Surviving Xi’an: Top 5 Things to Know
Half way through making this list and one of my friends has already informed me that 4 of the 5 things listed here are universal to all of China. I considered renaming the post to Surviving China, but I live in Xi’an and except for a brief weekend foray outside the city, I have not been anywhere long enough to experience these things. So if for nothing else, this is my own personal list for surviving the day-to-day occurrences here in Xi’an.
1. People Spit Everywhere
Spitting seems to be a pastime of the Chinese-if not nationwide then definitely here in Xi’an. Many people here have noticeably significant sinus and respiratory problems as a result of the pollution, dust, and general dryness. As a result, you will constantly witness people horking huge, disgusting globs of phlegm. If that were not bad enough, the build-up to said expulsion is an event in and of itself. The unmercifully loud and obnoxious, porcine-like snorting is easily identifiable on the busy streets at a distance of up to 20 meters (not scientifically tested). The first sniffle at the beginning of this past time is a cringe-inducing, hair-raising affair that you will experience at least a couple of times no matter how long or short of a time you spend in Xi’an. Whether you want to or not.
As if the hocking of big disgusting loogies wasn’t sufficiently repulsive in its own right, the locals deign that it is acceptable to engage in this act anywhere. And I mean anywhere. Walking down the street, riding on a bus, at the train station, on the train, in a restaurant right next to your foot. You get the picture, it’s gross.
2. Toddlers Don’t Need Silly Things Like Bathrooms
In the US, curbing your dog is a common practice and is enforced with fines in most cities. But have you ever heard of curbing your child? The Chinese have not, apparently. On more than one occasion I have witnessed a small child poppin’ a squat in the middle of a sidewalk doing his or her business. This event is utterly bizarre to me for two reasons. First, being an American I am ingrained with the principles of personal space and privacy, so going to the bathroom in plain sight of a bunch of people just does not seem possible or even remotely pleasant to me (sorry folks, I don’t have any weird bathroom-related fetishes). Second, seeing feces on a sidewalk is not something foreign to me. I lived in Philadelphia for a year-poo on the sidewalk happens sometimes. I have even been privy to the act of a dog evacuating its bowels on the sidewalk. No problemo. However, there has to be some sort of line being crossed when you transition from seeing poo on a sidewalk to actually witnessing a human in the act of depositing said poo on said sidewalk. With people walking by. And cars and buses driving by.
3. Crossing the Street is a Full Contact Sport … With Cars
Traffic laws are really just suggestions here in Xi’an. People will drive anywhere they can fit. Three cars abreast on a two lane road? No problem. It is commonplace to see people drive on the wrong side of the road when traffic is jammed up. It’s especially exciting when your taxi driver decides to do this at full throttle, with another car coming right at you. These events do not faze me, however. I mean, seriously, if you can survive riding in a taxi in Cairo, you can handle any kind of crazy, bat-out-of-hell driver in pretty much any part of the world.
That being said, crossing the street is serious business. Cars don’t always brake for pedestrians and they usually run the red light a good few seconds after it has changed. The trick is: wait for an opening in the first lane and go for it. If it is two lanes in the same direction and you can’t make it all the way across, no worries. Just stand in the meridian and make your profile as small as possible. The cars will drive around you … usually. Then when you see your chance, take it. An important thing to note: do not under any circumstances make eye contact with the driver of an oncoming vehicle. If you make eye contact then the Chinese understand this to me that you know there is a car coming and that you are responsible for not getting hit by it. If you make eye contact the driver will not brake for you. Literally.
4. You Will Get Dust in Something You Own
I mop my entire apartment and two days later there is dust creeping back in. Around the doors, through the windows. It’s everywhere! Xi’an seems to be uncommonly dry and is consistently plagued with dust and dirt in the air. About a week after I arrived here it rained, subsequently ending a 5 month long drought. Seriously, it’s dry here. Even if you only spend a weekend, nay, a day, walking around the city, you will be covered in some amount of dust. From the air, from the dust kicked up by all the construction and digging that seems to be going on everywhere. Somehow, some way, you will get dusted.
5. Anyone Will Be Happy to Tell You of Xi’an’s Long and Rich History
If you have an hour to spare, stop anyone in the street and ask them about Xi’an’s long and rich history. They will be happy to sit down and have tea with you and tell you all about it. About how the city walls are some of the oldest and best preserved in the country. How the fountain behind the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the third largest water show in Northeast China. How the terracotta warriors is such an amazing achievement and how China’s history goes back thousands of years. Etcetera, etcetera. I made the mistake once of asking my class about sites to see and Xi’an and why I should see them. The sites they listed were as you might expect: the museum, bell tower, drum tower, muslim quarter. And the only reason they had for every single site was that it displayed China’s long and rich history. It was so hard not to laugh as they told me this.
So this is my list of the top 5 things to know about Xi’an (China?). And no, I’m not complaining about these things. This is not a rant. I just thought I should share this with you because I find it hilarious and/or utterly bizarre. This list is just a few more things that really illustrate the huge cultural divide between China and America. I’ve already started compiling numbers 6 through 10 in my head. They will be as good, if not better, than these.
What are some quirky but important things to know about your city?
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1) pastime. Past time is time that happened in the past.
/pedant
2) maybe you could start a campaign getting people there to carry plastic shopping bags for picking up their kid’s poo . . .
3) Spitting used to be hella more common in the States/Europe — if you look at ettiquite manuals from the 19th century (and really, why wouldn’t you?), you see a lot of stuff like “don’t spit at the dinner table” and “neither gentlemen nor ladies should expectorate when in polite company.”
4) I guess if the US had a long and rich history, we might be more excited about it . . .
Great post, Graham! I can tell that not much has changed since I lived in China. It still sounds the same.
Taiwan is quite different. No one spits, although the occasional granny will still try to elbow you out of the way. People are a little better at queuing, but not by a wide margin. I very rarely see anyone using the Great Outdoors as their own private bathroom. Crossing the street can be dangerous, but thankfully you don’t have to plunge out into traffic with your eyes closed and a death wish here. Dust isn’t too much of a problem, but the rain and smog can definitely ruin your day. Finally, most people are just as eager to share Taiwan’s history as they are in Xi-an, but I think that’s true of any country you visit in Asia.
Anyways, I wanted to stop by and introduce myself. Your site is great. I’m going to enjoy reading some of your posts. I can see that I have Stevo to thank for this connection yet again. I’m going to have to pay him back in some way for finding me all these great blogs to get addicted to.
@purplestate: 1) noted and … fixed. Thanks. 2) Actually, that campaign would surely fail. Plastic bags are not easily found. A lot of grocery stores here do not carry plastic bags, and the ones that do you have to pay for. 4) You’re probably right, but doesn’t that just further illustrate the divide between the US and China?
@Carrie: I’m glad you enjoyed. Hopefully you didn’t have any unpleasant flashbacks. Taiwan is on the very long list of countries that I have yet to visit. Is it very different from China? I’ll make it there someday, I swear! The queuing will definitely be in my 6 through 10. Your accolades are greatly appreciated and I am flattered you would say so (I have been following MySeveralWorlds for about a week or two now and what I have seen thus far has been truly awesome; I pale in comparison). I have started reading a ton of new blogs in the past month and most of them are thanks to Stevo. I shall have to return the favor at some point too…. Anyway, nice to meet you and thanks for reading!
Ha! Great list, Graham. I brought my parents to Xi’an when they came and visited China last year and they learned some of this stuff the hard way. First of all, while walking down the main street south of the Bell Tower we actually saw a man – a full grown man, not a baby – undo his pants and urinate in a corner in broad daylight. Then crossing the 4 lane street was a nightmare. My mom never liked the game “Frogger” and had no desire to be playing a live-action version of it.
If I were to add anything to your list, it would be this:
“The only way you’re gonna eat anything at McDonalds or KFC is if you learn you’re just gonna have to shove your way up to the front”
1) Seeing a beautiful Chinese lady hawk a loogie is a real turn-off.
2) I wish adults were afforded the same privilege. The street is generally cleaner than the local public WC.
3) The largest vehicle always has right of way. Sometimes it’s best to look at life in China as, “I’m already dead, it’s just a matter of time.” It’s quite liberating.
4) Perhaps a duster, a la Spaghetti Western, would be proper apparel?
5) I asked colleagues about Chinese folk tales. I was disturbed when I knew more about the myths than they did.
@Josh: I have yet to see adults engage in that behavior. I can only imagine it’s far more bizarre than seeing little children do it (kids do the oddest things sometimes). Ah, Frogger, I totally forgot about that. The majority of my friends here say that crossing the street is like playing Frogger. And don’t worry, I’ll get to queuing in the next installment.
@Stevo: 2) good point, the public bathrooms are pretty much universally atrocious. 4) people stare at me enough as it is. I don’t think wearing a duster is going to improve that. 5) It seems like everyone in China will tell you about the long and rich history, but half the people don’t actually know what the history is. Hilarious!
That spitting part makes me hungry for something gooey. The driving here in Colombia is probably the most dangerous part for a gringo. Us Americans just like to play itself compared tp everyone else, I guess.
that’s …. gross.