One of the first things that catches foreigners off guard here is a lack of etiquette. There are the obvious things like chatting on speakerphone or watching videos out loud everywhere without using headphones and perhaps it all stems from a complete lack of privacy in dense mega cities.
I can also somewhat understand the reasoning for rushing onto transportation or constantly cutting into lines. It is normal for them but certainly rude to me, especially when I get shoved out of their way.
There are some things that stand out as more abrasive like how everyone spits here. I don’t see if often from the younger generations but older Chinese men and women spit often and it doesn’t matter where. It is just accepted as a normal occurrence.
Same thing with coughing. Rarely do I see people covering their mouth when coughing or covering their nose when sneezing. No wonder so many people wear face masks here.
Being squished into buses with Chinese people has also made me painfully aware of how older Chinese people have horrendous breath. Maybe it is a lack of hygiene or foul eggs for breakfast but it is something I had to suffer through regularly.
Lastly and maybe worst of all, very few people wash their hands after using the toilet so there’s that too. Sometimes people would be walking away, see me washing, and then turn back to wash too but that wasn’t usually the case.