27 strange Chinese habits in foreigner`s eyes

Every culture and region has habits and customs that outsiders find odd. The strange living habits, social life and exotic food all add to culture-shock factor. Here is a list of some strange Chinese habits in foreigners’ eyes:

Talking loudly in public

Eating chicken feet, pork liver and even pig intestine.

Chinese think fish head is more delicious than fish meat.

Hanging dangling ornaments inside of vehicles

Chinese like singing Karaoke even better than Japanese.

Chinese are keen to meet and talk with fellow-villager in an alien land.

Putting remote control into a plastic bag

Parents and their children never kiss and hug each other.

Even it is a small amount of money they will deposit it into bank.

Children already wear glasses from elementary school.

Arranging various specialty training courses for their children in holidays.

Chinese do not take a bath in the morning, but must bath at night.

Dipping saliva in finger to count money and the speed is even faster than the machine.

Spitting fish bones directly on the table

Every family has a lot of thermoses.

Picking teeth on the table, but will cleverly cover the mouth with hands.

All people, regardless of age and sex, can play Ping Pong.

Washing the rice until the washing water gets very clean

Stirring eggs with chopsticks instead of egg beater

Seeing a visitor out a long way from home

A Chinese woman will stay in her family for post-natal care for a month after giving birth to a child.

Almost everyone hate Japanese.

Visiting relatives and friends with fruit

Rushing to pay  the bill

The elderly Chinese mostly like to listen to the radio.

Chinese like to live next door with their parents or in the same neighborhood, or even three generations live under one roof.

Chinese often “introduce” boyfriend or girlfriend to relative or friend singles.

16 Responses

  1. 一方通行 says:

    这是多老的调查了啊?谁说几乎所有的中国人都讨厌日语?现在是和平年代,并不是以前战乱的时代了,思想也该改变,应该顺应潮流

  2. Sharon says:

    I think the ones about parents and their grown children not hugging/ kissing is so true. Also, the hatred of Japanese. Don’t forget the obsession with hoarding toilet paper. Lol. I’m Chinese and proud of our little quirks.

  3. Paul says:

    I am, properly, a proud European American. I was ‘adopted’ by wonderful first generation Chinese American children. This came to pass because, at the time I was in a joystick wheel chair, I allowed, made, ‘forced time’, to teach these children English and culture. By request of their parents.

    I spent a great deal of time and money (tens of thousands) of my money, freely, mostly ungrudgingly. I still do.

    These Chinese children, born in America are kind, gentle, mannered, and very respectful. These Americans are a great asset to our country, rightfully so. However, they learned to be this way. There parents have not. Nor are they willing to. Nor by my assessment do they care. Futher, they let it be know they don’t care what you think.

    I have lived in the far East, as a civilian, for a long time, getting a taste of Japan mostly. Earning my way. Attempting to adapt as I could.

    I find your in your written attitude a very similiar ‘tone’ to these green carded Americans. It seems your bias is also carried forward via Chinese assumed prejudice. You didn’t live war II. They are here for what they can take, deceive for, and do as they damn well please. American is sort of know for that privilege. It is not a right, nor is it right. Broadly speaking we may all show our ignorance in many ways. It doesn’t make it ok, or more than just the English phrase “ignoring the facts”.

    Please don’t over react to a person just trying to share what they are trying to, or have observed. You, from your English Grammer and rude comments simply reinforce negative thoughts about your country of birth.

    You couldn’t even refrain for speaking I’ll of your fellow countrymen. Very reflective of an arrogant attitude I precieve of almost all Chinese to one degree or another.

    Let’s face it, Chinese, American, European everyone, we all have our predictable thought and behavior patterns in full view.

    May God, the maker, and da boss, continue to show mercy to us all. We all need it.

    • Marcia says:

      Amen, I love all people of the orient, I am american, but am in love with the Chinese and Japanese people, your art, and tastes, but mostly your respectful nature and love of beauty, Thanks for being YOU and Da Boss God is awesome, and look forward to his coming. and yes we all need to pray for each other, especially in these difficult times, may the Lord have mercy on us all.. and help us to watch for his coming.

  4. Lol idiot says:

    ok… so… yah… idiot… many contries, even the USA do some of these things

  5. chanchanchina says:

    Come on people. That is why the title is that way because its a “stereotyping” topic by foreigners. People wont see the reality when they do that so dont take this too seriously.

  6. I laugh at your ignorance says:

    Most of these are very stereotype, so let me correct it for ya
    1. Only mainland Chinese people talk loudly in public because they are ill educated to have proper western table manners
    2. It’s just food, same as how some European countries eat horse, cow, goat cock and how the Japanese eat fish raw
    3. We Chinese make the most use of everything, fish heads are considered a waste to most because there is so little meat in it. however, it contains more nutrients then the rest of the fish, and because fishes use the muscles on their head more (fish cheeks, breathing) the meat is smoother and what not.
    4. It’s a old tradition that works as a luck charm, to pray to gods to protect us from the dangers of transport.
    5. Idk, it is just absorbed better into the Chinese populace then anywhere else
    6. I take it you have never been out of your own country much, when you travel and live in a distant land, you would want to find someone who also comes from your home town.
    7. Idk hygiene, I guess
    8. To retain position that parents are parents, not friends or on the same status
    9. Some people are just like that
    10. American kids are already obese from kindergarten so WTF you talking about?
    11. Ever head of extra carricular activities?
    12. Some people are just like that, I take a shower in the morning but not at night, my sister showers at morning and before going to bed, my mother showers at night, it’s only people
    13. When u don’t have machine, you count by hand, adding saliva/any liquid to finger tips increases friction to finger, the paper “sticks” to your finger tips thus increasing speed
    14. Again ill educated to table manner, the kind of people the author is bashing about is those farmers who suddenly struck it rich, and spend their time traveling , spending money, and making a terrible example of the Chinese populace.
    15. I live in Hong Kong and I have like 1 thermoses is my entire house
    16. Manners and hygiene
    17. Oh right, that’s like saying every black guy is an athlete and/or a rapper
    18. Because it’s the proper way to prepare the rice
    19. Why buy a device that is only used to beat eggs and nothing else when you can buy something more useful like chopsticks or a fork that can also serve as a egg beater?
    20. That’s just manners
    21. Idk maternal love?
    22. Ever studied World War 2? Your country was not invaded and occupied, but China had been invaded and occupied before WW2 began, and also because of “The rape of Nanking” which the Japanese government still denies it happened, and didn’t even mention about the horrors caused by the Japanese armies to the occupied lands I their education system, hell, they didn’t even use the word invade, they used “liberate” their neighbors from western oppression. It is also a major pivoting topic whenever Japanese officials visit other Asia pacific countries for diplomatic reasons, we will never stop doing it until they publically admit they did wrong.
    23 & 24.Manners and trying to be friendly
    25. Elder people everywhere like to listen to radio, it’s what they do, part of being old
    26. I don’t understand that either, but the Chinese value family above all, so I guess that’s it
    27. Oh? So you don’t bring your fiancé to meet your parents? We only do that when we are seriously dating or plan to marry.

    Now, see how ignorant you are?

    • Jessica says:

      Haha you seem to be confused.
      When people refer to China they generally are referring to the mainland…you know, The people’s republic of CHINA. If someone is referencing Hongkong or even Taiwan they generally will say “27 strange Taiwanese habits” you see? People from Hongkong seem to go to great lengths to separate themselves from and look down on the mainland yet when anything is discussed about China want to jump in and be the same xD.
      Articles like this are always stereotypes and generalizations, you would think that would be obvious to everyone by now. If I wrote an article about any country on earth titled ” 27 strange things blah blah country does” when would it not be generalizing things that may be more prevalent than in other countries? No one in their right minds is sitting there thinking every single person does the exact same thing based on a silly article. None of the generalizations here were even bad, except for the talking loudly, and as far as mainland goes that’s pretty true. Who doesn’t enjoy a good loud dinner with 20 other people eating some hot pot xD. These things are part of what makes the Mainland so great. Maybe next time there will be a “strange Hong Kongese habits” and you might have a valid reason to whine.

    • Ahmed says:

      but then you Chinese as well fond of eating wild animals almost alive, moneky brain for instant. Then the bat. Its a fact that Chinese habit is disgusting.; Where do you get coronavirus? May you Chines suffer worst then what you are imposing on poor Uighar Muslim

      • (: says:

        Wooo dude, your speech is risky. Get ready to be done for. LMAO

      • ... says:

        firstly, we aren’t FOND of eating wild animals alive, and those types of dishes are only eaten by certain people. I mean, other countries have weird foods as well. I also think it’s disgusting to eat monkey brain, and no one in my family eats it. Also, for the bat, just because some people were being dumb, and they happened to be Chinese, you have the right to discriminate against all of us? That’s just rude 🙂
        We aren’t trying to impose the disease to you, and if anything, innocent Chinese also suffered. Please use your brain and actually think before posting something like that again.

      • Ariana zhang says:

        you are so clever

  7. Hiddentruth says:

    Chinese people don’t love fish head lol, we just will cook the entire fish, and we don’t see a visitor out a long way from home lol, and we don’t save every amount of money into bank, just most people prefer saving. And we don’t count money fast as hell, or use saliva, that’s disgusting, and we don’t have tons of thermoses at home or wash rice until the water is cleat or all play ping pong as professionals lol lol.

    These views are kinda too stereotype, most of them only apply to older people. modern china is not so strange though.

    • Renan Felipe says:

      I don’t think that’s strange at all. I actually think this list has very in common with Brazilian habits, some of them are actually very similar to my family habits.

      Chinese don’t seem that different after all.

      • On request says:

        This article was not written by a native English speaker. It’s obviously a Chinese person. He has a Christian first name ( probably not is real first name ). Chinese used to pick names out of the Bible to use when dealing with Occidentals. I kvetch a kick out of the knee jerk response that the Chinese members of our community have. I live in China, I have for a long time. My wife is Chinese. I love the people here. But the whole country has a terrible inferiority complex. They are very touchy. We have about eight thermoses. The foreigner from Hong Kong who listed out all the points is a great example of a Chinese person with a huge chip on their shoulder and a completely inexplicable inferiority complex.

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