China is a truly magnificent place and very often misunderstood by people, especially people who have never visited the country.
The news can often be very critical of China and how the country is run, but when you get down on a personal level and become a part of the community, your perspective changes entirely.
Foreigners will flock to China for a bunch of reasons, one of the biggest being work-related. The other most likely reason is travel. Traveling in China and living in China are two entirely different things and two entirely different perspectives are gained through each experience.
My Perspective After Living in China Twice
Life in China for foreigners isn’t an easy thing to get used to in the beginning, but chances are, if you are moving here, you have somewhat of an open mind about living here.
What makes or break the living experience is the willingness to let the culture wash over you, because it will be drastically different from everything you know back home.
Before I get into it, I must say, I can only speak for my own experience as a white female American living in China. I have been part of Peace Corps groups that help me understand what my friends of different sexual orientations, races, cultural backgrounds, etc. go through living in China.
That being said, there are many things I will never be able to understand from their perspective. That will never stop me from trying to be an ally in understanding the challenges they face living in China so I can be supportive.
I also welcome anyone who would like to share their experiences living in China. If you are interested, contact me.
So here are some things to know about life in China for foreigners.
Get Ready to Be Stared At
When I was a teacher in China as a Peace Corps volunteer from 2014 – 2016, I had to do Monday flag-raising ceremonies. When I looked down on the field below me to see the students looking at the raised flag, every single student had black hair.
Every single one.
In America, hair colors would be blonde, red, brown, black, you name it. In China, there are different ethnic groups, but they are still Chinese.
China is a developed country, yes. Just because they watch foreign movies, doesn’t mean they have been exposed to a foreigner. Just because they know English doesn’t mean they had a foreign English teacher. Most Chinese people will go their whole lives having never met, let alone seen, a foreigner.
We are different from everything they know in so many ways, our eyes, body shape, hair color, skin color. The best way I can explain it is, they look at us like we would look at seeing Jason Mamoa in public.
You can’t not stare.
I’ve had people look me up and down for the curves on my body or students take a grab at my hair to feel its softness.
Some people do not like this kind of attention, but I’m telling you, it will happen. It’s your choice if you want to be upset about it, or live with it.
Closeness Has a Different Meaning Here
I am a hugger, but China is not a hugging culture. Very rarely is it a share your emotions culture either. For people who are sensitive and have a lot of feelings or value closeness to another human being, you may not enjoy this.
Most days, a lack of physical connection can be such a bummer for me, but I manage to get through it.
I think right now, I have one friend who is Chinese that actually hugs me. When she is having a hard day, I ask her,
“Are you ok? How can I support you?”
She’ll tell me her woes and we’ll hug it out. I love it because I know it means she trusts me. Every now and again, you’ll meet some people who are very comfortable with shedding tears, giving you a hug, or opening up to you about things that are bothering them.
What I’ve found for me when it comes to openness is that I am very open and will say things very honestly or with crazy transparency because I’m not one to hide my feelings.
Many of the people I have met in China can be very modest and more censored whereas many foreigners are not. The modesty doesn’t make your friendships with people in China any less authentic, it just means the way they express themselves is different.
My best advice is to just be observant and sensitive to their feelings to gain their trust.
Learning Chinese Will Be So Helpful
One of the things that will significantly enhance your living experience in China is learning Chinese. There are a few ways it’s helpful:
- Making friends
- Ordering food
- Understanding the culture and people
- Navigating the country
- Enjoying movies and music
It is not an easy language by any means, but learning the language is so helpful for just getting through everyday experiences. It’s also helpful when making friends and ordering food. Learning the language will also help you understand people and culture.
I was surprised by how much better I understood people and culture through learning the language. That is something I wish someone would have told me before I started learning. So I’ll say it again. Learn the language and you’ll understand the people and culture better.
Also, learning Chinese is helpful when ordering food. I’m not overly picky about food, but there are certain things I don’t like eating when it comes to Chinese cuisine. Knowing the characters for those food items was helpful when I wanted to avoid some exotic dishes.
There is also the super fun part of stunning the random local with your Chinese skills, it’s quite the confidence boost when they tell you, “Dang, your Chinese is great.” Most of them are surprised because shockingly enough, many foreigners don’t learn the language even if they have lived here for several years.
Navigating China is Stupid Easy
I’m from Colorado, where we rely primarily on cars for transportation. So being in China for me was a dream. One of my favorite things about life in China for a foreigner is that you don’t need a car to get around the city you live in or the country in general.
You can take the subway or train and get just about anywhere and much fast than a car.
China has made transportation on a local and national level stupid easy. Traveling anywhere is made possible by pretty much all modes of transportation you can think of:
- Buses
- High-speed trains
- Planes
- Long-distance buses
- Subways and light rails
And most all of these travel options are insanely cheap. Cross-country tickets cost much less than airfare and allow you to see more of life outside. I love it, and plus, if you decide to take one of the slower trains, you have an opportunity to people watch beyond your wildest dreams.
Cost of Living is Inexpensive
A huge upside for life in China for foreigners is the cost of living. If you’re looking to save some money or pay off some outstanding credit card and student loan debt back home, China is a good place to go, especially if you’re teaching English. English teachers have some of the best incentives ever.
- Salaries are high
- Rent and utilities are low or free
- Cost of food is even lower
- No need to worry about a car
- Anything you buy in China is just inexpensive in general
Foreigners tend to make more than their local counterparts, especially in English education. English teachers usually will get living accommodations as part of their contract too but if they don’t like the living arrangement they can get their own place for around 3,000 RMB a month, depending on what city they live in.
Electricity, gas, and phone bills are only about 300-500 RMB a month.
It’s hard to leave China and go back to your home country after you’ve lived here a while. When you’re spending almost nothing on food, rent, electricity, and other costs, you end up saving quite a bit of money. You can afford to do a lot of things in China with a fat savings.
Pollution is Bad, Masks Make it Bearable
One downside of life in China for foreigners is not being able to escape the pollution, unfortunately. I am sorry to be the bearer of that bad news. Luckily, there are apps out there that can help you monitor the air quality.
I use Air Visual to stay informed.
Some days, you won’t need a mask at all! Every now and again, the sky will clear up and the sun will come out. Some days the air quality score on the Air Quality Index (AQI) is so low, you’ll think you’re at home. My advice is to savor those days.
Since I live in Xi’an, I have seen the AQI score go well over 300 or way down to 35 (Colorado air quality style). 300 on the AQI is comparable to some air quality scores in India.
The Water is Dirty
The water is bad here, and when people drink it straight from the tap as we do everywhere else. Water is usually boiled most of the time. However, boiling water doesn’t always get rid of the crap that’s in it.
When I was in Peace Corps China, we were each given a water distiller which was meant to draw out all the crap in the water so you have fresh water. I can’t tell you the kind of grossness left over after water dripped into my jug.
One of my biggest pieces of advice for foreigners in China is to get a water distilling machine. It costs about 260 RMB and will produce good clean water without you having to buy 5-liter jugs every week.
You can learn about the water distiller and other things you might need to live in China here.
You Might Get Called Fat
On more than one occasion, I have had locals tell me I’m fat, and I’m around 190 at 5’4″. People in China are generally very, so naturally seeing me with all my curves is a sight to behold. My butt gets stared at a lot.
Equally, I’ve had many women tell me they want a butt like mine.
People I’ve met in China have no filter when it comes to telling you you’re “fat”.
They will flat out tell you to your face. In their eyes, it’s not necessarily considered rude, but it doesn’t hurt your feelings any less. Just be prepared for the occasional “you’re fat” comment if you do happen to be a little more on the fluffy side.
But also, don’t let it get to you.
If it does get to you, rather than get upset, use it as an opportunity to teach the person about how saying this can sometimes be hurtful.
Natives who work with foreigners often may already understand that this isn’t a well-received statement.
Some Things Are Just Different
I could spend a whole other post on just the different ways China does things and how life in China for foreigners is. However, that would be a super long post, and you could literally write a book on China and all of these things. So below is a quick list of things you will need to get used.
- Squat toilets are still everywhere
- You can’t flush toilet paper
- You have to bring TP with you everywhere
- Showers and toilets are in the same room
- Chinese food is way different and better
- Beds in your home are hard AF
- Fitted sheets are not a thing
- Air purifiers are a must
- You will need a VPN – Try Astrill VPN
- Alipay and WeChat are used for everything
For more on life in China for foreigners, check out some of my other China blog posts.
Watch the Video!
Also, expect these types of reactions and questions from natives in China. Also, don’t forget to follow MamaHuhu for more hilarious videos on understanding China.
