Comments on: The perils of being Chinese in China http://lingboli.com/travel/the-perils-of-being-chinese-in-china/ Lingbo Li Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:05:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Cleo http://lingboli.com/travel/the-perils-of-being-chinese-in-china/comment-page-1/#comment-15953 Cleo Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:09:19 +0000 http://lingboli.com/?p=926#comment-15953 I don't like being mistaken for a Korean which only happens after I gained weight. I miss Mainland Chinese friends telling me how traditional I look even though I am American Born. I don't feel white at all but I know what you mean about the dissonance being in China. I feel bad for them because to them, we're the lucky ones and but they are no less deserving. I like your pictures especially the ones with glasses or a ponytail. Very pretty. I don’t like being mistaken for a Korean which only happens after I gained weight. I miss Mainland Chinese friends telling me how traditional I look even though I am American Born. I don’t feel white at all but I know what you mean about the dissonance being in China. I feel bad for them because to them, we’re the lucky ones and but they are no less deserving. I like your pictures especially the ones with glasses or a ponytail. Very pretty.

]]> By: M&T Restaurant in Flushing, NY: a Tsingtao in Qingdao | Boston Restaurant and Food Blog http://lingboli.com/travel/the-perils-of-being-chinese-in-china/comment-page-1/#comment-11075 M&T Restaurant in Flushing, NY: a Tsingtao in Qingdao | Boston Restaurant and Food Blog Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:21:50 +0000 http://lingboli.com/?p=926#comment-11075 [...] of Beijing’s Ya Xiu market. I dropped thousands of RMB thanks to ineffectual bargaining while my culture-shocked nerves were worn down to an irritable jelly. Thankfully, my second chance at travel — a stateside [...] [...] of Beijing’s Ya Xiu market. I dropped thousands of RMB thanks to ineffectual bargaining while my culture-shocked nerves were worn down to an irritable jelly. Thankfully, my second chance at travel — a stateside [...]

]]> By: The worst Japanese restaurant flub ever | Boston Restaurant and Food Blog http://lingboli.com/travel/the-perils-of-being-chinese-in-china/comment-page-1/#comment-10055 The worst Japanese restaurant flub ever | Boston Restaurant and Food Blog Fri, 28 May 2010 03:07:31 +0000 http://lingboli.com/?p=926#comment-10055 [...] August 8th 2009) who outright lied to escape his screwup, capping off a troubled relationship with China’s service culture. I wrote an incensed email to the chain but never received a reply. Some servers are merely [...] [...] August 8th 2009) who outright lied to escape his screwup, capping off a troubled relationship with China’s service culture. I wrote an incensed email to the chain but never received a reply. Some servers are merely [...]

]]> By: Lingbo Li - Food Thrillseeker, Foodie, Harvard Student, Journalist, Designer » Blog Archive » Starbucks in China: The Good, The Bad, and the Sugarfree http://lingboli.com/travel/the-perils-of-being-chinese-in-china/comment-page-1/#comment-6674 Lingbo Li - Food Thrillseeker, Foodie, Harvard Student, Journalist, Designer » Blog Archive » Starbucks in China: The Good, The Bad, and the Sugarfree Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:52:31 +0000 http://lingboli.com/?p=926#comment-6674 [...] While Starbucks is sometimes seen as a monolithic coffeeslinger to the upwardly mobile masses, the coffee chain’s branches abroad don’t entirely conjure up home. Though it’s mostly a deliciously familiar task of navigating between tall, grande, and venti, be it NYC or Shanghai, I felt alienated at times without my standby sugarfree option and decent English magazines. (I wrote about how much I adored Starbucks in my post about being culture shocked.) [...] [...] While Starbucks is sometimes seen as a monolithic coffeeslinger to the upwardly mobile masses, the coffee chain’s branches abroad don’t entirely conjure up home. Though it’s mostly a deliciously familiar task of navigating between tall, grande, and venti, be it NYC or Shanghai, I felt alienated at times without my standby sugarfree option and decent English magazines. (I wrote about how much I adored Starbucks in my post about being culture shocked.) [...]

]]> By: The Vineyard Man OST: Da-ga Ga-go Sip-eo / 다가 가고 싶어 | Intro to SIP http://lingboli.com/travel/the-perils-of-being-chinese-in-china/comment-page-1/#comment-6568 The Vineyard Man OST: Da-ga Ga-go Sip-eo / 다가 가고 싶어 | Intro to SIP Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:02:03 +0000 http://lingboli.com/?p=926#comment-6568 [...] The perils of being Chinese in China [...] [...] The perils of being Chinese in China [...]

]]> By: Brian http://lingboli.com/travel/the-perils-of-being-chinese-in-china/comment-page-1/#comment-6552 Brian Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:56:07 +0000 http://lingboli.com/?p=926#comment-6552 Very interesting post. Hope to hear more about your China experience at the Tech 501 Club. Welcome back! Very interesting post. Hope to hear more about your China experience at the Tech 501 Club. Welcome back!

]]> By: Mindy http://lingboli.com/travel/the-perils-of-being-chinese-in-china/comment-page-1/#comment-6551 Mindy Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:33:41 +0000 http://lingboli.com/?p=926#comment-6551 Wow, I can totally relate to the Starbucks thing - it was like home base for me whenever I was lost in Shanghai. P.S. Love your blog! :) Wow, I can totally relate to the Starbucks thing – it was like home base for me whenever I was lost in Shanghai.

P.S. Love your blog! :)

]]> By: JohnG http://lingboli.com/travel/the-perils-of-being-chinese-in-china/comment-page-1/#comment-6525 JohnG Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:37:57 +0000 http://lingboli.com/?p=926#comment-6525 I think you're definitely right about the service thing -- sometimes looking foreign can get you better service. I think that can disappear though if you're foreign-looking, speak Chinese and have been here awhile. You start to learn from local friends how to get deals and therefore you want to take advantage of them since you stopped thinking RMB100 was really cheap a long time ago. But things are still a crap shoot: sometimes things can work, sometimes they can backfire. You either save a lot of money or get something extra for the same price or you ended up getting treated like a complete local and therefore having to fight for every bit of service. If you don't understand the language, you can act blissfully ignorant and just accept the inflated price and therefore probably get better service as shopkeepers try to take advantage of that ignorance. And as you said that method is sometimes the better way to go if you can live with the mark up. Glad you enjoyed your time here. J. I think you’re definitely right about the service thing — sometimes looking foreign can get you better service. I think that can disappear though if you’re foreign-looking, speak Chinese and have been here awhile. You start to learn from local friends how to get deals and therefore you want to take advantage of them since you stopped thinking RMB100 was really cheap a long time ago. But things are still a crap shoot: sometimes things can work, sometimes they can backfire. You either save a lot of money or get something extra for the same price or you ended up getting treated like a complete local and therefore having to fight for every bit of service.

If you don’t understand the language, you can act blissfully ignorant and just accept the inflated price and therefore probably get better service as shopkeepers try to take advantage of that ignorance. And as you said that method is sometimes the better way to go if you can live with the mark up.

Glad you enjoyed your time here.
J.

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