You are probably so ugly you'd have to cover your head up with a towel to sneak up on a glass of water
All kidding aside, I encounter the same thing and I think part of it is if you look Caucasian, you could be American, Canadian, German, Russian or whatever and no conversation might be possible.
I'm a little more adventuresome in this area and I still get people that turn their head the other way when I say hello.
g
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QUOTE: I've noticed, when I'm walking around the city or shopping, most of the Xpats here don't like to talk to each other face to face. It seems people will say anything to each other on this site, but have trouble even saying "Hi" in the streets. Anyone else have this experience, or do I just look that unfriendly :huh:
Does that happen here too? That seemed to happen among expats in Japan. I had wondered if it was just because they had adopted the aspect of Japanese culture that discourages contact with people one doesn't know, but this would disprove my theory.
It doesn't seem to be as bad here. Like I said, I just got to Dalian so I don't have many experiences to draw from, but at least some other English-speaking women I saw at Wal-Mart the other day smiled at me.
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I am more along the lines of not talking to people unless I know them. Be it chinese, or foreign, unless I am in the setting to meet someone I am pretty much in my own world when I am out and about.
Course you toss a couple drinks in me and suddenly anyone is fair game.
But to be honest, its the same wherever I go, even back home in America, just learned to keep to myself unless its necessary.
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I think that it is the baby that makes all the difference.
Dalian is sufficiently cosmopolitan now that in most of Downtown the foreigners are ignored.
But if you have a Western baby of whatever hue, then many Chinese of all ages will surround you and prod and touch the little mite. Out will come their cell phone cameras and click, click. This happened to me recently in a local crowded McDonalds, where usually all westerners eating there are ignored (and yes, we do ignore each other too!)
I am surprised that you have not had a free meal out of this! Negotiate with the restaurant owner to get onto his TV advert.
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alicia
I think my ego has just been permanantly crushed 
