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Q: What was this guy's deal?
The other day I walking into a noodle shop with a foreign friend minding my own business when I hear someone screaming "F your mother" in Chinese. I turn around to see what's going on and some old nutter with as many teeth as brain cells is wagging his finger at us, pointing and yelling. Confused, I asked him what was wrong and he continued screaming and babbled something along the lines of "Ni jia shi di er" (your home is number 2) or maybe he was saying guojia (country). Well anyways, I'm sure I didn't miss anything interesting. I just gave a big smile, waved and said bye bye. I'd never seen the old kook before as far as I know.
So what was up with this guy? I don't normally get this kind of hostility from strangers and when I do it's usually muttered to my back. I guess I should respect the old man for letting his hate out to my face. But who was he? I was thinking escaped mental patient but I've worked in a Chinese mental hospital and the patients were always friendly as far as I could tell (they'd bang on the glass and "hello" me as I walked through the corridors but they were always smiling). Was he some old relic that hasn't gotten over the Korean War and blames waiguo for his shitty life?
Explanations? Guesses? Let's hear em!
I blow kisses. I used to do it back home to people losing it at me in rush-hour traffic. Blow them a kiss. It either confuses the shit out of them or really pisses them off, or both. In any event it gets the desired result.
I neither have the time nor the inclination to ponder what is wrong with any and everybody that yells something at me on the street.
You worked in a Chinese mental hospital?
Wow, I thought they did not exist.
estern:
That's what jumped out at me too.
You really worked in a Chinese mental hospital? How the hell did you end up doing that? You must have some good stories from it.
Stiggs:
Are you sure it was a mental hospital you were working in?
For my first six months here I thought I was working in a mental hospital but it turned out to be a normal public school 
dongbeiren:
I taught a program called "English for Mental Health Professionals" that was connected to my job. The official title of the hospital was "xin li yi yuan" (psychiatric hospital) and was located way out of the main part of the city. My experience was actually pretty vanilla but some of the doctors had great stories such an African man who was picked up by the police wondering around in his birthday suit. He was taken into the hospital lobby butt naked which surely caused quite the scene. So yes, these hospitals do exist. In fact, one of my wife's family members is receiving treatment at a similar hospital for claustrophobia.
ScotsAlan:
I worked in the Scottish national mental hospital in the mid 80s. My first job. I was a general groundsman doing grass cutting etc. One of my sisters was a patient there, the other was a nurse. Every saturday of my childhood was spent going to the hospital with my mum to visit my dsabled sister. What an horrific place. My nursing sister burned out by the time she was 30 and was pensioned off, never to work again. The hospital was closed and the government bought a house for my disabled sister, where she still lives with a team of carers providng 24 hour care. Most people never see serious mental disability, and what it does to families. Mental hospitals are not nice places.
SwedKiwi1:
I am also seriously surprised that mental hospitals in China exist. Where are they?
The definition of what's mentally unbalanced is defined by what's acceptable as the norm in society. He merely crossed the politeness-line, shielded by his elderly status. But beyond that, his opinions are exactly in line with China's xenophobic narrative. Which is: "FOREIGNERS BAD! Xierfgkdfngdjfbnh your mother... @#&*%!!!" [then throw an alley cat at the foreigner]
It took my MIL a while to understand that despite the norm in China, it's not OK to call her grandkids Za Zhong (hybrid breedbastard). She understands now, but bad culture is hard to get rid of.
jetfire9000:
The first half of this explanation was absolutely perfect and I appreciated reading it. The cook was basically doing everything "right" but in a slightly wrong manner. I think most Chinese would smile upon him kindly until the very moment he began being connected as a representative of the masses... At that point, the protective "face" mechanism would set in and he'd be ridiculed.
There can be many reasons, maybe he is just a racist, or believes the xenophobic propaganda of the state run medias, maybe his ex-girlfriend left him for a foreigner, maybe he lost a fight against a foreigner once and since then is looking for a revenge, maybe he is an idiot, he might have some mental issues, ... the list goes on.
Whenever Chinese shout at me I am like cool story bro' and keep minding my own business, if they insist, thus invading my privacy and preventing me from minding my own business, I flex my muscles, go toward them and tell them if they have a problem we can solve here like real men (or go outside if in a mall or restaurant). This is usually enough to calm them down, Chinese men are not very courageous, except on the internet.
It's always the men, the women never insult us (at least me) since they want us hahaha
I ran into an old kook like this... I didn't have a clue what she was saying but the girl with me told me she blames foreigners for losing her job.
Apparently, some foreign company bought out the factory or canceled an order and she lost her job. Probably bull shit but who cares.
We are just easy targets for nutjobs.
Strawberry66:
Do not blame on anyone for losing job,it is just how the market is.
A lot of older Chinese resent so many foreigners in their country and cannot forget the humiliation China suffered during the Qing dynasty when all the colonial powers had their way with the Chinese and looted all the palaces. Some memories never fade I guess.
Hotwater:
They can't forget the century of humiliation because the government uses it for propaganda purposes to stir up nationalism & deflect from the problems in the country. Same with the "war against Japanese aggression" & claiming Japan has never apologised.
Strawberry66:
Yeah. My father is the one who got influenced by the war and he hates Japnese.
Anyone would get confused, nutty, bat-shit crazy if the propaganda machine is constantly saying one thing, but yet one continues to see more and more "non-chinese" looking people as the months/years pass. Wouldnt logic dictate that if a certain element or elements are bad for China, why on earth would the people in power allow them to stay. The only logical conclusions are either 1) the people in power really dont have the power that they proclaim to possess or else the would boot all non nationals from China. or 2) its propaganda, and the people in power are confusing the ignorant masses on purpose for whatever nefarious reasons.
I blow kisses. I used to do it back home to people losing it at me in rush-hour traffic. Blow them a kiss. It either confuses the shit out of them or really pisses them off, or both. In any event it gets the desired result.
I neither have the time nor the inclination to ponder what is wrong with any and everybody that yells something at me on the street.
Lots of people in their 60s, 70s in China have mental problems because of the cultural revolution.
You will meet people all over China with mental health problems. The west dosent deal with mental health problems well either. The UK locks a lot of mentally ill people up because authorities don't have resources to deal with them. Same in us.
Wierd. I have found older people to be very friendly in their farmer ways. Its the groups of 20 somethings that wanna say something to me.
