As a Russian, I really want to answer this question.
My husband is Chinese and we often quarrel after we get married. The reason is the concept of time.
During the quarrel, my husband always shouted at me. He asked me why I was wasting time. The most terrible thing, he said, is not that you waste time, but that you don't even realize that you are wasting time.
In his eyes, the way I waste my time is that I like to order a cup of coffee and think about life quietly in the cafe. Or go to a tea restaurant with friends, order some dessert and tea, chat with friends and wait for dinner.
But all this was intolerable to him. He is particularly prone to anger. I'm going to make a cup of coffee before I cut the video. He thinks I'm slow. He's angry at the slow serving speed when he goes to a restaurant.
At least in my husband's mind, wasting time and food made him angry. He always tells me that wasting time and money is the same.
Not long ago, I wanted to record a video of making-up for Chinese men, so I found my husband's college classmates to be models. When he and his classmates confirmed their visit. They are very precise about the time. When will it arrive, it will not be far away. But if I ask a Russian woman for a manicure, they will arrive early, be late, or simply remember the wrong time. About three or four out of ten have problems with time.
My husband always tells me that if he can't be punctual, he will have a great sense of shame. If the other person is not punctual, he will despise that person. Although I feel ashamed and despised for not being punctual, I don't feel as intense as he does. My husband may really think that time is money.
As far as I know, the saying that time is money is said by an American. But the best execution seems to be Chinese. At least the Chinese people I have come into contact with have a strong sense of time.
Some of my family and friends are Chinese. Chinese people have a strong sense of crisis. Everyone is afraid of poverty, and this fear is much stronger than that of the poor in Russia. Therefore, everyone wants to make the most of their time.
Marriage is a process of running in, at least I am now living at a much faster pace than before. I am happy for this change, because I study faster and feel more hopeful in the future.
In a word, I thought Chinese people were very busy and tired. I think the reason is that they are not sensitive to poverty and time.