Before I set my feet in China two years ago, I tried to do a lot of research on just about anything I could possibly find useful upon my arrival in the foreign land. Unfortunately, I came up with nothing, perhaps I didn't do a thorough research. And so, I decided to just go with an open mind and well, with the background knowledge I already had about the country. But I made sure I left some room to take in the experience the country had in store for me.
So, what were the
knowledge I had about the country before going and what did I come across during my research? I have listed below most of my findings from what I can remember. While most of them turned out to be a myth, but many of these findings turned out to be facts.
1. Fortune Cookies are commonly eaten after a meal in China
2. They still practice foot binding
3. They live in Traditional Chinese Hutongs, you know, the ones you see in movies?
4. Because China has a 5,000 year civilization history, it's people must be well civilized and well-mannered
5. They eat with chopsticks
6. Everyone is so skinny and fair skin
7. There is no religious freedom, Christians are still being persecuted
8. Main religion is Buddihism
9. The only food they eat is rice
10. Everyone rides a bicycle
11. The national language and only language is Chinese
12. Chinese are very smart and innovative individual
13. Since China is thought to be "The Factory of the World", brand name and electronics must be realy cheap over there
14. They eat dogs
15. They are so short and petite
16. Everyone fights kung fu
17. It must be crowded in China since it's the world's most populous country
18. There is a disporportionate ratio of Boys and Girls
19. Every family has only one child
20. Since there are so many ESL teachers in China, they must be able to speak basic English.
21. They are racist and close minded
22. Chinese are cheap, they like to save money and overcharge customers
Now which ones do you think are actually true or just a myth? You can simply
identify the facts and post them in the comment box. Later, I'll differentiate between the facts and myth and talk about them in a later blog post or may be a series of them since it's quite a long list. Also, i'd like to
hear some of your facts vs. myths if you've ever lived in a foreign land.
