Polluted, smelly, noisy, cold. Massive, vibrant, ancient, evolving.
After a month here, these are the words that spring to mind when describing China. It’s an interesting place to be but it’s nothing like I expected. Here is a bit of an introduction to the basics of life in China.
Chinese weather
I arrived just after the Spring Festival: ‘春天快来了’ is what I’ve been hearing for the past month. Spring is coming.
Well, let me tell you, spring is still not here. IT IS SO COLD. Don’t be fooled by the rumours; China is not always warm. I am staying in Ningbo whic
h is south of Shanghai and well into March, it’s still about 10° . The temperature is made to feel worse however by the humidity; I always thought humidity was associated with heat but in fact it makes temperature seem more dramatic in both directions. There’s a good old wind here too.
Having said this, what adds to this insane cold is the random sweltering days that are thrown our way. Every now and then we get a few days where temperatures hit 26°, which really caught me out the first few times. Now I know to check the weather forecast every day.
There’s also an app we are supposed to check daily to know whether pollution levels are high and we should stay inside or not. I quite like polluted days because nobody is around and the gym is empty but I’m sure it affects how far I can go on the treadmill (although that could be in my head).
The Chinese’ awe of foreigners
Everybody talks of the ‘White God Complex’ that some expats come back from China with; they are so used to being treated like kings that they expect it when they get back to The West. The excitement of seeing a ‘laowai’ (Chinese slang for foreigner) does exist. We get told we’re beautiful, people touch our hair, they take our picture and they call their friends over. On nights out we often get free drinks and VIP treatment and they’ll even move paying Chinese customers along to make space for us. I feel very uncomfortable with this and am seeing some people (mainly men) begin to get used to it and behave like they expect it. Western men get targeted big time by the girls too.
However, this treatment only comes from some of the Chinese. The others could not care less. Some in fact dislike us (and frankly, after watching some of the ‘laowais’ out here, I don’t blame them!). With these people you really need to know your Chinese culture. You need to be respectful, attempt to speak their language and above all, not waste their time!
The kind people in China
Chinese people are so kind. I have been helped out by so many strangers when they absolutely did not have to help. I also have Chinese friends who always want to take me out for dinner, or if I ask them a question on how to do something like ‘buy a cheap wok’ they’ll just do it for me! One stranger stood by my table at a restaurant and translated the whole menu for me, advised what I should choose and then told the waiter what I wanted. Chinese people are very kind.
Chinese cuisine: the great food
There is a lot of delicious food. It may all be cooked in oil but it’s incredibly yummy. There is a lot more to be discovered than just noodles, rice and duck. However, if you do like noodles, rice and duck, there’s a lot of joy to be found there too. It took me a while to navigate a Chinese men
u or even a Chinese restaurant but, when in doubt, point at what the table next to you are having. I do that a lot.
The snacks here are pretty great. Baozi are particularly good. They’re steamed buns with stuffing of some sort and they are delicious. I’ve also had caramelized sweet potato chips with sprinkles on top and they were surprisingly pleasant.
Street food is also a great thing. Street food in China is actually illegal. There are designated spots where the carts arrive at about 9pm, all offering different food. My favourite is this spicy egg-mcmuffin-chicken-oil-deliciousness situation. It’s incredibly cheap as well. Do be careful in what you choose though, street food hygiene isn’t always great and can upset our pathetic little western tummies.
… and terrible food
As well as having some outstanding places to eat, there are some not so great ones. Chinese go out for meals almost once a day and therefore it is not always a big event. Some places just serve a quick rice and veg dish which is dirt cheap and quick and there is nothing wrong with that… but you need to know what you’re ordering and k
now that meat isn’t always what we would call meat.
Don’t be alarmed if you get chicken feet either. They like them.
Chinese tea
Tea is not what I thought it would be. I thought I’d be drinking all sorts of yummy herbal teas, feeling all healthy and trying cool flavours. Well, herbal tea is actually really expensive here. There are some restaurants that give you free tea, which kind of tastes like water you’ve cooked rice in but is oddly comforting. I have also had one very expensive pot of chrysanthemum tea, which was simply to die for. Aside from that, I’m yet to be wowed by the Chinese herbal tea!
What I do love however, is their ‘milk teas’. It seems that they go for these in the way that we go for a cheeky latte. I think, from what I can tell, they use some form of condensed milk. You would usually have it with red or green tea and you can add ‘pearls’ which are little balls of jelly. Sometimes the balls are flavoured and sometimes they taste of nothing. These teas are obviously very unhealthy and full of sugar but they are DELICIOUS and cost about 70p.
Government control in China
Government control is everywhere and in weird ways. The Chinese students at my university are obliged to go to the gym for an hour a day. They have a curfew of 11pm and if they get in later their names are noted down. The internet as we know it is basically completely blocked. There are cameras everywhere. It is weird as hell. However, the youth seem to be quietly in revolt against it. They go to the gym but they just walk, very slowly, on the treadmills for an hour while watching something on their phones. (This annoys the hell out of me when I’m waiting for a machine to come free). They come on nights out with us and just stay at the exchange students’ flats until the morning… or they stay overnight at the clubs, which is a bit weird.
It seems to be a kind of disdainful fear of the government that comes from young Chinese people. It’s incredibly interesting.
Poverty in China
I expected to see a lot more poverty than I have. Poverty is, of course, present and I wonder if I haven’t seen that much simply because it gets covered up. However, what is more alarming is the insane levels of wealth. The gap is really quite massive; wealth takes on a whole new meaning here.
Huangpu in Shanghai has a view of the impressive economic centre that is Pudong with its high rises and fancy architecture. However, between Huangpu and the river is a massive area of shanty houses. It is such a pronounced juxtaposition.
So that’s a bit on the vibe I’m getting from China. As with any country there are positives and negatives but one thing is for sure, every day is an experience!
