Rules of Hong Kong (Written and Unwritten)
There are many customs that are unique to Hong Kong. Some are etiquette-based, and some are real laws. Here are some examples.
Written:
1. No eating on the MTR, trains or paid station areas. This is a great rule, as the Metro here is very clean. It works.
Here is a video of the special Hong Kong Disney line:
2. Give up your seat to people are elderly/pregnant/laden with luggage or shopping bags. This happens all the time.
3. No “hawking” or begging in public places. This equals fewer insults shouted by homeless men. Winning.
4. Walk on the left. As a former British colony, Hong Kongers drive on the left, and so left is the “default” for most things. This is especially terrible as most Westerners are trained to defer to the right-hand side. This leads to many awkward “dancing” encounters with other pedestrians.
5. The Cantonese word for “four” sounds very similar to the word for “death,” and it avoided when possible. Many apartment buildings will not have 4th, 14th, 24th, etc. floors. Well, they are there-just not otherwise marked or acknowledged. Some buildings list numbers in the 40’s, as the sound is different enough, despite containing the digit. 4, 5 and 7 are considered unlucky, while 3 and 8 are lucky numbers. Some low-level buildings boast an 88th floor, a gimmick used to the greatest advantage by building developers and real estate agents. The jury’s still out on 6.
6. Red and gold are lucky colors. White is the color of death.
Unwritten:
1. Don’t apologize to someone when bumping into them, just get to where you’re going.If you really smack someone hard, apologize. But doing so shows commuter weakness and lack of people weaving skills. This is the ultimate goal:
2. It is acceptable to cram as many people as you can into a busy metro car-up close and personal at its finest, i.e. purse in face, arm across throat. At non-busy times, do not touch anyone, even by accident.
3. The water on the table at many Chinese restaurants is not for drinking, it is for washing your chopsticks or utensils. Hot tea is for drinking. Some may use the hot tea to wash them. This is akin to the mother in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” using Windex on everything.
4. When ordering a Coke, you must specify whether you want it hot or cold.
5. Unwritten but might as well be written: Accept and give all items with both hands. This applies to business cards, shopping bags, gifts, merchandise, the check at a restaurant-everything. No multi-tasking here.
6. Burping (and farting) loudly after meals (or any time, really) is not taboo and doesn’t faze the Hong Kong Chinese. No “excuse me,” nothing.
7. In a public place, cover your mouth with your hand while talking on the phone, even if you are talking SO LOUDLY that it does not disguise what you are saying at all. Check out this video for an example:
8. Like in DC, stand on the right, walk/run on the left when using an escalator. This is in direct contradiction to Written Rule 4, but thankfully one that I already follow.
There are many customs that are unique to Hong Kong. Some are etiquette-based, and some are real laws. Here are some examples.
Written:
1. No eating on the MTR, trains or paid station areas. This is a great rule, as the Metro here is very clean. It works.
Here is a video of the special Hong Kong Disney line:
2. Give up your seat to people are elderly/pregnant/laden with luggage or shopping bags. This happens all the time.
3. No “hawking” or begging in public places. This equals fewer insults shouted by homeless men. Winning.
4. Walk on the left. As a former British colony, Hong Kongers drive on the left, and so left is the “default” for most things. This is especially terrible as most Westerners are trained to defer to the right-hand side. This leads to many awkward “dancing” encounters with other pedestrians.
5. The Cantonese word for “four” sounds very similar to the word for “death,” and it avoided when possible. Many apartment buildings will not have 4th, 14th, 24th, etc. floors. Well, they are there-just not otherwise marked or acknowledged. Some buildings list numbers in the 40’s, as the sound is different enough, despite containing the digit. 4, 5 and 7 are considered unlucky, while 3 and 8 are lucky numbers. Some low-level buildings boast an 88th floor, a gimmick used to the greatest advantage by building developers and real estate agents. The jury’s still out on 6.
6. Red and gold are lucky colors. White is the color of death.
Unwritten:
2. It is acceptable to cram as many people as you can into a busy metro car-up close and personal at its finest, i.e. purse in face, arm across throat. At non-busy times, do not touch anyone, even by accident.
3. The water on the table at many Chinese restaurants is not for drinking, it is for washing your chopsticks or utensils. Hot tea is for drinking. Some may use the hot tea to wash them. This is akin to the mother in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” using Windex on everything.
4. When ordering a Coke, you must specify whether you want it hot or cold.
5. Unwritten but might as well be written: Accept and give all items with both hands. This applies to business cards, shopping bags, gifts, merchandise, the check at a restaurant-everything. No multi-tasking here.
6. Burping (and farting) loudly after meals (or any time, really) is not taboo and doesn’t faze the Hong Kong Chinese. No “excuse me,” nothing.
7. In a public place, cover your mouth with your hand while talking on the phone, even if you are talking SO LOUDLY that it does not disguise what you are saying at all. Check out this video for an example:
8. Like in DC, stand on the right, walk/run on the left when using an escalator. This is in direct contradiction to Written Rule 4, but thankfully one that I already follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment