Art of Holding Hands in China

The Standard

As we have all noticed, holding hands among friends is quite natural in China.  This embrace is not controlled by gender lines, so whether it is boy/boy, girl/girl, boy/girl, girl/girl/girl, or boy/boy/boy, it is often no more than a symbol of ones friendship.  I like to relate it to the friendly ass slap that is seen on American baseball fields.  To a foreigner it might seem odd at first but once it is accepted as a natural social custom, one should be able to see the merit of its ability to show companionship and demonstrate the belonging to a community.  The best part about holding hands in China, however, is being able to pick up the different variations that aren't as prevalent in the US.

Here is a variation of one of the more standard hand holds

Ya gotta love it - an intertwining of arms and fingers create a zipper affect where everything seems securely bound and it becomes hard to differentiate one person from the other.