shawbridge

My wife and I are sitting in the VIP Lounge in Guilin airport. The gentleman next to us started watching videos on his phone (with wacky musick-y sounds) at full blast. We noticed something similar but a little less distracting in the executive lounge at the Conrad Beijing. My wife (the ever-proper Canadian, despite having lived in the US most of her adult life) is getting irritated. I wonder if this is just normal behavior -- I would have thought that in a culture with so many people, you'd likely be careful about sharing your sounds with others -- but I have seen it a few times on this trip. Is this normal behavior (or at least acceptable behavior) in China?

I'm not bothered -- it seems a little amusing. But, I might be if I were really trying to work.

davie355

It's not acceptable, but as a foreigner, it's not acceptable for you to say anything about it either.

889

"I would have thought that in a culture with so many people, you'd likely be careful about sharing your sounds with others."

Your first visit to China?

Actually, this is one of those times when being a foreigner helps. While Chinese are usually reluctant to interfere in other's pleasures, you as the barbarian are perfectly free to do so. Particularly in hotels I always seem to be asking other guests to close their door when chatting in their room or not talk on their mobiles in the hall, and I haven't been murdered for doing so yet.

jiejie

Foreigner gives you some leeway and it's OK to ask to tune it down. Doesn't guarantee cooperation though. China and the Chinese are loud, in every way. I'm not sure there is a Chinese word for "whisper." My advice, to save your sanity: always keep earplugs with you when in China.

sinoflyer

Also during recent history, manners and respect were equated with the feudal past and attacked as mechanisms used by the exploiting class to keep down the underprivileged. In the 1950s and 60s, what we reactionary rightists would consider as rudeness was held as as exemplary under the dictatorship of the proletariat. Lingering attitudes from that era still pervade, hence the multitudes of propaganda posters urging people to behave “civilized “ in order to move society forward.

JPDM

I plan to purchase some cheap earphones that I can give away to those annoying people who are doing this on planes and trains near to my seat.

gr8pirate

As you’ve already found out, you’re going to keep bumping into that kind of thing in China. It’s pretty normal, I don’t think they mean to be rude at all.

I second the earplugs comment, but on a XMN-PEK flight a couple of weeks back, I had an eureka moment:

Older guy in aisle seat across from me is watching some video on his phone with the volume way up during boarding. I’ve been over here often enough to know that my blunt Euro reflexes wouldn’t go down too well.

Realized I have a spare set of cheapie headphones (in packaging, lol) from another flight in my jacket pocket, got his attention and offer it to him with a friendly face and a smile. He doesn’t accept them, but turns the volume off right away.

This has worked a few times so far, nobody takes the headphones, but the friendly offer takes the sting out of the ‘criticism’.

travelinmanS

I always ask them in Chinese if they have earphones. It’s never not worked.

onuhistorian0116

gr8pirate

shawbridge

Thanks for the explanation/confirmation.

Not my first visit to China but not a frequent visitor. I hadn't really noticed this so much, but that is because I concentrate pretty hard, but a couple of guys were hard to miss.

synthkeys

Unfortunately, this is typical behavior here in the Middle Kingdom. Everyones phone is on the loudest setting possible, no "buzz" mode here. When a phone rings in a crowded elevator or room, instead of waiting to answer, they will answer immediately and yell as loud as possible to overheard above the din. It's just the way it is here and we can't change it

Once in a casual, uncrowded restaurant, I was sitting for dinner. Guy sits right next to me, starts watching a video on his phone with the speaker so load it was distorting. I gave a few looks but nothing. Then I tapped him on the shoulder and indicated it was too loud. The reaction I got from him was that I was a crazy man and very rude, but he did get up and go away. Perhaps I was the rude one, as my sense of rude is definitely different than the sense here.

The sense of respect for personal space is completely different here. It's one of the things I battle with since I like my personal space and I get offended when "my" rules of etiquette are broken. Deep breaths and put on headphones, noise canceling preferably.