Before moving to China, I did not do enough research on the culture shocks I should expect. Since I already knew about your common ones: people spitting on the street, everybody staring at you, lots of greasy and oily foods, etc., I assumed those would be the worst of the culture shocks. But this list is for the culture shocks I didn’t hear about and wish I knew about.
1. HAWK TUAHING AND CHILDREN PEEING ON THE STREET
Yes, I expected there to be spitting on the streets, but I didn’t expect it to be taken a few steps further. Adults will often blow their snot mucus onto the street, and children will frequently urinate on the street.
It’s not unusual to see someone turn their head, block one nostril, and forcefully blow their mucus onto the ground. It’s loud, sudden, and shocking if you’re not used to it. Surprisingly, though, they never have any trouble with snot dangling from their nose, so props to them for that at least.
As for the kids peeing in public, the elder generation believes it’s okay and will often encourage their kids or grandkids to do it. On some occasions, they’ll also poop in public, but generally limited to younger kids and babies. You’ll probably see it more than once if you visit China. My advice: stay clear of the landing zones.
2. Lack of personal space/cutsies
As many of you know, China has a huge population, so it can be very crowded. If you travel anywhere during a holiday, on a weekend, or visit a popular tourist spot, you’ll really feel it.
The locals are used to it, though. As a result, bumping into people or being so close to them that you’re breathing down their neck is normal. It doesn’t call for an “excuse me” or a polite “I’m sorry”. The thing that really shocked me (and honestly pisses me off) is that they will cut right in front of you in line and act like you’re invisible.
The number of times I’ve been standing in line to pay for something, only for the person behind me to physically push past and walk right up to the counter, is more than I can count. While it may seem rude and outright disrespectful to me, that’s just how it is here. That’s China’s culture. I’m sure a local would say something to them, but with my poor Chinese, there’s not much I can do.
3. Blunt comments on appearance
One day, I was in the elevator when this lady struck up a conversation with me. Wanting to practice my Chinese, I spoke with her a little bit. Then, completely out of nowhere, she says: “You have a big nose.” Pointing at her nose and making big hand gestures. Making sure I understood what she was saying. I was SHOCKED.
I didn’t know if she meant it as an insult or a compliment. She said it with a smile, so I couldn’t tell if she was laughing at me or trying to be nice. That was just one example of how the locals are blunt. This is also just the norm. It is very common to have someone you barely know point out that you’ve gained weight or look tired.
4. Online life is EVERYTHING
If you know anything about China, I’m sure you’ve heard of WeChat. Coming in, I knew they used WeChat to pay for things and to message people. What I didn’t know was that they use WeChat for everything.
Personally, I find the app annoying as hell. One app does not need to have so many features. But that’s just my opinion. Anyway, they use it for social media (kind of like Instagram or Twitter), messaging, payments (like Apple Pay), searching, and “sub-applications” called Mini-programs.
They use WeChat to pay their bills, order food at restaurants, buy from vending machines, find people nearby, watch reels, and so much more. Some of you will find that fascinating and convenient, understandably so, but me? I think it’s doing too much.
5. Not afraid to make a scene
The last thing that I’ve noticed: they are not afraid to be loud or make a scene.
One time, on the train, two couples were arguing at the top of their lungs. I couldn’t understand what they were fighting about, but it lasted nearly 30 minutes. Even after the police got involved, the couples kept shouting. Too stubborn to let the other person have the last word. Eventually, one couple got moved, but not once during the argument did either couple hesitate or concern themselves about the scene they were causing.
Another instance, I was walking to the gym and saw two men arguing loudly with police officers standing nearby. No one around seemed to care. Everyone just kept walking, business as usual. I’m sure it’s like this in big cities too, but as someone from a small town, this was a culture shock to me.
Final Thoughts
Living in China has definitely been challenging. Between dodging snot rockets, learning to fight for my spot in line, and redefining what normal means, I got cultural whiplash. No one fully prepares you for the weird, funny, frustrating moments of living abroad — but that’s what makes it worthwhile, to be honest. These culture shocks weren’t in the brochures, but they’re the moments that taught me patience and letting things go.