Question: Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands?

Before I came to China, I read several books on Chinese culture. One question I had was if Chinese people bowed. According to the books I read, Chinese people both bow and shake hands, depending on the situation. Well, that’s wrong. I’ve been in China for 10 months now and I haven’t seen any Chinese people bow as a greeting or as a goodbye. In fact, they bow as often as Americans do. The only time I’ve seen a Chinese people bow is at the end of a performance.

While Chinese people don’t bow, they do shake hands. The handshake, however, is different than in the US. Americans like a firm, hearty handshake. That kind of handshake would make people uncomfortable here. In China, people use a gentle, brief handshake. The best I can think of is that the handshake is more like what I’ve experienced with old ladies at church, a sort of soft, clasping of the hands. It’s not the type of handshake you would do at a business meeting.

Since I read that people bow in China, I went around Beijing bowing like I did in Korea. I did this for a few days. People gave me the same looks I would have gotten in the US; until I finally got the message and stopped. Don’t be like me. It makes people think you’re crazy. 

President Obama and Former President Hu shake hands in 2011.

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Photo: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/16/china.us/ 

Jiminy Cricket!

A few months ago, my class went on a field trip. While on the bus, I noticed an odd, chirping sound. It sounded familiar but, I couldn’t place the sound. Then, the students started chanting “Gwa! Gwa!” I asked my co-teacher what the kids were saying. She said they were saying “cricket.” That’s when I realized what the chirping sound was – the bus driver had a small jar, mounted on the dashboard, with a cricket inside of it.

My husband, Luiz, also saw a man with a cricket. They were in the bank and a big cricket jumped out of the man’s pocket and scampered away. Luiz said the man chased after it and put the cricket back into his pocket.

Crickets have been kept as pets in China for a very long time. No one really knows exactly when it started. A cricket home was discovered in a tomb from around 960 AD. However, it’s thought that cricket keeping started well before this. During various periods, crickets have also been kept as pets in Japan and parts of Europe.

Crickets are kept as pets for a few reasons. Some people like chirping sound and put them in special cricket homes designed to amplify the sound. Others like to race or fight the crickets. There are even special cricket breeders.

It seems like crickets as pets is something for middle aged and older men. The bus driver fit this description. So did the man Luiz saw. Other types of people probably have crickets too but, I’ve just never seen them.

I don’t think I would have a cricket as a pet. I don’t like insects and I’m sure my cat would kill it. But, to each his own. 

A cricket in a cage.

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The only cricket I would keep as a pet. 

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Cricket in Cage Photo: http://mariespastiche.blogspot.jp/2013/03/pet-crickets.html

Jiminy Cricket Photo: http://www.disneyclips.com/imagesnewb/pinocchio_jiminy.html

The NBA in China

On one of my first days at work, one of the Chinese teachers asked me “Where are you from?” I told her Miami. To this, she replied “I really love Dwayne Wade.” It surprised me that this young, Chinese woman knew who Dwayne Wade was; especially since I wasn’t entirely sure who he was. (I knew he played in the NBA, I just had to check which team.) Later, a man trying to scam me into buying some of his art also asked me where I was from. When I told him Miami, he started telling me how much he loves the Heat.

It turns out that Chinese people really like the NBA. I expected soccer to be the Chinese national sport but, it seems to be basketball. China has their own basketball league and NBA games play on TV here. I also see a lot of people wearing t-shirts and jerseys from various basketball teams. I read that an estimated 300 million people in China play basketball.

If you ever need to make small talk with a Chinese person, ask them about their favorite basketball team. This will surely break the ice. 

I went to a very nice shopping mall. They had screens on the ceiling displaying messages people texted in. My co-teacher translated the top message for me. It says something like "Fight On Heat. LeBron James MVP. Go Heat." 

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Buzz Cut Babies

Walking around Beijing, I noticed that a lot of babies have shaved heads. Most young babies have, naturally, very short/sparse hair but, these babies are sporting buzz cuts. At first, I thought it was because I arrived in Beijing during August, the hottest month. I assumed the very short haircut was to keep the baby cool. Then, I noticed that the haircuts didn’t disappear with fall or winter. So, I decided to investigate.

In China, the hair a child is born with (womb hair) is considered bad luck. So, traditionally, most of the hair is shaved off for good luck. Often, a little tuft of hair is left at the top of the head. Now, many people do not shave their baby’s head. They often just do a symbolic trim for the occasion.

The head is shaved for the baby’s Full Moon Celebration. This is done when the baby is one month old. The Full Moon Celebration is, basically, a party for the parents’ friends and extended family to meet the baby. Traditionally, mom and the new baby go through a resting/confinement time until the baby is one month old. During this time, they do not usually receive visitors.

The Full Moon Celebration sounds fun. There is food, gifts, etc. Plus, the baby gets his/her first haircut. I haven’t been to one but, if invited, I would like to go.

There are other occasions when Chinese children get really short haircuts. The second month of the lunar year is supposed to be a lucky time for a haircut. Shortly after we came back from our Chinese New Year vacation, several of my male students got buzz cuts. The girls didn’t get such drastic cuts though. They all appeared to have cut an inch of so off of their hair.

Well, now I know why, no matter the season, there are a bunch of buzz cut babies walking around Beijing. 

How cute is this kid getting his Second Month of the Lunar Calendar haircut?????

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Photo: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2572289/Fringe-benefits-Children-undergo-traditional-lucky-haircuts-China-dont-happy-it.html

Dragon Boat Festival

Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. It’s a legal holiday so, it’s a day off. I tried looking up what this holiday is about but, I found the internet confusing. Apparently, depending on where you are in China, there are three possible reasons for this holiday.

Qu Yuan

From what I’ve read and been told, Qu Yuan’s story is the most commonly cited story for the Dragon Boat Festival.

Basically, Qu Yuan was a poet and government official, from the ancient state of Chu, who opposed an alliance with another state, Qin. After the alliance went through, he was banished. During his banishment, Qu Yuan wrote a lot of poetry and gained respect and fame from those around him. Eventually, Qin overtook Chu. Distraught, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in a river. (Although, I have also been told that the drowning was accidental.) When the locals heard Qu Yuan went into the river, they raced their dragon boats out to save him. When they couldn’t find him, they dropped zongzi (sticky rice balls) into the river so the fish wouldn’t eat and desecrate Qu Yuan’s body before the people could find it.

Wu Zixu

Wu Zixu was an advisor to the king. He gave the king some advice and the king ignored it. Apparently, he really pressed this advice and the king accused him of sabotage. So, Wu Zixu was forced to commit suicide. His body was later thrown into the river. When it turned out that Wu Zixu was right and not a traitor, the king was upset and committed suicide.

Cao E

Cao E is a girl who is considered a model for filial piety. Her father was their area’s local shaman. The story says that while her father was performing a ceremony for Wu Zixu, he fell into the river. Cao E went into the river to save him. Apparently, she looked for three days. On the fifth day, their bodies were found together. Both drowned.

From my research, it doesn’t matter which story you believe started the holiday. People seem to celebrate the same way, regardless of the story. The main way to celebrate is to make zongzi, a sticky rice dumpling. People also participate in dragon boat races. All in all, it’s a rather laid back holiday.

Zongzi - My Chinese co-teacher made the dumpling by the blue arrow. I made the dumpling by the red arrow. It's hard to wrap everything up nicely. As you can see, my co-teacher's leaf wrapped dumpling is even and triangular. Mine is definitely not. 

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Watch someone who knows what she's doing make zongzi.

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