"China" China by bellatrix

I always thought of Chinese people as demure, shy, soft-spoken people who kept to themselves and were always polite. I was in for a big surprise, as this couldn't be further from the truth! I think maybe I picked up my stereotype of Asians (as if all Asian cultures have similar social customs) from what I know of Japanese people. Some of the Japanese people that I've met fit this stereotype, but Chinese people are nothing like this! Not that Chinese people aren't all those things, but these are not the first words I would use to describe the people here. People generally are lively, energetic, engaging, social, direct, and friendly.

There are a LOT of Chinese people in the world. Chinese people comprise a fifth of the world's population, at roughly 1 billion. So China is a crowded, noisy, hectic place. Even temples and gardens in China, which you would think would be quiet "sacred" places, are crowded and filled with the chatter of people.

With so many people in one country (which is roughly the size of the US) privacy is an unheard-of luxury. People think nothing of blatantly staring at you, or sitting down next to you and starting to talk to you, even if you're reading a book. It's impossible to be alone in China - if people see you trying to be alone, they will come talk to you! And if they don't speak English, they'll still talk to you in Chinese. I think in Chinese culture it is considered somewhat eccentric, maybe even unnatural, to want to be alone.

• Pros:China is a tantalizing country, full of exciting and beautiful experiences!
• Cons:A little hard to get around if you don't speak Mandarin, and the toilets are terrible. :)
• In a nutshell:GO! GO! GO! Go to China if you have a chance!