Takeaways From China So Far

I have been in China for a little less than a week so far but have already made some observations. These are based on what I have seen in both Shanghai and Xiamen, but by no means represents all of China.

1. The firewall sucks. It is ridiculously annoying to have to turn on the VPN in order to access things like Facebook or even my email, since it is backed by google and google is blocked. It also makes it very hard to search for things to do without using google.
2.  People here are more obsessed with their phones than Americans. I feel like when I go out to eat in DC or at home in PA, people are sitting and talking to each other. Every once in a while, you will see someone on their phone, but it’s not all that common. In China, everyone is on their phone, all the time. On the subway, at a meal, walking, you name it, people are on their phone (although I’m not sure what they’re doing since the good social media is block).
3.  Wi-Fi is everywhere. I was at a restaurant on my first day here and asked the server which the Wi-Fi network name was. He told me, and I opened my settings to connect. I was amazed by what I saw. There were over 70 different networks I could connect to. The one similarity is that the password 88888888 (eight 8’s) is used very commonly.
4. The sharing economy is real. Didn’t remember an umbrella? Not a problem. You can grab one at the train station for a small fee, and then return it to the stand when you return to the station. Don’t have a bike? Not a problem. There are over 1 million dock-less bikes around the city that you can rent. They are EVERYWHERE and can be rented for 1 Yuan per half hour ($0.15)
5. It is completely acceptable to spit anywhere and at any time. People here love to spit. You will see motorcyclists spit while driving, people spit in the middle of huge crowds, and bus drivers onto the floor of their bus. It is just something that’s acceptable.
6. The streets are incredibly clean. Despite all of the spitting, the streets are all very, very clean. This is because they get cleaned daily. A large truck will come around the scrub the street, while spraying water on the street, and playing lullabies. Yes, it’s a rather odd soundtrack that follows the truck, but it’s also just kind of fun.
7.  Fake designer clothing is ridiculously more common than the real thing. Don’t get me wrong, people here are pretty well dressed. However, I have seen way too many Cavlin Klein T-shirts and Guccy sweaters to not wonder if anyone even owns the real thing here.
8. The fruit here is amazing. This is probably one of the last things that I would have expected, but the fruit here is better than anything I have had in the U.S. I have had strawberries, oranges, mango and pineapple. None of it has even looked super ripe, but it has been incredibly rich and tasty. This is a huge perk.
9. Rice is king. It doesn’t matter what meal you eat, rice will be incorporated somehow. For breakfast, they eat a porridge called congee, which is essentially just rice in a thick watery liquid. For lunch, you will often get it as a side. For dinner, it may be fried and served as an entrée, or it will simply be given on the side again. Regardless, your meal will include rice.
10. English is not very common. I came here with absolutely no knowledge of the Chinese language. I have been in a similar position before (in Thailand, for example) and did not have any problems. Here, however, it is very difficult to find someone who speaks any English. Most conversations will involve pictures, pointing, and a lot of body movement. Hopefully this will get easier as I begin Chinese language lessons.

While these are by no means representative of all people in China, or even all people in Shanghai and Xiamen, they are simply things that I have seen so far.