Kilted in China?

[RAF]

So, I have the good fortune of being able to go to Chengdu China (twice) to work on Fashion Week there.

Based on what I've read and seen in pictures, the city seems very progressive/modern by Chinese standards.

My question is to those on the forum with experience traveling abroad - specifically in China.

As I type this I tell myself it's a silly question, but here goes: I should be ok if I wear a kilt while in China, right?

Chengdu is the fourth largest city in China. Modern people - modern minds. Right?
I'm excited but also a bit nervous I guess. It's the farthest away from the U.S. I've ever been and my overactive imagination gets the better of me.

Thanks gents.

[CMcG]

I recently got back from a 9 month exchange in Hong Kong and I wore the kilt exactly twice: once to an international event organized by the university and once to a Burns Night.

I also had the opportunity to travel to Guangzhou in the mainland and to Taichung in Taiwan. There seem to be fewer foreigners there than in HK and many people were openly staring at me, especially in mainland China. Personally, I didn't want to do anything to make myself stand out anymore than I already did, so I didn't wear my kilt much.

That being said, you should be OK and I know other Xmarkers have worn kilts in China. I would advise you to wear underwear but not a sgian dubh, just in case either of those things should somehow get you unwanted attention from the police.

I would also advise you to start learning Mandarin, if you haven't already. Kilt is:
苏格兰式短裙 [Pronounce] sūgélánshìduǎnqún, which means "Scottish-style short skirt."

[RAF]

I recently got back from a 9 month exchange in Hong Kong and I wore the kilt exactly twice: once to an international event organized by the university and once to a Burns Night.

I also had the opportunity to travel to Guangzhou in the mainland and to Taichung in Taiwan. There seem to be fewer foreigners there than in HK and many people were openly staring at me, especially in mainland China. Personally, I didn't want to do anything to make myself stand out anymore than I already did, so I didn't wear my kilt much.

That being said, you should be OK and I know other Xmarkers have worn kilts in China. I would advise you to wear underwear but not a sgian dubh, just in case either of those things should somehow get you unwanted attention from the police.

I would also advise you to start learning Mandarin, if you haven't already. Kilt is:
苏格兰式短裙 [Pronounce] sūgélánshìduǎnqún, which means "Scottish-style short skirt."

Colin, Thank you for the reply.
Underwear - check.
Sgian dubh - no problem, don't wear one anyway.
Mandarin - Pimsleur is on it's way.
sūgélánshìduǎnqún - Yikes!

Oh, and btw, I've been voting regularly. Good luck!

[Snake78]

I just got back from a month outside Tianjin (TEDA and Tanggu). Other than the extended stares and pictures being taken, there were no issues with the multiple times I wore my kilt out and about. That was even more of a reaction than when I had worn it to walk around the Shanghai Botanical Garden.

I tend to get enough attention myself anyways, so the extra did not bother me one bit.

[Tartan Hiker]

Well, if the reactions I've received from Chinese tourists in both Scotland and here in the US are any indication, I wouldn't be too optimistic about your reception on the streets of any Chinese city. I've never been openly laughed at in public, except by groups of young female Chinese tourists, who on many occasions have literally stopped in their tracks, pointed, and laughed.

Or maybe it's just that I'm actually funny looking...

[cessna152towser]

The Chinese and Japenese tourists in Edinburgh love to stop the guy in a kilt for a photo but I am not sure how they would react to a man in a kilt in their homeland, not having been there.

[Macman]

Our pipe band went to Beijing last fall. We left the sgians dubh at home. We wore our kilts only to perform or march, and got a great reception. I would say that the locals were like people anywhere else; most seemed politely interested. I had no negative reactions.

[seanachie]

I have worn my kilt all over China and Hong Kong. Yes I did get lots of reactions, however not a single negative one.
My one regret was that in Xian I met with very elderly veterans of The Long March. They still wore Mao jackets and the almost unseen style of former times. There were lots of Party honchos around and I did not know what the reaction would be to cameras. I did get concerned around Tianamen Square when many locals wanted their picture taken with me, with a large security prescence I did not want someone to get into a jam. At the Great Wall I could hardly go 50 feet without a request for a pic.

[seanachie]

Personally, I didn't want to do anything to make myself stand out anymore than I already did, so I didn't wear my kilt much.

But Colin that makes us much easier to locate I was on the Star ferry with my wife one afternoon and it was packed. She went to the restroom and came back and told me, how easy it was to locate me. I never get lost in a crowd.

[CMcG]

But Colin that makes us much easier to locate I was on the Star ferry with my wife one afternoon and it was packed. She went to the restroom and came back and told me, how easy it was to locate me. I never get lost in a crowd.

True that!