As a Chinese person, I really appreciate what you guys did on this video. It represents most issues in Chinese society these problems that most Chinese people haven't realized even.
Julia made good comments on the life in China, it is mind-blowing to me that she understands the cultural differences between China and the West. Simply amazing.
Another excellent video. I think you both did these sensitive topics in a well balanced manner putting them in the nicest possible manner. I hope that people will take heed of these good advice.
As a native borne Chinese , I completely agree to her and Fully support her truth and objective viewpoints and value comments.she is a most smart lady as one of expats living in China.. great like👍👍👍Thank you guy🤝🤝
China moves fast. Some of the issues (e.g., discrimination, inequality) mentioned in the video are getting much better during the last 30 years, while others (e.g., 996, education pressure) may not be improving anytime soon. Your observations are profound and accurate, which shows that you two really care about Chinese society. Thanks.
I love these candid videos. It's refreshing from the too rosy picture of China which on the surface looks like nivana. But China has definitely achieved a lot and they need to be commended for it. This candid video tells us there's still lots of work to be done especially on the societal side.
Love your observation and conclusion on the labour relations with its workers, the discrimination towards rural people, the discrimination towards the gender, especially against women and the mentality health of the people. 🌹🌷💓♥️👍👌🇨🇳🇨🇳
You're speaking the truth, no one nor no country is better than others, if being complacent, it isn't leave oneself or country with "urge" no room to improve, but to leap behind.
There’s differences where even some places in West do some even good things better than most because or in spite of institutions. So we’ll try to contextualize, where some criticisms could be very light if made (public) at all, until people are sufficiently equipped to productively deal with them.
I completely agree with all your observations, on the other hand, I hope by raising these topics, we can be more aware of, checking the self awareness within, step by step making positive changes… Thank you for bringing these up….
I think it’s good that you talked about these topics. I also want good things for China’s society. I hope Chinese people listen to this and change for the better of the country and society as a whole.
Every country has its good and bad. If people willing to have an open mind to listen and willing to change, it will be great for society as a whole. We could only wait with time to see improvement in society. Love your show👍
I'm Chinese and out of the Chinese mainlanders I have met in my life. The most discriminatory attitudes is generally South and East discriminating against North and West. I have met non-discriminatory people from Shanghai, Hongkong, Taiwan. However these cities that developed earlier and is richer than the rest of China is very open about discriminating against the poorer regions. (Or regions that are perceived as poor) I didn't grow up in China so my opinions towards a group is generally established by how they treat me or others. The northerners or like my family which is from Hefei, have had unprovoked insults or discrimination from wealthier regions. At least within my circle, we try not to pre-judge someone based off where they are from. But when the insults start flying, it kind of reinforces our beliefs. I'm fully aware that it goes both ways but it's always easier to just hang around people who care more about who you are than where you're from. Just like anywhere in the world, class and wealth discrimination is hard to remove.
There’s a lot of classism in Chinese society unfortunately. There are some Hong Kongers who will even deliberately treat anyone who speaks mandarin badly. It also spills over into how some Chinese discriminate against Southeast Asians, South Asians, and Africans.
Totally agree with your last statements about the love and strongly believed with the country you love. It’s the love of itself to the country and yourselves first and to be able the extension to others and people in this world.
well as chinese, got hurt while we brought foreign customers to yiwu or guangzhou,the shop didnt give us a shit but could almost kneel down to the foreigners. sad but true
@jiayiandjulieinchina i was always feeling shameful for my chinese fellows,meanlingless to be over respectul to foreigners,doesnt mean that you would receive the same respects from them. that was why so western white guys considered chinese girls as easy girls.
METHINKS... INDIRECTLY, IT SHOWS That Chinese People TO THIS DAY Still Suffer From INFERIORITY COMPLEX vis-a-vis The White People. Just Like A Person RESPECT His Superior But TALK DOWN The Person Considered As Below His Status or Rank. SAD & SHAMEFUL But True. 😊
Thanks for discussing topics that need addressing. I won't be as shocked when I visit China and/or decide to spend part-time in my retirement years there. 🕊. I hope this video will create further discussion, leading to changes. 👍🏻
I appreciate your honest appraisal of China. China is not perfect because no country is perfect. There's always room for improvement. I think the positive aspects of China outweigh the negative aspects.
I work for a company in china live in the us i totally agree the Chinese worker don't have alot of right no union and alot of people looking for work i m in upper management always recommend to my boss to treat long term employees better just to keep them in US they just go on strike and call in sick if you do that in china you might be replace so Chinese worker work very hard most productive in the world it made many us and European very rich .
Thanks for bringing up these topics honestly and objectively. I am a foreigner with a Chinese wife. Some changes to the behaviours need to come from the Chinese people themselves. I like to see people stop wasting money on giving gifts the only reason is saving face. I have been given preferential treatments by local Chinese people because I am a foreigner. Every person should be treated equally based on their merits, not because of their skin colours or which local regions in China they come from. The major structural behaviours changes should come from a strong Chinese government regulation to regulate brutal working conditions for workers and to provide more help to mentally sick people. In the West, where I came from the government, it now recognises mental health is not a taboo subject but to actively be treated like other diseases like a cold or flu. The government found out 1 in 4 people WILL suffer from some form of depressions in their daily life. Finally, women matter, so women issues like prostitution should be actively discussed in the open how the government could protect those women from harm and discrimination.
I live in North America that is very open but many people still don’t want to talk about mental illness even government has talked about it and support it.
I'm a Caucasian living in a new 1st-tier city in China. Despite holding much appreciation for most Chinese treating me so well and recognizing this happens because of, in my case, genuine curiosity about my cultural background and whatnot, I personally detest being offered things for free and generally refuse it if I see fit and as inoffensive. If I do accept, I always try to find a way to retribute. On the chicks-hunting front, I somewhat hold some disdainful (and prejudiced, I admit) sentiments toward dudes always on the lookout for the easiest hook-ups in town, especially here westerners here in China. Simping can be just too shallow, brazen, and lame here. Of course I am also very very attracted to Chinese girls, as much as I am to any other aspects of the country. And yet I think some western dudes really only hold easiness and yellow-feverness as their drives. Still, I think many Chinese ladies are aware of and accept this behavior? I'm not sure.
@dissonance798 I'm the same. Being given stuff for free makes me feel awkward and just like you, I also have disdain for some of the men who come here for those reasons. It imo reflects poorly on foreigners as a whole when we don't speak up against it, at the very least. I think there are also women here who have a fetish for white men, just like those men have yellow fever, but more than that, I think people here don't really understand the issues of being seen as just a fetish to someone
There is definitely white worship in China unfortunately, partially due to preference for pale skin and partially due to classism. Dark skinned foreigners such as Southeast Asians and Africans often face racism and colorism. White people that want to teach English are highly preferred against non white people, even if said white person is from a non English speaking country.
I’ve always been of the view there are two kinda of people I can’t stand: the patriot who sees nothing wrong with his country and the super critical nitpicker who points out all the flaws. When it comes to one’s country, one should be in the middle, you should love it while taking note of its shortcomings so as to improve upon them. The kind of patriotism where your love isn’t blinded by being afraid to say what you really think because the truth needs no defence.
Thanks for pointing out these outstanding issues that China needs to improve on. Especially issues concerning long work hours, childhood pressures and discrimination experienced by women. These issues are impacting China's birth rate negatively.
Very good video. Thank you for talking about it. I live in China and agree with you 100%. I really hope our government is watching this video and find ways to improve.
BRAVO ! Well said. Thanks for bringing up the good, the bad and the ugly. It's really important to see the whole picture and the reality, not just the rosy things.
It’s unbelievable with mental issues it’s across all over the world it’s very similar, in North America people are educated in a freer and open society but it’s overwhelming the youth in the developed world facing the same issues but in the less developed countries like China it’s not the freedom or openness but it’s the restriction and families pressure caused many of the social issues!
Awesome video. As someone who was born in Hong Kong and raised in the US since I was 5, it really hurt to see the regional and rural discrimination. I view myself simply as Chinese, and all people in China are my people, from Hong Kong to Xinjiang. As you said, China is a work in progress, and I am confident that the government will indeed address all the issues you brought forth. I welcome this video because if you don't admit what the problems are, they don't get solved.
@@Harthorn Yes, I am of Cantonese descent and I know well that many of 'my people' were in Vietnam. In fact, I live in Houston Texas and many of the Cantonese restaurants are owned by Vietnamese-Chinese.
@@Harthorn what? No. Vietnamese are Not Chinese. Why do you bring in the topic of Vietnamese into here? Vietnamese have their independence sovereignty. They are not part of China. They decided to fight with China and wanted to be independent. Genetically they are not really Han Chinese either but are part of Southeast Asia
@@haniahannslew4108 I know, but Communist Party of China can make any excuse to say anybody is part of them, genetics isn't a problem, look at Uyghur, Tibetans, they can also say Kinh Viet were Jin Chinese. Slowly boil frog in warm water. Reality can be changed through force of propaganda, and silencing opposing voices.
These questions are very true. To give some feedback as a Chinese, the regional (provincial/city/village) discrimination is also known as the Chinese version of 'Caste system' , look down upon the under-progress been for centuries, LOL. It will take some more time to improve with equality of personal incomes. For all other distorted social orders can be blanketed under 'paying the toll' for having changes over last 40 years for the west been through 250 years and more. There population of China has been 'THICK' throughout history when compared to Developed Countries in the Global North. I've seen both the growth and changes of China in last 50 years. China is changing in a direction to go better, be patient and coming back to a review in another 3 years.
Understand, learn, improve. Everyone should be doing this. Thanks for your input, really appreciate it. The young generation is more aware about a lot of these social issues, so I hope that the coming decade a lot of things would get better.
The problems you described are common to all societies in the world. As humans we must be guided by our humane values and treat each other with respect and behave responsibly. Good thing that the Chinese have a good set of cultural norms and respect for the family institution. Hope China doesn't lose it.❤
No one country is perfect i live in the US born in Hong Kong thinking about retire in china in 10 yr every countries and everyone can do better and improve.
So deep , as a hk Chinese . I love China , somehow , i understand ccp government and I respect . Anyway , The points u brought out have to add into the education system. All in all ,what I see China is improving day by day , i hope those points will be done and we are really in a 大同 society.
Fine tuning China. Fascinating giving locals to see their own perspectives. For certain the locals probably aware of that but want to keep such sentiments at subconscious level.
@9:20 - a reason why the governments are encouraging rural towns/villages to build mansions - maybe now being refer to as urban apartment dwellers is derogatory 😅
A society that has fixed all its problems is a perfect society. No such society exists, so every society has its issues and problems. Kudos to you both for discussing China’s societal problems with grace and wisdom. 👍
Do you guys have percentage (occurrences) for each cases you mentioned ... data as for 2024? Without numbers, you're just letting the audiences 'fill the blanks' based on their local experiences.
Several of these issues cannot be reliably measured. Pressure on kids, sexism, overtime are all things that do not get accurately measured because you'd need to actually focus on it or have companies truthfully report on it. Obviously, that isn't happening. It would also make the video quite dry and turn it into a report, rather than an open discussion
@@jiayiandjulieinchina "do not get accurately measured because you'd need to actually focus on it or have companies truthfully report on it" ... I (unreasonably) asked for data because you guys were not just sharing your own experiences (actually happened to you) for last 18 months (title). "It would also make the video quite dry and turn it into a report" ... I understand that. But, letting people 'fill the blanks' means the 'severity' is up to subjective interpretation (based on everyone's local country experiences). ... And, because people know you (and trust you), they would take/assume 'that' (individual projected 'severity') is the actual 'severity' in CN. ... That is, this type of (everyone project their own severity) will not lead to 'open discussion'.
@@sarahlee9979 Some data in China is considered State Secrets, as you know. And what is considered State Secrets isn't the same definition as what it means in "generally the western liberal democracies".
@@Harthornwhy don’t you, two, experience the life in UK, or European countries, or South America Countries now and day? We would love to watch your videos of sharing us your life experience in above mentioned countries.
Haha, it’s especially awkward when visiting a supplier with a foreign subordinate, and they bypass you to shake hands with your foreign subordinate first.
Regarding what you both mentioned, most of it is correct. China does indeed need to work hard on improvements. However, there’s one point where the wording is inaccurate. The term “a land of etiquette” (礼仪之邦) does mean treating guests with greater courtesy, but it does not equate to blind admiration of foreigners. For example, if a family receives guests, as long as they are not locals, they should treat them well, because traveling from afar is not easy. This reflects a sense of benevolence and righteousness, and it has nothing to do with blindly favoring foreign cultures. As for the other issues, to be fair, China is still a developing country, and these problems will likely persist for a long time. As long as there is gradual improvement, that will be good enough. thanks for making this episode.
in the West, the only difference with China is that they are on power trip and focus on drama instead of serving their people. discrimination is everywhere, but Western discrimination is on another level, even their government laws are meant to be used against certain groups. It is more focus on divide and conquer. making someone feel better with the too much help is just a delusional way of fixing things. people need to be honed in their own ways, challenge and finding their own ways. parents in China might be mean but not that many, while parents in the West leave their kids on a high statistic which is why there is a saying, you go black, you become a single mom LOL! This criticism from family or other people might make Westerners squint their eyes but the truth is they are truths that can fix peoples attitude, make them stronger, and understand their limit. Look at the West and you will find that everyone thinks their are 10/10 score that made them ignore their own personal attitude development, and ignore living a healthy life causing them their lives, no accountability or any sense of responsibility. their way of getting respect is by demanding respect, never about earning them properly. I live in a Western country and most people here are too lazy, mostly have a high sense of entitlement. BTW, special treatment is not based on being a foreigner, it is also about gender and clothing or status. in the West, they treat you like crap no matter what unless they work as concierge. The worst part of the West ins their infrastructure, drugs, homelessness, and unsafe areas.
Discrimination happen in every country/ nation. I live with that since I was born. Stereotype is in everyone' mind and things we can do were just being thoughtful and polite. The rest would be ' que serra serra', whatever will be, will be. Julie and Jiayi you are excellent couple. Thank you for this video. God Bless You❤
Thanks very much for your truthful observations n sincere advice about China which I agree completely ! I believe China's going through a stage if its development in which people's livelihood is first taken care of while things like workers' welfare, child education, social harmony etc. are considered minor issues which will be taken care of when China's economy gets stronger n it's more integrated into the international community ! I hope as people's quality of life improves, they'll naturally yearn for better spiritual fulfillment n what we're seeing now is an inevitable part of its growing pain !
苦口良药。I am 100% sure your good words will get CCP attentions. I remembered how honest were the CCP that they encouraged their 4000 yrs civilization citizens to 学习文明 in Beijing Olympic 2008. China is a top-down country. I am 100% sure China will change for better and fast as usual. However there are 2 points need to be clarified: 1. To some group of people the long work hours is necessary. They did it to catch up due to US sanction nonsense; they did it willingly out of their love for their country, 2. Chinese women rights and equality: (Fortune) A. The number of Chinese women in senior management positions has recently doubled, with 51% of those jobs held by females, making China a standout in Asia. B. Some 550 publicly-traded companies, or about 21%, have women on their boards. And Shenzhen-based Ceetop Inc. and China Teletech Holding Inc. are two of the four companies in the world with all-female boards. C. Half of the world’s self-made female billionaires are Chinese.
I love the major influence is by the Western media in the movie from Hollywood. They never show the bad parts of the West lives and always show them is the good guys on the good side.
Excellent video. Can't agree more. I want to add a few more issues. 1) age and sex discrimination in business. 2) promote wrong value in social media. 3) the unemployment issue of young graduates, 4) the government should encourage house builders to build more rental apartments thus people don't have to buy a house, this will release a lot pressure on people
@2:16 Foreigners get better service? I think it is NOT because of worshiping foreigners. It is simply because foreigners tend to COMPLAIN MORE, over the slightest thing. So to avoid the scene, to avoid the confrontation, the locals will try to give them what they want. Asians are taught from young to let little annoyance go, not to kick up a fuss.
Yes, west simping exists in China, but that's not like some other Asian countries like in Japan or Thailand. Either they want to make money from Westerners, or they want to hook up with white girls. In China, when they treat foreigners differently, it's like they are curious and being very hospitable, they want foreigners to feel good about China. It's the pride and patriotism, but at the same time, they can dislike some people, sometimes Americans and Japanese, for the same reason. So it's not always west simping, could go to the other side, but more rarely. About work culture, what I can say, Chinese are the most hardworking in the world, work the hardest, study the hardest, that's how China is overtaking US. I wouldn't work in some Chinese companies, but those companies can be very successful in China, overtime is common. It's a balance China needs to find, not losing hardworking spirit but also improving work life balance and corporate culture. Other things are not major, I don't think you discover from your travel, maybe just learned from social media. Things like rural vs urban, cities rivalry (Shanghai vs Beijing) etc, it's the same around the world, Vancouver vs Toronto, Melbourne vs Sydney.
Completely agree with your observations. Probably one of the reasons might be that most Chinese people are not widely exposed to the Western world as much as the japanese and Skorean. They are unaware of how the Western world perceive them negatively.
@grouchypatch9185 Most of these issues exist in both Japan and SK and many of them in a worse form. For example, Chinese people usually avoid South Korean and Japanese companies because the work culture is so bad. Sexism is also a lot worse in both of them as well. Japan ranking as one of the worst gender equality nations in the world.
I think the obsession of being slim sometimes can be a stress for many women including those foreign wives married to Chinese husbands who are not used to seeing obese mothers after marriage. Body shaming unfortunately is a common trait which hopefully can be handled with more sensitivity. Also habitual invasion of private lives and disrespect for individual space sometimes can be quite disturbing.
From the viewpoint of an educator of Chinese students in international schools, it's quite noticeable that the Chinese values of diligence and discipline are gradually being eroded amongst the young ones, especially those who are pursuing an education in English.
A BIG THANK YOU TO YOU BOTH FOR ENLIGHTENING ME TO BE MORE AWARE TO BE KIND TO OTHERS.... THE WISDOM OF OBSERVATION OF YOU BOTH ARE ASTOUNDING.... I AM CHINESE BUT BORN OVERSEAS AND BECAUSE OF RACIST AUSTRALIA AT THE TIME OF MY GROWING UP, THE OVER-LORD COUNTRY BANNED THE ENROLMENT IN THE ONLY SCHOOL AVAILABLE AFTER THE WAR IN PNG WHILST AT THE SAME TIME, FORBADE OUR CHINESE SOCEITY FROM OPENING A CHINESE SCHOOL FOR THE YOUNG... REASON FOR BANNING OUR ENROLMENT IN THE ONLY SCHOOL AVAILABLE AND RESERVED FOR THE WHITES ONLY KIDS WAS TO PREVENT WHAT THE FAKING AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT CALLED, 'MISCEGENATION' ....THAT IS TO PREVENT THE POSSIBLITY OF FRIENDSHIP DEVELOPING BETWEEN CHINESE AND WHITE KIDS AND LATER INTER-MARRY AND HAVE MIX RACE CHILDREN THUS BRINGING DOWN THE PRESTIGE OF WHITE SUPREMACY....
All very good points. Do you have a Chinese social media account like Bilibili, Xiao HongShu? Videos like these should be posted there with Chinese audiences in mind.
Everything. Literally everything you both have recommended in this video should be implemented immediately. It is honest, righteous and moral. All the points you have mentioned are very well considered and fair. It will make China a more decent and civilised country. I would add the following: Tackle social habits like smoking and public spitting, get rid of squat toilets, stop electric bikes from running onto pedestrian kerbs. Finally, get Chinese to care more for customer service and how to to be more considerate - they are truly hopeless at customer service!
I am certainly glad I have never had to work in a company with a 996 culture but some would say that it is the key to Asian success. I just listened Kai Fu Li talk about how that is how China (including Taiwan) develops technology so fast and is an advantage over the US. Just an observation but, if anyone cared about my opinion, of course I think it should be controlled more.
That's the lie capital owners like Elon musk and jack ma tell ordinary folks to justify slavery wages and working conditions, human beings have limited amount of focus and energy in a day, workers just stay at work because they're afraid to leave before their boss, not because they still have work to do, it's just cruel and unproductive
As a foreigner, you are not able to book normal hotels. You are not allowed to do business in many industries, related to government, state owned etc,, for security reasons. As a person visiting China for tourist, you see a lot of things superficial, you are facing discrimination rather than superiority. There are somethings improving, but we can not see a long term mechanism enduring and trusted.
All those of course it’s not only Chinese problem. It’s all over the world too. They do have the same thing, but the government should pay attention to this all those problems should, including in early education that’s the most important. The teach the kids how to be a person, a real person.
Prostitution is a worldwide problem not just a China issue. Matter of fact your entire video is basically covering issues every developed or near developed country faces. Regional discrimination happens here in the US too. I grew up in California and the shit we talk about people from Texas will make you blush. As fate would have it, I ended up in Texas for the past 20 years and absolutely love it here. Turns out people in Texas also feel like we have our own country in the state of Texas so regional bias is also a thing here.
I applaud you for speaking about these "sensitive" topics. When foreigners look at Chinese society with a fresh pair of eyes and share their perceptions, their ideas and suggestions deserve attention, especially when coming from a place of good will. The only topic that I could not make up my mind about is whether a woman can have everything: making babies and at the same time assuming a heavy professional workload. Compromise is inevitable, for both the government planners and for working women. Perhaps the stigma that a professional woman must also produce more babies and be a good mother should be banished. For brilliant intellectual women who got their graduate degrees and contributed to their profession and thus to China's economy, it is unreasonable to overload them with motherhood demands. One topic you did not mention: because of the super competitiveness with 1.4 billion people, that 35 is deemed "too old" for many jobs.
You don't see much of those kind of discrimination in Shenzhen. I think it more often been seen in Shanghai because it was the first window to the West and became rich earlier and developed a certain culture called "买办", I once lived in Shanghai for a year and I really don't feel good about this.
As a Chinese person, I really appreciate what you guys did on this video. It represents most issues in Chinese society these problems that most Chinese people haven't realized even.
You gave some good constructive criticism about China. I hope these things will be changed in the future.
In order for these things to be changed, Confucianism must be ended. "礼仪之邦”，“外国友人”.....etc., all represent the Confucian mindset.
Thank you. I hope so too
Agreed
Julia made good comments on the life in China, it is mind-blowing to me that she understands the cultural differences between China and the West. Simply amazing.
Go ahead, believe me, lol
Two beautiful young people with beautiful hearts.
Thank you 💕
Thank you for being straightforward and truthful. These ARE the problems.
Thank you for watching!
Another excellent video. I think you both did these sensitive topics in a well balanced manner putting them in the nicest possible manner. I hope that people will take heed of these good advice.
Thank you. We really try our best 🌸
@@jiayiandjulieinchina Keep up the good work.
Julie and Jiayi are really different from other TH-camrs; you guys are doing something meaningful. I can do nothing to your videos but 🎉
Thank you so much 😊
As a native borne Chinese , I completely agree to her and Fully support her truth and objective viewpoints and value comments.she is a most smart lady as one of expats living in China.. great like👍👍👍Thank you guy🤝🤝
China moves fast. Some of the issues (e.g., discrimination, inequality) mentioned in the video are getting much better during the last 30 years, while others (e.g., 996, education pressure) may not be improving anytime soon. Your observations are profound and accurate, which shows that you two really care about Chinese society. Thanks.
I love these candid videos. It's refreshing from the too rosy picture of China which on the surface looks like nivana. But China has definitely achieved a lot and they need to be commended for it. This candid video tells us there's still lots of work to be done especially on the societal side.
Love your observation and conclusion on the labour relations with its workers, the discrimination towards rural people, the discrimination towards the gender, especially against women and the mentality health of the people. 🌹🌷💓♥️👍👌🇨🇳🇨🇳
Thank you very much 🙌🏼
You're speaking the truth, no one nor no country is better than others, if being complacent, it isn't leave oneself or country with "urge" no room to improve, but to leap behind.
There’s differences where even some places in West do some even good things better than most because or in spite of institutions. So we’ll try to contextualize, where some criticisms could be very light if made (public) at all, until people are sufficiently equipped to productively deal with them.
I completely agree with all your observations, on the other hand, I hope by raising these topics, we can be more aware of, checking the self awareness within, step by step making positive changes…
Thank you for bringing these up….
Constructive criticisms are important for getting better. Excellent video.
I think it’s good that you talked about these topics. I also want good things for China’s society. I hope Chinese people listen to this and change for the better of the country and society as a whole.
Very good criticism !
Every country has its good and bad. If people willing to have an open mind to listen and willing to change, it will be great for society as a whole. We could only wait with time to see improvement in society. Love your show👍
I'm Chinese and out of the Chinese mainlanders I have met in my life. The most discriminatory attitudes is generally South and East discriminating against North and West. I have met non-discriminatory people from Shanghai, Hongkong, Taiwan. However these cities that developed earlier and is richer than the rest of China is very open about discriminating against the poorer regions. (Or regions that are perceived as poor)
I didn't grow up in China so my opinions towards a group is generally established by how they treat me or others. The northerners or like my family which is from Hefei, have had unprovoked insults or discrimination from wealthier regions. At least within my circle, we try not to pre-judge someone based off where they are from. But when the insults start flying, it kind of reinforces our beliefs. I'm fully aware that it goes both ways but it's always easier to just hang around people who care more about who you are than where you're from. Just like anywhere in the world, class and wealth discrimination is hard to remove.
Shanghainese is outright against Chinese from other provinces, I think it boils down to wealth
There’s a lot of classism in Chinese society unfortunately. There are some Hong Kongers who will even deliberately treat anyone who speaks mandarin badly.
It also spills over into how some Chinese discriminate against Southeast Asians, South Asians, and Africans.
Totally agree with your last statements about the love and strongly believed with the country you love. It’s the love of itself to the country and yourselves first and to be able the extension to others and people in this world.
well as chinese, got hurt while we brought foreign customers to yiwu or guangzhou,the shop didnt give us a shit but could almost kneel down to the foreigners. sad but true
That happens to us too. I get treated so well while they ignore or are borderline rude to Jiayi. It is so gross
@jiayiandjulieinchina i was always feeling shameful for my chinese fellows,meanlingless to be over respectul to foreigners,doesnt mean that you would receive the same respects from them. that was why so western white guys considered chinese girls as easy girls.
METHINKS...
INDIRECTLY, IT SHOWS That Chinese People TO THIS DAY Still Suffer From INFERIORITY COMPLEX vis-a-vis The White People.
Just Like A Person RESPECT His Superior But TALK DOWN The Person Considered As Below His Status or Rank.
SAD & SHAMEFUL But True.
😊
@@falconfrank548 这就要怪到中国八十年代的崇洋媚外的教育上了，这根子不是中国老百姓的错。是教育的错。我是七零后，我从小接受的教育是我们是资本的掘墓人，我现在都反对崇洋媚外，外国不就是科技有先发优势吗，追上就是！但外国人种，外国社会文化依然是土鳖，我一直这么认为
Foreigners like white guys only? Not black guys?
Thanks for discussing topics that need addressing. I won't be as shocked when I visit China and/or decide to spend part-time in my retirement years there. 🕊. I hope this video will create further discussion, leading to changes. 👍🏻
Seriously, u both should get a voice in national television.
why?
No. absolutely not.
@ , why not?
Love your wisdom, I Hope people do not critize you all for your up front truth!♥️💓🌷🌹🙏🙏🇨🇳🇨🇳
I appreciate your honest appraisal of China. China is not perfect because no country is perfect. There's always room for improvement.
I think the positive aspects of China outweigh the negative aspects.
I completely agree
已经引起民怨。
Through this video, I can see that you two really love China.
I work for a company in china live in the us i totally agree the Chinese worker don't have alot of right no union and alot of people looking for work i m in upper management always recommend to my boss to treat long term employees better just to keep them in US they just go on strike and call in sick if you do that in china you might be replace so Chinese worker work very hard most productive in the world it made many us and European very rich .
they do have unions
Thanks for bringing up these topics honestly and objectively. I am a foreigner with a Chinese wife. Some changes to the behaviours need to come from the Chinese people themselves. I like to see people stop wasting money on giving gifts the only reason is saving face. I have been given preferential treatments by local Chinese people because I am a foreigner. Every person should be treated equally based on their merits, not because of their skin colours or which local regions in China they come from. The major structural behaviours changes should come from a strong Chinese government regulation to regulate brutal working conditions for workers and to provide more help to mentally sick people. In the West, where I came from the government, it now recognises mental health is not a taboo subject but to actively be treated like other diseases like a cold or flu. The government found out 1 in 4 people WILL suffer from some form of depressions in their daily life. Finally, women matter, so women issues like prostitution should be actively discussed in the open how the government could protect those women from harm and discrimination.
你说的问题都是改开之后的事，尤其是八十年代的中国无脑迎接西方的文化的结果
I live in North America that is very open but many people still don’t want to talk about mental illness even government has talked about it and support it.
I'm a Caucasian living in a new 1st-tier city in China. Despite holding much appreciation for most Chinese treating me so well and recognizing this happens because of, in my case, genuine curiosity about my cultural background and whatnot, I personally detest being offered things for free and generally refuse it if I see fit and as inoffensive. If I do accept, I always try to find a way to retribute.
On the chicks-hunting front, I somewhat hold some disdainful (and prejudiced, I admit) sentiments toward dudes always on the lookout for the easiest hook-ups in town, especially here westerners here in China. Simping can be just too shallow, brazen, and lame here. Of course I am also very very attracted to Chinese girls, as much as I am to any other aspects of the country. And yet I think some western dudes really only hold easiness and yellow-feverness as their drives. Still, I think many Chinese ladies are aware of and accept this behavior? I'm not sure.
@dissonance798 I'm the same. Being given stuff for free makes me feel awkward and just like you, I also have disdain for some of the men who come here for those reasons. It imo reflects poorly on foreigners as a whole when we don't speak up against it, at the very least.
I think there are also women here who have a fetish for white men, just like those men have yellow fever, but more than that, I think people here don't really understand the issues of being seen as just a fetish to someone
There is definitely white worship in China unfortunately, partially due to preference for pale skin and partially due to classism. Dark skinned foreigners such as Southeast Asians and Africans often face racism and colorism. White people that want to teach English are highly preferred against non white people, even if said white person is from a non English speaking country.
I’ve always been of the view there are two kinda of people I can’t stand: the patriot who sees nothing wrong with his country and the super critical nitpicker who points out all the flaws. When it comes to one’s country, one should be in the middle, you should love it while taking note of its shortcomings so as to improve upon them. The kind of patriotism where your love isn’t blinded by being afraid to say what you really think because the truth needs no defence.
I am waiting to see if anyone would deny these problems.
You are truly loving China by pointing out these issues. Thank you!
长逛油管的都知道；要说歧视和素质低；中国绝对不是排在前面的；加班倒真的是我们独树一帜；但是生活改善是实实在在的大跃进
完全同意。
关于加班，我想到了二十多年前听到的在美国华尔街工作的朋友的话，晚上十一二点，华尔街上（也许是曼哈顿）出租车大排长龙，接下班的人回新泽西的家。
我们现在的加班也狠，如果工资开得高倒也无可厚非。不过总体感觉还是太卷了，为什么不能放慢一点节奏。老板或者平台真的都没办法像于东来学习吗？境界高一点，不那么黑心、少拿一点年薪、不压榨打工人。抑或像德国靠国家政策？德国周日所有商店必须关门，因为普通小店主没有钱雇佣工人周日上班。或者每个消费者也做点什么？反正我叫外卖是每单必打赏。有时候看到外卖员跑了几万公里只有几个人打赏真的觉得太不应该。
Thanks for pointing out these outstanding issues that China needs to improve on. Especially issues concerning long work hours, childhood pressures and discrimination experienced by women. These issues are impacting China's birth rate negatively.
so objective, I have watched both videos, good sides and bad sides of China, and you two made very good video, thank you !!! subscribed and wish more.
Thank you very much! 😊
The actress who talked about the extreme diet plan in the clip is Zhao Luis. She was hospitalized recently due to illnesses.
I hope she recovers quickly
It's gonna take time for them to get better. Appreciate you guys pointing out some of the directions they can follow. We also need to be more patient.
Very good video. Thank you for talking about it. I live in China and agree with you 100%. I really hope our government is watching this video and find ways to improve.
BRAVO ! Well said. Thanks for bringing up the good, the bad and the ugly. It's really important to see the whole picture and the reality, not just the rosy things.
It’s unbelievable with mental issues it’s across all over the world it’s very similar, in North America people are educated in a freer and open society but it’s overwhelming the youth in the developed world facing the same issues but in the less developed countries like China it’s not the freedom or openness but it’s the restriction and families pressure caused many of the social issues!
Awesome video. As someone who was born in Hong Kong and raised in the US since I was 5, it really hurt to see the regional and rural discrimination. I view myself simply as Chinese, and all people in China are my people, from Hong Kong to Xinjiang. As you said, China is a work in progress, and I am confident that the government will indeed address all the issues you brought forth. I welcome this video because if you don't admit what the problems are, they don't get solved.
Don't forget vietnamese, they were historically Chinese too and were part of the empire.
@@Harthorn Yes, I am of Cantonese descent and I know well that many of 'my people' were in Vietnam. In fact, I live in Houston Texas and many of the Cantonese restaurants are owned by Vietnamese-Chinese.
@@Harthorn what? No. Vietnamese are Not Chinese. Why do you bring in the topic of Vietnamese into here? Vietnamese have their independence sovereignty. They are not part of China. They decided to fight with China and wanted to be independent. Genetically they are not really Han Chinese either but are part of Southeast Asia
@@pinotnoir3654 ok. What your said is Chinese from Vietnam but NOT ethnic Kinh Vietnamese.
@@haniahannslew4108 I know, but Communist Party of China can make any excuse to say anybody is part of them, genetics isn't a problem, look at Uyghur, Tibetans, they can also say Kinh Viet were Jin Chinese.
Slowly boil frog in warm water.
Reality can be changed through force of propaganda, and silencing opposing voices.
Thank you Julie. Great of you to kay it out. It tJes time just like anywhere ❤❤❤👍👍👍
Nobody is perfect, the country and society it is , the most important thing is-Have an counage to embrace and change it
Honest feedback is very important! Kudos!
Such a great video. Thank you so much!
These questions are very true. To give some feedback as a Chinese, the regional (provincial/city/village) discrimination is also known as the Chinese version of 'Caste system' , look down upon the under-progress been for centuries, LOL. It will take some more time to improve with equality of personal incomes. For all other distorted social orders can be blanketed under 'paying the toll' for having changes over last 40 years for the west been through 250 years and more. There population of China has been 'THICK' throughout history when compared to Developed Countries in the Global North. I've seen both the growth and changes of China in last 50 years. China is changing in a direction to go better, be patient and coming back to a review in another 3 years.
Understand, learn, improve. Everyone should be doing this.
Thanks for your input, really appreciate it.
The young generation is more aware about a lot of these social issues, so I hope that the coming decade a lot of things would get better.
honest and objective！ much appreciate!
insightful commentary! nice video
二位是真正真诚的人！祝你们频道越来越好！
谢谢😊
I agree what you said and some Chinese are needed to improve this situation.
You're right. Real change always starts from the people and moves up from there
Your candid comments are appreciated. Every country has problems, and those problems should be discussed and addressed.
I really like listening to Julie's American accent, which I have been listening to in the U.S. for more than 35 years.
The problems you described are common to all societies in the world. As humans we must be guided by our humane values and treat each other with respect and behave responsibly. Good thing that the Chinese have a good set of cultural norms and respect for the family institution. Hope China doesn't lose it.❤
very good discussion，facing the problems and improve them is the right way for us
No one country is perfect i live in the US born in Hong Kong thinking about retire in china in 10 yr every countries and everyone can do better and improve.
love your program. so honest and articulate
Good points, thanks for pointing this out.
Great video, as always. Honest criticism are always welcome.
Thank you 😊
Honest and fair to say that; some are common issues that most people in China are aware
Very nice video showing some of the problems in Chinese society. Thank you
So deep , as a hk Chinese .
I love China , somehow , i understand ccp government and I respect .
Anyway ,
The points u brought out have to add into the education system. All in all ,what I see China is improving day by day , i hope those points will be done and we are really in a 大同 society.
Fine tuning China. Fascinating giving locals to see their own perspectives. For certain the locals probably aware of that but want to keep such sentiments at subconscious level.
I find your points very insightful.
很中肯的批评，谢谢你们
Great program and well made points
@9:20 - a reason why the governments are encouraging rural towns/villages to build mansions - maybe now being refer to as urban apartment dwellers is derogatory 😅
A society that has fixed all its problems is a perfect society. No such society exists, so every society has its issues and problems. Kudos to you both for discussing China’s societal problems with grace and wisdom. 👍
When it comes to citizens living in the U.S. every single point here is quickly dismissed
Do you guys have percentage (occurrences) for each cases you mentioned ... data as for 2024?
Without numbers, you're just letting the audiences 'fill the blanks' based on their local experiences.
Several of these issues cannot be reliably measured. Pressure on kids, sexism, overtime are all things that do not get accurately measured because you'd need to actually focus on it or have companies truthfully report on it. Obviously, that isn't happening. It would also make the video quite dry and turn it into a report, rather than an open discussion
@@jiayiandjulieinchina "do not get accurately measured because you'd need to actually focus on it or have companies truthfully report on it"
... I (unreasonably) asked for data because you guys were not just sharing your own experiences (actually happened to you) for last 18 months (title).
"It would also make the video quite dry and turn it into a report"
... I understand that. But, letting people 'fill the blanks' means the 'severity' is up to subjective interpretation (based on everyone's local country experiences).
... And, because people know you (and trust you), they would take/assume 'that' (individual projected 'severity') is the actual 'severity' in CN.
... That is, this type of (everyone project their own severity) will not lead to 'open discussion'.
@@sarahlee9979 Some data in China is considered State Secrets, as you know. And what is considered State Secrets isn't the same definition as what it means in "generally the western liberal democracies".
@@Harthornwhy don’t you, two, experience the life in UK, or European countries, or South America Countries now and day? We would love to watch your videos of sharing us your life experience in above mentioned countries.
Haha, it’s especially awkward when visiting a supplier with a foreign subordinate, and they bypass you to shake hands with your foreign subordinate first.
Regarding what you both mentioned, most of it is correct. China does indeed need to work hard on improvements. However, there’s one point where the wording is inaccurate. The term “a land of etiquette” (礼仪之邦) does mean treating guests with greater courtesy, but it does not equate to blind admiration of foreigners. For example, if a family receives guests, as long as they are not locals, they should treat them well, because traveling from afar is not easy. This reflects a sense of benevolence and righteousness, and it has nothing to do with blindly favoring foreign cultures. As for the other issues, to be fair, China is still a developing country, and these problems will likely persist for a long time. As long as there is gradual improvement, that will be good enough. thanks for making this episode.
in the West, the only difference with China is that they are on power trip and focus on drama instead of serving their people. discrimination is everywhere, but Western discrimination is on another level, even their government laws are meant to be used against certain groups. It is more focus on divide and conquer. making someone feel better with the too much help is just a delusional way of fixing things. people need to be honed in their own ways, challenge and finding their own ways. parents in China might be mean but not that many, while parents in the West leave their kids on a high statistic which is why there is a saying, you go black, you become a single mom LOL! This criticism from family or other people might make Westerners squint their eyes but the truth is they are truths that can fix peoples attitude, make them stronger, and understand their limit. Look at the West and you will find that everyone thinks their are 10/10 score that made them ignore their own personal attitude development, and ignore living a healthy life causing them their lives, no accountability or any sense of responsibility. their way of getting respect is by demanding respect, never about earning them properly. I live in a Western country and most people here are too lazy, mostly have a high sense of entitlement. BTW, special treatment is not based on being a foreigner, it is also about gender and clothing or status. in the West, they treat you like crap no matter what unless they work as concierge. The worst part of the West ins their infrastructure, drugs, homelessness, and unsafe areas.
Best comment.
Discrimination happen in every country/ nation. I live with that since I was born. Stereotype is in everyone' mind and things we can do were just being thoughtful and polite. The rest would be ' que serra serra', whatever will be, will be. Julie and Jiayi you are excellent couple. Thank you for this video. God Bless You❤
你们很好，祝你们幸福
Thanks very much for your truthful observations n sincere advice about China which I agree completely ! I believe China's going through a stage if its development in which people's livelihood is first taken care of while things like workers' welfare, child education, social harmony etc. are considered minor issues which will be taken care of when China's economy gets stronger n it's more integrated into the international community ! I hope as people's quality of life improves, they'll naturally yearn for better spiritual fulfillment n what we're seeing now is an inevitable part of its growing pain !
take time, cant say all people will satisfy with the changes, but we are working on it.
苦口良药。I am 100% sure your good words will get CCP attentions. I remembered how honest were the CCP that they encouraged their 4000 yrs civilization citizens to 学习文明 in Beijing Olympic 2008. China is a top-down country. I am 100% sure China will change for better and fast as usual.
However there are 2 points need to be clarified:
1. To some group of people the long work hours is necessary. They did it to catch up due to US sanction nonsense; they did it willingly out of their love for their country,
2. Chinese women rights and equality: (Fortune)
A. The number of Chinese women in senior management positions has recently doubled, with 51% of those jobs held by females, making China a standout in Asia.
B. Some 550 publicly-traded companies, or about 21%, have women on their boards. And Shenzhen-based Ceetop Inc. and China Teletech Holding Inc. are two of the four companies in the world with all-female boards.
C. Half of the world’s self-made female billionaires are Chinese.
I love the major influence is by the Western media in the movie from Hollywood. They never show the bad parts of the West lives and always show them is the good guys on the good side.
Excellent video. Can't agree more. I want to add a few more issues. 1) age and sex discrimination in business. 2) promote wrong value in social media. 3) the unemployment issue of young graduates, 4) the government should encourage house builders to build more rental apartments thus people don't have to buy a house, this will release a lot pressure on people
@2:16 Foreigners get better service? I think it is NOT because of worshiping foreigners. It is simply because foreigners tend to COMPLAIN MORE, over the slightest thing. So to avoid the scene, to avoid the confrontation, the locals will try to give them what they want. Asians are taught from young to let little annoyance go, not to kick up a fuss.
That's why Chinese, we are easy to control.
視頻裡提到的女性歧視問題，我不認為那是歧視，而是公司為避免難以運作而做的選擇. 女性要生育請產假但又不能影響公司運作，這是大問題，這必須由國家來研究一個方法讓公司女性因懷孕生子在家照顧小孩而無法上班的問題，不能把這種問題全丟給公司，大公司可能沒問題，但小公司很有困難.
其實根本原因是，男人女人真的是不同的，不要把 "男女平等" 用在所有人世間的事情上.
Yes, west simping exists in China, but that's not like some other Asian countries like in Japan or Thailand. Either they want to make money from Westerners, or they want to hook up with white girls. In China, when they treat foreigners differently, it's like they are curious and being very hospitable, they want foreigners to feel good about China. It's the pride and patriotism, but at the same time, they can dislike some people, sometimes Americans and Japanese, for the same reason. So it's not always west simping, could go to the other side, but more rarely. About work culture, what I can say, Chinese are the most hardworking in the world, work the hardest, study the hardest, that's how China is overtaking US. I wouldn't work in some Chinese companies, but those companies can be very successful in China, overtime is common. It's a balance China needs to find, not losing hardworking spirit but also improving work life balance and corporate culture. Other things are not major, I don't think you discover from your travel, maybe just learned from social media. Things like rural vs urban, cities rivalry (Shanghai vs Beijing) etc, it's the same around the world, Vancouver vs Toronto, Melbourne vs Sydney.
@12:04 - we don't really know if it's more of that in China because kids being discipline in public is accepted in China
Completely agree with your observations. Probably one of the reasons might be that most Chinese people are not widely exposed to the Western world as much as the japanese and Skorean. They are unaware of how the Western world perceive them negatively.
@grouchypatch9185 Most of these issues exist in both Japan and SK and many of them in a worse form. For example, Chinese people usually avoid South Korean and Japanese companies because the work culture is so bad. Sexism is also a lot worse in both of them as well. Japan ranking as one of the worst gender equality nations in the world.
What a beautiful couple!
all your point-outs are true .
Shenzhen is the most tolerant city in China. Everyone is a outside and everyone is a Shenzhen localman.
It was 2004, and I worked for ZTE corporation in Shenzhen.
OT weekly 50+ is quite common in my department...
I totally agree, but I don’t think this major people just very small amount of people. They’re thinking it’s very shallow.
I think the obsession of being slim sometimes can be a stress for many women including those foreign wives married to Chinese husbands who are not used to seeing obese mothers after marriage. Body shaming unfortunately is a common trait which hopefully can be handled with more sensitivity. Also habitual invasion of private lives and disrespect for individual space sometimes can be quite disturbing.
From the viewpoint of an educator of Chinese students in international schools, it's quite noticeable that the Chinese values of diligence and discipline are gradually being eroded amongst the young ones, especially those who are pursuing an education in English.
A BIG THANK YOU TO YOU BOTH FOR ENLIGHTENING ME TO BE MORE AWARE TO BE KIND TO OTHERS....
THE WISDOM OF OBSERVATION OF YOU BOTH ARE ASTOUNDING....
I AM CHINESE BUT BORN OVERSEAS AND BECAUSE OF RACIST AUSTRALIA AT THE TIME OF MY GROWING UP, THE OVER-LORD COUNTRY BANNED THE ENROLMENT IN THE ONLY SCHOOL AVAILABLE AFTER THE WAR IN PNG WHILST AT THE SAME TIME, FORBADE OUR CHINESE SOCEITY FROM OPENING A CHINESE SCHOOL FOR THE YOUNG...
REASON FOR BANNING OUR ENROLMENT IN THE ONLY SCHOOL AVAILABLE AND RESERVED FOR THE WHITES ONLY KIDS WAS TO PREVENT WHAT THE FAKING AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT CALLED, 'MISCEGENATION' ....THAT IS TO PREVENT THE POSSIBLITY OF FRIENDSHIP DEVELOPING BETWEEN CHINESE AND WHITE KIDS AND LATER INTER-MARRY AND HAVE MIX RACE CHILDREN THUS BRINGING DOWN THE PRESTIGE OF WHITE SUPREMACY....
All very good points.
Do you have a Chinese social media account like Bilibili, Xiao HongShu? Videos like these should be posted there with Chinese audiences in mind.
They are on bilibili.
@@jsc3417 Thank you! We have our Chinese socials listed in the description 😊
Everything. Literally everything you both have recommended in this video should be implemented immediately. It is honest, righteous and moral. All the points you have mentioned are very well considered and fair. It will make China a more decent and civilised country. I would add the following:
Tackle social habits like smoking and public spitting, get rid of squat toilets, stop electric bikes from running onto pedestrian kerbs. Finally, get Chinese to care more for customer service and how to to be more considerate - they are truly hopeless at customer service!
I am certainly glad I have never had to work in a company with a 996 culture but some would say that it is the key to Asian success. I just listened Kai Fu Li talk about how that is how China (including Taiwan) develops technology so fast and is an advantage over the US. Just an observation but, if anyone cared about my opinion, of course I think it should be controlled more.
That's the lie capital owners like Elon musk and jack ma tell ordinary folks to justify slavery wages and working conditions, human beings have limited amount of focus and energy in a day, workers just stay at work because they're afraid to leave before their boss, not because they still have work to do, it's just cruel and unproductive
As a foreigner, you are not able to book normal hotels. You are not allowed to do business in many industries, related to government, state owned etc,, for security reasons. As a person visiting China for tourist, you see a lot of things superficial, you are facing discrimination rather than superiority. There are somethings improving, but we can not see a long term mechanism enduring and trusted.
Insightful views.
All those of course it’s not only Chinese problem. It’s all over the world too. They do have the same thing, but the government should pay attention to this all those problems should, including in early education that’s the most important. The teach the kids how to be a person, a real person.
Prostitution is a worldwide problem not just a China issue. Matter of fact your entire video is basically covering issues every developed or near developed country faces. Regional discrimination happens here in the US too. I grew up in California and the shit we talk about people from Texas will make you blush. As fate would have it, I ended up in Texas for the past 20 years and absolutely love it here. Turns out people in Texas also feel like we have our own country in the state of Texas so regional bias is also a thing here.
as a chinese, i 100% agree
I applaud you for speaking about these "sensitive" topics. When foreigners look at Chinese society with a fresh pair of eyes and share their perceptions, their ideas and suggestions deserve attention, especially when coming from a place of good will. The only topic that I could not make up my mind about is whether a woman can have everything: making babies and at the same time assuming a heavy professional workload. Compromise is inevitable, for both the government planners and for working women. Perhaps the stigma that a professional woman must also produce more babies and be a good mother should be banished. For brilliant intellectual women who got their graduate degrees and contributed to their profession and thus to China's economy, it is unreasonable to overload them with motherhood demands. One topic you did not mention: because of the super competitiveness with 1.4 billion people, that 35 is deemed "too old" for many jobs.
You don't see much of those kind of discrimination in Shenzhen. I think it more often been seen in Shanghai because it was the first window to the West and became rich earlier and developed a certain culture called "买办", I once lived in Shanghai for a year and I really don't feel good about this.