Your impressions of the people

[iyan46]

One of the things that sticks with me about my visit were the people,

Mostly i found the general public to be " standoffish " but very curious, The entire time i was there only 2 people spoke directly to me ... other than friends that is. One was an old man who come up to me on the street in Nanning and spoke to me in Chinese, I didn't understand him but my SO translated and we had quite a conversation. The other was a young man on a bus in Beijing, he spoke chinglish but he was very curious about where i was from and what america ( florida ) was like. The only others were people trying to sell me something on the street or at the malls.

What i found most entertaining, after i got used to it, were the people who would come out of stores or businesses or stop in the street and just watch me go by, and then look away if i looked directly at them.

The people i did talk to i found to be very pleasant and warm and friendly ... and very open and accepting of me.

 

I have a warm place in my heart for the people and i would love to retire there when the time comes.

[chilton747]

I found the people there to be the same as you found. They do seem standoffish until you start speaking with them. I have just bought a house there and I will be retiring there if I don't go there sooner.

[griz326]

"Standoffish" geeeesh...that does not match my experience at all. Some were shy or bashful, but I talked with everyone and they talked with me even though we didn't have a clue what was being said.

 

In my 3 trips to China - only once did I encounter a "standoffish" man. He would not allow his son to take the Montana quarter that I pulled out of his son's ear. B)

 

...perhaps my different experience has to do with being a close-up magician.

[chilton747]

"Standoffish" geeeesh...that does not match my experience at all. Some were shy or bashful, but I talked with everyone and they talked with me even though we didn't have a clue what was being said.

 

In my 3 trips to China - only once did I encounter a "standoffish" man. He would not allow his son to take the Montana quarter that I pulled out of his son's ear. B)

 

...perhaps my different experience has to do with being a close-up magician.

 

Perhaps our meaning of "standoffish" is not the same?

[IllinoisDave]

I think sometimes we Westerners confuse being "standoffish" to just plain minding their own business. I found the vast majority of people in China to be very friendly and helpful when personally engaged.

 

Aside from the hawkers, yes most kept to themselves. But I took it to be more of a polite curiosity than being standoffish. Some stared, sure, but in a way that didn't really make me all that uncomfortable.

 

In this country, if we see someone who's unlike 99.9% of the people we're used to seeing, the chances of us wanting to invade their space are much higher than in China IMHO. We think nothing of letting our curiosity get to the point that we just go up to someone and start asking questions. In China, not so much.

[heyjimi]

everyone i met in Chongqing was very friendly,but it is a big city,which reminded me so much of New York City (where i lived til i was a teenager).what i saw was,most people were just minding their own business,and i got also a few that stared at me and my girl,now wife.i guess curiousity..

[iyan46]

I don't mean standoffish in a bad way .... I've traveled extensivly and found most people in many countries to be forward and outspoken, meaning they and i will talk to most anyone at any time .... and the Chinese ( at least those i met ) would never approach me in a conversation unless i initiated it. Please understand ... i found a deep love for the Chinese people and in no way do i think bad of anyone there ... i'd just like to know your own impressions is all.

[chilton747]

I don't mean standoffish in a bad way .... I've traveled extensivly and found most people in many countries to be forward and outspoken, meaning they and i will talk to most anyone at any time .... and the Chinese ( at least those i met ) would never approach me in a conversation unless i initiated it. Please understand ... i found a deep love for the Chinese people and in no way do i think bad of anyone there ... i'd just like to know your own impressions is all.

 

I feel much the same way that you do. I have also traveled a lot. My wife used to tell me to look straight ahead and not look at the people and do not speak to anyone unless she told me it was ok. The Chinese people have endured a lot in their lives much different than we have. I think that they are cautious but have great hearts. I have found that China and it's people to be very fascinating and charming. But this varies greatly between the different cities.

[iyan46]

I don't mean standoffish in a bad way .... I've traveled extensivly and found most people in many countries to be forward and outspoken, meaning they and i will talk to most anyone at any time .... and the Chinese ( at least those i met ) would never approach me in a conversation unless i initiated it. Please understand ... i found a deep love for the Chinese people and in no way do i think bad of anyone there ... i'd just like to know your own impressions is all.

 

I feel much the same way that you do. I have also traveled a lot. My wife used to tell me to look straight ahead and not look at the people and do not speak to anyone unless she told me it was ok. The Chinese people have endured a lot in their lives much different than we have. I think that they are cautious but have great hearts. I have found that China and it's people to be very fascinating and charming. But this varies greatly between the different cities.

You say it much better than i do ... Thank You

[Shenzhen K-1]

I think sometimes we Westerners confuse being "standoffish" to just plain minding their own business. I found the vast majority of people in China to be very friendly and helpful when personally engaged.

 

Aside from the hawkers, yes most kept to themselves. But I took it to be more of a polite curiosity than being standoffish. Some stared, sure, but in a way that didn't really make me all that uncomfortable.

 

In this country, if we see someone who's unlike 99.9% of the people we're used to seeing, the chances of us wanting to invade their space are much higher than in China IMHO. We think nothing of letting our curiosity get to the point that we just go up to someone and start asking questions. In China, not so much.

 

I found the people to be pretty much the same as Dave did! In the hotels and restaurants I knew I just screwed up there language when they chuckled after I spoke. It does take a litttle getting used to being pushy in lines and also negotiating for a small item, but not a bad thing. My real surprise was my last trip, at least once a day a young Chinese child would come up to me and want there picture taken with me??

 

I think I heard them mumble something about Brad Pitt??

[chilton747]

I don't mean standoffish in a bad way .... I've traveled extensivly and found most people in many countries to be forward and outspoken, meaning they and i will talk to most anyone at any time .... and the Chinese ( at least those i met ) would never approach me in a conversation unless i initiated it. Please understand ... i found a deep love for the Chinese people and in no way do i think bad of anyone there ... i'd just like to know your own impressions is all.

 

I feel much the same way that you do. I have also traveled a lot. My wife used to tell me to look straight ahead and not look at the people and do not speak to anyone unless she told me it was ok. The Chinese people have endured a lot in their lives much different than we have. I think that they are cautious but have great hearts. I have found that China and it's people to be very fascinating and charming. But this varies greatly between the different cities.

You say it much better than i do ... Thank You

Good luck with your interview. Perhaps we will be neighbors in China one day.

[iyan46]

I don't mean standoffish in a bad way .... I've traveled extensivly and found most people in many countries to be forward and outspoken, meaning they and i will talk to most anyone at any time .... and the Chinese ( at least those i met ) would never approach me in a conversation unless i initiated it. Please understand ... i found a deep love for the Chinese people and in no way do i think bad of anyone there ... i'd just like to know your own impressions is all.

 

I feel much the same way that you do. I have also traveled a lot. My wife used to tell me to look straight ahead and not look at the people and do not speak to anyone unless she told me it was ok. The Chinese people have endured a lot in their lives much different than we have. I think that they are cautious but have great hearts. I have found that China and it's people to be very fascinating and charming. But this varies greatly between the different cities.

You say it much better than i do ... Thank You

Good luck with your interview. Perhaps we will be neighbors in China one day.

 

Thanks, and maybe someday in the future we can have a CFL get together in China ... wouldn't that be cool

[Dennis143]

I think sometimes we Westerners confuse being "standoffish" to just plain minding their own business. I found the vast majority of people in China to be very friendly and helpful when personally engaged.

 

Aside from the hawkers, yes most kept to themselves. But I took it to be more of a polite curiosity than being standoffish. Some stared, sure, but in a way that didn't really make me all that uncomfortable.

 

In this country, if we see someone who's unlike 99.9% of the people we're used to seeing, the chances of us wanting to invade their space are much higher than in China IMHO. We think nothing of letting our curiosity get to the point that we just go up to someone and start asking questions. In China, not so much.

I like the way ID stated it here.

 

Focusing on stares, (pun intended) the people were generally just curious to be face to face with a meiguoren - I do believe it was the big nose.

 

Looking back to my first trip to Nanning, everyone was most pleasant albeit somewhat unsettling for me to be stared at the same as someone might stare at an art piece in a museum. Not that I am a piece of art, but you get the point. I was never looked and stared at with such studiousness.

 

I remember being alone in Nanning. I decided to get my shoes shined from a woman with a shine box and a stool. While sitting there, a woman walks by, stops and stares at me...and then two women, then three, then four women standing side by side and staring at me. Their eyes never leave me, even while they talk among each other their eyes were fixed, as though they wanted to soak in everything. They were expressionless. At the time, I did not know a lick of Chinese, no "Ni Hao", nothing. So, I just smiled and said "Hi ladies." Where they just giggled like school girls and finally turned and walked on.

 

There were those who were nonchalant to those who treated me like a rock star and had to have their picture taken with me. It was a bit unnerving to walk by men whose eyes would lock on and then follow me as I walked by. In America, we find this as threatening. I learned, in China, if I locked my eyes back on theirs along with a large smile they would find my gesture very unsettling.

 

All in all, I always enjoyed the attention.

People truly are people. If you treat them well, you can usually expect the same in return.

[chilton747]

I don't mean standoffish in a bad way .... I've traveled extensivly and found most people in many countries to be forward and outspoken, meaning they and i will talk to most anyone at any time .... and the Chinese ( at least those i met ) would never approach me in a conversation unless i initiated it. Please understand ... i found a deep love for the Chinese people and in no way do i think bad of anyone there ... i'd just like to know your own impressions is all.

 

I feel much the same way that you do. I have also traveled a lot. My wife used to tell me to look straight ahead and not look at the people and do not speak to anyone unless she told me it was ok. The Chinese people have endured a lot in their lives much different than we have. I think that they are cautious but have great hearts. I have found that China and it's people to be very fascinating and charming. But this varies greatly between the different cities.

You say it much better than i do ... Thank You

Good luck with your interview. Perhaps we will be neighbors in China one day.

 

Thanks, and maybe someday in the future we can have a CFL get together in China ... wouldn't that be cool

 

You read my mind as I was thinking the same thing today

[chilton747]

When my father was in his latter years he used to meet up with several other retirees at the local hardware store where they would "chew the fat." Do you suppose we will be doing the same but maybe at a different kind of place?