Dude, that story about how you ended up in a catalog because they snuck a photo of you while testing the screwdriver is seriously underrated comedy gold.
I've been in China for about 4 years and honestly the lack of privacy has been a major issue for me. For the most part I've had to accept it even if it does upset me still sometimes. However recently I had some health problems and had to deal with the Chinese health system for the first time in any major capacity and privacy was a huge problem. The private hospital here is ridiculously expensive so I dealt with the normal local hospital and I mean already you have to sacrifice some privacy by bringing someone along to help you navigate the overly complicated system and translate for you. But the worst thing that shocked me so much was that other patients would be in the same room as you while talking to the doctor and would listen to your diagnosis and listen as you describe your symptoms etc. And as you're a foreigner they're paying extra attention to you which is even more intrusive. I felt incredibly uncomfortable with that as it would absolutely not happen back home but everyone I talked to about it just said that's how things work here and privacy doesn't exist for hospitals here. I'm not entirely sure why that was the last straw for me honestly, but it just really bothered me and I've finally decided to leave. I'm going to finish off my current visa and at the end of the year go home. Enough is enough and honestly it turns out privacy is something I actually value a lot. And China can't offer that to me so it's time to leave.
Yes, privacy in hospitals isn’t a thing, patients barge into the consulting rooms and stand in the doorway etc looking in and bothering the doctor whilst he is busy with a patient (I used to train doctors and know very well how the system works), good decision, living in China often reminds people of the things they took for granted back home and yes, privacy is one of them
@@josedorsaith5261 I left China in November, so I'm doing good these days. I do miss it sometimes but it was becoming less foreigner friendly unfortunately.
@@gezzapk @gerrapk Some of it would be small like you would have people deliberately moving away if you sat near them on a bus/train or the sort of questions you'd get changed: in the beginning I'd have loads of people ask me usual things like where I'm from, how long I'd been in china, did I like it, etc. But then you started getting questions that were basically asking your covid history: how long have you been there, did you go anywhere recently, when was the last time you left the country, stuff like that. It felt more like an interrogation. Then there were other things that just made it more difficult and annoying to live there. When my friends and I tried to find an Airbnb for our holiday we couldn't find any that would accept foreigners so we had to stay in a hotel (where we had to fill out an incredibly invasive questionnaire at check in). When I was dealing with the medical stuff I mentioned in my original comment I was told to see a doctor in a specialist blood hospital except I couldn't make an appointment. The system was designed to work only with Chinese ID cards and there was literally no way to register myself using my passport. So I was only able to see the doctor in the ER. I was told I'd need a three month prescription of medicine but the ER only allowed a week's worth of prescription to be given out and since I couldn't see the regular doctor I had to just find the medicine I needed online. It was a nightmare. Not to mention on nights out some of my friends would be yelled at by Chinese guys to go home. I'll be honest, as a girl, I didn't really experience this but my male friends were harassed a lot. And sometimes places would just tell you that foreigners weren't allowed in. There were just a lot of things like this that made it increasingly more difficult for foreigners to live there, and that's not even mentioning how impossible it became to renew visas.
Wow that was a trip and the 'invasion' of personal space is something I don't think I could handle. I mean I consider it to be very rude to come in real close to some stranger and just look and stare. I'd be like get the hell out of my face. As far as using your picture for their own benefit without any regards to how it might affect you is another cultural opposite. You have tough skin brother, not sure I could hang there beyond a short visit.
i've actually heard that in most cases that literally happens. in many countries but i think more often in asian countries the fact that you can speak their language shocks them and they go on as if they didnt hear you. you could stand there arguing with them in their language about the fact that you know every word they said and they would still carry on as if its not true. its hilarious but also quite insulting on a personal level.
I am sorry you feel that way. I believe there are good people in every country and place. When I am in US, I was also being yelled at by white kids and sometime white adults to go back to Tokyo or China or wherever they thought I came from, but I never believe that all Americans are as unfriendly as these people. I never gave up, and I made many good friends from many places that have different background from me. I hope you well, and I hope you will find good friend in China as well as other countries different from your own.
Very common. When I was in S. Korea a lot of the kids wore long shirts. They would just stop, squat and do their thing and then move on, leaving whatever they did right there on the side walk. Just watch where you are stepping. :D
I was there in 97, just before the handover of Hong Kong, travelling down from Xian to Nanning by train (48hrs in 2nd class during the middle of summer!! ). Sleeping on the top bunk I was woken by roars of laughter. There was a group of about eight people going through my rucksack and reading all my documents, ID's, passport etc. They were passing them around to other passengers. They had no shame. I wasn't angry but wtf!
No not official, they were just fellow passengers like myself, ordinary men and women, harmless but curious. Earlier that week I had purchased a fake student ID in Beijing thinking it would get me discounts on accommodation etc. Although I never used it, I carried it around in my rucksack. When the guy in Beijing handed me the fake ID he told me that I was now a student of martial arts should anyone ask, but judging by the roars of laughter on the train I was starting to doubt it.
Nah, that's the culture. Its charming really. They are very inquisitive but totally trust worthy. Shocking when it first happens though. Haha. Back home I'm a nobody but in China or at least back then you're treated like a celebrity. They're good people and highly educated. It would be a boring world if everyone was the same everywhere.
When I started teaching English in China in 1984 I was told that any of my personal postal mail would most likely be read. One notable example was when many of my students congratulated me because they had heard my "girlfriend" was coming to visit. I thought this was strange because I didn't have a girlfriend. Later when I picked up my mail there was a letter from a college friend, Susan, who had been teaching in the Philippines. She said that she planned to visit China and would like to come visit me if possible.
@@Cybersawz My guess is someone was assigned to read through all mail that I received. Then that person was a gossip and the news spread throughout the campus.
Winston you're someone with a good head on your shoulders and will be successful in any endeavor! Best of luck and thanks for the entertaining and insightful videos, unlike the typical boring videos about visiting tourists traps.
I miss Hong Kong. I remember one morning riding on the tram it was kind of chilly that morning. This Chinese lady jumped on my case for not wearing a jacket. She was worried I would get sick. That was pretty cool that a stranger would care about you like that.
Great insights about privacy. Another funny thing about privacy: this video will likely be downloaded, have Chinese subtitles added to it, and it'll be uploaded to Chinese social media sites without your permission. Happens to me every time I make a vid.
at least you're not one of the people who've had content stolen by chinese media, (who happen to have a youtube account), and then report you for copyright infringement on your own video.
+simon A Actually one of my recent videos (20 dollar traveling in Shanghai) was recently claimed by a Chinese media giant called KanKan news. I'm disputing it right now and it's a bitch
I just moved into a new apartment. As my boxes were being delivered a Chinese family of six just wandered in to take a look around to see how the foreigner lived. They didn't ask or introduce themselves, just came on in unannounced! Having been in China for a while I accepted that they were just curious and not intending to be rude.
Absolutely no privacy. I went to a photo lab to get some photos printed. First while I was selecting the photos a little group of people started to look at what I was doing and look at my pictures on the screen. After that while I was waiting to get my photos the man from the lab was showing my photos to the other employees there and commenting them and laughing. I didn’t understand what they were saying but it was so rude. I couldn’t believe they were doing that in front of me and they were ok with that. I imagine they felt curious because I was a foreigner and they wanted to see what I had taken pictures of but still. You don’t do that in front of a customer.
u can be hasslled by debt collector easily since its easy to forge docs with access like the visa guy(they prob make it for BM too).u end up paying bills thats not urs just had ur data on it
In Japan, police comes door to door and take an inventory and profile of each individual in the household in areas where there are many Gaijin (foreigners). Police rely heavily on the privacy argument to withhold information, but pretty much have carte blanche to violate citizen's privacy.
30 years ago China was an agricultural society in which people just visited each home without pre-noticing and shared other people's secrets without hesitation. in agricultural society people tie together by living in a village for hundred years. privacy is more likely a concept emerging in an industrial society in which people stay away from each other. China is transforming from rural agricultural to urban industrial in one generation that never happened in human history, and many people haven't changed yet. but you can see the fast physical and psychological changes, and the new generation who get high education and travel the world is totally different. Now you are just observing some old habits, and you may observe the transformation and changes. You are lucky to see the new world leader is growing up.
@Peder Hansen Are you sure that they're acting illegally ? You're mistakening yourself... things are not what they seem. @Pat Wu You're right. And the same in the western countries when they were agricultural countries. Now, people in the West are dying from solitude and would love to get some glimpses from their neighbours like in China.
Pat Wu Woow, straight on everybody’s face, new world leader, what the **** are you talking about? Since when? I as a Chinese would never say that. Neither does Americans. You don’t know what you are talking about, who told you China is aiming world leader as a goal? You are just making everyone hates China.
I wish Chinese people (mainly Chinese tourists) would value others privacy when in other countries. I don't mean no hate, this just my experience. I was at the top of the Rockefeller Centre with some friends. We were taking photos and selfies and this middle aged Chinese lady randomly popped up and started taking our photos with her DSLR. She took a few shots of us and the quickly scurried off to the next group. I wasn't really bothered by it nor were any of my friends. We just thought it was random and funny! It just goes to show how Chinese people don't mind not having any privacy. I'd love to go see China but I would never live there, and the lack of privacy is one of the reasons why... Keep up the awesome work Winston!
Mostly lack of privacy is not only in china, but in south east Asia, people in here don't understand what is privacy because privacy itself was not on their own culture.
I sat next to a Chinese couple in Spain on a 2 hr train ride andddd it was awful, the man smelled like a mix of BO, booze and bad breath and they literally sat on top of me half the ride (so the idea of no personal space makes sense)
ElectricRemi they have no idea about personal space. They’re used to do everything on the street, everything shared, they have no concept of invasion of privacy. In China you’d go to the supermarket and the locals not only would stare at you but they would stop you to see what you had in the trolley.
Well, I wanted to visit China one day, but I hate crowds, I value my privacy, I love quiet places, and the dude staring right in front of you in my country is casus belli for a fight. It's stressful for me even on video, it's probably hard to get used to.
... he's only in an ordinary outfit, it is not sth with any diamond on it nor drama costume... that wouldn't make any effort at standing out from others...
For those who think wearing a suit or not makes no difference. Look around. How many Asians you see there are wearing one? See for yourself in many of his videos.
Probably of the coolest video you ever published: The intro music, the quality of the information given, the anecdotes, the live examples (lol). Stay awesome :p
the first time I moved to Fuzhou, it freaked me out that people would study my shopping basket in the supermarket quite closely to see what the lao wai had bought. after a while it just became normal.
"I'm a dodgy looking old guy just standing here drinking a beer...filming children, and that's what I'm doing here. L😂L Ohhhhh thank you, I haven't laughed like that since I was a little schoolgirl. Solid Gold, Cheers mate.
I got an unauthorized use of my photo happened to me twice when i was living in thailand. once in a billboard for a bar - being a rude tall israeli i just went to the bar manager ordered drink and when he asked me to pay - i said - "me VIP i dont pay" pointed at the poster and that`s it. same thing happened with a shop i went to - and i did just the same.
I find your taking a sip of your beer periodically very, very funny. One cannot drink beer like that in a public place in the USA. Excellent work. I love your videos.
Good insights Winston. I am a Chinese that immigrated to Canada 14 years ago with my parents. I am now a Canadian citizen. I find it very interesting how different cultures have different concepts of privacy and personal space. Even though I moved to Canada at a young age, my views on privacy and social interactions still retain some Chinese characteristics. I did a bit of research into concept of personal space, and apparently people learn these when they are 3 or 4. When I entered the Canadian workforce there were many nuisances about personal space I had never realized, because growing up in China, there was no such concept. In North America there is this very strict unspoken rule about personal space. Everyone in the office gets their own desk, their own chair, their own stuff, and it's off limits to other workers. It's silly really, because it belongs to the company in the end. People are on edge all the time worrying about other people snooping. In China, your business is everybody's business. The workplace I remember when I was young in China had no cubicles, people just had tables scattered around one big room. People knew what other people were doing and it was more social ecosystem. People are a lot less offended by intrusion on personal space. My personal view is the Chinese way is perhaps more productive in the workplace. It induces communication and teamwork, but there is a lot of pressure to conform. The North American way values and respects the individuals, but it also creates barriers for teamwork and communication. North American system can foster those with real talents, and those people can really flourish if given their own room to grow. In the end, both have pros and cons, and successful businesses have used the good points from both styles.
@UnbreakableM1nd China is like France 30 years ago. Soon, it will be more and more like America, in the same way that France has taken gradually their privacy concepts.
If you think it's better than Canada then go back to China and I bet if you have a few beers with Winston and he is honest he will agree with me that the Chinese way sucks. Ask him about his now defunct Motorcycle shop and how a shop down the road basically stole (Chinese would say copied) his designs and put him out of business because they don't charge by the hour they only make money from parts they sell you ( His words from an other video) So again if you think it's a better system or way of doing business, then go the fuck back to China and leave my country, but before you do, give me your address so I can go and take whatever I want from your house, cause that's the Chinese way. Take what you want from whomever you want without asking or even offering to compensate you for your loss
I really like your demeanour, topics, and experience living in China. I value the information you provide as good insight into China. Thank you for all the videos and information.
Great one Winston! I specially like it how in many of your videos, the people around you unknowingly proves what you're talking about. lol. Like in this one the old dude (and more) creeping behind your back when you're filming (Gosh!), and in the other video about Chinese women, the women around you coming and chatting you up! lol. The realism is the spice of your videos - it's what makes it amazing. And of course, you are amazing too! Thanks man!
if you watch some vids about foreigners living in beijing in 80s, one of the proffessor that lived in is afraid of going out because there's hundred people who followed him, curious about the foreigners who knows how to speak chinese. those are the older generations people who never see n the world outside china before
He is exploiting it! I think his videos just strengthen the biases. Think it that way. If I’m living in south Africa and talk shit about its people and ONLY in Chinese so that you don’t understand whether I’m talking or straight up mocking people and being disrespectful. He is a fraud. Not unbiased at all. We have problems in our country yes. But Chinese people are not to be fvckin disrespected!
i think my favourite thing about this channel is all the funny stares he gets from strangers. its like they've never seen a guy a filming himself before! and something i find really cool about Winston is how he just carries on talking and filming, or sometimes even talks to them so naturally. as a shy person i would put the camera down and stop recording straight away.
That is absolutely not a common behavior you can observe in streets in China.. But I will admit the overall education of people is something China needs to work hard to catch up with many developed western countries.
Well - we can all agree - it's much more common in China than in the West, where you basically never see it. Though there was that one time in NYC, when a lady dropped her draws and peed on the train platform in front of me.
Well, I am a Chinese citizen and have lived in China for 20+ years. I said it is not common and you guys do not believe in me and call my comment bullshit..
Then i guess i've just been lucky or you live in a nice area.. because in the short space of time i was there i saw enough for it to be common. And regarding your comment that you removed.. just because i'm not the kind of person that makes travel videos doesn't mean im not traveled.
I get reminders that there is no privacy all the time. The biggest example being in the bathroom. I cannot tell you how many times I go into a public restroom and someone will try (and not even covertly) to take a peek and my genitals while I'm peeing. I guess they're curious if we're all "built the same" or something. It definitely pays not to have stage fright! Haha!!
Privacy is not a concept widely known or practised in most Asian countries that I have visited or lived in. Generally speaking everyone seems to know your business, it's hard to keep secrets about your private life. People are crammed into single bedrooms, husband and wife share their sleeping quarters with their kids, sex is performed quietly in shared rooms and on a pleasant note food is often shared liberally with visitors. The comment put to me, even among family once, "sorry, we don't have enough to go around" and then eating in front of you. Yes, for those that have never lived in a Western country, believe it or not, this kind of attitude is not uncommon. This is a huge contrast to customs in Asia, where the poor, strangers often, have invited me to share the little they got, insisting that I take part in their meal. Instead of saying "we didn't cook enough, sorry", people would scramble to add a few slices of bread or some quick eggs to stretch the meal, so that I could be included. Honestly, I felt deeply ashamed the one time it happened with a family member, even asking me to sit elsewhere. At least this was a one-off, but not sharing food when visiting is not exactly rare. It has certainly happened to me more than once in the West. Privacy, while we associate living in the country as a quiet life style, staying in the rural communities in Asia can be extremely noisy. Screaming Kids, shouting adults, blarring radios, screeching machinery, bikes, horns of buses, just about everything seems designed to create noise in a setting of shared living surrounded by nature. There is even less privacy in the country, the anonymity of the city offers more discretion. Quarters in the bush tend to be relatively small, they are centred around a small area in a village, nobody seems bothered about the lack of privacy. Not only in Asia but I found similar conditions in Latin America and parts of Europe. The concept of privacy, a luxury in Asia, seems to be more of a Western concept. People tend to live with their families or in their communities unlike Westerners that often live by themselves in city apartments. I wonder how much the term selfishness is inherent to a Western life style of guarding one's privacy, generally not sharing much at all except for a lack of communication, not knowing the neighbours and not wanting to know them, interaction with others is often regarded as intrusion of privacy. This is why so many people in the West are lonely, people have died and weeks pass before anyone notices. It's like a verse from the Pink Floyd song "Money". "I am alright Jack, keep your hands of my stack". Many of these negative, modern by-products of Western type of privacy, such as greed, mistrust and suspicion seem to go hand in hand with our unhappy neurotic existence, alone, frustrated, disappointed. We feel alienated from nature, everyone is looking for a way out of their dilemma, we want to belong, but we have made bad experiences, so we seek privacy but we cannot find the happy compromise. It's all upside down, we cannot find our way home, so to speak. My two bob's worth. Cheers you all.
A little story about privacy in China .. My twin brother and I both live in Shanghai. If we both go out together anywhere it is like the paparazzi comes out .. people want to have their pictures taken with us. One time we went to my brother's wife's home village of 400,000 people. When we went for a walk we were followed by (no kidding) 200 girls or more. We went into an eyeglass store to buy some sunglasses. It was totally empty when we first went in, but by the time we were ready to leave. We could hardly move to get out of the store it was so packed full of girls.
Interesting video on privacy in China. I spent 3 months lecturing at the invitation of the Beijing Film Academy in 1992 and had converted over 100 animated films & videos to their PAL format that I used to illustrate my lectures. I made it clear in accepting their invitation, that in bringing and screening them, that they were the property of my college and could not be duplicated. They asked to prescreen the titles, which I felt was a reasonable request. But I found out from my interpreter later in my visit that they had copied each and every one and placed the copies in their school’s library! I was later told by my Chinese colleagues that this was common- that pretty much all personal possessions are game to be seized or duplicated for whatever reason the authorities decide.
In 1986 I was taken to a public toilet. It was a chorale in a grim room. It had a three foot fence and a gate with concrete floor covered in poo and wee. I was expected to find a space in front of a queue of curious onlookers. To this day I can’t remember if I left or went in to find a space. That experience crossed all my boundaries of privacy.
I imagine there must be alot of identity theft over there if people just show your personal information to just anyone they could use it to apply for credit cards or loans as if they were you.
lol, foreigners don't have any rights in China, so there's nothing a scammer could do with your identity. You have a Chinese wife for 10 years, and you've lived here 15 years? lmao tough luck white boy, you can't even get a credit card, much less a Chinese Id
Yeah, personal experience, as a blonde guy, while im in metro, many people sneakily trying to take photo of me, i dont mind that, i just take photo of them, very obviously, and their expressions are hilarious. Often old creepy guys keep staring at me, like im from another universe, usualy digging in nose, and with open mouth. Or people coming at me, and touching my skin, my hair, if its real.... As i said, i dont mind, but after long day, it gets really annoying. And if u let one, many more will come too, so u might end stucked for 30 minutes, just people taking photos with you. Its never ending, u just have to ran away.
People dont mind, because their personal space and “privacy” has been compromised by their own governement for so long. There are cameras everywhere in China keeping an eye on people. Try recording government. police, or military installations and see what responce you receive, not so passive. Also your choice of beer was good, Asahi, Originally from Japan, I found that, as a side note, interesting.
Care to elaborate on what you mean by fake local beers? lol I feel like that could make for a good video! (Foods to avoid) I just found it interesting how much we share as a world, that 3 different 'cultures' crossed into you just casually having a beer! I enjoy Asahi a good bit, but they over charge for it here in the states!
I think it depends on the individual person rather than China, per se. I am an expat and frequent both Mainland China and Japan on account of my job. The majority of the people I have dealt with in China are intelligent. As far lack of respect or unmannered, I believe it depends on other factors. For example, the people that I interact with [in China], the majority have studied abroad and returned to their homeland. Consequently, they ‘understand’ some Western culture and even picked up Western habits etc. Most of the people that you hear about, that act inappropriately by “Western standards” haven’t traveled abroad or, if they have traveled, most likely in a tour group where they simply follow the tour flag and do as they’re told by their guide. Do I find it sometimes frustrating when I encounter someone that invades my “private space” or clears his throat and spits on the footpath, or blows his nose without the use of a handkerchief? You bet. We don’t live in a utopian society. What I remind myself is that I am visitor, NOT a guest. I came to Asia on my own accord; I was not invited here. As such, unless I see something that is illegal or immoral, I simply look the other way. I’ve had encounters with the Police and to date, I have never had any problems. As a “Gweilo” or “Gaijin”, one needs to remind oneself that you are on “their turf”, not your “home turf”. So either you learn to go with the flow of things, put up with the bureaucracy, and remain respectful to anyone at all times, or pack your belongings and leave. Expat living is not for everyone but the experience is worth it, in my humble opinion. As the saying goes, “You can’t fight City Hall” - this rings true when One is an expat.
Dude, you should be a Chinese correspondent or something because I have never seen this side of China before. Your insight into life in China, the good and the bad, is unbiased and clear. You've got a sub for life!
+serpentza Being a Chinese I am actually quite happy if you could be the correspondent, you, cmilk or your friends, any of you. Cuz, at least for me, I find your view towards China, good and bad, tend to be quite objective and unbiased. Even stories with your personal experience and feelings I can feel that you are really trying to think in another perspective. Unlike many media which framed China in a very weird and mostly negative way. Thank you
+Wiremu Winitana But he's not talking about China's evil communist plan to drive high speed rail under the pacific for troop transport into America, or how China's amazing government planning can do not wrong (tm).
We are so much on the same page about this. I'm both an engineer and an artist. I love to watch people. I look at women, children, men and families without any perverse notions. To me, it's interesting to watch people. And that's all there is to it. I'm not going to go home and conduct some form of self-gratification over my pictures and videos. Quite simply, I enjoy watching other people enjoying their lives. It's something like a People Garden which I can visit and enjoy.
Thanks for the great content. I've watched quite a few of your vids now and I subscribed :) I really like the 80's synth music you use in your intro and outro.
Great video, Winston :) It's always interesting to see how many similarities there are between China and Vietnam. Privacy is basically also not existing here. And we've got dancing middle-aged women and bush-pissing kids too :D
I have a 38" ultra wide curve screen and I love the wide screen shot. When I expand it takes up the entire screen! You are one of the few quality youtubers who's considerate enough to actually make an effort for your fans. Thanks!
pretty much the second you get off a plane in mainland you are being watched till the second you leave period watch what you do say or look up on your computer ...... one time I was at a very big club in china mainland and looked up and had to army guys with ak 47s guarding my table when I asked my Chinese buddy why they were there and he replied for you man they think you are famous so they sent army to guard you .....THIS IS NO JOKE THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO ME basically just go with the flow don't be offensive or rude and you will be fine
Hey Winston, another nice video as always! As a Chinese myself I would like to share my take in this issue. I think it comes from a lack of legal awareness. In the west, people (well most of them) are generally more aware of the laws and rules. They understand that a person's personal information should not be publicized without their consent, whereas in China, because of the generally lack of knowledge and respect for the law, most people just don't understand this concept (or simply don't care). Also, in your case, even if you have sued that education facility for putting your picture up, I'm pretty sure nothing will happen, and you will just end up feeling pissed and unjust. However, for those people who are staring at your camera, they are just curious :)
I think if you goto court about your portrait rights, you can still win at the end. but just imagine how much time you have to spend on this. So in most case, we just let it go. We still have the law, it's just the enforcement and the cost the protect your legal right.
And that is the most frustrating thing about it. Even if there is a law, if it is difficult to get justice, people will treat each other like "I can get away with it, so why shouldn't I mistreat you?"
@Hanshen Wang Of course, those people staring at the camera are just curious. But what he didn't tell is that those people would be called racists in Western countries as he is a foreigner and in these countries you must not embarrass any foreigner to come in number. Hopefully, for the moment, in China, you're preserved from this.
@Jamaal Fridge There is a law in China. In reality, it's his own fault if they put his photo on a billboard and I don't blame him by saying just this as it could happen to anyone. This is by the way why his video is interesting. One has to make a contract in China expecting that some people would use the material one entrusts to them. If they won't use, they won't be disturbed to add this clause on the contract, even though it's a free try for a school.
My first trip to China in 1987 I stopped in front of a well known statue in Beijing and a friend took my photo. When I got back home and developed the photo, there was someone else who had just walked up and stood near me so he’d be in the photo too. I never knew he was there.
It is an exciting place but sadly anyone I know who has been here 3 years or more is just worn out and down by it. I am having trouble finding anyone who is not looking to leave in the next year or so . Its a different place from 5 years ago.
3:23, "I'm not a dodgy old geezer, im not some kind of a creep who wants to film children for my own perverse pleasure." thats right, he films it for our perverse pleasure ^.^!!!
it's really nice 'cause you provide everyone with this information about Chinese culture, it's nice to see it from foreigners eyes and your topics are really cool as well
We here in Canada cannot drink alcohol in public , it's a criminal offense. Filming kids without the parents permission would be a no no . We are too too reserved. Funny screwdriver story . Very interesting video . Your a very intelligent person .
All he said was that he wouldn't want to live in China because of what was stated as normal in the video. Probably about the lack of personal space. He did not base his opinion of the whole country on a single video. He simply trusted Serpentza's word and decided that privacy was a dealbreaker. Fuck off, man.
Winston, your dead on about this subject'..now,...everyone in this vid looks so comfortable walking around in shorts and polo shirts, and there you are' wearing that damn dark suit and tie..looking very uncomfortable! some day soon, your gonna make a vid' we're gonna see you in a pair of shorts and t-shirt..looking happy in the heat, cause summer is here and you know how hot and humid, it gets in Shen Zhen....stay...get comfortable my brother!
+bobby boys Maybe he should try suits that are quarter lined in lighter fabrics such as hopsack or fresco if he wants to wear suits in the Shenzhen heat.
100% right man ! There is no privacy unless if you bring your activity indoor to your own home or hotel. I do find, more if the hawk eye stare comes from local man. Alot of the don't like to see their own people but I mean girls, mixing up with the laowai. They think we are Se Lang or they will say it. But rather they should think about themselves and the flirting around and finding other girls thing which most local men will do for fun in China. Which isn't a common thing where I come from. For sure, keeping it cool and safe. For foriegners who want privacy outdoors, when hungry find a non Busy restaurant, park or place you be able to sit down and relax to. Don't walk into places if you feel things may get to you.
Well if you could have a quiet beer and not be accosted by people who think you are up to something more people would go out. Other problem is with individual rights comes a lot more demanding individuals. So someone wants to play their music loud, or act obscenely, not control their dogs etc.
Yep. I was camping at a racetrack with my 6 year old girl and my wife. The wife was busy taking a shower in the shower house/bathroom. Beside it is a playground. So my daughter is busy playing in it and I stand nearby to supervise/wait for my turn. I couldn't really see the track from there, but I spent my time looking at the giant billboard blocking my view instead (MOOG needs a more interesting logo, BTW), because if I'm watching my daughter enjoy her time there someone's going to figure I'm a perv. :( Welcome to 2016.
We need more classes teaching chinese. I would love to know what my enemies are saying about us. I learned Spanish and you wouldnt believe what they say about americans when they are around. I set them straight everytime and the look of shock is priceless.
China has all those problems you mentioned indeed, but people don't seem to care and lead their lives pleasantly, or I should say, ignorantly. Hopefully you still enjoy your life there.
It's happening in the US now too....there were buses of Chinese people visiting my college during graduation weekend. I was doing my own graduation photos and they lined up and took turns taking pictures with my friends and I like a tourist attraction. My photo is probably on an education ad somewhere in China....
Dude, that story about how you ended up in a catalog because they snuck a photo of you while testing the screwdriver is seriously underrated comedy gold.
Absolutely hilarious isnt it
I love how Winston's remarks get instantly proven to be absolutely correct by the people around him
He always speaks the truth
I've been in China for about 4 years and honestly the lack of privacy has been a major issue for me. For the most part I've had to accept it even if it does upset me still sometimes. However recently I had some health problems and had to deal with the Chinese health system for the first time in any major capacity and privacy was a huge problem. The private hospital here is ridiculously expensive so I dealt with the normal local hospital and I mean already you have to sacrifice some privacy by bringing someone along to help you navigate the overly complicated system and translate for you. But the worst thing that shocked me so much was that other patients would be in the same room as you while talking to the doctor and would listen to your diagnosis and listen as you describe your symptoms etc. And as you're a foreigner they're paying extra attention to you which is even more intrusive. I felt incredibly uncomfortable with that as it would absolutely not happen back home but everyone I talked to about it just said that's how things work here and privacy doesn't exist for hospitals here.
I'm not entirely sure why that was the last straw for me honestly, but it just really bothered me and I've finally decided to leave. I'm going to finish off my current visa and at the end of the year go home. Enough is enough and honestly it turns out privacy is something I actually value a lot. And China can't offer that to me so it's time to leave.
Yes, privacy in hospitals isn’t a thing, patients barge into the consulting rooms and stand in the doorway etc looking in and bothering the doctor whilst he is busy with a patient (I used to train doctors and know very well how the system works), good decision, living in China often reminds people of the things they took for granted back home and yes, privacy is one of them
How are things now? Are you still living in mainland China?
@@josedorsaith5261 I left China in November, so I'm doing good these days. I do miss it sometimes but it was becoming less foreigner friendly unfortunately.
@@Vixin24 in what way are they less foreigner friendly?
@@gezzapk @gerrapk Some of it would be small like you would have people deliberately moving away if you sat near them on a bus/train or the sort of questions you'd get changed: in the beginning I'd have loads of people ask me usual things like where I'm from, how long I'd been in china, did I like it, etc. But then you started getting questions that were basically asking your covid history: how long have you been there, did you go anywhere recently, when was the last time you left the country, stuff like that. It felt more like an interrogation.
Then there were other things that just made it more difficult and annoying to live there. When my friends and I tried to find an Airbnb for our holiday we couldn't find any that would accept foreigners so we had to stay in a hotel (where we had to fill out an incredibly invasive questionnaire at check in). When I was dealing with the medical stuff I mentioned in my original comment I was told to see a doctor in a specialist blood hospital except I couldn't make an appointment. The system was designed to work only with Chinese ID cards and there was literally no way to register myself using my passport. So I was only able to see the doctor in the ER. I was told I'd need a three month prescription of medicine but the ER only allowed a week's worth of prescription to be given out and since I couldn't see the regular doctor I had to just find the medicine I needed online. It was a nightmare.
Not to mention on nights out some of my friends would be yelled at by Chinese guys to go home. I'll be honest, as a girl, I didn't really experience this but my male friends were harassed a lot. And sometimes places would just tell you that foreigners weren't allowed in.
There were just a lot of things like this that made it increasingly more difficult for foreigners to live there, and that's not even mentioning how impossible it became to renew visas.
Wow that was a trip and the 'invasion' of personal space is something I don't think I could handle. I mean I consider it to be very rude to come in real close to some stranger and just look and stare. I'd be like get the hell out of my face. As far as using your picture for their own benefit without any regards to how it might affect you is another cultural opposite. You have tough skin brother, not sure I could hang there beyond a short visit.
I think the kid pissing in the bush said it all about the concept of privacy
True!
Would love to see some footage when people realize that you can speak and understand Chinese.
This video would go viral.
What makes it even better is they'll continue talking about you even after they realize you understand
i've actually heard that in most cases that literally happens. in many countries but i think more often in asian countries the fact that you can speak their language shocks them and they go on as if they didnt hear you. you could stand there arguing with them in their language about the fact that you know every word they said and they would still carry on as if its not true. its hilarious but also quite insulting on a personal level.
That Foreign Guy Why is that?
I am sorry you feel that way. I believe there are good people in every country and place. When I am in US, I was also being yelled at by white kids and sometime white adults to go back to Tokyo or China or wherever they thought I came from, but I never believe that all Americans are as unfriendly as these people. I never gave up, and I made many good friends from many places that have different background from me. I hope you well, and I hope you will find good friend in China as well as other countries different from your own.
This channel is great. I feel like I'm touring china.
except if you live in China it makes you feel so defeated because its a shithole
Shit tons of white losers here
outbackred107 fuck off gay
Ezra Poore p
Yep probably beats visiting lol
1:28 "He's pissing in the bush. Very nice of him" . Hahaha,lmao.
Togi Mathews not one parent/adult said anything too. Lol.
I can't XD
this is why I watch
Togi Mathews welcome to Asia.
Very common. When I was in S. Korea a lot of the kids wore long shirts. They would just stop, squat and do their thing and then move on, leaving whatever they did right there on the side walk. Just watch where you are stepping. :D
I was there in 97, just before the handover of Hong Kong, travelling down from Xian to Nanning by train (48hrs in 2nd class during the middle of summer!! ). Sleeping on the top bunk I was woken by roars of laughter. There was a group of about eight people going through my rucksack and reading all my documents, ID's, passport etc. They were passing them around to other passengers. They had no shame. I wasn't angry but wtf!
No not official, they were just fellow passengers like myself, ordinary men and women, harmless but curious. Earlier that week I had purchased a fake student ID in Beijing thinking it would get me discounts on accommodation etc. Although I never used it, I carried it around in my rucksack.
When the guy in Beijing handed me the fake ID he told me that I was now a student of martial arts should anyone ask, but judging by the roars of laughter on the train I was starting to doubt it.
Nah, that's the culture. Its charming really. They are very inquisitive but totally trust worthy. Shocking when it first happens though. Haha. Back home I'm a nobody but in China or at least back then you're treated like a celebrity. They're good people and highly educated. It would be a boring world if everyone was the same everywhere.
that's funny LOL
wtf
Nearly died laughing! 😂😂😂
When I started teaching English in China in 1984 I was told that any of my personal postal mail would most likely be read. One notable example was when many of my students congratulated me because they had heard my "girlfriend" was coming to visit. I thought this was strange because I didn't have a girlfriend. Later when I picked up my mail there was a letter from a college friend, Susan, who had been teaching in the Philippines. She said that she planned to visit China and would like to come visit me if possible.
E-Mail in 1984? Damn
@@ragnarbluechip8795 think it’s a typo. Later he talks about picking up mail, so…
Sounds like that student wasn't just a student.
@@Cybersawz My guess is someone was assigned to read through all mail that I received. Then that person was a gossip and the news spread throughout the campus.
Winston you're someone with a good head on your shoulders and will be successful in any endeavor! Best of luck and thanks for the entertaining and insightful videos, unlike the typical boring videos about visiting tourists traps.
I miss Hong Kong. I remember one morning riding on the tram it was kind of chilly that morning. This Chinese lady jumped on my case for not wearing a jacket. She was worried I would get sick. That was pretty cool that a stranger would care about you like that.
Yeah, Guandong people fear cold things as they were like radioactive materials.
Sounds like she was flirting with you.
Yeah me too, the public transport was amazing and is needed here in my country... plus the great food
I would prefer she minded her own business myself.
Yet they would eat your dog
Great insights about privacy. Another funny thing about privacy: this video will likely be downloaded, have Chinese subtitles added to it, and it'll be uploaded to Chinese social media sites without your permission. Happens to me every time I make a vid.
at least you're not one of the people who've had content stolen by chinese media, (who happen to have a youtube account), and then report you for copyright infringement on your own video.
+simon A Actually one of my recent videos (20 dollar traveling in Shanghai) was recently claimed by a Chinese media giant called KanKan news. I'm disputing it right now and it's a bitch
wen wen What are you talking about?
They'll be modified and uploaded back to CZcams as well :)
However, just like everything else in China, the situation is getting better now :)
I just moved into a new apartment. As my boxes were being delivered a Chinese family of six just wandered in to take a look around to see how the foreigner lived. They didn't ask or introduce themselves, just came on in unannounced! Having been in China for a while I accepted that they were just curious and not intending to be rude.
ShanghaiGoat if your door is open, it is default to invite people in CHINA.
Wow!
Perhaps they thought you were another gawker!
+Yes Sure
I'm sure they'd be polite enough to let him finish. No harm done!
CabinDoor
Why not introduce them to the game of "Dick or balls" instead? :P
Absolutely no privacy. I went to a photo lab to get some photos printed. First while I was selecting the photos a little group of people started to look at what I was doing and look at my pictures on the screen. After that while I was waiting to get my photos the man from the lab was showing my photos to the other employees there and commenting them and laughing. I didn’t understand what they were saying but it was so rude. I couldn’t believe they were doing that in front of me and they were ok with that. I imagine they felt curious because I was a foreigner and they wanted to see what I had taken pictures of but still. You don’t do that in front of a customer.
Bogos binted? 👽
I have to agree with you 100%, there is no privacy or personal space in China, everyone is so "curious". They take busybody to the extreme.
Having a bunch of people staring me down out of no where would definitely trip me out
u can be hasslled by debt collector easily since its easy to forge docs with access like the visa guy(they prob make it for BM too).u end up paying bills thats not urs just had ur data on it
Fuzzy Green hausa
Now I want to see your photo in the catalogue!
+piRaufasertapete me tooo
I want to see it too haha and I'd like to see the big poster from the school also, he should show them LOL
"I'm not some old creep…"
That's exactly what an old creep would say!
Commentating about someone being an old creep is exactly what an old creep would do.
@@lnk3503 ?? haha, are you serious? dumb comment.
But it's also exactly what a non-old creep would say too, so your point being?
how would you know?
@@Useaname "Commentating" about someone else commentating about someone being an old creep is what an old creep would do.
In Japan, police comes door to door and take an inventory and profile of each individual in the household in areas where there are many Gaijin (foreigners). Police rely heavily on the privacy argument to withhold information, but pretty much have carte blanche to violate citizen's privacy.
30 years ago China was an agricultural society in which people just visited each home without pre-noticing and shared other people's secrets without hesitation. in agricultural society people tie together by living in a village for hundred years. privacy is more likely a concept emerging in an industrial society in which people stay away from each other. China is transforming from rural agricultural to urban industrial in one generation that never happened in human history, and many people haven't changed yet. but you can see the fast physical and psychological changes, and the new generation who get high education and travel the world is totally different. Now you are just observing some old habits, and you may observe the transformation and changes. You are lucky to see the new world leader is growing up.
@Peder Hansen
Are you sure that they're acting illegally ? You're mistakening yourself... things are not what they seem.
@Pat Wu
You're right. And the same in the western countries when they were agricultural countries. Now, people in the West are dying from solitude and would love to get some glimpses from their neighbours like in China.
Pat Wu Woow, straight on everybody’s face, new world leader, what the **** are you talking about? Since when? I as a Chinese would never say that. Neither does Americans. You don’t know what you are talking about, who told you China is aiming world leader as a goal? You are just making everyone hates China.
10:05 That woman's shirt had some fun misspellings. It said 'KEPE LACM AND CRAZY'.
I wish Chinese people (mainly Chinese tourists) would value others privacy when in other countries. I don't mean no hate, this just my experience. I was at the top of the Rockefeller Centre with some friends. We were taking photos and selfies and this middle aged Chinese lady randomly popped up and started taking our photos with her DSLR. She took a few shots of us and the quickly scurried off to the next group. I wasn't really bothered by it nor were any of my friends. We just thought it was random and funny! It just goes to show how Chinese people don't mind not having any privacy. I'd love to go see China but I would never live there, and the lack of privacy is one of the reasons why... Keep up the awesome work Winston!
Mostly lack of privacy is not only in china, but in south east Asia, people in here don't understand what is privacy because privacy itself was not on their own culture.
I sat next to a Chinese couple in Spain on a 2 hr train ride andddd it was awful, the man smelled like a mix of BO, booze and bad breath and they literally sat on top of me half the ride (so the idea of no personal space makes sense)
ElectricRemi they have no idea about personal space. They’re used to do everything on the street, everything shared, they have no concept of invasion of privacy. In China you’d go to the supermarket and the locals not only would stare at you but they would stop you to see what you had in the trolley.
Well, I wanted to visit China one day, but I hate crowds, I value my privacy, I love quiet places, and the dude staring right in front of you in my country is casus belli for a fight. It's stressful for me even on video, it's probably hard to get used to.
I don't think it's just that you are a foreigner, you are also wearing a suit. Making you stand out even more.
...
he's only in an ordinary outfit, it is not sth with any diamond on it nor drama costume...
that wouldn't make any effort at standing out from others...
Wearing a suit in Asia is essential , if you want to treated with respect.
I`ve lived in Asia for almost ten years ( 3 in China 96-2000.)
come on man, that's such bullshit. Asia it's important you look good, you can do that with other clothing as well. The suit is not mandatory at all.
No matter what will he wear, he will be a point of attention
For those who think wearing a suit or not makes no difference. Look around. How many Asians you see there are wearing one? See for yourself in many of his videos.
Probably of the coolest video you ever published: The intro music, the quality of the information given, the anecdotes, the live examples (lol). Stay awesome :p
the first time I moved to Fuzhou, it freaked me out that people would study my shopping basket in the supermarket quite closely to see what the lao wai had bought. after a while it just became normal.
"I'm a dodgy looking old guy just standing here drinking a beer...filming children, and that's what I'm doing here. L😂L Ohhhhh thank you, I haven't laughed like that since I was a little schoolgirl. Solid Gold, Cheers mate.
I got an unauthorized use of my photo happened to me twice when i was living in thailand.
once in a billboard for a bar - being a rude tall israeli i just went to the bar manager ordered drink and when he asked me to pay - i said - "me VIP i dont pay" pointed at the poster and that`s it. same thing happened with a shop i went to - and i did just the same.
wow, sounds like you've lived quite a life
Nothing like confirming stereotypes...
Strange thing you are still alive.
Stereotype confirmed
you make NO sense. look it up.
I love your videos, they make you feel closer to strangers who have never met. And makes people feel less alone.
I definitely could not handle such issues of privacy.
I find your taking a sip of your beer periodically very, very funny. One cannot drink beer like that in a public place in the USA. Excellent work. I love your videos.
I fully agree with you about this. Very honest, accurate and balanced description of how things are in China.
Good insights Winston. I am a Chinese that immigrated to Canada 14 years ago with my parents. I am now a Canadian citizen. I find it very interesting how different cultures have different concepts of privacy and personal space. Even though I moved to Canada at a young age, my views on privacy and social interactions still retain some Chinese characteristics. I did a bit of research into concept of personal space, and apparently people learn these when they are 3 or 4. When I entered the Canadian workforce there were many nuisances about personal space I had never realized, because growing up in China, there was no such concept. In North America there is this very strict unspoken rule about personal space. Everyone in the office gets their own desk, their own chair, their own stuff, and it's off limits to other workers. It's silly really, because it belongs to the company in the end. People are on edge all the time worrying about other people snooping. In China, your business is everybody's business. The workplace I remember when I was young in China had no cubicles, people just had tables scattered around one big room. People knew what other people were doing and it was more social ecosystem. People are a lot less offended by intrusion on personal space.
My personal view is the Chinese way is perhaps more productive in the workplace. It induces communication and teamwork, but there is a lot of pressure to conform. The North American way values and respects the individuals, but it also creates barriers for teamwork and communication. North American system can foster those with real talents, and those people can really flourish if given their own room to grow. In the end, both have pros and cons, and successful businesses have used the good points from both styles.
+UnbreakableM1nd Handshake, same background as you, handshake
@UnbreakableM1nd
China is like France 30 years ago. Soon, it will be more and more like America, in the same way that France has taken gradually their privacy concepts.
Excellent point. Where I work some people keep borrowing things from people that are out sick, etc.
If you think it's better than Canada then go back to China and I bet if you have a few beers with Winston and he is honest he will agree with me that the Chinese way sucks. Ask him about his now defunct Motorcycle shop and how a shop down the road basically stole (Chinese would say copied) his designs and put him out of business because they don't charge by the hour they only make money from parts they sell you ( His words from an other video) So again if you think it's a better system or way of doing business, then go the fuck back to China and leave my country, but before you do, give me your address so I can go and take whatever I want from your house, cause that's the Chinese way. Take what you want from whomever you want without asking or even offering to compensate you for your loss
UnbreakableM1nd funny how a non Chinese can't become a citizen but white nations allow Chinese to be citizens.
This place is just so beautiful with all these lights... except the child in the bush 😵 URGH. I like how you show us a bit of China in every videos!
I really like your demeanour, topics, and experience living in China. I value the information you provide as good insight into China. Thank you for all the videos and information.
Great one Winston! I specially like it how in many of your videos, the people around you unknowingly proves what you're talking about. lol. Like in this one the old dude (and more) creeping behind your back when you're filming (Gosh!), and in the other video about Chinese women, the women around you coming and chatting you up! lol. The realism is the spice of your videos - it's what makes it amazing. And of course, you are amazing too! Thanks man!
+Glev Mendez appreciate it mate
if you watch some vids about foreigners living in beijing in 80s, one of the proffessor that lived in is afraid of going out because there's hundred people who followed him, curious about the foreigners who knows how to speak chinese. those are the older generations people who never see n the world outside china before
That's so true! That's what my mom told me when she was a kid. LOL
Great comment. English could use improvement tbh
He is exploiting it! I think his videos just strengthen the biases. Think it that way. If I’m living in south Africa and talk shit about its people and ONLY in Chinese so that you don’t understand whether I’m talking or straight up mocking people and being disrespectful. He is a fraud. Not unbiased at all. We have problems in our country yes. But Chinese people are not to be fvckin disrespected!
You are drinking Asahi Japanese beer. Cool!
HahThatsWhatSheSaid :))
sure
3:39 that creepy laugh really doesn't help your case
i think my favourite thing about this channel is all the funny stares he gets from strangers. its like they've never seen a guy a filming himself before! and something i find really cool about Winston is how he just carries on talking and filming, or sometimes even talks to them so naturally. as a shy person i would put the camera down and stop recording straight away.
Pissing in the bushes! LOL! So China!
That is absolutely not a common behavior you can observe in streets in China.. But I will admit the overall education of people is something China needs to work hard to catch up with many developed western countries.
lol bullshit.
I've been to China twice now and have seen many more children pissing and shitting in public than i wanted to.
Well - we can all agree - it's much more common in China than in the West, where you basically never see it. Though there was that one time in NYC, when a lady dropped her draws and peed on the train platform in front of me.
Well, I am a Chinese citizen and have lived in China for 20+ years. I said it is not common and you guys do not believe in me and call my comment bullshit..
Then i guess i've just been lucky or you live in a nice area.. because in the short space of time i was there i saw enough for it to be common.
And regarding your comment that you removed.. just because i'm not the kind of person that makes travel videos doesn't mean im not traveled.
I get reminders that there is no privacy all the time. The biggest example being in the bathroom. I cannot tell you how many times I go into a public restroom and someone will try (and not even covertly) to take a peek and my genitals while I'm peeing. I guess they're curious if we're all "built the same" or something. It definitely pays not to have stage fright! Haha!!
internatioNATE wtf
What? Really? No way!
Dude that goes against bro code
@@jeygee3736 Male degeneracy trumps "bro code" every time. Do you even man?
I got a kick out of the lady's shirt: "KEPE LACM and CRARY"
Where was that (timestamp)?
Would've been funny if it had been "Dyslexia? KEPE CLAM AND CRARY ON". 😁
@@lightyagami1752 10:06
Privacy is not a concept widely known or practised in most Asian countries that I have visited or lived in. Generally speaking everyone seems to know your business, it's hard to keep secrets about your private life. People are crammed into single bedrooms, husband and wife share their sleeping quarters with their kids, sex is performed quietly in shared rooms and on a pleasant note food is often shared liberally with visitors. The comment put to me, even among family once, "sorry, we don't have enough to go around" and then eating in front of you. Yes, for those that have never lived in a Western country, believe it or not, this kind of attitude is not uncommon. This is a huge contrast to customs in Asia, where the poor, strangers often, have invited me to share the little they got, insisting that I take part in their meal. Instead of saying "we didn't cook enough, sorry", people would scramble to add a few slices of bread or some quick eggs to stretch the meal, so that I could be included. Honestly, I felt deeply ashamed the one time it happened with a family member, even asking me to sit elsewhere. At least this was a one-off, but not sharing food when visiting is not exactly rare. It has certainly happened to me more than once in the West. Privacy,
while we associate living in the country as a quiet life style, staying in the rural communities in Asia can be extremely noisy. Screaming Kids, shouting adults, blarring radios, screeching machinery, bikes, horns of buses, just about everything seems designed to create noise in a setting of shared living surrounded by nature. There is even less privacy in the country, the anonymity of the city offers more discretion. Quarters in the bush tend to be relatively small, they are centred around a small area in a village, nobody seems bothered about the lack of privacy. Not only in Asia but I found similar conditions in Latin America and parts of Europe. The concept of privacy, a luxury in Asia, seems to be more of a Western concept. People tend to live with their families or in their communities unlike Westerners that often live by themselves in city apartments. I wonder how much the term selfishness is inherent to a Western life style of guarding one's privacy, generally not sharing much at all except for a lack of communication, not knowing the neighbours and not wanting to know them, interaction with others is often regarded as intrusion of privacy. This is why so many people in the West are lonely, people have died and weeks pass before anyone notices. It's like a verse from the Pink Floyd song "Money". "I am alright Jack, keep your hands of my stack". Many of these negative, modern by-products of Western type of privacy, such as greed, mistrust and suspicion seem to go hand in hand with our unhappy neurotic existence, alone, frustrated, disappointed. We feel alienated from nature, everyone is looking for a way out of their dilemma, we want to belong, but we have made bad experiences, so we seek privacy but we cannot find the happy compromise. It's all upside down, we cannot find our way home, so to speak. My two bob's worth. Cheers you all.
A little story about privacy in China .. My twin brother and I both live in Shanghai. If we both go out together anywhere it is like the paparazzi comes out .. people want to have their pictures taken with us. One time we went to my brother's wife's home village of 400,000 people. When we went for a walk we were followed by (no kidding) 200 girls or more. We went into an eyeglass store to buy some sunglasses. It was totally empty when we first went in, but by the time we were ready to leave. We could hardly move to get out of the store it was so packed full of girls.
i don't believe you! not like you are tom cruise or wentworth miller
Sorry bro but I find that hard to believe...
That is not a problem I would have...I am one ugly looking mofo...
#thathappened
Lol that sounds like your sex fantasy, old man
That ending is hilarious. I like that you are used to it now.
Interesting video on privacy in China. I spent 3 months lecturing at the invitation of the Beijing Film Academy in 1992 and had converted over 100 animated films & videos to their PAL format that I used to illustrate my lectures. I made it clear in accepting their invitation, that in bringing and screening them, that they were the property of my college and could not be duplicated. They asked to prescreen the titles, which I felt was a reasonable request. But I found out from my interpreter later in my visit that they had copied each and every one and placed the copies in their school’s library! I was later told by my Chinese colleagues that this was common- that pretty much all personal possessions are game to be seized or duplicated for whatever reason the authorities decide.
"... international tested, world renowned ... " LoL
Winston, you need a wide angle lens
I like this old style throwback
Good job!
In 1986 I was taken to a public toilet. It was a chorale in a grim room. It had a three foot fence and a gate with concrete floor covered in poo and wee. I was expected to find a space in front of a queue of curious onlookers. To this day I can’t remember if I left or went in to find a space. That experience crossed all my boundaries of privacy.
Lmao, savage dude when you frame them in the video for snooping. Always cracks me up.
I imagine there must be alot of identity theft over there if people just show your personal information to just anyone they could use it to apply for credit cards or loans as if they were you.
+WiseSilverWolf Who needs credit cards in medevil europe.
+WiseSilverWolf It's so fucking true, what you said is 200% correct. Don't ask why, I'm from china
Especially with all of them looking the same.
lol, foreigners don't have any rights in China, so there's nothing a scammer could do with your identity. You have a Chinese wife for 10 years, and you've lived here 15 years? lmao tough luck white boy, you can't even get a credit card, much less a Chinese Id
Yeah, personal experience, as a blonde guy, while im in metro, many people sneakily trying to take photo of me, i dont mind that, i just take photo of them, very obviously, and their expressions are hilarious. Often old creepy guys keep staring at me, like im from another universe, usualy digging in nose, and with open mouth. Or people coming at me, and touching my skin, my hair, if its real.... As i said, i dont mind, but after long day, it gets really annoying. And if u let one, many more will come too, so u might end stucked for 30 minutes, just people taking photos with you. Its never ending, u just have to ran away.
People dont mind, because their personal space and “privacy” has been compromised by their own governement for so long. There are cameras everywhere in China keeping an eye on people. Try recording government. police, or military installations and see what responce you receive, not so passive. Also your choice of beer was good, Asahi, Originally from Japan, I found that, as a side note, interesting.
"theres a dodgy ol geezer with a beer filming my kids, and no one bats an eye, and that is a good thing" - LMAO
I just love that he's drinking a Japanese beer, with what looks like predominately English labeling, in china.
+Devy you are correct ;) too many fake local beers have put me off drinking the local stuff
Care to elaborate on what you mean by fake local beers? lol I feel like that could make for a good video! (Foods to avoid) I just found it interesting how much we share as a world, that 3 different 'cultures' crossed into you just casually having a beer! I enjoy Asahi a good bit, but they over charge for it here in the states!
+Devy I get Asahi in a Japanese restaurant for 15 Yuan in China.
I love your videos!
- Fan from Canada
When I think Japanese, I think intelligent and well mannered. When I think Chinese I think unmannered, unintelligent and lack of any respect.
I think it depends on the individual person rather than China, per se. I am an expat and frequent both Mainland China and Japan on account of my job. The majority of the people I have dealt with in China are intelligent. As far lack of respect or unmannered, I believe it depends on other factors. For example, the people that I interact with [in China], the majority have studied abroad and returned to their homeland. Consequently, they ‘understand’ some Western culture and even picked up Western habits etc. Most of the people that you hear about, that act inappropriately by “Western standards” haven’t traveled abroad or, if they have traveled, most likely in a tour group where they simply follow the tour flag and do as they’re told by their guide.
Do I find it sometimes frustrating when I encounter someone that invades my “private space” or clears his throat and spits on the footpath, or blows his nose without the use of a handkerchief? You bet. We don’t live in a utopian society. What I remind myself is that I am visitor, NOT a guest. I came to Asia on my own accord; I was not invited here. As such, unless I see something that is illegal or immoral, I simply look the other way. I’ve had encounters with the Police and to date, I have never had any problems. As a “Gweilo” or “Gaijin”, one needs to remind oneself that you are on “their turf”, not your “home turf”. So either you learn to go with the flow of things, put up with the bureaucracy, and remain respectful to anyone at all times, or pack your belongings and leave. Expat living is not for everyone but the experience is worth it, in my humble opinion. As the saying goes, “You can’t fight City Hall” - this rings true when One is an expat.
I love the videos. I can really sense how it is to live in that land. Very good stuff mate. Cheers from Florida USA
Dude, you should be a Chinese correspondent or something because I have never seen this side of China before. Your insight into life in China, the good and the bad, is unbiased and clear. You've got a sub for life!
+Wiremu Winitana thank you mate! Seriously appreciate that
+serpentza No worries, mate! Keep it up :)
+serpentza Being a Chinese I am actually quite happy if you could be the correspondent, you, cmilk or your friends, any of you. Cuz, at least for me, I find your view towards China, good and bad, tend to be quite objective and unbiased. Even stories with your personal experience and feelings I can feel that you are really trying to think in another perspective. Unlike many media which framed China in a very weird and mostly negative way. Thank you
+Wiremu Winitana But he's not talking about China's evil communist plan to drive high speed rail under the pacific for troop transport into America, or how China's amazing government planning can do not wrong (tm).
bbqroast For the first, LOL. For the second, true, but that's the perspective that most western media are focusing on already.
Love the 80s style music
We are so much on the same page about this. I'm both an engineer and an artist. I love to watch people. I look at women, children, men and families without any perverse notions. To me, it's interesting to watch people. And that's all there is to it. I'm not going to go home and conduct some form of self-gratification over my pictures and videos. Quite simply, I enjoy watching other people enjoying their lives. It's something like a People Garden which I can visit and enjoy.
Just subscribed to you recently and I think your videos are fantastic . Thank you
Thanks for the great content. I've watched quite a few of your vids now and I subscribed :) I really like the 80's synth music you use in your intro and outro.
+Hatch it's a pleasure mate, welcome to the channel!
Thanks!
It's good ole classic 80's, anyone who's watched movies from back then loves that shit I'm willing to bet.
sounds like something from Tron?
Great video, Winston :) It's always interesting to see how many similarities there are between China and Vietnam. Privacy is basically also not existing here. And we've got dancing middle-aged women and bush-pissing kids too :D
I have a 38" ultra wide curve screen and I love the wide screen shot. When I expand it takes up the entire screen! You are one of the few quality youtubers who's considerate enough to actually make an effort for your fans. Thanks!
"Dodgy old geezer standing here filming kids." LMAO!!!
pretty much the second you get off a plane in mainland you are being watched till the second you leave period watch what you do say or look up on your computer ...... one time I was at a very big club in china mainland and looked up and had to army guys with ak 47s guarding my table when I asked my Chinese buddy why they were there and he replied for you man they think you are famous so they sent army to guard you .....THIS IS NO JOKE THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO ME basically just go with the flow don't be offensive or rude and you will be fine
What if a war started over you
Chinese army don’t even use AK 47. Shut up and let’s be realistic.
Don’t bullshit a bullshitter. Liar.
Hey Winston, another nice video as always! As a Chinese myself I would like to share my take in this issue. I think it comes from a lack of legal awareness. In the west, people (well most of them) are generally more aware of the laws and rules. They understand that a person's personal information should not be publicized without their consent, whereas in China, because of the generally lack of knowledge and respect for the law, most people just don't understand this concept (or simply don't care). Also, in your case, even if you have sued that education facility for putting your picture up, I'm pretty sure nothing will happen, and you will just end up feeling pissed and unjust. However, for those people who are staring at your camera, they are just curious :)
I think if you goto court about your portrait rights, you can still win at the end. but just imagine how much time you have to spend on this. So in most case, we just let it go. We still have the law, it's just the enforcement and the cost the protect your legal right.
And that is the most frustrating thing about it. Even if there is a law, if it is difficult to get justice, people will treat each other like "I can get away with it, so why shouldn't I mistreat you?"
@Hanshen Wang
Of course, those people staring at the camera are just curious. But what he didn't tell is that those people would be called racists in Western countries as he is a foreigner and in these countries you must not embarrass any foreigner to come in number. Hopefully, for the moment, in China, you're preserved from this.
@Jamaal Fridge
There is a law in China. In reality, it's his own fault if they put his photo on a billboard and I don't blame him by saying just this as it could happen to anyone. This is by the way why his video is interesting. One has to make a contract in China expecting that some people would use the material one entrusts to them. If they won't use, they won't be disturbed to add this clause on the contract, even though it's a free try for a school.
Rude is what Chinese people are.
My first trip to China in 1987 I stopped in front of a well known statue in Beijing and a friend took my photo. When I got back home and developed the photo, there was someone else who had just walked up and stood near me so he’d be in the photo too. I never knew he was there.
It is an exciting place but sadly anyone I know who has been here 3 years or more is just worn out and down by it. I am having trouble finding anyone who is not looking to leave in the next year or so . Its a different place from 5 years ago.
3:23, "I'm not a dodgy old geezer, im not some kind of a creep who wants to film children for my own perverse pleasure." thats right, he films it for our perverse pleasure ^.^!!!
Winston you turncoat, you're on the Japanese beer! ;)
+Dom Edwards I've always preferred Japanese beer ;)
+serpentza I preferred Chinese beer too.
it's really nice 'cause you provide everyone with this information about Chinese culture, it's nice to see it from foreigners eyes and your topics are really cool as well
The ending of the video was hilarious. And I could never live with that... I really have a thing with my personal space.
That Chinese child needs to be arrested for indecent exposure and placed on a sexual offender's registry for life!
I have to much soul to live in China...
too*
We here in Canada cannot drink alcohol in public , it's a criminal offense. Filming kids without the parents permission would be a no no . We are too too reserved. Funny screwdriver story . Very interesting video . Your a very intelligent person .
Didn't they changed the drinking rules now?
I discovered this channel a month back. Can't get enough. Amazing channel
So, China is off the places I would live. Good video
that right; base your opinion of a whole country on a single video. You should definitely never leave your house.
All he said was that he wouldn't want to live in China because of what was stated as normal in the video. Probably about the lack of personal space. He did not base his opinion of the whole country on a single video. He simply trusted Serpentza's word and decided that privacy was a dealbreaker. Fuck off, man.
Wow
Winston, your dead on about this subject'..now,...everyone in this vid looks so comfortable walking around in shorts and polo shirts, and there you are' wearing that damn dark suit and tie..looking very uncomfortable!
some day soon, your gonna make a vid' we're gonna see you in a pair of shorts and t-shirt..looking happy in the heat, cause summer is here and you know how hot and humid, it gets in Shen Zhen....stay...get comfortable my brother!
+bobby boys Maybe he should try suits that are quarter lined in lighter fabrics such as hopsack or fresco if he wants to wear suits in the Shenzhen heat.
agreed!
I like the way he dresses. He shouldn't change a thing.
white people are our friends as a chinese, besides donald trump lol. If he wins man my life is more screwed.
Chinese is NOT a race OMG it's an umbrella of similar cultural identity between the ethnicities.
100% right man !
There is no privacy unless if you bring your activity indoor to your own home or hotel. I do find, more if the hawk eye stare comes from local man. Alot of the don't like to see their own people but I mean girls, mixing up with the laowai. They think we are Se Lang or they will say it. But rather they should think about themselves and the flirting around and finding other girls thing which most local men will do for fun in China. Which isn't a common thing where I come from.
For sure, keeping it cool and safe. For foriegners who want privacy outdoors, when hungry find a non Busy restaurant, park or place you be able to sit down and relax to. Don't walk into places if you feel things may get to you.
I really like the building closest to you. The lighting gives it a great design that compliments the architecture.
Say Awesome, Winston!
I believe many are envious of the family night life there...Cheers
+LeCrazyCanuckEh It does rock. :)
Yes indeed and if it was Sat. night in Chicago, random gun fire would pierce the night air eventually tapering off before sunrise.
Well if you could have a quiet beer and not be accosted by people who think you are up to something more people would go out.
Other problem is with individual rights comes a lot more demanding individuals. So someone wants to play their music loud, or act obscenely, not control their dogs etc.
hyper sensitivity about kids in the west, absolutly discusting.
***** child abuse / abduction by a stranger is such a rare thing. being struck by lightning 2x more likely.
***** I'm afraid your wrong usa has been CTD (circling the drain) for 3 decades now.
Yep. I was camping at a racetrack with my 6 year old girl and my wife. The wife was busy taking a shower in the shower house/bathroom. Beside it is a playground. So my daughter is busy playing in it and I stand nearby to supervise/wait for my turn. I couldn't really see the track from there, but I spent my time looking at the giant billboard blocking my view instead (MOOG needs a more interesting logo, BTW), because if I'm watching my daughter enjoy her time there someone's going to figure I'm a perv. :(
Welcome to 2016.
Says the dirty old pervert
HahThatsWhatSheSaid
Just doing what literally every other man in the area was doing. It's become the standard. It sucks.
"i don't like to be complained" nicest customer service I've ever seen hahahahAHha
We need more classes teaching chinese. I would love to know what my enemies are saying about us.
I learned Spanish and you wouldnt believe what they say about americans when they are around.
I set them straight everytime and the look of shock is priceless.
i'm not a dodgy old geezer either, but those LED skates are fucking awesome :D
Lol, right? Same
Nice, Drinking Japanese beer
you are a great teacher winston. I have really learned about modern china from you. thank you
Those old people in the park seemed unhappy that you were recording them
China has all those problems you mentioned indeed, but people don't seem to care and lead their lives pleasantly, or I should say, ignorantly. Hopefully you still enjoy your life there.
何旭光 thanks for taking the red pill, and stating the obvious. Oscar Wilde said this once "many people are other people, their lives are a mimicry."
mainly because of the goverment
I have privacy in my back yard.....I can piss off my patio if I want....and well I do just like that little boy
I’m from NY and anyone that’s from NYC knows that you have automatic beef with anyone who looks at you more than twice or stares at yu
The end of the video, with the strangers is FRIGHTENING, scary!
"Internationally tested" I fucking died..
the chick told her boyfriend "check out this weirdo", and the guy said "whats funny about that" walk away....
weirdo
It's happening in the US now too....there were buses of Chinese people visiting my college during graduation weekend. I was doing my own graduation photos and they lined up and took turns taking pictures with my friends and I like a tourist attraction. My photo is probably on an education ad somewhere in China....
You know you could call police to take those advertisements down