People be People

I have been in this nation for two months, and needless to say I have been in contact with the Chinese people a lot. I mean A LOT. Like, everyday. I know, what a shock. Anyway, I figure now that I have had a good amount of interaction with the Chinese people, now would be a good time for me to talk about what the Chinese people are like, and just what they think of Americans in their homeland.

As far as I have seen it, there seems to be four major age groups in China (other people may argue with me about this, but this is simply my opinion):

1)      Toddlers/Young Children – The youth of China, I wish I could say that they are always under the control of parents. Interestingly though, this is not always the case. On quite a few occasions, including yesterday, I have seen little kids - probably no older than 6 – running down the streets, with no visible parent behind or in front of them. Children will stop at my table and look at me; they look amazed that someone that is probably (to them) so weird looking is sitting at the table eating. You do not see a great deal of children really crying or acting out against their parents (when they are there), so I guess they must know something.

2)      Young Adults – The group that people my age would fall into, this group entails everything from the second half of high school to after the first few years after college. This is where I feel the greatest schism between men and women can be noted, simply based on how the young adults spend their time. For the ladies, this is going out with friends and trying fashions. However, for guy, this often involves video games. I have seen guys (including my roommate) sit for hours straight playing World of Warcraft. Young adults make up the vast majority of the nightlife in China, which is not a surprise.

3)      Adults – On the whole, this seems like the forgotten group to me. I know this seems horrible to say, but the adult group does not stand out in comparison to the rest of the individuals in the city. To be honest, they seem like the bit players in the show of Chinese life, simply melding in the background to help the more colorful personalities stand out. They are the ones who run the shops, and usually are the ones trying to hock their knockoff wares on the side of the street.

4)      The Elderly – This group honestly interests me the most because of the personality they seem to take. You know that one old guy who, because he was in the war, feels like he is entitled to the best treatment in the world? Yeah, now multiply that by a few million. That is the elderly. Far too often have I been standing in line, only to get shoved by a lady probably four times my age who does not feel like shifting to the side to the gap in between two people. I have also seen some elderly people simply basically cut to the front of a line and start yelling at the cashier to serve them (or at least that is what I assume they are yelling, we haven’t covered that part in Chinese class). One other note I have to make on this group is that they seem to make up the majority of the beggars in the city, and unlike in other cities, they do not have any regard for personal space in this matter. Beggars will get in your face and  will not leave until they have achieved their goal. And to those of you saying just walk away…nope, it doesn't work like that. They follow you. I have basically had to yell at people that I don’t have money (in Chinese) to get them off my back, and even then they still will shake their cup in my face and ask for change. I am not saying they are bad people, but they are a group you will have to look out for if you intend to come to China.

Worse comes to worse, just interact with people as best you can, and you will be fine. It’s worked for me so far.