Discussion Chinese novels vs real life chinese

Hi friends! I'm here again with a random thread! I've been reading a lot of chinese novels and some things really stood out:

• A lot of proverbs and sayings are used (which are quite fun and educational)
• Congee is life
• Most of the protagonists (if not all) only survive in the entertainment industry because they have a backer i.e ML, FL, family or friend.
• A lot of hotpot and noodles are eaten, lol

So I want to know...are proverbs and sayings actually used in real life conversations? How good is congee (and its different types)? Do people need backers in showbiz? How often do you guys eat hotpot and noodles?

 

pretty sure it applies to most of the people RL not only china
and does instant noodles count?

 

Really? Honestly, I wanted a catchy thread title, lol.
Instant noodles? I guess so?

 

My parents (who are native Chinese speakers) don't really use proverbs that often around me, but it's just like how sometimes you use idioms and sometimes you don't and it just fits naturally in conversation.
I don't like congee when I'm sick I just stay in bed and suffer lol
I don't know about the entertainment industry so I won't comment on that
and I love hotpot and noodles! Going out to eat hotpot is expensive where I live but it's fun and very very delicious eating it at home. Also there's a lot of different kinds of good noodles so I'm not tired of eating it at all. Actually I'm the type of person who can eat noodles for all the meals in a week (though I don't eat breakfast) too.

 

i dunno if people(youngster nowdays ) use such a word in RL.
but CN netizen somewhat known for wordplay to get around censorship

 

Thanks for your response!

Lol

 

I also wonder about this backer-thing for showbiz. I work in American entertainment and having a backer is only so good in that LA is a hellishly expensive place to live if you aren’t getting subsidized by family

I mean it’s not uncommon for a producer or financier to insist on so-and-so celebrity but it’s nothing like what you see in CN novels were like...Tim Cook or Bill Gates (or some other big shot CEO in an unrelated industry) is calling up Disney to force them to cast Helen Mirren or they’ll defund the movie.

tho there are certainly SGR producers like Travis Knight (Nike heir) and the Ellison siblings (Oracle heirs).

 

This makes me think differently

 

The mainlanders that I know eat a good amount of congee. It was a staple for breakfast at the Taiwanese hotels I’ve been at.

A good number of the non-Cantonese whom I’ve met eat a lot of noodles. One native speaking Mandarin group that I was part of, at snack time habitually had a huge pan of noodles which people added hot sauce and/or soy sauce to. The noodles at the end was usually cleaned out. This was in addition to a ton of other food. I’ve been told that noodles are the staple starch for northerners (I’m from a Cantonese family).

Hot pot seems to be considered a special dish. I’ve seen it at Chinese New Years and other celebrations, also times when guests are entertained.

 

Hot pot is great for social gatherings and get-togethers. It's quite popular, I've seen a lot of hotpot restaurants in mainland China and other places. It's really good, there's a lot of different hotpot broths and dishes available. I'm also a fan of noodles.

I personally am a fan of congee, it's easy to eat and great when you're sick. You can find several types in the cafeterias. I eat congee relatively frequently, especially when the weather gets cold or I feel under the weather.

I also agree with riririn. Regarding idioms, there are some where it's become used so often that you say phrases or use idioms and you don't really realize that it is considered one. Sometimes proverbs come up too, but there are definitely ones that are used more frequently than others. So I guess, the answer is yes- it does actually come up in casual conversation.

Can't really help you with the entertainment industry part, but I can say for sure that the netizens can get pretty intense.

 

The best congee I've ever tasted is actually from KFC. The only problem is that the portion is too small.

 

I agree 100%. So good. I need more.

 

Yep. China, while slightly better than before, is still corrupt as fuck. People are actively trying to crack down on whatever they can but corruption is rampant everywhere.

I recommend you to watch the drama 人民的名义 'In the Name of the People' to understand how deep-rooted corruption is in the Chinese society.

 

Not a chinese, but congee is a staple food in my country. Try it with stocks delivered from real chicken/meat, and top it with crispy salted fish. Yum

 

More or less, a majority of female author interpreted it quite accurately. Ofc, strictly on the settings.
Male author tend to be a lot more nationalistic and childish on the story settings and personality. Ofc, not all of them.

As for proverbs, although not as often, we do use proverbs, yes.
in my exp, it's quite similar to most other culture in regard we only used it to make it easier and faster for others to understand. Like when the situation is appropriate and to make it more impressive.

Chinese people eat it as breakfast since ancient time, but i wont go as far as saying conge is life though xd. That said, i personally love it. Century egg chicken conge is the most popular imo.

Sadly, it is true. And not only entertainment industry, but almost on all industry. except on private sector like local groceries/shop, super/minimarket, restaurant, hospitality/hotel/massage, etc. Even then, they also has internal political struggle. Nepotism is considered to be a tradition and the norm on China, although it is illegal by ethics and law.
Honestly, the darkness of showbiz is happening in all society. not only China. It's just the government has more hand in controlling the showbiz in China. Like, a daughter of a high rank official has more chance to get into the industry succesfully, just because the CEO wants to curry favor to her dad.
There is a reason why all type of official entertainment in China is trash compared to international standard.
in the past, the singing department is mindblowingly good. now? a bunch of kpop plagiarist and dolls trying to please sugar daddies without caring their fans. There's a reason why you keep hearing old songs even in malls and karaoke.
Most younger generation appeal to bilibili, which is like youtube, but more professional because all talented chinese guys without backing are grouping there. The only saving grace, despite heavily censored and monitored.


one common realistic point that most CN adopt: Money would be a big factor regardless of the genre. If it's not money, then it is power.
Even if it's romance, very rarely CN author would not involve money or power on their story as a big plot.

 

The real question is how often would real life people actually act like face-slapping protagonists.

 

Somehow this makes me sad =( I was hoping for a negative answer on corruption. Are things really that censored and monitored (like social media)?

 

Just for you to have an idea, all movies/shows/books/media have to be approved by a bureau whose name I forgot to be published/released.

The Chinese government has access to everyone's online content (just like pretty much all governments.). However, the thing is that they do have the power to actively crackdown on anyone saying bad stuff about the government. Western media overly exaggerated by saying that they directly make these people disappear, die, lower their citizen points or something but the government doesn't really care that much. They just fine you some money or incarcerate you for a few days. The objective of the censorship isn't really to make everyone agree with the CCP's policies but to just stomp out the formation of rebel forces.

Almost all people use euphemisms for the government and names like almighty Xi while they complain about them and the government just lets them be. Most people also have VPNs, which is how most Chinese people on NUF have access to the forum.

I would never want to live and die in this country but it isn't the worst government on Earth either. The reason why Chinese people tolerate the government despite knowing that it sucks is cuz it is efficient as fuck. (for things it is interested in)



Poverty rates were sky high in the 80s. Fucking everyone was starving back then. For better or for worse, the government needed to be strong to pull the country back on its track.

 

1. Im american and I can confidently say that sayings/proverbs are used in conversations SOME TIMES. Its uncommon for like regular quick convos but if your actually talking to someone then shit will just start flying.

2.Never had it so I cant say.

3.Yes, You cant just expect to go boom after you enter the industry unless your some amazing person. Backers are what people usually use even for getting job interviews at like warehouses and stuff. I think shit like this is good and bad. Theres people that earned backing by doing underhanded shit like a casting couch or doing bad shit but then theres people that are actually talented and they want to recommend someone else that they honestly believe is really talented.

4.I eat noodles once every few days and I cooked hotpot last week So prob once every 2 weeks.

 

Do Chinese actually make their noodles? Or is it just the same like casually buy some instant noodles and cook them

And if they make it do they still buy instant noodle???