In the locations we have visited in South and Southwest China, it is obvious that they do not see many western tourists. We get a lot of stares. I get most of the stares. Probably because from the back, or profile, Phil blends in with the other, dark haired fellows. I don’t blend in. Also, I haven’t seen any other women my size. That’s not to say all Chinese women are tiny, but they are not big-boned people and most women are not as tall as I am. My blond hair sticks out, though we have seen a few women and men with their hair dyed blond. It’s also the blue eyes. One of those things may not make people look twice, but add those all together, and well, I stand out.
When folks stare, we usually smile and/or say “nǐhǎo” (hello in Mandarin, pronounced nee-how). Usually our smiles and greetings are returned enthusiastically. Other times, people simply continue to stare, not acknowledging the greeting. The stares just seem curious, sometimes suspicious, and we’ve even had a few scowls.
People will try to take photos or videos of me/us, often without asking permission; they just stare and film a video or snap a pic. One of our DiDi drivers took a [whatever the Chinese equivalent to] Snapchat video of us while he was driving! Another man took a photo of me through the window of a coffee shop at a cultural village we were at, like I was one of the exhibits. While we were walking down a random street in Kunming, a guy took out a very professional looking camera, aimed it right at me and started clicking away. “Nǐhǎo!” I said, a little aggressively. “Nǐhǎo”, he calmly responded, taking one more photo.
On the bright side: we have met many kind and curious people who wanted to take a photo with us and we were happy to do so. We’ve gotten used to folks asking for photos and have never said no to a request and it seems to make them happy. It usually makes us happy to do it.
When we were in Nanning, we went to a park one weekend with a Canadian couple we met, Craig and Belle. Belle is Chinese and was able to help serve as interpreter when we came upon a group of the ethnic Dong people who were gathered in the park dancing and singing. She asked them if we could take a photo with them. They enthusiastically agreed and then began snapping their own photos. They sang us a welcome song and invited us to dance with them. Afterward, folks kept grabbing us to snap more photos with them, individually. We couldn’t stop smiling. It was such a cool, unique experience.
We eventually started asking for photos with others, if they seem really excited to see us. This has really made a few folks’ days. Like, “You want a photo with me?!?”
One of my favorite such cases is when we were in Zhanjiang. We’d gone to a seaside park to walk around and ended up getting caught in a downpour. We sought shelter under the side of a building with a generous overhang. After a couple of minutes, we were joined by several park workers who were also trying to stay dry. As we stood there, they began to pull out snacks and offer them to us. They were clearly snacks they’d brought from home, for themselves. They were so generous. They gave us oranges and tangerines, little cookies, and sesame bars. If we gave the slightest indication that we enjoyed the treat, they handed us more. We could tell it pleased them to do so and it was so very kind of them.
After the rain stopped, we asked if we could take a photo with them. One of the women, motioned for my phone. She assumed we wanted her to take a photo of Phil and I together. I motioned to all of them and gestured that I wanted everyone in a selfie with us. They were all so surprised and happy!
Often, smiles and kind gestures are all the communication you need to connect with other people on a human level.
We’ve met a few friends along the way who we’ve been able to snap some photos with as well named Liya and Lucas. Liya, a tour guide in Dali and Lucas, a young college student in Chongqing, who befriended us and we ended up having dinner and going on a night cruise together.
We took a tour with Liya in Dali, hiking up a mountain and then joined her at her house for a homemade dinner after. We hit it off so well, we met up our last day in town for a walkabout near the water. She commented on people smiling at us and being excited to see us. When Phil mentioned people wanting to take photos of me, she said, “You are like a panda. People don’t see pandas very often and when they do, they get excited”.
Phil jokingly now refers to me as his blonde panda. When I get annoyed by someone snapping photos of videos of me without asking, Phil reminds me that I’m a panda. He also makes a good point that when we travel on to other countries who get more western tourists, we won’t be so sought after or special. Westerners in Bali, for example, will be a dime a dozen, so I might as well appreciate my “fame” while I have it.
You know, I do love sitting lazily in nature and eating. Maybe I have more in common with pandas than I thought.
Next up, one of my favorite places to eat: Night markets!
Jess Barrington Travels 