Wei? Wei?
February 3rd, 2007
In China, you will notice that cell phones are EVERYWHERE. When a local answers his/her cell phone, they say “Wei? Wei?“, which is the English equivalent of “”Hello? Hello?”. “Wei” is pronounced like our word, “way”. [ By the "way", think of the business opportunities the number of cell phone users in China presents. But that is not the focus of this post. Rudeness is.]
The locals in China are constantly talking, loudly from my perspective, on their cell phones, using them during meals, while they walk with you, etc. I used to find it funny and endearing, but the more I am around it the more I find it bugs. In the home I grew up in, and in my own home now, if you were/are on the phone during a meal or when someone was/is trying to spend time with you, you are a dead man.
Two weeks ago I had a friend in town from Taiwan. I took her to a really nice place to eat in SLO. During the meal, three times, she took a call on her cellphone. The American patrons at nearby tables were not amused. I let it slide, but it made me start thinking about making this post.
Nobody is right or wrong on this, in my view. It is a cultural difference. The important thing is to understand the “why” (or “way”!) behind such differences.
[By the "way", here is a rudeness difference the Chinese could flip on us -- When I visit firms in China the person I meet with almost always walks me to to lobby, elevator and in some cases to my car to say goodby and this special attention they show always is impressive; in the US, on the other hand, I have visited firms where the parking lot is so large that finding/remembering where I parked my car after a long day of meetings is not easy (don't laugh, as you get older this will happen to you) yet I am on my own to find it because the person I met with never even bothered to step out of their office to say goodbye. So there are some best practices out there we can learn from the Chinese -- one being "pay attention to your customer" -- ask the Americans we meet in the PRC what are some of the other "best business practices" they have picked up from the Chinese.]
So, back to the cell phone issue — why do you think the Chinese use their cell phones in this “way”?
Comment below re: what you think, and THEN come back and read this post from the “This Is China” blog. No cheating!!
Entry Filed under: Pre-Departure, China, Misc.
12 Comments Add your own
1. LONNIE | February 3rd, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Chinese youth are more addicted to video games. text messaging and online chats than any other group I have seen worldwide. Students will happily risk a failing grade in class in order to keep up with the daily movements of their friends. They text message each other so often that GPS is uneccessary.
And in business meetings? I have never been to a Chinese business meeting that was not interrupted by a cell phone.
It is maddening, but you get used to it on some level…
2. Kerry Huang | February 5th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
I’m going to have to disagree with Lonnie on the “Students will happily risk a failing grade in class” comment. Grades are extremely important in Asia. This is evident by the number of “cram schools” and their high attendance of students. Students can “lose face” over bad grades because everyone knows his or her ranking and the ranking of fellow students. Everyone’s grades are publicized on weekly reports that parents must sign. There is also a stigma attached to people who perform poorly and do not attend a good school.
Back to the topic, there is a difference in how loud a Chinese person talks depending on where he or she is from. In Hong Kong I noticed that everyone speaks really loud on their phones even in public places (such as the subway). In contrast, the subway and trains in Taiwan are really quiet because people talk more softly on their cell phones. When my roommate and I ate with her friends in Taiwan they would answer their phones at the table. However, none of them talked really loud like the people in Hong Kong. When we had dinner with my roommate’s family her uncle always left the table when he answered his cell phone.
My experience in China was the worst and it made me embarrassed to be Chinese. I was at Jiao Tong University in Shanghai to hear a German guest speaker working in China talk about his company. He repeatedly asked every one to turn off their phones before his presentation (in English). And of course people’s phones rang and they talked during the presentation! The speaker even stopped his presentation to tell people to leave the room when on the phone and said that it is very rude. I could not believe that people had to be told to leave the room. This is something basic that all professionals should know.
I do not know why people use their phone in that manner. Maybe they were not listening to his instructions to turn off their phones or did not fully understand him.
I’m not sure why cell phone culture varies so much but a former professor had a similar dinner experience in a non-Asian foreign country. His theory is that this particular country did not have a history of phone etiquette since land line phones were not common. The people did not have a habit of leaving the table to answer the land line phone. So their culture skipped land lines and went straight to cell phones, which can be answered any time.
3. Lonnie | February 5th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Last year it was taboo as I was at a rural University…Thi syear I am with rich kids who have a family biz to go to after grad’…
But, they willalwys push the foreign teachers as they do the Chinese teachers…The Chinese teachers, these days, allow it…That and sleeping and…
I usually answer for them …They understand…I wrtite the directions in Chinese and English…
4. Lonnie | February 5th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
But if my writing is as good in Chinese as it is here in English…Oh my…
5. Chris Carr | February 5th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Thanks Kerry and Lonnie.
Earlier today I received an email from a business colleague who has read this post, and, the This is China post that goes along with it.
He spent his career in Asia. He did not buy the land line rationale offered by the This is China blog, but for an interesting reason — he said that in Taiwian and South Korea, where folks DID have a phone in their home before cell phones arrived, unlke the Chinese, they TOO abuse cell phone etiquette (per Western standards).
I had not thought of that. Good point. So what, then, could be the reason for this difference in how/when/where cell phones are used?
6. Lindsay Yoshitomi | February 14th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Okay…I haven’t cheated by looking ahead to your post, but I did find this very interesting, and I have some ideas about this somewhat rude behavior. First of all, I thought about how long the Chinese have had access to cell phones. They are behind the times and are starting to catch up, so like any new toy, this is a novelty. It’s exciting to have instant contact with so many people, so when the phone rings, they want to answer. Remember when you were younger and got your first cell phone? You wanted it to ring and no matter where you were, you wanted to answer it. Okay, maybe some people over here haven’t outgrown that feeling yet, like those friends who leave their phones on in the restaurant….and answer them. It’s like they might miss out on something if they don’t answer the call. Maybe the Chinese who are experiencing the wonder of communication feel the same way. After being isolated for so long, they don’t want to miss out on anything either if they can help it. So, they want to answer “a-wei.”
Also, what we might be considering rude could be just the opposite to the Chinese. When the Chinese business person walks you to the elevator, door and car after a meeting, it is being courteous and a gesture of politeness. It shows that you have worth to them. Maybe when their phone rings, they answer it to be polite, so the caller doesn’t feel put off. The caller is worthy of an answer and responding to them is a gesture of courteousness and politeness. Reciprocity is a big thing in the Asian culture, so if the phone rings, one must oblige.
I find it very annoying when I’m with someone and they take calls left and right, so why do WE do it without conscience or consideration? Maybe the answer to your question…why do the Chinese use their cell phones in this way? Because we do.
Why they speak so loudly is another issue that I’d like to examine. So, now I will read “This Is China” and let you know what I think.
7. Chris Carr | February 14th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
Good.
I think that you and Kerry are right on with how This Is China reads this facet of Chinese human behavior.
This item and topics sound to me to be the great topic of a sociology PhD dissertation.
8. Erik | February 14th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
Here’s an interesting article from the WSJ a couple days ago that discusses differences in office culture between a Beijing law office and a San Francisco law office. I think it is just another of a gazillion examples of differences in what is considered rude or not considered rude between our cultures.
9. Chris Carr | February 15th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Great article. Thanks for sharing!
10. Chris Carr | February 19th, 2007 at 9:15 am
Several friends and colleagues have emailed me off-line an noted that the phone issue is connundrum.
They note that any such explanation for “This is China” does not work for Taiwan and even South Korea, because people there have had private phones for a long time, yet they still use (abuse?) cell phones in the same manner as the mainland Chinese.
Kerry, you spend time in Taiwan. What is your take on this?
11. B Mori | February 19th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Please note that public behavior is not the same in china or the US. One of the things that bugged me was the fact that the audience talked throughout plays, music performances, puppet shows, movies and other such public events, Often loudly discussing family business and things that other people were not really interested in learning about as well as about the actor or the play itself. Actors, musicians, etc. were trained to continue the performance regardless of the audience. Audience participation in encouraging the actors was one way of keeping the audience connected. These events were opportunities to meet people not just see the play, etc. It was expected that people would learn to selectively listen to what concerned them and ignore what did not.
12. Chris Carr | February 19th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Good comment Prof. Mori (Cal Poly Sociology Professor!).
Come back and see us and comment!
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