72 CultureShock! Chinais not considered ethnically
Chinese. This means that people
of mixed Chinese and foreign
heritage are not allowed to claim
Chinese citizenship. This also
means that minority groups
are viewed as inferior. Dig a bit
deeper and there is bias of one region against the other,
people from Beijing look down upon people from Shanghai,
and vice versa.
Because of a history of bilateral issues between China and
Japan, the Chinese often have an ingrained dislike of Japanese
people. Insulted enough by the past Japanese occupation of
China, memory of the massacres that took place in Nanjing
remain a raw wound in the minds of many Chinese.Alternative Lifestyles
There is a large gay community in China, comprising both
locals and expats. The view of the government toward gays
and lesbians varies. Although overtly gay bars are tolerated
in major cities, it is within acceptable interpretation of laws
on ‘social order’ to imprison gays. There have been reports
from international watch groups of sentences up to five years
for ‘disturbance against social order’.
China has been known to treat homosexuality as a
psychological disease with electric shock therapy. Books and
movies addressing the subject of homosexuality are routinely
banned in China. Gay and lesbian bars are discreetly listed
as ‘alternative’ in lifestyle publications.
Despite its popularity, drug usage is prohibited in China.
Foreigners in China caught in possession of or using drugs are
subject to harsh punishment, typically local imprisonment.Courtship and Starting a Family
Because Chinese families are extremely close, even through
adulthood, many singles live with their parents until they
are married. Parents are very protective of daughters,
even fully adult daughters. They expect a slow courtship,
which the boy will earn their trust and respect as he doesOpinions of people from other
countries are run through a filter
of relative prosperity. When
asked what he thought of black
people, a Shanghai professional
commented that most Chinese
typically think of blacks as poorer
than they are.