Language Barrier in China

I would love to go to China one day. I’ve heard and read so much about this fascinating country – the good, the bad and the ugly.

But what’s holding me back is the language barrier.

Thanks to my parents who didn’t send me to Chinese school as well as my Peranakan background, my language skills in Mandarin is hopeless.

Cantonese I can handle, but I’m hopeless when it comes to Mandarin. I attended Mandarin classes a couple of years back, but gave up because writing Chinese characters is a mind boggling task especially for someone who has no foundation.

Many ang mohs return from China with fascinating travel stories and experiences. But they don’t look like the locals. So the locals don’t expect them to speak Mandarin.

In my case, I look like the locals and therefore they’ll be conversing with me in Mandarin wherever I go.

I can imagine myself saying, “Wo poo hueh chiang hua yee” (Translation: “I can’t speak Mandarin”) everywhere I go.

Ordering food and asking for directions would be a nightmare.

I asked my mum the other day:

Would it be easier to travel to a country where:
1) You look like the locals but can't speak the language, or
2) You don't look like the locals and can't speak the language.

My mum chose the second situation.