It is very common to hear foreigners sitting around complaining about problems in China. Normally there is validity to at least some of the complaints, although often the way things are presented makes the comments come off badly. The line between legitimate criticism and excessive whining—or even bigotry—can blur pretty quickly.

These thoughts have always lingered, but recently a thread in our forums focused on this theme, and a recent post by The Humanaught’s Ryan wondering whether he is a racist crystallized them for me. I am not going to go into the specifics of those now. Instead I will lay out a more general argument.

I will begin with a premise that is, well, painfully obvious: China is really different than a lot of other places. When foreigners arrive the country can feel overwhelming: the language is completely distinct from anything in Europe, manners are different, and, possibly most importantly to those dubbed “China-bashers,” hygiene is quite different.

In one sense the language is a minor point, but the feeling of helplessness it can induce sometimes leads to a sense of insecurity. On the other hand, manners are a different and more fundamental point. It can be very difficult to distinguish between cultural differences and simple rudeness. For example, much has been made about Chinese people’s aversion to queuing in an orderly way. However, believing that cutting in line is acceptable here is a complete misnomer. Chinese people know that they are not supposed to cut, but some do it anyway, and the mob mentality reinforces that there is nothing wrong with it.

Yet if you ever confront someone about cutting, you will notice that they will rarely argue. Often they will turn around and look at the line as if completely astounded that 200 people are standing there for the same purpose. (My absolute favorite is when someone apologizes, lets you in front, and then cuts the person directly behind. Classic!)

Anyway, there are two points here: it is difficult to know when people are being genuinely rude and are not just used to different customs, and second, this type of rudeness rarely occurs with large groups of educated Chinese (throwing one professor in with the masses is a different story). There are many poor, minimally educated people from the countryside, and they often have a different sense of appropriateness. This is not, however, the same thing as saying that Chinese culture is backwards.

Finally, the issue of hygiene is absolutely a fair criticism from my perspective. Performing various bodily functions in the street is socially unacceptable in most countries because it is an issue of public safety. People can get sick from it and there should be serious campaigns to stamp out such activities. Foreigners, or anyone else, should definitely feel free to express their objections to this type of activity.

The problem arises when people make attacks about legitimate issues personal attacks on individuals, or the entire society. It is unfair to hurl ugly labels at an entire people or culture based on the actions of some, even if those acting a given way represent a wide swath of the country. That does not mean that criticism should not be leveled, but it should be done in a way that reflects an understanding that, for example, most Shanghainese businessmen have no great love of a child defecating in the streets. To be sure, it is not a uniquely foreign idea that, to be quite blunt, shit does not belong on the sidewalk. When people make the argument that it is unhygienic, and not that “Chinese people are dirty,” they may find a more welcoming audience.

Immigrants who come to western countries and complain endlessly are not typically embraced with welcoming arms. On the contrary, they are usually shunned and have name thrown at them. However, those who become part of the fabric of their adopted country, and then offer their opinions about policies in a constructive manner tend to be received better. This seems like a reasonable thought to keep in mind when making a legitimate criticisms in China.

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