What are the main difficulties living or working in China?

[Guest janfromchina]

I just wan to know what are the main difficulties a foreigner would have living or working in China.

[Quest]

language, life style, and culture

[confucius]

Doing laundry. (See my "Doing Laundry In China" post.)

[markalexander100]

They don't cope well with people being different.

[Guest janfromchina]

What would you expect on the solutions of the difficulties, that you find out by yourself or someone else helps you.

[markalexander100]

Three options, really: develop a very thick skin; stay in your room; or leave the country. "China without difficulties:" isn't one of them.

[OM3RTA]

err..i know this topic is like kinda old...but will like to know what's the perspective or point of view of foreigner(s) staying or working in China?

[Green Pea]

For me, here are some of the main difficulties:

1. 2 hr massages for RMB88. These are horrible. I have to endure a solid massage and usually a great Mandarin-speaking opportunity all at once. Cheaper than a tutor.

2. Spacious flat that requires too much cleaning. Renting is cheap so now I have this flat that takes me too long to clean. Of course, I could hire someone but that would be too easy.

3. Turning away job offers. This is not fun and usually happens once a week it seems.

4. Making money. Having a decent lifestyle without working too hard has destroyed my previously high-flying career.

5. Working out. I can't stand exercising, but just can't help it. With an inexpensive gym and a free coach, I am losing weight and feeling great.

6. Too many girlfriends. Messes up my SMS inbox.

7. RMB26 bottles of wine. (Yes, that's "bottles", 2 bottle-pack). Fortunately, cheese is expensive.

8. All the fresh green veggies I can eat for 0.5RMB. So, I must eat well; no choice.

9. All the movies on DVD before they hit the screen. This kills the suspense.

10. Cheap Mandarin classes. RMB8000 for 5 months of daily class. Again, I am stuck...no other choice than to learn Chinese.

These are just off tho top of my head, but if there are more I'll post. Either way, life is China is really tough.

[weixiaoma]

what city are you in, anyway? Are you serious about those prices!? I'm paying $130NT (about 31RMB) PER BEER in Taibei! Your language school sounds expensive (but mines only 2 hours a day). The rest well... hahaha. I'd love to know if any of it's true or if it's 100% joke.

[Lu]

Xiaoma, for that price you can buy SIX beers at the 7-eleven, and drink them in a park or sth with friends. Well, not now, but when the rain has stopped. Beer in disco's or pubs is just as expensive in Beijing as it is in Taipei.

[weixiaoma]

6 huh? Let's see, 130/6 =~ 22Taibi. Beers I see in 7-11 here are 30TB and up. Anyway, greenpea said he was getting 2 bottles of red wine for 26RMB. That is FAR less that what it costs even at costco in Taibei.

Are you sure beers cost that much in Beijing bars? Over 30RMB? That's crazy... I mean in the US, many bars will have something on tap for 1$ (8.2RMB). In Mexico, it's about half that. Even Japan is no where near as expensive as Taiwan for drinking. If the cheapest beer in a Beijing bar is 31RMB, it's a f@#$ing ripoff!!! I mean salaries there aren't so high as in other countries...

I'm still curious what city greenpea is in. He never said it was Beijing.

[Lu]

Xiaoma, draft beer in bars is cheaper than 30 kuai, you're right. But if you want a drink in a club, or something else than draft beer, you easily pay 20 RMB (about 2 euro) or more.

[sunyata]

damn, Greenpea, hook me up...which city are you in and which school?

[Jizzosh]

weixiaoma... how long have you been in Taibei? When I was there 5 years ago I could swear that beer was nowhere near that expensive at a 7-11 unless you were buying Heineken or Corona. I mean, Taiwan beer was like 15NT (4 RMB) and must other beers were in the 30-60NT range per can/bottle... still expensive, but nowhere near bar prices. I think TU (a club in taibei) was 100NT per beer, still only about $3.50 US, which is good for a club by American standards. Expect to pay 6-9 dollars here in Las Vegas for a freakin Miller Lite.

[cutty]

Beer is cheaper than spring water in China and you can drink it any where.

I really miss the time when I was in college, I could buy a large bottle of bear for 2 yuans and then walk around the lake and drink.

[Shingo]

Ya, Green Pea. I know what you are going through. I`ve been there too. Japan has been just horrible for me, so don`t think that you are the only one who has a tough time in East Asian countries.

Like the other day, I was school for most of the day (9:00 - 4:30) for brass band stuff, and just before we breaked for lunch, four girls came up to me and said "You eat lunch with us today! We go to shampon restaurant together! Ok?" It`s as if people assume that just because of my skin colour I have to be treated like a movie star. Or when I meet extremely drunk strangers on the train and they try to make conversation, they attempt to speak in English! Just because I don`t have slanty eyes does mean I can understand garbled English better than garbled Japanese. I got my hair cut the other day and they spent fifteen or twenty minutes longer on me than what appeared to be the average with other customers. Do they think because I`m from another country that I need to have nicer hair? What Racism! And to add insult to injury, all of the other staff came over to admire my wavy hair.

Or when I get discounts at stores or when girls scream when I come around a corner and then mumble something about Brad Pitt? Do they think that the fact that I am capable of growing facial hair means that they have to be nice to me?　　I mean I could understand it if I was attacked by gangs of young Japanese males or people pulled guns on me, or wouldn`t sit near me on the train. But they act like I`m Mr. Charisma or something. At school teachers make a special effort to talk to me. How dare they! When I give presentations in classes about Canada, they pay attention. Such racism! Can`t they just sleep like usual? They act like my skin colour makes me more fun to listen to than their teachers.

Every day I have to put up with the friendly smiles, all of the helpful people, the shopkeepers that thank me for buying from them, everyone who wants to be my friend, people translating the bulletin for me at church, getting offered free lead for my pencil, and worst of all -- the way my homestay treats me like family. The JAPANESE ARE THE MOST RACIST PEOPLE EVER, JUST LIKE EVERYONE IN CANADA SEEMS TO THINK! I don`t know why I bother to stay here at all.

Just because I can actually read and comprehend the Engrish that`s on all of their favorite clothing doesn`t mean give them the right to treat me nicely! I want my freedoms!

Get the word out! I was oblivious until I read a comic strip the spotlighted the problem. Now that all of you know, tell your friends, email everyone on your list, even the ones that you don`t know. Stop people on the street. Tape posters to telephone poles. Wear a sandwich-board sign as you walk through Tokyo! Together we must spread the word -- together we must let the world know about the Japanese!

[Zingaro]

Here's one and a small bit of advice:

If you're Caucasian and you want to go shopping, bring a Chinese friend with you, even if you speak fluent Mandarin.

Reason? Vendors and shopkeepers willl routinely mark up prices for foreigners, especially Americans. Find the item you want and walk away. Let your Chinese friend do the actual bargaining and buyiing.

[marcopolo79]

簡直胡說.

去遊客市場購買紀念品跟去夜市或菜市場購買一般貨品是兩回事.前者果然賣得非常貴,後者則,據我個人的經驗,不會分別本地與國外的顧客,亦並不是狼心狗肺.按照你的建議,住在中華文化圈內的外國人必須完全依靠別人,就無法過獨立的生活.我認為這是既不準確又錯誤的看法.

Utter nonsense.

If you go to a tourist market, expect to be gouged, such is the fate of a tourist the world over. However, if you live in somewhere in the Chinese world, if you go to the night market or food market, the people who run the stalls are there to sell things, not to rip foreigners off. To state that one must be dependent upon Chinese people just to handle simple, quotidien chores is tantamount to stating that foreigners shouldn't attempt to be independent while living aborad; it makes for very poor adivce.