What Surprises Foreigners Most After Coming to China?
On the Chinese version of Quora, “Zhihu,” there’s a question: “What are some things foreigners only discover after coming to China?” It has already garnered 400 million views.
Most of the answers come from exchanges between Chinese users and foreign friends, with even casual responses getting tens of thousands of likes. Without a doubt, these insights are shared with a sense of pride. If you’re planning to visit China, you might want to preview some of these “fun facts” about the country.
Here are some of the answers:
@图拉没有扬 (65,000 likes)
While studying in the UK, a Beijing classmate got married and invited a British classmate to attend the wedding in Beijing. The British classmate stood on Chang’an Avenue in shock, saying, “I’ve never seen such a wide road…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… and it’s still jammed with traffic!”
Chang’an Avenue in China
@也有个小目标 (48,000 likes)
When Russians drink, their glasses can’t have any leftover alcohol—if there’s any, they have to finish it. In China, glasses can’t be empty—if they’re empty, they need to be refilled. The first time I drank with a Russian, we went glass after glass for a while. Something felt off, so we talked about it, and the mystery was solved.
@白澒 (19,000 likes)
A friend came to China for a one-month exchange program and posted on Facebook that they were woken up early by the “rehearsal of a symphony orchestra” and marveled at how hardworking Chinese people are.
I replied, “Buddy, you probably encountered a funeral procession.”
@lolo (98,000 likes)
Our high school foreign teacher once saw the wreaths used in traditional Chinese funerals and thought they were beautiful.
She bought one to bring to school, but the security guard wouldn’t let her in. She couldn’t explain herself, and the situation escalated until the principal came over to clarify that the wreath was for honoring the deceased.
Funeral wreaths
@Derek Pisieczko (55,000 likes)
I used to teach at the University of International Business and Economics and would pass a park on my way.
One day, I heard a loud bang and thought someone was shooting a gun.
I grabbed my friend and ran. He was confused and asked me what was going on.
I said there was a shooting incident.
My friend burst out laughing and explained it was just an elderly person in the park spinning a large metal top.
Elderly men spinning tops in the park
@派大星 (28,000 likes)
During a work-related dinner with some foreigners, I overheard a German who frequently visits China quietly tell a Dutch newcomer: “When you see fruit being served, it means there will be no more dishes.”
@yoyoyang (53,000 likes)
Random anecdote: Back in university, I was with some international students. As they were doing their homework, I was casually cracking walnuts with my hands. They were paper-shell walnuts, easy to break. The moment I cracked one, the international students froze in shock. Then they excitedly started discussing how all Chinese people must know martial arts and how even a petite girl could do this.
@沈建英 (27,000 likes)
Once, Intel sent a foreigner to our company for a meeting. Before arriving, he emailed us, saying he had studied Chinese for ten years and would have no problem communicating.
When he arrived, we realized he had learned Chinese from several Cantonese people.
You can imagine the despair on his face when he discovered he had spent ten years learning a “fake” version of Chinese.
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@羊羊 (29,000 likes)
I saw a question on a foreign Q&A site where someone asked: “Why are there so few Christians in China?”
A Korean user responded: “I’ve lived in China for 15 years. I can confidently tell you that the number of Christians depends on how many eggs the churches are giving away.”
Chinese supermarkets often use promotions involving the distribution of free eggs, a strategy particularly appealing to elderly shoppers.
@一只特立独行的猪 (35,000 likes)
It’s about food culture. I once teamed up with a Black friend for a class project. I took him out for some huangmenji (braised chicken). After one bite, he started freestyling a rap about how good it was, full of f-words, in praise of the dish.
@海苔味薯片 (18,000 likes)
Our high school foreign teacher said at the end of the semester that although she was the teacher, we had taught her a lot too.
One thing that amazed her was this: It’s possible for someone to study continuously for more than ten hours a day, every single day!
She found it unbelievable.
@牛布尼茨 (60,000 likes)
You don’t realize how big China is until you come here.
A French woman I knew, who loved cycling and fitness, asked me a serious question a week after arriving: “China has so many cycling enthusiasts and great cyclists. Why don’t they host a ‘Tour of China’ like the Tour de France every year?”
Two months later, we biked from Beijing to Keshiketeng in Inner Mongolia with a cycling club. When we marked the route on a map, she finally understood and never asked that question again. A week later, she bought an electric bike and said goodbye to cycling.
Honestly, I wanted to tell her that even if there were a Tour of China, it couldn’t happen annually. The next year’s riders would still be making their way back!
Skin color changes of tourists cycling the Qinghai-Tibet Highway
@陈灼燃 (18,000 likes)
Chinese police don’t randomly beat people.
One year, I went to Guangzhou to help a Nigerian friend record a statement. We brought him to the local police station and borrowed an interrogation room. After just a few questions, I found it noisy outside and got up to close the door.
When I turned around, the guy had instinctively squatted on the ground with his hands covering his head…
@小五毛辣条 (25,000 likes)
“Why don’t Chinese banks and jewelry stores have armed security guards?”
“Why are all the cars in China new, without any scratches?”
“Why are there so many shopping malls in China, and why are they so massive?”
…
A Nigerian client bombarded me with these soul-searching questions after his first business trip to China. Honestly, when I first set foot in Africa, I had the exact same feeling.
@匿名用户 (20,000 likes)
I once helped entertain a foreign guest. I was there just to make up the numbers.
We shook hands, introduced ourselves, and got acquainted.
I was filling in as an assistant to the union chairman, who couldn’t make it.
Logically, I was just there to fill a seat and was completely unimportant.
But the American guest kept trying to chat me up, leaving me at a loss.
After exchanging pleasantries with others, he came back to toast me again.
I was thoroughly confused the entire time.
The next day, he learned that labor unions in China have little real power. From that moment on, he didn’t even glance in my direction.
@大连自然萌宠 (19,000 likes)
A Japanese guy visited Shenyang in the early 2000s and couldn’t believe watermelons were only 0.4 yuan per kilogram.
When he saw a local auntie buy a huge watermelon for just 2.3 yuan, he got so excited that he pulled out 100 yuan, ready to indulge to his heart’s content. In the end, he was talked out of it and settled for two watermelons—one big and one small—for 5 yuan, struggling to carry them back with excitement.
@自由落体 (26,000 likes)
Many flights from Europe enter China’s airspace via Xinjiang.
Some planes announce: “We’ve entered Chinese airspace…”
At that moment, passengers from certain tiny European countries start preparing to disembark.
LOL, give me a moment to laugh.
Five hours later, the plane finally lands in Beijing…
@王闪闪 (41,000 likes)
Bathrooms in Chinese homes have waterproof flooring for the entire surface!
There was this shy but handsome German teacher.
Teacher: “Emmmm…”
US: “What’s wrong?”
Teacher: “Showering in the faculty apartment here is a bit troublesome.”
Us: “What’s broken? We’ll report it to maintenance for you.”
Teacher: “Nothing is broken. It’s just that there’s no curtain when I shower.”
Us: “Haha! You live alone; why would you need a curtain? Germans are so shy, haha!”
Teacher: “But without a curtain, the water splashes near the toilet or sink. Won’t it seep downstairs?”
Us: “???”
Apparently, in Germany, only the shower area has waterproofing, and there are no drains elsewhere in the bathroom. So, if water splashes outside the designated area, it could seep downstairs and cause ceiling damage for your neighbors…
@仲安 (27,000 likes)
A friend of mine, a second-generation Chinese-Australian, stayed at my house for a few days. She was shocked and said, “Why do you have so many deliveries every day?”
Me: “You don’t get it. This is just how Chinese women are.”
@代马依风 (30,000 likes)
I know a fairly liberal second-generation wealthy American. For his ideals, he once taught at a university in a third- or fourth-tier city in China.
I asked him how he felt about living in China.
While drinking beer with a bitter expression, he said:
“You know, I grew up attending private schools. Because of the high tuition, the students were almost all white. But every year, the school would make a point of admitting one or two Black students.
These Black students didn’t have to take entrance exams and were offered full scholarships, but the condition was that they had to participate in school-organized activities and had to appear in group photos.
My Black classmates were very upset about this, feeling like they were being paraded around like performing monkeys.
It wasn’t until I came to China that I realized—I’m also a monkey.”
@shdxllq (29,000 likes)
I once saw a particularly fair comment on Quora. The conclusion of the answer was especially striking—but not for me personally…
“If you’re not particularly interested in pornography, drugs, shootings, or terrorist attacks, this is actually a very good country.”
With over 2500 responses to this question, these are just a few highlights. If you’re interested, you can check out the website yourself. Perhaps your browser’s built-in translation tool will be helpful.
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