Afraid of the cold / radiation

[Bao3niang]

One thing that I see a lot in China is that people are especially afraid of the cold. It's only early November and I'm already being constantly hassled by my ayi (housekeeper) to wear 2 or 3 layers and long socks when I don't even think it is cold. Also, they sell special pants called "???" (wool pants) or "??" (autumn pants) at this time of the year and I haven't heard of that anywhere in the world.
It all comes from this irrational fear of cold temperatures that in China, you are assumed to be weak and suspectible to getting sick at the slightest exposure.



Another thing I've noticed that Chinese people can get hyper over is radiation from the TV, wireless adapters, etc. When little children are around, the latter is often turned off, because many Chinese have this false belief that just a tiny bit of radiation could potentially do great harm, while in fact it takes a large amount to have any sort of impact.

[MrPeabody]

Do they have central heating in China? Many countries don't have central heating. I wear warm things too because there is no heating in the houses in Mexico and it gets cold in the winter. It must get a lot colder in China.

[Bao3niang]

They do have central heating in China.

[Bao3niang]

However, what I'm talking about is the irrational fear of these things that Chinese people have, believing that just a tiny bit of exposure could take your life away......

[HouseMD]

They're just odd culture specific urban legends and myths, much like fan death in Korea or a disease that makes your penis shrink to nothing in Japan. Every culture has them- many Americans believe milk makes mucus thicker or that shaving hair will make it grow back thicker, both of which are BS but widely believed old wives tales. Humans are superstitious creatures that are prone to believing silly things.

[Bao3niang]

The number 6 is also considered good luck in China, while in Scripture it is the number of The Devil. '8' is also another lucky number because it sort of sounds similar to 'fa' (发)', which means to get rich.

These 2 numbers are really common on license plates in China, and I've seen them appear quite often 4 times in a row (like '6666' or '8888'). When people get cell phone numbers, they also want it to be considered 'lucky.'

Typical Chinese quite often have a 'huang li' (黄历) at home, which is basically a calendar with astorlogical/superstitious elements which determine what day is good for something (travelling, getting married, etc.) and what day is bad.

[In2dadark]

Another thing I've noticed that Chinese people can get hyper over is radiation from the TV, wireless adapters, etc. When little children are around, the latter is often turned off, because many Chinese have this false belief that just a tiny bit of radiation could potentially do great harm, while in fact it takes a large amount to have any sort of impact.

I've only found a few other ppl like me in the U.S.. I must be Chinese then, bc I not only 'think' wireless & radiation from monitors & TV's and esp. wireless can do great harm, in may case it does. But just bc you're not sensitive like me, doesn't mean you aren't being harmed. It alters DNA & causes premature death. No one is immune.

http://youtu.be/b_wxM6IAF1I