Being tall and white in China, especially in the more rural areas, is an easy way to be noticed. Children would gaze up as though I had just changed their lives and I would continually hear things like "Na me gao!" which translates to "so tall!" or "lao wai", wich means foreigner. Unlike in a Western country, where if people said too many things of this kind offence might be taken and therefore expected, in China this was a well practised reaction to people of my kind. In fact, at no point during my stay did I feel as though I was being challenged or made a mockery of, by Chinese people at least.
In some places people would approach and ask to take photos which was quite an interesting feeling. Being an instant celebrity is worthwhile for ones confidence and the opportunities and friendships that can be made are quite endless. On the 16 hour train to Beijing I met a girl from Hangzhou who I would later meet again and become good friends with. In Beijing, Morgan and I met a girl who helped us around because she was interested in practicing English. I think in the end I learnt more Chinese in our interactions than she learnt English but it was a good time nonetheless. People were not only more willing to talk to me than they might be in other places they were also more interested in helping me. I once went to the hospital where there was a queue of 20 or more people waiting to see the doctor. However, as soon as the nurses saw me, they led me straight into a doctor's office where I was seen to immediately. I also had 6 or 7 nurses looking after me the whole time.
I think in the long run this is not a good thing for China. However, it does allow for great steps in foreign relations.
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