Cultural Observations

03.15.2010

不文明现象
There are somethings that still have that major shock factor whenever I browse/walk the streets of China. For example, people throwing bones on the streets or draining things into the city street drains (this can range from food excess to pure oil). It is rather disturbing at times, when I watch a seemingly decent lady sitting inside her store at lunch time, when suddenly she flings a chicken bone right in front of my feet as I walk by. This is definitely not what happens in civilized society; however, I think a part of this isn’t so much cultural as it is city layout. Granted, throwing any garbage into the streets is a depiction of uneducated society, but perhaps if the city had a better structure, sewage or even a better layout, more updated technology, they would have a better means to处理 the excess. Then, perhaps they would not use such unsanitary means of disposing their garbage (better drainage systems/garbage disposal in the sink).

Old people 体操by my law firm
One interesting sight I have found is that there are a bunch of elderly individuals who come in front of our building lately and simply just dance or do Tai Chi. It is rather amusing in the morning, when I find so many elderly individuals riding the bus specifically just to get to that area at 9:00 a.m. or 8:00 a.m. to practice. It’s rather cute.
Bus Riding
I am constantly sliding around on the bus like there is no tomorrow, and I have found that the floor in general is precarious to those without traction on their shoes. The reason being is that the floor is SOOO dirty with sandy mud that I slip all over the place with my 1 inch heels.

Car accident
There was a car accident today, and I was rather surprised by how they handled the situation. It was between a lady in a red Mazda and a man in a taxi. The lady took pictures of the accident, but they were both very anxious about the situation. While they handled it fairly effectively in terms of normal American traffic laws, they refused to move to the side of the street to resolve their dispute (as would be the logical and polite thing to do). Instead, they created a traffic jam as both cars refused to move until the transaction was settled between the two of them. Surprisingly, other cars simply just moved around them and there was no yelling or frustration with such an inefficient way of coping with the situation. I myself, rather, stood on the side, practically screaming at them in my head for them to just move to the side of the road and stop blocking traffic (and I was merely standing at the bus stop). This perhaps reflects though the value that they place in cars. Since they all spend more than they can afford on cars of luxury for “face,” even the littlest scratch will not be let go, and they will indefinitely seek compensation.