As an expat in China, one of the most interesting things about living abroad has been interacting with Chinese people and trying to understand Chinese culture.

While it might be easy to say that Italians like coffee and pasta, the French always kiss on the cheek when greeting each other, and Americans eat fast food in their cars, we can’t really say anymore that the Chinese drink green tea.

That’s because the generation gap in China between each generation is simply too wide. So to say the Chinese like drinking tea would be true for some generations, but maybe not for the young. They prefer to drink coffee instead.

Expats in China face additional pressures compared to expats in many other countries. Not only do the nuances of Chinese culture make cultural differences much more extreme, but when dealing with locals we also have to understand how they apply across generations.  

Why Traditional Chinese Culture in China Varies Across Generations

Like every society, China is a complex place with a wide variety of individuals. The Chinese have come to group some of the more colorful members of their society under umbrella terms.  There are a considerable number of these groups, which one can easily attribute to the tumultuous recent history of the Chinese nation.

China’s modern history is one of rapid and dramatic economic and social changes that were brought on quickly when the floodgates were opened in the late 60s, early 70s.  At this point in time China opened up economically and saw a nearly “overnight” change in their economic situation.

The result of this is that the generational gaps in China are strongly pronounced across decades.  Each decade has given rise to a number of interesting and memorable groups of people that are unique to the Chinese social landscape.

Chinese Culture and Life In Modern China as a Foreigner

One thing that makes living in modern China a unique experience for foreigners is that there are at least 5 generations trying to coexist.  Each of them holds radically different beliefs and values. This has brought about to the existence of very unique personas in Chinese modern society. The netizens have labeled each with specific internet slang, which has been adopted in everyday life.

While the generations that were growing up during the Cultural Revolution period tend to value collectivism and family happiness, the Millennials have a tendency towards individualism and materialism. 

Having spent over a decade in this country, I’ve seen many of these phenomena caused by different generational values. I remain fascinated by them to this day. This gets that more exciting when seen from the eyes of a foreigner, who might not be aware of the origins for these behaviors. The culmination of the story happens when we as foreigners come to criticize or even try to make changes in this culture. 

Mort In China: The Expat Who Tried To Change Chinese Culture

Listening to many stories of our expats friends, we came with the idea to create a Chinese comic. We named it “Mort In China”.  It follows the misadventures of Mort, a Grim Reaper working for the US-based “Final Destinations”, an afterlife travel agency. Mort got an opportunity to relocate to China for work. His mission was to fix productivity issues in the China branch. 

Related Reads:

Cultural Differences Between China and The West Explained Through Comics

In this post I will use some of the characters and situations from the Mort comic to illustrate what living in modern China on an everyday basis looks like.

10 Types of People You’d Only Meet in Modern China

“The Old Foxes” 老油条 (lǎo yóu tiáo)

Yóu tiáo are Chinese fried bread sticks (a very delicious traditional Chinese breakfast). While “lǎo” means old, calling someone “lǎo yóu tiáo” in Chinese is equivalent to calling someone an “old fox” in English.  This is that person in the office that’s been there for ages and knows the tricks to get their way without hard work.

In the Mort comic, this concept is represented through two Chinese reapers called “Black and White” (黑白无常). They always appear together. They are the employees that have worked in the company for the longest time.

As such they enjoy the benefits of the “iron rice bowl”.  In Chinese “ 铁饭碗” (tiě fàn wǎn) was typical for the state-owned companies in the past, which means they had guaranteed job security, income, and welfare. Moreover, they were often getting paid even if they didn’t work. Also, they couldn’t lose their jobs easily, which led to inefficiency and corruption.

Black and White are the Top Reapers in the China Office.  It’s not that they’re actually good at their job, its just that they have the best relationship with their boss, Yan Wang.

They know how to keep the boss happy, which is very important in Chinese culture. 

In fact they frequently neglect their duties in order to go out for dinner or KTV. Even still, they are very wary of anyone that might threaten their positions at work.

Since Mort comes to China in order to increase efficiency, they have to keep pulling tricks in order to maintain the status quo. This makes them a recurring source of humor in the comic.

The Loser 屌丝 (diǎosī) or 宅男  (zháinán)

According to popular Chinese internet slang, “diǎosī ” means Loser. It’s used to describe the jaded young generations, particularly those that have neither social status or wealth and connections. They feel left behind in the fast development of the Chinese economy. The polar opposite of “diǎosī ” is “gāofùshuài” 高富帅 (tall, rich, and handsome) for men; “báifùměi” 白富美 (pale, rich, and beautiful) for women (white to pale skin is coveted in Chinese culture).

Diǎosī is also a self-mockery term used in a more positive sense by people who at least feel a bit optimistic about getting somewhere in the future. 

In the Mort comic Zao Shen, or just “Zao”, is Mort’s flatmate in China.  Mort wasn’t expecting to have a roommate, he just kind of came with the apartment. That’s because Zao Shen was the ‘kitchen god’ assigned to the family that used to live in the apartment.  When the family decided to move, they left him behind, and he has been living in the apartment ever since. 

Zao is incredibly lazy and very, very messy.  Since his family left, he has had no job and no purpose.  Mort thinks he is lazy, but Zao argues that he is the master of the Daoist concept of 无为. (wú wéi)

He tends to practice the concept 无为 (wú wéi) that originates from Taoism and appears in Confucianism and means gaining control over human affairs by genuine non-action.

Zao was modeled after Jeff Bridges’ character in “The Big Lebowski”. Zao stays at home and spends most of his time watching TV, playing games, and ordering in pizza. Though he is the “diǎosī” character, his personality closely borders with “zháinán” another popular internet buzzword in China. This term also applies to the young generations; particularly the nerds, who like Zao lock themselves at home watching TV series, reading comics, and playing games. While “zháinán” implies male, this term also goes for females who spend most of their time at home. They are called “zhái nü”.

The Tacky New Rich 土豪 (tǔháo)  

In Chinese the term tǔháo  means tǔ (土) soil and háo (豪) splendor. This is the counterpart to nouveau riche in the west.

Over the past few decades, China has rapidly advanced its economic status. In this process, many people who were once poor seized opportunity and made themselves very rich in a short time. As money no longer was a problem for these people, they wanted to show the outside world that their social status has changed.

Though they obtained riches quickly, they often lack the manners and sophistication that are often associated with the wealthy. They resort to buying luxury brands, which they think bridges the gap.

It is easy to spot them because they always drive expensive cars.

The way they dress and “decorate” themselves with luxury “ornaments” simply looks garish. It accentuates their lack of taste even further.

As such, these people have become the object of many people’s mockery. The internet slang “tǔháo” has been adopted in everyday life, as it was a funny way to mock these people.

Apple took advantage of this popular internet slang to boost their sales. When the company released their iPhone 5s series, they named the gold version “tǔháo gold” tǔháo jin (土豪金); so that they can target this specific group of customers.

The Second Rich Generation 富二代 (fù’èrdài)

Then the “tǔháo” begun to have kids. As one would expect, their kids kept spending their parents’ money in order to show off their “tǔháo” status. In doing so they earned a name for themselves as being the 富二代 (fù’èrdài) the second rich generation (born in the 80s) since there were no rich people in China before the Cultural revolution.

Generally speaking these are both considered derogatory terms; tǔháo are rich but uncultured, while fù’èrdài are rich but incapable since everything they have they owe to their parents.

A young fù’èrdài makes an appearance in the Mort comic. It is someone who died in a car crash and his soul is therefore to be collected by Mort. However, the young fù’èrdài can’t accept his death and instead offers cash trying to bribe Mort. He adds that this has happened many times in the past; but he is still alive thanks to bribing the Chinese grim reapers “Black and White”.

Mort, of course, didn’t buy into it. Then the young fù’èrdài tried to convince him by asking if Mort knew “who his father was”. This is how the son of a government official named “Li Gang” once tried to get away with when he got pulled over by the cops for speeding. 

The Practice of The Elderly Con Artists 碰瓷 (pèngcí) 

According to Wikipedia “Pèngcí (碰瓷 lit. touching or bumping porcelan) is the practice of crooks placing ostensibly expensive, fragile items (usually porcelain) in places where they may easily be knocked over, allowing them to collect damages when the items are damaged.”  

Pèngcí is a special phenomenon that only exists in Chinese culture. One day you are driving and while you are waiting for the green light, suddenly an old man or woman stumbles down. When you go out to see what just happened they said it was a traffic accident. You hit them and they are asking you to take them to the hospital and pay for their medical checkup. Otherwise, they threaten to call the police.

The  “pèngcí” usually manufacture drama.

They feign injury so they can extort money from drivers. Usually this is done by the elderly in China.  The reason for this can be traced back in history. The “pèngcí” are known as “The Lost Generation” of China. During the Cultural Revolution, many of their generation left school to follow the path of Mao’s Long March, work as farmers, and “return China to its communist roots”.

After the Mao era, many of these people were left without formal education.  Any job opportunities they had were often minor busy jobs offered by the government, whose budget didn’t allocate enough to see to all of their needs. That’s why they are using whatever way they can to get money, especially when it comes to medical checkups at their age, as they don’t have very comprehensive insurance.

Everyone is aware of this issue, even the police know about it. Drivers usually record videos so they can document the facts and protect themselves from these so-called “insurance scammers.” 

Even Mort couldn’t escape them.

The Chinese Dama 大妈 (dàmā)

The Chinese Dama takes a very special place in Chinese culture. They are usually women in their 50s and 60s who have retired or are approaching retirement. The fascinating thing about them is they all have one thing in common – their passion for square dancing. Most dance folk dances, though some have taken to modern dance as well. One group in Beijing puts on a nightly military parade and dance routine.

They gather in large groups, block walkways, and make a lot of noise; which has led the general public to be somewhat annoyed by them.  These aren’t just dance groups though.  Harnessing the power of collectivism, many pool their money together and invest. The Chinese Dama-s have made themselves known to the whole world as a very influential investment demographic.

Another interesting thing about the Chinese Dama is that they act as public security volunteers in different parts of Beijing. Years ago, Terry Crossman, an expat, applied to join the Damas Rank in Xicheng District of Beijing. Not only is he a full-time Dama in Xicheng now,  but he is also the only male Dama in China. With the help of the Damas, he is believed to have forever solved his visa status in China.

Foreigners In China or “The Laowai”  老外 ( lǎowài)

What would this picture of modern life in China be without a juxtaposition?  Enter the “lǎowài“.  We expats have become yet another iconic character in modern Chinese life.

The term lǎowài is considered a pejorative by some, and foreigners sometimes feel offended by it. It literally means “old outsider”.  However, “lǎo” can also have a positive connotation. It indicates respect or familiarity for example  老師 lǎoshī ‘teacher’ or 老朋友 lǎopéngyou ‘old friend’)

In the comic, Mort is the foreigner who gets sent by his company to work in China. His character as well as the stories that happen around him are based on the experiences we and our friends have had living here. A typical reaction for many foreigners when dealing with the pitfalls presented by Chinese culture is to get angry at first, and then make an attempt to change the Chinese people and their habits.  All this accomplishes however is increasing one’s frustration.  We’ve had many a friend fight this losing battle and board the plane back home.

Mort made a similar attempt in his story.  Eventually, he decided to listen to what his Chinese friends had to say about living in China. Their instruction not only helped him to better understand Chinese culture; but was the key to winning the contest for the “Omega Reaper” position and saving China.

If you would like to know what those lessons were, read about the Mort comic here.

The Post 90s Generation  九零后 (jiǔ líng hòu)

People born in the 90s in China are considered a very special generation. Their values radically differ from those of other generations. While previous generations in China strive towards collectivism, those born in the 90s are known for being materialists with strong a sense of individualism.

Since information technology started to flourish in the 90s, they grew up with a knack for the internet and a predilection for digital jobs. They were the second generation in China to grow up as single children, the next wave of “little emperors and empresses”.

While the 80s children are considered a hardworking generation who turned China into an economic superpower, the 90s are often considered layabouts that are supported by their parents. They have become known for being realistic and selfish, with a laissez-faire attitude towards life. Overall they feel quite jaded about the traditional system.

Older generations struggled but found success by banding together as a group. Concepts of individuality had to be set aside, and it took a toll on their own happiness.

Members of the post 90s generation seek opportunities to express their individuality, pursue their dreams, and be happy.

In the Mort comic one of the representatives for the younger generations in Chinese culture is Bella, the fox fairy. She works at the front desk and spends most of her time at work on online shopping. She is a fun character, so full of ideas that they can be hard to keep track of. Friendly and creative, though prone to extremes. In one episode she went as far as to destroy the office when her boss told her she would have to work on Chinese New Year.

The  Bureaucrat

Dealing with bureaucracy is no one’s favorite pastime, but dealing with bureaucracy in China can be daunting. What makes bureaucracy in China special is that unlike in the west, the rules aren’t written anywhere. In fact, they are only known to the insiders. When submitting your application for anything, you shouldn’t expect to submit it successfully the first time.

After you get instructed what changes should be made, there is still a chance that next time a different officer will review it and they will find more problems. The best way to prepare is by going to the submission office, and keep trying.

It isn’t realistic to expect success at the first attempt, but rather the 3^rd, the 4^th.

A lot of bureaucrats love avoiding responsibility. When you approach an officer/clerk the first time, they will almost always try to avoid responsibility by redirecting you to the next available person. This is exactly the reason why people in China do not use personal signatures but official company chops. It puts the company at liability instead of the individual. Getting approval requires a mountain of papers, sealed with the right chop. In China a company gets 5 of them. When you are dealing with banks, it is not only the teller that needs to chop your paperwork, but also their manager.

The good thing though is that in China there is a way around for every rule.

In Chinese Culture a “NO” doesn’t necessarily mean NO.

Establishing a relationship with a relevant person goes a long way when dealing with bureaucracy in China. From my experience, If they see that you are trying to meet their requirements and have established some kind of rapport with them, (especially if you’ve thought of bringing them a gift), then no matter how complicated the matter is, in most cases, it will get done.

While working in China, our comic character Mort was constantly hampered by “Biancheng Wang” the accountant at the China office.  Like many bureaucrats, Biancheng Wang is obsessed with paperwork. This includes making sure that everyone else in the office fills out his large stacks of paperwork, stamps them properly, and signs them in triplicate before he can file them away. 

Biancheng Wang’s obsession with rules and procedures have not made him very popular in the office. Also, because of his small stature, many of his co-workers refer to him as “Da Bian” (That means poo!).

The Chinese Boss 老板/老大 (lǎobǎn/lǎodà )

While relationships with the boss are very important, China takes it to a whole other level.

When you enter a Chinese boss’s office the first thing you’ll likely notice is that the office probably contains a lot of Chinese culture and Buddhist elements. Usually, you might notice a big Chinese tea set with a small Buddha in the corner, as well as some Chinese paintings or slogans written in calligraphy.  This set up is so standard and we used it for the office of Mort’s boss The King Yan (Yan Wang, King of the Dead in Chinese mythology) in the comic.

Chinese bosses prefer to decorate their offices in such a manner because they believe that having Buddhism elements might bring fortune to the business. Especially when combined with elements of Feng Shui 風水 (fēngshuǐ),  a traditional Chinese practice that revolves around natural energy flow “qi”. It is believed that if the surroundings are positioned in harmony with the energy, it will ensure the good health, fortune, and prosperity of the inhabitants.

Read Next:

Living In China As a Foreigner: The Pros and Cons

The Role of Women in China: Past & Present

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