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Q: Why does every conversation I have with a Chinese person feel like an interview?
I get that Chinese are curious and all have the same questions towards a foreigner - that's fine, it's just part of the cultural divide.
But as a conversation progresses, it's clear that this other Chinese person is just pumping me for information. I don't need to talk about myself, and I also don't need to reveal more personal information. But it's always like that: they'll ask a personal question, I'll answer it obligingly, they'll be quiet, and once they think up something they'll ask yet another question.
Maybe it's just politeness, but it isn't a conversation - it's an interview.
not many Chinese people i know do small-talk, especially in a social situation. I will meet someone and it is question after question. Sometimes it feels like 'perform white monkey' kind of conversation, which just annoys me.
i get the 'tell me about your country' statement. 
That's not a question !!
i am friendly by nature, but this is too much !
That is not to say that they doing it intentionally. It is just unfamiliarity with our social norms.
They learn these "middle school" type questions and that's where it ends. The inability to develop any kind of conversational English on their own means they speak English like children who are repeating what their middle school teacher tells them to say. It does get frustrating and monotonous to say the least.
It's not about English fluency, it rarely gets better in chinese.
I usually change the conversation. If not possible, I end it. I really have no patience for this now.
Casual and relaxed. Two things that doesn't happen in conversations with Chinese people.
Because it is an interview! Whatever you say will be repeated and good conversation for their other friends. Plus whatever information you provide will be used against the next foreigner they meet. They will be held to the standard or impression you left to him/her. Example: I had a talk/interview with a chinese person the other day, he said wow, your chinese isn't bad I met a black person the other day and he wouldn't talk to me so I thought black people can't speak chinese. I didn't know what to say just responded with an "oh." So basically the impression that guy gave him is what he was expecting of me. Then I changed that so the next person he meets will be held to that standard. If that makes sense at all.
because it is really an interview!!!!, they are educated like that. Chinese don,t know how to express an opinion, or debate a serious topic. In china nothing is very serious, you can see chinese laughing for everything.
You say that Chines are curious!!! That's just not true at all. It's their complete lack of curiosity that keeps things ticking over just how Beijing likes it.
