The best way to live in China for a foreigner 

I wish I had a blog like this when I first went to China. I first went to China and around 2017 and, I honestly had no idea what I was going to do when I lived there. I got invited by a friend. I was flying by the seat of my pants. There were so many crazy things that happened around me, and I just basically had to deal with the situations. Here’s a brief overview of how I survived and thrived in mainland China

1. Living in China.

So I was living in Taiwan at the time, and it was pretty easy for me because I had to take a 

30-minute boat over to China in Xiamen. I remember going there the first time and being scared out of my wits. I was invited, and they checked my papers to see who I was. I think it was peculiar because I had never been to mainland China before, so they asked me a bunch of questions. I thought I would be turned back, and they were going to find some weird reason to send me back to Taiwan. They made me sweat for about half an hour to 45 minutes, then let me right in. 

The first thing you’ll notice about living in mainland China is the number of tall buildings everywhere. It’s like just this high expanse of mountainous buildings. I don’t know how to explain it. And they have so much population, so they have nowhere to build but up. I’m a little bit biased because I was living in Xiamen. But I also found the same thing when traveling in Shanghai and when I went to Wuhan.

2. Challenges that ex-pats face when living in China.

The first challenge you will face is how to speak Chinese. I still have some friends that stay in China, and I don’t know how they do it. They don’t know how to speak Chinese mandarin at all. They rely upon their girlfriend and use their phone to translate. Some don’t even use Chinese apps and rely on their VPN and outside apps from China. I mean, if you want to stay there long term, then definitely you’re going to have to learn Chinese online or learn from books. Take a class. In mainland China, Mandarin classes are super cheap. I don’t know why they’re so expensive in Taiwan

3. How to cope with these challenges in China

Some people for some reason, can talk their way out of any situation. I wasn’t able to do that. You must keep your nose clean if you get in trouble in mainland China. At the same time, I’ve met so many crazy people that live there, obviously foreigners; they think that because they are foreigners, they can get away with some stuff while living in China. You can’t do that. Don’t get into a drunken bar fight. Don’t argue too much with your girlfriend. I mean, there’s just so much advice regarding this. I think it’s probably just common sense when you think about it, but at the same time, common sense is not very common. Especially in mainland China, you have to abide by their rules. And do what you’re supposed to do. If you’re an English teacher, then go ahead and teach English. That’s it.

4. How to make the most of living in China.

There are so many exciting places in mainland China. I mean, there’s Tiananmen Square. There is the great wall of China. There is the forbidden city. Everything. And I mean, it’s historically relevant. The stuff is thousands of years old. Coming from North America, I mean North America is only a couple hundred years old, and China, as far as I know, is the second oldest country. So just looking at these different artifacts, you can feel how insignificant your life is and how long humans have existed. I mean, without counting dinosaurs, look at how far we’ve gone. Look at the different things that we’ve invented as humans. If you’re in China, you will feel that when you check out old things.

5. How to adapt to Chinese culture.

For me, the Chinese Mandarin language is a must. There are different things as well. I’ve met some foreigners that dyed their hair or wore glasses and wore clothes to look like Chinese people. They were trying not to stick out like a sore thumb. I mean, if you are Caucasian, or if you’re maybe of a darker skin tone, then people will notice you right away. But, it’s good and bad. I mean, aside from being called some famous person, because those are the only non-Chinese people that they know, I mean so. For me, this is a disadvantage, but at the same time, if it is what you like, then that’s OK for you.

6. What to bring with you when moving to China?

I brought my computer from Taiwan. And I don’t precisely remember the voltage, but it wasn’t the same as in mainland China. So basically, I shorted it out. I was lucky that I didn’t cause a fire. But it would help if you changed the voltage of any electronics you bring to China. I mean, what else can I say? Bring your clothes, bring your electronics but realize that some of the stuff won’t work there. Also, you’re probably better off just using Chinese electronics because they have some particular encoding. I don’t know how to explain it. All I know is that my xiao mi pad, when I brought it out of mainland China, didn’t work the same

7. How to find a job in China.

I was fortunate because I had a job waiting for me when I was there. Also, my boss was American. He knew what I needed to do over there. He mapped out everything for me; he had been living in Mainland China for a couple of years. I think he probably was there for five years. Before that, he was over in Taiwan for about 12 years. He knew the ins and outs of the system, and I think that without him, I probably would not have thrived as much as I did in mainland China. You have to find somebody that’s going to hire you. You need an introduction letter. If they tell you that you must go back to your country to apply for a job in mainland China, you might have to do that. I wouldn’t do that, though.

8. Advice on how to make friends in China.

Chinese people live with their phones. You have to download WeChat. And that’s the way that they keep track of everybody. You will probably meet some people from WeChat groups. And I mean, that’s how I’ve met many people, and I was able to keep track of my friends. You can pay for things with WeChat, and I think that’s probably pretty weird coming from other countries, using your phone to pay for things. I’m a little bit of a dinosaur, though, because I’m not used to it. So basically, you need to use your phone to socialize with everybody.

9. How to stay safe in China.

I’ve heard some crazy stories. People are getting in bar fights—people insulting the wrong people. One of my friends had a girlfriend that he kicked out, and the girlfriend got a locksmith to open the door so that she could be back in. When my friend came back to his house, he was surprised his girlfriend was still there, and she said to him this is China, so I can do wherever I want. Wow. I think that he probably pissed off the wrong person. If I were in his position, then I would probably run away.

You got to remember that you’re always a foreigner there. You can easily get kicked out of the country, if not worse than that. Just keep your head down and keep your nose clean. Follow the rules, and do your job.

10. How to enjoy life in China.

I would say all in all that, I enjoyed my experience in mainland China. I’ve made a lot of friends. I know that there are some of my friends that are still there. Some of them left. It’s an exciting place to live, and I felt like it was sometimes a trial by fire to live in mainland China. If you’re gung ho about trying to live somewhere, that’s interesting; this might be the place for you.