--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you live in China as a foreigner…" description: "\"“When you live in China as a foreigner, there are two critical moments of recognition. The first comes immediately upon arrival, when you are confronte..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/peter-hessler-23069_ignorance_when-you-live-in-china-as-a-foreigner-th_1312047.png" --- # When you live in China as a foreigner, there are two… ![“When you live in China as a foreigner, there are two critical moments of recognition. The first comes immediately upon arrival, when you are confronted with your own ignorance. Language, customs, history- all of it has to be learned, and the task seems impossible. Then, just as you begin to catch…” quote by Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/peter-hessler-23069_ignorance_when-you-live-in-china-as-a-foreigner-th_1312047.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/peter-hessler-23069_ignorance_when-you-live-in-china-as-a-foreigner-th_1312047.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/peter-hessler-23069_ignorance_when-you-live-in-china-as-a-foreigner-th_1312047.png) > ““When you live in China as a foreigner, there are two critical moments of recognition. The first comes immediately upon arrival, when you are confronted with your own ignorance. Language, customs, history- all of it has to be learned, and the task seems impossible. Then, just as you begin to catch on, you realize that everybody else feels pretty much the same way. The place changes too fast; nobody in China has the luxury of being confident in his knowledge. Who shows a peasant how to find a factory job? How does a former Maoist learn to start a business? Who has the slightest clue how to run a car rental agency? Everything is figured out on the fly; the people are masters at improvisation. This is the second moment of recognition, and it's even more frightening than the first. Awareness of your own ignorance is a lonely feeling, but there's little consolation in sharing it with 1.3 billion neighbors”” [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living in China confronts foreigners with deep cultural and knowledge gaps, then reveals that locals also navigate constant change and uncertainty, highlighting shared vulnerability. **In simple terms:** Realizing both your own and others' ignorance can be unsettling. Key Takeaway Embrace humility and continuous learning. Themes culture shock adaptation uncertainty humility Mood reflective empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - expatriate life - business negotiations - language learning - daily interactions Key Concepts improvisation social dynamics learning curves Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn this shared uncertainty into collaborative learning? - What strategies help maintain confidence amid constant change? A Different Perspective Recognition of shared ignorance may foster empathy, but can also intensify isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Lonely feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely-feeling/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Someone has said, "Education is going from an unconscious to conscious awareness of one's ignorance." I agree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/someone-has-said-education-is-going-from-an-unconscious-to-conscious-2/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [“True openness is the accompaniment of the desire to know, hence of the awareness of ignorance. To deny the possibility of knowing good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/true-openness-is-the-accompaniment-of-the-desire-to-know-hence-of-the/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Awareness of ignorance is the beginning of wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/awareness-of-ignorance-is-the-beginning-of-wisdom/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Ignorance is the beginning of knowledge; knowledge is the beginning of wisdom; wisdom is the awareness of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rotsler/ignorance-is-the-beginning-of-knowledge-knowledge-is-the-beginning-of/) [William Rotsler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-rotsler/) > [Wisdom tends to grow in proportion to one's awareness of one's ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/wisdom-tends-to-grow-in-proportion-to-one-s-awareness-of-one-s/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [“Someone has said,”Education is going from an unconscious to conscious awareness of one’s ignorance.”..No one has a corner on wisdom. 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To be a member of something helps get rid of that lonely feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-henderson/to-be-a-member-of-something-to-be-a-member-of-something-helps-get-rid/) [Stephen Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-henderson/) ## More by Peter Hessler > [“The Chinese people had invented the compass, paper, the printing press, gunpowder, the seismograph, the crossbow, and the umbrella; they had sailed to Africa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/the-chinese-people-had-invented-the-compass-paper-the-printing-press/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [“I realized that as a thinking person his advantage lay precisely in his lack of formal education. 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The theme is: things that shine and things that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/the-decorating-scheme-of-big-world-is-simple-in-theme-but-complicated/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [“When Chen Meizi had chosen her specialty, she didn't expect to find a job that matched her abilities; she expected to find new abilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/when-chen-meizi-had-chosen-her-specialty-she-didn-t-expect-to-find-a/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [“In China, the transition has been to abrupt that many traffic patterns come directly from pedestrian life - people drive the way they walk.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/in-china-the-transition-has-been-to-abrupt-that-many-traffic-patterns/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [“Whenever somebody turned his head, he shouted, "Stop looking behind you!: There was a strict rule against head turns. 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(In truth, nobody on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/in-1923-national-geographic-magazine-claimed-that-the-great-wall-is/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [“Sometimes they seemed to grasp instinctively at the worst of both worlds: the worst modern habits, the worst traditional beliefs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/sometimes-they-seemed-to-grasp-instinctively-at-the-worst-of-both/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [“I like to play chess. I moved to a small town, and nobody played chess there, but one guy challenged me to checkers. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/i-like-to-play-chess-i-moved-to-a-small-town-and-nobody-played-chess/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [“Beijing maps featured cloverleaf exchanges that could have been designed by M. C. Escher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/beijing-maps-featured-cloverleaf-exchanges-that-could-have-been/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [In China, much of life involves skirting regulations, and one of the basic truths is that forgiveness comes easier than permission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/in-china-much-of-life-involves-skirting-regulations-and-one-of-the/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [“I looked at the terraced hills and noticed how the people had changed the earth, taming it into dizzying staircases of rice paddies; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/i-looked-at-the-terraced-hills-and-noticed-how-the-people-had-changed/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [The American appetite for loneliness impressed me, and there was something about this solitude that freed conversation. One night at a bar, I met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/the-american-appetite-for-loneliness-impressed-me-and-there-was/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) [Explore all 26 Peter Hessler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) ## More Ignorance quotes > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ignorance is not bliss — it is oblivion. Determined ignorance is the hastiest kind of oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/ignorance-is-not-bliss-it-is-oblivion-determined-ignorance-is-the/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“If knowledge does not liberate the self from the self, then ignorance is better than such knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakim-sanai/if-knowledge-does-not-liberate-the-self-from-the-self-then-ignorance/) [Hakim Sanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakim-sanai/) > [You are senile old fool, and because of your impudence, I cannot fathom how you still live!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-senile-old-fool-and-because-of-your-impudence-i-cannot-fathom/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/knowledge-will-forever-govern-ignorance-and-a-people-who-mean-to-be/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) Vashti Quiroz-Vega > [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-only-victories-which-leave-no-regret-are-those-which-are-gained/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [“Those who embrace prejudice doom themselves to live in ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-lintz-sr/those-who-embrace-prejudice-doom-themselves-to-live-in-ignorance/) John P Lintz Sr > [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Sanity can take one of only two forms: that of ignorance, or denial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-r-audette/sanity-can-take-one-of-only-two-forms-that-of-ignorance-or-denial/) [Derek R. Audette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-r-audette/) [Browse all 5,657 Ignorance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When you live in China as a foreigner, there are two critical moments of recognition. The first comes immediately upon arrival, when you are confronted with your own ignorance. Language, customs, history- all of it has to be learned, and the task seems impossible. Then, just as you begin to catch on, you realize that everybody else feels pretty much the same way. The place changes too fast; nobody in China has the luxury of being confident in his knowledge. Who shows a peasant how to find a factory job? How does a former Maoist learn to start a business? Who has the slightest clue how to run a car rental agency? Everything is figured out on the fly; the people are masters at improvisation. 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