My SO's WTF Rant: China is *Way* Too Open?!
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Oh my, I don’t know how to describe it! Last time when my boyfriend was using the restroom at Litchi Park in Shenzhen, he was "warmly" surrounded by a group of old men. That scene… he still has some anxiety shadows due to that experience.
Then, we arrived in Guangzhou yesterday.
I took him to visit the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall — a famous cluster of ancient buildings with many exquisite carvings.
We strolled around for a while. He said he wanted to use the restroom again. This time, I specially chose a public restroom next to a police office location thinking this would be safe enough…
You'd never guess what happened!
He walked into the restroom, and another old gentleman approached him, smiling and staring intently at him with incomprehensible Chinese words spoken...When he came out, he was shocked, telling me, "My previous impression of China is indeed quite shallow! To think that China is surprisingly open and liberal in terms of homosexual friendship."
It’s not something that one can say in response to his comments. So I explained: as a matter of fact, back then, boys walking on the streets with hands linked were normal signs of close relationships. It was because of changes in social ideologies over time that those actions would be regarded as strange today and observed weirdly by others.
I also mentioned some emperors in ancient China had developed homophilic emotions, such as the term “the habit of cutting one's sleeve (斷繡之癖).” This term refers to an ancient emperor who cut off part of his sleeve so as not to wake up his lover sleeping on there in the early morning. Later on, this term refers to romantic love among males.That said, all these misunderstandings have led to all these culture gaps!
WARNING & CAUTION: Special Reminders for Straight Boys
To avoid unnecessary embarassment and misunderstandings, there might be some specific crowds at certain public restrooms. If you are a straight male and do not wish for "overly attention", here are tips you need to take notes of:
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How to Avoid:
- Feel uncomfortable about the atmosphere of a public restroom or people paying too much attention towards you, leave soon then.
- Usually choose a more common public restroom with higher traffic flow; it’d be much safer.
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Known Locations You Should Be Cautious About:
- Litchi Park (Shenzhen): Public restroom, which I suggest, except in cases where you absolutely have no alternative, it is better for straight boys to avoid going there.
So let me know if you find other public restrooms at other cities require attention. Let’s put together a guide for avoiding potential issues for foreign heterosexual men traveling to China!
- Litchi Park (Shenzhen): Public restroom, which I suggest, except in cases where you absolutely have no alternative, it is better for straight boys to avoid going there.
#CulturalGap #ForeignersInChina #StrangeAdventuresOfForeignBoyfriend
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Public restrooms in some places are cruising spots for middle-aged and older gay men. Take the men's restroom in Beijing's Dongdan Park, for instance. It's arguably China's most famous gay cruising spot. Years ago, when actor Zhang Guoli was preparing for a role as someone with an ambiguous gender identity, he even went there to observe and learn.
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You don't mean that character from 'Stories from the Editorial Board,' do you?
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Back in college, we had a new American teacher. Once, after class, while chatting with some classmates, he mentioned he was surprised to see so many gay people on our campus. We were all completely baffled by his comment. It wasn't until we talked more that we understood: he thought we were gay just because guys sometimes put their arms around each other's shoulders.
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Exactly! And they probably think girls are lesbians just for being physically affectionate with other girls.
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Guess they haven't seen many foreigners. It's a real eye-opener for them, huh?
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Haha, that was my first thought too!
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The old guy was probably just curious.
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Guess they've never encountered that 'foreign specimen' before.
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It feels like people in this thread have no idea about the gay scene in Shenzhen's parks.
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The floor is yours.
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An old man stared at me once too. I got so scared I ran off before I even finished peeing!
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The IP location adds up.
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It wasn't until later that I learned about glory holes in men's restrooms.
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What's that?
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Whatever you do, don't take him to Chengdu! Don't take him to Chengdu! Seriously, DON'T take him to Chengdu!
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What are you talking about? You're giving gays everywhere the wrong idea! It's because of all this hype that gays from all over the country are flocking to Sichuan, and honestly, it's becoming a real nuisance!
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Is this the biggest trauma he's experienced in his entire life or what?
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I think what happened last time in Shenzhen's Lizhi Park was probably his biggest trauma to date. That's why he's much calmer about this Guangzhou incident.
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So why does everyone gather at Lizhi Park?