I, an Irishman, have lived in China for 9 years, and I have abused chinese thousands of times, and I treat Chinese as if I were my first love
Original2022-05-14 12:06 · Real people interview
This is the story of the 358th real person we tell
When I first came to China, the bustling crowd almost scared me home to find my mother, and I planned to return to China after graduation, but I didn't want to stay here for 9 years. The process of colliding with Chinese culture has shocks, misunderstandings, embarrassments, and distresses, and it is no accident that I, a foreigner, am likely to become your laughing point today. From the bottom of my heart, I advise foreign friends not to come to China, because I am afraid that you will fall in love with her after you come!
My name is Li Shuqi @ Irish Chigo, English name Richard, 29 years old. Ireland, known as the Emerald Isle Nation, is my hometown. Since I was a child, my parents have been very relaxed about my education, and my whole childhood was free and happy, living in Dublin, an ancient romantic and idyllic city, which nourished my strong desire to explore and curiosity, so that when I grew up, I had a yearning for the mysterious ancient country of the East.
(Feel the festive atmosphere of China on New Year's Day in Gubei Water Town)
When I was a kid, my cousin, who was 10 years older, went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. When I ordered food, I was stunned to see him talk to his boss with his Chinese. Don't think I'm exaggerating, everyone knows that Chinese is a very difficult language to learn, just four tones will take half a life, even if you pass the hurdle of tone, there are many transliterated words, one word and more translations... If a foreigner could say Chinese that would be cool!
Later, when I learned to Chinese, I learned that my cousin only said "hello", "I am from Ireland", "I like kung pao chicken" and other simple words. I didn't know what he said at the time, but I was proud of him, and it was a little fan mentality. Wow! I have a relative who can say Chinese!
(My brother and sister and I)
Fate is a wonderful thing, and people's thoughts in a certain moment may put later life on a completely different track.
When I was in college, I majored in Business English and had to master both languages. I especially liked the challenge (or maybe I had masochistic tendencies), so I chose to study Chinese, and after 3 years I could study in China, which was wonderful for me. At first, I had the idea of coming back after graduation, but I underestimated the charm of China, and she would fascinate me so much. I came to China at the age of 20 and I am still here at the age of 29.
If Ireland is a rich romantic, elegant and charming oil painting, then China is a thick ink and clear rhyme, light and elegant ink painting. From dispensable to deeply immersed in it, China has painted the strongest stroke in my life.
(Me and dad prepare potatoes)
In 2013, I successfully came to Beijing University of Technology to study, and my excitement disappeared without a trace at the moment I left the airport, and a nervous and urgent emotion spread from the bottom of my heart. It was the first time I had an immersive experience of the difference between China and Ireland, where people were barely seen from the airport to the city centre. But here, my God, I know that there are so many Chinese, I didn't expect so much!
Faced with the hustle and bustle of the crowd, I felt a little dangerous and desperately wanted to get to my destination quickly, but then I realized that I wanted to grin more. Because everyone didn't pay any attention to me at all, I slowly let down my guard and began to try to accept everything here.
Some people fall in love with a city because of one person, but I fall in love with a group of people because of a city. After settling in with my friends, I can't wait to visit the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Great Wall. I have heard a saying in Ireland called "not to the Great Wall is not a good man" climbing the Great Wall in addition to becoming a "good man" and being shocked, the Great Wall is worthy of being called a miracle, stretching for thousands of miles, magnificent, and being in it is like walking in mythology.
(When studying at Beijing University of Technology)
History is full of charm in this ancient civilization, and the people here also exude kindness and friendship, and many people say to us, welcome to China. Here I feel the same enthusiasm as the people in my hometown, which makes me very moved.
Follow the customs and take root. The teacher gave me a Chinese name, Li Shuqi, and perhaps he hoped that my special relationship with China would bring me a beautiful and magical journey in life.
But the beautiful journey had just begun, and I fell into a deep distress, and at one point I thought that the teacher was playing me. Later I felt sorry for this idea, but I really don't blame me, only that the Chinese characters are more complicated than a woman's heart, and I am innocent.
(First week in China)
Here's the thing, whenever I introduce my name to someone, someone will always ask me, your name is Shu Qi? Do you like Shu Qi? Do you like Chinese beauties? Hahaha, isn't that the girl's name? Such a question made me unclear, so I was like a monk who was confused.
At that time, I was very angry with the teacher, why did he give me a girl's name, was he playing me? Later, I understood that my name and the name of a Chinese female star were homophones, which caused a misunderstanding.
Later, I learned that when Chinese introduce their names, they should say them together with their surnames, and sometimes they need to explain. Since then, when people ask me what my name is, I will say, "My name is Li Shuqi, special, magical Qi." This time everybody's going to say, "Wow, that sounds good!" ”
(Not a good man to the Great Wall)
I have to say that China's history and culture can really be seen everywhere, as large as an ancient city, as small as a Chinese character behind a piece of history. In addition to being a way of expression of language, Chinese characters also contain great philosophy, and for Chinese, each name hides the deep blessings or commemorations of their parents, and on the one hand, The Expression of Love in China is implicit and romantic, and on the other hand, it proves that Chinese characters are too complicated.
In the first month of coming to China, I also encountered some difficulties in eating. Not because the taste is not adaptable, but because the names of the dishes that my friends and I know Chinese are not more than ten fingers together. There are a lot of restaurants with no pictures on the menu, which leads to the menu knowing us and we don't recognize it. My friends and I could only order blindly, and after the dish came, we rubbed our heads and looked at each other. But fortunately, at least we haven't experienced the embarrassing experience of using the name of the restaurant as a dish name!
(Changsha for business)
Another difficulty is taking a taxi, and I once thought that Chinese taxi masters didn't like foreigners. When I first came to China, I didn't have a taxi software, so I could only wave at the road where I wanted to go. There are a lot of taxi masters who have obviously slowed down, but as soon as they see our faces, they kick the throttle and drive straight away, we can't even catch up with the exhaust, and we don't know why?
Later, my friends and I thought of a way to do it, that is, when taking a taxi, others secretly hid aside, and then I used my arms or clothes to block my face beforehand, and then beckoned to take a taxi. The moment the taxi stopped, the others saw the opportunity to rush out and rush up so that we could get in the car, and there should be applause here!
A long time later I discussed this with a taxi driver master, who explained to me: "No, no, no, you misunderstood, we were very welcome to foreigners, but at that time there was no taxi software, we didn't speak English, and foreigners Chinese didn't speak very well, so I was afraid of sending you the wrong place." "I feel embarrassed to say this and misunderstand them.
(Chinese Kung Fu, hey hey ha hey)
When I first Chinese badly, I was embarrassed everywhere. When I was studying Chinese in China, I was secretly proud that I had learned well, and after coming to China, I found that things were not the same at all. One day I suddenly heard a friend say, late April. I was stunned, what late? What is the weather when it rains, snows, and falls? A crow flew overhead...
Chinese dates in Ireland are January, February, 3rd, 4th, Monday, Tuesday... I don't know what that means later. Just after I understood the meaning of the first, middle, and late days, ten represents 10 days, I heard another statement about time. Available next week? Gruel? I wonder if porridge isn't the one Chinese likes to drink? When I understood again what zhou meant. Suddenly another person said to me, what are the arrangements for next week? Suddenly, I felt a lightning bolt of thunder pass by, knocking me out of the woods.
(2021 Tianjin "China Has a Covenant")
It is worth mentioning that once I went to a restaurant to eat, asked the waiter for a bottle of tomato sauce, and the other party asked me if it was ketchup? I quickly shook my head and said to him, "No, no, no, it's tomato sauce," and I thought I was making it very clear. Because in Ireland I studied tomatoes, but the other party still asked me with a serious face: "Do you want ketchup?" "I didn't understand what ketchup was, eggplant? Eggplant? Eggplant sauce!
"No, no, no, I want tomato sauce!" I said emphatically, "You want ketchup?" "Oh my God! I was confused, and finally I had to say no, no. Later, a Chinese friend told me that tomato sauce was ketchup, and I was so embarrassed that I used my toes to cut out a room and two halls on the ground.
Of course, I still have a lot of things I don't understand, such as why my friend around me didn't call so-and-so? But the people who commit crimes in the news are called by this name, and I wonder how the people who call this name are so bad. Until I began to pay attention to the epidemic data, I found case 1: Li Moumou; Case 2: Wang Moumou; Case 3: Mr. Chen. I suddenly realized, ah... It turned out that so-and-so, it was not a person's name. But there is still a question that has not been understood, why did the hook hang?
(2019 Beijing Celtic Champion)
If you don't use your photos and names on foreign social networking software, you will be considered a liar by the other party, but I found that China is different. Everyone's social avatar is either a cat, or Snow White, anime characters, rainbows, etc., and the names are also strange, Rhubarb Duck, C Luo, Sun Wukong 666...
If in Ireland, real life gives a girl a note as a big yellow duck, it is dangerous. She will probably call the police, but in China it's very common and just harmless jokes.
But no matter what kind of "tribulations" I have experienced before, I find that I have long fallen in love with China, shuttling through the ancient capital of a thousand years of culture and a modern metropolis with neon flashes, each place is unforgettable. Xi'an Terracotta Warriors, Leshan Giant Buddha, Chengdu Giant Panda, Harbin Ice and Snow, and every other place brought me a different feeling.
(Beijing Qianmen feel Chinese culture)
Now that I have been in China for 9 years, whether it is Chinese cuisine, scenery, development, history and culture, I have brought a lot of surprises and admiration. I like to share what I have seen and heard in China on the Internet, which are some interesting things that I don't understand, and have been loved and supported by many netizens. They'll discuss it with me and I'm enjoying the process.
After graduating, I stayed in China and worked in Ireland to study abroad and travel consulting. I love this business and can get more Chinese to know my hometown of Ireland. I feel very honored, and I hope that I can become a bridge between Ireland and China, and show the beauty of Ireland and the enthusiasm of Ireland to more Chinese.
(Introducing my hometown of Ireland)
Beautiful and low-key Ireland, half idyllic, half ocean. Steep cliffs, mysterious castles, beautiful music, colorful taverns, and green everywhere all show Ireland's exuberant vitality and love of nature.
Every year St. Palrick's Day is as lively as the Chinese New Year, the difference is that the ocean of Chinese festivals is red, Ireland is green, and a song "When You Are Old" has made Irish literature flow into the hearts of hundreds of millions of Chinese. The beautiful scenery that takes in the heartstrings, the simple and enthusiastic people, are waiting for you to explore and feel!
There is a Saying in China: "The sea is a confidant, and the end of the world is like a neighbor." "Time is a testimony, the years are in the name, may my broken thoughts bear witness to me and China's years and years!"
【Dictation: Irish Chico】
【Editor: Li Jia Mushroom Cool】
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