Defenses Against Foreigner-Targeters

In China, it’s all about “saving face.” While you may want to tell off the persistent salespeople and foreigner-targeting beggars in the street, or perhaps ignore those university students in the park, this might backfire in that the Chinese people around you when it happens may just deepen any disdain they already had for foreigners, and so you’re doing damage both to yourself and also to any future tourists.

Best to avoid that situation. Here’s how I figure that from now on I will handle all these people in the street that I don’t want to talk to:

For the guy on the street who persistently tries to sell you “watches, DVDs, lady massage”:

••• O, nǐ hǎo! Nǐ yǒu shǒuzhuābǐng ma? [He looks bewildered and confused.] Nǐ méi yòu? O, wǒ biéde dōngxi bú mǎi. Xièxie, zàijiàn.

[Hello! Do you have any “shouzhuabing”? (This is basically a Chinese street-crêpe.) Oh, you don’t have any? Well, I don’t buy other things. Thanks, see you later!]

I’m positive that the above will work, but if you prefer being less cutesy and more to the point, you can try the following, which worked very well for me this afternoon. It also puts into practice a very useful grammatical construction:

••• Nǐ hǎo. Wǒ shénme dōngxi dōu bú mǎi. Xièxie.

[Hello. Whatever things you have, I’m not going to buy them. Thanks.]

For the beggar who asks money only from you even when four well-off businesspersons just passed her by on the street:

••• O, nǐ hǎo! Wǒ shì xuésheng, suǒyǐ wǒ méiyǒu qián. Duìbuqǐ, zàijiàn!

[Oh, hello! I’m a student, so I don’t have any money. Sorry about that, see you later!]

And if they look and point at the food you just bought in the street, clearly using cash, I would probably say:

Xìnyòng kǎ. Zàijiàn!

[Credit card. Bye!]

For the university students in the park who invariably call out “Hihellowhereyoufrom?” when you’re walking through the park (but only if you don’t want to talk to them, as this might be a good way for you to practice your Chinese):

••• O, nǐ hǎo! Wǒ shì [insert real or made-up nationality here]-rén. Dànshì, wǒ xiànzài méiyǒu kòng (or “kòngr” if in Beijing). Duìbuqǐ, zàijiàn!

[Hello! I’m a/n (insert real or fake nationality here). However, I don’t have any free time right now. Sorry, see you later!]

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В Китаю, легко бачити, хто іноземний або турист. Якщо маєш "золоте волосся" і "великий ніс", тяжко часом позбутися тих людей, які питають гроші, або продають речі на вулиці, або студентів які кажуть, що вічно хочуть "практикувати" англійську мову. Ось я написав кілька слів про кілька непоганих речень, що можна вживати/говорити, позбутися тих людей.