Peek-a-boo: I go to many old villages here and the reaction is typically the same. The Chinese are very curious about westerners and often surprised if we speak to them in Chinese. A...

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Peek-a-boo

Jul 19, 2018 19:20:49 #

Pixeldawg Loc: Suzhou, China

I go to many old villages here and the reaction is typically the same. The Chinese are very curious about westerners and often surprised if we speak to them in Chinese. A smile, hello and respectful nod of the head goes a long way here. Last night for example, my wife and I were eating dinner in a restaurant and a man came up to me and expressed his amazement that I could use Chop Sticks. I laughed and told him, patting my (rather large) belly, that I had to maintain my good figure. You have to have a good sense of humor about these things and most westerners don't realize that YOU may be the very first non-Chinese that this person has ever ran across. So, in most cases, I try to be good natured about it and a good representative of my country. This is the case for this photo. I was in a very small, remote village and stopped to speak with some people when I noticed these two women. The one turned away when she saw me looking, but the more elderly woman just kept staring. A fun photo.

The thing you have to understand as well is that I LOVE old Chinese people. They have been through everything. Wars, the Cultural Revolution and some the feudalist society prior to Communism. They are tough, but generally very sweet and when no one else will speak to you, the older people will because they don't care what others think and as I have already said they have been through it all. What's the harm in looking at a strange person, right? :-)

Hope you enjoy the photo and have a great day!