What I thought about China vs. reality

As far as this topic is concerned, I am not alone. I can boldly say that 90% of the expats reading this have something to say about this subject. To some, China exceeded their expectations, but it didn’t come close for some others. So, to get a complete sense of this topic, we will need your comment below. Without further ado, here’s a quick rundown of what I thought about China versus reality.

I thought every Chinese knew kung fu. I always thought that what I saw on Chinese movies of those days were true. It’s not totally my fault. Kids these days are watching super heroes like Spiderman, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers - and others. But in our time all we had to watch was the Drunken Master, Shaolin Soccer, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and many more. Every kid that grew up watching these martial art movies got the impression that Chinese people were all street fighters. The first thing I wanted to see in China was where to go to watch the monks fight. I remember when I visited Anshan mountain in Liaoning province, I saw so many monks, then I asked ‘Can you fight kung fu?’ and so many of them said no .Well, I was shocked to find out that Chinese people really don’t fight.

I thought that Chinese men could not touch their lady’s in public. I still blame this on movies that I watched. I never imagined that I would see such a massive public display of affection in China. From my thoughts, I saw women as people that men were not allowed to touch especially in public. My view changed in less than two days of my arrival.

I thought courtesy was important here. So many people may disagree with this point but for me, I thought Chinese were very courteous but on many occasion, I have had many Chinese people mash my feet without saying sorry or even say ‘excuse me’ (or the Chinse equivalent) before pushing me aside. It seems the older Chinese understand courtesy but the younger ones don’t really seem to grasp it; maybe they are too busy playing on their phones to say excuse me (láojià). Also in my experience, ladies are even more guilty than their male counterparts here!

I never thought one's skin color was not important in China. The reality is that your color matters a lot here. This thought never crossed my mind before. It is just something I have to accept as it is and do my part to change the perception and prejudices against those of color. This is less of a problem with the younger generation - which shows perceptions are changing.

I never thought Chinese people were so competitive. I will say I am really impressed by the hardworking spirit of the Chinese people. Competition is a good thing when you use it positively. From what I have seen, Chinese people are very hardworking and competitive.

I thought phones and computer gadgets were super cheap. The reality is that phones and computers are really expensive in China. Though these gadgets are produced in China, they are more expensive than the same product sold outside of China. The exception to this is Chinese company’s goods. Getting a smartphone comparable to a nice Huawei, or Xiaomi outside of China would be a challenge.

Chinese people are hospitable. We may yell and complain all we want about how color matters in China but one thing is true - many Chinese people are very welcoming to strangers and helpful regardless of that person’s color. Well, in a large country as this, we ought to expect massive difference in behavior from province to province. My thoughts might not be always right, so I will let my readers comment to help provide the true difference between our thoughts about China versus reality.