Personal Space

I’ve observed that it is common to see male friends holding hands or walking with their arms over each other’s shoulders. In Western countries, there seems to be a prevalent homophobia about touch and private space that the Chinese seem oblivious about. It’s pretty refreshing. I’ve heard a couple foreign male friends from America and Russia who complain about it being very uncomfortable in the presence of local chinese males who put their hands on their shoulders or throw their arms around their neck in the midst of cajolling. I guess one man’s meat is another man’s poison.

In the same vein, it seems like the women here in Beijing have a much healthier attitude towards nudity than what I've experienced in the States. In the public bathrooms in the gym and in swimming pools, in contrast to the American public bathrooms environment where women generally avoid looking at each other's bodies and peek uncomfortably when curious, use towels to cover up and avoid being in the nude openly among each other, women here walk around and linger in the nude comfortably and the bathing area are an open concept without doors. I find this aspect of their self-awareness and comfort with their own bodies particularly refreshing, though initially quite shocking. Perhaps it's innocence. Perhaps it's culture. Perhaps its the historical religious background America was built on. Whatever it is, I think it's something we in America should embrace rather than the conservatism, discomfort and taboo that shrouds nudity. It's interesting that a Taiwanese American friend of mine also had the same experience whilst visiting family back home in Taiwan.