5 Things I Hate About China
Being a Zoo Animal
Photo: Newsflash.com
Many foreigners arrive in China and are surprised to find people constantly taking their photo (whether they agreed or not), yelling “Ha-lo!” in their face, pointing, and staring. When I first came to China I thought this was quite funny, and I’d humor people by flashing the peace sign (it’s actually “V for Victory” here, because they win?) I don’t know.
You Will Always Be “Lao Wai”
This goes hand in hand with the point above. “Lao Wai” (老外 – lǎo wài) means “foreigner” in Chinese, but it’s not exactly the nicest way to say it. Plus, when someone randomly walking by you on the street, points at you and yells “Foreigner!”, you’re not going to have the best reaction regardless of what word they use. I’ve been called “lao wai” so many times in China that I like to joke around and tell people it’s my Chinese name sometimes.
Photo: Newsflash.com
The Internet
It’s no secret that China has a tight grip on the Internet. Commonly referred to as “The Great Firewall of China” and perhaps more impressive than the original, this drives both foreigners and Chinese crazy. At least there are Chinese versions of many of the sites that are blocked – Weibo is Twitter, RenRen is Facebook, WeChat is WhatsApp, Youku is YouTube, Baidu is Google, and so on. That’s great for Chinese people and all, but none of my family or friends in the States use any of those sites.
Photo: Newsflash.com
Public Toilets
There are few things worse in life than being out and about in China and suddenly needing to go running for the nearest bathroom. With all that oily and spicy food, it happens quite often – especially to those fresh off the boat. Upon entering a Mens public bathroom in China, you’ll be greeted by a few dudes squatting over holes in the ground with no doors in sight, usually smoking and yelling into a cell phone while they do their business. Hopefully you brought your own TP and hand sanitizer, because you sure as hell won’t find any of that here.
Photo: Newsflash.com
Simple Daily Tasks Take Forever
Anytime I need to go to the bank in China, I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. This is because I already know that at least two hours of my day will be wasted. Ditto for registering with the police, setting up the Internet, or any other mundane task that you would think should be quick and painless. It doesn’t help that most people take a 2 1/2-hour lunch break plus a nap in the middle of the day.
Photo: Newsflash.com
