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Customs When Visiting a Chinese Family

Customs When Visiting a Chinese Family

In order to get the most out of visiting a Chinese family, the first thing you want to do is bring a digital translator. Next, observe the local customs, and then prepare some good questions to ask. You should then have a valuable inter-cultural encounter, providing a deeper insight into Chinese culture and local life. 

When entering the house you should..

Offer your gifts, which will probably be taken away or placed on a table unopened, as it is the Chinese custom. Fruit is very popular, although confectionery or souvenir products from your country would also be welcomed. 

Source: www.thechineseculturecorner

Greet all members of the household (start with the seniors, if possible, then proceed down the social scale; children would normally be expected to greet you rather than the other way round), or as many as you can see from the door. A simple hello in English, or ‘’Ni hao’’ would suffice.

Take your shoes off and change them for a pair a pair of slippers that is waiting for you by the door.

Once inside the house…

Once you are inside the house you will usually be asked to sit down. If you have any belongings such as a bag or coat that you wish to take off they will usually be given a seat too. Placing bags on the floor is a huge no – no (the floor is considered unclean, though it seems fine from a Western perspective) and coat racks are uncommon in China.

Source: www.thoughco

You will then be offered something to eat and drink. Plain hot water is widely popular, especially in poorer households, where all water is boiled. The alternative is usually Chinese tea of some sort. The first food offered will most likely be fruit, with peanuts and candy if it’s a festive time of the year. Accept the food/drink, or put them down on a table in front of you if you don’t want to have them immediately.

Then the conversation begins… Your host will try to keep you entertained and ask you a few questions first. Then it is your chance to reciprocate.

Now that you have read this blog be sure to check out some of our other blog posts, such as ‘Learn Mandarin Chinese: 5 Reasons Why’ and ‘5 Great Wall Hikes For Every Beijing Tourist’

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So Who is This Grace Wong? And Why Are We Seeing Her All Over ChinesePod?

So Who is This Grace Wong? And Why Are We Seeing Her All Over ChinesePod?

I am Grace Wong, and I’m thrilled to be with you here on ChinesePod! I work mostly in the customer service area, but recently several people have suggested I take a more active role and even try to get in front of the camera.  So, I have decided to get out front and center so that I can become more involved with ChinesePod. I’m so excited!

I’ve always enjoyed learning online with CPod and I can’t wait to get know all of you in the ChinesePod community better. One of my new responsibilities as Community Manager will be to help host and setup MeetUps around the globe.  We will have our first one in North Florida and then will be rolling them out in other areas throughout the year.  Feel free to email me directly at Grace@chinesepod.com or message me in the forum if you would like to have one in your area.

So, let me tell you a little about me.  I was born in America, but my mother’s parents are from Hunan and Tainan.  My dad is from West Virginia. My mom fell in love with my Dad and he whisked her away to American and then came me!

I was born in the USA but my heart is in China!  My favorite thing to do there is eat! I love food – It’s a big motivator for me. One time my godmother bribed me with 粽子zòngzi to get me to let her pull my tooth out!

Hmmm.. looking back at my childhood the most vibrant memories I have involve piano and art – and FOOD!

I fought against the piano. I have many not-so-happy-memories of the piano with me throwing a fit on the piano bench, tears on the keys and the book thrown on the floor. Thankfully my parents saw my love of art and allowed me to quit the tortuous piano lessons.  It wasn’t expected of a Chinese mother to support her daughter’s pursuit of art, especially over the piano. I was fortunate to have been heard and encouraged.

Anywho…

Fast forward many years later, I went to college and majored in Fine Arts and minored in Chinese and Photography. Chinese has always been a part of my life, but it wasn’t until college that I fell in love with it. Chinese was so obtainable and I love being around people from China or who chose to learn this language. I’ve been committed to the language ever since. Check out this video of the Five W Questions in Chinese!

I have spent years teaching Chinese to children and adults alike. My first opportunity teaching the language was with adopted children from China. I was so impressed how their parents made it a priority for these kids to learn to speak their native tongue.  Then I created crash courses for companies which set up offices in Asia or had business in China.

I enjoyed teaching children and adults alike.  As an elementary school teacher, I established the Chinese program at my school! It’s amazing to see the drive these young children have to pursue this language on their own. I attacked Chinese much as I did the piano when I was a child – it wasn’t an activity I was jumping up and down to do. I can’t quite pinpoint what it was that I didn’t enjoy about it, however now that I’m all grown up, I realize I want to demystify Chinese and show everyone what an accessible language this is!  

All of my mom’s family are still in Asia.  While I wish we were closer, it has given me the opportunity to travel there often to visit. What a wonderful culture, steeped in tradition and history!

My family in Asia is so precious to me and I consider it my second home. I always cry as I leave my family there and wish I could stay longer.

 

I have traveled to the far east annually throughout my adult life and every time I go, I unlock new mysteries.  I am excited about many more trips to come and the new cultural experiences to be had.

I can’t wait to do our ChinesePod meetups all around the world with subscribers like you!  

Thanks for being part of the ChinesePod Community!  I look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

5 Exotic Animals You Need to Meet in Taiwan

Taiwan has become world-famous for its delicious mouth-watering night market snacks (xiǎochī | 小吃), cheap shopping, and friendly well-mannered locals. But visitors to the island usually end up discovering one other excellent word to describe Taiwan: CUTE. Taiwanese people love cute things. And what could be cuter than furry, cuddly animals, both of the stuffed and real variety? In Chinesepod’s lesson on rare and exotic animals (xīyǒu dòngwù | 稀有动物), we learn how to discuss in Mandarin our favorite furry friends, from extinct dinosaurs (kǒnglóng |恐龙) to fierce bears (熊). But you may be wondering, what exotic animals can you actually find in Taiwan? During my recent trip to Taiwan, I encountered a few animals, albeit some real and some fictional, which really stood out during my visit. Below I will introduce 5 “exotic animals” of Taiwan that you need to meet.

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Pet ownership: Controversy and the ‘new normal’

Pet ownership: Controversy and the ‘new normal’

Animals are all over the internet in many different forms such as cute photos, memes, news stories and so on. We love these furry hair balls SO much that we even invite them into our homes to live with us! Pets are universally loved, and even though the headlines are filled with the Chinese economy’s “new normal” (新常态, xīnchángtài), their pet industry is still growing rapidly. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China: China is the third largest dog owning population, and the pet care industry is expected to grow more than 50% by 2019.

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