Guangzhou: Did I Piss Everyone Off, or Am I Just Wildly Unlucky?

[Zachary Hayes]

I am not here to incite any argument, but when I just arrived at Guangzhou on my first day, I met several rather irritable persons...

• The auntie who sells herbal tea
  • The thing is， herbal tea or liángchá is a very common medicinal drink in Guangdong, it is said to help clear the heat and detoxification of your body.
  • And this auntie, when I offered her an online purchased voucher of discount, she harshly declined saying that "It is invalid! Don't be here if you don't want the tea!” I wondered to myself, then why would you put the vouchers online in the first place?
• The cleaning lady
  • I had parked the bike-sharing bike next to a tiny puddle and blocked her way of sweeping as she swept the pavement.
  • She firmly demanded me to move quickly and rather snobbishly remarked "Can't you see that I am sweeping? Are you out of your mind?" Later when I cycled pass the pavement she was sweeping again, she still wouldn't let me go through! (I just kept going in the end however)
• The Traffic Police Officer
  • Felt like he somewhat had road rage. (It means losing temper easily or getting annoyed easily when being on the road or while driving)
  • He loudly yelled at the passersby, with very rude manners. But I bet that in crowded regions, if he did not yell out loud enough, people would not hear him instead.

After spending my first day in Guangzhou being harassed by such incidents, I am quite puzzled and wondering, what kind of people would others experience in this city? My impression might just be left with some psychological shadows of negative memories about Guangzhou. Don't get riled up yet my dear friends from Guangzhou, I didn't mean to cast any aspersions on all those in the city, and just wanted to share my personal encounters here.

Epilogue：
Hey, how unexpected the difference would be! On the second day of my visit at Guangzhou, I met friendly guys!

• I went to a second herbal tea shop and the auntie there is much nicer, checking out my complexion and tongue coating before recommending suitable herbal teas for me.
  • ( Small tip: Examining the tongue coating and complexion is one way of Traditional Chinese Medical diagnosis which finds really interesting too )
• And even young ladies at stores of sweet dishes (tángshuí diàn) and soup seasonings packet (tāngliào bāo), were equally kind as well.

So probably it was just my bad luck having been met such misfortune on the first day!

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Note to friends who come to play in Guangzhou

• Double check whether using discounts or coupons is feasible!
  • What can happen : some small stores may only reluctantly accept internet discount coupons, or the coupon usage rules might be unclear.
  • How to avoid : Before using them up, better to communicate with the store to confirm beforehand to avoid unpleasant experiences like mine.
• Bear calmness towards unfriendly persons
  • Why can these happen: Just like what I experienced on the first day, one will be likely to meet a few irritable folks.
  • What to do : Don't take this too seriously! There will just always be a couple of these "temperamental ones". I've encountered many nicer people on the second day and they definitely have not dampened the mood of my entire visit!