Biggest culture shocks in China !!
1. THE MALLS ARE MASSIVE😭. Like 6 stories on average. insane shit. Theyre also really fun tho so it’s aight!! Lots of cool diy stuff and cool shops
2. Lots of dogs that go on walks without leashes or collars. I saw this corgi just running alongside its owner on a scooter bike just now. Ik it was the owner cuz i saw the guy pick up the corgi’s poo
3. The police here are super chill?? We had to go to the police station cuz my mom lost her purse with a bunch of money in it and they were super nice and even drove us to the mall where she last saw it… the police car didn’t even have a barrier between the front and back… also there was a police officer deadass smoking right next to the no smoking sign
4. Squat toilets. Worst thing ever. They don’t even have toilet paper in most public ones YOU HAVE TO BRING YOUR OWN?? insanity. For your own sake try to use the restroom before going out if possible
5. At least where i am (relatively big ish city) most cars/taxis don’t require you to wear seatbelts. Like there’s this covering over the passengers seat and it blocks the seatbelt from even being buckled and you kinda just deal with it
6. so many goddamn electric scooters. THEYRE EVERYWHERE. Like EVERYWHERE.
7. Very few road safety signs or stuff? Barely any pedestrian crossings (where i am at least), you kinda just walk on the road cuz the sidewalks are super crowded. This also applies to the electric scooters cuz they deadass be weaving in between cars like it’s no big deal
8. basically no worry of stealing/not a lot of stealing? Back to when my mom lost her purse it was just in the middle of a mall for a whole night and it wasn’t even touched. There’s also glass displays w luxury items in them just out in public and no one really gaf
9. People here are super nice and very thoughtful… I’m doing extra volleyball training with a local high school and the coach made me a balloon animal!!!
10. Not as much as Japan but vending machines everywhere and it’s great
11. Unfortunately a lot of stray animals, especially cats… but there are a lot of ppl that leave out food for them! This also means a lot of poop on the streets BUT there are a lot of public sanitation so it’s mostly okay ! Would like to note the city I’m in is also less developed so idk if this is a problem in like beijing or chongqing
12. Sliding doors instead of normal doors inside houses, and in like malls there’s just these flaps instead of an actual door
13. VERY BAD DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS. Ledges EVERYWHERE and no ramps. It’s super noticeable especially when ur going around with two very old people (my grandparents) so yeah… tbf this might also be because of how under developed my city is but be careful if ur visiting!!
14. Yeah ykw I’ll say it. Free fucking healthcare. My auntie almost made me get a blood draw just to double check that I’m not diabetic. They’ll deadass just run tests on you if you ask even without any good reason. And it’s FREE!
15. So much variety in drinks. I’m personally a yogurt drink and rock sugar pear fiend but there’s so much other bs that isn’t just Coca Cola or sprite (although these do exist here but they taste a lot different than the American versions)
16. No milk. Like no milk anywhere. Fun fact, most of China is actually lactose intolerant ! There’s yogurt drinks which r super popular but in general stuff like cheese is nonexistent. There is ice cream tho dw
17. old ppl everywhere 😭 it’s unc central here
