As the old adage goes: You get out of life that which you put into it. This is particularly true of expat life in China. Here are some ideas for making the most of your time in the middle kingdom.

Photo: janedark.com

1)  Learn the language and culture
This may seem like a real no-brainer, but learning Chinese language and culture opens life up an incredible amount. It is also true that when caught up in the daily grind of work you may let these very important things pass you by. Chinese can be a frustrating language to learn but the number of people you can have meaningful communications with increases exponentially with improvement of language proficiency. Even learning simple things like how Chinese people count from 1-10 using just one hand come in useful.

2)  Get to know the lay of the land
Town planning in china can at times make a city feel like some kind of labyrinthine rat's nest. Often people have many useful facilities and resources all around them that they are completely unaware of. If you familiarize yourself with your local area you are likely to find little treasures that will make life that much easier. If you take the time to discover your locale, you may find that hardware shop that you need to know about, a print shop that's much closer than the one you were previously using or that Xinjiang restaurant that does perfect noodles and will deliver to your door. One good way of getting to know your local area is by bike. A few leisurely bike rides around your area and you will most likely find something of interest.

The same goes for exploring China in general. In a country spanning over an area the size of a great many countries together it is unsurprising that Chinese cities have their own unique flavour. If you find that living in the north does not suit you then try the south or vice versa. Cities such as Chongqing. Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen are all unique and will appeal to different people.

3)  Make connections
Thanks to a political system that seems to favour gargantuan towering bureaucracy, one can sometimes feel like one is trapped in some absurd Kafka-esque nightmare when faced with at first glance seemingly simple administrative tasks such as queuing to buy a toaster or a new microwave, for example. In all seriousness though, when living in China the system can make an individual feel very small. The way Chinese people deal with this is by making their network bigger. Everyone has heard the phrase 'many hands make light work' this is particularly true in China. This is what is known as 'guanxi' and anyone who has lived in China more than a short time will be well familiar with it. 

It seems that there are three simple rules of guanxi, these are; networking- being welcoming to people and building friendships with as broad a range of people as possible. This may sound a little mercenary, but you never know what connections a person may have or what skill they might have that they would be happy to use in your assistance. Hospitality - having met said people a good way to consolidate the relationship is through hospitality, this may include small gifts as a token of appreciation or an invitation to dinner or your home. A favour for a favour- if you can see that someone can benefit from your assistance, do what you can to help them; that person will be more than likely willing to reciprocate should they find that they may be capable of helping you in any number of difficult situations.

4)  Get to know your community
With gated communities and large apartment complexes, lifestyles in China sometimes don't allow for as much privacy as back home. The upshot of this is that it is often easier to get to know your neighbours than it may be in other countries. Living anywhere in the world and experiencing a sense of community, your life will most likely be richer than if you don't; the same could be said of living in China. Often if you see your neighbours they will make innocuous comments or state the blindingly obvious- 'so you are going out now' or 'Aaah, you went shopping'. These gambits can be confusing at first but basically they are openings for getting to know your neighbours. Take these opportunities and run with them. Living in a big city in China can at times be a lonely and isolating experience; having neighbours to chat to when you are out and about in the community running errands or coming to and from your home can make the day seem that much brighter. As they say - it’s the small things in life.

5)  Be flexible
One mistake that expats make is constantly complaining that things are not how they like or expect them to be. Often matters in China are not like they are back home and that is for a good reason: it's not back home. Many people deal with this by complaining about things or trying to change things. On some matters Chinese people can be set in their ways and not willing to move on things, so instead of trying to change their views or how they do things it is infinitely easier to adapt your way of seeing things or coping with difficult or uncomfortable situations.
 

Related links
5 Things We Most Miss About Our Home Countries
4 Things You Never Expected to Love About China
Seven Reasons to Stay in China

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