Never have I seen a bigger generarion gap than in China. I can't compare it to every country in the world as I haven't been yet :D but compared to England and other countries I've been to the difference is massive.
China's older generation are very tradition and don't seem to think like the younger generation at all. They will put a lot of pressure on their kids once they leave the education system to marry and have children as soon as possible, often trying to play matchmaker and set them up with a man or woman from another family which they have a close relationship with.
Almost all the older generation spit all the time as I previously talked about and they encourage their grandkids to pee/poo anywhere they like outside, I always see old ladies holding kids outside as they pee. The worst time was when I was in Macdonalds eating lunch and an old lady walked into the kitchen and held a child over the sink while she pee'd..... There was a perfectly fine toilet a few steps away but the older generation really can be quite suprising haha.
I think this is all due to China's unbelievably fast growth, cities just sprung up around the old towns or towns combined to form cities and the older generation just had to deal with it, which is a completely different way of life to what there used to. My girlfriend's grandparents live away from the city in the countryside and it's so different up there! Most of the older generation will probably never leave their home town/city, my girlfriend has a huge family and most of them have never left their city.
The younger generation are much more open minded, they are much more interested in the outside world. Most younger Chinese people love travelling, watching foreign movies/tv shows, are interested in fashion/news/politics and enjoy trying new things. From what I've experienced in the four years I've been here is kind of like two seperate cultures between the generations. The young and old seem to have nothing in common as the younger generation were born in to such a different world filled with technology and western influences. Sometimes I feel the younger generation are a little embarressed by there elders but have very strong respect for them as they usually listen and follow their advice even if they seem to not really agree with it.
It seems like two seperate societies in a way as the older generation do things their way whilst the younger do differently. Like if an old woman wants to buy a few carrots she'll spend the whole day wandering around the town/city trying to barter with everybody in the small back alley markets whilst a younger lady would just go to the closest supermarket like me and pick any decent ones up :D
I could be wrong but this is what I've found in my four years here :D I rarely hang around with westerners as I try to fully engage in my journey here! So I think (or hope) I have a good understanding of China. Plus my girlfriend is Chinese haha!
