Some consider China a police state and yet to foreigners used to seeing armed uniformed cops and hearing police sirens day and night China seems far more relaxed and a lot less authoritarian than we'd originally believed. “My favourite thing about China is, despite a supposedly oppressive government regime, personal freedom here is far greater than it is in my own country,” opines Dave from Britain, “you can party any time you want, you can eat and drink what you want, and there appear to be very few actual social laws.” And although people might look at us strangely for a lot of other reasons, “people don't look at you strangely for ordering a beer at lunch or smoking, you can just be yourself. I feel far less bothered by the 'nanny state' here than I do in England.

That sense of freedom to do what we want and be ourselves in ways we don't feel comfortable with is key for many expats and fostered by the ever-changing state of China itself. From new foods and places to decidedly dated fashion and ancient culture, living here is just interesting. Due to the ever changing landscape, the manic push towards modernity, living here is like living in a house still being built, every day you wake up to new rooms and windows with new views. As Gordon who grew up in Hong Kong and the US and is now working in Shanghai describes living in China, “favorite thing about it is the rapid change, living through what would take a whole life for Americans to experience in a few years here.”

Colman, whose life has also taken him from Hong Kong to LA to Beijing puts it succinctly: “change(=dynamic) and opportunities(=challenges).”

“I love China because I am so completely out of my element and that forces me to feel and think and be aware of being alive on so many levels (linguistically, socially, culturally, microcosmos, macrocosmos) all the time,” is how Liz describes the opportunites and challenges, “when you speak your native language and are in familiar surroundings and situations it's easy to live habitually and become numb. There's something beautiful about living in a place where a simple trip to the post office is a learning experience each and every time.”

As much as individual transactions, especially at the post office, might challenge us and drive us a bit crazy, each challenge represents a chance for us to test ourselves and discover how we fare. Are we the kind of people that pack it in the first time someone doesn’t understand us or the menu is picture-less? Or do we rise to each little challenge with perseverance, ingenuity, and a whole lot of sign language? For many expats living in China and overcoming these obstacles gives us a confidence and assertiveness we might not have acquired so quickly in our home countries.

It gives us new perspectives and new friends and a chance to witness an amazing transformation in progress. It makes us grateful for what we have back home and what we are so privileged to experience here.

What do you love about living in China?

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