Survival Chinese
This section of Lost Laowai is designed to teach you some basic survival Chinese - words and phrases that will get you by.
It is advisable to also visit our section on Chinese pinyin, as Chinese is a rather complicated language and even saying basic things can be difficult without an understanding of this core concept.
Teaching in China Overview
Teaching English is an excellent way to get a little bit more intimate with China. Trekking through a country is all well and good, but it's when you live there that you really begin to get a sense of the ebb and flow of this massive country.
As is true with any line of work, teaching ESL comes with its own collection of positives and negatives - here's a brief outline:
Chinese Food
A huge part of understanding China and Chinese culture is through the country's countless varieties of cuisine.
Perhaps not surprising, "Chi fan le ma?" is one of the most common greetings given in China, and it means simply, "Have you eaten?" It illustrates just how connected the country's food is to all other aspects of day to day life. Though the popularity of Western fast food continues to grow, small restaurants and local dishes are still the mainstay throughout most of China.
Chinese Etiquette
Impressions about Chinese etiquette vary. Many come to China with heads full of a richly cultural country, filled with traditions and customs celebrated for thousands of years. Though there remains a veil of this laying on top of modern day China, it is thin and sometimes hard to see.
In fact, what most do see upon stepping off the plane is a lot of what is generally considered quite rude in the West. People spitting and littering on the street, men relieving their bladders just behind the bushes (or not behind anything, as is often the case), and a general disregard of the fine art that we call queuing are all common sights. At the dinner table it is not much better, as it isn't considered out-of-the-norm to eat with your mouth open, while trying desperately to say as much as you can before you need to swallow.
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