#Person1#: Hey, look at these paintings on the wall! Aren't they beautiful? Linda bought some good paintings. 
#Person2#: Yeah, very impressive. Oh, this one's marvelous! 
#Person3#: Sure, they're very colorful. 
#Person4#: Thank you. You are very generous with your compliments. 
#Person1#: You know the first thing most Chinese students would ask is how much did this painting cost? 
#Person2#: Right. I've noticed that too. They always ask that question before they say anything else. 
#Person3#: That's true. Most Chinese do that. I don't know why. It's just a habit. I've noticed that foreigners often make compliments soon after they see a product someone has bought - even if they don't really mean it. 
#Person1#: Yeah, we're just different. We can't figure out why many Chinese people don't give big hugs to their own parents after they grow up. 
#Person3#: No, we don't do that. At least very few people I know do that. 
#Person2#: And as far as I know, it's not common for a Chinese to say, I love you to anyone including his or her soul mate. 
#Person4#: Cindy, please don't misunderstand. We're not saying that one way is better than another. They're just different, that's all. 
Linda bought good paintings. #Person1#, Cindy and #Person3# make compliments of them. They begin to talk about Chinese students' attitudes towards compliments. Linda explains that they'are not saying that one way is better than another.
Chinese habits