What are your China moments?

That moment when you’re offered a cigarette over and over again.

‘Chow yen’ in Chinese literally means ‘smoke a cigarette’ hypothetically it means have a cigarette.  In Chinese society, offering cigarettes to friends who smoke is regarded as a warm and friendly gesture.  For most foreign men this is all too common. It happens all the time. You’re offered cigarettes until you’re bored to death. One might be a smoker but not always in the mood to smoke and when one isn’t a smoker, these sorts of moments tend to be frustrating because you will be offered cigarettes even after several refusals and reminders that you don’t smoke. Take no offence, refuse with a smile. To them it is a sign of your acceptance as a friend, great for guanxi (relations).

One should however note that smoking the peace pipe shouldn’t always be forced down your throat and in that same vain you should at each attempt, politely decline with a smile if you don’t want to smoke or you simply don’t smoke. Some people after several refusals turn to accept the cigarette with the intention to discard it later, but alas, immediately you accept the cigarette it is followed by an offer to light it for you and that’s where you’re left to decide your next move. My advice if you are not a smoker is to refuse politely, keep declining because accepting a cigarette with the intention to smoke later or discard it, to your friends or guest is unfriendly, so better not accept it, refuse with a smile.

That moment when you are pushed to demand your salary.

I wanted to leave this out, but it seems a pretty common moment some foreigners encounter in China. A majority try as much as possible to avoid these moments simply because of the losing face factor. It’s a distasteful moment because both the employee and employer lose face, even part-timers. One logical reason is because most foreigners find it hard getting used to the pay structure in China where most companies or employers pay staff two weeks into the next month and so when payday is extended to a few more days some foreigner staff find it hard keeping their cool. Chill guys, payday is Mayday.

That moment when you turn into a celebrity overnight. This is all too familiar for expats who have been here a long time. It’s as if you have paparazzi on your tail. Others just bask in the moment of fame when just about anyone, strangers request to take photos with them. This also goes to show how heartwarming and loving most Chinese people are. It is worth repeating here that some newcomers would obviously experience some bad moments in China, it is the same in every society around the globe, however after a long stay on the mainland you will undoubtedly discover that most Chinese people are some of the most loving people to walk the surface of our planet.

The original blog is at: http://blog.chinadaily.com.cn/blog-1825133-30443.html