Guangzhou: *Really* That Inclusive for Outsiders?
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Huh? That sounds pretty rare. Many business owners in Guangzhou are actually from Chaoshan or other provinces. Neither I nor anyone I know has ever come across a job that absolutely required Cantonese.
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Sometimes I just don't get it. You have these non-locals who constantly bash Guangzhou, talking about how bad it is in every way, yet they keep pouring in. If you hate it so much, you don't actually have to come, you know? No one's forcing you at gunpoint.
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There are no opportunities for them back home! And places like Beijing or Shanghai are out of their reach.
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Cantonese itself is perfectly fine. It's less about being exclusionary and more about this strange, unwarranted sense of superiority some of them seem to have. It's really weird.
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It's really strange. I grew up in Shenzhen and just recently came to Guangzhou for university. In my class, there's a group of fluent Cantonese speakers who always use it. But then you have others whose Cantonese clearly isn't great, yet they still force themselves to speak it at school.
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Being friends or colleagues is one thing, but when it comes to marriage, you really need to observe carefully. It's best to avoid marrying into families with a very strong clan mentality, especially if the parents seem sheltered and haven't experienced much of the outside world.
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It's like that in both Guangdong and Guangxi. Definitely watch out for that strong clan mentality in the Liangguang region.
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I once had a bus driver yell at me because I couldn't understand his Cantonese – he was talking about the card reader slot. I had just graduated, had just arrived in Guangzhou, and it was my first bus ride. I'll never forget it. Later, I found out that even locals get scolded by bus drivers.
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If you can speak Cantonese, you'll just get an even worse tongue-lashing.
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I agree, it feels exclusionary. I've been in Guangzhou for university for two or three years, and being quite socially anxious, I haven't picked up Cantonese. As a result, I often get these subtle digs from locals. It's happened many times. They'll say things like, 'Oh, so-and-so picked up Cantonese within just a year of moving here...'
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I've seen many people say that Guangzhou's inclusiveness manifests as a sort of 'not caring too much,' and honestly, that's really comfortable. Nobody pays excessive attention to you; you can just focus on living your own life. I'm from Northeast China, and when I first arrived, I wasn't used to it and found it a bit aloof. But on reflection, it's actually a good thing. You don't have 'seniors' or 'elders' constantly meddling or telling you what to do. It's not complete indifference either – my colleagues do share important things to look out for. Overall, there's a great sense of personal space and boundaries. I love Guangzhou (just wish the summers were a bit more bearable!).
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When it comes to the weather, even lifelong Guangzhou locals can barely stand it anymore. It just keeps getting worse.
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Guangzhou might seem to have a lot of non-locals on the surface, but actually, it's one of the most exclusionary cities in China, right up there with Hong Kong.
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Yes, I can totally relate. In the office, it's often the Cantonese speakers who form their own little groups, and there are many things they just implicitly understand among themselves.