Living in China

What does life in China looks like? Over the past decade, China has grown and developed rapidly and the skyscrapers are changing the horizon daily. To be sure, the poor transport, sanitation and lackadaisical service standards have all been vastly improved. But some problems still remain.

There are 57 groups of Chinese people with one being the Han group which is around 93%. Broken up into languages, there are over 450 languages in China. The official language is Mandarin. Most of the young Chinese people have learned English but they are a little shy to speak. So you can practice your Chinese and they can practice their English. But the best is to learn as much Mandarin as you can.

Today, China is moving fast and catching up to what the rest of the world has materially. So in terms of buying stuff that we need to live as foreigners coming to China, China has almost everything you need to live here. Personally, I have found that I only need to bring in some special spices to cook my favorite meal that I grew up with at home.

You can rent your own 1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartment now and the transportation in most places is bike riding, bus or taxi to get around. The food, depending on where you are in China is good with lots of variety and everyone seems to love eating Chinese food. You do not drink from the tap water. China sells bottled water and also water filters for home use.

The use of space is different here. On the roads, the white or yellow line does not really mean anything. A car can pull out into oncoming traffic and the on coming traffic will swerve out of the way. Or a car will come into your taxi lane and the taxi will move out of the way. It's amazing that not many accidents seem to happen. Also, the space between people can be very tight, people in buses or elevators can be right next to each other, almost touching and it is okay.

The Chinese are normally on time. If they say they will meet you at a certain time, they will be there at that time. The working hours in China is generally from 9am to 6pm, five to six days a week unless you are in the food service industry.

For foreigners, the cultural differences can be a bigger obstacle than the language barrier itself. People are generally friendly and they like to bargain their prices when they buy something. "Speaking frankly" is not the norm, people often don't say what they think, but rather what they think you want to hear or what will save face for them. People may smile not because they are positive or in agreement but because they are embarrassed and do not quite know what to do. When it comes to conflict resolutions, things are done differently here. "Face" and "Saving Face" is a big part of the culture. This means a negotiated settlement of differences that provides benefits to both parties is always preferable to direct confrontation. Relationships can be complicated. "Guanxi" which in Chinese means relationship or connections, who you know is important. You get things done through the people you know and this is reciprocal.

Well, in spite of the challenges, this is still a beautiful land with beautiful people. You will go through your fare share cultural learning. Nevertheless, China is an experience that stays with you for years after you leave.

Life in China

What does life in China looks like? Over the past decade, China has grown and developed rapidly and the skyscrapers are changing the horizon daily. To be sure, the poor transport, sanitation and lackadaisical service standards have all been vastly improved. But some problems still remain.

There are 57 groups of Chinese people with one being the Han group which is around 93%. Broken up into languages, there are over 450 languages in China. The official language is Mandarin. Most of the young Chinese people have learned English but they are a little shy to speak. So you can practice your Chinese and they can practice their English. But the best is to learn as much Mandarin as you can.

Today, China is moving fast and catching up to what the rest of the world has materially. So in terms of buying stuff that we need to live as foreigners coming to China, China has almost everything you need to live here. Personally, I have found that I only need to bring in some special spices to cook my favorite meal that I grew up with at home.

You can rent your own 1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartment now and the transportation in most places is bike riding, bus or taxi to get around. The food, depending on where you are in China is good with lots of variety and everyone seems to love eating Chinese food. You do not drink from the tap water. China sells bottled water and also water filters for home use.

The use of space is different here. On the roads, the white or yellow line does not really mean anything. A car can pull out into oncoming traffic and the on coming traffic will swerve out of the way. Or a car will come into your taxi lane and the taxi will move out of the way. It's amazing that not many accidents seem to happen. Also, the space between people can be very tight, people in buses or elevators can be right next to each other, almost touching and it is okay.

The Chinese are normally on time. If they say they will meet you at a certain time, they will be there at that time. The working hours in China is generally from 9am to 6pm, five to six days a week unless you are in the food service industry.

For foreigners, the cultural differences can be a bigger obstacle than the language barrier itself. People are generally friendly and they like to bargain their prices when they buy something. "Speaking frankly" is not the norm, people often don't say what they think, but rather what they think you want to hear or what will save face for them. People may smile not because they are positive or in agreement but because they are embarrassed and do not quite know what to do. When it comes to conflict resolutions, things are done differently here. "Face" and "Saving Face" is a big part of the culture. This means a negotiated settlement of differences that provides benefits to both parties is always preferable to direct confrontation. Relationships can be complicated. "Guanxi" which in Chinese means relationship or connections, who you know is important. You get things done through the people you know and this is reciprocal.

Well, in spite of the challenges, this is still a beautiful land with beautiful people. You will go through your fare share cultural learning. Nevertheless, China is an experience that stays with you for years after you leave.