5 Stereotypes of Chinese (that only people who haven't lived in China believe)

5 Stereotypes of Chinese (that only people who haven't lived in China believe)
Oct 18, 2016 By Andrea Scarlatelli , eChinacities.com

5 Stereotypes of Chinese (that only people who haven't lived in China believe)
Quiet chat break for busy office workers. Photo: thesmilingspiderblog.com

Before moving to China, I had certain thoughts in place about Chinese people as a whole. From personal interactions to movies to that brief chapter on Chinese history in high school, a vague picture of a polite, quiet people took shape. And let's not forget that all important issue that every article about Chinese people feels compelled to mention - face (面子). While stereotypes are often exaggerated and sometimes outright wrong, they are what we use to build a framework of someone or something until we have the opportunity to look further – and that's the key, to look further. And so, in the spirit of looking further, here are five stereotypes of Chinese people that only those who have never lived in China will actually believe.<

1) Chinese people are quiet
While those who move to a foreign country (usually to attend school) indeed tend to be the quiet, studious kind, Chinese people in China are… well… loud. It always takes me a minute or two to figure out whether two people are having a friendly conversation or threatening to kill each other. Because whether they are discussing what they had for lunch today or accusing each other of theft, the conversations are all done at roughly the same volume. That being said, it becomes obvious that it is, in fact, a fight when a) a crowd forms and b) hair pulling is involved.

2) Chinese employees are the hardest workers
Yes, they may put in a lot of hours at the office, but experience, second hand stories, and simple observation all indicate that many Chinese workers are not exactly hard at work. From hours of Farmville to the every present QQ to just plain old napping on the job, it only takes a small amount of digging to see that China's workforce is not the most efficient in the world. One former co-worker spent a week – a week! – creating a list of customers to call. By that Friday, the "list" consisted of two names.

3) Chinese women are submissive
I can't tell you the number of times people from my home country have asked about the role of women in China. Most tend to think that, since it's a male dominated society, all the females must be very quiet and demure. Ha! While it's certainly truer in some parts of China (ie: like much of the countryside) the fact is that in most first and second tier cities, it's the women who make the rules. Yes, men still make up the majority of the workforce and make the money (although that trend is subsiding), but it's the ladies who hold the purse strings (you know, unless she's making the man hold her purse strings while she shops). My husband once had a male Chinese co-worker who, when asked what he received from his girlfriend for his birthday, said, "Well, my girlfriend loves photography, so she bought herself a camera."

4) Chinese people are unwelcoming to foreigners
It's a known fact that Chinese society is close knit – most don't feel the need to rouse themselves about an issue if it does not directly involve them or a family member. But it is simply not true to say they are unwelcoming to outsiders. Most Chinese people are more than happy to engage you in a conversation – the younger generation largely to practice their English, the older generation largely when you are able to speak a bit of Chinese. Many will gladly welcome you into their home, talk with you for hours about your country or theirs, and feed you until you're about to pop. Chinese hospitality should not go underrated.

5) Chinese are the most polite
Those who have never lived in China are regularly convinced that Chinese people are the most polite in the world, largely due to that mystical factor called "face." The idea of face – that Chinese people want it, will do pretty much anything to keep it, and without it will be condemned to a life akin to a leper's – is one that the media (especially the foreign media) latches on to in order to explain the most inexplicable behaviours.

What they don't know is that keeping face often leads to outright lying or comments that by any Western standard (or basically any standard other than a Chinese one) would be considered rude. If a Chinese person doesn't know the answer to something, ("How do I get to the nearest metro?" "What type of project does that client want us for?"), a lot of times they will simply make something up on the spot. Most of the time, this results in confusion and embarrassment for everyone else involved – but not for them! Similarly, if they have not performed a task they were given (at work, for instance), when asked about it they will simply stare and not say anything. This, according to my Chinese friends, is a way to "save face" by not admitting you've done something wrong. And I'm still trying to figure out how a society where "You're fat" is a perfectly valid comment to a stranger ever got the reputation for being polite.

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Keywords: stereotypes of Chinese understanding Chinese people prejudice of Chinese preconceptions of Chinese culture and attitude in China

13 Comments

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Guest14990512

I'm an expat in my third week in China and I'm shocked that your observations are things that I've reflected on a number of times. Great article.

Mar 20, 2017 19:09 Report Abuse

RandomGuy

"Chinese are smart" is a misconceived idea in the West.

Oct 29, 2016 00:44 Report Abuse

TeacherK.

tbe further a society drifts from the truth the more it will reject those who speak it.

Oct 20, 2016 10:39 Report Abuse

Guest14498866

This is the stupidest article I've ever read on Chinese. We all know chinese people are noisy and have bad manners. No need to come to China to figure it out. However they really are unwelcoming towards foreigners, not to say racist for some of them, never making an effort to communicate with strangers.

Oct 18, 2016 16:16 Report Abuse

Guest743842

Great article.

Oct 18, 2016 13:09 Report Abuse

Mike有

#2 - I know a Chinese woman who works hard at her job from 9:30 to 11:30am. After lunch she is on taobao and renren until quitting time. Rough job.

Great article, well said.

Apr 03, 2012 05:26 Report Abuse

Shahmantosh

haha

Oct 18, 2016 10:20 Report Abuse

HolgerManNo.1

You think you are very know Chinese women but you are not.You just have big mouth.

Oct 30, 2016 22:55 Report Abuse

miss b

they are certainly NOT hardworkers.
In my office they take siestas...yes you read correctly. Couldn't belive it! Lol lights are off and it's silent for about half hour after they've eaten last nights dinner for lunch. Makes me chuckle how I have to tiptoe around them whilst they rest. Come 6.30pm every single one of them is out of the office. ONly the expats remain. Each culture to their own...

Mar 28, 2012 05:04 Report Abuse

leo

Well, I never thought they were the most polite people in the world. I think Japan has that stereotype wrapped up. Where I'm from Chinese people are seen as rude. But there's alot there so maybe the myth doesn't exist. I totally agree with the rest though! Good list

Mar 28, 2012 02:15 Report Abuse

charles

I agree chinese women are not submissive now,but I don't think women make the rules of living or events. In fact,men and women mostly negotiate events in 70s,80s chinese familise.

Mar 27, 2012 23:51 Report Abuse

FACETON-TUXEDO

Young girls in big cities,90s,80s or 70s now well-educated, and have highly equal rights with men, so they're not submissive, but the men are, Shanghai married men are typical of this, they don't make any decision in even all the matters, and do most housework, maybe good for girls, but I still think housework are women's job, and ask and respect each other's ideas.

Mar 27, 2012 19:10 Report Abuse

jumpy jack

I think all 5 are correct! And I think most expats would agree. The Chinese are hospitable but not well-mannered. The women are not so submissive. In fact, maybe a lot of Chinese men are! And if you work in an office, like I do, one and two are quite obvious.
I think this is a good article that relies on personal experience as evidence rather than overly complex and downright useless sociological data.

Mar 27, 2012 09:26 Report Abuse