Can-do:

A very positive feature of Chinese culture is the desire of someone to help you do almost anything. InBritain, should your watch for example, suddenly stop and the cause seem a mystery, a new watch will usually be bought. InChina, they’ll give you a wry smile and disappear into a backroom with your beloved possession only to bring out several pieces of what may seem like insignificant cogs and springs. After a few moments of jostling with the interiors, it’ll be working as though nothing went wrong. This is just one example of the great Chinese can do attitude, a fix-it skill they have for just about anything. From broken bicycles or cars to complex technological equipment. Somehow, a chirpy attendant donning a scruffy baseball cap will fix your broken article. Plus, such skill is often for just a few RMB. This is truly one of the marvels ofChinaand one that derives from their strong ‘save money’ culture as well as their ‘save face’ characteristic: that is, they’ll try to save your money as well as show they can actually fix it! If however, they don’t have what you’re looking for, or can’t fix it, you may get the brisk ‘mai-you’ reply, which plainly means ‘don’t have’!