Three things newcomers to China should know:

1. Rice is eaten often.
2. People speak Chinese
3. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a security guard.

In my upscale community there are guards everywhere. Parking lot guards dressed in blue, police officers from a multitude of departments (also in blue or possibly brown), and the bao’ans (security guards) attired in brown. They have a rotten job, and take guff from all and sundry. But they can march, sometimes in-step.