9 strangest things that amaze tourists when coming to China-Travel

There are so many interesting things about visiting China that foreigners are amazed.

1. Refuse to accept gifts at least once

In China, no matter how much they like the gift, when it is given, they must refuse at least once before accepting it. For the Chinese, this is politeness.

The Chinese don’t like people buying them expensive gifts. In many cases, this could be seen as bribery. So if you decide to give someone a red envelope, make sure it doesn’t contain too much money.

2. Women wear tight clothes when going to the beach

For Asians in general, and for Chinese in particular, the ideal beauty standard of women is to have a bright white skin. The sun is the enemy of the skin. That is the reason, why many women go to the beach but wear tight clothes, covering their faces very carefully, only revealing their eyes. Wearing this not only protects a woman’s face from the sun, but also from jellyfish and algae.

3. Police will sometimes use geese instead of dogs

This may sound strange, but in some places like Xinjiang, police use domesticated geese instead of dogs. This is said to be large, aggressive and very sensitive geese that are not inferior to dogs.

4. People like to take a nap

In China, most people work long hours per week, sometimes without a day off. This is why they love napping so much. Whether at work, at the train station, or even on the sidewalk, you can sleep anywhere.

They will never hesitate to close their eyes for a few minutes. People passing by are best not to disturb them.

5. The bride needs to intentionally cry for 1 week before the wedding day

This ancient custom took place in many areas of Sichuan province throughout the centuries, dating back to the Warring States period (475 BC to 221 BC). Today, the bride before ordination has to cry every day for a week, even a month before the wedding. If this custom is not followed, the bride will become the laughing stock of the whole village.

6. Chinese people like to drink boiling water

The Chinese believe that drinking boiling water can treat various diseases such as colds and cholera. This tradition dates back to the 4th century BC when people believed that drinking hot water would help balance the body. Today, drinking hot water is still maintained and has become a hard habit to break in many people.

7. It’s a good idea to leave some leftovers on the plate

In many countries such as India and Japan, leaving leftovers on a plate means that the dish is not good. In China, the same action shows that you are still hungry, not eating enough.

However, in 2020, China launched the “Eat Clean Plate” campaign in an effort to reduce food waste after President Xi Jinping noticed an excessive amount of food being thrown away.

8. People often wear pajamas in public

In the 20th century, Western-style pajamas first appeared in China, it was very expensive, only the rich could afford it. Therefore, showing them off in public is their way of showing off their wealth.

Even today, when almost everyone can afford pajamas, wearing them in public shows one’s high status, wealth.

9. Red Yao women cut their hair once in their life

Huangluo Yao is a picturesque Chinese village hidden in nature, inhabited by the Red Yao people. The village has only 600 residents from 78 different households.

The reason for this village to become famous around the world is women’s hair, it can be up to 152cm long, weighing 2kg. The secret for women to have long and beautiful hair is that they often use a mixture of fermented rice water mixed with grapefruit peel and tea seed oil to incubate their hair.