish Gentlemenā (č±å½ē»
士).The Chinese love seeing foreigners around and find our features fascinating ā the big nose, wide eyes, pale skin: everything they want. If you try and speak any Chinese, even a little āNihaoā will have them falling over their feet complementing you. Make the most of the feeling while you are here because it isnāt the same back in Britain!
Have a look at your own stereotypes and come to China to prove them false, e.g. with a homestay in a Chinese family?! Send and email to info@internchina.com or have a look at our website!
by James
1) Milk
Prejudice: Chinese canāt drink any milk, they are not able to digest it, so it is also for foreigners impossible to buy (fresh) milk in China.
True or false?
False. Well more or less at least. Chinese people donāt really drink milk, not as much as we do anyways, but that doesnāt mean they donāt drink milk at all. And it also doesnāt mean that you canāt buy any milk in China. In most of the big supermarkets (Walmart, Carrefour) it is possible to buy tasty fresh milk! There are also some āvariationsā with a lot of sugar and itāll only be milk powder in Milk Tea, but…well you probably wonāt be buying that anyways!
2) In China they eat dogs
Prejudice: Chinese eat everything, even dogs!
True or false?
This is true! But itās not like Chinese people would eat dog all the time, itās more a delicacy which can be quite expensive. I have met some foreigners who tried dog and they said it was not really worth trying, just normal, nothing special. You should be more careful about the duck neck and chicken feet, because they are normally spiced with loads of Sichuan Chili!
3) Everybody in China knows Kung Fu!
Prejudice: Every person in China, no matter how young or old, knows how to do Kung Fu.
True or False?
False. Itās the same if you would say that in Germany everybody knows how to play football. But in every myth there is a spark of truth, so Chinese people like to gather in parks in the morning, doing QiGong and Taiji and in the evening, dancing together or do some other workout. But donāt be disappointed, InternChina does know one or two real KungFu teachers, so you will still have a chance to become a famous martial artist after you come to China.
Come to China and get rid of your stereotypes! Apply now via Email info@internchina.com or through our website www.internchina.com
by Hanna
If we like it or not, most of us have different stereotypes about different nations!
And it feels like there are at least a million prejudices about Chinese people, especially in Western countries. I am pretty sure that other Asian countries also have their typical Chinese stereotypes, but they might differ from the ones we have. A lot of people ask us questions about life in China and want to know if their stereotypes are true.
So, in order to make it a little less fearsome for you to come to China, I want to write something about the most common and well known stereotypes we have in German speaking countries. Here we goā¦.
1) Spitting
Prejudice: Chinese are always, everywhere spitting. When they are walking on the street. When they are sitting on the bus. When they are sitting in restaurants.
True or false?
Half-true. Itās not like every Chinese person is spitting everywhere, but you will definitely encounter some people spitting on the streets. Anyways, in public transport, on the train or airplane people are not allowed to place their phlegm wherever they want. And most young people think itās disgusting, too. So spitting becomes less and less popular in China, especially in the bigger cities.
2) Chinese people all look the same
Prejudice: All Chinese people look the same. They have all dark eyes, black hair and are small.
True or false?
False. They do not all look the same! Ok, itās true that their natural hair colour is black and eyes are mostly dark as well, but Chinese people are also able to dye their hair, as well as they are able to cut it (meaning: there are people having long hair, short hair, layers, fringe/bangsā¦). There are tall Chinese (yes, even China has a basketball team) and small Chinese. It might be a little confusing for you in the beginning, but donāt worry youāll learn to distinguish between different people. By the way, for Chinese it is the same with Westerners: for them WE all look the same.
3) Chinese canāt line up
Prejudice: Chinese people donāt know how to queue up. They donāt even know what a queue is.
True or false?
Half-true. Itās not really common in China to queue up. Especially while you are waiting for a bus, metro or elevator. Itās normally get in/on or wait for the next one. You will need to get used to this phenomenon. In some cities like Beijing or Shanghai, you might find people who are waiting for something in a queue, but still this behaviour hasnāt spread in China yet. See it as a new challenge: You will learn how to get what you want, even if itās only getting on a bus.
Would you like to do an Internship in China and see if your stereotypes are true or false? Apply now via email info@internchina.com or through our website www.internchina.com!