Interesting Cultural Findings (Part I)

I noticed that many cars had red ribbons or strips of red fabric tied to the undersides of their bumpers so I asked Chen, our tour guide, about it and she said it was for good luck.

The heat is so oppressive here! So much so that a ton of women and some men use umbrellas for shade. Some men also roll up their shirts to expose their bellies. And now I know why the Chinese are famous for their beautiful fans – because it is so blasted hot here!

It’s true, the Chinese have squat toilets here. The first one I glimpsed was in the Xi’an airport while Chen and I were waiting for the BYU group to show up. She showed me that you have to grab your toilet paper out by the sinks first before going into the stalls, so I grabbed mine and then promptly walked past the nasty looking squat toilets to the western toilets they have for the disabled.

Crazy freaking driving. No need to really obey traffic lights. Cars in front of you in the right turn lane not going fast enough or turning? Just pull out to the left of them and turn around them. Only three lanes but people aren’t driving fast enough for your liking? Drive in between in them or go into the oncoming traffic lanes to get around them. The oncoming traffic will slow down or stop to let you finishing getting around the slow pokes. Need to turn left on a busy street with no light? Just start nosing in. Traffic will stop for you, one lane at a time. Same for u-turns.

Three-wheeled bicycles with a trailer over the two back wheels. I see them everywhere! Hauling trash bags piled so high that you think it is impossible for them to be piled that high and wide. Or hauling grapes and dried sunflower heads. Or anything!

The Chinese don’t have cherry blossoms in their art. That is Japanese. The Chinese have plum blossoms (which look a lot like cherry blossoms). They also have bamboo leaves for art. The two (bamboo and plum blossoms) together mean balance, and represent men and women. The bamboo is straight and tall but bent a little at the top representing virtue and humility. The plum flower represents an open heart and beauty even in trials because it blooms in the snow and winter. It is common to see paintings of bamboo and plum blossoms hanging in Chinese homes.

I accidentally had my name written in Chinese characters while at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. I say “accidentally” because it was expensive! And the guy was a little wily about doing it – he said, “You want me to write your name? My calligraphy is free! You only pay for the cost of the paper.” So I said sure. And then he charged me 100 Yuan (about $16) for it! Wah! If I’ve learned anything in China so far it is that everything is incredibly cheap! Almost too cheap by American standards. So paying $16 for that paper… rip off for sure. Oh well. When written out in Chinese characters, my name means: outstanding/perfect, West (as in the opposite of East), and good quality.

When I say cheap, I mean cheap. For example, we rode the bus 45 minutes to get to church my first Sunday in Xiamen and it only cost 1 Yuan which is roughly 16 cents. 16 cents for a bus ride!!