What I love About China.

From Magic City Morning Star

International
What I love About China.
By Chiara Braccagni
Jun 7, 2009 - 10:40:36 AM

Chiara Braccagni from Italy, currently studying in Beijing, shares a little more of her life in China.

What I love about this country is that you have a story to tell every time you set foot out of your room. Yesterday, right after my Chinese lesson, I went to a nearby park for a picnic. I sat on one of the Roman-style porch's benches with my book and started to eat my lunch.

Kids playing in the Roman-style fountain. Bambini cinesi che giocano nella fontana in stile romano.

After a while, an old man approaches me and starts asking me who am I, where do I come from, what and where I am studying at the moment. You have to know that Chinese people think that all foreigners look the same and, most important of all, they all know each other. I told him I am Italian and he answered me, ah, yes, I know that America girl who's dating a Chinese. I am used to this kind of conversation by now, so I just said, ah, yes! the American girl dating a Chinese, who does not know her!

Flying kites is an hobby that requires a great deal of concentration. Far volare aquiloni è un passatempo che richiede una gran concentrazione.

He then goes on asking me if I am in Beijing alone.

I say no, I have friends here.

To which he replies: "Nan pengyou?"

"No, nu pengyou".

Nan pengyou means both male friend and boyfriend, while nu pengyou means both female friend and girlfriend.

The old man was asking me if I had a boyfriend in Beijing.

I had answered him saying: 'No, I have a girlfriend!'

Realising what I just said, I tried to correct myself by saying that I have several female friends in Beijing, all working here.

(I'm not only a lesbian but a whore too?)

[Between Public Health] and private illness, what will YOU choose? (Literal translation is 'Public Washroom')

After roughly 20 minutes, another Chinese comes up to me for a talk, closely followed by the old man on his way back from his walk. The old man goes on telling us the story of the American and the Chinese, talking about the relationship between men and women in Western Coutries. Talking about women, he uses the term kaifang, which I interpreted as "kind", "warm" but which I then discovered meaning "easy". Western girls obviously go out hugging everyone they meet, including old men in a park. At this point I just stared at him and said: "Eh?!"

What about a card game? Che ne dite di una partitina a carte?

I was really hoping to have misunderstood his open arms and his satyric smile, but he soon confirmed: "Let's hug each other!" Hem ... I would rather not. Luckily, he left with that. Leaving me with Chinese Number Two, who immediately specified he does not approve of these kinds of perverts (Yes, I do know how to say pervert in Chinese).

My trusted bike repairer. Il mio meccanico di fiducia.

Anyway, Chinese Number Two did not lose too much time and asked me to become friends and give him my phone number. I would rather not. But I am a good person! I trust you but I won't give you my number anyway. And on that I collected my stuff and ran back home.

I carretti pieni di frutta o verdura non sono rari, soprattutto nel fine settimana.

Carts full of fruits and vegetables are not a rare sightseen, expecially during the weekend.

Chiara Braccagni

Italian Version and More Photos

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In 2007 Chiara Braccagni spent 4 months in Suzhou as an Italian teacher at the SuZhou Polytechnic Institute of Agriculture before returning to Italy to Graduate from college.

After graduating from Interpreter School (Trieste) she returned to China (Beijing) where she did further Chinese studies to gain Oral Proficiency. She is currently and temporarily working in the Italian Embassy in Beijing. She likes to travel, explore and look for good excuses not to go back home.

Her articles appear in both Italian and English with larger Photos at KingsCalendar Stories from China