As a foreigner working in a Chinese company I have come to the conclusion that there will always be "puzzling" things going on, but with an open mind and a grateful heart the cultural differences become a part of the amazing experience of living abroad 🙂🇨🇳👍🇲🇽
Some are cultural differences and some are just personal behaviors that need to be improved. As a Chinese I can't stand spitting, second-hand smoking, littering and queue jumping. Although I grew up in an environment full of these behaviors, I'm still sensitive when I see people do that. But I can see the overall improvement if talking about a time scale of 1 or 2 decades. It has been better and will continuously get better in the future I think.😉😉 I like your videos. Hope you enjoy your life here in China.
I agree, things are absolutely changing and improving. Things are very different now than they were 10 years ago when I first got here. I absolutely enjoy my life here!
@@GoYvon People just have been free from hunger for few years. Being alive is no. 1 issue for people who lived in that period. For me , i am 32 and come from a rural village in Northeast of China, having good meals like dumpings only happened in festivals when I was young, To be honest, what I care about at that time was when and how to get good and delicious food. Things've changed no more than 20 years with the economy boomed.The spitting and other bad behaviors will be gone gradually , VPN will be the history in the future. Hope you enjoy the life living in China and best wishes for you!
@@GoYvon about the vpn ,you can use andriod , there is a app names" tasker" in the google app store. it can help you to connect the vpn background when you open some app that need a vpn connect.
Fresh air probably makes sense as it's more about oxygen than others, this is one of the habits exhibited long before heavy polluting. Western meals is just ordinary waiters and chefs are not used to the ordering. Sunday working is because having a few consecutive days off would allow people to do longer trips which wouldl benefit the overall economy, also Chinese don't have the tradition to go to church on Sundays, plus not much the concept of annual leave (a lot of companies do offer AL but it's not that deeply embedded in the tradition). Spitting is also about habit, people from the old days were used to spitting when the air wasn't as clean as nowadays. Also don't forget there are millions of people who used to live in countryside now live in the city, it would take time for them to gradually adopt themselves to the city style of living. Ban on the internet is something without much excuse however it's understandable that western medias are mostly hostile, with bias and a lot of lies so the government wants to manage this area a bit.
Much of these points are right on the spot. We are still a developing nation obviously, there are many issues that needs to be addressed well, and improve over time.
That's all right. I have been a Chinese Canadian for 48 years, and there are things that still annoy me too here in Canada. We just have to learn to live with it. If we cannot change the world, change ourselves.
a lot of these puzzles have the answers actually. For example, Chinese empolyees dont have long 30 day year holiday like the Europeans have, we try to have the Festival day off together with weekends, then we can have longer holiday to go travel, so get more chance to meet family or spend money.
I was working in Dutch office, and my Dutch colleague also keeping windows open in winter for fresh air. And some people keeping radio on(or 'aan') in office, just for fun or amusement.
Your frustrations are coming from your perspectives of looking at ways of living in China compared to the ways of living that you are used to in your own country. And you should know that everyone or every countries are different. Just a little advice for you, when you go to a different country, either you like it, adjust to it, or leave the country.
I would say she already adjusted pretty well but that doesn’t mean she can’t talk about it, joke about it, or even complain about it. I’m native Chinese and I share some of the same views are you going to tell me to leave too?
Thanks for sharing these very objective views about China's several problems. I uses the metro in Shanghai almost everyday, and I have to say that it is a problem that some passengers are not lining up properly or sometimes not following the order of letting people get off first. Oftentimes during rush hours, when I'm getting off a train, I see simultaneously there are people getting on and getting off (thanks to the wide doors ... ?) Btw, I thought you might be puzzled by the type of toilet that is more common in public restrooms - squatting toilets! This sounds funny but even as a Chinese person I'm troubled by this as I grew up using sitting toilets. Haha..
@@GoYvon I think it’s because car is still something relatively new to Chinese. The first time I got a car ride was 1990. In just recent 20 years, suddenly china turn to be the number 1 car manufacturer in the world. People are still learn to live with this things, also hundreds of millions people migrated to city from rural area. All in all, as an outsider from well industrialized country with clear rules, you find lots of chaos in a rapid changing China.
When I worked in a university in Wudaokou in Beijing in 2008 before the olympics, a govt. official approached me and said he was doing a survey of what westerners thought were the most unattractive aspects of daily living in China. Spitting, queue jumping and smoking were my big three bugbears! Otherwise, no problems at all and I loved the city.
GoYvon, when in Rome do as the romans do. Don't you think that when in China that it should be no different. Just think of how westerners behave when it comes to wearing a face mask in this time of a pandemic. Westerners thinks that wearing a face mask is a denial of their "freedom"!!! Good God!! Good or bad habits or lifestyle, you must remember that most of these are either cultural things or habits from where they come from. But all the "bad habits" and "behaviours" you mentioned are not exactly unique to China. I've seem enough of the same in the developed west as well. But the good news is that China and the chinese peoples are not trapped in a time warp. It's changing, and changing for the better all the time and as a resident of China for 10 years, surely you would have noticed that. Take a step back the next time you see yourself wanting to make a conclusion about the rights and wrongs of how the chinese conduct their lives. Refrain from seeing them only through a western lens. That way you will enjoy your stay in China may folds over.
I hate when someone opens the window and the AQI is 500😤 And I'll never forget the first time I was told I had to come into work on Sunday because of the holiday😳🤔 Great list, as usual Yvon!
Haha, I always ask my husband to close the window since our house is temperature controled. But he keeps opening it for air to my annoyance. And I am Chinese and he is American and we live in the US.
Thanks for sharing! Your observations about undergarment and wearing jacket inside are vestiges of the old times when folks couldn't afford to heat their homes properly. Back then, indoors was only slightly warmer than outdoors in winter, hence the habit of wearing many layers inside. Your other points are spot on. Now you've been in China for a decade, do you notice any of them improving? I haven't been in China for 15 years, it's odd but I actually miss some of its weirdness apart from the internet thing.
Hi Ivon, about spitting, older people are still used to concepts from TCM (traditional chinese medicine). Getting rid of mucus is one of them. Rich people used to have special vessels in their home to spit in (in Holland we called this a kwispedoor so here old people used to have it also). If you want more info talk to a TCM practicioner. And all of a sudden you'd have more input for another video too!
Thanks for explaining that Shanaya! I've never heard of the word 'kwispedoor'! Talking to a TCM practicioner could be very interesting! Will put it on my list for videos.
fresh air thing comes from the idea that air inside a confined area will get used up once in a while hence circulating natural air brings the to an unused level.
It’s nice to hear from a different point of view. The underpants, wearing coats indoors, is a remnant from the days when China did not have central air/heating. Serving foods in random orders is probably due to lack of understanding of order of western foods and sometimes bad training with the servers. The other stuff, spitting, traffic chaos, littering, lack of respect for queue, is just part of emerging from a century of chaos, war, famine, political upheaval. It’ll gradually all change for the better. As for split pants for kids, I am all for that, it helps with early toilet training. Kids in the US wear diapers seemingly forever, and I think that’s more barbaric 😂
Thank you for your response and explanation! It makes a lot of sense that things like traffic and queuing come from those times. Also interesting to hear your point of view on the split pants.
@@GoYvon Split pants, not long ago, people even didn't have enough food to eat, so they don't have money to buy diapers... now they are getting richer, more kids wear diapers, but still some ppl think it is expensive.
or they just love their jackets... its that simple. Westerners spend so much money on Burberry Raincoat or Prada coat and they just hang it on some cabinet.
So many...How about parents riding E-bikes with 2 or 3 toddlers without wearing helmets? We also learned the basic rule: "Look both ways before crossing the street."... China didn't get that memo.
China is slightly opening the Internet firewall already. But free logging into those western social media is still way to go. That is mostly not because the government is afraid of their own people being misled and standing against the government. Instead, it is mostly prevent people from getting too angry about those western media demonizing China. If too many people get too emotional, it would not be good for the government to move strategically.
Right, as we know Chinese love their government and country. Simple say, they are facist they often look down on whites, actually but it also happens in Japan and Korea. Where we reckon them as Asian
Half-Chinese here. One thing I'm glad about is that the government set hard limits in Beijing on maximum indoor temperature in Winter and minimum indoor temperature in Summer (in commercial buildings). It used to be that in Winter, as soon as you walked into a shopping mall, it felt like you just stepped into a sauna because of how hot it was indoors. In Summer, it felt like walking into a freezer. The government put an end to that in the name of not wasting energy, though to this day I don't understand why it was like that in the first place.
I absolutely hated the making up for the holiday thing. But the reason behind that is that a lot of people leave their hometown for working in another city. A longer consecutive days off means that those people can use those days to visit their family at their hometown. That's why during golden weeks, like the Chinese New Year, people will have to work the weekend prior to the holiday or after the holiday, but they'll get seven or eight consecutive days off during the holiday, so that they can spend time with their families in their hometown.
The first three items were stuff that are not exactly annoying. Westerners are just so addicted to analyzing Asians as if they are all playing scholars especially when they have no college degrees. Because the Europeans from Oxford University they dont care too much about everything.
As a chinese I would say the making up work days for a consecutive holiday is for the purpose of traveling. Becasue it is three days off, people have a chance to plan a short trip to a certain place, which is better than just two days off. A lot of Chinese people take the three day holiday as a chance to take a short vacation to somewhere within China.
Great video as usual! Yeah I don't understand these things either even after living here for 12 years. I have seen some improvement over time though, so that makes me hopeful about the future. Some things that still confuse me are: why my food still arrives to me with hot sauce on it after I tell fuwuyuan that I don't want it (it will taste bad without it they say!) and how some taxi drivers suddenly can't understand my Chinese once they see my white face. Also some thoughts on why things like hygiene and littering are not improving faster: there are no punishments for doing these things. Until there are fines, it will likely continue for a long time
From Toronto Canada. Here littering and spitting are common too, I have seen people from all age groups and all races doing it. I find it frustrating too. There are conservation lands and trails in our neighbourhood and from time to time I have to bring some garbage bags when I go for a walk because our local government do nothing about it. At least the Chinese government hires workers to clean up. 🤷🏻♀️
i agree with all your points here, however, my own observation is that chinese people's behaviour, especially the young people, are improving. what puzzles me is that while chinese people are improving. it seems to me that we are regressing here in canada. i take buses and so i can usually observe people's behaviour at the bus terminal/transit centre/depot. there are more and more misbehaving young people, especially loud mouth students, littering the bus terminal or breaking bus stop shelter glasses ( it just happened in my neighbourhood again !!!! and it has happened many many times over the years !!!). love from canada.
Young people have to much time on their hands. Their parents are not as strict as their grandparents. They have no hobbies and other outlets to occupy their time
I like how you talk about facts. As a Chinese I'm also annoyed by those bad habits that modern Chinese still have. I don't know if that's because I've been living in Europe for 8 years though... Anyway, problems do exist but as pointed out by someone else, we've seen things getting better and I think it will get even better. I'm glad that you are enjoying your life in China.
I enjoy your excellent videos about China. It would be nice if the USA and China could treat each other respectfully and get along. You are helping to educate people about the common goodness which exists in both nations.
For number 8, my Chinese medicine practitioner told me that Caucasians have more "yang" in their body than Chinese. Thats why Chinese tend to feel the cold more than you guys. I work in Australia. Lots of the time when feel it is freezing in the office, my colleagues are whinging about how hot it is.. I guess we just have different body builds.
People not waiting in line or that are pushing their way thru in stepping in or out of the train or metro is nothing uncommon in Athens too. I used to work and live Athens for more than one year. I guess just long enough to get a grasp of the Greek mindset. Though I was sometimes annoyed myself about the chaotic sceneries I encountered in public transport, one day I found myself in a large noisy meat market hall where I observed the same chaotic sceneries. Greek housewives would almost push their way thru the crowd and make themselves heard for being served or to get the merchant's attention. At that moment I realized that amidst the noise and the chaos no orderly process would work here at all. It made all sense to shout, to push and to make yourself seen. I then philosophized that the Greek people had imbeded this cultural behaviour somehow in their way of doing thing things. Suddenly, for me as a foreigner it made all sense :-)
I'm from Beijing. the first two points are spot on 😂 My understanding is that, given the population density, people are more worried about catching contagious disease from others, whether it's indoor, therefore the fuss about fresh air, or outdoor, therefore putting on layers to keep yourself warm and less prone to getting infected. I've lived abroad for more a decade, and I realise some of the differences is really due to the population density. Thanks for making these videos as it helps me to understand my culture better
I also want to share a related story with you. I live in Israel now, and my boss likes to tape around the windows in his office to keep sand dust out. My colleague complained about how he has caught my boss' flu for a few times already because there is no air exchange in his room. I think it's very interesting to make these comparisons :D
Feels a bit uncomfortable watching this because it's like airing other people's dirty laundry so everyone knows. Of course the Chinese have plenty to improve on, just like everyone else. A Chinese person shouldn't go around very publicly pointing out the 10 annoying things about the Dutch, as though the Dutch people aren't aware about it themselves. They do, so just leave it to the Dutch people themselves to challenge themselves. There is no need for a foreigner to make anything of it except to note it privately. It's like you going to your neighbor's home and telling them what's wrong inside their family. Perhaps this belies the superiority complex in certain people, who are anxious to let these lesser people know where exactly they need to improve because they may not be aware. I'd say, don't worry, the Chinese know themselves where there needs change. For it to be pointed out by a foreigner feels very insulting. We're all dealing with our own issues and it does not help an iota for an outsider to make a public scene of them. I'm sure none of this was meant in a negative way with the video, but it does come out that way unfortunately. Not just with another culture, but even with your next door neighbor, it'd be so impolite to air their dirty laundry. Even if these things needed to be said, to the right audience, it ought to be said very delicately, with heaps of generous defensiveness, because after all we're not in the other's shoes.
Definitely, it does come off rude to point things out from certain situations and experiences that are not universal, as well as a lack of information. Why not talk about this properly with her friends and coworkers? was it really necessary to upload this video on RUclips?
If the author is an Asian or Chinese sure the feeling of uneasy unfriendly intention will be obvious. But if it is an foreigners from less cultural or more modern developed society it seems more an educational information
Here is a Chinese saying: 家丑不外扬。Yes, a lot of ppl would not not feel comfortable about this video. However I think China is an open society and we shall foster open mindedness. Don’t hold onto the obsolete tradition and practices!
Let’s talk about similarities between China and Netherlands! 1. Both country talk about diversity but their core values doesn’t include diversity. 2. Both have strong community feelings and don’t like to new friends from outside their own circles. Of course exceptions are present.
@grimm reaper Well, puzzles are meant to be solved. I'm confident that both yours and my life have both goods and bads, but it doesn't stop me from not explaining my happiness to you just because I have the confidence.
My Irish classmate opened the windows at the dorm in winter as well when I studied in the UK, even though there're heaters inside the rooms. She explained that she might be dead when she goes back home because she's got no heater in her house at Ireland.
Trust me, a lot of Chinese, including me, are confused about some of the things mentioned in the video. For instance, I can't understand why some people would like to wear thick coats indoors even though it's not so cold. Anyway, one possible explanation for these "bizarre" behaviors is the difference of lifestyle. People from different provinces of China are likely to have completely different ways of living.
If people are getting fined for undesired behaviour things will change soon enough. I can remember that Hong Kong started to fine $1,500 HKD for spitting two decades ago and I think that helped.
Yvonne your last annoyances are practices in most of the under developed countries I visited. Almost everywhere I went in South America traffic was chaotic, litter was ubiquitous, people peed and pooped everywhere , there was no queuing and cutting in front of others was normal. Cities were filthy and no one cleaned them.
I have something to say about the Make Up Holidays. Because in China many people have to work in cities away from their hometowns. The purposely prolonged public holidays can allow more time for people to travel back home for reunion with family. China is a vast country and people won't come back home to see their families as often as Europeans do. This happens in Taiwan too.
As a Chinese living in Nederland, I wear underpants from September to next year May. Sometimes I wear it in summer when I go to school. It’s also hard for me to understand how temperature indoor in the university to be below 20 degree all the year long.
# 9, it's not Chinese culture, just personal preference. I don't do it. Again, Chinese people tend to feel cold more often then westerns, especially Chinese women, most of them are cold hands and feet. # 8 is the same reason. We are afraid of cold, you guys not. I noticed it in western countries too. Many Americans can even wear tank-top in winter, we cannot.
I don't like smoking either! It's pretty gross! When I first came here people would smoke anywhere and everywhere; in trains, restaurants, sometimes even buses. A couple of years ago smoking was made illegal in lots of places. It makes it a lot more enjoyable to go to restaurants! There are still a lot of people who smoke though and it seems like it has increased in popularity, especially among women.
I v heard someone from the think tank talking about unlocking Chinese internet but it's just not the focus of the central government I guess. VPN is an open secret in China so this problem doesn't enjoy priority in their list of development I guess. I agree with your points. well done again !
As a Chinese, thank you for pointing out the shortcomings of some of my compatriots. There are still many areas where the Chinese people can improve upon. I share some of your frustrations. One thing though, there are always 2 sides of a coin. Being more tolerant or accommodative is one of the costs for the 56 races of China to be united and relatively harmonious. The recent horrific incidents in France reminds me of my visits there a few years ago. My rental car was horned by other cars many times on a highway in France before I eventually realized that all vehicles have to stay on the inner most lane unless during overtaking - so that even on a four-lane highway during non-rush hours, the cars kept overtaking the slower ones and then immediately swerved back to the innermost lane, with the 2 outer lanes empty! Another phenomenon there, the trees along the streets, even those 30 feet or taller, have their crowns trimmed painstakingly but regularly into a cubical shape in order to maintain the beauty of the city! I lamented that with such stringent customs/rules, how can France take immigrants! The phenomena you described in China have improved over the years. But I do hope that they will further improve. We should not look for excuses. Indeed I hope your video have Chinese sub-titles so that more Chinese people can learn. I enjoy your videos.
Absolutely, there are always to sides to a story, I agree. Also agree that things have changed already over the years (more about that in a next video). As for Chinese subtitles... Unfortunately RUclips has taken away the option of community subtitles and my Chinese is not good enough to do it myself (also don't have the time). If I continue to grow and can increase my revenue I'll def consider finding someone who can help me.
I am so sorry to hear these puzzles you have when you live in CHina.And at least thank you for using "puzzle"-a gentle word instead of a harsh word. To be honest, as a CHinese myself, I feel ashamed to see some of your puzzles. But I have to say coz' the education or civilization level is still developing and lots of people didn't get good education. It does take generations and generations to change. But I believe China will get there. That's also the reason I have to say at this stage, China can not have 100% freedom for everyone or 100% democracy， otherwise the country will be in chaos with lots of people with lower education level. First we need to improve our own behaviors. And huge population, does take time to improve. Sorry again. But I believe China will get better.
People in there don’t throw rubbish everywhere; most of them don’t spit; they have the habit of queuing; the traffic is well-ordered, in my hometown Nantong, a street is divided by three lines, the middle one for the cars and the other two sides are for the e-bikes, bicycles... Southern Jiangsu is the most developed region and people in there are more self-disciplined
It is "nice" to live in a city in China. Being able to pay for the expenses (usually regarded as cheap or affordable) and being free to do what you want is but the most basic of conditions to live in most cities. For most people they must be able to contribute to the well-being of others on top of the above 2 conditions, to really say they are satisfied deeply. I wish you the very best in finding out what else is worthy of your attention......Even if you don't exactly succeed it is very important to know what is your third need...
I think the main reason is that the economy and standard of living jumped so much so quickly. You are seeing a lot of old habits from the early days when people were living in mud huts, traveling on dirt country roads or some such to skyscrappers, modern highways and high speed trains all within 1 generation. Which explains why young people don't share many of these traits.
I'd agree. China has developed so quickly in recent years, for people that is very hard to adjust. People don't change nearly as fast as technology, for example.
Ahhh interesting video indeed. Won't lie you gave me an idea on a video haha. I would say though I'm an American and I wear underpants under my clothes too haha, even before I ventured into Chinese culture. Great video and yeah I see the same issue with watchers more than half are not subbed. Lol. But it could be that I'm a new channel. But thanks for the awesome video, I miss China so dearly. You have a new fan . Subbed and bell activated😎😎
I love your videos! I just saw this but I watch a lot of your video. I really like your video because I never get to witness these things. My family move out of China but am looking to go back to China. Are there any suggestions for me?
Thanks for sharing. I agree with your second half of the list. I would like to add few more. 1 driving (cut line of others, turning witout indicators) 2 lack of habit of public chopsticks. 3 smoking indoor (inside hotel rooms etc) Some improvement would make it better.
Thanks for sharing your experience in China which is very objective. And I totally understand why they puzzle you, because those are bad habits but easy to be corrected. I don’t usually comment below, but I think it is better to leave my view this time, as I can see some comments try to defend those issues a bit too much. I hope my comments could support more objective videos like yours. As a human, we should not only listen to the one who appraise you, but also the one who points out your issues or differences, especially a frank video like this. Comparing with many western media, Yvon’s videos are quite neutral and objective, and many of them show the positive sides of China. And we should appreciate that and support her, rather than criticising. I am sure by living in China for 10 yrs, she does have a position to tell something about China. But I also see that the new generation is much better. The gov is also turning the direction to dealing with environmental issues. There are many reasons why those issues still there. Just one point about the VPN. China’s power is growing, but the media is still mainly controlled by the western world, and they don’t want to show the truth about China, especially recent decade. I have been lived in the UK for 10 yrs, and many fake news are still not easy to be figured out, also I would say not each Chinese is confident and well educated. If they are brain washed by the western media, just only one person that could make horrible crimes to the society, as there are too many people everywhere. So I think it is still not time yet to fully open the internet. And the gov is actually kind of “allowing” VPN as long as the person doesn’t involve crimes. It is like a trail from the gov to see how people react to the world internet. Probably when China’s soft power is strong enough, the internet will be opened then.
That jacket thing might be due to over-concerned parents or grandparents... I'm always having this 'fight' with my parents/grandparents about how many clothes to wear in general...
where do you suggest they hang their jackets? Its not a big wonder. Jackets are worn at school. Jackets are fun. Everyone in Asia would keep their jacket on...
Hi Yvon, I was once in China with my daughter who was about 2 at the time, some people were wearing their coats, although it wasn't that cold and my daughter never feels the cold. An old lady started shouting at me and, although I don't speak any Chinese I realised she had a problem that my daughter wasn't wearing a coat. She then proceeded to try to get a Policeman to tell me off but luckily he wasn't interested. The irony was we were by the entrance to a car park and there was a continuous stream of cars coming in and out many had too many people in and most were not wearing their seatbelts and with kids sitting on the parents laps but this wasn't a concern at all.
Because Asian thinks that you will get sick if you are exposed to cold weather, or there is a big change in temperature. She was very concerned that your daughter might get sick. About seatbelts and car seats, most developing countries only rich people are able to afford cars, but because of their good economy these days most people can afford car, but they are still not used to using the safety devices. In the west it is common knowledge to use those devices and you can get fine for not using them, idk about if China fines them for not using
About not wanting to line up; I think the idea is when you “Snooze, you loose”‘concept. The Chinese ppl think if you’re slow in go getting things, you’re loose out. So, same for lining up concept; they think if they follow the line-up rules; they would loose out a good chance to get in and even find a seat. So, making them have this sense of “Selfishness”.
hopefully these can solve some of your puzzles: littering/jumping queues/peeing/spitting are simply lack of education. There are still a lot of people that not well educated (yeah especially the cultural revolution generations). Yes it's been improved and im seeing a lot less of these from young generations but as long as they exist they will give you the strongest impression. ITS DISGUSTING. ITS NOT CULTURAL DIFFERENCE. Traffic/seatbelt, you know what they teach in driving schools here? driving around cone bars, parallel parking, driving on a narrow bridge etc. basically all the driving skills instead of driving habits. Chinese people have been owning cars only since like 40 years ago so that's what you can expect. I see my mom sitting in the front seat without wearing seat belt i yelled at her xd. internet: they are doing it to protect their own national companies (like US did Tiktok/huawei). plus maybe the US government do use these website to spy on people like Snowden suggested.
haha, good observation. quite true. We joke that "you mother thinks you're cold and keeps reminding you to wear long johns (秋裤)", (even you don't feel cold at all).
The underpants one was pretty funny : ) About using VPN, perhaps setting up the VPN on your router directly instead of needing to constantly switch it on/off on your device? Express VPN supports that, they have got a tutorial on their website as well.
Nice video sister. Keep it up. China love there mother nature. Xi jingping one of the most powerful President in the world. China is no .1 from every field. Xi jingping done a great job. Fb, RUclips not compulsory ban in China. Without vpn people can use fb twitter yt etc in China.🙏.
Interesting 🧐. As a Pakistani 🇵🇰 who is been born & raised in uk 🇬🇧, I open windows for ‘fresh Air’ even in uk winter. 2: we have habit of wearing under garments over our normal winter cloths!
Thank you for being honest of stating what’s annoying you. As a Chinese left China 50 years ago, a lot of the items mentioned are new to me. And they are interesting, because I was from a remote village in China. And I was lucky enough getting to live Canada. However the issue of no line up, I experienced that when I went to China for business in the late 1990’s and early 2000, In Beijing airport, people did not line up to get register at Canadien Airline.(Air Canada now) My thought was that most Chinese have experienced uncertainty. They did not know that in the West, you bought a ticket you will have your seat in the plain. During those days I heard that even you had bought a ticket, your seat could be sold to someone offered a bride. I believe that those days are gone in todays China, but old habit takes time to change. However Shanghai is quite different. People line up for almost every thing; in the Airport and even to a restaurant. If you have a chance go to Shanghai, I would really appreciate it that impression still holds, Thank you
“Not Wearing Seatbelt” would be on my top 3 that puzzle. When I traveled there in the past, I often see Uber or friends not putting on seatbelt driving. Freaked me out because of the traffic and how they drive. On top of that, when they see me put it in; they constantly tried to persuaded me not to put it on and think I’m weird for putting the seatbelt on. What the heck, right. Also, when in the US; I’ve Chinese friends who does the same; they never got the idea of the importance to put seatbelt on; I’ve to remind them every time and they got annoyed by me. They kept saying no need, nothing to be afraid of and it’s annoying to have it on. I believed they’re the type that just doesn’t process the “Why”; but wait until something bad happen and then they would think “Oh, that’s why”. What scared me more is the fact they would do the same for their children, not putting seatbelt on for their children; not even wanting to use the car seat; just letting the kids sit freely and also holding them on their lap; they think it’s safe enough by doing that as even if you explain to the the danger; they would rolled their eyes at you that gives you impression “You’re So Silly”…what the heck, right??…
The kids is what bothers me most too. If an adult chooses not to wear a seat belt, it's their own choice. But a child doesn't know and needs to be protected.
Spitting seems a habit. It is pretty hard for me to understand that too. Spitting actually make me feel worse. My dad spits. It is funny he once got caught during a vacation to Beijing and got fined years ago. But I guess there are no one in Bejing catching people for splitting anymore. It is pretty annoying people do not queue when actually they should. I guess there is a threshold of percentage of people willing to queue. If that number is less than 50%, no queue will be formed. These will take years of public education to correct especially considering that parents often act as really bad role models for the kids. I would say that the hygiene of restrooms on high ways is pretty annoying to me. The toilet should be covered with water all time to prevent odors from getting out. People who litters basically does not show the respect to the workers keeping the street clean, which annoys me a lot as well. Despite all of these, I hope you enjoy living in China ;-)
Hi Yaqi, thank you for sharing your perspective too! I enjoyed hearing different point of views and it makes me reflect on my own. Absolutely enjoy my life here, these things are really small if I'm looking at the bigger picture.
Chinese don't care what Anglosaxons said to them.... Majorities will say bad about China and communism. They just focus on their life and always upgrading their social life... as u said Asian in mind is Work, Work, WORK
In fact the things that puzzle you ( specially the first few one) were much much worst before the 90s. It just take time to change I guess, and I m not deliberately rest the burden on people from the villages, but it is true that they used to throw away trashes anytime, anywhere. For the 9 & 10, I don't think this situation would change as people might still be smoking in buildings and that's why people demand to open the windows for fresh air circulations. I enjoy the video, it took words right out of my mouth despite I reside in HK and I love China so much.
Agree with you. Things to be improved. I used to have same several issues from your video, now completely changed in city. Some reasons from my own experience 1). Spitting many people have moved from countryside to city. When working on land, dust and rubbish would go into mouth. With dirty hands, spitting was the simple way of getting ride of them. A bit like footballers spitting a lot. The habit remains when living in city for some people. This explains why most old people spit, not young generation. 2) Littering when I was a child in country side, chickens and ducks walked freely inside the house, Their night resting was under the workshop in the kitchen. Lots of their poos/dropping inside house during date time. No point to keep house tidy during the day. We cleaned the floor (ground with soil really) after chickens and ducks were locked away in the kitchen. 3. Internal Winter trousers when I was a child, houses in countryside were not wind tight, temperature was the same inside and outside. Hand towels always frozen hard in the morning. I needed 2-3 internal trousers then. With heating in city, I am now only have a single layer of trousers.
About the holidays, working on weekends to make up for the leave also annoys Chinese very much，and we are complaining about it. Hope it will change soon. and we also hate those who don't line up ,spit, or litter, and most young people don't do that. Our country is getting better. I like your vedio and have a good day here.
Littering and no discipline of following a lineup are due to their farming and village life-style habit. Those people are mostly farmers or uneducated labor workers. It will take a generation of modern city life-style and good education to improve. Even as a Chinese growing up in Taiwan, I am always bothered to see people smoke, litter, and ignore the rule to follow in line.
Spitting is very annoying for Chinese like me, too. I tried to tell my students not to do it when I was teaching. It was more of a problem in the North than in the South (less people spit or suffer from that kind of condition). It was not so bad in the countryside on dirt ground, but in the city it was disgusting. Even though there were many attempts by the CN gov to urge people not to do it, but it was still a prevalent problem because a lot of people suffered from inflammation caused by malnutrition/lack of vitamins or minerals or from being cooped up indoors for too long in winter. Guess it's still a problem in China now. I do see people spitting occasionally in US, too. Same goes with letting toddlers relieve themselves anywhere. I don't remember seeing it in the city much even 20+years ago. Don't know why you are still seeing it so often. In my village, we used to line up for everything, but we did not have people jumping lines, maybe because people all knew each other?! Big cities, I don't know why. As for the unruly behavior such as littering, I do see that quite a bit here in the US, too. Maybe it is a big country problem? All the problems you talked about, except for children not doing their business in toilet or wearing diapers, happen in the US, too.
@@GoYvon Just by observation, experiences and reasoning. I didn’t not experience spitting or any of the annoyances you talked about during my stay in Xi’an from 2006 to 2007. I was only annoyed when my friends were not enthusiastic about reconnecting with me and my working condition at the for-profit college where I taught.
Give your mind a rest do what the roman do China still need a little time to catch up after going through century of poverty, old generation's habit die hard but the new generation is changing the face of China I would say China still in transition period.
I think ten years honeymoon period for you in China has been over. In fact, everywhere is the same when you are in a place for a long time. i mean people need to fuse in the society to get interactive and for living. If you compare your current living environment to others or you want to compare with your utopia, I don't think there is such a world to people but you can find it, it is just down deep inside your heart. (I have lived in the UK for 4 years, on and off in Singapore for 2 years, 6 years in China in different provinces.) I am currently in Hong Kong. What a painful feeling is when you do comparison.
As a foreigner working in a Chinese company I have come to the conclusion that there will always be "puzzling" things going on, but with an open mind and a grateful heart the cultural differences become a part of the amazing experience of living abroad 🙂🇨🇳👍🇲🇽
Right on primo 👍
Open Mind???? In China? Where Winnie the Puuh IS banned??? Great Firewall?? No beliefs or SPIRITUALITY? No Power ELECTRIC etc?!
@@scienceandmatter8739 fake news.. none of the thing you mention is true.. typical anti china propaganda
Some are cultural differences and some are just personal behaviors that need to be improved. As a Chinese I can't stand spitting, second-hand smoking, littering and queue jumping. Although I grew up in an environment full of these behaviors, I'm still sensitive when I see people do that. But I can see the overall improvement if talking about a time scale of 1 or 2 decades. It has been better and will continuously get better in the future I think.😉😉 I like your videos. Hope you enjoy your life here in China.
I agree, things are absolutely changing and improving. Things are very different now than they were 10 years ago when I first got here.
I absolutely enjoy my life here!
@@GoYvon People just have been free from hunger for few years. Being alive is no. 1 issue for people who lived in that period. For me , i am 32 and come from a rural village in Northeast of China, having good meals like dumpings only happened in festivals when I was young, To be honest, what I care about at that time was when and how to get good and delicious food. Things've changed no more than 20 years with the economy boomed.The spitting and other bad behaviors will be gone gradually , VPN will be the history in the future. Hope you enjoy the life living in China and best wishes for you!
@@GoYvon about the vpn ,you can use andriod , there is a app names" tasker" in the google app store. it can help you to connect the vpn background when you open some app that need a vpn connect.
as people's living conditions get better, so ill their manners. Just look at Japan.
CHYNAH2021 IS NAZIGERMANY 1940
Fresh air probably makes sense as it's more about oxygen than others, this is one of the habits exhibited long before heavy polluting. Western meals is just ordinary waiters and chefs are not used to the ordering. Sunday working is because having a few consecutive days off would allow people to do longer trips which wouldl benefit the overall economy, also Chinese don't have the tradition to go to church on Sundays, plus not much the concept of annual leave (a lot of companies do offer AL but it's not that deeply embedded in the tradition). Spitting is also about habit, people from the old days were used to spitting when the air wasn't as clean as nowadays. Also don't forget there are millions of people who used to live in countryside now live in the city, it would take time for them to gradually adopt themselves to the city style of living. Ban on the internet is something without much excuse however it's understandable that western medias are mostly hostile, with bias and a lot of lies so the government wants to manage this area a bit.
Thank you for explaining some of the points! It's super helpful.
@@andrii-vladpopa3468 spitting is not just the Chinese, I’ve been seeing foreigners spitting in the streets too
Yvon should come to San Francisco,you would appreciate more where you're living ! Amsterdam has its own problem too !
What's happening in San Francisco? I'm curious to hear from someone who lives ther.
Much of these points are right on the spot.
We are still a developing nation obviously, there are many issues that needs to be addressed well, and improve over time.
Things are changing rapidly here indeed. It's hard for people to keep up with all these changes, especially the older people.
@tk yes it's an ancient country. But as for modern civilization we were far behind western developed countries and now are catching up. Give it time
@tk their history is but new China only have 70 some thing
@tk it is kind like when king rule French and after French revelation
Welcome to China. Thanks for sharing your experience in China. Thanks for telling the truth.！ Like from Guangdong province.😉
Thank you for the comment and support!
@@GoYvon 🤝🤝🤝i m an English teacher, too
Great clips. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for watching & commenting!
That's all right. I have been a Chinese Canadian for 48 years, and there are things that still annoy me too here in Canada. We just have to learn to live with it. If we cannot change the world, change ourselves.
I don't want the wall to be removed....
a lot of these puzzles have the answers actually. For example, Chinese empolyees dont have long 30 day year holiday like the Europeans have, we try to have the Festival day off together with weekends, then we can have longer holiday to go travel, so get more chance to meet family or spend money.
I was working in Dutch office, and my Dutch colleague also keeping windows open in winter for fresh air. And some people keeping radio on(or 'aan') in office, just for fun or amusement.
Your frustrations are coming from your perspectives of looking at ways of living in China compared to the ways of living that you are used to in your own country. And you should know that everyone or every countries are different. Just a little advice for you, when you go to a different country, either you like it, adjust to it, or leave the country.
I would say she already adjusted pretty well but that doesn’t mean she can’t talk about it, joke about it, or even complain about it. I’m native Chinese and I share some of the same views are you going to tell me to leave too?
@@jackshao126 never mind what I said, people change over time.
Very well put together. Great feedback. Hope the locals will be able to pick these up and reflect and make changes.
Thanks for sharing these very objective views about China's several problems.
I uses the metro in Shanghai almost everyday, and I have to say that it is a problem that some passengers are not lining up properly or sometimes not following the order of letting people get off first. Oftentimes during rush hours, when I'm getting off a train, I see simultaneously there are people getting on and getting off (thanks to the wide doors ... ?)
Btw, I thought you might be puzzled by the type of toilet that is more common in public restrooms - squatting toilets! This sounds funny but even as a Chinese person I'm troubled by this as I grew up using sitting toilets. Haha..
Hi Peter, thank you for your comment and sharing your experiences.
As for squatting toilets, I will be discussing those in my next video. :)
Keep in mind, a lot of these are still new to them, they are still learning. These issues you have will correct themselves in time. :-)
Hope government could hear your points about littering, non queuing & wearing no car seatbelts....., and would make all those improved afterwards😁
Although still not everyone buckles up, more and more people are wearing seat belts nowadays. I'm confident that number will continue to increase.
@@GoYvon I think it’s because car is still something relatively new to Chinese. The first time I got a car ride was 1990. In just recent 20 years, suddenly china turn to be the number 1 car manufacturer in the world. People are still learn to live with this things, also hundreds of millions people migrated to city from rural area. All in all, as an outsider from well industrialized country with clear rules, you find lots of chaos in a rapid changing China.
When I worked in a university in Wudaokou in Beijing in 2008 before the olympics, a govt. official approached me and said he was doing a survey of what westerners thought were the most unattractive aspects of daily living in China. Spitting, queue jumping and smoking were my big three bugbears! Otherwise, no problems at all and I loved the city.
GoYvon, when in Rome do as the romans do. Don't you think that when in China that it should be no different. Just think of how westerners behave when it comes to wearing a face mask in this time of a pandemic. Westerners thinks that wearing a face mask is a denial of their "freedom"!!! Good God!! Good or bad habits or lifestyle, you must remember that most of these are either cultural things or habits from where they come from. But all the "bad habits" and "behaviours" you mentioned are not exactly unique to China. I've seem enough of the same in the developed west as well. But the good news is that China and the chinese peoples are not trapped in a time warp. It's changing, and changing for the better all the time and as a resident of China for 10 years, surely you would have noticed that. Take a step back the next time you see yourself wanting to make a conclusion about the rights and wrongs of how the chinese conduct their lives. Refrain from seeing them only through a western lens. That way you will enjoy your stay in China may folds over.
For the traffic, I fully agree with you. I don't feel comfortable with traffic every time when I go back to Beijing, even that's where I was boring.
I hate when someone opens the window and the AQI is 500😤 And I'll never forget the first time I was told I had to come into work on Sunday because of the holiday😳🤔 Great list, as usual Yvon!
Haha, I always ask my husband to close the window since our house is temperature controled. But he keeps opening it for air to my annoyance. And I am Chinese and he is American and we live in the US.
Thanks for sharing! Your observations about undergarment and wearing jacket inside are vestiges of the old times when folks couldn't afford to heat their homes properly. Back then, indoors was only slightly warmer than outdoors in winter, hence the habit of wearing many layers inside. Your other points are spot on. Now you've been in China for a decade, do you notice any of them improving? I haven't been in China for 15 years, it's odd but I actually miss some of its weirdness apart from the internet thing.
Hi Ivon, about spitting, older people are still used to concepts from TCM (traditional chinese medicine). Getting rid of mucus is one of them. Rich people used to have special vessels in their home to spit in (in Holland we called this a kwispedoor so here old people used to have it also). If you want more info talk to a TCM practicioner. And all of a sudden you'd have more input for another video too!
Thanks for explaining that Shanaya! I've never heard of the word 'kwispedoor'! Talking to a TCM practicioner could be very interesting! Will put it on my list for videos.
@@GoYvon nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwispedoor
We hadden een connectie via Insta maar die hebben mij eraf gegooid!
Opening window in winter can reduce the dryness indoors and make it more comfortable especially for the skin .
fresh air thing comes from the idea that air inside a confined area will get used up once in a while hence circulating natural air brings the to an unused level.
As a Chinese I completely agree with you.
Bull
It’s nice to hear from a different point of view. The underpants, wearing coats indoors, is a remnant from the days when China did not have central air/heating. Serving foods in random orders is probably due to lack of understanding of order of western foods and sometimes bad training with the servers. The other stuff, spitting, traffic chaos, littering, lack of respect for queue, is just part of emerging from a century of chaos, war, famine, political upheaval. It’ll gradually all change for the better. As for split pants for kids, I am all for that, it helps with early toilet training. Kids in the US wear diapers seemingly forever, and I think that’s more barbaric 😂
Thank you for your response and explanation! It makes a lot of sense that things like traffic and queuing come from those times. Also interesting to hear your point of view on the split pants.
@@GoYvon Split pants, not long ago, people even didn't have enough food to eat, so they don't have money to buy diapers... now they are getting richer, more kids wear diapers, but still some ppl think it is expensive.
or they just love their jackets... its that simple. Westerners spend so much money on Burberry Raincoat or Prada coat and they just hang it on some cabinet.
So many...How about parents riding E-bikes with 2 or 3 toddlers without wearing helmets? We also learned the basic rule: "Look both ways before crossing the street."... China didn't get that memo.
Yup! That's something I would mention if I'd make a video just about traffic.
@@GoYvon I'll probably do one myself as well.
China is slightly opening the Internet firewall already. But free logging into those western social media is still way to go. That is mostly not because the government is afraid of their own people being misled and standing against the government. Instead, it is mostly prevent people from getting too angry about those western media demonizing China.
If too many people get too emotional, it would not be good for the government to move strategically.
Right, as we know Chinese love their government and country. Simple say, they are facist they often look down on whites, actually but it also happens in Japan and Korea. Where we reckon them as Asian
@@irritatedanglosaxon1705 Well, it is people like you that should be censored
Half-Chinese here. One thing I'm glad about is that the government set hard limits in Beijing on maximum indoor temperature in Winter and minimum indoor temperature in Summer (in commercial buildings). It used to be that in Winter, as soon as you walked into a shopping mall, it felt like you just stepped into a sauna because of how hot it was indoors. In Summer, it felt like walking into a freezer. The government put an end to that in the name of not wasting energy, though to this day I don't understand why it was like that in the first place.
I absolutely hated the making up for the holiday thing. But the reason behind that is that a lot of people leave their hometown for working in another city. A longer consecutive days off means that those people can use those days to visit their family at their hometown. That's why during golden weeks, like the Chinese New Year, people will have to work the weekend prior to the holiday or after the holiday, but they'll get seven or eight consecutive days off during the holiday, so that they can spend time with their families in their hometown.
The first three items were stuff that are not exactly annoying. Westerners are just so addicted to analyzing Asians as if they are all playing scholars especially when they have no college degrees. Because the Europeans from Oxford University they dont care too much about everything.
As a chinese I would say the making up work days for a consecutive holiday is for the purpose of traveling. Becasue it is three days off, people have a chance to plan a short trip to a certain place, which is better than just two days off. A lot of Chinese people take the three day holiday as a chance to take a short vacation to somewhere within China.
I have a dutch telephone number, I'll never be able to connect to any wifi in the train, to receive the "connection code". This really annoys me.
Great video as usual! Yeah I don't understand these things either even after living here for 12 years. I have seen some improvement over time though, so that makes me hopeful about the future.
Some things that still confuse me are: why my food still arrives to me with hot sauce on it after I tell fuwuyuan that I don't want it (it will taste bad without it they say!) and how some taxi drivers suddenly can't understand my Chinese once they see my white face.
Also some thoughts on why things like hygiene and littering are not improving faster: there are no punishments for doing these things. Until there are fines, it will likely continue for a long time
Agree with you; I've seen a lot of improvement too. I haven't had the experience with drivers, usually they love chatting with me.
From Toronto Canada. Here littering and spitting are common too, I have seen people from all age groups and all races doing it. I find it frustrating too. There are conservation lands and trails in our neighbourhood and from time to time I have to bring some garbage bags when I go for a walk because our local government do nothing about it. At least the Chinese government hires workers to clean up. 🤷🏻♀️
i agree with all your points here, however, my own observation is that chinese people's behaviour, especially the young people, are improving. what puzzles me is that while chinese people are improving. it seems to me that we are regressing here in canada. i take buses and so i can usually observe people's behaviour at the bus terminal/transit centre/depot. there are more and more misbehaving young people, especially loud mouth students, littering the bus terminal or breaking bus stop shelter glasses ( it just happened in my neighbourhood again !!!! and it has happened many many times over the years !!!). love from canada.
I agree, there's a lot of improvement! Sorry to hear about Canada and the direction it's going there.
Young people have to much time on their hands. Their parents are not as strict as their grandparents. They have no hobbies and other outlets to occupy their time
I like how you talk about facts. As a Chinese I'm also annoyed by those bad habits that modern Chinese still have. I don't know if that's because I've been living in Europe for 8 years though... Anyway, problems do exist but as pointed out by someone else, we've seen things getting better and I think it will get even better. I'm glad that you are enjoying your life in China.
I enjoy your excellent videos about China. It would be nice if the USA and China could treat each other respectfully and get along. You are helping to educate people about the common goodness which exists in both nations.
But I have to admit I like having dessert first before the main course....
For number 8, my Chinese medicine practitioner told me that Caucasians have more "yang" in their body than Chinese. Thats why Chinese tend to feel the cold more than you guys. I work in Australia. Lots of the time when feel it is freezing in the office, my colleagues are whinging about how hot it is.. I guess we just have different body builds.
People not waiting in line or that are pushing their way thru in stepping in or out of the train or metro is nothing uncommon in Athens too. I used to work and live Athens for more than one year. I guess just long enough to get a grasp of the Greek mindset. Though I was sometimes annoyed myself about the chaotic sceneries I encountered in public transport, one day I found myself in a large noisy meat market hall where I observed the same chaotic sceneries. Greek housewives would almost push their way thru the crowd and make themselves heard for being served or to get the merchant's attention. At that moment I realized that amidst the noise and the chaos no orderly process would work here at all. It made all sense to shout, to push and to make yourself seen. I then philosophized that the Greek people had imbeded this cultural behaviour somehow in their way of doing thing things. Suddenly, for me as a foreigner it made all sense :-)
I'm from Beijing. the first two points are spot on 😂 My understanding is that, given the population density, people are more worried about catching contagious disease from others, whether it's indoor, therefore the fuss about fresh air, or outdoor, therefore putting on layers to keep yourself warm and less prone to getting infected. I've lived abroad for more a decade, and I realise some of the differences is really due to the population density. Thanks for making these videos as it helps me to understand my culture better
I also want to share a related story with you. I live in Israel now, and my boss likes to tape around the windows in his office to keep sand dust out. My colleague complained about how he has caught my boss' flu for a few times already because there is no air exchange in his room. I think it's very interesting to make these comparisons :D
Feels a bit uncomfortable watching this because it's like airing other people's dirty laundry so everyone knows. Of course the Chinese have plenty to improve on, just like everyone else. A Chinese person shouldn't go around very publicly pointing out the 10 annoying things about the Dutch, as though the Dutch people aren't aware about it themselves. They do, so just leave it to the Dutch people themselves to challenge themselves. There is no need for a foreigner to make anything of it except to note it privately. It's like you going to your neighbor's home and telling them what's wrong inside their family. Perhaps this belies the superiority complex in certain people, who are anxious to let these lesser people know where exactly they need to improve because they may not be aware. I'd say, don't worry, the Chinese know themselves where there needs change. For it to be pointed out by a foreigner feels very insulting. We're all dealing with our own issues and it does not help an iota for an outsider to make a public scene of them.
I'm sure none of this was meant in a negative way with the video, but it does come out that way unfortunately. Not just with another culture, but even with your next door neighbor, it'd be so impolite to air their dirty laundry. Even if these things needed to be said, to the right audience, it ought to be said very delicately, with heaps of generous defensiveness, because after all we're not in the other's shoes.
Definitely, it does come off rude to point things out from certain situations and experiences that are not universal, as well as a lack of information. Why not talk about this properly with her friends and coworkers? was it really necessary to upload this video on RUclips?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and how the video made you feel. Never meant to make anyone feel uncomfortable.
If the author is an Asian or Chinese sure the feeling of uneasy unfriendly intention will be obvious. But if it is an foreigners from less cultural or more modern developed society it seems more an educational information
Yeah I agree. I enjoy these videos for the frank views that are usually presented as neutral as possible. Yet again, offense is taken not given.
Here is a Chinese saying: 家丑不外扬。Yes, a lot of ppl would not not feel comfortable about this video. However I think China is an open society and we shall foster open mindedness. Don’t hold onto the obsolete tradition and practices!
Let’s talk about similarities between China and Netherlands! 1. Both country talk about diversity but their core values doesn’t include diversity. 2. Both have strong community feelings and don’t like to new friends from outside their own circles. Of course exceptions are present.
Thanks for sharing this video ❤️🙏.
China is a developing country, that explains lots of your puzzles.
yes still develop
@grimm reaper Well, puzzles are meant to be solved. I'm confident that both yours and my life have both goods and bads, but it doesn't stop me from not explaining my happiness to you just because I have the confidence.
有病
作践自己
@@Republicwing 喷太快，看不清
My Irish classmate opened the windows at the dorm in winter as well when I studied in the UK, even though there're heaters inside the rooms. She explained that she might be dead when she goes back home because she's got no heater in her house at Ireland.
What puzzles me is why people would want to go to China in the first place, let alone spend 10 years of their life there.
Trust me, a lot of Chinese, including me, are confused about some of the things mentioned in the video. For instance, I can't understand why some people would like to wear thick coats indoors even though it's not so cold. Anyway, one possible explanation for these "bizarre" behaviors is the difference of lifestyle. People from different provinces of China are likely to have completely different ways of living.
If people are getting fined for undesired behaviour things will change soon enough. I can remember that Hong Kong started to fine $1,500 HKD for spitting two decades ago and I think that helped.
Most of these are rather a common thing in most of Asia.
Yeah sadly it's true, most of them are in asia especially in developing country
Yvonne your last annoyances are practices in most of the under developed countries I visited. Almost everywhere I went in South America traffic was chaotic, litter was ubiquitous, people peed and pooped everywhere , there was no queuing and cutting in front of others was normal. Cities were filthy and no one cleaned them.
Very spot on!👍
Thanks!
I have something to say about the Make Up Holidays. Because in China many people have to work in cities away from their hometowns. The purposely prolonged public holidays can allow more time for people to travel back home for reunion with family. China is a vast country and people won't come back home to see their families as often as Europeans do. This happens in Taiwan too.
I have also been here for over ten years and agree with everything you said.The answer to your question is simple.
As a Chinese living in Nederland, I wear underpants from September to next year May. Sometimes I wear it in summer when I go to school. It’s also hard for me to understand how temperature indoor in the university to be below 20 degree all the year long.
1.3 billion n only recently get out of rural life n poverty. CHINA is not homogeneous n never will be.
Many things in life improve over time.
basically thihs.
# 9, it's not Chinese culture, just personal preference. I don't do it. Again, Chinese people tend to feel cold more often then westerns, especially Chinese women, most of them are cold hands and feet. # 8 is the same reason. We are afraid of cold, you guys not. I noticed it in western countries too. Many Americans can even wear tank-top in winter, we cannot.
I’ve been living in Canada for 6 years and people here also wear jackets inside
My biggest problem in China is smoking. I have to run away from people who smoke near me.
recent years, smokers in China are much less than before. Especially smoking in public area is regarded as uncivilized behavior.
I don't like smoking either! It's pretty gross! When I first came here people would smoke anywhere and everywhere; in trains, restaurants, sometimes even buses. A couple of years ago smoking was made illegal in lots of places. It makes it a lot more enjoyable to go to restaurants!
There are still a lot of people who smoke though and it seems like it has increased in popularity, especially among women.
@@GoYvon Good looking woman smoking is ok. I can grant them an exception~
I v heard someone from the think tank talking about unlocking Chinese internet but it's just not the focus of the central government I guess. VPN is an open secret in China so this problem doesn't enjoy priority in their list of development I guess. I agree with your points. well done again !
As a Chinese, thank you for pointing out the shortcomings of some of my compatriots. There are still many areas where the Chinese people can improve upon. I share some of your frustrations.
One thing though, there are always 2 sides of a coin. Being more tolerant or accommodative is one of the costs for the 56 races of China to be united and relatively harmonious.
The recent horrific incidents in France reminds me of my visits there a few years ago. My rental car was horned by other cars many times on a highway in France before I eventually realized that all vehicles have to stay on the inner most lane unless during overtaking - so that even on a four-lane highway during non-rush hours, the cars kept overtaking the slower ones and then immediately swerved back to the innermost lane, with the 2 outer lanes empty! Another phenomenon there, the trees along the streets, even those 30 feet or taller, have their crowns trimmed painstakingly but regularly into a cubical shape in order to maintain the beauty of the city! I lamented that with such stringent customs/rules, how can France take immigrants!
The phenomena you described in China have improved over the years. But I do hope that they will further improve. We should not look for excuses. Indeed I hope your video have Chinese sub-titles so that more Chinese people can learn. I enjoy your videos.
Absolutely, there are always to sides to a story, I agree. Also agree that things have changed already over the years (more about that in a next video).
As for Chinese subtitles... Unfortunately RUclips has taken away the option of community subtitles and my Chinese is not good enough to do it myself (also don't have the time). If I continue to grow and can increase my revenue I'll def consider finding someone who can help me.
@@GoYvon Thank you for your response. I look forward to your next video.
yourr videos are good , topics. love the way you learnt mandarine
I am so sorry to hear these puzzles you have when you live in CHina.And at least thank you for using "puzzle"-a gentle word instead of a harsh word. To be honest, as a CHinese myself, I feel ashamed to see some of your puzzles. But I have to say coz' the education or civilization level is still developing and lots of people didn't get good education. It does take generations and generations to change. But I believe China will get there. That's also the reason I have to say at this stage, China can not have 100% freedom for everyone or 100% democracy， otherwise the country will be in chaos with lots of people with lower education level. First we need to improve our own behaviors. And huge population, does take time to improve. Sorry again. But I believe China will get better.
Yvon. You might find more comfortable to live in Jiangsu Province, especially the southern Jiangsu cities like Suzhou, Wuxi or Nanjing.
Hi Xiao, curious to hear why? Would you say things like the ones I described in the video are different there?
People in there don’t throw rubbish everywhere; most of them don’t spit; they have the habit of queuing; the traffic is well-ordered, in my hometown Nantong, a street is divided by three lines, the middle one for the cars and the other two sides are for the e-bikes, bicycles...
Southern Jiangsu is the most developed region and people in there are more self-disciplined
BTW my hometown Nantong has a ‘Dutch Town’ that makes you feel you are living in Netherlands
@@xiaoshiqing6243 Wow! I didn't even know about that, I'll have to look into it and see if I can visit!
It is "nice" to live in a city in China. Being able to pay for the expenses (usually regarded as cheap or affordable) and being free to do what you want is but the most basic of conditions to live in most cities. For most people they must be able to contribute to the well-being of others on top of the above 2 conditions, to really say they are satisfied deeply.
I wish you the very best in finding out what else is worthy of your attention......Even if you don't exactly succeed it is very important to know what is your third need...
I think the main reason is that the economy and standard of living jumped so much so quickly. You are seeing a lot of old habits from the early days when people were living in mud huts, traveling on dirt country roads or some such to skyscrappers, modern highways and high speed trains all within 1 generation. Which explains why young people don't share many of these traits.
I'd agree. China has developed so quickly in recent years, for people that is very hard to adjust. People don't change nearly as fast as technology, for example.
Ahhh interesting video indeed. Won't lie you gave me an idea on a video haha. I would say though I'm an American and I wear underpants under my clothes too haha, even before I ventured into Chinese culture. Great video and yeah I see the same issue with watchers more than half are not subbed. Lol. But it could be that I'm a new channel. But thanks for the awesome video, I miss China so dearly. You have a new fan . Subbed and bell activated😎😎
I love your videos! I just saw this but I watch a lot of your video. I really like your video because I never get to witness these things. My family move out of China but am looking to go back to China. Are there any suggestions for me?
Right now it is difficult to get into the country, but I'm sure things will change again in the future.
Thanks for sharing. I agree with your second half of the list. I would like to add few more. 1 driving (cut line of others, turning witout indicators) 2 lack of
habit of public chopsticks. 3 smoking indoor (inside hotel rooms etc) Some improvement would make it better.
Thanks for sharing your experience in China which is very objective. And I totally understand why they puzzle you, because those are bad habits but easy to be corrected. I don’t usually comment below, but I think it is better to leave my view this time, as I can see some comments try to defend those issues a bit too much. I hope my comments could support more objective videos like yours. As a human, we should not only listen to the one who appraise you, but also the one who points out your issues or differences, especially a frank video like this. Comparing with many western media, Yvon’s videos are quite neutral and objective, and many of them show the positive sides of China. And we should appreciate that and support her, rather than criticising. I am sure by living in China for 10 yrs, she does have a position to tell something about China.
But I also see that the new generation is much better. The gov is also turning the direction to dealing with environmental issues. There are many reasons why those issues still there. Just one point about the VPN. China’s power is growing, but the media is still mainly controlled by the western world, and they don’t want to show the truth about China, especially recent decade. I have been lived in the UK for 10 yrs, and many fake news are still not easy to be figured out, also I would say not each Chinese is confident and well educated. If they are brain washed by the western media, just only one person that could make horrible crimes to the society, as there are too many people everywhere. So I think it is still not time yet to fully open the internet. And the gov is actually kind of “allowing” VPN as long as the person doesn’t involve crimes. It is like a trail from the gov to see how people react to the world internet. Probably when China’s soft power is strong enough, the internet will be opened then.
Not everyone wear winter coat indoor , wear under pant is personal choice, you don’t have to be nervous about it, no one force you to do so.
That jacket thing might be due to over-concerned parents or grandparents... I'm always having this 'fight' with my parents/grandparents about how many clothes to wear in general...
where do you suggest they hang their jackets? Its not a big wonder. Jackets are worn at school. Jackets are fun. Everyone in Asia would keep their jacket on...
Hi Yvon, I was once in China with my daughter who was about 2 at the time, some people were wearing their coats, although it wasn't that cold and my daughter never feels the cold. An old lady started shouting at me and, although I don't speak any Chinese I realised she had a problem that my daughter wasn't wearing a coat. She then proceeded to try to get a Policeman to tell me off but luckily he wasn't interested. The irony was we were by the entrance to a car park and there was a continuous stream of cars coming in and out many had too many people in and most were not wearing their seatbelts and with kids sitting on the parents laps but this wasn't a concern at all.
Because Asian thinks that you will get sick if you are exposed to cold weather, or there is a big change in temperature. She was very concerned that your daughter might get sick. About seatbelts and car seats, most developing countries only rich people are able to afford cars, but because of their good economy these days most people can afford car, but they are still not used to using the safety devices. In the west it is common knowledge to use those devices and you can get fine for not using them, idk about if China fines them for not using
About not wanting to line up; I think the idea is when you “Snooze, you loose”‘concept. The Chinese ppl think if you’re slow in go getting things, you’re loose out. So, same for lining up concept; they think if they follow the line-up rules; they would loose out a good chance to get in and even find a seat. So, making them have this sense of “Selfishness”.
the moment i hear "open window for fresh air" i clicked on the subscribe button. ITS JUST SO REAL
hopefully these can solve some of your puzzles:
littering/jumping queues/peeing/spitting are simply lack of education. There are still a lot of people that not well educated (yeah especially the cultural revolution generations). Yes it's been improved and im seeing a lot less of these from young generations but as long as they exist they will give you the strongest impression. ITS DISGUSTING. ITS NOT CULTURAL DIFFERENCE.
Traffic/seatbelt, you know what they teach in driving schools here? driving around cone bars, parallel parking, driving on a narrow bridge etc. basically all the driving skills instead of driving habits. Chinese people have been owning cars only since like 40 years ago so that's what you can expect. I see my mom sitting in the front seat without wearing seat belt i yelled at her xd.
internet: they are doing it to protect their own national companies (like US did Tiktok/huawei). plus maybe the US government do use these website to spy on people like Snowden suggested.
haha, good observation. quite true. We joke that "you mother thinks you're cold and keeps reminding you to wear long johns (秋裤)", (even you don't feel cold at all).
The "fresh air" thing always puzzles me too. It's frustrating 😭
Especially when the air quality isn't gret.
The underpants one was pretty funny : ) About using VPN, perhaps setting up the VPN on your router directly instead of needing to constantly switch it on/off on your device? Express VPN supports that, they have got a tutorial on their website as well.
Nice video sister. Keep it up. China love there mother nature. Xi jingping one of the most powerful President in the world. China is no .1 from every field.
Xi jingping done a great job.
Fb, RUclips not compulsory ban in China. Without vpn people can use fb twitter yt etc in China.🙏.
@Ashtari S yes . China app is best. Usa brainwashed India . That's why Modi government ban Chinese app
@Ashtari S do not believe in western words. When they talk about China.
Interesting 🧐. As a Pakistani 🇵🇰 who is been born & raised in uk 🇬🇧, I open windows for ‘fresh Air’ even in uk winter. 2: we have habit of wearing under garments over our normal winter cloths!
Thank you for being honest of stating what’s annoying you.
As a Chinese left China 50 years ago, a lot of the items mentioned are new to me.
And they are interesting, because I was from a remote village in China. And I was lucky enough getting to live Canada.
However the issue of no line up, I experienced that when I went to China for business in the late 1990’s and early 2000,
In Beijing airport, people did not line up to get register at Canadien Airline.(Air Canada now)
My thought was that most Chinese have experienced uncertainty. They did not know that in the West, you bought a ticket you will have your seat in the plain. During those days I heard that even you had bought a ticket, your seat could be sold to someone offered a bride. I believe that those days are gone in todays China, but old habit takes time to change.
However Shanghai is quite different. People line up for almost every thing; in the Airport and even to a restaurant.
If you have a chance go to Shanghai, I would really appreciate it that impression still holds,
Thank you
“Not Wearing Seatbelt” would be on my top 3 that puzzle. When I traveled there in the past, I often see Uber or friends not putting on seatbelt driving. Freaked me out because of the traffic and how they drive. On top of that, when they see me put it in; they constantly tried to persuaded me not to put it on and think I’m weird for putting the seatbelt on. What the heck, right. Also, when in the US; I’ve Chinese friends who does the same; they never got the idea of the importance to put seatbelt on; I’ve to remind them every time and they got annoyed by me. They kept saying no need, nothing to be afraid of and it’s annoying to have it on. I believed they’re the type that just doesn’t process the “Why”; but wait until something bad happen and then they would think “Oh, that’s why”. What scared me more is the fact they would do the same for their children, not putting seatbelt on for their children; not even wanting to use the car seat; just letting the kids sit freely and also holding them on their lap; they think it’s safe enough by doing that as even if you explain to the the danger; they would rolled their eyes at you that gives you impression “You’re So Silly”…what the heck, right??…
The kids is what bothers me most too. If an adult chooses not to wear a seat belt, it's their own choice. But a child doesn't know and needs to be protected.
# 6, I think you got the reason. We just won't like to be disrupted by one workday between holiday and weekend, so we switch it for convenience.
I am from Beijing. half of these ten things you mentioned bother me as well, the other half might be cultural difference or personality differences.
Haha, though I left China 40 years ago, I have to agree with you.
You need to live in China for another 10 years and maybe you’ll understand little mores . Love your video!
Spitting seems a habit. It is pretty hard for me to understand that too. Spitting actually make me feel worse. My dad spits. It is funny he once got caught during a vacation to Beijing and got fined years ago. But I guess there are no one in Bejing catching people for splitting anymore. It is pretty annoying people do not queue when actually they should. I guess there is a threshold of percentage of people willing to queue. If that number is less than 50%, no queue will be formed. These will take years of public education to correct especially considering that parents often act as really bad role models for the kids. I would say that the hygiene of restrooms on high ways is pretty annoying to me. The toilet should be covered with water all time to prevent odors from getting out. People who litters basically does not show the respect to the workers keeping the street clean, which annoys me a lot as well. Despite all of these, I hope you enjoy living in China ;-)
Hi Yaqi, thank you for sharing your perspective too! I enjoyed hearing different point of views and it makes me reflect on my own. Absolutely enjoy my life here, these things are really small if I'm looking at the bigger picture.
Chinese don't care what Anglosaxons said to them.... Majorities will say bad about China and communism. They just focus on their life and always upgrading their social life... as u said Asian in mind is Work, Work, WORK
If you look at the news in NL. NOS, RTL, SBS ... etc about China then you might have ideas why their is blocked.
The holiday issue is also common in my country, Mexico. Also in the United States sometimes it seems?
But I saw the city looks very cean. How come?
@Pixmosphere what do you mean by paper money is burned? Please reply I want to know this.
@Pixmosphere
Thanks for reply. However I didnot understand your clatification.
@Pixmosphere Thanks mam.
Wow, such a nice conversation going on here! Thanks to Pixmosphere explaining things.
Thank you for explaining this to Beer!
The reason underclothes is keep warm. Cold will affect heart performance and catching cold is easy
In fact the things that puzzle you ( specially the first few one) were much much worst before the 90s. It just take time to change I guess, and I m not deliberately rest the burden on people from the villages, but it is true that they used to throw away trashes anytime, anywhere. For the 9 & 10, I don't think this situation would change as people might still be smoking in buildings and that's why people demand to open the windows for fresh air circulations. I enjoy the video, it took words right out of my mouth despite I reside in HK and I love China so much.
Thanks Yanni! Glad you enjoyed it! I also really like China and understand quite a lot, but these things were still a little puzzling to me.
Agree with you. Things to be improved. I used to have same several issues from your video, now completely changed in city. Some reasons from my own experience 1). Spitting many people have moved from countryside to city. When working on land, dust and rubbish would go into mouth. With dirty hands, spitting was the simple way of getting ride of them. A bit like footballers spitting a lot. The habit remains when living in city for some people. This explains why most old people spit, not young generation. 2) Littering when I was a child in country side, chickens and ducks walked freely inside the house, Their night resting was under the workshop in the kitchen. Lots of their poos/dropping inside house during date time. No point to keep house tidy during the day. We cleaned the floor (ground with soil really) after chickens and ducks were locked away in the kitchen. 3. Internal Winter trousers when I was a child, houses in countryside were not wind tight, temperature was the same inside and outside. Hand towels always frozen hard in the morning. I needed 2-3 internal trousers then. With heating in city, I am now only have a single layer of trousers.
Cute little dog hope it have loving home
About the holidays, working on weekends to make up for the leave also annoys Chinese very much，and we are complaining about it. Hope it will change soon. and we also hate those who don't line up ,spit, or litter, and most young people don't do that. Our country is getting better. I like your vedio and have a good day here.
If many people dislike the current system, I hope it'll change soon! 🤞🏻
Littering and no discipline of following a lineup are due to their farming and village life-style habit. Those people are mostly farmers or uneducated labor workers. It will take a generation of modern city life-style and good education to improve. Even as a Chinese growing up in Taiwan, I am always bothered to see people smoke, litter, and ignore the rule to follow in line.
Spitting is very annoying for Chinese like me, too. I tried to tell my students not to do it when I was teaching. It was more of a problem in the North than in the South (less people spit or suffer from that kind of condition). It was not so bad in the countryside on dirt ground, but in the city it was disgusting. Even though there were many attempts by the CN gov to urge people not to do it, but it was still a prevalent problem because a lot of people suffered from inflammation caused by malnutrition/lack of vitamins or minerals or from being cooped up indoors for too long in winter. Guess it's still a problem in China now. I do see people spitting occasionally in US, too. Same goes with letting toddlers relieve themselves anywhere. I don't remember seeing it in the city much even 20+years ago. Don't know why you are still seeing it so often. In my village, we used to line up for everything, but we did not have people jumping lines, maybe because people all knew each other?! Big cities, I don't know why. As for the unruly behavior such as littering, I do see that quite a bit here in the US, too. Maybe it is a big country problem? All the problems you talked about, except for children not doing their business in toilet or wearing diapers, happen in the US, too.
That's an interesting perspective to hear. I'd be curious to know more about how inflammation is related to being indoors and diets.
@@GoYvon Just by observation, experiences and reasoning. I didn’t not experience spitting or any of the annoyances you talked about during my stay in Xi’an from 2006 to 2007. I was only annoyed when my friends were not enthusiastic about reconnecting with me and my working condition at the for-profit college where I taught.
Give your mind a rest do what the roman do China still need a little time to catch up after going through century of poverty,
old generation's habit die hard but the new generation is changing the face of China I would say China still in transition period.
Agreed, the older generation has gone trough a lot! It must be hard for them to keep up with so many changes.
the items given were not even that annoying.
I think ten years honeymoon period for you in China has been over. In fact, everywhere is the same when you are in a place for a long time. i mean people need to fuse in the society to get interactive and for living. If you compare your current living environment to others or you want to compare with your utopia, I don't think there is such a world to people but you can find it, it is just down deep inside your heart. (I have lived in the UK for 4 years, on and off in Singapore for 2 years, 6 years in China in different provinces.) I am currently in Hong Kong. What a painful feeling is when you do comparison.