For Europeans, Chinese culture holds many surprises. It must be admitted that we are not really used to seeing people walking the streets in their pyjamas as if it was totally normal, or having noodles as a wedding cake. But these practices, which are deeply ingrained in Chinese society, are nothing new for the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom, and surely there are some of ours that would give them a shock. Here are 12 really strange Chinese practices at which the Chinese don’t raise an eyebrow.
1/ Walking around in pyjamas
Did you not wake up this morning? No need to bother getting dressed, Chinese fashion seems to mean pyjamas! What’s more, you see many people going to work in their night clothes, and nobody bats an eyelid!
2/ Eating noodles as a birthday cake or wedding cake
There’s no cake when you celebrate your birthday in the Middle Kingdom, but rather never-ending noodles! The longer and more resistant they are, the more the person who eats them will prosper in life. Sounds logical.
3/ Babies wear pants with holes in them so they can do their business anywhere
Pants with holes in them, a commodity for babies who only have to get themselves in position to let go!
4/ Eating everything that moves
Crocodiles, dogs, cats, turtles or insects: the Chinese don’t seem to differentiate and can seem to eat just about anything
5/ Celebrating their birthday only once every ten years
The ancient tradition states that you only celebrate your birthday every ten years, rather than every year as we do here. Economical.
6/ Finding out your child’s future profession by placing a few objects in front of them during their first birthday
On the day of a child’s first birthday, the child is placed before a range of objects (books, CDs, toys, money, a television, etc.) and the parents observe the choice the child makes. This gives them an indication of the child’s future.
