What are your China moments?

A friend once told me “to experience the real China; you must visit rural China, meet and mingle with the rural folks, dine and enjoy the fresh vegetables, the clean air and environment devoid of all the toxic elements polluting China’s bustling urban cities”. But mind you he also said: “It is in the countryside that you will experience most of your China moments. This is partly due to the naivety of the rural folks”.

If you’re already in China, then you might have experienced some of these moments, if you’re a newbie, then it won’t be long before you experience some of these exclusive China moments. And if you are planning on coming to the Middle Kingdom anytime soon, don’t be surprised if some naïve Chinese friends or guests throw some outrageous questions at you, drowning you in some unforgettable moments (experiences). Hilarious if you ask me.

For some foreigners, some of these moments might sound somewhat ridiculous but I assure you, from my experience it is fairly normal. It isn’t because your Chinese friends or hosts are overtly ignorant but it is because some have never thought of the world as a global village where some simple things are simply common everywhere.

There are those questions, sometimes from folks who you might expect to know better. You might even experience some of these eye-opening moments in some big cities even though the probability is low because it’s hardly likely someone from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Nanjing would ask if there are fish in your home country. Yes “fish”, it might sound absurd but some of these moments can leave you speechless.

That moment when you’re asked if you came to China by plane or what.

That’s a credible question if you’re a Russian and not far from the regions bordering China. As ridiculous as this question might seem it does pop up sometimes and then you’re asked the cost of the flight and how many hours the journey took and other questions of personal interest you might not want to divulge. But hey, this is China, better to go with the flow, take no offence and answer with a smile. 

That moment when you’re asked if there is a certain kind of food or staple in your home country.

Generally this might be a legitimate question, because there are some delicacies back home that you might not find here in China and vice versa - but not when you’re asked if you eat rice in your country or if there are potatoes or cabbages. These are staples and universal with slight distinct features. Often you might think the one asking the question is either poking fun at you or just being sarcastic but trust me, most of the time, these are valid enquiries so take no offence, answer with a smile.