Last time around we talked about the things we liked least about living in China. Expats tend to do great amounts of moaning and groaning – it’s therapeutic and a regular bonding exercise for foreigners without a lot of other things in common – but most of us are still here and a lot of us aren’t planning on leaving anytime soon. So despite the spitting and pollution and MSG we’re still here for a reason.

I notice that China, like MSG, is addictive. I’ve met many people who spent their first month here vowing to leave as soon as possible and never return and then they got bit by the China bug and a couple of years later they’re still here and in it for the long haul. What is it about China that attracts a certain crowd of people and keeps us here far longer than we’d originally planned?

In the last article we talked about the differences in thinking the difference in Chinese and western mentality, particularly when it comes to solving problems and doing business. Paradoxically, one the things foreigners love about China is the generosity and friendliness of Chinese people.

Liz from Chicago speaks for a lot of expats when she says, “I love China because so many Chinese people are willing and open to share with you – be it food, conversation, or the excitement of seeing ‘other’. The hospitality is amazing.” And since most of us are far from fluent the pains many Chinese people take to accommodate our bumbling attempts at Chinese are more than just a nicety, they are crucial to the success of most of the things we do here. My sister studied for a year in Russia and was amazed by the openness and friendliness of the people she encountered on her visit here.

We had a driver from the bus stop in Huai Rou to Simitai Great Wall and before we got to the wall he’d invited us to come back another time and go to his house to see how people like him were living. She was was envious of the opportunities those of us living and studying in China have to learn the language and culture from the source.

Like all great things in life, evidence of the warmth and all-encompassing feel of China and Chinese people can be found at the dinner table. “The eating culture,” remarks Liz, “has changed my life. Sharing food, eating in groups, serving other people before yourself… I love it.” It’s not just Liz who has found that, “food becomes a new substance, something more than nourishment.” Even on the darkest most confusing days most of us are revived by a table full of Gong Bao Ji Ding or Si Bian Gan Dou and a group of friends armed with darting chopsticks and appetites grabbing food from the same dishes and talking about the day.

Another thing many of us love about China is the feeling of safety. Vera from Indonesia points out, “I can walk on the street anytime I want,” although she does add that we, “just need to be careful with the traffic.” I have rarely met a foreigner, either visitor or expat, who doesn’t comment on how safe they feel here. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in the US has a gun but enough people do that American cities have become at best nerve-racking and at worst lethal. Despite the income disparity between foreigners and locals and the amount of expensive toys we carry around, nobody I know has had anything happen to them here beyond pick pocketing and the occasional stolen bicycle. Some expats worry about returning home and having to relearn the wariness and caution that city dwellers in many western cities rely on…

This is part 1 of the article; part 2 will be out on Monday.

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