HSK 4 5 STOP Tipping in China China Culture Chinese Mandarin Podcast

Hello everyone welcome to Chinese Insider I'm Teacher Li Hello everyone I'm Mike it's terrifying Oh Mike just sit down and take some deep breaths What happened Why are you all sweaty Teacher Li I think I was just chased Chased By whom The police Not a police officer but a restaurant server I had just finished eating downstairs and stepped out the door when that waiter rushed out after me chasing me for two blocks Good heavens Mike did you commit some major blunder Did you forget to pay In China dining and dashing is illegal No I swear I paid I spent one eighty I gave him two hundred in cash Then why did he chase you Since I didn't have change I decided to give him the remaining twenty dollars as a tip Oh I see now you gave a tip That's right twenty dollars is about ten percent which is the basic courtesy in the U S and servers can get really upset if you don't leave a tip But Mike this is China—the server chased you not because you gave too little but because you gave at all What Because I paid he chased me That's absurd Mike you're misunderstanding—here in China we don't have a tipping culture at all Not at all zero Yes zero—the price listed on Chinese menus is the final price waitstaff wages are paid by the owner not the customer But I thought he provided great service—he poured me water and brought me tissues so I wanted to thank him I appreciate your kindness but in China leaving a tip for service staff can sometimes make them feel awkward or even offended Insult Insulted Why I'm giving him money—who doesn't like money This relates to the concept of face in Chinese culture in old society giving money was only done to beggars or those of lower status The current server thinks I earn my money through hard work and don't need your charity It's completely different from the U S where tipping is mandatory—required—and if you don't leave one servers might even chase you out to yell at you In China the opposite is true—you give a tip and the server will often run after you to return the money Indeed just now when the waiter caught up to me out of breath he shoved twenty dollars into my hand and shouted "Hey handsome you forgot your money " Haha he must think you're a careless foreigner Plus there's another reason—many restaurants have rules that penalize servers who take tips privately sometimes even leading to fines or dismissal Good heavens really So I almost got him in trouble It's possible he was chasing you to prove his innocence to show he hadn't embezzled customers' money No wonder he looked so anxious There's also a more practical reason why tipping has completely disappeared in China What is it It's digital payments—WeChat Pay and Alipay Oh yes everyone scans the code now That's right—when everyone's paying with their phones you just enter 180 yuan directly there's no change involved and you don't even get a chance to keep the spare coins Well if I really feel the service was exceptional and I want to show my appreciation what should I do I can't give money—what else can I do You can leave them a positive review A positive review Yes leaving a five-star review for them on大众点评 or a food delivery app means more to them than twenty yuan since the owner might reward them with a bonus based on it Ah I see To help you avoid such awkward situations of being chased in the future let's do a listening exercise This time we're simulating a taxi scenario since in many countries tipping the driver is expected right In China it's different—I'm a straightforward principle-driven taxi driver from the north while you're just a foreign passenger looking to express some nostalgia Listen up folks— I'm going to speed up the pace to mic a real driver's tone Here's a question: Why did the driver refuse the tip and what did he suggest the passenger do instead Are you ready Alright son we're here—the hotel entrance is right ahead Got it no problem thanks driver—how much do I owe The total comes to forty-eight fifty—would you prefer WeChat Pay or Alipay I'll just give you cash I happen to have a fifty-dollar bill Sure cash is fine too Come on I don’t have change either—just wait a moment let me look again Master no need to look for change—keep it it's for a drink to cool off it's so hot out you've worked hard We don't take a single cent from passengers here—company policy forbids it If someone complains I'd be fined $200 Alright Mike did you finish the task a moment ago Completed Wow this female driver is incredibly honest and she talks so fast Ha ha that's the real Chinese rhythm Answer our question: why did the driver refuse the tip There are two reasons: first he said the company has a rule that charging extra will result in a fine Yes being complained about overcharging is very serious Second he said "bù xīng zhègè"—what does that mean "Bù xīng zhègè" is colloquial meaning it's not common or customary here In China besides taxis and regular restaurants you don’t even need to tip delivery riders Really Not even on rainy days No need to worry if you feel the delivery rider is working hard just give them a five-star rating or use the tip feature in the app That's officially permitted but don't hand over money directly I see in China it's fine to talk about feelings but bringing up money directly can sometimes feel awkward To sum up in this episode we learned several key concepts about money First tipping is not necessary in China Second always take your change Third giving charity or being insulted getting the wrong change can be upsetting There's another term settling the bill or you can say paying the tab Audience friends did you remember Save your money save your dignity For the full script of this episode vocabulary list and a guide on how to pay in various situations check the pinned link in the comments section Finally today's interactive question In your country is tipping mandatory Around how much should you give—10% or 20% Please let us know in the comments section in Chinese I'm really curious—since it's already up 25% in the U S it's way too expensive Well then welcome to China where it's 0% See you next time Bye