In the spirit of the Global Times’ recent “Seven Deadly Sins of Foreigners”, we opted to give foreigners a chance to publicly whinge about their lives, fully cognizant of the oft-stated response to such complaints: If you don’t like it here, why don’t you go home?
There’s never an easy answer. Some people are fugitives (literally) from their home countries. Some are dodging the tax man. Some are just too socially awkward to survive in the West. Regardless, no one lives here without formulating an opinion. Here’s a smattering of your fellow expatriates’ deepest thoughts.
What is your opinion of the average Chinese person?
“There is no average Chinese person,” and “Average people, Chinese or not, are nothing but average,” were
but two responses we received waxing philosophical on averageness and what, in retrospect, could have been a betterphrased question.
“The thing I really can’t bear about the average Chinese person is the lack of creativity,” Celia, 22, from France told us. “The girls are sweet, the guys can be annoying,” an anonymous respondent offered, reminding us that we foreigners aren’t always so creative in our assessments either.
Bridget, 36, from the US, o¡ ered a more in-depth analysis of a relatively superficial query. “I think there’s a gap between the people who are older and who lived through the Cultural Revolution and the younger generation,” she said. “They older folk tend to be more cautious and a little stuck in old ways of thought. The youth push ahead—they could do amazing things if and when they figure out how to channel the energy they are generating.”
What do you find most irritating about life in China?
Let us guess. Spitting? (more…)
