The Chinese (mostly men) love to spit.
They spit on sidewalks. They spit in restaurants, bathrooms and elevators. They spit morning, noon and night.
They start out with a throat-clearing rumble before spurting out a phlegm projectile forceful enough to break glass. Sometimes they rub their shoes over the goop, as if they were stamping out a lit cigarette.
I’ve heard all kinds of explanations for this disgusting habit, from air pollution to showing off your lung power. I’ve even been told it’s an ancient form of body cleansing.
Of course, the Chinese aren’t the only spitters in the world. Watch a Major League Baseball game, and you’ll see a steady stream of expectoration. But the Chinese have raised it to an art form.
It’s a talent not universally appreciated. One of China’s top officials warned that spitting by Chinese tourists abroad is hurting the country’s image. Still, don’t expect China to follow the lead of Singapore, where spitting in public is illegal.
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I’m often in the dark here, literally as well as figuratively.
The lighting on campus, as well as in my apartment building, is usually dim or nonexistent. Lights are kept off to save power in a country where demand outstrips supply.
The hallways at Henan University of Technology are dark most of the time. There are light switches, but they’re rarely used. Same thing with the classrooms. Even the huge concrete courtyard at the center of the campus is unlit at night, except for the decorative display on the school library. Walking around the area can be an eerie experience, with figures suddenly emerging from shadows.
Elevators are also restricted to conserve electricity. There are two in every classroom building, but one of them is almost always shut down.
In my apartment building, which is reserved for foreign teachers, the stairwells and hallways are dark at night until someone climbs the stairs, which temporarily turns on the lights. (The seven-floor building has no elevator. I live on the third floor, so I’m relatively lucky.) We control the lights in our apartments, but we’re advised to turn them off when we’re not home.
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Here’s a tip about tipping in China: It’s usually unnecessary, and sometimes banned.
At most Chinese restaurants and hotels, tips are not expected. In fact, some consider tipping to be rude because it implies that the worker isn’t being adequately paid by his or her employer. However, tipping is becoming more common at fancy restaurants and hotels, especially ones that cater to Westerners.
Taxi drivers, barbers, masseuses, bartenders and most other people in the service industry don’t accept tips. But tour guides and their drivers do.
