It’s very often just a vague gesture, indicating “thattaway”. Mainlanders would rather offer vague, imprecise, oftentimes totally incorrect directions rather than admit to not knowing. It often takes pressing them further: “How many blocks do I go? Should I just keep going straight? Do I cross the street or turn at the first intersection?” <– AND THIS is the real language lesson haha.

It’s an interesting observation, I haven’t asked for directions in China enough to make a comparison. One thing I’ve heard from other people is that Mainlanders seem more prone to use absolute directions like N/E/W/S when giving directions, is this something you have encountered too？ It’s not common in Taiwan and here in Sweden, it would feel very strange to give directions in that way unless we’re looking at a map when speaking.

I wish I was! But it’s really common experience in China. Maybe people in Taiwan are more “environment-aware”, or just tell you straight to get a cab when they don’t know.

I can’t remember how many times I had to sort out how to save THEIR face, because I ask a group of 2 and they point opposite directions and then I’m like “Well if I go right, he loses face, if I go left it’s the other one. huh.”

Anyway, it just makes it more funny, no big deal.

I think you’re overly pessimistic, even though of course some instructions will be wrong. I have lived in Taiwan for four years without using a GPS a single time, asking people for directions probably a hundred times and I have always arrived at the destination, mostly without too much trouble!

Except that when you ask directions to random people in the street, they-are-always-wrong. It’s funny, I do triangulation just like a GPS: I ask 3 people and then ponder their answer to find the middle one. Or just ask 1 and take the opposite direction..

With your method, if you know that the way is “turn next right” and you ask someone, who will probably say “u-turn” or “keep going”, you will just associate wrong words and information together :-p

Face make them answer even though most of the time they have no clue. And about the map part, I still have to find someone who can read it here 😀

The Real Reality is that if you learn a few local landmarks, things get a lot easier. And when asking directions in China, if you carry a map for reference while listening — things get a lot clearer.

It is just plain silly to avoid using maps and the names of local landmarks. You and everyone else has to work harder.

And you are likly to get the kind of answer Taiwanese give… ” Just take a cab.”