What surprised you most when you first came to China, as a foreigner?
你第一次来到中国时最让你感到惊讶的是什么
以下是Quora读者的评论：
Emma Sorensen, Psychology and Chinese Student, Iowa State University
Born and raised in the United States, my first time to China was in 2016, shortly after I graduated from high school. Since I had studied Chinese for four years and high school, as a gift for graduating my dad decided to take me on a two-week tour of China. To say that this trip was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my lifetime would not be an exaggeration. There were five things that were surprising to me when I visited China and that were entirely different than what the Western media had taught me:
我在美国出生、长大，第一次来中国是在2016年，高中毕业后不久。因为我高中时已经学了四年的中文，作为毕业礼物，我爸爸决定带我去中国旅行两个星期。说这次旅行是我一生中最令人大开眼界的经历之一，一点儿也不夸张。当我访问中国时，有五件事让我感到惊讶，这与西方媒体灌输的完全不同：
1.China is a beautiful place. Growing up in the U.S., pretty much all you hear about China is how “ugly” it is. Before I went, I expected the skies everywhere to be dark and clouded, and the air to be difficult to breathe due to all the media coverage that the pollution in China receives. However, when I actually got to China, I was shocked at how beautiful it was. The skies were blue, the cities were clean, and the pollution seemed just as bad as in any other big city that I had visited in the U.S. Not only that, but there were some landscapes in China that were just absolutely stunning. I particularly remember being blown away by the beauty of the countryside views in Guilin, and the massive rock formations on the Guangxi River.
2.Chinese people are very friendly. In the U.S., it is a common assumption that Chinese people are quite rude. My trip to China proved this assumption to be completely wrong. Every Chinese person that I met was extremely friendly, and they were always excited to approach us either to talk or to get their picture taken with us. It was like being a celebrity! Not only that, but everyone was always willing to try and speak English with us, and were very kind when I attempted to converse with them in Chinese. In my honest opinion, many of the people I met in China were friendlier than many people back home. One person that stands out to me in particular was our rickshaw driver in Beijing. Even though he didn’t speak much English, he still tried to point out all of the sights of Beijing to us the best he could, and even though he had a hard job he always had a big smile on his face.
1.中国是一个美丽的地方。我在美国长大，听说到关于中国的事都是中国有多“丑陋”。在我去之前，我以为中国的天空都是阴暗的，空气很难呼吸，因为所有的媒体都争相报道中国的污染。然而，当我真正来到中国时，我被它的美丽惊呆了。天空是蓝色的，城市是干净的，污染似乎和我在美国访问过的其他大城市一样。我尤其记得我被桂林美丽的乡村景色和广西河流中的巨大岩石深深震撼了。
2.中国人非常友好。在美国，人们普遍认为中国人很粗鲁。我的中国之行证明了这个说法是完全错误的。我遇到的每一个中国人都非常友好，他们总是很兴奋地接近我们，或与我们交谈，或与我们合影。我们就像名人一样!不仅如此，每个人都愿意尝试和我们说英语，当我尝试用中文和他们交谈时，他们都很友好。在我看来，我在中国遇到的许多人比在美国国内遇到的许多人都更友好。有一个人特别让我印象深刻，那就是我们在北京遇到的人力车夫。虽然他不太会说英语，但他仍然尽力向我们介绍北京的名胜古迹，尽管他的工作很辛苦，但他总是面带微笑。
3.Authentic Chinese food is good. Back in the United States, it is commonly believed that the food eaten in China is weird, abnormal, and unappetizing. However, all of the food that I ate in China was delicious (my favorite food being from Chengdu), and I actually preferred it to the Chinese food that you can find in America. Yes, there are several cultural differences in the type of food that we eat, but that doesn’t mean that it is bad! While I did see some foods that surprised me, including ants and rats, this was mostly out in the countryside. To any foreigner traveling to China, I would recommend trying as many foods as possible, even if they are a bit out of your comfort zone like they were for me. It’s worth it!
4.There are people in China who are very rich. Most of what Americans hear about the Chinese is the extreme poverty that they experience. While it is true that we did see many poorer families while on our trip, we also saw a very luxurious side of China that I didn’t even know existed. The area that appeared to be the wealthiest was definitely Shanghai. There were luxury stores (i.e., Gucci. Tiffany’s, Prada, etc.) all over the city, and there were always Chinese people shopping at these stores. Not only that, but there were also always very expensive cars driving around the streets of Shanghai. It was a side of China that I never even heard about back home, and it was great to be able to see how prosperous China has become.
3.正宗的中国菜很好吃。在美国，人们普遍认为中国人吃的食物很奇葩、不正常、倒胃口。但实际上，我在中国吃过的所有食物都很美味(我最喜欢的食物来自成都)，这些食物跟你在美国找得到的中餐不一样。是的，我们的饮食品类有一些文化差异，但这并不意味着中餐就不好！虽然我确实也看到过一些令我吃惊的食物，包括蚂蚁和老鼠，但这主要集中在农村地区。对于来中国旅游的外国人，我建议你尽可能多地尝试各种食物，即使它们有点超出你的舒适区。但这些新食物是值得品尝的！
4.在中国有非常富有的人。美国人听到的关于中国人的事情大多是他们经历过极度贫困。虽然我们确实在旅途中看到了许多贫穷的家庭，但我们也看到了中国非常奢华的一面，这是我之前一无所知的。最富裕的地区无疑是上海。有奢侈品商店(比如古驰Gucci、蒂芙尼Tiffany 's、普拉达Prada等)遍布全城，总能看到中国人在这些商店购物。不仅如此，上海的街道上也总能见到非常昂贵的汽车。这是我在家乡从未听说过的中国的一面，能看到中国变得如此繁荣真是太好了。
译文来源：三泰虎 http://www.santaihu.com/48819.html 译者：Joyceliu
5.Chinese people love their country. In the United States, it is a common thought that many Chinese people must feel oppressed by their go nment due to their country not being a democracy. However, while I was in China I saw nothing but pride and love for their country. Through many conversations with Chinese people, it was clear to me that they loved being from China. They had a lot of respect for their history, their culture, and for their go nment. In fact, it seemed to me that Chinese people had much less negative things to say about their country than many Americans do.
5.中国人热爱他们的国家。在美国，人们普遍认为，由于中国不是一个皿煮国家，许多中国人肯定会受到政府压迫。然而，当我身处中国的时候，我只看到了他们对祖国的自豪和热爱。他们非常尊重自己的历史、文化和政府。事实上，在我看来，中国人对自己国家的负面评价比许多美国人都要少得多。
Steven Martin, Accountant - Houston TX
0h, many things surprised me in China, but just to list a few of many:
在中国，有很多事情让我感到惊讶，但这里我只列举其中的几件：
1.The scale. The vast size of the airport. I went to Beijing. I'm from Houston. Houston is a big city, by American standards. Houston looked like a small town in comparison.
2.No lawns, no cut grass. Instead, they have trees. I'm a tree lover, so I liked it.
3.Signs in English are very common.
4.Teenagers are the same. They are texting on their cell phones. They wear the same kind of clothing. The young people are tall, just like America.
5.No pollution. Maybe I was just lucky. I was only there a week. The air was clean.
6.It's hot in August! I had to buy a hat. We went to the Forbidden City. It was so hot! Sweat was running down my face.
7.Ice for drinks is not so common. They like hot drinks, hot food. If you want something cold, order a beer!
8.The people are friendly, and many know English.
9.The long, long history of China. Thousands of years.
10.No coins! They pay with their phone. I never saw a coin in a week.
1.规模。机场规模十分巨大。我去过北京。我来自休斯顿。按照美国的标准，休斯顿是个大城市。但跟北京比起来，休斯顿就像一个小镇。
2.没有草坪，就没有修剪的草。相反，他们种了很多树。我是一个树木爱好者，所以我很喜欢。
3.英语标识非常普遍。
4.青少年都一样。他们用手机发短信，穿同样的衣服。年轻人很高，就跟美国人一样。
5.没有污染。也许我只是运气好。我只在中国呆了一周。空气很干净。
6.8月太热了！我不得不买了一顶帽子。我们去了故宫。太热了！汗水在我脸上直淌。
7.饮料中加冰并不常见。他们喜欢热饮，热食。如果你想喝点冰的，那就点瓶啤酒吧!
8.人们很友好，很多人懂英语。
9.中国历史悠久。长达数千年。
10.没有硬币！他们用手机支付。我一个星期都没见过一枚硬币。
11.No big electric fans to move air. I like a fan to cool me sometimes, and when sleeping.
12.It didn't really suprise me, but China, like the rest of the world uses the metric system. In Texas, we measure distance in miles, and we measure weight in pounds, so there must be a conversion. I think the USA should join the world standard and use the metric system. Shoe size, height .. all that.
13.In the house, you take off your shoes and wear slippers. No, you can't just wear sox. It's a rule. It's expected. Just do it.
14.They drive on the same side of the road as Americans. The roads and signs, the cars are the same. Except pick up trucks. Unlike Texas, there a very few pick up trucks in China, and no yellow school buses.
15.I didn't notice many police. I'm sure there were police around, but it's not like Houston where you see the black and white police cars speeding by sirens roaring and flashing lights.
16.The people I was with didn't watch much TV.
17.A lot of beautiful women!
18.The price of a meal is difficult to predict in America, because after the meal, in Houston, they add 8.25% as sales tax and normally a 15% tip. So, a $10 meal in Houston is $10 + $.825 + $1.50 = $12.33 if you round up.
19.The market didn't offer a lot of frozen foods or canned food. More emphasis on fresh unprocessed vegetables. Much more variety of fruit and vegetables.
20.Most people in Beijing live in condos.
21.Don’t expect a soft mattress with a big puffy pillow. They like firm beds with buckwheat pillows. To me, very comfortable!!
22.You see people walking in China. I like to walk, so it was great.
11.没有大电扇让空气流动。我喜欢用风扇在睡觉的时候降温。
12.这并没有让我感到惊讶，但中国和世界上其他国家一样都使用公制单位。在德州，我们用英里来计算距离，用磅来计算重量，所以必须要换算。我认为美国应该加入世界标准，使用公制单位。鞋码，长度…等等。
13.在屋内，要脱掉鞋子，换上拖鞋。不，你不能只穿短袜。这是一个习惯。照做就是了。
14.他们和美国人一样，靠右驾驶。道路、标志和汽车都一样。除了轻型卡车。跟德克萨斯州不同的是，轻型卡车在中国很少见，也没有黄色的校车。
15.我没发现很多警察。我敢肯定附近一定有警察，但这里不像休斯顿，不会看到黑白相间的警车响着警笛声、开着闪烁的灯光超速行驶。
16.我周围的人很少看电视。
17.好多漂亮的女人!
18.在美国，一顿饭的价格是很难预测的，因为在休斯敦，饭后他们会加上8.25%的销售税，通常15%的小费。所以，在休斯顿一顿10美元的饭就是 $10+ $0.825 + $1.50 = $12.33，四舍五入。
19.市场上冷冻食品和罐头食品不多。他们更喜欢新鲜未经加工的蔬菜。水果和蔬菜的种类更多。
20.大多数北京人住在公寓里。
21.不要指望找到软软的床垫和蓬松的枕头。他们喜欢荞麦枕头和硬床。对我来说，很舒服!!
22.你在中国会看到人们出门步行。我喜欢步行，所以感觉很棒。
Jeffrey Ripley-Gonzalez, Sport and Exercise Science & Medicine MSc from University of Glasgow (2017)
My first trip to China was May this year (2017). Before my travels there, I had been living with three Chinese guys at University. They had told me not to worry as most people can speak English and it would be super easy. Another thing was the “Normal” advice that every parent will tell you, be careful, you are in a foreign country etc.
I arrived in Guangzhou and was completely lost, tried to speak to some people and quickly realized that my friends may have been slightly wrong. However I did meet a couple of Indian guys outside the airport who were quite helpful.
Overall I will list a few of my experiences below:
我第一次来中国是在今年5月(2017年)。在我去中国旅行之前，我在大学里和三个中国人同住。他们告诉我不要担心，因为大多数人都会说英语。另一件事是每个家长都会告诉你的很“正常”的建议，你在外国，要小心等等。
我到广州后完全迷路了，我试着和一些人搭话，很快我就意识到我的朋友们可能犯了一点小错误。不过，我在机场外遇到了几个印度人，他们帮了我不少忙。
总的来说，我将列举一些我的经验如下:
1.People are incredibly friendly, having lived in London for a long time I realized I missed this. I can’t express enough my gratitude to those that helped me and offered to show me around.
2.It is Busy. I mean it is really busy.
3.Food! Amazing, Incredible, lovely Food. If you are like me and love spicy food, your experience may be greater. Please try all the street food too.
4.Very tall buildings, I already knew there would be apartment blocks, but I grew up in rural Colombia. This is always a shock.
5.Beautiful scenery. I was lucky enough that some friends of mine took me to see the scenery around Guangdong and Hunan.
Overall I had an amazing experience in China and will go again this month.
1.人们非常友好，我在伦敦住了很长时间，我意识到我很久都没有遇到过友好的人了。我无法表达我对那些帮助过我并主动提出带我四处看看的人的感激之情。
2.这里很忙碌。真的很忙。
3.食物！美味、难以置信、令人愉悦的食物。如果你像我一样喜欢辛辣食品，你的体会会更棒。请尝一尝所有的街边小吃。
4.建筑非常高，我知道会中国有公寓楼，但我在哥伦比亚农村长大。这里的高楼简直令人震惊。
5.风景优美。我很幸运，我的一些朋友带我游览了广东和湖南的风景。
总体而言，我在中国享受了一段美妙的经历，这个月我还要再去一趟。
Austin Guidry, English Teacher at Sichuan University
Just how free and open China is in certain aspects.
People are incredibly nice here, for the most part. For example, while riding through the countryside west of Chengdu….
我惊讶的是中国在某些方面居然那么自由和开放。
大多数情况下，这里的人都非常好。举个例子，当你骑车穿过成都西部乡村时……
….taking photos and filming videos, and I was approached by a farmer on this little lane I was standing on taking pictures. He invited me over to his home for tea and a chat (I speak Chinese - been here for six years).
....我在拍照，拍视频，有个农民走过来，就在我驻足拍照的这条小路上。他邀请我去他家喝茶聊天(我会说中文——我在这里住了六年)。
When I got to his house, there were about eight other farmers just sitting around chilling - drinking tea and chatting about the day’s work. It was super surreal! I was there for about an hour; we talked about the USA, what farmers grow there, what differences exist between China and the USA (climate, food, money, etc).
It was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time - it happened more when I first got to China, but after a while, I stopped going out into the countryside. Get out of the cities, and you’ll have some great experiences!
当我到达他家时，还有大概8个农民正坐在那里闲聊，品茶，聊着一天的工作。这是超级虚幻的场景！我在那里待了大约一个小时；我们谈论了美国，美国农民种植什么作物，中国和美国有什么不同(气候，食物，钱币，等等)。
这是我很长一段时间以来最好的经历之一——当我第一次来到中国时，这种经历更多，但过了一段时间，我就不再去农村了。走出城市，你会有一些很棒的经历！
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