Learn the Etiquette and finer points of staring

Foreigners in China are stared at a lot. They can understand why， since very few"outsiders" have infiltrated the motherland in the past half a century. However. people from other countries likely agree in hoping that this phenomenon will occur to a lesser degree as time passes.

　　There are different types of starers. The first is the"friendly starer". This person may have a big grin on his face and attempt saying something， even if he knows very little English. But， a friendly"Hello. How are you？" is usually welcome to a visitor. Not only might initiating a conversation， you may be able to help your new friend with his Chinese language skills or directions in getting around. Hopefully， more friendly starers will emerge because they also bring a warm welcoming feeling to the person who is very far from home.

　　The second type is the fearful starer. This shy Chinese person will try to look away if caught by the foreign friend But he will usually look again as soon as the foreigner looks in another direction. While the fearful starer is at least trying to be polite by Western standards， there is no reason to fear the foreigner Your foreign friend is the one who should be more afraid， as he is living in a culture quite different from that to which be is accustomed， and more often than not， does not speak much Chinese.

　　The third type is the"angry stare. He stares without a trace of a smile or a"hello" or any attempt at being polite by turning away after a short glimpse. He cam stare at the foreigner for 20 minutes straight on a bus， without caring how uncomfortable he may be making the guest feel. This person not only creates an annoying disturbance in the life of the visitor， but also fosters fear and anger.

　　The chances are that if you are reading this， you are educated enough to know that staring is impolite. If you see a person staring at a guest， please let them know that this behaviour is rude and at least if they want to stare， they should say hello and attempt a simple conversation. By doing so. you can help China prepare to accept many more foreign friends to the motherland. Leah Hannigan is an American teaching in Fujian