China FAQs - China living FAQ

Unlike the Koreans (often openly hostile to outsiders) and the Japanese (with their false plastic smiles), the Chinese are among the most hospitable people in the world. However, in smaller cities with less foreign exposure, many will freeze up the first time you try to communicate. No worries: once locals get used to you, you will find them extremely accommodating.

Foreigners are called “lao wai” (老外) in colloquial Chinese, while a formal way of addressing people coming from overseas is “foreign friends/guests” (外国友人/外宾). Every Chinese was taught “How happy we are, to meet friends from afar!” and "all men are brothers" from The Analects of Confucius since they were very young. Hence generally speaking, Chinese people are really curious about foreigners and tend to show their generosity and hospitality.

Hospitality and generosity

It is very likely to be invited to your Chinese friends' home. And the Chinese believe “do not wash your dirty linen in public”. They are afraid to lose face and they are especially keen to show you whatever is best about themselves and China. Despite certain sensitive political and historical issues, foreigners are generally much welcomed and respected. In many cases, laowai even get privileges over local people.

Chinese locals like to speak English to foreigners to show their hospitality. And, of course, some of them also aim at practicing and improving their spoken English. Furthermore, they believe that Chinese is a language which is rather difficult to learn. Hence if they meet any foreigner who could speak just a little bit of Chinese, they would become really happy and proud. They are generous about a laowai’s Chinese language proficiency and alway show their smiles for appreciation.

The downside...

The downside, local louts get a real kick out of foreign faces, meaning that (in smaller cities, mainly) you should also expect to be on the receiving end of numerous catcalls behind your back (ie. 'Hellooooo'). Another negative aspect about the “privileges” a foreigner receives is that some vendors in China may charge higher for foreign customers. Hence strong bargaining skills may be needed if you want to get a reasonable price from them. In addition, there still lies discrimination among the Chinese. Foreigners with white skin, blond hair and blue eyes are more popular with Chinese people.


Above all, if you have a smile in your heart and a smile on your face, all good things are possible in China. Really.