Cultural differences between North and South area in China

           Most Chinese folks I met considered six-million-strong Jinan in northern China a back-water, blue-collar city, but I am grateful that we were not assigned to teach at a university in southern China. Why? The food in south of China is routinely spicy hot. I would have died of starvation. Jinan is famous for it garlic and fish; and students often complained that the food was salty. Salty is world's better than spicy to my palette; but I think my students overstated the saltiness. Jinan food was divinely suited to my taste.
         I liked Joey's sometimes rambling presentation, for her natural attempt to express her opinions rather than just copy 'n past something from the Internet, and her interesting views on the percieved differences between north and south citizens of China.

We all know that north area is different from south area mostly as a result of the weather no matter what country it is. Northern people are more straight-forward while southern people are very reserved.  Culture differences in China can be divided into 5 aspects, which are Characters, Foods, Art, Builds, and New Findings of Life.

1.  Character. In northern area, people struggled with the nature for living, which formed the characters of being straight-forward and out-going. They are tall and strong, especially the males. 

While the souther people live in a better environment than northern people, they pay more attention to the art, as a result that they are mild and soft.

2.  Foods.  Northeastern area in China is very famous for its rice. Besides, northern people are more accustomed to food made from wheat, especially for staple. Southern people like to eat rice.  

People in northern area like to eat and drink in big mouthfuls, coz they care less about this kind of things. Southern people tend to enjoy the food very slowly to feel the test, for example, drinking tea.  
Northern people eat peppers to be warm and try to keep away from the cold feelings inside. However, southern people eat peppers to avoid the wet air outside and inside.

3.  Art.  Just as Beijing Opera in Beijing,there are many kins of opera in China varying from North to South. In north area, take Shanxi Opera for example, it is famous for roaring the dialogues which are always very tragic and heroic reflecting the history of ancient Emperors and heroes.   

While southern people have Huangmeixi Opera, which is very mild and talks about the love story between a wit and a beauty.

4.  Buildings.  In south area, the houses and the roads are often very tortuous for the winds being able to flow into. While it's commonplace in north area that the design of buildings are more plain and regular. They are often located in North and face to South. And in northeastern area, the direction isn't always that clear.

5.  Funny things which are newly found of Life. [Well, this is the most interesting part of my speech.] These are things you can never know in America or any other country in the world. If you live your lifelong time in only north or south area, you will not experience these things either.

        Bathing towel…This kind of bather towel is used to clean our body when we are having a bath. It's commonplace to be seen in north China, while southern people have never seen it. Northern people use it first to rub the dirt on our body, and then use bath liquid to make our body smooth and fragrant. However, southern people only use bath liquid. What's more, they have baths nearly every day because of the weather, while we northern people usually have baths every three or four days a week.

        Tofu jelly…This kind of food is often eaten in the morning. It's salty in north wile sweet in fourth. Mostly we can't accept the other taste of it.

        Tomatoes and eggs… It's a kind of famous food in China. Northern people put sugar into it while southern people don't.

        Soybean milk… It's  little confusing that there is hardly regulation of it. In northeastern area and most cities in southern area, people often make soybean milk very sweet. 

On the contrary,as far as I'm concerned, several cities in Shandong Province tend to put salt in it.