One of the most common questions that people include in their emails is, "Why do people in China always do the peace sign in pictures?" I had never really thought much about it until my friend, Emily, suggested I do a blog post about it. Since it was Thursday and I was heading to English Corner anyways, I decided to ask every student I talked with why Chinese people love making this gesture while being photographed. The answers weren't as exciting as I had hoped and for now I have not discovered a secret or deeper meaning to why they do it, but it was a funny and interesting topic of discussion anyways.
The V-shaped signal is not only ubiquitous in China but in other countries of Asia as well. Some people interpret it as the V for "Victory" and others conclude it is the universal sign for peace. Perhaps it is just a misunderstood and then borrowed western tradition of the "bunny ears." The interesting thing about asking different Chinese people why they do it is the fact that there is not one answer. In fact, most of them stop and think about it and many of them think it is a silly question. A lot of the responses I received were that it "was just like smiling" and "why wouldn't you smile for a picture and include a peace sign." This made for frustrating research.
First, I asked my supervisor, Teddy, who was at my apartment attempting to (once again) fix the wireless internet. Teddy informed me that it was a "popular pose" for the Chinese and that many people also use it here when saying "hello," "goodbye" and when they "agree" with someone. He also said that many Chinese also do the peace sign with both hands when they are really excited. He seemed to think that people do it here to show their "feelings of happiness.'' According to Teddy, this trend started in China around 1990 and that it is mainly the younger generation who participate (though older people can be seen flashing the V occasionally as well). He thinks that it is more common for girls to make the gesture than boys. Teddy's theory is that the trend started in Japan, moved to South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore before it made it to China.
When I asked my students I received a variety of answers accompanied by the usual flutter of nervous laughter and giggles. Some said they did it to look "cute" or "pretty" and others said that they like to make the sign when taking pictures just "for fun." Others said that they did it so that they wouldn't feel "awkward" or "uncomfortable" when they were in the spotlight. Many compared it to Americans saying "cheese" when we take pictures. When I asked whether it meant "peace" or "victory" most said that it did not hold any special meaning at all and that it was just to display "happiness" or that it was simply "just a common gesture." Some of my favorite answers were that the pose was for "mostly just girls and sissy guys," that it was to display "how lovely you are," or that it was to show your "ambition."
Well, it's not a very scientific or profound answer, but it made for a fun experiment. Let me know if you have any other questions or curiosities involving "why do they do that?" If you want to read more on the subject check out the blog post at "Stuff Asian People Like" with the similar style as "Stuff White People Like."
I didn't think my students thought much about my question at English Corner but I think some of them did. Today, while taking a picture with Edison and Percy at the track meet, our pose felt a bit strange as they awkwardly put their arms around me and at their sides. When we were finished saying "cheese" Edison said to me, "Did you notice? We didn't make the peace sign in this picture like we usually do." And to be honest, it made me a little sad.
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