Field report #1

While observing Chinese people in their adopted home of Chinatown,

it delighted me to see that my initial observations were indeed, true.

Please see exhibit 1 below:

As described previously, Chinese people will not remove the original

manufacturer's plastic in a futile effort to "protect" an object as long

as possible. For further detail, please refer to Report #1

#10 Racquet sports

It is no great secret that Chinese people traditionally have not been known for their physical and athletic prowress. Compared to their non-Chinese counterparts, a Chinese person's lithe frame is not as suitable for playing more physical sports such as football and hockey. While it is not an impossible feat, a Chinese person can dedicate much time and effort to 'bulk up' in order to play these sports. It should be noted that this is usually much to the dismay of their parents as they usually feel this time could be better spent on academic pursuits.

What Chinese people lack in sheer size and muscle weight, they more than make up for it in finesse, grace and speed, much to the chagrin of the world's competing gymnastic teams. In addition, Chinese people are a highly adaptable group, which is helpful in explaining why, for generations they have gravitated towards sports that complement these qualities. These sports include ping-pong, badminton and tennis - the trifecta of racquet sports.

One could argue that these sports are ostensibly pick up and play and easy to learn, they take a lifetime to master. While the aforementioned qualities are a perfect fit for the trifecta, the other reason these sports are so popular with Chinese people is because of parents. Given the overprotective nature of Chinese parents, they will typically forbid their children from playing any highly physical or contact sports. Should a child suggest that they would like to participate, there is always a myriad of reasons from parents as to why that is a bad idea. Luckily, racquet sports have been deemed to be safe and acceptable. Should a Chinese child be injured playing one of these sports, there will be much hesitation on the part of the parent to allow their child to continue. It is not uncommon for words such as "I knew it was a bad idea letting you play sports!" or "See, you wouldn't have been hurt if you were doing Kumon instead." to be uttered.

Should a non-Chinese person ever want to play against a Chinese person in one of the trifecta sports, they should be prepared to lose. While this is not a guarantee, statistics have shown this to be true almost all of the time. Thankfully, due to their inborn politeness, trash talking will be kept at a minimum.

#1 Keeping on the original protective plastic wrap

While Chinese people have a long-standing reputation of being notoriously cheap (to be discussed in a later post), they often have no problem buying items of significant value such as furniture, electronics and designer handbags.

In order to understand this phenomenon more clearly, one must understand that these big ticket purchases are considered an investment and must be protected accordingly. This mentality can be used to explain why Chinese people often insist on the non-removal of the flimsy protective film affixed to their newly purchased item. In the case of small gadgets, most people would find a protective case to be adequate. However, Chinese people are quite willing to buy a case and still keep the plastic on for "extra protection". The most common examples include screens of handheld electronics (e.g. camera LCD screen, PSP screen, cell phone screen) and various furniture (e.g. table corners and edges, plastic on top of the glass part of a cabinet or table).

Unless provoked or shamed into removal, this plastic could very well remain on the item forever. Typically, there are only two situations where this plastic would be removed.

1. Natural adhesiveness wears off

In this situation, the plastic naturally will lose its adhesiveness and the Chinese person will be forced to remove it (begrudgingly).

2. Shame

The main cause of plastic removal. Only when shamed by peers (Chinese or non-Chinese) will this plastic be removed. The Chinese person in question will typically react by saying, "it's no big deal guys! Really!" and peel off the plastic. Outsiders must keep a watchful eye though, as it's possible the Chinese person will save the plastic and try to re-affix it later when they are alone.

When presented with situation #2, the best thing a non-Chinese person can do is pat the Chinese person on the back and reassure them that it was going to happen anyways and that they were being super lame.

On the bright side, at least anything you buy from a Chinese person will be in pristine condition.