作为一个外国人，你第一次来到中国时最让你感到惊讶的是什么?

原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.com 翻译：mirmax 转载请注明出处

译注：这个提问后面还有很多回答，都是2015年以前的，已经过去很久了，所以就不翻了。

Haz Umar, studied at Curtin University
upxed Jan 17
I just visited Beijing and Xi’an recently. I did know a bit about China before going there so I’m not surprised by its development. Beautiful high rise buildings, clean, good roads and numerous constructions everywhere in Beijing but a few things did surprised me.

我刚去北京和西安。在去中国之前，我确实对中国有所了解，所以我对中国的发展并不感到惊讶。北京到处都有漂亮的高层建筑，整洁，良好的道路和无数的建筑，但有几件事使我感到惊讶。

Alipay,
You can go cashless everywhere, you can even Alipay with the street vendors, taxi Drivers and provision shops.

支付宝
到处都能无现金支付，你甚至可以跟小贩，出租车司机还有在杂货店使用支付宝。

2) Strict Security but efficient and helpful.

2）严格的安保，但高效且有用。

Bags were scanned even when entering MTR but they were fast and efficient, I never seen any Long queues and we took the MTR quite often. The security check at the airport were strict too, they checked everyone but they were not intimidating, they were helpful and friendly. Xi’an Chinese customs caught us trying to “smuggle” bottles of chillies, they were just too yummy we needed to bring some back home. The security officer laughed he even called one of his colleague to look at the bottles of chillies and they both laughed, probably wondering why we needed to bring home their chillies. He then told us we still had enough time to checked in the bag full of chillies, so we did just that. Picture below proof that our chillies made it home.

即使进地铁，也要扫描行李，但它们既快捷又高效，我从没见过排长队，我们经常乘坐地铁。机场的安全检查也很严格，他们检查了所有人，但并不吓人，他们乐于助人和友好。西安的中国海关抓到我们试图“走私”几瓶辣酱，它们太美味了，我们想带一些辣酱回家。安保人员笑了，他甚至叫他的一位同事看了看，他们俩都笑了，可能是在想为什么我们把他们的辣酱带回家。然后他告诉我们，我们仍然有足够的时间来托运装满辣酱的包，所以我们就这么做了。下面的图片证明了我们的辣酱已经到家了。



3) Respect for public property

3)尊重公共财产



This was at the stall at Niujie Street, Beijing. I regretted that I didn’t buy any. I just had lunch but, I should have packed some to bring back to the hotel

这是北京牛街的一个摊位。我很遗憾我什么都没买。我刚吃了午饭，但我应该带一些东西带回酒店

Muslim Quaters in Xi’an, the streets seems to never end

西安的回民街，街道似乎没有尽头



5) Got a little taste of Uyghur, Xinjiang culture.

5) 浅尝新疆文化。

There were a lot of delicious meal in China but, my favourite in Uyghur, Xinjiang meals. We went to an Uyghur, Xinjiang restaurant at Dongsi Street. We got to hear Uyghur songs, see their decoration and enjoy their food. I found Uyghur’s music rhythms seems to be more similar to Middle eastern and Indian. Even the restaurant decoration it’s something I would expect in a middle eastern or Indian restaurant. We love the food so much we went back again two days later.

中国有很多美味的饭菜，但我最喜欢是新疆菜。我们去了东四街的一家新疆餐厅。我们必须听听维吾尔族的歌，看看他们的装饰并享受他们的食物。我发现维吾尔族的音乐节奏似乎更类似于中东和印度。即使是餐厅装修，也跟我想像中的中东或印度餐厅差不多。我们非常喜欢这种食物，两天后又回去吃了一次。



I don’t know the name of this Xinjiang dish but it looks like the Indian Murtabak. I love it!

我不知道这道新疆菜的名字，但看起来像印度的Murtabak（译注：一种印度煎饼）。我喜欢！



6) Hui Chinese headscarves

6) 回族头巾

I noticed a few in Beijing but, most in Xi’an. I realised Hui Chinese women young and old wear head scarves that have glitters and beads rarely I seen any plain headscarves except for tourists. The men on the other hand wear simple white songkok (skull cap)

我在北京注意到了一些，但大部分在西安。我意识到，回族的中国妇女无论年龄大小，都戴着头巾，上面有闪光和珠子，除了游客，我几乎看不到任何普通的头巾。而男人则戴的是简单的小白帽（宋谷帽，Songkok）（无边便帽）

7) No obsession with head scarves (which I think Is a good thing)

7)没有头巾困扰（我认为这是一件好事）

I wear headscarf but was once asked if we were Christians. In another incident we enquired about halal meal at the hotel when the staff reminded us about the breakfast that came along with our room booking, that was when she realised that we were Muslim not my headscarf that gave her that impression.

我戴头巾，但曾经有人问我们是否是基督徒。还有一件事，酒店工作人员没有注意到我戴的头巾，她提醒我们客房赠送早餐时，我们询问了酒店的清真餐，这时她才意识到我们是穆斯林。

8) Staring

8) 注视

Oohhhh… the Chinese could stare but, it’s not in a negative or racist way but curiosity. Some just stare, some would smile, some would smile and wave, one gave flying kiss and a group we met at Forbidden City requested a photo. I admit, its a mixture of feeling exotic but, uncomfortable at the same time.

哦……中国人会注视，但这不是出于负面或种族主义，而是出于好奇。一些人只是注视，一些人会微笑，一些人会微笑并挥手，有人做飞吻，我们在紫禁城遇到的一群人要求合影。我承认，这是一种充满异国情调，但同时又有点不舒服的感觉。

9) Availability of public toilets along the street.

9) 沿街的公共厕所。



11) Mistaken as Malaysian and Malay speaking Chinese.

11）被误为是马来西亚人和说马来语的华裔。

Whenever my family traveled overseas we were normally be mistaken as being from South Asian or Middle Eastern countries but, in China we were frequently mistaken as Malaysian. At Silk Market when the male members of my family walked passed they spoke in English but, once they saw me with my headscarf they switched to Malay, “Murah murah seratus lima puluh saja”, (cheap cheap, one hundred and fifty only), Oh my God!!! They spoke Malay!!! these happened at a few stores. In Xi’an the same thing happened they assumed we were from Ma-la-see-ya (Malaysia) and we corrected them that we were from Xin-Chia-Pour (Singapore). Both in Beijing and Xi’an I didn’t see any Middle Eastern tourist as for South Asian they were a few but they were non Muslims. Xi’an has quite a number of Malaysian tourists. So, I guess Muslims tourist in these area were mostly Malaysians so, my guess is the assumption of headscarf means Malaysian. Sometimes it’s quite cute, they looked at us and were unsure then asked “Ma-la-see-ya?” and then we answered “Xin-Chia-pour” then they looked even more confused ;)

每当我的家人出国旅行时，我们通常都会被误认为是来自南亚或中东国家，但在中国，我们经常会被误认为是马来西亚人。在我家的男性成员走过丝绸市场时，他们说英语，但一旦看到我带着我的头巾，他们就改用马来语，“ Murah murah seratus lima puluh saja”（便宜，便宜，只要150一个），哦，我的上帝！！！他们说马来语！有几家店都这样。在西安，发生了同样的事情，他们以为我们是来自Ma-la-see-ya（马来西亚），我们更正了他们，是来自Xin-Chia-pour（新加坡）。在北京和西安，我都没有看到任何中东游客，南亚的游客虽然也有，但他们不是穆斯林。西安有很多马来西亚游客。因此，我想这些地区的穆斯林游客大多是马来西亚人，所以我认为他们把戴头巾的认作是马来西亚人。有时候很可爱，他们看着我们，不确定地问“ Ma-la-see-ya（马来西亚）？”然后我们回答“ Xin-Chia-pour（新加坡）”，他们看上去更加困惑了；）

Sam Arora（译注：这个人在中国大学教过书，喜欢中国历史，文化，食物和艺术）
Sam Arora, Life long student of Chinese history, culture, food, arts
upxed Jun 28, 2019 · Upvoted by Oukui Pascal, former Teacher of university at China (2000-2006)
Originally Answered: As a foreigner, when you first came to China, what surprised you most?
Disclaimer:
I must qualify my answer, I know, I know, China is a big country with huge population, with 56 identified ethnicity. I also know all area are not well developed and China has like anybody else huge and mega problems. I also know there are pockets of poverty like any other country, I also know there some people in China although very small numbers are very bitter, full venom and do not like China. I also know there are troll on Quora and waste everyone’s time.

免责声明：
我必须修正一下我的答案，我知道，我知道中国是一个人口众多的大国，拥有56个已确定的种族。我也知道所有地区都不发达，中国像其他任何人一样面临着巨大的问题。我也知道像其他任何国家一样有贫穷的地方，我也知道中国有一些人，尽管很少但非常痛苦，充满恶毒并且不喜欢中国。我也知道Quora上有恶意挑衅的帖子，浪费了大家的时间。

Now that is out of the way.

现在，这已不复存在。

As a foreigner, when you first came to China, what surprised you most?

作为外国人，第一次来中国时，最让您惊讶的是什么？

China is a huge country, and very diversified population, I believe one life is not enough to explore this country. There are and future will be surprises, and to me they are equally important. I could not just pick one, to me there are all equal and therefore I am writing it all.

中国是一个巨大的国家，人口非常多样化，我相信我一辈子也不足以探索这个国家。现在与将来会有惊喜，对我来说，它们同样重要。我不能只选一个，对我来说都是平等的，因此我把它们全部写出来。

Most courteous staff at the Toronto airport: (First surprise), as soon as we stood in line and reached the clerk, he said “ welcome to China”

多伦多机场最有礼貌的工作人员：（第一个惊喜），当我们排成一列和职员见面时，他说“欢迎来到中国”

We used only one “Chinese airline domestic and international”

我们坐的航班“中国国内和国际航空公司”



I will start from Toronto, it was straight flight for 18 hours to Beijing, First Surprise. The flight was fully booked, and it was on time, start from the air port Chinese staff, fluent bilinguals, extremely courteous, and with very warm welcome, the booking clerk, one young man from China, said “ Welcome to China” I was shocked I said it is Toronto, he said sir, when you check in, and go in that flight, you are our responsibility, therefore welcome to China, you have your boarding pass, and once you cross the gate, you are our guest.

我将从多伦多出发，是一个18小时直飞北京的航班，第一个惊喜。航班已满员，航班准时，中国港口来的中国工作人员，精通双语，非常有礼貌，加上热烈的欢迎，售票员，一位来自中国的年轻人说：“欢迎来到中国”我很震惊，我说是多伦多，他说，先生，当您办理登机手续并搭乘飞机时，您就归我们负责了，因此，欢迎您来中国，您拥有登机牌，一旦过关，您就是我们的客人。

Air hostesses and in flight staff: ( Good English skills ) Second surprise, one of the best caring and very hard working hostesses.

空姐和飞行人员：（良好的英语能力）第二个惊喜，是最贴心，最努力的空姐之一。

With very beautiful manners, showed us the seats, and made sure our carry on luggage was secured, and pillows/blankets were provided, with no fuss or arguments. It was very long flight, but those girls were made of steel and tireless, and made sure that we are comfortable during the flight, food, snacks, and water, were abundant. They kept coming again to check, and recheck that each passenger was comfortable, mostly were Chinese but for them there was no discrimination, we were treated as good as Chinese.

她们以非常漂亮的方式，向我们展示座位，并确保我们的随身行李被固定好，并提供了枕头/毯子，没有大惊小怪或争论。这是一次漫长的飞行，但是那些女孩是用钢铁做成的，不知疲倦，并确保我们在飞行中感到舒适，食物，小吃和水都很丰富。他们不断来往检查，并重复检查每位乘客的舒适度，他们大多是中国人，但对他们而言，没有歧视，我们跟中国人一样得到了很好地对待。

At the air port custom clearance: Third surprise. Very professional staff.

在通关时：第三个惊喜。非常专业的员工。



But once I went there for the first time, my mindset and view of this nation changed completely. It is so well developed and advanced.

但当我第一次去那里的时候，我对这个国家的心态和看法完全改变了。它是如此的发达和先进。

Cashless and mobile payment! They don''t even carry their wallets around, just using their phones instead to pay for everything via WeChat and Alipay.

无现金和移动支付!他们甚至不带钱包，只用手机通过微信和支付宝支付一切。

Transportation. So easy to travel around. Very affordable long-distance traveling, especially the high-speed railway. You''d love it. And Shanghai’s maglev train. The Maglev train from Shanghai airport to the city is just 7mins, normally 45 mins. We reached the top speed of 431 kilometers per hr. (I think the world should kiss China''s ass on this!).

交通。到处旅行很容易。非常便宜的长途旅行，尤其是高铁。你会喜欢它的。还有上海的磁悬浮列车。从上海机场到市区的磁悬浮列车只需7分钟，（别的交通工具）通常是45分钟。我们达到了最高时速每小时431公里。(我认为全世界应该在这个方面拍中国的马屁!)



Sharing food around the table, using your own chopsticks. They''ll order a ton of food and it''s meant for everyone to share so obviously don''t eat all of one thing.

用筷子在一个桌上吃饭。他们会点超多的菜大家一起吃，所以不要只盯着一个菜猛吃。

The country is filled with amazing historical archaeological sites.

这个国家到处都是令人惊叹的历史考古遗址。

For such a massive population, I spent most of my time in Shenzhen, Suzhou & Shanghai but it was significantly cleaner than I would have expected.

虽然中国有如此庞大的人口，我大部分时间都在深圳、苏州和上海度过，但每个地方比我想象的要干净得多。

I feel China is safer than many other developed countries. From my own life experience, I never felt unsafe walking around in cities after dark.

我觉得中国比许多其他发达国家更安全。从我自己的生活经验来看，我从来没有觉得天黑后在城市里行走是不安全的。

Infrastructure in China makes me look at other countries and weep with embarrassment. Everything is huge - malls, stations, towers. I was mind-blown when I saw bund Shanghai for the first time. There is just too much to see and do, and breathtaking man-made and natural scenery is everywhere.

中国的基础设施让我看着其他国家，尴尬地哭泣。一切都是巨大的——商场、车站、高楼。当我第一次看到上海外滩时，我惊呆了。有太多的东西要看，太多的事情要做，令人惊叹的人造的和自然风景到处都是。



I''m sure plenty of people can come up with a bunch of negative sides to all of these (Remember I come from India), and China is definitely not without its problems, but there''s a whole lot of good stuff here too, and it''s definitely worth getting to know the country and its people.

我相信很多人都能想出一堆有关这方面消极的东西(记住我来自印度),中国绝对不是没有问题,但他有很多好的地方，这个国家和人民绝对值得我们去了解。

Is China ahead of us? - It’s a strange realization, yes! Amazing civilization, They have got so far ahead of the West in 30 years it''s not a joke!

中国比我们先进吗?-这是一个奇怪的认识，是的!惊人的文明，他们在30年里远远领先于西方，这不是开玩笑!

Edit:

作者编辑：

For those who have commented about the Maglev train. - It is just my experience riding on the maglev train. I know for the fact that it is German engineering, German design, German speed but wasn''t built in Germany. As a person who has lived and worked in Germany, I feel proud and sad at the same time. This thing should be driving in Germany. The country is too small and too densely populated for a Maglev to work economically.

1. 对于那些评论过磁悬浮列车的人。-这只是我乘坐磁悬浮列车的经验。我知道这是德国的工程，德国的设计，德国的速度，但不是德国制造的。作为一个在德国生活和工作过的人，我感到自豪的同时也感到悲伤。这车应该在德国开。这个国家太小，人口又太稠密，运行磁悬浮不合算。

Emma Sorensen, Psychology and Chinese Student, Iowa State University
Answered Apr 24, 2018 · Upvoted by Taylor Wu, lives in China (1997-present)
Originally Answered: What is the most surprising thing when you first travel to China?
Born and raised in the United States, my first time to China was in 2016, shortly after I graduated from high school. Since I had studied Chinese for four years and high school, as a gift for graduating my dad decided to take me on a two-week tour of China. To say that this trip was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my lifetime would not be an exaggeration. There were five things that were surprising to me when I visited China and that were entirely different than what the Western media had taught me:

我在美国出生和长大，第一次来中国是在2016年，高中毕业后不久。因为我已经学了四年的中文和高中，作为毕业的礼物，我爸爸决定带我去中国旅行两个星期。说这次旅行是我一生中最令人大开眼界的经历之一并不夸张。当我访问中国时，有五件事让我感到惊讶，这与西方媒体教给我的完全不同:

China is a beautiful place. Growing up in the U.S., pretty much all you hear about China is how “ugly” it is. Before I went, I expected the skies everywhere to be dark and clouded, and the air to be difficult to breathe due to all the media coverage that the pollution in China receives. However, when I actually got to China, I was shocked at how beautiful it was. The skies were blue, the cities were clean, and the pollution seemed just as bad as in any other big city that I had visited in the U.S. Not only that, but there were some landscapes in China that were just absolutely stunning. I particularly remember being blown away by the beauty of the countryside views in Guilin, and the massive rock formations on the Guangxi River.

中国是一个美丽的地方。我在美国长大在美国，你听到的几乎都是中国有多“丑陋”。在我去之前，我以为所有地方的天空都是阴暗的，空气很难呼吸，因为所有的媒体都报道了中国的污染。然而，当我真正来到中国的时候，我被它的美丽惊呆了。天空是蓝色的，城市是干净的，污染似乎和我在美国访问过的其他大城市一样。不仅如此，中国还有一些风景是绝对令人惊叹的。我尤其记得被桂林美丽的乡村景色和广西河上的巨大的岩石所震撼。

Chinese people are very friendly. In the U.S., it is a common assumption that Chinese people are quite rude. My trip to China proved this assumption to be completely wrong. Every Chinese person that I met was extremely friendly, and they were always excited to approach us either to talk or to get their picture taken with us. It was like being a celebrity! Not only that, but everyone was always willing to try and speak English with us, and were very kind when I attempted to converse with them in Chinese. In my honest opinion, many of the people I met in China were friendlier than many people back home. One person that stands out to me in particular was our rickshaw driver in Beijing. Even though he didn’t speak much English, he still tried to point out all of the sights of Beijing to us the best he could, and even though he had a hard job he always had a big smile on his face.



Chinese people love their country. In the United States, it is a common thought that many Chinese people must feel oppressed by their government due to their country not being a democracy. However, while I was in China I saw nothing but pride and love for their country. Through many conversations with Chinese people, it was clear to me that they loved being from China. They had a lot of respect for their history, their culture, and for their government. In fact, it seemed to me that Chinese people had much less negative things to say about their country than many Americans do. This just goes to show that just because you don’t agree with a certain method of government doesn’t mean that the people living in that country have to share the same views as you.

中国人爱他们的国家。在美国，人们普遍认为，由于中国不是一个民主国家……然而，当我在中国的时候，我看到的只有对他们国家的自豪和热爱。通过与中国人的多次交谈，我很清楚他们自豪自己是中国人。他们非常尊重自己的历史、文化和政府。事实上，在我看来，中国人对自己国家的负面评价比许多美国人要少得多。这表明，仅仅因为你不同意某种政府的做法并不意味着生活在那个国家的人必须与你有相同的观点。


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