Why learn the language? To avoid a scary haircut, for one thing

"Nihao," said a message that popped up on my mobile screen. It was my first week in Beijing and I had just been added to a WeChat group. I had no clue what it meant. As I was contemplating a response, I saw a flurry of messages from other group members welcoming me to the country. I then understood what the message meant.

While I responded to the greetings by saying "Hi", I avoided a direct response to the member who said, "Nihao". I just didn't know what to say.

When I typed the word on my browser, I found that it meant "hello" or a "hi" in Chinese. I learned, rather late, that I should have responded with "Hao".