My friend and I
Before coming to China, I didn’t know a lot about the country. I learned in the school that China is a developing nation with the largest population, and that it’s a little similar to India. After coming here all changed. Good cities, places, people, food. It is not like what on the news or the world says about it.
I think most of the Chinese culture is similar to the Indian culture. Like India, only the urban area is developed, while the rural areas are under development. Both nations are developing and are the fastest emerging economies in the world. Every impression has been changed after knowing more.
From my view, yes, there are misunderstandings between people in China and India. Chinese people think that India is a poor country and the people are not good. They have this misconception because this is how the media show.
Misconceptions of India and the real India
Travelers to India often expect to see the frugal life of the local people. This is what most people would think before they travel India, because the media constantly portray India as a country of dirt and chaos. Yet this is only half true. They seem to be unmindful of the reality that the vibrant cities of India also offer high-end accommodation, fine dining, nightlife, and top shopping experiences. Even though India is a developing nation home to millions of poor people, the country itself is rich. It has 119 billionaires and ranks 6th among the world's wealthiest countries in 2017 according to a report by New World Wealth.
prosperous Mumbai
Even though India still has a large number of illiterate populations, this doesn't reflect the reality. The Indians attach great importance to education. Even poverty-stricken families try very hard to let their kids attend the best school as possible as they can. They understand a better education is essential to a better future. Doctors and engineers are two of the most popular professions and a great many people have MBA or Ph.D. qualifications. Besides, India boasts a large number of business schools and the government is endeavouring to offer quality higher education.
It's a preconceived notion that India is unsafe. Well, India is different compared to other foreign countries but it's not as unsafe as the media make it appear. India is a paradise not only for solo travellers but also for the ones who travel with family. While the nation has had its share of tragedies, it doesn't make it a less explorable place. One must certainly take precautionary measures while traveling solo in India, but isn't that the case while traveling alone in any part of the world?
travelling in India
Saying all Indians are Hindus is just like to say all Indians speak Hindi, which is not true. India is a land of various beliefs. Hinduism is the dominant religion whose followers account for over 80% of the total population. It coexists with other religions such as Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, and Sikhism.
People believe that Indian food is spicy. Spices are widely used in Indian cuisine, especially cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, ginger, cinnamon, etc. But it does not necessarily mean India food has to be spicy just because it contains spices. Chilies are not indispensable to make most Indian dishes. Moreover, India is so big and diverse. Each region has its unique food, some spicier, some less, and some not at all. These are the some misconceptions that people think about India.
Misconceptions of China and China I know
Indians know very little about Chinese society or China. From the Indian people's view, people in China eat everything from insects to all kinds of animals. It's not like that. If someone does that, don't blame the whole people, blame the person who does. All this is because the media only show the negative about the countries. Indian people never offend any country or their people.
Chengdu
The good sides that Indian people know about China are Chinese people are hardworking and especially they perfectly built their nation. They are also understanding and kind; Chinese society is really strict and follows every ritual perfectly. They are clever, they make replicas for everything, they copy everything.
There are so many cultural differences from India: food, language, culture, lifestyle, etc. Before coming to China, we worried most about the language and food. Language is important when you visit a country or you move to a country. If you don’t know the language you can’t survive there. We heard from the people that Chinese is one of the hardest languages to learn. After coming here, I found out that the language is not that hard to study. Then it was about the people’s culture they are so into their festivals like Indians do.
Chinese hotpot
Chinese consume all kinds of meat. In India, meat usually means chicken or mutton. Some religions in India require the adherents to be vegetarian. Also, there is a ridiculous myth of moral superiority vegetarians feel over their meat-eating counterparts. This is more common in Southern and Western India. None of this exists in China.
China has a drinking culture. Drinking alcohol is frowned upon as it is in some parts of India, where the pubs are usually dark, dingy places with low lights, cubicles, and closed windows. Most Indian women do not drink. In China most business deals are concluded over a bout of drinking. Baijiu is the favourite drink of the Chinese.
Both countries has a strict education system biased towards academics involving greater stress of sciences and maths. Children are encouraged to pursue doctors and engineers as their future careers.
Family importance after the god, parents are considered to be next higher beings here in India and this scenario is the same in China too. The other important culture is religion. Chinese people don’t have a religion but Indian people got. Every Indian you see has a religion.
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