A content creator from Guang Dong, China, recently visited Kuala Lumpur to test if one can survive in Malaysia by only speaking Chinese. Zhou documented his experience on Douyin, a famous Chinese social media platform.
Zhou took a cab and heading to his first stop Pavilion KL where he noticed Chinese labels on luxury brands and heard other people conversing in Chinese.
He then attempted to order food in Chinese at a fast food chain, but the lady at the counter couldn’t understand him. Thankfully, an employee who could speak Chinese helped him make his purchase.
There’s always someone who can understand the language
Zhou continued his experiment by trying to speak Chinese with a worker at an optical shop, expressing his interest in sunglasses, but the woman couldn’t speak his language. Luckily, a Malay worker came to his rescue and assisted him.
Zhou was amazed that he could communicate in Chinese without issue in most shops.
For the last stop, he pretended to ask about a breakfast set at a hotel, and the conversation went smoothly without the need for a translator.
“Conversing in Mandarin at a hotel for check-in & check-out was smooth. No issues at all,” said Zhou.
Overall, Zhou concluded that one can survive in Malaysia by only speaking Chinese, as many locals can speak the language.
“Many can speak Chinese here, including those who don’t look like Chinese,” he said.
You can watch the full video here.
Malaysia’s multiracial diversity is one of its greatest strengths, and its people’s ability to converse in multiple languages is a testament to their respect for each other’s cultures. Zhou’s experiment shows that, despite linguistic and cultural differences, communication and survival in Malaysia are achievable through mutual understanding and appreciation.
