Here's a video I took - it's actually less crowded then the buses. I mostly took this video for the awesome guy with the earrings and glasses in front of me.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Xi'an Metro
Here's a video I took - it's actually less crowded then the buses. I mostly took this video for the awesome guy with the earrings and glasses in front of me.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
A sad story...
Right now a big story in China is about a 2 year old girl who died
after she was run over twice. 18 pedestrians walked by before someone
helped.
Overall I've noticed that the Chinese are not likely to help other people in situations like these. Before this happened I'd talked about this exact thing with someone who's been here for a while and he pointed out that they're so close to their families but wouldn't help someone bleeding on the street. When you're living in a country with a population of 1.3 billion people is it easier to turn your head? I suppose you have to put yourself and family first.
For this story 2 obvious groups have formed. One group is upset that no one would stop to help and let an innocent little girl die. The other group admits they would not have stopped either. There was a case in 2006 where the good samaritan was convicted of hurting the woman he helped. The judge in the case ruled that 'common sense dictated that only the person who hit her would take her to the hospital'. This has obviously discouraged people even more. I think it has caused a 3rd group to form - a group that wouldn't have helped before but after seeing something so horrible has caused them to rethink what they would do if they met a situation such as this one.
I noticed a few things about a news report I watched. They show the entire video - even the girl being run over. Then they show the parents of the girl watching the video of their daughter being run over. Finally the reporter does her stand up at the hospital with the girl (brain dead) in the background.
Overall this was eye opening for the Chinese. I'm not sure it will change much but at least it has got them thinking.
In America I really believe we would stop for a little girl, with no parents around, lying in the street. I can't imagine one person walking by her without stopping.
Overall I've noticed that the Chinese are not likely to help other people in situations like these. Before this happened I'd talked about this exact thing with someone who's been here for a while and he pointed out that they're so close to their families but wouldn't help someone bleeding on the street. When you're living in a country with a population of 1.3 billion people is it easier to turn your head? I suppose you have to put yourself and family first.
For this story 2 obvious groups have formed. One group is upset that no one would stop to help and let an innocent little girl die. The other group admits they would not have stopped either. There was a case in 2006 where the good samaritan was convicted of hurting the woman he helped. The judge in the case ruled that 'common sense dictated that only the person who hit her would take her to the hospital'. This has obviously discouraged people even more. I think it has caused a 3rd group to form - a group that wouldn't have helped before but after seeing something so horrible has caused them to rethink what they would do if they met a situation such as this one.
I noticed a few things about a news report I watched. They show the entire video - even the girl being run over. Then they show the parents of the girl watching the video of their daughter being run over. Finally the reporter does her stand up at the hospital with the girl (brain dead) in the background.
Overall this was eye opening for the Chinese. I'm not sure it will change much but at least it has got them thinking.
In America I really believe we would stop for a little girl, with no parents around, lying in the street. I can't imagine one person walking by her without stopping.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Shopping on the bridge
I wish I would have asked this guy how much his turtles cost.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
We're open!
Down the street there were more firecrackers but I'm not sure what they were for. Maybe a wedding - or maybe because it was Sunday. During the past couple weeks due to the holiday I've heard firecrackers a lot more than usual. I've also been very close to them and noticed they don't tell people to get out of the way until after they've already lit them. Chinese people are so funny.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Chinese gawking
It's not hard to draw a crowd in China. The Chinese love to stop and
stare at anything - or more likely to see what everyone else is staring
at. Sometimes when I see a crowd of people looking at something I
wonder if they really know what they're supposed to be looking at. One
day I'm going to stop and stare at something random - like the top of a
tree - and see how long it takes for me to draw a crowd.
Today, however, it was a sad scene. There was a dead body (covered in plastic) in the middle of the street. There was a bridge nearly over the body so people stopped on the middle to look down and along the stairs on both sides.
It was a big crowd. A police van was next to the body directing traffic around it. These people were gawking at a body, under a piece of plastic, and a police van. Nothing was happening, everything else was cleaned up. I assume there was a vehicle of some kind on its way to pick up the body - maybe they wanted to see if they could catch a glimpse of the whole body and not just the hand sticking out from the plastic. Something I've discovered from personal experience is that the Chinese have no shame in their gawking - whether it's at a white person, a black person, or a dead body.
Today, however, it was a sad scene. There was a dead body (covered in plastic) in the middle of the street. There was a bridge nearly over the body so people stopped on the middle to look down and along the stairs on both sides.
It was a big crowd. A police van was next to the body directing traffic around it. These people were gawking at a body, under a piece of plastic, and a police van. Nothing was happening, everything else was cleaned up. I assume there was a vehicle of some kind on its way to pick up the body - maybe they wanted to see if they could catch a glimpse of the whole body and not just the hand sticking out from the plastic. Something I've discovered from personal experience is that the Chinese have no shame in their gawking - whether it's at a white person, a black person, or a dead body.
干杯 - gān bēi - cheers!
Drinking is among the many many MANY cultural differences between China and the west.
Women rarely drink. It's normal for me to drink a bottle of wine with friends but it isn't for Chinese women. Sometimes in the middle of the day on Mondays I'll go to a cafe with 2 girlfriends and drink a bottle of wine. (Since I work the weekend this is essentially my Saturday.) To the girls serving us the wine this is a completely foreign concept and I can feel the strange looks. I know Chinese girls that drink but it is a very small percentage. Smoking is even less common. I've heard Chinese girls say if they are with a Chinese girl that starts smoking they don't want to be with her anymore. They compared it to being seen with a prostitute.
When men drink they often buy all the beer they're going to drink at the beginning. It's very common to see a table covered with beers and/or empty bottles. This feeds into the concept of 'face' and taking pride in what they are able to drink - and losing 'face' if they're not able to keep up with friends and coworkers.
báijiǔ often accompanies the beer. It is a white alcohol that is very cheap and incredibly strong. It is done in shots. It's disrespectful to turn down a shot and if you don't do the shot you lose face.
I found an article in China Daily about Chinese drinking. Here's a few quotes I found relevant:
"Drinking can earn trust and friendship, and not drinking can spoil a deal and undermine relationships. Heavy drinking seems to be a prerequisite for doing business," he said.
"To drink or not to drink, that's a matter of face," said Liu Hao, a senior at a university in Beijing. Always embarrassed by his limited tolerance to alcohol, Liu said he often finds himself in a situation where drinking is obligatory.
"Although I don't like the feeling of being sloshed, I respond to toasts, which are popular in campus life now," Liu said. But he said he wished he could hold his liquor better, seeing that many jobs advertisements nowadays demand applicants have a tolerance for alcohol.
Hard to imagine right??? Because of this I've seen more grown men puking on the streets then I care to count or ever wanted to see. I've lived in Cancun and New Orleans and I see soooo much more throw up here than I did in those 2 cities combined. It's everywhere in the morning. On my way to the gym sometimes I count at least 4 piles of throw up - DAILY. Yes, it's disgusting! When I first started seeing it I thought people were dumping food. I did not want to believe it was what it looked like. I guess just like all the other differences this is something you just have to say 'well I'm in China' and shrug your shoulders. I'm not here to judge them and their culture - just to learn about it.
Women rarely drink. It's normal for me to drink a bottle of wine with friends but it isn't for Chinese women. Sometimes in the middle of the day on Mondays I'll go to a cafe with 2 girlfriends and drink a bottle of wine. (Since I work the weekend this is essentially my Saturday.) To the girls serving us the wine this is a completely foreign concept and I can feel the strange looks. I know Chinese girls that drink but it is a very small percentage. Smoking is even less common. I've heard Chinese girls say if they are with a Chinese girl that starts smoking they don't want to be with her anymore. They compared it to being seen with a prostitute.
When men drink they often buy all the beer they're going to drink at the beginning. It's very common to see a table covered with beers and/or empty bottles. This feeds into the concept of 'face' and taking pride in what they are able to drink - and losing 'face' if they're not able to keep up with friends and coworkers.
báijiǔ often accompanies the beer. It is a white alcohol that is very cheap and incredibly strong. It is done in shots. It's disrespectful to turn down a shot and if you don't do the shot you lose face.
I found an article in China Daily about Chinese drinking. Here's a few quotes I found relevant:
"Drinking can earn trust and friendship, and not drinking can spoil a deal and undermine relationships. Heavy drinking seems to be a prerequisite for doing business," he said.
"To drink or not to drink, that's a matter of face," said Liu Hao, a senior at a university in Beijing. Always embarrassed by his limited tolerance to alcohol, Liu said he often finds himself in a situation where drinking is obligatory.
"Although I don't like the feeling of being sloshed, I respond to toasts, which are popular in campus life now," Liu said. But he said he wished he could hold his liquor better, seeing that many jobs advertisements nowadays demand applicants have a tolerance for alcohol.
Hard to imagine right??? Because of this I've seen more grown men puking on the streets then I care to count or ever wanted to see. I've lived in Cancun and New Orleans and I see soooo much more throw up here than I did in those 2 cities combined. It's everywhere in the morning. On my way to the gym sometimes I count at least 4 piles of throw up - DAILY. Yes, it's disgusting! When I first started seeing it I thought people were dumping food. I did not want to believe it was what it looked like. I guess just like all the other differences this is something you just have to say 'well I'm in China' and shrug your shoulders. I'm not here to judge them and their culture - just to learn about it.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Happy National Day!
Today (October 1st) is the National Day of the People's Republic of China. This day is similar to our Independence Day. I started the day being jolted awake because of firecrackers being shot off right outside my window. This continued everywhere throughout the day.
Walking around felt just like it would feel in the states on the 4th of July. Everyone was carrying the Chinese flag and displaying it outside of businesses.
I also received a text from Dorothy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)