[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Are you Chinese, Chinese-Canadian, or a Canadian ex-pat of a different ethnic lineage living in China? I just want to know where your perspective is coming from.

I am a Canadian ex-pat of European descent, married into a Shanghainese family. I've lived different kinds of lives here. I have obviously been a part of the expat communities, though it's not my preference as I find many ex-pats self-indulgent, and I have also lived in one homestay for 7 months in Shanghai and another for one month in Taiyuan. Currently I live and work in Changchun, which is in the northeast, in the province sharing a border with North Korea.

My wife's brother spent some time there and he loved some things and hated others. He said manners (at least the kind he is used to in Canada) went out the window. He said he also felt that he was treated with a different standard because he was a foreigner (like he was expected to let people cut in front of him in lines, or move out of the way for locals in public areas).

Yes, manners of the Canadian type will go out. An orderly line is not something you're going to find much of here, though it's not just for foreigners. You've got to be prepared to push a bit to get to the front.

To be honest, my impression of China is tainted by knowledge of Chinatown in Vancouver... which is pretty dirty and crowded. At the same time, you rarely ever see a Chinese beggar or panhandler in Canada.

How dirty and how crowded places are varies a lot by which city you're in. China varies in huge ways from place to place. In a big city such as Shanghai or Beijing, you probably won't find things so dirty, but it will be very crowded. You also won't find so many beggars in these two cities, though you definitely will encounter them. Many of the beggars you will encounter in China have severe deformities. From what I understand, children and adults are sometimes deformed by others who will force them to beg, as people with more deformities will get more money.

I was watching a show a while ago about a city in northern China near the Russian border where there is actually a Russian minorty in the city and strong Orthodox Christian community and use of the Cyrillic alphabet is common. That kind of surprised me. I wish I could remember the name of the city as it looked really nice... Harbin or something like that....

Edit: yes, it's Harbin:

I haven't been to Harbin yet, though it's reasonably close to where I am now. Just a few hours drive north of here. There is an interesting mix of cultures and ethnicities here too. The city is about 20% ethnic Korean, and I've noticed quite a bit of Christian culture in town while I've been here. The Russian population is not great here and I have not noticed the Cyrillic alphabet, but there is a noticeable Russian presence here.

There is a huge cultural diversity across China. Lifestyles, language and people are very different from one side of China to the other.