It is a wonder to behold the development of most electronic products as well as some so-called “high-tech” places in China these days. Dalian is one of them. In fact, I can describe this city as Delightful Ambiance for Local and International Activities and Networking.
This is why I named this article: “I-PAD”, which actually an acronym for Interesting People Around Dalian.
One should not confuse this with i-pod of Apple or think Pad of IBM. Well, I hope the following discussion would justify the chosen title.
Interesting People In Dalian, I met several types of people with different cultures, either locals or foreigners. So I categorized them according to three types: Expressive, Analytical, and Amiable. These types have each one an independent feature uniquely apart from any countries cultural practices. Expressive Let me discuss this one first.
These are those kinds of people who usually are directed by their impulse most of the time. This means that they can easily express what they wanted to say or do without further thinking of their own. It doesn t mean that they often make mistakes. This simply means most of these types usually are quick to think of something to say or do, although some in the process fall short and stumble. You can see most of their achievements displayed on their desks or hanging on the walls, e.g. certificates, diploma, photos, medals, or even trophies.
Well, I haven't seen much of Dalian yet, but I have visited some people in their homes and I observed them there, most are expats, plus a few locals. It is easy to understand that only few locals here seemed to belong to this type. Perhaps the role of cultural background of a country overrides the culture I try to describe here. No need to explain why, is there?
Expressive people usually don t care what others would say about them, and they tend to insist what they wanted to know and say. For instance, a young Lady who saw a foreigner in KFC, jumped at the guy and started introducing herself leaving the guy partly annoyed and partly confused.
You can see them rushing and crashing through the cues most of the time, which bring them closer to impatience. If this happened, it would lead them to different errors and since they are expressive, they can easily recognize their errors as well and readily accept and correct them. It is indeed fun to be with these types of people for they can allow you to see how to avoid your own mistakes if similar to theirs by chance. Most of them always make a promise to keep your secret, only to find out later that everyone knows your secret.
They even tell others their own lives secrets, except those with mother-in-laws. Sometimes they would appear to be flatterers or fault finders in the eyes of those whom they admired, praised or criticized most of the time for they can easily notice someone s strengths and weaknesses and announce it at once. In fact, they are most sincere when they usually do this. Many of them probably are the first ones to donate something for the Sichuan earthquake victims. Even some of their comments on something actually have somewhat a touch of innocence for their impulse dictated it randomly like the child in the story of “The Emperor s New Clothes”. No doubt, some members here in this website, particularly those artists (literary or performing arts) belong to this type including me, either as partly expressive or certified ones. Most of them usually hang out at Victory Square and the athletes maybe in the Olympic Square. If you are just partly, then you might have some qualities of the next type, the Analytical.
Analytical
People of this type as I call them, are the ones with pensive looks and poker faces and whose wits are usually unmatched by either the Expressive or Amiable. They are those who usually the opposites of Expressive to most extent. They never try to compromise on something except when they can gain from it.Unlike the Expressive who wears anything they like, Analysts often wear the same type of clothing or same style most of the time. They go shopping for hours only to find out that they never buy anything unless it matches with this and that. They would always try to find reasons for anything and everything they do or say. These people are often appearing very noble and productive in their own ways. They kept track of everything they spent in life such as time, money or food. They often have some kind of lists for everything that is important to them. They seldom make mistakes in public for they usually “think twice before they say, and think thrice before they do”. Hence, they received praises from the Expressive ones most of the time.
Some of my students I would say belong to this group, and perhaps almost all those I have met around Dalian, including street vendors, mobile phone card sellers, bankers, police officers, hotel managers, office ladies, and sanitary managers. Except those managers, mostly would never say a word unless I said something first and they often pause a lot before responding to me, even if we both use Chinese. Some of them are even extra careful in keeping their personal things such as towels, cabinets, drawers, books, cream, cutleries and other personal accessories. They seldom wear unironed clothing. Some of them though are very meticulous on some details of this and that and eventually would bring them to ridiculous situations sometimes. In social gatherings, they seldom initiate conversations unless prompted by an expressive type and when a humor is thrown out in the group, they would just keep their “noble” status by simply smiling with a hand covering their mouths instead of being boisterous laugher. They seemed to have all things “under control”, including time, passion and appetites. They often plan even some minute and rigorous routines of the day with all those listed options or alternative actions in case option bla! bla! bla! wouldn t work. Their favorite saying is “Time is gold”. One can see more of this type near Zhongshan Square, in the five star restaurant or hotel.
Amiable The last type is somewhat a blend of the first two types. Amiable people in Dalian as I observed so far are actually those who try to please everyone. They don t want to hurt others feelings so they tend to give in to the wishes and desires of someone else, including friends. In contrast with the Expressive, they often care what others would say to them and do everything in their power not to offend their peers.
Unlike Expressive and Analytical, these people are capable of hiding their true feelings for years if possible just for the sake of not hurting anyone, thus maintaining the status of “everybody like” him or her. A few of this type could be heroes of their own as they try to sacrifice some of their comforts for others, and often compromise for them. They would sometimes be murmuring in the chambers of their solitude, yet refuse to open up complaints in public. Most of the time, they are those who ask their Expressive friends to speak something for them in a meeting or open forum. These are those who usually go to their Analytical mentors to ask about what they should say to an admirer whom they disliked or what style of clothes, shoes, bags, or lipstick they should buy or what they should do with their hair or something. Because of their “no enemy status”, they would always look so happy yet very sad when alone.
They always wanted to follow the “crowd” and support the “majority” regardless of the results.
In restaurants, they would usually pay for everybody s meal or somebody s drink in a bar or something. In keeping with this status, they would think like Analytical and execute like Expressive. This means that they would plan and choose carefully who are the people to please and how to please them, then show it directly as the timing is right. They are the most passionate on people rather than things or beauty as the Expressive and Analytical would usually favor. These are those who cannot go out shopping alone nor do something in the parks, banks, libraries, or museums. In fact, I like these people sometimes in that you don t have to praise more often just to gain their friendship.Just be there when they need you to accompany them to go where they want, and you could “make their day”. Almost three-fourths of my students I think belong to this type and all those I met in Victory Plaza and some places in the downtown (including small and bigger shops) filled with youth and young single adults. They too, easily contributed something to the Sichuan victims especially when ask to do so by their peers so you can often see them during holidays like packs of dogs. Very loyal to one another.
Blending All Three is Just Like Mixing Nuts
Interesting as they are, these types are not strictly confined to one person/one type proportion. Maybe some people have a tendency to be Expressive at one time and Analytical at other times. Some may try to please all men, while so frank and vocal at the same time or maybe so careful in everything they do yet do it just to please the crowd.Each one I met here in Dalian actually belongs to each of this type most partly only or mixed altogether which is similar to the 2-in-one, or 3-in-one sort of product. It is like eating mixed nuts, it is a lot tastier and very yummy to nibble. One could rediscover or identify himself in reference to these three types as he pleases but no one should ever think that these could give an absolute description of who we are. We have actually shades of all these three in one way or another at one moment of our life. Well, I would like to think that way.
abhijeet
jim
This is why I named this article: “I-PAD”, which actually an acronym for Interesting People Around Dalian.
