What NOT to do in China (2) - Learn Chinese Culture

[@gorequillnachovidal]

the real important lesson here is we learned how to call someone a pervert in mandarin

[@ShuoshuoChinese]

😅

[@1004Benny]

If there will be a part 3 of this series, please include a comment on Chinese people always asking you how much money you make. For us, foreigners, that is a weird question. In addition, if you happen to live in a compound (小区), your neighbors, door people (保安), etc., will religiously ask you where you are going and what your are going to do, every time you go out.

[@bohu1701]

about the money, in last 40 years china have been changing a lot, there are always many different job and bussiness opportunities to make more money, and things change fast as well. so the information is very important, people share information, they use to ask each other what are they doing and how much can they make, to share the information about making money, and show that they are caring about their you. and then it become a typical topic of small talk in china. "where are you going ?" and "what are you going to do ?" are also just small talk topic, they are only showing they do care about you.you don't have to answer these questions specificly, just answer "i think they pay me fairly","i just wander around randomly ". you just need to tell them you are fine.

[@1004Benny]

@@bohu1701 Thanks! Clear and enlightening explanation.

[@30803080308030803081]

The topic of money is what Bo Hu said, that is true, but it’s also something else, too. Chinese love to compare themselves to others and to compare others with others. Social class is VERY important to them. These people who ask you about your income don’t admit it, but they want to know where you are in the hierarchy. If they ask what neighborhood you live in or what type of building you live in, it’s also for this reason.

[@TobiasBalk]

I hate fighting over the bill 😂 I come from Argentina and live in Germany, and in both countries I've only ever split the bill. You pay for what you eat

[@TweenkPL]

In Poland greetings work as follows: close female friends can hug or kiss. Close male friends can hug, but usually shake hands. Close friends of opposite gender can hug or the man can kiss the woman on the cheek. Acquaintances usually greet by waving their hands (no touching). Paying bills: the normal expectation is to split the bill, paying for someone else is usually reserved for dates or as a favor to a close friend. Cooking: Polish cuisine is fairly uniform, but there are some regional dishes and the quality also varies a lot. Is it mostly mild and the only "hot" spices it uses are black pepper and horseradish, but there are some dishes that are very sour. Politics: criticizing the government is OK, more likely to provoke discussion than offense. Politics are mostly an acceptable topic of discussion even among people who don't know each other very well, with the exception of a few highly emotional topics such as abortion, though some people may be disinterested. Weight: commenting that someone gained weight when they can hear it is considered very rude, pretty much only acceptable for parents. Complimenting someone for losing weight is usually acceptable between friends.

[@ailin4128]

I agree

[@phunyanim]

Great video as always. I just realized that you can speak Thai, and quite well too! It is really common for us in Thailand to comment about politics. The worst insult you could do is wishing for a bad party of government to win their next election 哈哈。 Thank you for the video.

[@glee5101]

Did you do a video on common superstitions in China yet?? Would be very cool since a lot of them are pronunciation related.

[@onepumchmanatee344]

In the USA, you can say I hate my government but love my country. In China there is no distinction between the two which makes political conversations more sensitive for them.

[@jordandthornburg]

Yea it’s very unhealthy.

[@lydia1339]

Faaaacts

[@axiswolfstar]

I live in Shanghai, it's funny hearing some of the students studying abroad here complain about not liking chinese food...

[@LGEescuela]

Regarding de "political issue", I lived in Taiwan several years and had a lot of continental Chinese friends, most of them being exchange students. Sooner or laterd I’d talk with all them about freedom of expression, human rights issues in China, etc. The reactions were diverse. I’d say there are two main factors: one is that they are taught since childs that “country” and “government” and “communist party” is all just ONE CONCEPT; some of Chinese People really don’t differentiate, at least at surface. That of course is what a dictatorship wants people to think so that they can stay in power as long as they encourage nationalism. The other factor is FEAR. Chinese people are all aware that criticizing communist party could bring bad consequences for them or their families if they are outside China. I have to say that in general, those of my Chinese friends who lived for more than one or two years outside China, were very grateful to me that they can talk freely with me about all kind of issues, including this one. Somehow, they came to realize what to think, analyze, and express freely is. At the same time I kind of felt the pressure they felt, for example when a friend stopped the conversation when he saw another Chinese guy passing by. I noted also a difference between Guangdong guys and Chinese from north; it seemed to me that Guangdong people are much more open-minded, maybe because their constant contacts with Honk Kong. These friendship with Chinese people were also very rewarding for me; I noted that some times I was able to speak deeply with them about any matter than with Taiwanese friends. I have a lot of hope about a free China in the near future, especially after having known those good and nice people. Thank you Shuo for you nice videos.

[@jaia508]

I think your observation is correct i agree 👍

[@lenturaweyki2537]

Well I still I want to go china and live there

[@30803080308030803081]

I have lived in both of those countries. I really, really appreciate that you befriended mainlanders and Taiwanese, and you evidently do not have a prejudice toward either. You know there are quite a few prejudiced people on both sides. And there are foreigners who only listen to people on one side and take on a prejudice. I like people of both of those “countries”. It’s regrettable that some will refuse to befriend me because I don’t reject the people on the other side. I can’t choose a team in that way, it’s not me. There are open-minded people in both countries.

[@lenturaweyki2537]

@@30803080308030803081 i agree both people are super cool

[@shaky2004]

Great video. Though, I think saying that not commenting on political issues is Chinese culture is misleading. That's just the environment of China and people from there, not the Chinese culture as a whole.

[@JoeShine95]

Yes, people talk about political issues here; just not too loudly

[@sasino]

I think that's just the case when you don't know the other person much. You can talk about it with your friends. I have an online friend from Suzhou (Jiangsu) and sometimes we discuss politics, both Chinese and American politics. We disagree on many things, for example, talking about Xinjiang, she doesn't believe in the Uyghur issue, she says that only criminals are being detained, and the security is high because there's a strong separatist/terrorist presence, while I believe that most of those "criminals" who were detained might be innocent.

[@akahono7680]

It’s ok to tell how you real feel with your Chinese friends, but negative comments on political issues may lead to a lot of critical comments from Chinese citizen and may get your account banned by the social media. Therefore it’s better not to talk about such things too publicly in China.

[@persephone5281]

Great video! I just thought I'd talk a little about my own culture and whether or not the things you mentioned in your video are polite. So in France, concerning: 1. Hugging/kissing We do kiss each other on the cheek, or at least used to. Before Covid, it was expected in some workplaces to kiss coworkers on the cheek as a greeting, at the beginning of each day! Most of us are glad Covid put a stop to this. Also, only women are expected to do that, whether it's kissing male or female coworkers (it's the same); while men usually shake hands when greeting another man, especially in workplaces. Hugging comes naturally between friends and family I think. I do hug my parents/siblings/bestie everytime I see them. 2. Paying the bills Here it's really customary to split the bill. When you offer to pay for someone in the restaurant, it's usually not something that should be payed back in a future setting; it shows that you really appreciate the person. It would be a bit weird to offer to pay for someone you barely know, unless it's something you decided in advance like you've just hired this new person and in order to get to know them better you treat them to lunch. But mainly people pay for their own meal unless they're really close. 3. Food from the country So, in France we don't have THAT MANY French food restaurants, but it's usually accepted that our food is one of the best in the world and I guess criticizing it is, as a foreigner, not the most polite thing to do either. French food has def. less variety than Chinese food, since it's so much smaller, but still it has some variety and most everyone should find something they like in french cuisine. Let's just say that us French can (barely) get away with criticizing it, but most foreigners (especially Americans and other Europeans) better not lol. 4. Political issues As you probably know, the french are really good at rioting. We mostly hate our government for various reasons, and criticize is widely. However, I guess you have to know why you're saying anything about the government as a foreigner, because French people will probably either a) engage with you in the critique by having one of our "political talks" that we both adore and hate (probably because how wrong it can (and will) turn out sometimes) or b) not like you because you're not informed enough about the problems you're talking about and lack a french perspective on the matter. 5. Comments about appearence/weight Considered very rude in France. Unless it's *asked*, like "hey what do you think of my outfit" (when asking that, chances are most French will be brutally honest, but that would be to help the person asking), or "hey, don't you think I've lost weight"?. It's still hugely inappropriate to comment on someone's appearance unprompted, and especially if you don't know them or barely do. Voilà, I think that's covered your whole points in your video! Please keep up the good work, I do love learning about Chinese culture :)

[@sasino]

Thanks for the insights on French culture

[@romanr.301]

Intéressant ! Je savais que dans la culture française et dans celles de certains autres pays européens, les gens se faisaient la bise souvent comme salutation entre les amis et les proches, mais je ne savais pas que c'était même une salutation entres les collègues. Généralement, ici aux États Unis, les collègues n'ont ni l'habitude de se faire la bise, ni de se prendre dans les bras, vu que telles salutations se voient comme trop intimes pour un environnement de travail professionnel. Pardonnez-moi si il y a des erreurs dans mon message.

[@ITTTRAVELING]

Thanks

[@taniapandey3598]

In India it's like thailand we can openly talk about politics....criticize our government so we also don't care sometimes that what other countries people think of our government...actually i have also talked about politics with my chinese friends and I think she doesn't seem to like it...and I didn't get that thanks for telling us that chinese people doesn't really like talking about politics

[@sasino]

Not everyone, I have a Chinese friend and she likes to talk politics with me.

[@taniapandey3598]

@@sasino yahhh! Obviously there can be some exceptions

[@curoli]

Indeed, I don't seem to remember hugging or kissing my Chinese friends, but they seem to be quite comfortable coming really close and touching arms, hands, or shoulders. That's one of the many things I like about them.

[@和蘭芹かりかり]

In Japan🇯🇵, pointing out how someone got fat will be insulting, but saying that you yourself have gained weight will be fine. (Although no one will enjoy it.) So.... You can get in a situation like this. 👇 A: 最近太っちゃった[I got fat....🥺] B: え〜そんなことないよ〜(嘘)[No~ you're fine~. (Lie)] A: いや本当だもん、もう〜XXちゃんはスタイル良くてうらやましい！[I really mean it, oh~ I envy your style (body shape) so much!] B: そんな〜、Aちゃんのほうが全然良いって！[What~, your definitely better than I!] This is one of the Japanese cultures I don't like. ╮(´•ω•)╭

[@ShuoshuoChinese]

So cute 🥰

[@christopherlord3441]

你说英语， 说的怎么厉害呀！这样你是最好的老师。谢谢。

[@Andretorre404]

Love your videos Shuoshuo, learning a lot, thank you!

[@matihero333]

Your channel keeps popping on my recommendations section...I guess I'll learn Chinese/Mandarin in my free time (? I'm subbing right now

[@phuonganh5673]

我是越南人。在我的国家也这样，去饭店吃饭，大家都抢买单😄😄

[@taylorlee5103]

Your English pronunciation got significantly better.

[@JRWB78]

Really? "My friend is venomous". (She meant Vietnamese). Granted, by Chinese standards, her pronunciation is good.

[@jacobr6503]

No, in my country it's more like individual stuff, everyone pays for their own meal and that's it.:)

[@Rajkumari王]

We also don't usually hug each other in Manipur, but if we haven't met for a long time or when they are gonna be away for some months or years like my 堂姐 whenever she visits our home after she got married, we always hug each other. For treating meal, we do the same but the argument will stop once when some1 says ' next time you treat, this time I'll treat ' or the first one who have the right amount of cash or the one who takes out the money first 😂 .

[@navarromedinadoloressofia2157]

The fighting over the bill is such a common scene in my country (Mexico) too 😭 I find it quite absurd, to be honest... Here talking trash about the government/education/infrastructure everything is super common too. Teachers mock ex presidents in class, people make memes about senators, deputies and the president. Just look up "no menos, cómo cinco" or "corazón de peña" or "haiga sido como haiga sido" and memes from our ex presidents will flood the results. *Sigh*

[@zhangminghui4307]

In my first months in China, I criticized about China policy when joining English club. I thought it was normal cause that what we always do in Indonesia. But then while I speaking, I realized that some people did not like it and left the discussion group. Since then, I never talk about that to local people anymore.

[@lightphasermusic]

This is a very good idea series!

[@Ireliar2024]

Something like firt point happened to me in the US, a meet my cousin's wife for the first time and I felt so natural to hug her, because, you know, we are family but after that she was like this: 🤨 and then my cousin explained her why I did it haha

[@A._J_.]

Aw..if I took you out for Cantonese Beef Chao Fan, I would NEVER let you pay more than the first few times.

[@AniProGuy]

In Germany talking bad about our government is as normal as breathing haha. I once argued with some Americans on Twitter and they tried to offend me by talking bad about german policies or german history. It was super funny because my Twitter timeline is basically always about such topics. Furthermore, we learn about the crimes of the nazi regime in school at least 2 times and we really go into detail about this. Personally, I think it's very good to learn this.

[@364679493]

makes me uncomfortable every time my parent fight over bills when dining out with friends lol. growing up in china xD

[@mhadnanali]

in Pakistan, it is very common to hug the same gender, nobody thinks it is weird or gay. :D but I see it is not very common in other cultures. I am in china now, when we boys meet we just shake hands now, I avoid hugging here :D

[@mhadnanali]

2- The paying thing, is the same in Pakistan. 3- Yeah, in China, you can not talk negatively about anything. last is also same in Pakistan. people love to criticize your appearances haha

[@Graphite2983]

Kissing is weird for me unless we’re family relatives. Hugging is totally fine, though I may get paranoid from time to time if it’s with a stranger. As for the bill, fighting over it is simply tedious. Why spend time fighting over such a menial thing? If someone offers to pay, then let them pay! It wasn’t my idea, after all. However, I guess I’d instead say, “Are you sure? Okay, then.” Or I could offer to split the bill if the person offers to pay but is clearly under financial stress. As for Chinese food, I only say that I don’t like _certain_ Chinese food. There’s lots of Dimsum I really like, such as Steamed Egg Custard Bun, but also those that I don’t like, such as chicken feet. For the political issues, it’s not good to avoid it entirely, but it’s also not good to brashly criticize or even just insult a political ideology or standpoint. (According to a Quora user on a particular question about if communism is bad, it isn’t, but apparently, China, Russia, and North Korea aren’t even communist countries.) Political discussions must be handled with caution and courteousness. When things get too heated, or when a person begins to become stubborn, stop. The conversation is not worth continuing. As for weight, I guess it’s actually not supposed to be a problem at all in any country. It’s just that certain cultures take it differently. For the US, being called fat is an insult, but I guess in China, it’s just a passing comment.

[@QuizmasterLaw]

when Chinese offer you things you can accept but you better damned well reciprocate next time or they will ghost you and talk badly about you too!

[@justme8108]

My Chinese friends are always commenting on my weight: Now I eat better and exercise. Thanks Chinese Friends!.

[@StratosFair]

So, if you "fight over the bill" with your Chinese friend, who is really supposed to pay at the end ?

[@coldfire774]

The person that invites the other one. Although take what I say as a grain of salt since I've been to Taiwan more than the mainland. They way my friend described it to me is it's seen as courteous to try to pay when you're invited to show you're there for your friend and not the food.

[@spanishcomprehensibleinput]

I don't know If this happen on all latin america is just like that the Second point that you mentioned in this video , but Here in Mexico we have fights for who gonna pay the bill on the restaurant daily xd if we have the enough money to invite ours friends at dinner or something like that

[@JacobYuanHang]

That little meme you made is hilarious 你那张迷因图好好笑

[@TennisGvy]

5:40, can you tell Chinese people this, too? Cus whenever I say I'm from America it devolves immediately into political discussion from their end 50% of the time 😕

[@sasino]

That's why I don't believe what she said is true lol, I frequently engage in political discussions with the Chinese on the internet. I have a friend from Jiangsu and we often talk about politics.

[@sasino]

However, what she's saying might be true when you meet them in person, they might be uncomfortable talking about it in the open

[@TennisGvy]

@@sasino Nah, it happens all the time in person

[@sasino]

@@TennisGvy then she's saying that just to discourage people from showing the Chinese the truth, I don't know what else to think... 🤔

[@sasino]

For example, my friend from Suzhou, Jiangsu is a bit critical of the CPC, the censorship and the zero covid policy, however she also believes that some of the things the westerners say, for example about Xinjiang, is just western propaganda. There are some things that are so shocking that a normal Chinese person would find impossible to believe their government has done.

[@barrytelesford5265]

Trinidad

[@BrYanwithaY1986]

But people in China often ask foreigners "你喜欢中国菜吗"

[@cdcdcd6777]

Why is it when i hear "duo xiao qian?" it always sounds like "duo hao qian?" when natives speak it. am I hearing it right?

[@30803080308030803081]

You can drop the consonant sound “sh” and say it like “duo ao qian”. Another example: you can say “bu zhidao” like “bu erdao”. People from the Northeastern parts of China speak this way.

[@thu4061]

Kinda confused about the politics one as I pretty regularly engage in political discussion with people currently in China. 😅 That said bringing it up with strangers is definitely rolling the dice but almost any convo can be had as long as you're not insulting and stick to facts instead of wild speculation or heresay. Just be respectful. Keep to technical critisism of specific policies instead of issuing blanket condemnations of an entire govt and (usually) you'll be fine.

[@coldfire774]

See that's the problem people outside of China rarely know the facts of what's going on and just believe whatever the west and especially America report is happening. So a lot of people living in China don't feel comfortable talking with them because they get stuff completely wrong but are super confident in their stance.

[@nicolasz2418]

Also I wanna say something as a Chinese. 1 For the kiss or hug, it's not really as what you said. It is true for men. If two men hug or even kiss, sorry I wil think they are gay! It is really astonishing when I firstly saw two europeans kiss on their faces, making me a bit unpleasant...... OK now I feel better if this happens again. But for women, at least hugs are common. You know women are always more intimate in no matter which country. So hugs are ok if you are female. Maybe kisses are not so good, I guess. 2 For the bill, trying to get the right to pay the bill is really a way to express your kindness. Do it. But actually these years the way to pay one's own part becomes more popular, so this might change in the future. 3 Food. This is a country with 1.4 billion people and the territory is as large as europe. Through all your lifetime you won't be able to try all the recipes in China. I know it is your political correcteness to insult China, but in terms of food, pls do not make the decision immediately if you just tried once, especially those sold in your country because it is already modified to your taste. I know you do not each spicy food which is popular in China, but it is never the only type. There must be one chinese food that you will like, I am sure. 4 Political issues. Actually it is not so annoying for us. It 's natural one is proud of his own country, and he might quarrel with you when been criticized. But it is the same all over the world. If you say India is poor, or vietnam is vulgar, or whatever, guess what people will reply for these countries. So it is true not to talk politics when you are not acquaintance. But if one is well educated, actually it is ok to talk a bit. One thing is that our understanding for the politics, such as democracy or else, is not the same as you, it is totally a different system. So through talking you may understand more. 5 Weights. Eh..., it is because China used to be very poor, and if you have a 'fat' child, people think ok it is so good, so lucky for you. So when someone tells you that you get more weight, it is not insulting. But these years it is rare to hear this because we pay attention to health too. So I think, you will never hear such phrases, especially the youth wont tell this.

[@weili7321]

Couldn’t agree more. I watched the whole video. Great one, but I didn’t see any point was from China.

[@sasino]

I think females being more intimate has to do with biology. Women that are often in contact with each other tend to exchange pheromones and by consequences their bodies will tend to sync their periods. Speaking from the evolutionary perspective, there's an advantage: when women have the same period, they are also fertile at the same time and they can compete for the best male to mate with.

[@sasino]

Also, I was born in Southern Italy, and it's common to comment on people's weight too if you're close to them. It might be annoying, but people say it for your own good. When someone tells you that you became fat, they're saying this out of concern for you, they're telling you because it's not good for your health, and you should pay attention to your weight. In America, where I live now, they call this "fat-shaming" and it's considered a negative thing 😒 truth hurts.

[@bohu1701]

@@sasino i have heared that in europe italian is called "chinese in europe", can you tell me is it true?

[@sasino]

@@bohu1701 I'm not sure, I never heard that

[@QuizmasterLaw]

"Chinese" food served in the USA/Canada, France, and Germany? Yeah. Really different from each other, but not because based on one of China's several regional cuisines. I've eaten lots of 华人菜. German "Chinese" food? Bland and if anything sweat, thick, hearty. French "Chinese" food? Cold plates, translucent spring rolls. It's basically ALL cold! Light and refined neither sweet nor sour. Murrican/Kanuckistan? Sweet. Maybe sweet and sour is still available somewhere? Mostly Sweet. Often salty! Somewhat oily. Lots of fried rice dishes. And then the all you can eat buffets? half of which is murrican food. It's tasty, but not the same. I suspect the food in murrica is more authentic and the kanuckistan food is most authentic, but it's authetic hong kong style. Blame Hong Couver.

[@non_standard]

我买单😂

[@alirespiratory]

I have one female chinese friend kissed her female friend in lips in her wedding 🤔.... I asked her about This she said thats normal

[@chrismcmurphy1323]

5:25 The thing is... don't comment bad things on China because Chinese people believe their country is great. They can easily get offended by just saying 'Taiwan is a country'. lol Most of Thai people was like that before. We have been taught that Thailand is great. Our king is great. The education have told us that. The media have shown us that. We don't have a critical thinking concept because we have to remember how monarchy have been doing a great thing to us. And when you express the opposite opinion, you got arrest. Until recently Thai people know more from the open internet. So, I got upset every time you mention about this issue like that.

[@Kotsuyosama]

As "don't comment bad things on China" you mentioned, well, of course, you CAN talk or discuss politics in China, as long as you are discussing rather than taking stereotypes to ask questions. Do you know why we Chinese people dislike the Western media such as BBC, and CNN? Just because they "reported bad things about China"? The answer is NO! China does have many problems and bad things, but surprisingly, these are seldom mentioned by the Western media. If they did report these, most Chinese would not feel offended, because that was the truth. BUT, many of their reports are "made up", they interview people about those issues that western audiences may "be interested in". Well, that's fine if they show what these interviewees have really said. The fact is, they add English "translated" subtitles that do not follow the interviewees' meaning, that is, they just put the image and let the audiences know: See? I am interviewing the Chinese about xxx issues. But in fact, you can easily find they are just making stories whatever they want if you understand the Chinese language. You may think me be brainwashed by the Chinese government, well, maybe. But can you just recall what is the main channel that you get the information about China? If the China you knew was shaped by BBC, CNN and other "story makers", and then you take these stories to ask Chinese people, of course, we will feel weird. And if we disagree and try to explain these, many people just reply "oh you were brainwashed by the government", or "is the government forcing you to say these"...... Well, many foreigners haven't been to the country that they "knew much about it", on the other hand, they assert that Chinese people don't know the real China. Question: Who is the real brainwashed man? We Chinese like to talk about the REAL problems in China about what our government doesn't do well, it's very daily like many people do in other countries. But you can't force us to believe the stories instead of our real experience, even the reports were from BBC, which most Western viewers believe. As for the Taiwan issue, I can just tell you that is the extension of the Chinese Civil War, which is currently paused but hasn't been terminated. As long as it's a civil war, it's not the business of other countries, especially those countries that had invaded China in the 19-20th century. They are the prime culprit that caused the civil war, they are not even eligible to leave a comment about this!

[@chrismcmurphy1323]

@@Kotsuyosama 哈哈哈

[@whitedeath9]

Spicy and oily? 那你是从四川来的吗？

[@kankankankankankankan]

I think she's from hunan😂

[@dmblum1]

Paying for dinner made me think of this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIPFf6Owltipp9k

[@theingegnere]

First

[@pepelopez6930]

I have been to China, north and south, east and west, and I have to say that I have loved the different types of food. Hamburgers, pizza, pasta (not the Italian ones, but the USA ones) are garbage in comparison, besides being unhealthy, and I wouldn't even consider them cuisine. it's just one more piece of shit of their poor and crude culture that they have exported to the rest of the world. It is the people of the USA who in general have a closed mind and go to the BK or McDonnals of the country they go to for tourism instead of appreciating the local cuisine, because they are not used to eating real food, only garbage, because in the USA there is no culinary tradition that deserves respect, just look at how fat almost everyone is there.

[@curoli]

Regarding political issues: most of my Chinese friends are very critical of the Chinese government. In Thailand, maybe you can insult the prime minister, but if you criticize the king, you're in trouble.

[@mattpetterborg5720]

I love these videos. Chinese culture is very rich and diverse. I love learning about the different nuances. I cannot wait to visit one day. 老师, 谢谢

[@ProphetTLK]

Can't stand people who don't like Chinese food. Strange people. Chinese food is the best food in the world.

[@lornam3637]

So true! And like the video says, it's simply too varied. My friend from North East China really dislikes Shanghai food (especially fish) and she doesn't eat much rice - she prefers noodles/dumplings even though her family grow rice. I have a very silly friend who says she dislikes tofu. To me that's like saying you hate flour or potatoes.

[@sasino]

There are so many types of good food in the world, you can't say for sure that Chinese is the best, especially because there are so many different types. Some examples of other countries that have notoriously good food: - Italy 🇮🇹 - France 🇫🇷 - Pakistan 🇵🇰 - Senegal 🇸🇳 - Mexico 🇲🇽 Btw, I love Cantonese food, but I don't know any other kind of Chinese food, because in the West most Chinese food is Cantonese.

[@rachelschlesinger7249]

很有用的! 我还没适应这个习惯，告诉我“你长胖了”，虽然我知道这个就是中国人的文化，但是在我的国家这样的不太礼貌。 我下一次在这个情况中我会说你的例子“在我的国家，你这么说不太礼貌”， 谢谢啦！

[@sasino]

在南方意大利，你可能听你的朋友和亲属说“你胖了”。并不少见 😂

[@iamakettle404]

Us Thais be like, insult us all you want we listening with popcorn rn

[@子国-t8q]

讨论某人的体重在中国也是非常不礼貌的事吧

[@zvn_wvkong7454]

Are you Chinese 🇨🇳🇨🇳????

[@kankankankankankankan]

Lmao as a turk its really difficult not to talk about politics cuz politics is literally all turks talk about😂 you go up to someone and ask "what do you think of x current event" and thats a perfectly okay conversation opener lmao

[@kankankankankankankan]

In a turkish circle of friends, one way or the other the topic WILL spiral into politics and there's no escaping it, since politics affect our everyday lives so much and its effects (the ongoing financial crisis) are very much visible everywhere Tldr if you're in turkey, 1) learn people's political leanings and 2) start talking about it with them accordingly lmao

[@sasino]

That's very good tbh

[@NyxHound]

I'm Russian, and while we do often kiss and hug our good friends and relatives as a greeting, we don't do that with strangers or just acquaintances. But when I came to France for student cross-cultural communication event I got in an awkward situation. At the train station several French students were waiting for us, and when they come closer to greet us, I didn't get what I was asked and just nodded. After that the French student leaned in to kiss me on the cheek and I just shied away from him in panic. It was quite embarrassing 😂😂😂

[@iyanuoloye7698]

I can imagine the scenario 😂😂😂😂

[@lornam3637]

I find that very true of UK people talking about the USA too. People in the UK see a lot about US politics and we often feel like we can help 😂 Terrible idea - they don't appreciate it not surprisingly.

[@sasino]

The only thing I constantly see from UK people is that they criticize our gun policies and their arguments are weak and always the same 😒

[@sasino]

"Oh look, one crazy guy killed some people in a supermarket, he was using an AR-15, so let's ban all the AR-15s" 😕 Meanwhile in the UK every other day someone gets stabbed to death.

[@jordandthornburg]

I think it depends. Suggestions are cool. It’s usually “do things like us”. That’s not always the most helpful or useful suggestion. We aren’t like the uk for specific reasons. But critiquing the government is our middle name.

[@30803080308030803081]

Everyone is naturally self-interested. If a foreigner thinks I should vote for one guy, not the other guy, well then, I’m not going to assume the foreigner has my interests in mind or knows what my interests are.

[@lbb2rfarangkiinok]

She's venomous, but quite westernized. Well, thank goodness XD

[@ShuoshuoChinese]

快点请我吃饭！

[@eugenia2878]

🤔 my Chinese language tutor has made political commentary on my country situation immediately when knew where I'm from. She found it's funny

[@mickmickymick6927]

Once in China I mentioned to someone that they had lost weight and they seemed kind of shocked and said 'What! No! I am very fat!' I thought it was very funny, where I'm from someone might just say thank you, or 'oh I don't think so'

[@fernandoo.8737]

In where I live, southeast of Brazil, it's fine to hug someone when you don't see them for a while. Kissing the cheek is common in everyday life between a man and a woman or between women. I think most people usually share the bill. Criticizing the government used to be acceptable, but in the last years when the debates between left and right got kinda intense, getting into this topic might end up losing friends. Commenting on someone's weight is not cool.

[@JustLooking]

I'm a very huggy person; it'd be depressing to never get a friendly hug when I met someone. :-( Now, in Sweden... it's considered weird to hug strangers, but close friends _do_ hug each other hello.

[@sesinhosantos5047]

If you talk badly about my country government, you will probably encounter people who are radical and quite likely "rude" in their answer. You can also find people who doesn't agree with you, and tries to convince you. You can also find people who is from the party that doesn't hold the power and they will instantly like you and share their criticism about the government. For the hugging I think it depends on each one personality. For many years I avoided that stuff, so I was like a Chinese, I kind of didn't feel it or are the point. Later I changed and know I even hug male friends or the boyfriends of my sisters. No kisses for them though, I am not that open.

[@sasino]

What country are you from

[@sesinhosantos5047]

@@sasino 西班牙

[@sasino]

@@sesinhosantos5047 我是意大利人，但我住在美国。我觉得在这个事上，意大利和西班牙也是如此

[@sesinhosantos5047]

@@sasino It's funny cause the words you are using I know them and I used them already. Still after reading 7 characters my brain melts and I have to go to Google translate to find out how much my Chinese sucks.😂

[@sasino]

@@sesinhosantos5047 Don't worry man you just need more practice 👍 you need to talk to Chinese natives, get on a Discord language exchange server and find a partner.

[@dianellaspezialebagliacca9943]

Excellent as always. Your videos are instructional and so much fun! Love them

[@lucascarrion1851]

Here, in Spain, is also a very common thing to fight over the bill😂 I had no idea this was done in China too!

[@NickvonZ]

Thank you for another GREAT presentation!

[@artugert]

Telling people “don’t comment on political issues” is ridiculous and extreme. “Political issues” is a very broad range of discussion that should now just be avoided?! Governments have done and are doing very, very bad things, and we can’t criticize them? We should just ignore them and pretend they don’t exist? That would harm society. Please don’t follow this “rule”. It is good and important to discuss political issues. If people are offended to hear criticism of the government that rules over the country they are from, that doesn’t make sense; it has nothing to do with them personally. Even if that person is the very one who personally made the policy decision you are criticizing, as long you are being civil and polite, it should be fine to state your opinion on the matter. It’s okay to disagree, but nothing to be offended by. In fact, it is true that Chinese people tend to be more upset by political discussion than non-Chinese people, but they are also the ones who need to hear it the most. Avoidance of the issues for fear of offending people just makes things worse.

[@artugert]

But it should be noted, since the video’s title is what not to do IN China, do mind your own safety! Speaking about certain issues can have bad consequences, if you’re not careful.

[@chrismcmurphy1323]

WORD!

[@phillipfoster4580]

#2 is pretty similar in USA

[@illusionistkkz4391]

3:00 我是伊朗人，在我的国家也是这样的😅

[@sasino]

Hahaha the Thumbnail 👍👍👍😂😂😂😂 Drake meme

[@ShuoshuoChinese]

Finally someone got it!

[@johnbui1256]

Great

[@Cam5000]

🇦🇺👍

[@jamescook2412]

@7:19 I understood in Chinese one never said "In my country...", but rather "In our country..." I was wrong all along.

[@sasino]

I've heard both, but I think 我们国家 is more appropriate than 我的国家

[@artugert]

If you are not from China, and tell a Chinese person “In our country”, it wouldn’t make sense, would it? Unless there were other people there with you from your country, then it would make sense.

[@coldfire774]

@@artugert eh "my" is more common in English sure but that doesn't apply to all languages and usually in some makes more sense because if you use the equivalent of "my" it can feel too direct like you own the country or something like I think it also relies on context like in my transfer program we used "我的" more often because there were many people from very different countries but if it's just you and a Chinese "我們的" wo probably make a bit more sense.

[@artugert]

@@coldfire774 I was referring to Chinese, not English. In fact, saying "my country" 我國 is more common in Chinese than in English, as it is often said among Chinese people; whereas, for example, if Americans speaking amongst each other referred to "my country", in most contexts it would sound weird.

[@coldfire774]

@@artugert maybe we've just been around different contexts but it's been a lot more the opposite in my experience at least. I grew up in a very heavy immigrant population though and similarly where I live in Taiwan has a lot of people from all over so it might be a different situation for you.