- don't open doors for others
- don't yield or give way - EVER
- don't make eye contact or conversation with strangers
- speak in a rough manner or just loudly
- poke you in the eye with umbrellas
- don't help you if you fall down
- (..the list goes on and on)
Just yesterday, when I was at my favourite fruit stall in Causeway Bay to buy some longan fruit (only HK$12 for two pounds) the guy threw in a free mandarin orange for me, for no reason at all, with a big smile on his face.
Then, at night, when it started to pour down, I was walking home in front of a HK lady with an umbrella, and while I was at a stoplight waiting to cross the street, she offered to share her umbrella with me until I reached cover. After she reached her building and went inside, she came back out to ask me if I wanted to borrow her umbrella -- me, a total stranger!
And today, when I was crossing the road in Sheung Wan, I was looking the wrong way when a HK lady reached out and stopped me from stepping right in front of a moving tram, saying "Watch out, miss!"
So, has HK always been this nice or has something changed? Has anyone else had similar experiences (and I'm not talking about people you've known for a while, but total strangers)? Let me know!
4 comments:
There are def a lot of nice people in HK! I think people see what they want to see--if you believe everyone is rude and unkind, you'll automatically only notice those people. :)
I have to say it's rare! I think its not that HK people are rude, but they are just constantly on the go, busy, in the middle of something, and they are unlikely to spare a moment and interact with a random stranger.
On top of that, people are paranoid about people offering free stuff to random people, there is always a catch, that's how we are taught since we are young.
I guess there is some truth in if people chose to see the negatives in others, they are more likely to notice the bad things. However, it seems to be a norm to be selfish, and just do your own thing, go your own way and deal with your own matter.
It really brighten up your day when you experienced kindness from strangers!
OMG -We Australians think you Hong Kongers are the nicest people (& politest)people on the world- SERIOUSLY!!As a frequent visitor to your shores that is something we love about Hong Kong- locals are always trying to help us find our way around, say sorry etc if they walk in front of you. :)
The Aussie needs to spend more time here.
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