When asked the question why Chinese people like to spit on the ground, our tour guide said it was 'mei ban fa' (cannot be helped), because the action of spitting on the ground IS an element of Chinese culture, passed down from ancestorV to ancestorW. This is a good explanation, because the question I wanted to ask was, how do the Chinese get so much phlegm to spit out? I don't really mind the sound of it, but it makes the ground a field of fresh mines.
'Courtesy: Civilization in taking train, give way and help others' sign can be found at the train station.
Another action that is quite noticeable on the street is people bumping into people. What I've learned is that if you bump into someone, you should not look at them - and should just keep walking. Do not say the 'sorry'. If you say sorry or any variation of sorry such as even: "bu hao yi si", surrounding people might think you're a foreigner, and we don't want that to happen do we? The attitude when you bump into someone is that the someone should be sorry for bumping into you. Hence the sign:
"10 points to happiness"
Smile more Mouth sweeter
Talk softer Move quicker
Think faster Anger slower
Acceptance bigger Excuses smaller
Perform more actions Efficiency higher
Having said all that, I have seen on a few occasions a middle-aged woman/man fighting with an elderly woman for the other person to sit on the seat. The fights usually lasted for about 7-8 exchanges of 'ni zuo!' 'ni zuo!' in the same way two friends would fight for the bill. It wouldn't be right for the fight to end any other way than for the elderly woman to sit. Can you imagine the opposite? Quite impressive to see.
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