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Q: Does the staring bother anybody else? In particular in the gym?
I've been here just over 2 weeks, and I'm just about getting used to the constant staring, the sly photos, my undeniable affinity i seem to have with Chinese kids, people shouting out to me, mostly in Chinese sometimes in broken English etc.
But last night was something else, I thought I'd go to the gym after work. So i went, and it was so much worse than I'd thought it'd be. People crowding around to watch me work out, when i did yoga - people were trying to peek through the curtains to watch, all these naked women in the changing rooms staring at me like I was from another planet. Or maybe because I was dressed and they weren't...
Anybody else have this problem? I'm usually quite good at laughing it off, but I'm not sure if it'll turn to manic laughter one day and I'll lose my mind.
What is this country?!
this is a common issue in china, and mostly the one to blame are chinese parents. Not only they encourage the look-at-the-foreigner sport, but also teach them how to call people different than them, divide the world in "we" and "them".
How is ur chinese?I start to say for a while: ni tamade kan shenme kan?!? (what the fxxx u look at?), but usually i got a "nono, im not looking at anything" and so on...
It's quite normal here. I can imagine it's only worse for the ladies. Chinese men will stare through the curtains watching Chinese women dance/yoga/whatever at the gym...so if there's a foreign woman....well, that just ups the ante. They will eventually get used to you, and the staring will subside somewhat. But there's always going to be those that can't help themselves. My personal strategy is to blast some music through my earphones...and just focus on what I'm doing.
I agree with nick, minus the "tamade" part. A sharp "Ni (men) kan shen me kan" will usually have them looking away pretty quickly. Although sometimes it backfires as they will sometimes become more curious now that they know you can utter some Chinese. Good luck!
No not really it gets awkward in the shower room though...
sam239:
Why? Because you can't resist staring and salivating at all the naked men?
You have also got to remember that they are very strange...friendly,yes..but strange. I find that the older ones are worse than the younger ones.
Keep strong.. keep calm - easier said than done some days !
My only advice is to enjoy your celebrity status while you can. Once you move back to your home country, you'll just be another face in the crowd and may miss the feeling yo uget of standing out in a crowd. At first I found it really weird an awkward when I got here, but over time I have began to enjoy the attention, especially the girls who are not shy or afraid to say hello and chat a little while on the bus or in the elevator. The only time it bothers me is when you can clearly hear someone or people talk about you behind your back, or when you get the loud "Hellloooo!" from some rolled up tank top beer belly middle aged man.
sam239:
that's my attitude too, try to enjoy it as much as possible while we can.
I go to the gym a lot and get a few curious stares. I'm wondering if it revolves around “ooo, how fast can the foreigner run" or "how much can the foreigner lift?" Luckily I only do cardio and not weights so I can usually avoid attention and just watch stuff on my tablet.
At least in China, they do it with no harm. They are just not used to seeing foreigners and are curious about their habits.
But be a Chinese go in any hick place in the US and the only stares you get would filled with hatred and racism, oftentimes accompanied with racial slurs.
Butthurt downvotes incoming.
cooter:
Because I've never been called 外国佬 or 洋鬼子 in China. Oh wait. 
JustinF:
They use those words because in the past, Westerners went to China under false pretenses and pillaged it. Japan and Tibet comments imminent.
cooter:
What are you talking about? We're still pillaging this shit hole! 
nicholasba:
racist are everywhere, but its a minority and not really accepted by the society. Instead in China...
JustinF:
Half of Americans voting Republicans and half of French voting Front National don't represent a minority.
nicholasba:
wtf are uy talking about?One guy holding a British passport in Bj accused by a rather weird video of attempted rape was enough to start a xenofobic campaign and all what follows. Do you have any idea how many foreign nationals are in France?And how many commit crimes? Maybe u should ask some chinese owner of a store what he thinks about it. Chinese would be the 1TH to vote repressive and conservative wings if they had the chance! Your comparison is very lame, as to compare a glass of wine with a bottle of Jack D.
half of the french is a 17,9%,?JustinF:
If this, if that...
Talking about facts, Westerners are the least racist of all people in the world, it has been proven historically, and can still be proven today. They are the most racially tolerant people and would never go as far as doing organised racism.
GuilinRaf:
"any hick place in the US...."
Yeah, cause only white guys are racist in the good ol' US of A.
P.S. I am not white....
P.P.S. I was also being ironic regarding whites....nicholasba:
I heard that in the US i wouldn't be considerated white...
Sorry, cant comment on anyone's posts. But seems like i'm just going to have to get used to it right? Its actually really funny after it happens, just at the time, you teeter on the edge of going nuts/completely ignoringthem/ or playing up to it like a crazy foreigner.
Also..this is completely unrelated..Anybody else feel like the Chinese may be vampires? Or descend from them, I walk in the middle of the streets, and everybody else walks in the shadows/under umbrellas/massive hats etc. It's actually quite nice when its really warm because less staring, I just walk in the direct sunlight like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Blade.
I usually put my left finger on my lower eye lid, and stare back
. However, I am not sure if that's possible while your legs are wrapped around the rest of your body.
. 
You want a weird experience, trying being a guy using the public urinals in good ol' Chinar.... Have a middle-aged dude stand next to you staring at your junk.
fk'n weird fks these mongoloids.
happywanderer:
Haha, I've had this so many times. Usually the next guy along tries to surreptitiously peer over at you then quickly looks away when you look at them. But they just can't resist! They keep looking and it slowly turns into open-mouthed staring. WTF.
DaveP84:
I agree that I don't like people staring my tackle when I go for a leak. But you get the thumbs down for your inebriated attempt at trying to be funny by basically insulting a mass population with your pathetic words.
next time you can say " kan shen me kan, mei jian guo mei nv a?" "what the f**k are you looking at? never seen a beautiful girl?"
slice_999_k:
Does this work for you? I'll have to remember this phrase!
diehard:
works every single time , practice the tones and the way you say it
ohChina:
hi. Sorry to say this but that "kan shen me kan, mei jian guo mei nv ma" sounds cold and impolite. Unless you want to display a cold image, which of course, is often seen on many mei nv. However I'm expecting a foreign mei nv who doesn't bring more hostility to the world. Perhaps you would like to try "wo piao liang ma?" as a way to embarrass the people who stare or "qing bu yao kan le". which means please stop looking at me.
And I'd like to recommend this question for you to read.
http://answers.echinacities.com/question/how-come-my-mind-has-changed-lot
diehard:
yes, that does sound cold, but "wo piao liang ma" sounds like flirting, it can easily confuse the guy, if you have to say that then please really be careful with your tones, or you can cause more problems.
Are you the only foreigner in the gym? A foreigner engaging in almost any activity can draw on-lookers. Just be on the look-out for any who might be pointing cameras at you: THAT is creepy !"
slice_999_k:
I've only been once, so hard to say, but possibly. Haha yeah, I draw the line at taking pictures, I'll take my camera and take pictures of them, reverse the roles a little
Not really i am a man so i take any staring at the gym as an invitation or a threat, so ether way it gets the blood pumping.
The best way around this, as I have found out, is to smile directly at them! Always makes them awkward.
I guess other options would be to buy a yoga video and a mat and work it in front of the tv, or join a gym where there are more foreigners. Realize that's probably not ideal though.
icnif77:
I like your idea about 'yoga video'. She should bring her video in the gym, so people can watch teli, while she's exercising in peace.
