7 Things I hate about living in China

[@NoGyiEa]

I'm from Eastern Europe, I've been following Asia in general as geopolitics and culture for a while now. Let me put things into perspective a bit 1. People look at you generally like little glances because you're a minority they don't see every day, so you're something new to them, something out of the ordinary. This stuff is found identically in countries like Korea, Japan, etc. because very recently, they have exploded economically and have been more open to the rest of the planet, so the culture and behavior is still adapting. You also find that in much of the non-western European countries, with regard to Asian or black people, same little looks, etc. but it all gets better with time and globalism. Also, that intense staring is more noticeable in older people, because from what I've been told, they're a little confused that you're there. Why? They lived their youth when the country was very poor, lots of people were migrating, and they knew from then on that America and western countries were richer at that time (and still have the view that it is so today). That's why now when they see a person of another color, in their mind they are like ''Why is he here in China? Why isn't he in America, why did he come here in our ''poverty''?'' That's why they seem to look at your whole body, from head to toe, analyze you, try to figure out what kind of person you are, what social status you have, etc. what made you ''push'' to choose China, and left your country that in their mind was superior. 2. Yes, we have a lot of queues here in Europe too. In China obviously, the population density, the number of population doesn't make it easy. They just want to do their job and leave as soon as possible. 3. Yes, spitting is an Asia thing, a lot of expats complain about the same situation in Korea, Japan, etc. So does economic boom, urbanization of rural population, lack of education about it, but things are getting better. Ok spitting, but why is spitting seemingly manifested with so much ''passion'' among the elderly? Well.. they lived in poverty, didn't have access to a very good medical system, lots of throat and lung diseases, sometimes also cancers + lots of cigarettes, these things being untreated, which can result in this reflex need to spit in old age. In fact, all over Europe there has been this problem, but with the standard of living, education, economically, things have become better. For Eastern European countries, the same thing, only 15-20 years ago people just started smoking less, and spitting less in the street, those were very common habits then. 4. Yes, China until like 15 years ago didn't have a problem with this, until as others wrote in the comments, terrorist attacks, the platforms said they couldn't give this ''private'' information to police officials for investigation, so the government said ''Well... then you won't enjoy our market anymore then..'' China fortunately has its own, much more secure, official, and safe platforms. Here in Europe we obviously have, you being from the UK and hearing very well, Facebook, Google, etc. and the level of misinformation and fake news distributed on these platforms, with no one doing anything about it, because obviously distribution means ads, means more money for these giant companies. So yeah, China doesn't want anything of that there.. given how big the population, ethnic groups, traditions, cultures are, so things can get much more dangerous and radical very easily.. 5. That's not the case, that's planet-wide thing, apart from UK & America (idk). If someone is hurt, you call the ambulance at most, and otherwise go and do your thing. A normal human on the street doesn't have the knowledge and ability to help him with anything. If you move him, you can make it worse for him, talking about his spine, blood veins etc. if you make certain inappropriate movements. Likewise, if someone is attacked on the street, 90% of the time you just call the police, and don't intervene. Either you can hurt someone (and maybe fatally), or you can be hurt yourself 6. Yes, another Asian thing, like in Japan, Korea etc. only there it manifests differently (i.e. they have fewer days off in general). Same with the very long working hours. It's true that it's a problem, but the rest of the planet has also recently gone to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Asia will need a few more decades to change its work culture (this is probably the most important reason why expats leave these countries + the fact that languages are quite hard to speak + not many people speak English here) 7. In Eastern Europe, only like 8-12 years ago it was introduced that smoking should be done only outdoors, not indoors (if there are no separate areas). The same with Korea, Japan, etc. It takes time for these cultural issues to change. 8. Yes, one of the most popular Asian thing, the culture of being submissive, being like others, not standing out, not having much individuality and drawing attention to yourself. Likewise, this straightforward attitude that for all of Europe, America, UK etc. seems so bad of weird to us, but it's just at its core how they're trying to get you to be a better version of yourself, to tell you that something's wrong with you, that you should get up and do something about it (even though, from our view, we're like ''why do you care about me, I don't even know you, I didn't ask you or ask your opinion, please just do your thing and leave me alone'' kind of mentality, because especially for us such attitude reminds us of our childhood, of children who were mean to us and said nasty things for free etc. we see this behaviour of theirs extra strange/bad than it actually is in reality..) Related to the workplace, Koreans tend to be even more dramatic, having extremes where your boss or co-workers verbally or physically attack you, even if you haven't submitted certain comments, just because they want to or think they should, and in Japan, it's the other extreme, where you end up being antisocial, and see your boss and co-workers as family, so you end up spending all day with them, at work in unpaid overtime, or after work at the bar for dinner, etc. But fortunately, linked to all these things, economic growth, raising living standards, openness to other people or cultures, globalism in general will make things better in the coming decades for our friends in Asia :D

[@demianl736]

Thank u 4 ur hard work!

[@AaroninChina]

Thank you for your detailed response. Was a nice read :)

[@NoGyiEa]

@@AaroninChina I'm glad. I subscribed recently, keep up the good work 🔥

[@Sunshine-qs6zo]

Great insight! The western countries need to be a bit patient and give developing countries some time and space to catch up in the fields of education, economy and living standards etc. Developing countries like China with rich inclusive cultures and also no lack of their own characteristics can adapt, change and make progress super fast under friendly and peaceful global environment.

[@青山思雨]

@@AaroninChina I laughed when you mentioned Chinese spitting. This does exist in many cities in China, but international cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are rarely seen. Because the quality of residents in these cities will be relatively high.

[@xintian2299]

as Chinese, I would say what you said are true in the sense that those things are really happening. but what I feel is that those are not the majority. for example the spitting problem. most people are not doing that any more. and the queueing problem, Ihaven't seen people pushing to get on to the bus for quit long time. but any way, it's good to have people like you who try to tell the true story about China. thank you and welcome to China.

[@buddha199115]

Happy to hear the flaws of Chinese mentality in China. I don’t believe the younger generations are doing what Aeron was talking about like spitting, jumped the queue etc but to the older generation I think they need more education and guidance. There’s nothing wrong in pointing out flaws of others but not like some anti China media, their main job is smearing and spreading propaganda.

[@pepe2000ful]

I’m not anti black I am black, but why why do we do shit like we are literally trying to get arrested. I’ve literally watched a black man on the subway, eating, then leaves his trash on the seat, gets off the train, pisses in a corner, then moves to another corner and lights a cigarette. Three laws he just broke literally in less then half an hour. Seems like you’re looking for trouble. Smh

[@Leon-ml4tv]

1. You mentioned people staring at you, I think probably because China is a nonimmigrant country, they are curious. It also might be because of the pandemic, they are worried. 2. About spitting, like what you said. mostly the old generation. China only takes 3 or 4 decades to become the 2nd largest economy in the world. Before that China's GDP was lower than India's. So there is a huge gap between different generations. 3. Google, Facebook, and Twitter are blocked in China for a reason. There was some terrorism in China, and these terrorists used these social applications to communicate with each other. The gov asked these companies to cooperate with the police, but they refused, that's why they are blocked. We are pretty happy to have our own applications. These giant companies you mentioned are getting too powerful nowadays. 4. Some people bump in the subway when people inside are getting out. That can happen sometimes. China has 1.4 billion people. Let's say we all have 10% idiots, that means a lot of people in China😂. By the way, if you are too polite when you are waiting for the subway, you probably will miss the subway and be late for your work. 5. When someone passes out in the street, people are not just standing there, they might have called the police or 120. We are not professionals, if we do something in the wrong way, that could kill that person. 6. Lack consideration of others. You need to consider the population of China. "Others" in China means a lot of people. If you pay attention to "others" all the time, that's time-consuming. Some westerners think Chinese are not friendly to strangers, but they have no idea how many strangers I usually meet on my way to work. When Westerners say "how are you", do they really care?😂 Chinese people are practical. They prefer to spend time with their family and friends. In a word, China is a huge country, we have 56 ethnic groups, they have different traditional cultures, food, personalities, even languages. When you put these problems in such a population, you may have a different perspective. Enjoy your life in China, all the best.

[@AaroninChina]

First of all, thank you for your very concise and thought-out comment. It's nice to hear others' point of view about my video. I can't disagree with anything you said really, so thanks again for sharing!

[@小夏-r3k]

@@AaroninChina Wow ! You're so considerate ！❤

[@MrDavidc]

A few years ago, I was at the beach in China, with my Chinese brother in law and a local asked him if I was a real human being.

[@Necro3888]

agree about spitting. mostly old generation because it's old habit. different culture, different habit.

[@williamedwardhackman4695]

There's a lot of things I hate about living in the USA, like politics, I hate voting.

[@stevenliu2289]

they are not staring at you, they just curious how much difference between you and him, because they rarely see a foreign people in their life.

[@AaroninChina]

Yeah it didn't take me long to realise that most of the staring is just curiosity and interest. It's just something that most other western countries wouldn't do, (staring at people)

[@xelkim9666]

All your 7 points are legit, I hope this video is picked up by the Chinese officials and be a thing that helps to improve on those matters. Though the first point where they stare at foreigners maybe cos they just being curious 😆

[@RobertAmer]

The government is very aware of the issues of lack of assistance for people who need help, because of perhaps a colapse or similar, which stems from scams which have developed over the years. As a result, the Government introduced Good Samaritan laws to give people protection to remove the liability off those who assist in such instances. It will take many years for people to change.

[@AaroninChina]

It's great to hear that they have passed laws that protect people that are trying to help save lives . All we need now is for everyone to be aware of these! Thanks for the comment 😃

[@JamesPhotoLX]

Trust me Aaron, the queuing / lining up problem was considerably worse 15 years ago, most places are much better these days. Store clerks often criticize queue jumpers nowadays and tell them to get to the back of the line. The escalator issue only exists in small numbers as they seem to be spatially unaware, but most people where I live are pretty aware and considerate of those around them. The holiday deal is kind of funny, I often used to say to my Chinese colleagues, you're not having a holiday, you're just taking your regular days off at a different time. 🤣

[@AaroninChina]

The days off thing I still can't wrap my dead around 😂 but yeah the queuing situation is already a lot better. But I had to come up with 7 things that annoyed me, so it made the list 😂

[@firefly4784]

Well, I saw many people spitting in Chicago too, usually at bus stops, since that, I would disagree spitting is an Asia thing.

[@JianYZhong]

Hi, interesting list. Thanks for sharing. I’m from Malaysia, and some of the issues you mention also apply here (but not all) especially “back in the day”. For example, I remember as a child seeing people spit publicly, but it’s been years since I see anyone spit in Malaysia. So the point I would like to make is that our behaviours change as the population grows more educated and wealthy. I think this is true when I compare Malaysia to Singapore. Both countries started off at a similar level, but Singapore is so much more educated and wealthier now, and the change in behaviour in Singapore is also greater than in Malaysia. I suspect the same is true in China, which you hinted at when you said spitting was more common among the older people vs younger. China is special because it has developed (economically at least) so quickly, but the social-behavioural change is also in the process of changing. I also think the same is likely true in Europe, Japan, etc. Probably people in 18th century Europe were more rough and crude than they are today. Just my hypothesis.

[@darkhorseinamerica1935]

As a Chinese American living in the US for 4 decades now, I agree with you wholeheartedly on everything except for someone not helping someone else when help is needed in China, where I lived about 12 years ago. As I walked home from a shopping mall, the rain suddenly came down one day. A Chinese man with an umbrella was standing next to me at an intersection, waiting for the traffic light to turn green while I was getting wet with no umbrella; he smiled at me. He said hello as he approached me to share his umbrella with me to a shelter. That certainly is heart-warming and impressed me! There aren't many Chinese people like him, but there are certainly a few friendly and considerate others.

[@edwardcook8982]

Well, that is your personal opinion, and I respect that. But come to think of it, you are a visitor and born outside China, therefore do what do Romans do. Cultural differences that one must respect. Just adjust or be one like them, or be more good "adjuster" or understanding. Besides, there is no other perfect country except for your own country of origin. Save your money and put up your own business in your own country, so you won't need to go work overseas. Also, better not to get fat... fat in some cultures would mean overeating or lazy to diet... Anyway I like your perspective. So objective...but the saying goes, "Do What The Romans Do" 🤣 I like your channel, very honest. Keep that honesty.

[@lh905]

Being a Chinese, these things also annoy me (except for the first one); thanks for being genuine and telling the truth. I think some comments down below have explained very well on these points to help you understand why the problems exist, and I’m sure that things are changing in a positive way. China welcome genuine criticism because that’s how we get to know ourselves better and keep improving. Thanks. Enjoy the life there and take good care mate!

[@AaroninChina]

Glad to see that! Thanks for sharing your perspective!

[@angelawu8734]

​@@AaroninChina Bad guy for using fliter to show Shenzheng a gray city.

[@mimiyang9689]

I am Chinese, welcome to work and live in China. I want to explain that Chinese people look at you a little more when they see people of different skin color, actually they are just curious, not malicious, not racist. I'm sorry my country didn't give you a good life experience.

[@AaroninChina]

Hi Mimi, I actually really like it here in China. I know that mainly it's curiosity and not ill intent. You can check out my video on why I LOVE China on my channel!

[@AnnieT369]

Being fat is not as bad in China as it is in the West.

[@youngchun8062]

I agree with your observation on what the Chinese would behavior, but I don’t feel which are annoying me. In the States, when I come out elevator, I would stand a little bit backward and let a female gets out the elevator first because I know if I didn’t do so, she will feel offended. In China, I don’t feel a lady will sense that is an offense. Time is essence to do something urgent or under competition or pressure in China. Spitting and careless of others are not good and should be corrected and I believe the mass people now are aware of it and would like to improve the situation. You should know people in China lead long time in poverty and destitute lives. They strived for survivals in all aspects. To be frank with you, people there had been deprived and looted of every things by wetsteen powers, which lowered their living standard and made their mentality not so highly required. They want to change, but need more time to accustom themselves to western style and level. Need to say, some funny things I have observed in the states; contrary to Chinese people, Americans fart in public feeling less embarrassing than that of spitting , even their president demonstrating this in front of whole global medias. In addition, they don’t feel a shy in exposure of their intimate sexual contacts in public, which might annoy Chinese people when around them. Thank you for sharing your candid opinion, hoping both American and Chines can improve their individual shortcomings.

[@AaroninChina]

Appreciate your detailed comment! Thanks for your perspective.

[@woliver1359]

I'm a Chinese, I hate spitting too! A good news is today it less happens than the past.

[@gunsumwong3948]

Fair comment. Single out the foreigner more strict on covid screening may have something to do with blaming culture. If an official is caught failing to screen an infected foreigner he will be dead meat. Other complaints are true. Some bad behaviour will take time to remove when Chinese people become more international. China moved from poverty to comfortable position too quickly. There is a Chinese saying of one only cares about dignity if one's stomach is full. I endorse your comments as a Chinese. I am sure the majority endorse them too because Chinese people always try to improve themselves. Knowing one's own mistake is the very first step to any improvement.

[@quochungly7282]

Ông nói láo. Từ đầu video đến cuối. Ông đi suốt con đường có thấy người nào nhìn đến ông đâu. Những lời dối trá

[@lavendereucalyptus3225]

Keep in mind though when new China PRC was founded in 1949, the country was ground zero with extreme poverty after over 100 years of foreign.invasions and civil wars, I imagine generations during the era suffered poor health, thus developed respiratory or sinus health issues easily, and when people had to worry about basic survival needs and made through the day was a blessing to these generations, having ‘graceful manners’ are probably not on their priority list. I understand with these health issues, the nasty stuffs that need to be cleared and come out of our body system has urge to relieve, once the spit on ground become habit, it’s hard to change habit, be it physically or habitually. Having said that, i still think they can be rehabilitated through governmental encouraging and rewarding program to change the spitting habits. So are the other Public virtues such as stand in line in chronicle order instead of cutting line, and learn to be mindful of others when sharing same space. And yes, some Chinese are too brutally honest, mostly older generations, like kids say things without realizing they can hurt some people’s feeling. 😂

[@AaroninChina]

I honestly think that most of the things that I mention in this video will be gone or drastically reduced in a couple of decades. (if the world is still around at that time.)

[@ayw3806]

I don’t think it’s legit to say Chinese ppl are “good” at hurting others’ feelings. For example, the reason why they point out someone is fat directly is probably they hope he/she could live a healthy life, for which can be measured by weight. I don’t mean it’s a right thing to “judge” people’s physical condition, but “foreigner” might need to try to understand the implications behind those “unfriendly” comments to fit in the culture and live better in China (at least not to feel offended). Anyway, hope you can enjoy your stay in China:)

[@AaroninChina]

Thank you for the comment!

[@quochungly7282]

Những gì anh ta nói ở china tôi chẳng thấy xuất hiện trong video clip để minh chứng cho những gì anh ta nói. Nhưng tôi thấy rõ những lời nói trong video clip là minh chứng cho những lời dối trá của anh ấy

[@CasaFassa]

1. And don't forget calling out waiguoren waiguoren. 2. Yes this is a bad one. 3. When I'm riding behind another e-bike and he spits to the side: that could have been me at his side. 4. So sick of the vpn requirement. (omg you said trash and not rubbish!) honorable mention: ebikes on the sidewalk honking at you from behind...and just gratitious amounts of honking in general (sanya, china aka hell). The make up days are for the extra days they give to make the holidays a contiguous chunk of days, so you do get the one free holiday, but you have to pay back the extras. Also, inderect in so far as they leave out important details that cause you to waste more time and money.

[@keeonng8102]

I have lived, studied, and worked in the UK for nearly 25 years before coming back to Hong Kong to look after my elderly parents. Most of your observations and comments are pretty fair. Take spitting for example, it is indeed a rather unpleasant habit of some of the citizens on the mainland, especially among the elderly. I noticed my dad also did that from time to time even though he was a well-educated person. In all fairness, the government did try and persuade people to be more civilized in this respect but their efforts were largely ignored. Hong Kong used to have the same problem a few years back until the government slapped a hefty fine of HK$1500 before things improved. From my understanding, the government, local and central, are a little reluctant to adopt draconian measures (like what happened in Singapore which is now one of the 'cleanest' in the world) to curb these bad habits including littering, jaywalking, etc. As for the pushing and shuffling in public transport, my view is that it is not a cultural issue but rather a situational problem. For example, you may notice in many busy ski resorts in Europe, you often see pushing and queue jumping presumably people can grab an opportunity to get into the cable car/chairlift quicker. The same goes for the metro commuters in Shenzhen and even Hong Kong. Some years ago, I read a book called "Asylum" written by an American/Canadian sociologist, Erving Goffman arguing how institutional situations changed human behaviors. I suspect that overtimes, many of these odd/unpleasant behaviors will change including the staring as situations changed e.g. better quality of life. I went to the UK in the late 60s as a child and found that I was being stared at a lot in those years when there weren't so many Chinese around the UK. Some were so surprised even hilariously astonished that I could speak English fluently! All these meant that we, from different cultures and backgrounds, need to get to know each other better so that we can enjoy better relationships with each other. FYI, I did have wonderful and splendid times in the UK and still have a lot of friends over there.

[@j.z.3129]

这几件事，应该是不了解中国的过往造成的，中国的以前历史遗留的问题， 第一个问题很简单，盯着看，主要是因为西方记者对中国的抹黑让中国人不满，但中国人对于西方的面孔相对比较难分得清，特别是当你拿着摄像机拍摄时，人们会在想你是不是BBC或者CNN的记者再拍摄抹黑的内容的。 吐啖的问题，还有人多的问题，这是中国旧历史的原因，如果你了解中国二战之后的情况，吃都吃不饱，哪来的什么干净的问题，多少人为了重建这个国家，多脏多累的活都在努力。没多久，才几十年时间，所以老一辈的人因为历史的原因，不会太顾及太多的。新一批的人卫生方面已经好很多了。中国真正进入现代社会的时间是2000年之后。到现在才20多年。 很多事情是因为不了解中国历史造成的，如果你回看中国近100年的历史，很多事情就很合理了，但中国也在改善很多方面了。

[@jinlingliang4385]

我认同，你分析得好好👍中国是一个民族的国家，每一个市的文化和美食都不同，况且是人与人之间，现在新一代的年轻人，比以前更加有智慧和勇气，

[@-_1530]

素质是真差，而且大城市心态浮躁，听马路边的喇叭声此起彼伏就没停过。

[@林飞-b2k]

我是中国人，我理解你多数问题，有些也是我讨厌的，比如：不排队，吐痰，抽烟还有闯红灯乱停车！ VPN原来我也反对，可经历俄罗斯被制裁，我发现中国发展自己的网络社交媒体是必要的~

[@RaikesyYT]

Come home aaron, we won't treat your that differently...

[@AaroninChina]

Come visit me here anytime Raikesy!

[@insideout9824]

Personally I think the staring is because they r curious no bad/ill intentions n many parts in Asia if they r brave enough they’ll ask for picture. N for the internet, I am sure it can be inconvenient but understandable due to protecting the country interest, the fact that the global social medias/apps r all based in US n owned by the same organization just doesn’t feel right to me. The spitting can be annoyingly disgusting though but it simply just a bad habit of older generation n pretty common in developing countries actually..But I have to agree with the queuing n lack of consideration for others in public, these 2 things will really boil me up yet many times I really don’t know how to deal with people like them. N for the directness in body shaming (western term) is actually a cultural thing in my opinion, like Asian people not as sensitive as the westerners when being called fat/skinnier/darker (as Asian prefer lighter skin) really, most pretty chill about it n won’t take it personally as something offensive or negative but as an advice/motivation to be better. I know this probably hard for westerners to understand. About the public holiday, I really don’t know cause I have never worked lived in China so..... Anyway I think Chinese government is trying to to make things better as I notice that most of Chinese entertainment/really shows emphasize a lot on morality, just compare the dating show in US vs China for example n show like The Kardashian will never ever existed in China. Well, just hope things will get better everywhere around the world.

[@MrDavidc]

When I go to a train station, especially with a big suitcase, I usually get a red coated porter to guide me on to the train, for about 70 yuan and he gets you through the barrier, onto the platform and packs your case for you-usually first on, so you get a choice where to stow your case. Regarding people not helping if someone falls over; it may be that previously,this has happened and the victim claims that the helper pushed him over and then wants compensation-like people jumping in front of cars etc.

[@AaroninChina]

Yeah a lot of people have mentioned how the compensation thing works. Shame that you can get punished for helping

[@yang120000]

I hate people spitting. I also hate people sneeze nose loudly in public, which is very common thing in west.

[@jimmyji6592]

way are you still in China

[@AaroninChina]

Yeah I'm still in China

[@YanlingXie-l3j]

The spitting habit formed when China was dusty dirty everywhere. When you breathe in the dust, you want to spit it out to protect yourself self. With paved roads and clean streets now and education, people would do it less and less.

[@harry486]

What about eating with mouth open /slurping food....haha

[@25bmax]

They should follow Singapore standards. For spitting fine$1000. Litter on the road fine $100, queue poles all over the city.

[@AaroninChina]

I don't think they would ever enforce it though

[@cheese-df1yx]

Chinese people also realized the points as issues. they need to be improved and younger generation is getting better with more education. hope the issues are less and less in near future.

[@bobbyus]

The back to back holidays or those bridges are there so people can spend time with their families especially if you are from a village far away. It’s true that some days need to be made up. But i’m more happy to have a 10 day continuous holiday at the cost of two days to be made up. So you’re wrong about spend spend spend. It’s not about that at all

[@AaroninChina]

I'm just about to end my 7 day workweek. I am going to sleep like a baby tonight.

[@92wsnqyf]

作为一个中国人 ，我觉得你说的太对了，真实

[@songchao854]

All of this is because lack of consideration.

[@rl225]

I think Mainland people now quite used to queuing already especially in the city and the younger ones.....you always see long queues in front of shops for food or drinks.

[@darrylsavage9049]

totally accurate. i once got into an argument with some guy who cut me off in line

[@youngz13o]

haha I enjoyed your criticisms as a Chinese person and totally agree on every point. I think the lung hacking thing is will be less and less because as you said its mostly the older generation but the social etiquette thing ..... thats a different story, that might take a little longer. China needs more time to move into a developed country. But once they get there, I think the people will naturally develop better social etiquette

[@AaroninChina]

Thanks for the comment, I appreciate that

[@shannontang821]

Hi most of this people spit. they don’t know that they are allergic to peanuts seafood and spicy food if they limit themselves with those food they would’ve not need to spit around.

[@shannontang821]

All I can say that is if you are eating healthy limit the food that you’re allergic to then you don’t need to spit around.

[@Karlsruhe1989]

As you mention, racism es everywhere. In the USA or Europe you get looked at if you're Asian or Black, in China if your White or Black. Since they don't have much colonial experience, they probably will behave like that for a long time. Question is how they react to mixed race children.

[@AaroninChina]

From what I've seen, they actually consider mixed babys really cute and most younger Chinese women I know would like to have them. But how those mixed kids will be treated at school, and in society, that will only be known in time.

[@xelkim9666]

Overall we don't hear much about Chinese attacking foreigners in China, whereas even in Toronto, Canada we have hate crime specifically against Asians.

[@jidonglong7504]

super accurate.

[@elllllllle939]

I agree with every point you’ve made.

[@AaroninChina]

Thanks for the nice comment!

[@brianwang4828]

A very fair list. good job in observing. i can tell you are very genuine/objective person . like it. subscribed

[@AaroninChina]

Thanks for the sub!

[@Yellow1964]

Thank you

[@coyote1651]

It appears to be that people wont help others incase that person try’s to get you pay for there medical cost or scam you

[@AaroninChina]

Yeah I've heard that there were a lot of scammers, so that's why people are reluctant to help

[@toopylei]

No hate，no love，this is the truce

[@AaroninChina]

All I can do, is speak my own truth!

[@JustaBritinChina]

As a Brit I agree with all of those. Sums up much of the cultural difference between the two countries. I might add that the Germans are as bad as the Chinese at not queueing. Much of the spitting is down to the pollution and is most distasteful when a pretty lady does it. The 'not being helpful' one is a good observation. It's taken in China that it's wrong to interfere in other people's affairs. So people won't help in an accident, or a fight or if you're car breaks down. I usually can't help but help. I can't stop myself. And usually people are mega grateful and become (sometimes) lifelong friends. People need to understand this aspect of Chinese culture to understand why China has a policy of not interfering in other countries' politics, and why they respond negatively to western interference in their internal affairs. By interfering and making them lose face you will change nothing. They will just smile and dig their heels in.

[@directxxxx71]

Good observation... Even as an oversea Chinese myself ( I'm from Myanmar)I still got shocked by their indifference to help strangers, even as little as help pointing a direction. But I got surprised to find out that when a mainland Chinese know you well as an acquaintance or friend, they would treat you as a family member, meaning they would take the trouble to buy a train ticket, or send you to the station themselves...etc., It seems to me that their are very extreme in their dealing with strangers. Their line is very clear, meaning we are complete stranger or close friend to them. There's pros and cons, I guess. In my country or western countries, people in general would be very nice to strangers on the surface, it's very hard or rare that they would ever treat you as their close friends because of culture or religious difference. Just my 2 cents.

[@一战美]

Please add French on the queuing matter, they are sucks on it too 🤣🤣🤣

[@JustaBritinChina]

@@directxxxx71 good observations.

[@erapilindo1589]

good list...being honest.

[@AaroninChina]

I tried to limit them to just 7 and actually it draws on all the negatives i've felt over the past 7 years.

[@drclleong]

I am SG.. I was treated with contempt as I was Asian.

[@AaroninChina]

Singapore people treated you badly because you're Asian? I think it's a problem in a lotttt of countries!

[@directxxxx71]

Even as an oversea Chinese myself ( I'm from Myanmar ) who can speak and write fluent Chinese, I still got shocked by their indifference to help strangers, even as little as help pointing a direction. But I got surprised to find out that when a mainland Chinese know you well as an acquaintance or friend, they would treat you as a family member, meaning they would take the trouble to buy a train ticket, or send you to the station themselves...etc., It seems to me that their are very extreme in their dealing with strangers. Their line is very clear, meaning we are complete strangers or close friends to them. There's pros and cons of it, I guess. In my country or western countries, people in general would be very nice to strangers on the surface, it's very hard or rare that they would ever treat you as their close friends because of culture or religious difference. Just my 2 cents.

[@Cpop1919]

Depends on the city you stay in China. In Beijing, very often local people will help you giving directions to you even if you just want to walk by… A taxi driver can talk with you forever like tomorrow will never come… 🤣

[@DS87]

My experience in China has been positive. I go there rather frequently pre-pandemic. Maybe because I am ethnically chinese although my mandarin is miles apart from the standard in China. When I ask for directions, they are generally obliging to point out but like what some have shared, once they know you (break down the initial wall) wow. They GO ALL OUT. I went to a local shop in Tianjin and started browsing around speaking to the owner in my broken mandarin. When we exchanged pleasantries and started to have a conversation, I only left 2 hours later. During that time he was so hospitable, gave me drinks and food while we chatted away talking about life in our countries. Afterwards, he walked me out offered to get a taxi for me and told me the next time he would show me around and go for a meal. Oh yeah, I didn't even buy much from him!

[@bobbyus]

In Beijing it’s actually quite civilized when it comes to lines/queues

[@istanahardware1425]

All 7 things were spot on. Spitting maybe because in the old day they are using coal in every house for heating which ash is very dirty.

[@小夏-r3k]

😅😅😅

[@AaroninChina]

🧐🧐

[@colibri1]

Your mention of heavy spitting reminded me of something I hadn't thought of in years: I grew up in Texas decades ago, and there it was not uncommon to see macho types spitting on sidewalks, etc, and not just older people but a noticeable number of post-childhood males. I don't think it's done anymore really, but I'm not sure.

[@AaroninChina]

Something about the noise really makes me quiver

[@randomname931]

Good list, I agree with all of them although the last one doesn't bother me. The rest are annoying though in varying degrees.

[@gangshan]

You are smart to say bad things first!

[@JustaBritinChina]

Pushing to get on the subway: you're waiting to get off the subway train and the doors open. The people waiting to get on the train are supposed to wait for those alighting the train to exit, before they get on, but they can't. So you say, '不好意思' (a form of 'sorry'), hold your elbow firmly by your side and head towards them with a steady press. If they don't get out of the way they get pushed aside. These people are no longer the majority as things are changing, but they are still plentiful and the considerate Chinese will usually not say anything.

[@AaroninChina]

I've rarely ever seen a public spectacle. The Chinese are very considerate for the most part.

[@cheese-df1yx]

Your points are correct. most of points are improving, still need more years of education culture exchange.

[@AaroninChina]

Thanks for the comments and sharing your thoughts!

[@joylynn9539]

I hate to become second smoker.

[@hoosierstar6147]

Yes VPN please, I am moving there and will definitely need to access my usual apps

[@AaroninChina]

Yes you do. www.astrill.com/a/ld4k81n839ob

[@kaytan3640]

I enjoy yr honesty Aaron Hope you will somehow get over these little adjustments. God bless

[@AaroninChina]

No worries! I have been here long enough not to let it bother me too much 😉

[@simonssunuwar4052]

Thanks for information.

[@paulwhite3024]

I find this video very useful and informative. I didn't realise that the Chinese has almost the same kind of annoyingly and impolite habits as the Indians . I wonder if most of Asia is like that?

[@AaroninChina]

Thanks for watching!

[@sikskillz2186]

if that’s is what it is, then it’s issues that are definitely annoying, but also highlights the things the people need to change, the government needs to promote doing things that are good. i definitely believe in making lines at the stores or when it is necessary, and if you can, unless people are trying to scam you, help others. the things you complain about are things anyone would be annoyed about. for one thing not moving to the side to avoid confrontation will cause fights, not following the first come line, will cause fights or confrontation, rushing in the train or where ever, means you have to push and harm people, so it will cause problems, these are all simple things that can be solved by people being polite and looking out for each other. i don’t think a normal spit is annoying, it’s good for your health, but excessive noise to draw attention is weird. all in all, nothing terribly bad. the what i love about china video is really good.

[@AaroninChina]

Yeah I was struggling to find a lot of things to make this video to be honest haha. I've been here a LOOOONG time so if I was truly annoyed about China I wouldn't have stayed here. You're right about the fact that things CAN change. I think in a generation or two we're going to see a much different China than the one we have today!

[@JS-ih7lu]

Have you thought about that from their point of view, their culture is “normal” and your culture is “weird” lol? I think Chinese ppl are less judgemental of other cultures than westerners. There’s a saying in Chinese “入乡随俗”, which is roughly equivalent to “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”.

[@AaroninChina]

That's right. I do frame my perspectives on what is "normal" or not, on the culture I was raised in. Who knows whether my way is 'right' or 'wrong'. I like to think not one culture has everything 'right' but we need to combine the good aspects of them all.

[@JS-ih7lu]

Part of the problems of western imperialist thinking is that they think they own the definition of “good” and “right” for everybody. The chn approach is more “you do you” and “live and let live”. What works for one country won’t work for another, and each culture has the right to define what’s “good” and “right” for themselves without having it shoved down their throats by someone else.

[@demianl736]

Actually Bing’s translation of Chinese slang words is the best I’ve ever seen.. XD

[@AaroninChina]

Love a bit of Bing

[@backyD]

100%同意。。不過我感覺都在變好~~歡迎來中國

[@angelawu8734]

不知道为什么博主要用滤境展示灰沉沉的深圳，我认为是不安好心。

[@oliviaspencer9946]

Some of these things bothered me too especially spitting and cutting in line.

[@AaroninChina]

It's the small things sometimes that really annoy people

[@汪明慧-x8l]

Hey :) I’m a Chinese girl and I think we are glad to accept both criticism and compliments. But “China” is a very big concept, like I never or rare see people spit in my city and rare see ppl jump the queue, while I saw the situation can be different in rural places when I was on trip. especially with lower education and older generation places. And even people looks, accents are pretty different in different parts in China. It’s a bit immature to say people from X are Y. It really depends on different people and different circumstances. I think we still have some aspects are not cool in general and we have cool places and people too. welcome to speak out anything and hope u enjoy nice time in China!!! ❤️

[@AaroninChina]

Thanks for the comment. I try not to say "everyone is... everything is..." because of course, there is always going to be different people. Thanks for watching the video and writing a comment!

[@YanlingXie-l3j]

Hey I m a Chinese two. If those things not seen much in your city, it is probably Shanghai ? Not sure, but I think shanghai is the most westernized city in china . I never been to Shanghai, all I know about it is from people and media. When I was at Tiananmen Square 25 years ago with my 6 years old son waiting for the bus, I could never get on/in the bus until eventually a young guy heard me sighing with me son with despair, he pushed us up. Most people were very selfish but some people were nice. Through years of enforcement and education, I believe things improved a lot.

[@meimiaolin2581]

I hate the spitting the most. Perhaps these people are from the country side where its common practice to spit on the ground but in the city where surfaces are paved and sealed, this habit is all the more gross.

[@AaroninChina]

Yeah It's really shocking as in my country spitting is super rude and you'd want to do that away from anyone else. The only time I think it's acceptable is when you're playing sports.

[@Karlsruhe1989]

You should read how westerners used to spit, especially when they still chewed tobacco. I'm sure in time they will be coerced to stop doing this for health issues.

[@meimiaolin2581]

@@Karlsruhe1989 Yes, spitting can spread disease.

[@meimiaolin2581]

@@AaroninChina It is what we get used to. A sports person spitting in a major sports fixture e.g. FA Cup final, seems fine.

[@AaroninChina]

@@meimiaolin2581 I can understand this when playing sports. But when walking on the street, making it soooo loud and violently spitting? I just can't do anything but feel disgusted.