Although I’ve been teaching in China for almost three years and learned a lot about workplace culture here, there’s still one thing that gets me into trouble on a regular basis. I’m brutally honest and tend to “say it as it is.” Unfortunately, this is not a trait that is in high demand in Chinese education institutions. Here I bring you a little lesson on the importance of respecting “face” as a foreign teacher in China.

 

All the way back in 2013, Taiwanese singer Yoga Lin Youjia perfectly encapsulated the issue of “face” in his song Lie. Its most popular line was “rén jiān bù chāi,” an abbreviation of the longer sentence rén shēn jiān nán bú yào chāi chuān. This roughly translates as: “Life is so hard, don’t hurt me with truth.”

When it comes to working as a foreign teacher it China, it seems there are many people you can hurt with the truth.

Dealing with parents

For most schools, the most important thing is that parents like their teachers. And if you want Chinese parents to like you, the number-one rule is never to cause them to “lose face” by telling them the truth about their kids’ shortcomings.

I got into trouble at my previous job after flagging in the monthly report that some of our kindergarten kids had “additional needs.” Apparently this innocuous comment had seriously insulted all the parents even though I mentioned no kids by name.

While navigating the nuances of “face” is notoriously tricky for foreigners, even some more Westernized Chinese people get confused from time to time. A Chinese teacher I know who went to university in the US was equally baffled about why she was not allowed to give real feedback to Chinese parents. Even though she is Chinese and knows all about the concept of saving face, she believes parents would only benefit from knowing the truth about their child’s progress. She was told by the school not to “hurt” the parents, however. Because: “rén jiān bù chāi.”

Dealing with colleagues

It isn’t just the parents who will not appreciate your honesty. Your Chinese colleagues may also resent your attempts to point out problems in order to make changes for the better. When I was trying to teach the students at a high school I worked at some basic manners like saying “please” and “excuse me,” I discovered another teacher had written a long report about my efforts, saying I was shaming and humiliating the children.

One of my European colleagues suffered similar wrath when he dared to address a hygiene issue. After noticing the state of the school toilets, he suggested the teachers provide a few practical pointers on how to use a Western toilet correctly. We’ve all seen the shoe prints on the toilet seats, right? After all, the majority of these students will be going to Western universities soon, so a little bit of face loss now could save them a whole lot further down the line.

However, the majority of the Chinese staff reacted with utter disgust at this suggestion. Apparently my colleague had crossed the line. Although he did not call out the kids directly, the Chinese staff felt offended on their behalf.

But this is China!

Yes, life can be hard, but to me, it seems obvious that acknowledging mistakes and shortcomings is the best way to learn. One would hope that in the long run it would make life easier. But the concept of protecting face in China is just something I have learned to accept. According to a well-known Chinese saying, “A person needs face just as a tree needs its bark.”

Just now, as I was writing this article, my friend texted me from the US saying she had just received back a parcel she sent me last year. She asked if I could go to the post office and ask for an explanation. I told her TIC (This is China) and that I would not be going to confront the post office staff for obvious reasons. What happened to the parcel over the past year will have to remain a mystery, but maybe that’s for the best. Perhaps life really is too hard and the truth would just hurt.

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Keywords: foreign teachers in China foreign teacher in China