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Entertainment, TV Programs and Culture Shock - by Louise Lu

A friend in the UK told me that his daughter had an ecstasy pill in a nightclub. That was not anything new today. But she did not know the guy who gave her the pill and she took it without knowing what it was. The consequence was her reaction was so strong that she had to be taken to hospital.

In China this also happens in pubs and nightclubs. Someone lets you try a pill, for free, of course. Anti-drug campaign is widely spread to prevent people taking drugs. All schools (at least those in cities) are obliged to educate the students on the harm that drugs have. So when the above-mentioned happens, everyone is aware that this is some kind of drug.

If you refuse the offer by saying that you don't want to be addicted, you will get the answer that this pill will not get you addicted but only make you feel high. However, this usually is not the truth. To take drugs or sell them is illegal in China regardless of the amount of drugs involved. To have a child taking drugs is the least that Chinese parents want to see. Once this happens, they can sacrifice all they have to prevent their children touching any drug again. The person who uses drugs is also looked down upon and considered abnormal by others.

In Shanghai Hongqiao airport I saw a big bulletin board on the wall. On it is the slogan calling on people to undertake voluntary AIDS test. It shows how much public opinion on this issue has changed over recent years.

I always think globalization has penetrated every area, being good or bad. In the UK, there is a TV program called Who wants to be a millionaire. Its Chinese version has existed for several years. Another well-known program called X-factor in the UK also has its copies produced by a few local TV stations in China. Many Chinese young people have the dream of being a superstar overnight, so this kind of program attracts a lot of participants.

When I was in the UK, a British chap, who taught in a university in Beijing for 5 years, said to me that he thought Chinese people are rude. I asked him why. He said to me that they always told another person that he is fatter. Yes, we say that a lot, but is it rude? I didn't know.

After I came back this time, I was greeted by many such expressions as 'You are fatter', or 'You are thinner'. I also commented a lot on my long-time-no-see relatives and friends' body-built. Being a woman, I am much happier with 'thinner' than 'fatter.' With that question in my mind, I couldn't help thinking about the rudeness of these comments. As a matter of fact, such comments are the way for Chinese people to show their interest in and care for you. However, it is annoying when used on a westerner.

But I think it illustrates the culture difference from another point of view.

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