Chinese Insights: Differences between North and South China

“Where are you from?" (你是哪里人?) is not only a philosophical question, but also a question that Chinese people often ask when they first meet. The place you grew up in and your hometown represents the food, language, weather and your traditions that directly shape your perception of the world. China is a large country with many differences between regions. Culturally, we often simply generalize it into the south and the north. Some of these differences may be stereotypes, but they have also become common sense and people love to make jokes based on this. In this lecture, you will hear about some differences between southern and northern China, which will help you understand China better and also make you smile when you hear Chinese people's regional jokes.