Noise

In recent years the Chinese government has launched an anti-noise pollution campaign. Thegovernment is on a loser with this one, but a number of cities have banned these of car horns within the city. The Chinese are generally much more tolerant of noise that most foreigners. People watch TV at ear shattering volumes, drivers habitually lean on the horn, and much of China seems to wake uncomplainingly to the sound of jackhammers and earth-moving vehicles. If it’s peace and quiet you want, head for a remote part of China-try the desert in Xinjiang, or a mountain-top in Tibet.

Spitting
When China first opened to foreign tourism, many foreign travelers were shocked by the spitting, which was conducted noisily by everyone everywhere. Campaigns to stamp out the practice have been reasonably successful in the major urban centers-there is less public spitting in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing these days (some areas impose a Y50 fine), but in the country, the phlegm still flies thick and fast. Apart from the fact that it is very unpleasant to be stuck in, say, a bus with 50 people who feel compelled to pave the floor with gob, spitting also spreads the flu (see the Health section for further details).

Racism
Racism in China is a knotty problem. Most Chinese will swear blind that there is no racism in China. But then very few Chinese you meet will have thought very deeply about the issue, and the Chinese government doesn’t allow public debate on China’s racist policies and attitudes. But, of course, as in most other countries around the world, racism is alive and kicking in China.

The Chinese are a proud people. Being Chinese links the individual to a long historical lineage, for the most part of which, Chinese believe, their country was the centre of the world. Being Chinese is often defined by blood, not nationality (and where does the leave China’s ethnic minorities). China does not accept refugees from any other country unless they are of Chinese blood. The old dual-pricing system for foreigners was fundamentally racist-but most Chinese wouldn’t see this as racist-to them it was simply the rules.

Then there’s the interesting case of non-Chinese Hong Kong residents. There are many ‘foreigners’ who were born in Hong Kong and hold Hong Kong passports, and in fact have never lived anywhere else. Some are one-half Chinese or one-quarter Chinese, but Beijing flatly refused to grant citizenship to anyone who was not of ‘pure Chinese descent’. In other words, racial purity was the deciding factor, not place of birth. This rendered all these people stateless in July 1997.

Politics and science aside, foreigners in China are generally treated well. It is very unusual to encounter direct racism in the form of insults (although it does happen) or be refused service in China. It does help, however, if you are from a predominantly white and prosperous nation. Other Asians and blacks often encounter discrimination in China. The most famous outright racist incident occurred in 1988 when Chinese students in Nanjing took to the streets to protest black overseas students dating local Chinese women.

Queues
In China a large number of people with a common goal (a bus seat, a train ticket, purchasing a mobile phone etc) generally form a surging mass, although elements of queuing are appearing. It is one of the more exhausting parts of China travel, and sometimes it is worth paying extra in order to be able to avoid train and bus stations. Otherwise, take a deep breath a leap in with everyone else.

Beggars
In major cities, beggars often target Westerners and are found in areas where they congregate (such as near the Silk Market and Sanlitun in Beijing). Children, probably under the supervision of a nearby adult who will collect the cash, are often the most aggressive.

Prostitution
Prostitution has become a massive industry in China over the past decade, most noticeably in Zhuhai and Shenzhen (and Macau). The further you stray from Beijing, the more organized the profession, but it flourishes in the capital as well-look at most of the small ‘hairdressers’ that have sprung up and you’ll get the message (or massage). The industry has become so rampant that many waitresses at restaurants throughout China now dislike being addressed as ‘xiaojie’ (literally ‘Miss’) because of its newfound and dubious connotations.

Single foreign men staying in two-to three –star hotels can expect their phone to ring like a hotline, a prostitute on the other end. This is one of the unadvertised extras that hotels have been running the past 10 years or so (another one is the all-night karaoke).

Sometimes the prostitute calls at 3am, at other times she calls every five minutes. If you want sleep, just unplug your phone.