Every country has certain chinese customs or traditions that enrich its culture. Customs may surprise you or even contradict what you are used to.
Before you embark on an exciting trip, it is important to learn more about the place you are visiting. Having knowledge is part of the culture of travel and will get special attention when you go on a trip.
China is one of those countries that will inspire you. This Asian giant is a whole world in itself. Traditions that may be very foreign to you are a part of everyday life for the Chinese.
New Year and the Dragon, a Unique Symbol of an Extraordinary Culture
The New Year is one of the most unusual and surprising Chinese customs. Unlike the rest of the world, the Chinese celebrate New Year according to the lunar calendar, so there is no exact date for the celebration. However, there are some details that make this tradition incomparable.
Did you know that the Chinese New Year triggers the largest annual migration in the world? That’s right, Chinese people go back to their hometowns to reunite with their families and share this traditional holiday together.
On the other hand, another Chinese custom that is widely practiced in other parts of the world is the immense importance of the dragon as a symbol. The Chinese are the sons of the dragon, a powerful figure allied with their emperor. It is a great idea to learn about the kingdom of the dragon in the ancient palace of Beijing.
Food That You May Find a Little Strange in Chinese Customs
In the field of food, you will find many things that will surprise you. Customs and traditions from completely different cultures bring about what might be called a clash of the normal or the exotic.
Street food is one of the landmarks that mark the culture of each country: the hot dog on the streets of New York, the delicious Arepa in Colombia or Venezuela, and so on, in every corner of the world. But it seems a little strange in China, where you can get insects, yes, insects! Here you can get insects. Scorpions, crickets, cicadas, what do you want to try?
Do you want to keep surprising yourself with Chinese food? You may have heard that dogs are eaten in China and you try not to believe it. But we have to tell you that you need to open your mind and realize that this could be quite normal.
You don’t really like the whole dog thing? It’s just a different culture. However, there are many Chinese dietary practices that may seem strange but are not offensive. One example is breakfast and hot water.
You may be used to eating breakfast with juice, fresh fruit, or something natural. Chinese breakfast is usually hot, which is not bad, by the way. For example, tea is one of their hobbies, so drinking hot water is normal for them: what is the Chinese tea ceremony and what does it consist of?
If You Know These Chinese Customs, You Can Be Sure You Won’t Be Treated Rudely
If you don’t know the culture and traditions of a country like China, it may lead to people not being very welcoming or thinking you are rude. Therefore, there are some behaviors you need to keep in mind that you don’t necessarily want to do in Asian countries.
Don’t stick your chopsticks in the middle of the rice, this can be very rude as it means you want the person serving you food to die. Another tip: If you are in a restaurant or hotel, don’t tip, it may be considered rude.
Another thing to avoid is pointing fingers. Little by little, you will learn gestures that may be rude to your Chinese friends.
More Facts About Chinese Customs and Traditions
Here are some Chinese customs that you may be interested in
- They are used to taking a bath at night, but they prefer a refreshing bath in the morning.
- They spit on the ground, a habit that is difficult to eradicate, even though the authorities have banned it and tried to stop it.
- they snooze at work, usually, there are some periods of time in the office or factory when employees can snooze.
- they like table tennis, and it is easy to find places to practice this sport in public places. People of all ages practice it every day.
Finally, you may have heard that in China, a family could only have one child. This is no longer the case, as second and third children are now allowed. This is a measure taken to reduce the incredible population growth.
However, gender imbalance and labor shortages forced the law to be repealed.
What Can’t I Do in China? Chinese Omens, Superstitions, Customs
My girlfriend and I have been living in China for over a year and working as a translator and in this video, I want to tell you some things you should not do in China and some things or customs if you are preparing to travel to China, all these are about metaphors or omens not just based on facts from the internet our personal experiences and experiences.
Communicate with the Chinese to familiarize yourself with their culture and your own experiences. China highly values and respects the older generation. If you are at the table and there is someone older than you, it is very disrespectful to eat first and wait for the elder to start eating before you can take over.
It is also strange that one of the signs that eating is considered bad in China is sticking your chopsticks in the middle while eating rice, why? Because in traditional Chinese culture, in order to honor the dead, for example, a grave worship ceremony involves inserting multiple ritual joss sticks in the middle of the rice bowl dedicated to worship.
Since you are dealing with the most respectful guest, let’s consider the situation: you are a respected guest and you want to show your respect to the members of the family, in China it is customary to show respect at the table, if you are drinking, then the cup they offer is a little bit lower than the cups of your friends, sometimes it becomes ridiculous, they almost have to bend very low because they really want to show respect to you and their circle to show respect, and here is also to give an etiquette because in China the etiquette is very consistent with attending a funeral, you know very well, especially the colors white and black because both colors are considered mourning here the Chinese number 4 and death also mean the same thing, so in some old houses it may feel like a type 4 14 floor is unlucky.
About gift-giving
By the way about gifts, China does not recommend giving white flowers because white from the grass as I said above, but contrary to our customers you can meet gorgeous brides dressed in red and have a view or omen.
About the red color
Red underwear, in Chinese legend, wearing red clothes in the current year is a folk custom since ancient times, it reflects a good desire and pursuit. However, whether it is effective in growing luck is not conclusive at the moment.
My girlfriend gave me socks, she even gave me a nice pair of red panties, besides that, I bought myself a little red bag, it is very nice, so hopefully, this will be the most perfect year for us, but not everything is red, for example not signing people’s names in red, because in most cases this difference happens to be written on the footprints of living people or when they want to curse, yes, that is how strange, in our case a teacher wrote in red marks on the children and then his Chinese wall on the right, let’s write everything in black but the name in red.
About the green color
There is an even more ridiculous traditional reason that if you wear a cuckold in China then you are most likely a cheated-on person, yes it has to do with your lover cheating on you so don’t wear a cuckold.
