Things I Love About Living and Working in China

Things I Love About Living and Working in China
Jun 06, 2018 By Degen Hill , eChinacities.com

If we step back for a moment and look at our lives, living and working in China is pretty great. All too often we’re too focussed on our routine or the small things that annoy us instead of appreciating the benefits to the country where we live. With that in mind, here are some things I love about living and working in China.

 

Great Food
Everyone has had Chinese food before, but it’s not until you’ve spent some time in actual China that you truly understand how diverse the food here is. Each province and region has its own style of cooking, different ingredients and traditional ways of preparing dishes. This allows for an almost endless conveyor belt of unique and tasty Chinese dishes, just on your lunch break alone

For example, noodles are ubiquitous throughout China, but you could travel around the country for a year and eat a different noodle dish every day. Another added benefit to Chinese food is that it’s generally super cheap, so if you’re thrifty and eat Chinese food every day you can save a massive chunk of your salary.

In addition to great Chinese food, China’s biggest cities always host a number of restaurants specialising in really great fusion food. So, although we may be accustomed to hamburgers and pizza, a sprinkle of local ingredients can add a new dimension to the food we grew up with.

Low Cost of Living
Despite the increasing living costs in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the cost of living in China is still relatively low compared to other some other developing countries. As mentioned above, food is considerably cheaper in China, as are many products in the stores.

Foreign goods are more expensive, as they have to be imported into China, but domestic brands, especially electronics, are often significantly cheaper than their foreign counterparts. If you need a new laptop or phone for work, therefore, you’re well placed to get a bargain.

An added bonus of living and working in China is that when you want to leave, which most of us eventually do, selling your stuff is easy. Each year new people come to China while others leave, making it a breeze to sell your second-hand goods to those who don’t see the value in buying brand-new stuff while they’re here.

International Community
Although China is, obviously, predominantly Chinese, there are thriving foreign expat communities in the big cities made up of people from all over the world. Meeting, networking and hanging out with such a diverse group is one of my favorite things about living and working in China.

You can easily find language partners, learn about new cultures and develop long-lasting friendships that give you people to visit and places to stay all over the world. Having such a mixed international community also provides a great opportunity to understand different perspectives from around the world, which at the time might not seem useful, but in the future may come in handy if you’re working in an international office or with foreign clients.

Convenient Travel
China has many public holidays throughout the year, and holidays mean travel. China is so massive you can never tire of domestic travel, but with huge cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou offering a number of direct international flights, exploring farther afield is also super convenient. There always seems to be deals on flights to SE Asia, the US, Australia and Europe, while Japan, Mongolia, South Korea and Hong Kong are practically on your doorstep. Making the most of your annual leave is cheap and easy.

Transportation
Despite the frequent grumbles about traffic congestion in China’s big cities, my daily commute has probably never been better. China was one of the first countries to have multiple successful and widely available bike sharing choices, and many cities also have extensive subway systems. On top of all of this, each city has tons of very cheap taxis and public busses.

And if you need to travel city-to-city for work (or pleasure), China’s high-speed rail network has continued to expand at a breakneck pace, with trips between Beijing and Shanghai now cut down to just a few hours. China’s train system is expansive, generally clean and easy to use.

Have I convinced you to move to China or appreciate you life here a little bit more? I hope so! 

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