15 culture clashes I've had as an American traveling in Asia - Business Insider

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15 culture clashes I've had as an American traveling in Asia

As foreigners can't use Alipay or WeChat Pay — you need a Chinese bank account to sign up — I had numerous issues paying for things in China's big cities.

I traveled with my partner, who is Chinese-American and speaks fluent Mandarin. We still encountered plenty of confusion, such as taxi drivers taking us to the wrong destination, or misunderstanding the rules at tourist sites. Be prepared.Thomas Peter - Pool/Getty ImagesguanxiWhile there are many ways to explain guanxi, the easiest is that it's the web of relationships you build up among family, friends, and business acquaintances through reciprocal favors.

Like guanxi, face is hard to translate, but it basically means your reputation in relation to your community, as determined by dignity, prestige, and social status. I had more than a few awkward moments in boardrooms with Chinese executives or dealing with PR representatives where I forcefully pushed for a yes-or-no answer that made us both look bad.

The mass of people means that the Chinese concept of personal space is very different from the American perspective. Entire families may live in tiny apartments, and you are almost always standing shoulder to shoulder in a crowd. With so many people vying to get into a subway car or into an elevator at all times, there is no option but to pack in like sardines.

 

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