Why do Chinese people...? || Google AutoFill 🇨🇳

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:06]For this video, I wanted to do something kind of fun and creative, and I have to give credit to one of the old school China YouTubers, a guy named Austin Guidry. He no longer makes content, but he used to do videos kind of similar to this every once in a while. Basically, all you do, you go to Google, you type something in the search box, and you see what Google autofill suggests. So, for this video, I typed in "Why do Chinese people" and I let Google autofill do the rest. So, let's see what they came up with.

[00:00:37]The first question, "Why do Chinese people drink hot water?" And if you've ever been to China, you know that they certainly love to drink hot water. So, I'll give you my answer to it. And the answer to this question varies depending on who you ask. If you ask a Chinese person, they'll almost surely tell you that the reason is because it's related to Chinese medicine, and that drinking hot water is good for you, and drinking cold water is bad for you. However, if you ask someone like me who has lived here for over a decade, thought upon it deeply, and researched it, you'll get a very different answer. The number one reason that drinking hot water is so common in China is due to habit. And that habit stemmed from boiling water in order to kill germs and parasites and prevent illnesses. In the olden days, boiling water would have been a smart thing to do because drinking contaminated water can make you very sick, and in fact, it can even kill you.

[00:01:33]So, boil the water, drink it piping hot, and your chances of not getting sick go way up. In today's China, the habit continues. And actually, it's still a useful thing to do because China's tap water is still not drinkable. So, if you want to drink tap water in China, it must be boiled, or you will get sick.

[00:01:53]Chinese folks won't tell you this, but this is the reality of it. And to make it sound better and to put their habit on a pedestal, they simply conclude that hot water is just good for you. Has nothing to do with killing off bacteria and parasites, but it's all due to beliefs in Chinese medicine. So, when you come to China, they will certainly make comments if you are drinking cold water or any other sort of cold drink for that matter. To most Chinese folks nowadays, they don't even think about it. They just accept it. It's a habit that has been passed down to them and they just view it as the way things should be. Hot water, good. Cold water, bad. It's really that simple. The reality is, however, boiling water to purify it out of necessity is the primary reason this habit still exists.

[00:02:41]The Chinese medicine beliefs are secondary. Don't expect them to budge on this one, even if you show them research to the contrary. Their minds aren't open for reconsideration on the topic. The funny thing is, China's current obsession with ice cream flies in the face of this whole hot water theory, yet they don't seem to care or even realize it. It's quite comical to see. A person eating ice cream and smoking a cigarette would probably lecture me over drinking a chilled bottle of water. Thanks, China.

[00:03:13]Hey guys, quick interruption. If you are here watching my video, there's a high likelihood that you have an interest in China. Well, personally, I think it's important [music] that we all learn a foreign language and I want to suggest choosing Chinese as your foreign language. First of all, by studying the Chinese language, you will really start [music] to understand China on a much deeper level. Also, Chinese is the second most widely [music] spoken language in the world with over 1 billion Chinese speakers worldwide.

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[00:04:49]Okay. Now, back to the video. The second question, why do Chinese people use chopsticks? This is actually a really interesting question. Way back in the day, we're talking like 3,000 years ago, chopsticks were not used for eating.

[00:05:05]They were cooking tools. Early versions, often bronze rods or simple twigs, helped people safely reach into pots, stir boiling stews, retrieve food from oil or fire, or flip pieces of food without burning their hands. Around 400 to 300 BC, that would be the Warring States period and into the Han Dynasty, fuel and resources became scarcer. Cooks started pre-cooking ingredients into small bite-sized pieces, so foods cooked faster and used less fuel. Once food arrived at the table already in small pieces, knives became unnecessary at meals. Chopsticks were perfect for picking up those bits precisely. It turned out that chopsticks were actually useful for eating the types of foods they ate. Even for me, some foods are simply easier to eat using chopsticks rather than say a fork or a spoon.

[00:05:57]They're relatively easy to make. They can be made cheap from bamboo. They're very portable. Also, surprisingly enough, Confucianism played a pretty significant role in cementing their use.

[00:06:08]Confucius advocated non-violence, moderation, harmony, and keeping the table civilized away from anything associated with slaughter or aggression.

[00:06:19]Knives were seen as violent or barbaric, linked to butchering. So, the honorable man allows no knives on his table.

[00:06:27]Chopsticks are gentle, precise, and non-aggressive, symbolizing civility, benevolence, and family harmony. Eating with chopsticks from shared dishes promotes communal eating, respect for others, and social order, which is a core Confucian value. Over time, this turned chopsticks into a marker of refinement and civilization. And thus today, in China and other Far East nations, well, you see a whole lot of chopsticks.

[00:06:53]Number three on the list, why do Chinese people drink hot water in the morning?

[00:06:59]Okay, so in part, we've already covered the hot water aspect of this. So, for the Chinese who start their day off with hot water, it's essentially because they believe it will jump-start the digestive system and really get things ready for the day. It's all related to beliefs in TCM, or traditional Chinese medicine.

[00:07:17]They also believe it stimulates your inner chi. Some people in the Western world actually do have similar habits, starting off the day with hot water with lemon, ginger, and or honey, or any combination of those. Number four on the list, why do Chinese people have English names? Chinese students start studying English from kindergarten and will often times have a foreign teacher. So, as a natural and fun part of the process, they'll almost inevitably get English names. Now, these names aren't always picked by the teacher. Sometimes the kids and their parents come up with it by themselves. You'll hear a lot of girls named Apple or Cherry, and you'll hear plenty of boys named Michael and Johnny, but you'll also hear random things like boys named Peanut or Robot, or girls named Purdy or Rabbit. Some of the kids just sort of treat the English name as something fun and novelty, but some of them also really start to identify with it. Then, further down the road as they get older, the English names can come in handy as English is still the international language of the business world. Number five, why do Chinese people do nails?

[00:08:26]Well, in the US, it's actually the Vietnamese who are more known for doing nails. But, for the Chinese who do work in the industry, doing nails is a quick skill to learn. There's no real barrier to entry. You don't really need to know English. And also, Chinese generally like to open their own businesses. So, doing something like opening a small salon or restaurant is something they can do relatively easily while living in a foreign country. In China, girls getting their nails done is a huge industry, and they do it because they like it. They think it's cute, sexy, all that good stuff. Number six, this one kind of caught me off guard. Why do Chinese people drink bird spit? I had never heard of this actually in all my 12 years of living here. Perhaps it's something that people in the south might be more prone to do, or at least know about. I live up in the north, so I've never heard of anyone eating that, nor have I seen it on any menu. So, I had to look it up. Here's what I learned. Some Chinese people do consume what is essentially bird saliva or bird spit, but not in the way the question might jokingly imply, like drinking raw spit from a bird. It's a traditional delicacy called edible bird's nest, yan wo in Chinese. And it's made from the solidified saliva of certain swiftlets, small birds which are related to swallows, mainly in Southeast Asia.

[00:09:49]Edible nest swiftlets build their nests almost entirely from their own gummy saliva secreted from glands under their tongues. The saliva hardens into a translucent cup-shaped structure, no twigs or feathers in the premium white nests. These nests are harvested, cleaned, and used as food, most commonly in bird's nest soup. In Chinese, that would be yan wo tang. The soup is prepared by soaking and double boiling the nest, often with rock sugar for a sweet dessert version, or in savory forms with chicken broth. It has a mild, slightly gelatinous texture and subtle flavor, often described as neutral or faintly egg-like, not spitty at all.

[00:10:31]Apparently, this has been a prized delicacy in Chinese cuisine for over 400 years, dating back at least to the Ming Dynasty, with some claims to even earlier periods. It was historically a luxury for emperors and elites, symbolizing wealth, refinement, and health. In TCM, or traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed to boost immunity and energy, improve skin complexion, and reduce aging signs. So, many women consume it for beauty reasons. It's supposed to support respiratory health, digestion, and recovery from illness, and it's also believed to act as a general tonic for vitality. Today, it's still popular among those who follow TCM, especially for postpartum recovery, elderly health, or as a premium gift, especially for things like big festivals, like the Lunar New Year in China, which is their biggest holiday. You can find it in ready-to-drink bottles, capsules, or sometimes it's added to desserts or skin care products. So, it's quite accessible in a variety of ways.

[00:11:32]Number seven, why do Chinese people boil apples? This is another one of those things that stems from Chinese medicine.

[00:11:40]They believe that drinking boiled apple tea can offer health benefits, mainly for digestion-related benefits. This is getting a little attention from this crazy fad on some social media platforms where people are saying they are China maxing or living their best Chinese life, etc. Very cringeworthy, very immature, but that is what it is. Number eight, why do Chinese people drink warm water? Well, we have already covered this one. See number one.

[00:12:08]Number nine, why do Chinese people eat with chopsticks? We've already covered this one as well. See number two. And then onto the last one, why do Chinese people live longer? Well, it depends who you ask. The Chinese rank in the upper middle tier in terms of life expectancy, but there are many places who have longer lifespans than the Chinese. The US has almost exactly the same life expectancy as China, but places like Japan, South Korea, France, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Italy, Spain, and many more all have longer lifespans than China. That said, life expectancy in China is on the rise. They tend to eat less processed foods. They consume a large amount of seafood. They generally drink healthier things like water and tea, etc. I do need to add, however, that obesity in China is skyrocketing right now, and people are eating more and more junk food. And they're just overeating in general as well.

[00:13:06]Furthermore, a lot of Chinese food is cooked in unhealthy oils and can be very salty as well. Also, smoking is very prevalent amongst men in Chinese society, as is heavy drinking. If you were thinking of countries with some of the longest lifespans, China is not where you want to look. You'd be much better off checking out Japan and South Korea. Well, guys, did you all learn anything from this video? I know I had to look a couple of things up and I learned a couple of new things about China. It was pretty interesting to do.

[00:13:38]Hope you all found it of interest as well. If you enjoyed the video, please make sure to like, comment, and subscribe. As most of you already know, the bread and butter of my channel is doing travel content, of which I have a lot more on the way. I'm actually on the road traveling as we speak. So, please stay tuned for some exciting new content. But yeah, if you're new here, welcome to the channel. Glad to have you on board and I look forward to sharing all of my crazy experiences with you guys. So, take care of yourselves. Stay happy, healthy, and blessed. And most importantly, stay tuned. Shazza.

[00:14:11]Zai Jian.

[00:14:13]Thanks for tuning in to today's video.

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