Out of the 1 week experience, the people that I met in Beijing is rude, but nice.
Having said that, I must clarify that I'm not a Professor or Human Mannerism neither I know the place and the people so well. I'm just saying based on my limited experience and what I'm observed along the way. So take this with a pinch of salt before you start stereotyping every Pekingnese is rude.
What do I mean by rude, but nice??? Dang, that sound like contradicting but that's exactly what I felt back there. The first 2 person that I'm met there was our company partner's personnel. 1 being slightly older than me named "李冠军" and the other in his early 40's which we called him "马师父". They've come to the airport early morning to pick us up and what more is the flight delayed for nearly 1 hour. Despite the age seniority and the waiting, their hospitality is overwhelming. I'm so uncomfortable that they even rush to open the car door for you even it's just between your hand reach. The help you with your luggages, open your door, close your door and Bam, let's hit the road now. Once master Ma on the front of wheel, he then demonstrated me the way of driving in Beijing. Of course there are rules of driving there, but we can ignore the red, zebra crossing and all the insignificant one, the number 1 rule is honking. They HONK all the way till their destination. Is hair triggered and they won't hesitate to honk at all opportunities, the girl that try to cross the road, the girl that halfway crossing the road, the auntie that already crossed the road, the car in front that stop for pedestrian, the bicycle in front, the bicycle that riding on the side of the road, at the junction, at the fast lane, at the slow lane, at the opposite lane and all that you can imagine. Unlike here in Malaysia, the driver will stop for the pedestrian crossing but it's surely not usual practice in Beijing. They won't even let you while you already halfway crossing and and forcibly stop at inches before hitting you and apply the rule number 1, honkkkkk. While we were on a red light queue, one of this young lady took the in-between time to cross the road and waving her hand making this "please stop" gesture like we usually do when crossing road, in return was a line of curse that carry the meaning "don't fucking tell me what to do". Me and my friend looked each other in the eye and speechless.
None other than the waitress there giving me more of this impression of Beijing people are rude. Note that all this are well decorated and big dining restaurant with the waitress all dressing in uniform. Not all of the waitress, but most of them seems to confuse between herself and the customer. They virtually throw and slam the dishes on your dining table and turn away leaving your stunned there for seconds. Asking for spoon, tissue paper and such will very much dependent on your luck. Sometimes you get it right away, but sometimes you need to keep asking for many times before they bring you one extra spoon while the whole table asking for it. Twice, in 2 different places we ask the waitress to refill the tea pot end up the tea pot never show up again. One of our tour mate is a nun and require special order of vegetarian food. When the dining table is running out of space, the waitress came and stacked a bowl full of meat over the sifu's vegetarian food. For crying out loud, I almost choked myself seeing that. Not to mentioned that those showing faces while you asking for tissue or turning on the fan. A irrelevant side note, just in case you need to go to the toilet after that, always follow your nose. If your nose says no, then you better not, or risk wasting all your meals.
Our tour guide, a young man on his perhaps early 30's. A definitely well educated, well versed speaker, decent and according to many of his talk, coming from a renowned, influential family in the PRC. But one minute he is our nice tour, but one minute next, he is fiercely quarrellings with another rude sales girl that calling him "fucking deaf"(你他妈的聋啦).
I'm sure you wouldn't drag your self down to the bitchy standard even you are mistreated in Malaysia, like in Sungai Wang for example.
But this guy is definitely bloody loaded for a tour guide, constantly travel between Beijing and Malaysian, and according to the Malaysian tour guide, spending few thousands every month on the phone with her Penang girlfriend. He know Penang, KL and Johor more than most Malaysian and he even speak some simple Malay.
In all many possible way, the sale girl in the shopping plaza that forces you to buy something, literally drags you inside of her shop, or blocking you when you are on your way out, curse you for not buying, the people that keep bugging you to buy souvenir from his/her on the road side, the mother that put her children in filthy clothes and fingernails cornered you for money and asking for your watch, ring and possessions, the guy that pee on the side of the road, split, and the 3 girls that keep kicking my seat and talk loudly for 6 hours on the flight. I got scolded from an auntie for refusing to buy her souvenir but later on bought from another old man that followed me all the way. It was out of sympathy (that this old man keep walking beside me begging me to buy it and ignoring the car) and I decided to buy from him although I don't need them. The ladies quickly came and reprimanded me for told her "Don't want it, thanks" but now buying from other, with vulgar of course.
I'm not saying that we don't see this happens in Malaysia, especially our notorious Petaling Street. We have our fair share of problems and rough peoples on the streets and in the car too. Just that they are on a different level and they don't think it is anything wrong with their way. They don't necessarily meant to offend you but somehow their normal way seems to be too rude for our Malaysian standard. 2 words, "culture gap". As you may don't know, calling any ladies like the waitress "小姐"(one way of saying miss) are extremely crude to their standard which is totally fine in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Calling them that is like calling them whore which would get them angry if they haven't meet enough tourist. So in some way, we are being rude without knowing it too.
So a word of advise is don't be too serious on the way they treated you as they may not mean to harm your feeling at all. Life is hard there of the Billions competitions and everyone is making a living out of the limited opportunities and to take care of your feeling is certainly of the lower priority. I'd say you give a shrug and enjoy the things that worth your attention more. They are trying nonetheless and one can see so many signs of "迎奥运、讲文明、树新风" in Beijing.
Worth mentioning is our tour bus driver is a totally nice guy to be with. He talked to us about Beijing and brought us to some local delicacies at night even he only paid to drive us. Ten hours of driving, few hours of waiting in the bus and he still nice to drink with us, and going out for supper with us on his resting time. During one of this talk where a word slipped his mouth and there's where I learn something new. "真他妈孙子".
