Do Not Cross Your Legs
In which I'm reminded of the importance of keeping a posture of learning
A few weeks ago, I enjoyed the pleasure of a day trip to Shanghai to meet up with a friend. We were in the Xujiahui area, near the old French Concession and home to many sites of historic interest, one of which is St Ignatius Cathedral (or Xujiahui Cathedral). The cathedral was built by French Jesuits between 1906 and 1910. Like many religious buildings, it underwent “vicissitudes” (as a plaque on another building euphemistically put it) during the Cultural Revolution, including a spell as a state-owned granary, but has since been restored as a place of worship.
On this Saturday afternoon, there was a steady stream of sightseers. Some wandered around taking photos of the stained glass. Others posed for photos in the pews. There were large screens attached to some of the columns, with a rotating display of information for these visitors. They flipped between an invitation to sign up for a seekers’ course, a passage from one of the Gospels, and instructions on churchgoing etiquette, in words and symbols. Two out of the three made sense to me: don’t make phone calls, and don’t put your feet on the kneelers. I was puzzled by the third. Don’t cross your legs while sitting in the pews?
I asked the friend I was with, who’s from Hong Kong. She told me that in traditional Chinese culture, it’s considered rude to sit with your legs crossed while in the presence of somebody more senior or of higher status. That was one rule of etiquette she was taught when she was young, she said, but it’s not something many young people bother with nowadays. The Catholic church is clearly applying this very seriously in the presence of God, though. (Catholic friends, is this just a Chinese Catholic thing or does it apply in other countries too?)
What struck me was that despite over fifteen years’ experience of this country, there are still so many aspects of culture where there is still so much to learn. Since my visit to St Ignatius, I’ve been taking side glances at my neighbours in the narrow pews in the local Protestant church in Canal Town, to see whether crossing one’s legs is taboo there as well. The fifty-minute sermons mean I’ve been in the habit of frequently crossing and uncrossing my legs, but learning this new element of traditional etiquette has made me question and check in case I’ve inadvertently been offending all the local church grannies. I was relieved to see that others in the congregation were crossing their legs, though, so I think I’m OK on that. The Protestant church has its own list of etiquette rules that it displays before the service (my favourites are don’t wear weird clothes and don’t throw fruit peel on the floor).
It’s been a reminder to me to never be complacent about one’s level of cultural understanding, but rather to remain curious and keep a posture of learning. Asking why often leads to fascinating snippets of cultural insight. Why should you not bring pears to someone in hospital? Because pear, 梨 lí, is a homophone for 离 lí, depart. Why should you not eat spicy food when you have a cold? Because that will cause a further imbalance in the fire element in your body and hinder your recovery. Why do people choose crossroads as the place to burn the little stacks of paper money for departed relatives? Because they’re in the city away from their hometown, they can’t get back to make the offering at the grave, and being at a crossroads will allow the spirits to receive the money even when they’re far away.
Culture is always changing, of course. There are always new memes, emojis and internet slang to watch out for, especially among our students. Soon after I arrived here, one girl explained to me that I shouldn’t use the plain old smile emoji with the open eyes in WeChat messages (top left in the picture below), because that now means a passive-aggressive angry fake smile. Instead, I have to be sure to use the rosy-cheeked smile with the eyes closed, which means a genuine happy smile. Even something as a set of instant messaging emojis carries a lot of cultural meaning; eagle-eyed readers will notice that although some of the WeChat emojis are the same as what you might find in WhatsApp or another Western messaging app, others are uniquely Chinese. Like the guy eating watermelon, or the “666” (which means something completely different from what it might in a Western context), or the lucky red envelope. Are there any you’re puzzled by?
Culture learning, like language learning, never ends. Even within one’s home culture, there may be subcultures that are foreign to someone from a different niche, and I think humbly asking questions is something that always helps. Here’s to humility, curiosity and ongoing learning in 2024 and beyond!
For more on the history and art of St Ignatius Cathedral, here’s a fascinating article by Adam Minter at the Los Angeles Times.
New to Canal Town? Start here for an introduction!
Miss my last post? Catch up below!
Happy New Year: Already and Not Yet
On the path ahead of me was a dark figure practicing slow sword strokes in the grey murk, lit by the pale streetlights at the foot of the apartment building. I could hear the twin blades singing in the air as the swordsman swirled and poised. For a few moments it felt as if I had walked into an apocalyptic kung-fu movie. Then the swordsman moved to the …
Yes, that's the first I've heard about crossing the legs. About the emojis, why is there one of a person being with a frying pan that has an egg on it? What's that supposed to mean?
Really, really interesting! As far as I’m aware as a Catholic, we don’t apply the rule of not crossing your legs. I think that’s cultural.