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In China, Customer Is Not Always King
By Sunny Lee
Korea Times Correspondent
BEIJING ― Hong Gil-dong, a typical urban Korean salaryman, plans to visit Beijing for the Olympic Games. This is his first time to the Middle Kingdom. He speaks fluent `ni hao' and he can proudly testify that that's the only Chinese he knows. No problem! He just needs to know a few more things that will make his life easier in the People's Republic.
Firstly, China is a very `productive' country. It's obvious. Look at the number of people it has. And this also means that wherever you go, such as a subway station or McDonald's, you will have to wait in line. Remember, in China, waiting in line is very common. And the line tends to be longer than in Korea.
People in line also tend to keep very little space between them. That is, the man standing behind you may thrust the upper frontal part of his pants against your buttocks. Please, don't take it as a sign of sexual advance. He just wants to make sure nobody cuts in line. It's a survival instinct Chinese people have grown accustomed to while living in a very populous nation.
Secondly, have some change when taking a taxi. Some taxi drivers don't have enough change when you hand over a 100-yuan ($15) bill. He may have to drive past your destination to find a store to get your change.
Also, don't be alarmed when the taxi driver grumbles when you don't have the exact taxi fare to give him. In a capitalist society, the customer is king. You're in a socialist society, however, you're not king. "In a socialist society, everyone is equal. The taxi driver also needs your cooperation," explained Wang Jin, a graduate student at Peking University Law School.
Thirdly, don't take it personally when the cashier at a supermarket throws your change bluffly on the table, instead of giving it to you. Less and less people do this these days. But some places still do. In Korea, this does not happen often as it is considered rude. Not necessarily in China.
Fourthly, don't say to your Chinese host that Chinese people are all brainwashed by the Communist government. It's the surest way to leave China without making any friends.
Fifthly, please remember, in continental China, Taiwan is considered part of China. The majority of Chinese people believe this as strongly as Korean people believe that Dokdo is part of Korea. Period.
Sixthly, don't take your Chinese friends to a Korean church on Sunday. According to Chinese law, Chinese nationals are not allowed to worship in a foreign church in China. It's for foreign passport holders only.
Finally, think twice before you order `local specialty cuisines' in restaurants. They tend to be expensive. More importantly, you may not like them very much when they are delivered to your table. They tend to be exotic foods such as roasted sexual organs of a pig in Guangxi region or the blood of a turtle in Shandong province. This is particularly the case when you venture out of Beijing to visit southern provinces.
Also, learn local wisdom. For example, you will see that people in Beijing cross the street when there is a red light. Follow them, if you can (Don't tell others that I told you this). Otherwise you will be the only one left behind. But don't do this in Hangzhou, a beautiful city in Zhejiang province. As a Chinese friend of mine once reminded me: "Hey, this is not Beijing!"
China is big and diverse. So, be flexible. |
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