| Common Courtesies | |
|---|---|
| Jul 29, 2005 20:17 |   |
 | I have been in China for a little over 5 months, now, and it never ceases to amaze me how foreigners ignore one another out in public…neither a verbal “hello” nor the matching body language. Why is this so? |
| Jul 29, 2005 23:01 | #1 |
| If I see Chinese people in Amsterdam I dont say hello to everyone. Why should I? Than I should say hello to everybody in China.... I guess if you are in Chicago or Paris you dont say hello to everybody...it is just that in China you see the difference between foreigners and Chinese much more clearly. So why do you want to say hello to people here in China when you would not say hello to the same person if you would meet him or her somewhere in the west??? |
| Jul 30, 2005 05:06 | #2 |
| As a matter of fact, I try my best to be kind and warm to everyone I meet, whether in America or in foreign countries. I say hello to countless numbers of people, daily--those I know and don't know. I have lived in Japan for over three years, and I have lived in South Korea for some time. In both countries, we foreigners stick out just as much as we do in China; however, we seem to be a bit more courteous to one another in these countries than we are in China. I guess at 54 I see the not speaking to one another as a much bigger issue than you do, but thank you, though, for your input. |
| Jul 30, 2005 15:57 | #3 |
| I hope everybody is kind in warm;-) But I guess it is impossible to say hello to everyone and have a smalltalk...do you feel lonely in China? If you cant find foreigners there are plenty of nice Chinese to say hello to and have nice conversations with. Enjoy your stay! |
| Jul 30, 2005 16:27 | #4 |
| I m a little bit confused by what you referred to "foreigner". What do you mean? Do you mean we Chinese people or people from any other country rather than China? I m confused... |
| Jul 30, 2005 20:32 | #5 |
| I totally agree! my husband and I are living in Beijing (we're Aussies) and find it really odd that when you pass other foreigners (western) in the street they do not make eye contact or give any positive body language at all in greeting! we find this very bizarre and quite rude I gotta say. In a country like China where westerners are a minority you would think (as we do) when you see a follow westerner you would be greeted with some eye contact, a smile, or nod and hello in greeting?? this is how Aussies behave anyway, mustn't be too many around where we live?! |
| Jul 31, 2005 23:17 | #6 |
| Dear Coconut, By foreigners I mean every one who is not a native-born Chinese person; but, even more specifically, I mean Americans, Canadians, Kiwis, and Aussies because I see them more than I see others. (Please know that I do not mean that EVERY person from these countries here in China has a problem with saying hello.) Because you asked, let me say emphatically, NO, I am not lonely. I have made many friends here in China. And, for the record, Chinese people do speak to me in public, even if it is mostly because they wish to practice their Oral English. Additionally, being polite and saying hello to someone, especially when you are eyeball to eyeball, doesn't mean you have to take the gesture any further. "Hello" is enough for me. A full-blown conversation is not my point, nor is the point that I need or want every "foreigner" to say hello to me. My point is, when "foreigners" are staring each other in the face, it is just good manners to say hello, or nod, or do something that will acknowledge one another's presence and/or one another's hellos. |
| Aug 1, 2005 11:39 | #7 |
| Maybe most of foreigners thought themselves as guestes in China ,so they won't say "hello" forwardly to others as in their own countries. |
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