Tourist guides to China keep quiet about many things
China's gastronomic traditions are among the oldest and richest in the world. Local cuisine is as iconic a landmark of the country as, for example, the terracotta army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Menus vary greatly from province to province. For instance, if in Xi'an they serve food cooked in lard, then in Sichuan a traveler needs to stock up on patience and... a large amount of water. This province is famous for its very spicy cuisine, and chili pepper mixed with boiled cucumber is a typical lunch of a typical Sichuanese.
Chinese people are a nation incomprehensible to Europeans. For example, in Xi'an's nightclubs, the most popular dish is considered to be raisins. Yes, ordinary raisins – the Chinese eat them as a snack with beer.
Chinese soup is a separate story. Because the Chinese do not know what soup is in the usual sense. They eat the "contents" (vegetables, noodles, meat) and leave the broth or drink it afterwards. Therefore, when they come to Russia, they do not understand what is so special about borscht and okroshka. Not tasty!
And in China, they practically do not drink coffee (which is understandable, because there is tea) and milk, do not eat chocolate and cheese. In general, dairy products until recently were in great shortage in the Celestial Empire, and therefore now the generation of 60-70-year-olds have very poor and crooked teeth. With the onset of economic growth, the situation improved, and now young people strive to consume a lot of calcium. It is quite normal at any time of day to meet students on the street drinking soy milk (very tasteless, by the way) straight from transparent bags pierced with a straw.
The Chinese eat everything that moves. Cockroaches, caterpillars, beetles, sprouts and shoots, and also thousands of names of "dishes" from the description and method of preparation of which a normal European will immediately get a stomach ache and lose the desire to try anything at all. In fact, everything is not so scary. The main rule for a foreigner is not to ask what the dish is made of and how it is prepared (it will still be unclear), but to ask for a menu with pictures (if there is no English one). Then choose a dish you like by the "poke method." And if you are unlucky and they bring chicken head or smoked pig's feet – just lean on rice. This is always a win-win option.
Another immutable rule – in China, tipping is not customary. Therefore, do not leave money with the bill – in provincial towns, waiters still run after the client for half a block to return the "forgotten" yuan!
Although Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympic Games, still in China most residents hardly speak English. Therefore, traveling independently, you have to rely only on yourself and your ability to navigate by GPS or map. Most likely, a foreigner will not be told "how to get to the library" and "which stop to get off at." And you can get to the hotel only by showing the taxi driver a business card with the hotel address. Moreover, cunning taxi drivers will probably try to take the clueless foreigner the longest way to get more money.
But even if you meet a Chinese person who sincerely wants to help you, it is too early to rejoice. Local residents often have poor orientation themselves or do not know how the names of fruits at the market are written. For example, in the historical quarters of Beijing (the so-called hutongs, built like a labyrinth), the Chinese wander no less than foreigners.
That the Chinese spit, cough, blow their noses, and hawk on the street and in transport (on trains and in taxis there are even special signs prohibiting such acts) is well known. This no longer surprises anyone. But there are very strange and unusual features of the national character for our tourists.
The Chinese consider their country the center of the world – in Chinese, the name of the state itself translates as "Middle Land" ("zhong guo"). And no wonder – in ancient China, to the north stretched endless steppes, to the west – the highest mountain peaks, to the south – impassable swamps, to the east – the ocean. The Chinese truly felt themselves at the center of the world! Hence the attitude towards themselves and towards foreigners.
The Chinese are always keeping their own counsel, and treat tourists condescendingly and even with some disdain. Their own interests come above all. If they communicate with a foreigner, it is often to show off and "display" an acquaintance to their friends or for free language practice. Moreover, in provincial cities, mass photographing with foreigners on the streets still happens, especially with tall blondes. As if for the most populous country in the world, foreign tourists are still a curiosity. By the way, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire ironically call all foreigners "lao wai" (literally "old foreigner") – by this they in no way want to offend anyone, they are simply demonstrating their superiority over other nations.
Children in China are spoiled from birth, denied nothing, indulged in every whim. A child can throw tantrums, scream, and run wherever they want. And no wonder – he is a real treasure, because the rule "One family – one child" has not been canceled. Of course, you can have a second and third child, but if the family is poor, the child will receive no rights and become a burden. If the family is rich, then for a second child you will have to pay a high tax. Therefore, public transport is plastered with advertisements for clinics that perform abortions.
Speaking of advertisements. On Hainan Island, for example, you can collect a whole gallery of funny and absurd signs. The resort has many tourists from Russia, and locals duplicate the names of establishments and menus in restaurants in "Russian." Therefore, expressions like "hairy massage" or the mysterious "I am watermelon" are not uncommon here.
The coolest places for dates for Chinese youth are internet cafes and McDonald's. In internet cafes, couples chat – that is, they arrange a kind of "virtual date" via QQ (Chinese ICQ). And McDonald's in the Celestial Empire is considered a fashionable foreign restaurant.
By the way, social networks in China are officially not working. Therefore, traveling to this country is a great way to take a break from likes and check-ins.