The anxiety when a stranger talks to Chinese people reminded me of my visits in China. I am so used to greet people in the hallway or asking people how was their day because these are common practices here in US. When I visited Ningbo for the first time, I went to stop by my Dad's company. I was greeting and was trying to engage in conversation while waiting for the elevator. I observed the anxious looks and side glances from other people. In the elevator, they were pushing themselves on the sides and gave me side glances. It was awkward and when I brought this to the manager, she laughed and told me that I made those people uncomfortable because it is not a practice in China.
@@PristianoPenaldoSUIIII It's the same with anything smaller than a town in the UK, from my experience. Villages are jam-packed full of people who won't stop talking to you.
I live in Ningbo right now, and I realised that compared to Fujian people, 宁波人 on the whole are way more cold to foreigners and less forgiving. Makes it much more difficult to make friends/engage in meaningful interactions. This is just a general observation tho, there are always exceptions.
The idea of 调休 is so wild to me cause in Australia if a public holiday falls on the weekend, then it also moves to the Monday so that we still all get a day off work😂
Russia also has 调休 of sorts? If a national holiday falls on the weekend, we get an extra day of rest during the week. However, if the holiday is on Tuesday, and it's decided to let people enjoy Monday off as well, we'd have to work on Saturday to make up for that extra day.
Here in Brazil we talk A LOT about our lives, weather and everything else with strangers, is even a politeness matter having this chit-chats in street. We also greet strangers on the street, like "Hey, the sun is really hot today", "Don't tell me about it" and the conversation is over. So it's pretty odd to me having contact with cultures where this is not the normal xD I love your videos, they're really helpful in my learning
Thank you for the video) in Kazakhstan we also adjust our holidays. For example, we have national holidays on 7th and 9th of may, so we usually work one day more in advance to rest on 8th of may as well.
hahaha, the elevator thing is so relatable. I'm Spanish and here it's quite common to at least say hello if you go somewhere where there's other people ( for example elevators), but I panic if there's small talk involved, I'm so bad at it. But when I was living in Beijing, I used to say hello when going into an elevator and I remember people looking at me a bit strange. Good to know about the rest. I wish Spanish weddings were so relaxed, I have one this weekend and I have been panicking about it for months.
调休 in Russia usually takes effect before the specified date. Say, you've got an adjusted holiday in the future, so in order to make up for it, you have to work on Sunday or Saturday BEFORE that date. It takes effect on the national level as well
Poland also has a 调休 system, but it mainly applies to education. Nationwide, students go to school on a Saturday in exchange for a free day on a Monday or Friday. Some companies also participate and the public transport system in many cities works according to a weekday schedule on those Saturdays.
In my Indian state( Manipur) wedding we dressed up with a bit heavy makeup & wear our separate traditional dress for going to other's wedding . Also, there's no 调休 here even though we have different religious festivals every month & some strikes/ band . Now, the strikes are reduced due to our new Govt. But, some few years back when there's so many holidays the teacher will forcely finish the syllabus at the end And so we go for cram school . Going to cram school ( tuition) is a trend in my state .
After studying at a Chinese university for a year I found out about 调休, 中秋节 was coming up and I was looking forward to having three days off, then a few days before our break my teacher said she we have extra lessons on Saturday and Sunday, I was so confused because I'd never seen weekends added to the working week so I could get days off.😅I was so sad as well because I had to go to class for 7 days straight.
In most places in the U.S. the facilities are closed during the Holydays so we can travel or stay home but, before the long holyday most teachers and professors at all levels pile on tons of work this spoils much of our time off.
I lived in China in the early 90's for nearly three years and I can tell you that Chinese people had no problem making small talk with me. Ok. Most of them were curious and many of them wanted to practise their English but I don't think that 'not making small talk ' is really part of Chinese culture in the way that 面子 ( Mian zi ) or 孝 ( Xiao ) is and has always been. As far as I can make out this 'small talk' thing is very much a generational thing or old world / new world thing . In my younger days everybody made small talk with everyone , everywhere. ( South Africa ) . It was considered extremely rude to avoid small talk.But back then in China the rate of urbanisation was low , most people were less full of themselves and of course there was no social media and no smartphones. Pretty much the same thing is happening here in London. Older people are always up for small talk but more and more younger people have no idea how to make or react to small talk.
Amazing tips. In Brazil when we're going to a wedding we just take care to not dressup more than the bride or the groom. And we always try to engage in conversation. Please talk about more the letters chinese use like P. I'm learning mandarim but I never before undertand what they means. 谢谢你啊!~
In México for holidays now if the day of is in Saturday or Sunday we won't have it, so for example this year May 1st was in Sunday, so I didn't have the day of, also, if you want to have more days of along with the holiday you have to work that time or use your vacations (per year we have 6 days of vacations). Also people here use to greet and if you don't say anything people will think you are rude or 刻薄
4:14 Wow, those Photoshop are really intense, not just adjusting the colour saturation or shadow, but altering the whole genetic makeup of both your parents.
in Hungary, if a holiday is tuesday or thursday, we get the monday or friday free to have 4 days in a row, but have to work it off on a saturday either after or before, but that gives max 6 days of work in a row, and its official in the whole country, all opening hours and timetables work as if the days were simply switched
My country doesn't even celebrate May 1st but I do as it is my birthday 🎂. We only take one day off for holidays. If it falls on a weekend day, we get the day off before or after it...or both...depending on the day..such as Christmas and boxing day..we get Christmas Eve off and some companies also the day after boxing day.
I have seen this a few times on my recent trips to China. I was with my student and his family and business associates at a going away brunch type meal, about 11 AM in Zhengzhou. The waiter brought a very large bucket and placed it in the middle of the table along with a very large pot of hot tea. Placed in front of each guest was a stack of dishes, plates, soup bowl, soup spoon etc., all encased in a neat plastic package, most likely delivered from a factory. Everyone sitting at the table started to take the plastic coating off the stack of dishes and then one of the guests had the job of pouring hot tea over each person's plate and dish, rinsing them over the bucket. The washer would hand back the plate to it’s owner and that person would start eating. I asked about why these supposedly clean, plastic ensconced dish packets had to be re-washed and everyone laughed at me!
As a native Chinese I never do this, with or without the plastic covers, but many people do. However, I'm actually surprised to know that some restaurants provide buckets and tea to encourage it. I always thought the restaurants wouldn't like it (because of the mess and the waste of tea, etc)
@@mingyue_chen When I was in Guangxi, some restaurants did provide the “tea” for washing the dishes. I never saw it when I was in Liaoning. So, I thought washing the dishes at the table was a Southern custom.
usually this is only done at some fast food places. its an old custom where they did it at roadhouses but is slowly being fazed out. If you go to yumcha in western cities this is what you may encounter.
Whenever any Chinese person sends his or her photo to me without any P 图 on it, I feel like thanking him for the honesty. It is a pity if photographs lose all their meaning in describing the reality.
I got the impression that Chinese don’t view photos as representations of reality, but rather as pictures of a better reality that we can pretend is the real one. It’s not only photos of people, but of things, too. When I took photos of Chinese food I cooked and shared those on Chinese social media, I got bad comments from people saying my food looked disgusting. I followed real Chinese recipes exactly with real Chinese ingredients and cooking tools. The problem was that my photos were just natural and unedited. Drops and streaks of oil could be seen on dishes, the inside of the wok was visibly blackened. My food didn’t look like a perfect, retouched image in an advertisement.
My country has the tiao xiu system. We have to work on the Saturday BEFORE a 4-day long weekend, where the Tuesday or Thursday would not be a holiday to make up for it. It is a national practice in Hungary.
Brazilians feel alright with small talk. However, Chinese immigrants who live here in Brazil remain cold if you approach to do small talk with them. I feel frustrated because I can't practice my little Chinese with them. It's sad, so sad!
Dressing casually to weddings, modifying faces to look more beautiful, and 调休… Interesting! Don’t have any of this in the Philippines. Maybe photoshop is a little universal, though…. But I don’t do it. Also, bringing toilet paper is usually wise, and it’s understandable to forget once you’re used to a privilege of always having toilet paper ready for you. Lastly, feeling uncomfortable being talked to out of nowhere is relatable! Though I try not to make them feel bad and try to go along with it.
I live in Chongqing. This is the second video I've watched from you and I'm cracking up! I DESPISE 调休！It's in my "Things I hate about living in China" video. 哈哈哈 I never knew what it was called so thank you for that! Just subscribed ☺️
Adjust rest in China is absolutely ridiculous. We were given a Wednesday off, but had to work the Sunday in lieu. I tried to explain that we didn’t really get a holiday. We just traded a Sunday for a Wednesday. Also, I’m still traumatized by my first visit to a Chinese public toilet. In fact, one of my interview questions became “do you have western toilets in your school”
At the university where I worked in China we often didn't find out what the actual holiday schedule would be until the very last minute. We sometimes didn't know which days we would have off and when we would be having the make-ups. until shortly before the holiday. I remember on time we found out a day or two before that Sunday would be a class day. In the US there is an academic calendar published years in advance. Changes seem to not often be made.
Nowadays, almost all public toilets in major cities in China are toilets. However, as a Chinese, I prefer squat toilet because it feels disgusting to touch the toilet with my skin. So every time I pee, I take a horse step at the same time🤣
This is my very first video of yours I've watched--actually, my first video about etiquette in china--and seriously, as an american who's never left the country, I hate when people take group selfies and post it without asking if it's okay first! My mom has done this to me so many times. I literally won't even let her take pictures of me anymore. I feel so genuinely insecure and scared of having pictures taken of me now because of this very issue. I'm actually currently on vacation, and she's pointed the camera at me multiple times. I've walked away or hidden my face every time. I don't usually care what I look like, but something about seeing a publicly posted picture of myself that looks different than how I thought I looked is just embarrassing. Just ASK before posting pictures of people. :(
In Canada we don't have 调休. Though, it is relatively rare that holidays fall in the middle of the week; I think we only have three of them that can do so (Canada Day, Christmas (2 days) and Remembrance Day). All the rest are defined as Xth Monday or Friday of the month, so they are unable to fall in the middle of the week. What some people will do for holidays that fall in the middle of the week, though, is to take one of their allotted vacation days to make it a really long weekend.
People really don't greet or talk to strangers in Sweden either, it's considered very forward or even weird, and most people just pretend that there are no other people present XD There are exceptions, of course, depending on place and circumstance. But at the bus stop, in an elevator, in a supermarket, for commuting on trains, etc., yeah, don't suddenly start talking to the person next to you... That was a culture shock for me when I went to the UK and people started chatting with me at the bus stop! We dress up for weddings (there's usually a dress code) and there's always toilet paper in public toilets. We also tend to make the "squeeze days" holidays, so if a Thursday is a public holiday, then Friday (squeezed in between the Thursday holiday and the Saturday when people normally don't work) also normally becomes a day off. But no more than that. Then again, we have 25 legal days off work each year besides the public holidays.
We also have this in Hungary (匈牙利)Not in every workplace, but the official places do work on Saturdays, when we have a holiday during the next week, to kinda working it off :)
In Sweden the norm is that you work mon-friday. Free on saturday and sunday. We have many holidays so free days is included within those. Also you are allowed to choose four weeks off your work in the year. For the last one we also get payed. But I so want to move to china :-(
Dress up on the wedding in a must too in Indonesia. During my wedding with my wife, my wife’s girl friends were creating a group in WeChat what to wear, in order to “win” in dressing themselves with Indonesian’s guests, but in the end, they still couldn’t compete the overly dressed Indonesian guests.
Chinese / family habits: Wash your chopsticks with hot water in local restaurants, peel off layer of baos, clean tea bags before putting in your cup, make sure other cups are always full with tea, do not eat outdoor, do not sit on warm chairs,...
🐥：Has Shu Shu ever lived in Japan or visited for sightseeing? The background photo is Mt. Fuji, a symbol of Japan that straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures in Japan.
1. That's really amazing, in Russia many girls do makeup even if they go shopping, when I was in China nobody cared about my clothes, really pleasant feeling ❤ 2. In my opinion Chinese beauty apps make european face look like an alien; Turning to the main point: I think we must ask a person before share his/her photos, it's a common courtesy; 3. Russia also 调休 4. Pain! The main point is there are a few public toilets in Moscow, so, 多喝热水 is a problem, really weird, isn't it? I usually have a pack of wet and dry wipes, not a big deal, several times shared with classmates in China, they somehow knew I always has wipes in my bag. 5. Being an introvert I feel weird, hate small-talks, but accustomed chinese say "hello" to me. I suppose they want foreigners to feel more comfortable, foreigners look alike, so no way. I just tell myself they don't have any bad intentions
Since you Said you’re a linguistic nerd would you also make some videos about Chinese linguistics or explain some structures in a linguistic point of view
The only thing about chinese culture I dislike is the chinese attitude towards work. 调休 is a good example for that, but also stuff like staying longer at work than you have to in order to not appear lazy
It reminds me of during the Communist era in Russia how people were afraid to say the wrong thing in public. And if you asked someone how they were doing, the favorite reply was “nichevo” which means “nothing.”
In germany its normal to greet strangers in certain Situations and can even be considered rude if you don't, especially in smaller cities. Also it's quite common to start making small talk with random strangers in certain Situations, for example when the Train is very late and both parties start complaining about that🤣 especially old people like to talk to you nearly any time... As for the 调休，we have very strict laws about this Kind of stuff so we dont have it... 🤣
Many Finnish software companies have flexible work hours, so I can 调休 whenever I feel the need - provided that I do not wreck any critical project by doing so.
hi shou laoshi! i see lots of abbreviations like the one in the video, p which stands photoshopped, I guess on wechat or weibo but I don't understand many of them. did you or will you make a video about it??
I've been to mainland China and notice some of the statements you made is true, but haven't seen the statements where is it true or not. However, toilet paper is a very true statement in China where you bring your own as well as having a hole on the floor in standard places.
调休 makes no sense to me at all. Thankfully my company doesn't apply it often. If you're trading one day for another, exactly what benefit are you getting? It's like something Scrooge would create.
Also in ITALY they like that, but when you always see those P-ed pictures on the socials and the you meet the person, you just jump scared to see the difference 😆😄
I'm pretty sure that talking to a stranger should be so uncomfortable, but being honest, it's the most effective way to learn about culture, language and society. Don't do that, it's like watching through a window.
I would rather not go to a wedding at all than go to one in a set of clothes I would not even dare to wear to the office. I don’t get it: If the bride and groom and official wedding party is dressed up but everybody else looks like they’re going to KFC, doesn’t that create a kind of ‘theatre stage’ atmosphere, instead of an actual social event?
俺寧不放假，不要上補辦！老闆，還我千金的週末！ Perhaps it's cause I'm Swedish, but I think Chinese are extremely willing to chat up strangers, I'm often the one feeling very uncomfortable with people trying to talk to me....
Now I know why I got scared when strangers did small talk to me eventho I'm not from China.. Cause ma ancestor was Chinese.. It still run in ma blood XD
Come on, guys, I live in China now and almost everyone wants to know where I’m from. They see a foreigner and not shy at all to start a small talk. People here think that asking am I married or how much rent do I pay it’s normal question. Annoying as hell
Your videos are useful and insightful and I mean no offence by saying that there some unconscious degree of toxicity involved in the "usual behaviours" you are describing. Also, I must address the fact that whilst it is logic to expect that a foreign person adjusted her/his behaviour according to the local customs, I find that many Chinese people have a very hard time applying the same rule once abroad. I wonder why is that so.
Well, as for the topic of adjusting to different behaviors when aboard, I am a Chinese myself I want to express my opinion: Due to the Great Firewall, Chinese people can't access to the major social media platforms in the west without VPNs, so we are somehow isolated by a unseen wall, people can't be exposed to many cultures and people around the global. In addition, here in China the major foreign languages students trend to learn are English (for university), Korean (kdrama) and Japanese (anime), so we know less about other countries and cultures because of language barrier. besides many older generation people are not very well educated for example my mom don't even know how to pronounce ABC. The last but not least, China isn't a developed country, only some of us can afford to travel aboard, so the ones who you encountered probably went aboard for the first time. For the reasons above, Chinese will naturally think all people around world do the same things and think in our way, which is not the truth. You can argue that Chinese people are ignorant or we just don't get used to the fact that people around the world do and think differently. I think we are learning how to integrate with the world and respect different cultures, and we will make progress in the near future.
If you are a westerner and speak to someone in English some get nervous because they are not confident with their own English. If you are a westerner and try to speak Chinese some become nervous because likely your Chinese is so bad they won't understand you.
The anxiety when a stranger talks to Chinese people reminded me of my visits in China. I am so used to greet people in the hallway or asking people how was their day because these are common practices here in US. When I visited Ningbo for the first time, I went to stop by my Dad's company. I was greeting and was trying to engage in conversation while waiting for the elevator. I observed the anxious looks and side glances from other people. In the elevator, they were pushing themselves on the sides and gave me side glances. It was awkward and when I brought this to the manager, she laughed and told me that I made those people uncomfortable because it is not a practice in China.
I had opposite situations. When I visited China many people was greeting and talking with me first. I embarrassed a bit.
@@Mezdumirie it probably depends on region. In the UK in London people keep to themselves but in the North people are much more chatty
@@PristianoPenaldoSUIIII It's the same with anything smaller than a town in the UK, from my experience. Villages are jam-packed full of people who won't stop talking to you.
This is why I have a tattoo on me that clearly says 闻风丧胆 I am scared too lol
I live in Ningbo right now, and I realised that compared to Fujian people, 宁波人 on the whole are way more cold to foreigners and less forgiving. Makes it much more difficult to make friends/engage in meaningful interactions. This is just a general observation tho, there are always exceptions.
The idea of 调休 is so wild to me cause in Australia if a public holiday falls on the weekend, then it also moves to the Monday so that we still all get a day off work😂
Same here in Nigeria! The idea of a holiday is to get off work, and get off work we must.
Russia also has 调休 of sorts? If a national holiday falls on the weekend, we get an extra day of rest during the week. However, if the holiday is on Tuesday, and it's decided to let people enjoy Monday off as well, we'd have to work on Saturday to make up for that extra day.
Here in Brazil we talk A LOT about our lives, weather and everything else with strangers, is even a politeness matter having this chit-chats in street. We also greet strangers on the street, like "Hey, the sun is really hot today", "Don't tell me about it" and the conversation is over. So it's pretty odd to me having contact with cultures where this is not the normal xD I love your videos, they're really helpful in my learning
I like that friendly cultural style!
Thank you for the video) in Kazakhstan we also adjust our holidays. For example, we have national holidays on 7th and 9th of may, so we usually work one day more in advance to rest on 8th of may as well.
hahaha, the elevator thing is so relatable. I'm Spanish and here it's quite common to at least say hello if you go somewhere where there's other people ( for example elevators), but I panic if there's small talk involved, I'm so bad at it. But when I was living in Beijing, I used to say hello when going into an elevator and I remember people looking at me a bit strange. Good to know about the rest. I wish Spanish weddings were so relaxed, I have one this weekend and I have been panicking about it for months.
调休 in Russia usually takes effect before the specified date. Say, you've got an adjusted holiday in the future, so in order to make up for it, you have to work on Sunday or Saturday BEFORE that date. It takes effect on the national level as well
Poland also has a 调休 system, but it mainly applies to education. Nationwide, students go to school on a Saturday in exchange for a free day on a Monday or Friday. Some companies also participate and the public transport system in many cities works according to a weekday schedule on those Saturdays.
Interesting, had no idea. I never had that when I went to high school in Poland 10 years ago or so.
"Nationwide, students go to school on a Saturday in exchange for a free day on a Monday or Friday" It's not true. The are no lessons on Saturdays.
In my Indian state( Manipur) wedding we dressed up with a bit heavy makeup & wear our separate traditional dress for going to other's wedding . Also, there's no 调休 here even though we have different religious festivals every month & some strikes/ band . Now, the strikes are reduced due to our new Govt. But, some few years back when there's so many holidays the teacher will forcely finish the syllabus at the end And so we go for cram school . Going to cram school ( tuition) is a trend in my state .
I remember due to the very heavy long strikes we had due to ILP our school even made Sunday a school day.
After studying at a Chinese university for a year I found out about 调休, 中秋节 was coming up and I was looking forward to having three days off, then a few days before our break my teacher said she we have extra lessons on Saturday and Sunday, I was so confused because I'd never seen weekends added to the working week so I could get days off.😅I was so sad as well because I had to go to class for 7 days straight.
In most places in the U.S. the facilities are closed during the Holydays so we can travel or stay home but, before the long holyday most teachers and professors at all levels pile on tons of work this spoils much of our time off.
This is something I hate about Oriental cultures. It just seems completely wrong to me.
I lived in China in the early 90's for nearly three years and I can tell you that Chinese people had no problem making small talk with me. Ok. Most of them were curious and many of them wanted to practise their English but I don't think that 'not making small talk ' is really part of Chinese culture in the way that 面子 ( Mian zi ) or 孝 ( Xiao ) is and has always been. As far as I can make out this 'small talk' thing is very much a generational thing or old world / new world thing . In my younger days everybody made small talk with everyone , everywhere. ( South Africa ) . It was considered extremely rude to avoid small talk.But back then in China the rate of urbanisation was low , most people were less full of themselves and of course there was no social media and no smartphones. Pretty much the same thing is happening here in London. Older people are always up for small talk but more and more younger people have no idea how to make or react to small talk.
I was in China for 1 month in 2002. Like for you, there were quite often curious people coming to speak with me.. in the street, in the train etc..
Amazing tips. In Brazil when we're going to a wedding we just take care to not dressup more than the bride or the groom. And we always try to engage in conversation.
Please talk about more the letters chinese use like P. I'm learning mandarim but I never before undertand what they means.
谢谢你啊!~
In México for holidays now if the day of is in Saturday or Sunday we won't have it, so for example this year May 1st was in Sunday, so I didn't have the day of, also, if you want to have more days of along with the holiday you have to work that time or use your vacations (per year we have 6 days of vacations). Also people here use to greet and if you don't say anything people will think you are rude or 刻薄
4:14 Wow, those Photoshop are really intense, not just adjusting the colour saturation or shadow, but altering the whole genetic makeup of both your parents.
in Hungary, if a holiday is tuesday or thursday, we get the monday or friday free to have 4 days in a row, but have to work it off on a saturday either after or before, but that gives max 6 days of work in a row, and its official in the whole country, all opening hours and timetables work as if the days were simply switched
My country doesn't even celebrate May 1st but I do as it is my birthday 🎂. We only take one day off for holidays. If it falls on a weekend day, we get the day off before or after it...or both...depending on the day..such as Christmas and boxing day..we get Christmas Eve off and some companies also the day after boxing day.
I have seen this a few times on my recent trips to China. I was with my student and his family and business associates at a going away brunch type meal, about 11 AM in Zhengzhou. The waiter brought a very large bucket and placed it in the middle of the table along with a very large pot of hot tea. Placed in front of each guest was a stack of dishes, plates, soup bowl, soup spoon etc., all encased in a neat plastic package, most likely delivered from a factory. Everyone sitting at the table started to take the plastic coating off the stack of dishes and then one of the guests had the job of pouring hot tea over each person's plate and dish, rinsing them over the bucket. The washer would hand back the plate to it’s owner and that person would start eating. I asked about why these supposedly clean, plastic ensconced dish packets had to be re-washed and everyone laughed at me!
As a native Chinese I never do this, with or without the plastic covers, but many people do. However, I'm actually surprised to know that some restaurants provide buckets and tea to encourage it. I always thought the restaurants wouldn't like it (because of the mess and the waste of tea, etc)
@@mingyue_chen When I was in Guangxi, some restaurants did provide the “tea” for washing the dishes. I never saw it when I was in Liaoning. So, I thought washing the dishes at the table was a Southern custom.
usually this is only done at some fast food places. its an old custom where they did it at roadhouses but is slowly being fazed out. If you go to yumcha in western cities this is what you may encounter.
Whenever any Chinese person sends his or her photo to me without any P 图 on it, I feel like thanking him for the honesty. It is a pity if photographs lose all their meaning in describing the reality.
I got the impression that Chinese don’t view photos as representations of reality, but rather as pictures of a better reality that we can pretend is the real one.
It’s not only photos of people, but of things, too. When I took photos of Chinese food I cooked and shared those on Chinese social media, I got bad comments from people saying my food looked disgusting. I followed real Chinese recipes exactly with real Chinese ingredients and cooking tools. The problem was that my photos were just natural and unedited. Drops and streaks of oil could be seen on dishes, the inside of the wok was visibly blackened. My food didn’t look like a perfect, retouched image in an advertisement.
We also adjust holidays in Hungary.
My country has the tiao xiu system. We have to work on the Saturday BEFORE a 4-day long weekend, where the Tuesday or Thursday would not be a holiday to make up for it. It is a national practice in Hungary.
in singapore they don't usually supply toilet paper unless youre in a big mall etc so you also have to bring toilet paper ;(
Useful to know about the picture editing so I can be a good friend!
説説好！謝謝你的視頻，很有趣！在俄羅斯我們也有調休! 常常我們工作6天所以下個禮拜我們休息2-4天。
Brazilians feel alright with small talk. However, Chinese immigrants who live here in Brazil remain cold if you approach to do small talk with them. I feel frustrated because I can't practice my little Chinese with them. It's sad, so sad!
Dressing casually to weddings, modifying faces to look more beautiful, and 调休… Interesting! Don’t have any of this in the Philippines. Maybe photoshop is a little universal, though…. But I don’t do it.
Also, bringing toilet paper is usually wise, and it’s understandable to forget once you’re used to a privilege of always having toilet paper ready for you.
Lastly, feeling uncomfortable being talked to out of nowhere is relatable! Though I try not to make them feel bad and try to go along with it.
I live in Chongqing. This is the second video I've watched from you and I'm cracking up! I DESPISE 调休！It's in my "Things I hate about living in China" video. 哈哈哈 I never knew what it was called so thank you for that! Just subscribed ☺️
Me too, 100%
Adjust rest in China is absolutely ridiculous. We were given a Wednesday off, but had to work the Sunday in lieu. I tried to explain that we didn’t really get a holiday. We just traded a Sunday for a Wednesday.
Also, I’m still traumatized by my first visit to a Chinese public toilet. In fact, one of my interview questions became “do you have western toilets in your school”
LOLOLOL man you are fighting some losing battles..
At the university where I worked in China we often didn't find out what the actual holiday schedule would be until the very last minute. We sometimes didn't know which days we would have off and when we would be having the make-ups. until shortly before the holiday. I remember on time we found out a day or two before that Sunday would be a class day. In the US there is an academic calendar published years in advance. Changes seem to not often be made.
Nowadays, almost all public toilets in major cities in China are toilets. However, as a Chinese, I prefer squat toilet because it feels disgusting to touch the toilet with my skin. So every time I pee, I take a horse step at the same time🤣
This is my very first video of yours I've watched--actually, my first video about etiquette in china--and seriously, as an american who's never left the country, I hate when people take group selfies and post it without asking if it's okay first! My mom has done this to me so many times. I literally won't even let her take pictures of me anymore. I feel so genuinely insecure and scared of having pictures taken of me now because of this very issue. I'm actually currently on vacation, and she's pointed the camera at me multiple times. I've walked away or hidden my face every time. I don't usually care what I look like, but something about seeing a publicly posted picture of myself that looks different than how I thought I looked is just embarrassing. Just ASK before posting pictures of people. :(
But why? 😅
Could you explain what's so terrifying about it?
me，too🤝. I’m Chinese. The internet is not always secure！I don't post my photos online, it's a way of protecting myself.
In Canada we don't have 调休. Though, it is relatively rare that holidays fall in the middle of the week; I think we only have three of them that can do so (Canada Day, Christmas (2 days) and Remembrance Day). All the rest are defined as Xth Monday or Friday of the month, so they are unable to fall in the middle of the week. What some people will do for holidays that fall in the middle of the week, though, is to take one of their allotted vacation days to make it a really long weekend.
For a list of things not to do in China, this was extremely tame.
People really don't greet or talk to strangers in Sweden either, it's considered very forward or even weird, and most people just pretend that there are no other people present XD There are exceptions, of course, depending on place and circumstance. But at the bus stop, in an elevator, in a supermarket, for commuting on trains, etc., yeah, don't suddenly start talking to the person next to you... That was a culture shock for me when I went to the UK and people started chatting with me at the bus stop!
We dress up for weddings (there's usually a dress code) and there's always toilet paper in public toilets.
We also tend to make the "squeeze days" holidays, so if a Thursday is a public holiday, then Friday (squeezed in between the Thursday holiday and the Saturday when people normally don't work) also normally becomes a day off. But no more than that. Then again, we have 25 legal days off work each year besides the public holidays.
America likes 3 day weekends. If a holiday falls midweek, it will generally get moved to either Monday or Friday.
Haha proud to be an American 🇺🇸 But we got nothing on some of these countries with like 1 month breaks LOL
We also have this in Hungary (匈牙利)Not in every workplace, but the official places do work on Saturdays, when we have a holiday during the next week, to kinda working it off :)
Love your family name! 😀
Thanks for teaching an American!! ❤️❤️❤️
In Sweden the norm is that you work mon-friday. Free on saturday and sunday. We have many holidays so free days is included within those. Also you are allowed to choose four weeks off your work in the year. For the last one we also get payed. But I so want to move to china :-(
There are many holidays in China. Almost every month have some days off. Good!
Dress up on the wedding in a must too in Indonesia. During my wedding with my wife, my wife’s girl friends were creating a group in WeChat what to wear, in order to “win” in dressing themselves with Indonesian’s guests, but in the end, they still couldn’t compete the overly dressed Indonesian guests.
Thanks. Very interesting! Keep up the good work.
great insight into chinese culture.
Chinese / family habits: Wash your chopsticks with hot water in local restaurants, peel off layer of baos, clean tea bags before putting in your cup, make sure other cups are always full with tea, do not eat outdoor, do not sit on warm chairs,...
Omg. I forgot about the “no sitting on warm chairs” 😂😂😂😂 I never understood why my dad would scold me for that. 😂
🐥：Has Shu Shu ever lived in Japan or visited for sightseeing? The background photo is Mt. Fuji, a symbol of Japan that straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures in Japan.
Yeah I did also notice that. Chinese girl in Thailand with Fuji image ;)
1. That's really amazing, in Russia many girls do makeup even if they go shopping, when I was in China nobody cared about my clothes, really pleasant feeling ❤
2. In my opinion Chinese beauty apps make european face look like an alien; Turning to the main point: I think we must ask a person before share his/her photos, it's a common courtesy;
3. Russia also 调休
4. Pain! The main point is there are a few public toilets in Moscow, so, 多喝热水 is a problem, really weird, isn't it? I usually have a pack of wet and dry wipes, not a big deal, several times shared with classmates in China, they somehow knew I always has wipes in my bag.
5. Being an introvert I feel weird, hate small-talks, but accustomed chinese say "hello" to me. I suppose they want foreigners to feel more comfortable, foreigners look alike, so no way. I just tell myself they don't have any bad intentions
谢谢！These are always so helpful. God bless you! :)
nice content loved it!
In Hungary we also have 调休. As far as I know, many countries that were part of the Soviet Union, have this system
Can u make a video about different pronunciation in China cities
看到P图那里笑了，没想到shuo会说这个点，太真实了哈哈哈。😝😁
Since you Said you’re a linguistic nerd would you also make some videos about Chinese linguistics or explain some structures in a linguistic point of view
Thank you
My Chinese friend from Tangshan, was curious about why I was always talking to strangers just about anywhere. Actually I do have a "big mouth".
5:21 isn't the Tiao 调 come from 调整？调休，调整休息。。。调整休息日子
The only thing about chinese culture I dislike is the chinese attitude towards work. 调休 is a good example for that, but also stuff like staying longer at work than you have to in order to not appear lazy
Yes. The efficiency is low. But, Japan and Korea are even worse.
我的国家，罗马尼亚，没有这个调休 system, 之间我的汉语老师告诉我在中国有这个调休system，我觉得很奇怪, 她觉得很麻烦 :))
Regarding small talk, is it okay to just say a quick "你好", ”早上," or "晚上"?
usually we don't say "你好" or “早上好” to random bypasser, you can just smile and node if you have eye contact with others.
It reminds me of during the Communist era in Russia how people were afraid to say the wrong thing in public. And if you asked someone how they were doing, the favorite reply was “nichevo” which means “nothing.”
In germany its normal to greet strangers in certain Situations and can even be considered rude if you don't, especially in smaller cities.
Also it's quite common to start making small talk with random strangers in certain Situations, for example when the Train is very late and both parties start complaining about that🤣 especially old people like to talk to you nearly any time...
As for the 调休，we have very strict laws about this Kind of stuff so we dont have it... 🤣
Many Finnish software companies have flexible work hours, so I can 调休 whenever I feel the need - provided that I do not wreck any critical project by doing so.
hi shou laoshi! i see lots of abbreviations like the one in the video, p which stands photoshopped, I guess on wechat or weibo but I don't understand many of them. did you or will you make a video about it??
I just watched the rest of the video you already said what p means 🫣🫣🫣
New words，good。
All really good advice.
好有趣， 老师! Sweden is the same when it comes to talking to strangers. We(!) do not like that. ^^
OMG, I wondered why Chinese people on social media always looked so good...
5:39 台灣也有調休系統。but depends on your political beliefs :D
Who wouldn't want to make elevator small talk with Shuo?
I couldn't resist :)
Hi. In Spain people are very friendly. In general latin people like to kiss and hug.We like to small talk in the elevator. Regards
Haha, I guessed P图 was short for 骗图 :)
Me too!
You'll need to bring TP in Spain too. Madrid is a crapshoot, but definitely in the south!
哈哈哈！好的谢谢！很及时！
I've been to mainland China and notice some of the statements you made is true, but haven't seen the statements where is it true or not. However, toilet paper is a very true statement in China where you bring your own as well as having a hole on the floor in standard places.
I think I would enjoy China - smalltalk with strangers terrifies me too
🤣
Me too! Smalltalk here in Denmark is also a complete no-go!!! 😎😂
Not so quick: some chinese say "hello" to foreigners, but they don't have bad intensions. :3
Hong Kong are so happy to be reunited
调休 makes no sense to me at all. Thankfully my company doesn't apply it often. If you're trading one day for another, exactly what benefit are you getting? It's like something Scrooge would create.
😂😂😂 would be interesting to learn the history of that.. clearly it only benefit employer or productivity
老师我有个问题：在中文用Latin字的时候，用什么声调？
哇！大部分都是一声！（I just realized that because of your question!)
非常感谢
Thailand seems to have fairly similar customs to Europe. China is still a question mark to me.
Also in ITALY they like that, but when you always see those P-ed pictures on the socials and the you meet the person, you just jump scared to see the difference 😆😄
Russia also has tiao xiu system.
luckily the university I work at in china we don't have to do 调休！ we're a UK international program but every where else I know does have
I'm pretty sure that talking to a stranger should be so uncomfortable, but being honest, it's the most effective way to learn about culture, language and society. Don't do that, it's like watching through a window.
I would rather not go to a wedding at all than go to one in a set of clothes I would not even dare to wear to the office.
I don’t get it: If the bride and groom and official wedding party is dressed up but everybody else looks like they’re going to KFC, doesn’t that create a kind of ‘theatre stage’ atmosphere, instead of an actual social event?
没有调休system 😅
真棒哦
Lol I am not Chinese and I found it awkward when a stranger talks to me
俺寧不放假，不要上補辦！老闆，還我千金的週末！
Perhaps it's cause I'm Swedish, but I think Chinese are extremely willing to chat up strangers, I'm often the one feeling very uncomfortable with people trying to talk to me....
i have experience about 调休system in china .
You forgot the two most important rules: drink more hot water and you can wear more clothes
我迷路了 怎么办 如果我给随便人说 不好意思客运站在哪里 人家会不会害怕
当然不会！！这是很正常的
🤣🤣🤣 the expression on your face. you got scared on your example 😅
Now I know why I got scared when strangers did small talk to me eventho I'm not from China.. Cause ma ancestor was Chinese.. It still run in ma blood XD
Yeah…. When there was some national holiday we had to go to school on Sunday! 太奇怪了！这样放假有什么意思呢？
Why don’t people like small talk? I had a different experience - it just seemed normal like some people would approach me others kept to themselves
我们国家也有调休， 但是一般是公司决定的。 ；）
Come on, guys, I live in China now and almost everyone wants to know where I’m from. They see a foreigner and not shy at all to start a small talk. People here think that asking am I married or how much rent do I pay it’s normal question. Annoying as hell
I thought most people in China would be afraid of foreigners in this time of the corona.
Your videos are useful and insightful and I mean no offence by saying that there some unconscious degree of toxicity involved in the "usual behaviours" you are describing. Also, I must address the fact that whilst it is logic to expect that a foreign person adjusted her/his behaviour according to the local customs, I find that many Chinese people have a very hard time applying the same rule once abroad. I wonder why is that so.
Well, as for the topic of adjusting to different behaviors when aboard, I am a Chinese myself I want to express my opinion: Due to the Great Firewall, Chinese people can't access to the major social media platforms in the west without VPNs, so we are somehow isolated by a unseen wall, people can't be exposed to many cultures and people around the global. In addition, here in China the major foreign languages students trend to learn are English (for university), Korean (kdrama) and Japanese (anime), so we know less about other countries and cultures because of language barrier. besides many older generation people are not very well educated for example my mom don't even know how to pronounce ABC. The last but not least, China isn't a developed country, only some of us can afford to travel aboard, so the ones who you encountered probably went aboard for the first time. For the reasons above, Chinese will naturally think all people around world do the same things and think in our way, which is not the truth. You can argue that Chinese people are ignorant or we just don't get used to the fact that people around the world do and think differently. I think we are learning how to integrate with the world and respect different cultures, and we will make progress in the near future.
“Toxic” 🙄 dude what are you talking about. What city are you in? Most Chinese I see in my city simply keep to themselves what’s the harm in that
匈牙利也有调休。😅
你太棒了
India also have similar arrangement as 调休 。Indian companies are also not far behind in sucking blood of employees.
🤣
那如果我还是想和一个陌生的中国人聊一聊最好该怎么做呢？？）））））
Hello, i need some help from chinese friends
几个月前我在香港，电梯里有一个中国家庭和另一个外国人。 老外直接告诉那位女士，为什么她的孩子天冷了不戴帽子，那位女士只是笑了笑。 这是一个尴尬的局面，因为他们彼此不认识。
If you are a westerner and speak to someone in English some get nervous because they are not confident with their own English. If you are a westerner and try to speak Chinese some become nervous because likely your Chinese is so bad they won't understand you.