All Chinese are polite, and if they aren’t, either you weren’t polite to them in the first place, or they suck at being Chinese. There’s also the chance that they’re racist, and for that, they suck at being Chinese. Why?Because all Chinese people practice the mantra of “Ke Qi” (kuh chi). Google says it’s “modesty,” but that’s wrong. Chinese people aren’t modest. We’re damn prideful to the point that Narcissus had to co-opt a word to try and compensate for his inability to compete. Real pride, you don’t need a word for. You don’t talk about it. You show people what you can do. Look at the First Emperor of China.

My clay army, we’re marching toward the Elysian fields. I got to have a word with Narcissus.

“Ke Qi” is the paragon of politeness. From the moment a Chinese person is born, they are mentally branded with this idea. You are to be polite to your parents and listen to what they say (there will be an article on this phenomenon known as xiao shun – “filial piety” is the closest English term). You are to be polite to your teachers. You are to be polite to your friends, peers, and even those that are jerks to you.

Even though you’re force choking me, I feel that we got off on the wrong foot. How ’bout some boba? My treat!

But what people don’t understand about Ke Qi is just how far you go for it. When someone does something nice for you, you remember it. How could you forget? It creates a byproduct of guilt. You hold it in. You let it fester.  And then, you pay back the favor, which then starts the cycle over again… if that person is Chinese. And it never stops.

Ke Qi is a lifestyle. There are too many examples that deserve an article each, so here’s one quick one to tide your thirst to know about Chinese people.

My friend called me to pick him up from the airport. No one else was willing to do so, and I didn’t really want to. BUT… that guilt kicked in, and I felt that I had to pick him up from the airport. I did, and instantly, I felt better about doing so.

It’s also a bit of pride in knowing that you did something that no one else would do… which is why there’s  that guilt of owing someone. Unfortunately, that friend is Russian or Ukrainian (he keeps changing his mind…) and has never paid me back the favor.

Enjoy that glass of wine, my Russian friend. I never forget.