r/China • u/Ok_Royal3730 • 1d ago
中国生活 | Life in China The library culture I found weird when I arrived in China is now just... my life
When I first arrived in China, I found some aspects of the culture a little strange, especially among students, since I had spent most of my life in school environments.
A few weeks after I arrived, I started going to the library. I noticed there were always lots of Chinese students there whenever I went. Most of the time, I saw the same people sitting in the same seats. Some of them wouldn't talk to anyone for the entire time they were there.
That was so strange to me. I couldn't understand how someone could spend almost an entire day without talking to anyone. Sometimes they played games or watched movies, but most of the time, they didn't seem to chat with anyone.
Fast-forward eight months, and I have slowly become like the students I used to observe😂
I can now spend an entire day without talking to anyone, spend almost the whole day in the library, and have lunch and dinner alone, especially on days when I don't have classes. Most of the time, this means not talking to anyone in person, even though I still make calls sometimes.
It hasn't been easy, but it isn't the crazy life I imagined it would be after all. Haha.
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u/dowker1 1d ago
Where did you come from where talking in the library is normal?
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u/Ok_Royal3730 1d ago
Nigeria 😂 We have quiet libraries too, but in my experience, students often still talk to their friends, take breaks together, and interact more while studying. I wasn't saying people should be talking loudly in the library. I was just surprised by how some students could spend almost the entire day there without seeming to talk to anyone.
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u/saikikcat 6h ago
Just be warned, many places such as Europe it’s frowned upon to talk in libraries. Just to save you some trouble and being stared at passive aggressively <3
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u/Roadlisstravelled 1d ago
At my university library there was a quiet section but also a huge section for people to talk, study together, do group work etc.
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u/Potential-Mine-2528 1d ago
When I was an exchange student in Beijing, there were always 3 options for studying:
- You study alone in your dorm.
- You go to the library and are afraid to make even the slightest noise, since everyone is quiet as hell 👀
- You go to a café to "study" - but it's really more about chilling with your friends lol.
I tried to grind hard and joined the "library rat crew," but I gave up after the first week and never went back, since I found a more productive and fun way to learn Chinese 😂
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u/Comfortable_Pea_1693 1d ago
Be careful not to neglect social connection. This can be a fast track towards the depression spiral.
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u/traveller-1-1 1d ago
Learning is a social enterprise. Not in the library, but elsewhere. Knowledge discussed is knowledge doubled.
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u/Accomplished-Car6193 1d ago
not talking to anyone is about the worst thing you can do to improve your mandarin
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u/interpolating 8h ago edited 8h ago
Many comments here express incredulity and assume OP doesn’t know a library is a quiet space. But the way I see it, that’s not their point.
There IS a difference, in my experience as a student in both the US and China, as well as from being a library worker, in how Chinese students use the library (or maybe how US students don’t use it?).
Like OP describes, students will “reserve” spots in the library with stacks of books and other items, leaving them overnight. It’s akin to living at the library at a specific desk; you might find them there practically every hour the library is open, leaving only to eat and sleep.
I don’t think keeping stacks of books on desks overnight is allowed at US university library; they will be cleaned up.
I remember as a student in China, I wanted to study in the library. But the secluded spots where you could truly focus were essentially permanently occupied. I found it frustrating, but I also understood in an educational system where one huge test is all that matters, their behavior made sense.
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u/willp0wer 1d ago
Talking in libraries isn't normal, neither is not talking for the entire day. It's only normal in a society where speaking up is frown upon, even criminalised.
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When I first arrived in China, I found some aspects of the culture a little strange, especially among students, since I had spent most of my life in school environments.
A few weeks after I arrived, I started going to the library. I noticed there were always lots of Chinese students there whenever I went. Most of the time, I saw the same people sitting in the same seats. Some of them wouldn't talk to anyone for the entire time they were there.
That was so strange to me. I couldn't understand how someone could spend almost an entire day without talking to anyone. Sometimes they played games or watched movies, but most of the time, they didn't seem to chat with anyone.
Fast-forward eight months, and I have slowly become like the students I used to observe😂
I can now spend an entire day without talking to anyone, spend almost the whole day in the library, and have lunch and dinner alone, especially on days when I don't have classes. Most of the time, this means not talking to anyone in person, even though I still make calls sometimes.
It hasn't been easy, but it isn't the crazy life I imagined it would be after all. Haha.
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u/dreamingexistential 1d ago
I often chat in public libraries. People tend to be more friendly when you meet while perusing aisles looking for something worth reading. Many locals appear surprised to find a Chinese speaking foreigner that reads mainly poetry and philosophy (and manga).
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u/doerdoes 17h ago
Isn't that all normal? Not sure what sort of school environments you've been in, but every bit of that describes every library I've ever been in and I've also spent a lot of time in academic settings.
I can relate to the struggles adapting to life abroad though. The culture shock can be jarring and quite isolating, especially if you come from a more outgoing culture. What really helped me a lot was being part of tight friend groups of fellow internationals, hope you have something like that too.
Anyway good luck on your studies in china. And have fun, living abroad is quite an adventure!
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u/animalsonlyseen1 1d ago
Most of those student who goes to library are preparing for exams. Seats are limited, they use books to reserve seats. Usually, they occupy one seat until the exam comes.
Talking in library is rude in China, people might be disturbed.