{"id":1075,"date":"2016-01-22T01:59:50","date_gmt":"2016-01-22T01:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theme-sphere.com\/smart-mag\/?p=1075"},"modified":"2016-07-05T15:36:36","modified_gmt":"2016-07-05T15:36:36","slug":"10-mistakes-martial-arts-students-make-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studymartialarts.org\/blog\/10-mistakes-martial-arts-students-make-china","title":{"rendered":"10 Mistakes Martial Arts Students Make in China"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

China awaits! The Great Wall; steamed dumplings, Shaolin monks and Qingdao beer. Already your mind is racing with wild expectations. However, before you leave home, remember\u00a0this is a chance to immerse yourself in a strange new culture<\/strong>. This is not just any trip. This is a journey! By\u00a0Studying Martial Arts<\/a>\u00a0you will interact with local communities more deeply than a traveler passing through. The following details 10 mistakes martial arts students make in China and how to avoid them.<\/p>\n

10 Mistakes Martial Arts Students Make in China<\/h2>\n

Whether you experience a culture shock or not,\u00a0there will be moments when you realize you’re doing something “wrong”.\u00a0<\/strong>It might be small things like explaining you’re learning to sleep (Shu\u00ec<\/span>ji\u00e0o)\u00a0<\/span>instead of Chinese Wrestling (Shu\u0101iji\u0101o) or raising your glass higher than your elders when toasting. Then of course there are the obvious blunders like behaving like an ass on weekends away from your kung fu school or incessantly bitching about the fact\u00a0things aren’t the same as they are back home.<\/p>\n

China is a\u00a0country made up of 22 provinces and 56 ethnic minority groups many of which have very different cultures, languages, dialects, customs and peoples<\/strong>. It has a population equivalent to the population of North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand and all of Western Europe combined. Its bigger than an entire continent, so its not surprising that its developed differently to other counties you may be more accustomed to.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Each \u00a0province and city will have its own speciality that you\u2019ll learn along the way. You\u2019ll make mistakes and discoveries but its all part of learning, but there are some no-no\u2019s that foreigners before you have commonly committed. Learn from their blunders and avoid these common mistakes made by foreign martial arts students who head of to\u00a0study martial arts in China<\/a>\u00a0month after month, year after year.<\/p>\n

1. Not making the most of National Holidays and Weekends<\/h2>\n

In order to make the most of your\u00a0weekends and time off\u00a0from training you\u2019ll need to put a plan together. Spending a little time at the local bathing center on the weekend can be a welcome treat allowing the body rest and recuperation. However, there is a distinct difference between the mighty Roman gladiator and spending hours plodding around in the dark like the walking dead.<\/p>\n

If you want to sight see or travel, tickets need to be purchased in advance,\u00a0planning and preparation is the key. As\u00a0will be your willingness to travel alongside millions of other travelers. Last years golden week saw half a billion Chinese make various trips and journeys.\u00a0That\u2019s a lot of pot noodles and chicken feet, so don\u2019t underestimate the need to plan ahead.\u00a0The Travel China Guide<\/a>\u00a0has always been very helpful for trip planning and site seeing information. Here you\u2019ll find The\u00a0Chinese Public Holiday Calendar for 2015-2017. \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0\u201cLast years golden week saw half a billion Chinese make various trips and journeys\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

One of the best things about the\u00a0school consultation<\/a>\u00a0offered\u00a0through Study Martial Arts is the travel advice and support you can get. It will\u00a0help you get the most out of\u00a0sight seeing opportunities both near and far. Plus its all good stuff and FREE for SMA members and those who have booked their experience through\u00a0StudyMartialArts.Org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Assuming You Can\u2019t Get By on the Basics<\/h2>\n

Does everyone speak English? No. Do a lot? Yes. The number of English language learners in China has risen over the past decade. In tourist areas and capitals, its easier to find English speakers, but you shouldn\u2019t expect it. Being open friendly, smiling, and using gestures as well as interesting\u00a0ways to get your message across in a friendly way\u00a0will do wonders for you. When I first arrived in China many of my friends who had much more experience speaking the language than me would be amazed at how well I would do with the most basic of Chinese. The only difference was my playful disposition and imagination. 9 out of 10 times I would not only get what I wanted but often get much more in return. This ranged from free lifts, meals, KTV invites and of course lasting friendships.\u00a0Treat English like a\u00a0welcome\u00a0surprise, if you find it be happy,\u00a0but if you don\u2019t remember there was no promise it would be given to you anyway. Remember not to make your martial arts adventure in China a duplicate of your life in Europe or the USA etc.<\/p>\n

At the sometime\u00a0don\u2019t assume no one speaks English either. There are approximately 400 million English learners in China so it shouldn\u2019t be used as a\u00a0language to insult people stealthily. English comprehension is often much higher than speaking ability due to shyness and how the language is taught.<\/p>\n

If you want to get a head start on your language learning the\u00a0SMA Welcome pack<\/a>\u00a0offers students who book through\u00a0StudyMartialArts.Org<\/a>\u00a0$400 usd worth of language learning and martial arts materials pre-trip all at no cost!<\/p>\n

\"6a00e5517a64b288340168e809ccba970c-320wi\"<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Drinking the Wrong Way<\/h2>\n

You owe it to yourself not to be the drunken foreigner and more importantly the wrong type of drunken foreigner and let yourself down.\u00a0Remember the purpose of your\u00a0journey. Heavy drinking\u00a0won\u2019t help\u00a0you reach your aims and objectives and may cause you, your hosts or school and Shifu to loose face (embarrassment).<\/p>\n

Drinking in China and smoking is common place. With cheap alcohol and cigarettes everywhere, this is not the best place to run away to if you want to change these bad habits. This must start at home.<\/p>\n

Most social\u00a0drinking in China is primarily associated with eating. Most drinking takes place around the dinner table and meals as a way to cement relationships and do business. As\u00a0a topic this subject could easily have its own blog entry but that will be a story for another day.<\/p>\n

Here are my top 5 tips for surviving drinking in China in brief<\/h2>\n

1. Showing respect when drinking is probably one of the first things someone will explain to you. When drinking tea or when drinking alcohol with a superior clink your cup\/glass lower. Its super simple and easy to remember. But its much appreciated by your elders, fellow guests, shifu\u2019s.\u00a0The rest of the customs and rules need not be learnt straight away and are things you\u2019ll pick up on or learn as you go. As a foreigner you\u2019ll not be expected to know them or everything.<\/p>\n

2. When inviting or being invited out for dinner or meals in China. The standard rule of thumb is usually the inviter pays unless stated otherwise.<\/p>\n

3. When drinking follow the lead of others at the table in terms of speed quantity and times. Whatever you do avoid mixing\u00a0baijiu<\/a>\u00a0and beer. You should remember drinking in China can start very slowly but once the individual toasting starts it can be\u00a0rapid and all those small cups will start catching up on you especially if you\u2019ve insisted on drinking out of turn.<\/p>\n

4. If you don\u2019t want to drink have an excuse prepared in advance or warn your host of this. Excuses related to health tend to be the best. Having tried many over the years these where best\u00a0received by hosts and guests. If you\u2019re not going to be drinking much but still want to show respect have tea ready in your cup and don\u2019t empty the cup (ganbie) just drink as you wish (suiyi).<\/p>\n

5. Eat, eat and eat. Show appreciation and be a good guest.<\/p>\n

4. Failing to Address People Properly<\/h2>\n

In China much of how you address or interact with someone will depend on your relationship to that person. Just like the rituals associated with drinking and food, failing to address people properly can be a hinderance to building good relationships, gaining favor or simply getting the information you desire. The physiological fact is that when you start calling people auntie, uncle, brother or sister you should in most cases have the inclination to treating each other better and like family. This is good news if you join a good kung fu family.<\/p>\n

Here are the most common ways to address people that are not directly related to blood relationships and can be applied generally.<\/p>\n

Auntie\u00a0(\u963f\u59e8 a-yi)\u00a0given to any woman around the age of your own mother.<\/p>\n

Uncle\u00a0 (\u53d4\u53d4 shush)\u00a0given to any man around the age of your own father.<\/p>\n

Big brother ( \u5927\u54e5 da-ge)\u00a0given to any male older than you.<\/p>\n

Little brother ( \u5f1f\u5f1f di-di)\u00a0given to any male younger than you.<\/p>\n

Big sister (\u5927\u59d0 da-jie)\u00a0given to any female older than you.<\/p>\n

Little sister (\u5c0f\u59b9 xiao-mei\uff0f\u59b9\u59b9mei-mei)\u00a0given to any female younger than you.<\/p>\n

Grandma (\u8001\u5976\u5976 lao- nainai\uff0f\u8001\u5a46\u5a46lao-popo)\u00a0given to any female around the age of your own grandmother.<\/p>\n

Grandpa (\u8001\u7237\u7237lao-yeye\/ \u8001\u516c\u516clao-gonggong)\u00a0given to any male around the age of your own grandpa<\/p>\n

Teacher<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u8001\u5e2b<\/td>\n\u8001\u5e08<\/td>\nl\u01ceosh\u012b<\/td>\nTeacher<\/td>\n\u201cLaoshi\u201d may sometimes be used as a polite reference to a more highly educated person, who may not necessarily be a teacher.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Master<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u5e2b\u7236<\/td>\n\u5e08\u7236<\/td>\nsh\u012bf\u00f9<\/td>\nMaster<\/td>\nSee\u00a0Sifu<\/a>\u00a0for further information.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u5e2b\u5085 \uff08skilled worker\uff09<\/td>\n\u5e08 \u5085<\/td>\nsh\u012bf\u00f9<\/td>\nMaster<\/td>\nSee\u00a0Sifu<\/a>\u00a0for further information.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Driver (\u53f8\u673asi ji)\u00a0General term for a taxi or bus driver.<\/p>\n

Buddy (\u54e5\u4eec\u513fge men er)\u00a0A term used between men when being friendly<\/p>\n

Beautiful girl (\u7f8e\u5973mei nv)\u00a0Often used when addressing young women who work in the service industry.<\/p>\n

Mr (\u5148\u751fxian sheng)<\/p>\n

Ms (\u5c0f\u59d0xiao jie)<\/p>\n

Mrs (\u5973\u58ebnv shi)<\/p>\n

Thankfully\u00a0the\u00a0general terms above\u00a0is likely to more than enough to help you\u00a0get by day to day. If however, you\u2019d like to learn more you can watch this short video highlighting the staggering amount of different words for family members in China.<\/p>\n