So many. Franfly, there are so many cultural differences between China and the West.
I have got so many expat friends in Shanghai. We often hang out together.
As a native Chinese, I can tell you certain important cultural difference between China and the West.
Let me list down five very important culture differences.
Naked Marriage (Luo Hun)
“Naked Marriage” is an informal, yet a very important term in Chinese culture.
If you have an interest in Chinese language and culture, you’d better know it.
- 裸婚 (Luǒhūn): Luo Hun; naked wedding; naked marriage
Marriage is so important in Chinese culture. Chinese people are very particular about getting marriage. They pay a lot of attention to the upcoming new life.
Well, before a guy and girl get married, it is important to ensure the financial stability in the upcoming married life. That is to say, before a couple gets married, they would ensure that they have bought a house, car, and have sufficient financial resources to start a family. A guy is generally expected to take the lead.
So, what exactly is a naked marriage? Naked marriage refers to getting married without buying a house, car, etc. Basically, if you get married without ensuring financial stability, such as, without buying a house, your relatives will refer your marriage as a “naked marriage”. There is nothing illegal about it. However, the naked marriage does promote gossip among the relatives. Hence, nobody wants to have the naked marriage.
Drink Hot Water
Probably the most puzzling thing for foreigners about Chinese is: why the Chinese love to drink hot water?
Although in the eyes of foreigners, drinking hot water is a bit “weird”, in the eyes of Chinese people, drinking hot water is not a strange behavior, but a sign of health and wellness.
So here comes the question – why are the Chinese so keen to drink hot water? Let me explain with a simple example.
From ancient times to the present, the importance of drinking hot water among the Chinese people has been nearly the same. It has been a long historical tradition and has gradually become a part of the culture. However, the Chinese people began to drink hot water after drinking raw water for thousands of years. In ancient times, due to the less developed economy, expenses, and lack of fuel, ordinary people could not drink hot water at all.
However, as time passed, drinking hot water has become a very important part of Chinese lifestyle.
Well, the water in nature contains thousands of bacteria and microorganisms that are invisible to the naked eyes. Although the natural water may look pure and clean, if you drink it directly, you are likely to drink all those microorganisms.
For example, Escherichia coli, which everyone is most familiar with, is one of the main members living in natural water. When it reproduces in the human stomach and intestines, it is easy to cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and other uncomfortable symptoms, especially for people who are weak and have poor immune resistance.
Hence, we prefer to drink hot water that is free of bacteria and other harmful microorganisms.
Bath At Night
Why Chinese people like to take a bath at night?
Most of us Chinese takes a bath at night, while foreigners in many counties do just the opposite. Most foreigners in the USA/UK choose to take a bath after getting up in the morning.
What is the reason that Chinese people like to take a bath at night?
The first reason is that there is a lot of dirt on the body at the end of the day, so we choose to take a bath at night for hygiene reasons. We Chinese people like to take a bath at night. This is because the night is the end of the day. After a whole day of contact with the outside world, the skin surface is easily contaminated with a lot of dust and harmful substances. Metabolism also produces a lot of waste, all of which will accumulate on the surface of our skin. If we don’t clean it in time, the body could be vulnerable to bacteria.
The second reason is to relieve fatigue and promote good sleep. After a daylong hard work, the biggest wish of us Chinese is to go home quickly, have a delicious dinner with our family, and then take a comfortable hot bath. Taking a hot bath can speed up our blood circulation and relieve symptoms such as muscle soreness caused by fatigue. When a person takes a bath, the mind is the easiest to relax, which makes us feel happy. Taking a bath at night help us relieve fatigue and make us sleep more soundly.
Squat Toilets
If you are coming to China, you should be ready to use the squat toilets. Although a good number of hotels, cafeterias, and tourist sites are equipped with Western commode/toilet, if you visit the Chinese countryside, you are most likely to encounter the squat toilets.
Btw, the cultural difference is not just the Squat Toilet. Rather, it’s more about using the tissue paper when you use the Squat Toilet.
Chopsticks
Yes, if you plan to stay in China for a while, you should start to learn using chopsticks (筷子Kuai Zi). Finding a spoon and fork will be challenging in traditional Chinese restaurants. The restaurant would generally provide you ladle/scoop (Shao Zi, 勺子) for drinking soup. I have seen some foreigners eating rice with ladles.
However, there has been once exception. Once I visited a Pizza Hut outlet in Shanghai and they only had spoon and fork. They just didn’t have Chopsticks. 🙂
Good luck, babes!
