When People from Other Countries Come to China
My name is Xiaoming and I'm 10 years old. I live in a big city in China with my mom, dad, and little sister. A few months ago, some new kids joined my class at school who were from other countries. At first I thought it was really cool to have foreign students in our class! But then I noticed there were times when they seemed really confused or did things differently than the rest of us.
My teacher told us that when people from different cultures get together, there can sometimes be misunderstandings or conflicts because of different customs, values, and ways of doing things. She said we should be patient and try to learn from each other. I've noticed my foreign classmates struggling with a few things, so I'll share some examples of cultural differences they've experienced in China.
Food is probably the biggest one! A lot of the dishes we eat use ingredients like chicken feet, duck blood, century eggs, and stinky tofu that kids from the USA or Europe aren't used to. Some of them won't even try it! At lunch, they mostly just eat the plain rice and simply cooked veggies. My Indian classmate has
been really disappointed because there isn't much vegetarian food available in the cafeteria besides noodles.
Personal space is another difference. We Chinese don't really have as much personal space as Westerners - we stand and sit quite close together, which makes my American and British friends uncomfortable. They jumped the first time an auntie pushed through them in a crowded place! We also don't really line up properly for things, which drives them crazy. I've had to explain that's just how we do queues in China.
Speaking of crowded, China's cities are much more densely populated than most foreign countries. This has been a huge shock to the new kids. All the traffic, people, and buildings seem to overwhelm them, and they say it's too noisy compared to where they're from. Lots of shoving and honking horns! One time my German classmate started crying from all the commotion on a busy street.
My foreign friends have definite struggles with our language too. We take learning Chinese very seriously from a young age, doing lots of practice, homework, and memorization. But for kids just arriving in China and trying to learn Mandarin, it's really difficult with the tones, characters, and differences from their native languages. I've had to step in and translate lots of times
because they couldn't understand the teacher or communicate with classmates.
There are quite a few customs and traditions we have that seem bizarre to them as well. For example, we have very specific rituals and taboos around things like chopstick etiquette, hand gestures, numbering floors in buildings, colors, giving/receiving gifts, and much more. My teacher will patiently explain the cultural reasons, but I can tell it still seems really strange and unnecessary to the foreign students sometimes.
Beliefs, values, and ways of thinking also differ quite a bit between China and other countries. My teacher has told us that in the West, there is more emphasis on the individual - being unique, having personal freedoms, expressing your own thoughts. But in our culture, we focus more on discipline, obedience, respect for elders and authorities, maintaining harmony, and putting group/family interests first. So some of the foreign kids have gotten in minor trouble for speaking out of turn, questioning the teacher, or trying to do their own thing instead of following the group. It's been a learning process for all of us!
I remember one American boy made the mistake of pointing with his feet at something (which is considered very rude here)
and a Chinese student yelled at him until he was in tears. Another time there was an argument because my Australian friend tried to organize a birthday party for himself, which altri don't really do - we celebrate getting one year older, not the birthday itself. Little things like that.
Overall though, I'm glad to have kids from overseas at my school and in my community. My horizons have been broadened by learning about their cultures, trying their foods, and picking up pieces of their languages. It's also helped me develop more appreciation for my own heritage and traditions. I've realized that no culture is better or worse than others, we just have different ways of thinking and doing things.
At the same time, it's been eye-opening to understand the challenges and discomforts that foreigners can face when coming to a new country like China. Simple aspects of daily life that I took for granted are very unfamiliar to them. My foreign friends have felt homesick, confused, out of place, and even disrespected at times when they unknowingly did something considered rude here. It's made me more considerate and patient.
I've tried my best to make the new kids feel welcome and help them navigate our culture. I explain things, act as a
translator, and remind my Chinese classmates not to judge too quickly. When I see the foreigners struggling, I make an effort to keep them included. I am interested to learn about where they came from too.
My teacher says with more exposure and open minds on both sides, cultural barriers can be overcome through mutual understanding and respect. She emphasized that no one culture is perfect or has all the answers. We should appreciate our differences while also finding common ground in our shared humanity. I'll continue striving to put those ideas into practice with my overseas friends.
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