Magnifico, I understand your point of view. I think I would disagree because I personally believe that almost all things are purely cultural, with the exception of a short list of things like murder, genocide, etc. Also, I know you are not whining or being arrogant.

How do you define "culture"?

If 80% of males smoke and you're practically forced to smoke when you go out, is that "cultural"? How did the "culture" get created? Is it because people are mindless drones just copying everything else everyone is doing?

And is culture etched in stone? I refuse to bow down to "culture".

If a car tries to outmuscle me, I flip him the finger.

But that's how I roll.

Magnifico, I guess would define culture as simply the customs and practices of a population. I think we just have different opinions: fair enough.

Ok, but let's take the example of smoking. Would you define smoking as culture? I would since it is culturally inappropriate to refuse a cigarette when a local offers one.

Sometimes I refuse because I think it's rude to force poison onto someone else.

Basically, respect culture, but common decency trumps culture.

Magnifico, yes I would define smoking as culture. I am not a smoker, and usually if offered a ciggy here, I just say, 不好意思,我不抽烟, 谢谢！ But, if it is an important person, like my boss, a government official, someone taking me to a lavish dinner and paying, etc., I will take it and puff it. So yes, I guess I am willing to bend to accommodate local culture, even in case of poison.

It can be frustrating as a pedestrian, not because of all the cultural differences, but because there are laws that are put in place for people's safety, as in trying to honor those laws, you're in the minority and fending for yourself when crossing the road. (It is especially frustrating when you're pushing a stroller with your two kids in it and cars are racing towards you and honking...all culture aside, if someone is threatening your children, there's cause for frustration and anger)

bluegrass14, allow me to offer my thoughts on the law issue. Different cultures have different views of laws. In the US, for example, people strongly feel that every law, down to the letter, must always be obeyed equally by everyone, no matter the consequences.

But Asia is different. Chinese place harmony and function and balance, over the words of a law. So to the Chinese mind, it seems silly to always obey all laws to the letter, without the context of reality.

I see it as truly two different ways of viewing law. Both are valid and exist for a reason, in my opinion.

I understand the different ways people view law and how we should respond to the laws that are in place. But I don't see people's driving habits falling under the category of choosing "harmony and function and balance" over following a law. It seems that it's more that people don't like to yield to others and want to get places quicker. That in itself is a cultural mentality, which is hard to integrate into when you'd prefer to live orderly according to the laws in place.
I also think that because people know the laws are not enforced (the only tickets I've ever seen given are for parking violations), there is less incentive to follow them, regardless of culture. I know most foreigners simply follow suite here and bypass laws when it's more convenient right along with the rest of the population.

China makes the laws, not other countries, so anyone can use the Chinese laws when they see fit. Example: China now has laws about no smoking on buses. I simply write a letter to the bus company and the driver is fined for violating the rule he broke which he knows is illegal to smoke. Nothing cultural about it. Same with who has the right of way on a crosswalk, the driver is wrong and and every time people move out of the way of the car doing illegal and unsafe behavior they are making the problem worse.

This is a bully mentality. I am bigger so you must move for me. Cars abuse pedestrians, buses abuse cars, trucks abuse all the others. Its great to see 2 bullies standing like idiots on a huge and empty intersection because they both were unwilling to yield to the other.

Look around and anyone can clearly see that China is trying to be like the west in many ways. Like I mentioned in another thread. Chinese exchange more gifts on 2/14 then they do on 7/7.

I do not know how many times I have heard chinese complaining about how they feel forced and threatened to drink during company dinners. Chinese hate this Chinese cultural HABIT but they do not know how to stop it. Thanks to foreigners, now many chinese are willing to say NO or just not play this ridiculous cultural game.

For centuries, people in many cultures have had to follow ridiculous cultural HABITS although they did not want to. Example, Footbinding, female circumcision, machismo, Marianismo. Should I say more, I dont think so. There are many ridiculous cultural Habits that people want to stop but it takes an outsider to say that the emperor has no clothes.

To be honest, there's nothing that any of us can do. You can be a silly asshat with the rules in your pocket, but that won't change people's behavior. Half of the people with licenses never took a test or paid for their licenses. They aren't going to stop to read a crumpled up piece of paper because a laowai tells them to. I live on a one way street but every day some moron drives the wrong way and blocks up all of traffic. People drive their piece of shit e-bikes way too close and too fast around pedestrians. If you stop and tell them to drive logically, they will be argumentative (my experience).

It won't change. Its not only the people's mindset, the simple fact is that the streets are just too narrow within the first ring. The streets weren't designed for this many cars, e-bikes, and people. Going all the way around to be in the right direction actually is a major pain in the ass from the driver perspective. Its more convenient from the driver perspective if everyone can slowly inch around when they get an opening. And of course if the goal is to slowly inch up cars are going to do whatever the heck they want. After all, that person had the money for the car and peasant pedestrians are poor, unimportant hitting targets.

This is life here. It really pisses me off to walk out my front door or come back home, but in the end Kunming is a nice enough place to put up with this small issue. Just be attentive and not too arrogant. A car is a car. A driver can still kill you. A reckless e-bike driver not paying attention can still kill you. If you really can't put up with the traffic issues, move to chenggong. I've considered it before.