The reason not to use:

[Joanne]

As Li has pointed out in her post (quoted below), there are cultural reasons why Chinese families don't like to use some electrical appliances.

 

I would like to start a thread to address this issue. I will start showing some of the opinions in the 2nd post.

 

......I want to frankly share my understanding of those American appliances as a person who came from a mid-class Chinese family background.

Before I address the specific issues, let me say that it is important to understand that China is a rapidly developing nation. What was true yesterday is no longer true today. What is true today will no longer be true tomorrow. Secondly, there is a wide gulf between life in the urban areas, even smaller cities, and life in the countryside.

 

Microwave oven: Objectively to say, if you go to the countryside in China or the remote villages, it is hard for you to see such a kind of appliance because the poor can’t afford it and the rich may not be able to read the instruction manual. But in the cities, you can see microwave ovens everywhere. I don’t mean those displayed in the stores. I remember when I was in college, we had a big microwave oven in the cafeteria. The students could heat their food for free. That was in the mid-?0s. I know compared to the States, we had a microwave oven in the cafeteria is still lag behind. What I tried to say is to young generation, microwave oven is not a foreign thing. Especially nowdays when young people get married, usually first they buy a house and decorate their house and equip it with the modern furniture and electronic appliances.

 

Coffeemaker: The same situation as microwave. It is hard to find in the peasants?house, but you can find in the city peoples?house. In the market, you can find a cheap one costing US$3.00(about 25RMB) and you also can find a very good one at the price of US$30.00(about 250RMB). Unlike the other appliance, you may find less families use coffee maker. As most of you know, Chinese like drinking tea. Coffee culture is a recent import from the west. The similar thing here, it's harder to find tea appliance in an American house. I don't think it is because the teapots are too expensive for Americans to afford.Very funny, when Mick lived in China with me for five years, we often received coffee maker as a gift because he is American. So finally, I had to give some away to my sister and my brother. Of course they don’t drink coffee, so they put the coffee maker in their display cabinet with their other cute things.

 

Washing machine: I don’t know how long ago Chinese start to use washing machine. But I know that is a pretty long history. At the beginning the washing machine is smaller in size with simple features. Nowadays the washing machine model is upgrading very fast. Generally, compared to the countryside people, the city people use more. First, at the average, the city families can afford it more than countryside families. Secondly, the working people have less time to do hand washing every day. Thirdly and most interesting thing, many Chinese, especially the older generation, don’t like to have their clothes spun in the washing machine. Some don’t believe the machine can clean their clothes as clean as their hands. Some worry that the machine will cause the clothes to wear out sooner. Last, many Chinese still think the dirty clothes should be washed right away, rather than stacking them together in a pile and then throwing them in the machine. When I was teaching in my hometown about four years before I met Mick, I lived with my parents. I used to wear different clothes to my class. So I hung up the clothes I already worn one Monday, but I don’t need them on Tuesday, and I might wear them on Thursday since they were not dirty at all. But, every day, when my mom came to clean my bedroom, she would like to “bug?me: “Look at you, my lazy girl, let me wash that dress for you.?Of course hand wash! Last November I went back to China on business. I brought my baby with me. Before I started my work in China, I sent my baby to my parents who were visiting my brother’s family. After I finished my work, I went to pick up my baby, I found my mom and daddy washed my baby’s clothes every day by hand. Since I am getting used to piling the dirty clothes together at home in the States, I asked my mom and daddy why not wash them in their washing machine. My sister-in-law said: “It is not sanitary to wash baby’s clothes in the washing machine because the washing machine often washes adult’s clothes.?Then my mom added: “Baby clothes should be cleaned right away.?I don’t agree with them 100%, but that does reflect a lot of Chinese thinking regarding the washing machine, doesn’t it?

 

Drier: As far as I know, most families in China didn’t have a drier before I left the country three years ago. I don’t know whether because it is too expensive to afford it, or because the Chinese still believe the sunshine can dry their clothes for free, in addition, UV rays can kill the germs as well.

 

Refrigerator: Like washing machine, it is pretty common thing too. Some people don’t have it because they can’t afford, while the others believe the fresh food is healthier!

 

Car: Cars can be expensive in China. Not average families can afford it currently. Maybe that is why Chinese public transportation has a thriving business. I am just imagining: if 1.3 billion Chinese all have their private cars, where will they park their cars, on the earth, or on the moon?

 

So all those appliance have a different level of popularity in China than in the States, I guess the price may not be the only reason, culture may play a big role too.

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[Guest ShaQuaNew]

This is very enlightening, thanks for posting the quote Joanne. Lan has a washing machine, but like most families in China, she has no dryer, and dries her clothes on large hangers on her porch. I think there is good logic thinking about the spin cycle damaging clothing, because in many older washers it gets going extremely fast, and has a tendency to pull fabric apart.

 

Some of the newer and more expensive washing machines have more bells and whistles than needed, but many have hand-wash cycles that can closely emulate hand-washing. I don't have one of these, cause they are quite expensive.

[Joanne]

The opinions below are not based on scientific study. They are just some common Chinese opinions, could be right or wrong.

 

Microwave oven:

- it depletes the nutrient in the food;

- it generates radiation;

- the food doesn't taste good being cooked/heated in microwave oven;

- it consumes electricity

......

 

Drier:

- it consumes electricity;

- it occupies space;

- the smaller driers in China market are not very effective in drying cloth (It takes 2-4 hours to dry a small load);

- it is noisy;

- it consumes power;

- it ruins garments (Of couse it is due to the fabric type most Chinese like to wear, such as silk, wool...)

 

Wash machine:

- it ruins garments (due to fabric)

- it consumes more water;

- it is not sanitary (Hard to understand how one can wash socks together with underwear)

- it consumes power;

Even so, wash machine is a must item in urban household. Most young people use it exclusively to wash clothes.

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

Joanne, you posting this kind of information is so VERY helpful for those of us that are cultureally illiterate. Though I've learned a lot about China in the past few years, I've not seen this sort of information in print. Thanks!

[Joanne]

The post above is from consumer point of view. Consider the society at large, if all Chinese people start living in modern American style. The earth is probably none existence.

 

...I might exaggerated the point a little.

[jemmyell]

Hi Joanne,

 

Yes, let's keep this thread going. I would agree about the nutrient depletion for microwaves in general, but the radiation issue is non existant if the door seals are intact. Still I won't stand in front one while it's operating myself.

 

Yes, food is much better cooked / heated on a gas range or oven. BUt the modern american time-limited lifestyle has produced these items to save the time we all desperately need.

 

My SO does have a washer. We will see how she views the drier. I know that when I visited her in October of last year, she washed my jeans and they never did dry...

 

She does use a microwave oven for limited purposes now.

 

Still, for silks and woolens hand washing is really a requirement.

 

-James

[jim_julian]

My biggest chuckle is that Mama and Baba always unplug the microwave when not in use because that little electric clock on the front uses soooooooooo much electricity.

 

[tywy_99]

Microwave oven:

- it depletes the nutrient in the food;

- it generates radiation;

- the food doesn't taste good being cooked/heated in microwave oven;

- it consumes electricity

 

This observation reminds me of an article in a popular magazine from the 1970's called 'MAD' magazine.

The topic was "microwave ovens". It had a cartoon strip showing a family sitting at the dinner table and the mom was cooking in the microwave. After cooking, as she was serving dinner, the whole family had been "nuked" and were decomposing. I know, some sick humor, but that was what the mag was all about in addressing world events and issues. And do you know how BIG microwaves were in the '70's?....

 

Thanks for the post, Joanne. And thanks for sharing Li's insights on cultural differences. It reminds me of my wife and how she did things that weren't at all the way I do things. But now she has been acclimated, adaptated, and simulated!......

 

Reading Li's post on appliances, I've recently learned an interesting thing. The Chinese were using the old treadle style Singer sewing machines around the turn of the 19th century! There's a Singer accessory kit out made only for the Chinese market back then. The manual is in old Chinese and dated June 11, 1913.

The manual is for the Singer Style No. 14 attachment kit.

 

Thanks again

Edited March 30, 2006 by tywy_99 (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Realize also that Chinese appliances are labeled in Chinese, and your SO may not be familiar with the English. Jiaying reads no English, but, even so, for most appliances, I only had to show her once how to operate them. The microwave was the only thing that took longer, because it's got so many buttons.

[tywy_99]

I know one thing!

A microwave oven can cook an awesome meatloaf in only twenty minutes where it takes an hour in a coventional oven.

[skibum]

I can see not using a dryer in China as electricity is so expensive. My in-laws do not have a washer because her father did not want to spend the money on one and he agreed to do all the wash!

Sweetie does not like me to stand in front of the microwave when it is running.

In our condo in Nanjing we had a washer and hung the clothes on those neat chrome racks just outside the window. By the time they were dry, they smelled like coal. And when we dropped something, we had to walk down 4 flight of stairs to retreive it.

[Mick]

As Li mentioned in the post quoted above, when we lived in China we had pretty much all the same appliances that we do here, minus a dryer. At the university where we worked, just about everyone hung their clothes out to dry as most folks felt that was a way to not only save energy, but promote health.

 

We had a microwave, a toaster oven, a washing machine, coffee maker, water machine, etc, etc.

 

The thing I missed most, however, was air conditoning. Where we lived was at the same latitude as Havana, so you can imagine how hot it was. Our apartment was air conditioned (thank God) but the classrooms were not. Try teaching a class at 2 in the afternoon when it's around 40 C outside. I sweated buckets. Also, some of the buses lacked AC, so a trip downtown could be stifling, especially if it was packed, as it usually was.

 

All in all though, I had most of the modern conveniences in China that I have here in the States. We had a top notch computer system and Internet hook up at the school and many of the Chinese folks who lived in the city had the same.

 

China is developing at a rate so fast, that it is easy to see how many of the old stereotypes about China no longer hold true.

 

I remember seeing a cartoon in a magazine a few years ago that kind of got my dander up. The caption under it read "Chinese Water Skier." In the picture, a guy was standing on a pair of 2x4's behind an ox with a lit match in his hand. In the ox's rear was a big firecracker.

 

I guess it was humorous in a sense, but still, it gave little credit to the great advancements made in China over the past 20 years. During the five years I lived there I witnessed change and development that occured so fast that you could barely keep up with it.

 

It was like Alvin Toffler's "Future Shock" all over again.

[Thomas Promise]

My SO asked me yesterday how to use the washer and dryer again. She did wash a few pair of jeans in it and used the dryer and she was impressed with it. Things do change.

[paula]

I seldom use micro-oven, and only use it to warm remnants. The main reason is I think dishes cooked by micro-oven are not as delicious as cooked by common pans but I do agree it is very quick to make a dish if you are lazy and dont care so much for taste of meal.

 

Drier, I think first of all it need space, then need eletricity. The sunshine is free.We can use it as much as we need, and It is more hygienic. I like the smell of clothes after sunshine. Another reason is I dont like folding clothes. Most of time I hung up them on the porch for 2 or 3 days, then had to fold them. . Dont tell my husband about it

 

Washing machine. Right now I am getting used to pile the dirty clothes and wash them on weekend. But socks and panties I still wash by hands. For sweaters as they are wool I wash them by hands as well.

 

Cars I dont have cars, but my dad and brother have cars. One big trouble thing for them is to find a place to park their cars at night. Some my colleagues bought cars, most of them are much younger. I think young people like to loan money from bank to buy some luxuries rather than older people. For most chinese , compare with cars, they more prefer to buy appartments.

[Yuanyang]

While staying at a 4 star hotel this month I wanted to send my dirty clothes to the hotel's laundry. No way! My clothes would be washed with other peoples' clothes, very nasty. (I did get 'caught' washing my clothes in the sink and was pushed out of the way, "I do for my husband" )

 

I do agree that hand washing makes the clothes cleaner, my t-shirts are now as white as the day I bought them.