If you're a foreigner like me who has practically devoted his life to China, you are constantly enraptured in its rich history, culture and language. But inevitably there are the Chinese idiosyncrasies that so often frustrate foreigners living in the country. People constantly hock loogies in the street. Middle-aged men show off their beer bellies by rolling up their shirts all the way to their chest, the infamous "Beijing bikini."

Public spaces are constantly filled with a cacophony of loud voices, completely inconsiderate of anyone who wants peace and quiet. Traffic sometimes feels like a death race, with drivers disregarding the rules of the road, coming dangerously close to pedestrians. And the idea of waiting in line is completely nonexistent.

Getting on the subway is a constant clash of bodies as people attempting to leave the train car go head to head with people rushing to get in. At the Beijing South train station, a mob of people pushed, shoved and elbowed its way up to the ticket counter. One time I even witnessed an all-out fistfight over one guy who brazenly cut the line. It took a policeman to end the bloodletting.