Stereotypes, prejudices and pre-defined assumptions are as old as humanity itself and belong to a daily practice, obtaining the sometimes useful benefit to break down cultural complexity of a collective, nation or individuals into easier-to-digest and comprehensive means. By simplifying reality, we do have to keep in mind that not every aspect, behaviour or "fact" can be transferred in general terms to everyone calling themselves "Chinese"- how and to what exent people are seen, judged and categorized also strongly depends on your own definition of culture. With this little article, I strongly appeal to reflect one's own mindset, paying attention to imprinted beliefs that might not (always) match reality. Therefore, please create your own picture and reality by openly welcoming an initially appearing "different" cultural immerson.
Hearing, reading, discussing and watching the news about a country you have never been to triggers a lot of biased assumptions that need to be verified by your own means. Who of us is not familiar with the saying that Chinese people “eat cats & dogs” or “everything that crawls over the floor”. That people from the West are apparently not welcome, you are not able to travel through China without a local guide, that you might be suffering from food poisoning when trying out local street food markets… I have heard it all. A lot of sayings, a lot of concerns, warnings, whatever you want to call it.
I have had a good laugh with a former friend of mine, whom I met in Shanghai whilst driving through inner Mongolia whilst telling him about different assumptions that I, my family and friends, also colleagues had regarding China. Many things I was convinced about proved to be totally wrong and brought forward a big change of perspective. So, please do not be too biased in your initial and more importantly external assumptions, oftentimes nourished through (negative) media influence and speculations by other people who have never been in China themselves.
The varying “Do’s and Don’ts” you might find on the internet are also to be treated with caution. Certainly, some of the suggestions on what (not) to do might apply in a daily context due to socialized norms and behavioural patterns, e.g. not sticking your chopsticks upright into a bowl of rice, as this might be considered as bad omen due to death or not talking loudly in the subway, as this is considered to be rude. However, just as not every stigma applies to your own cultural context, please avoid to put people into boxes assuming that everyone acts, thinks and behaves a certain way and routine.
In any case, remember that all of us are humans. The way you would like to be treated, is the way you should be treating others and vice versa. Yes, you might drop a brick but hey, you are new to the environment and open to learn, so do not worry about being flawless. People will tell- and help you in a kind and respectful way.
What I want to highlight is that YOU need to experience China through your own means. Whether and to what extent a cultural difference turns into something enriching or- in contrast- frustrating experience solely relies upon you and your level of intercultural competence. If I seek for the validation of negatively attached prejudices, I might probably find them. If I am open to new things and take them, as they are, without any positive/negative judgement, I am more likely to have the best time of my life. Always keep in mind that things we consider to be “normal” with regards to thinking, acting, behaving, might not be applicable for others out of our own cultural collectives. And differences per se are neither better or worse, right or wrong- they are simply different in a neutral view. The acting of one person cannot be reflected to an entire nation, neither can it be boxed in general terms. So, in case you stumble across any cultural difference that might seem weird to you, solely observe without any judgement first. Note your thoughts and try to reflect whether and why you consider something positive, strange, surprising, etc. Put yourself in the shoes of Sherlock- this can be something helpful and meaningful to discover cultural patterns- a quite exciting activity, I believe. You can still decide whether your observations were (not) helpful, good or bad in the end. In any case, do not catastrophize any occasion without having knowledge about background and reason connected. It is like eating hot porridge: even though you might dislike raisins, you would not throw away the entire porridge but rather pick up the pieces you dislike to still enjoy your meal afterwards.
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