On my trip to China and Hong Kong, nothing struck me quite like the prevalence of umbrellas in sunny weather, probably because it was so starkly different from America.
Here, it’s all about sunglasses and sunscreen. There, it’s all about umbrellas. And lots of them.
It looked weird to me, but it’s completely normal for their people. I saw lots of umbrellas in China, and it was kind of interesting when I got to Hong Kong, because there were less umbrellas (still the norm, mind you) and more sunglasses, likely due to the increased globalism and Western influence. HK was more of a median and definitely where I fit in better.
On my trip to China and Hong Kong, people were everywhere. Everyone lived in tall apartment complexes and just walking the streets, it was hard to not bump into someone, literally.
This is something I’m not used to, since I grew up in a suburb. Although I went to college in an urban area, there was at least enough room to breathe. The too-many-people-in-one-area moments were confined to special events like Cal Day or big concerts.
But in China, nope. Everyday and everywhere. People, people, people.
The country’s definitely encountered problems with people and space, which it has tried to address with its much publicized one-baby policy. Not sure about the numbers, but this created some generational/gender balance problems and the government has loosened up and changed their stance a bit.
As a visitor, it was weird to step outside and be instantly surrounded by others. Especially in Guangzhou, malls were packed all the time, even on non-school-break weekdays. I kept wondering how so many people, of all ages, had the time. You don’t ever see that in America.
But perhaps it’s fueled by much improved technology and transportation. The recently built and still expanding Guangzhou Metro subway system is extremely convenient, with trains coming every 3-4 minutes. There are also buses and taxis everywhere. People can now get from point A to point B so much faster. Why not take advantage?
packed Guangzhou Metro station during rush hour
Cultural Similarities and Differences
Returned to America from Asia earlier this week. Wish I could have stayed longer, but hopefully I’ll get to go back sometime soon.
While there, I noticed a lot of things that really caught my eye and got me thinking as far as culture. It was kind of crazy to see both how different and how similar it was compared to America. Over the next few days, I’ll elaborate on some of the observations I made during my trip to China and Hong Kong.
Spending a few days in Hong Kong after being in China for two and a half weeks, and it’s a very different atmosphere here.
I am definitely not the tallest anymore. There are a whole lot of foreigners here and much more diversity.
Shopping is crazy here. Yesterday afternoon, I was walking around and there was A LINE outside of a mall to shop at a Louis Vuitton store… A LINE… to buy super expensive clothes… on a friday afternoon.
I’m really enjoying my time halfway around the world and not quite ready to come home. But alas, my plane ticket says I will be departing tomorrow.
Some things I’ve noticed:
- McDonald’s and KFC are all the rage. They have two-story restaurants all over the place. I went in at 4pm on a Thursday and it was packed.
- The menus are catered to Chinese tastes, with foods like egg tarts, rice porridge, and boba milk tea, in addition to the classic fried chicken, burgers, sodas and such. I tried the egg tarts – delicious.
- No one’s fat. I have yet to find a single person who is or is even remotely close to being obese. Everyone looks pretty fit and healthy..
- Guangzhou Metro subway trains come every 2-3 minutes. Super convenient. BART, take note.
- On the streets, cars don’t stop for people. You have to be a little fearless if you ever want to cross the road. Jaywalking is the norm.
- Very few people wear sunglasses. Umbrellas seem to be the sun-blocker of choice for sunny days.
- Napping in a bed under a mosquito net, I feel like Sleeping Beauty.
- So far, every time I’ve walked up to an automatic-flushing urinal in China, it has immediately flushed, before I even do my business… Maybe it senses the foreigner in me and malfunctions?