
Beijing
No, I am of Asian decent and have had friends that are from Beijing prior to living in Beijing.
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Many young college students speak English as well as Mandarin and some other native dialects. I did not learn Mandarin nor do I want to learn Mandarin.
As an Asian American, most Chinese thought I was Chinese and tried to speak Chinese with me. Once they find out I'm American, they are in disbelief and tried to yell Chinese at me as if I will understand them if they yell at me.
Most cannot understand that Americans consist of Europeans Americans and other ethnicities. I'm treated better and they are more understanding of my confusion when they finally believe that I'm American.
I was not concerned about the culture shock as I am of Asian decent. I vowed to have an open mind and thought I was prepared for any difference.
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I took for granted the ease of which we did business in the US. China is a cash culture and there is not much security in doing business. They want cash / ATM when purchasing over the internet. There is not much English in commerce over the internet/ when traveling so we constantly had to call for translation help from our friends.
Things you think are common sense are not necessarily so in Beijing. There are money conversion restrictions on foreigners "Laowei" so we called on several of our Chinese friends who simply showed their Chinese ID and easily exchanged our RMB back to US dollars.
It's definitely double standards. The Chinese have less restrictions than we do. In order for us to live in Beijing, we had to register to with local police. For us to travel, we had to stay in hotels that would register us with the police. It's easier that way. If we decided to stay overnight at a friend's house, we would need to find the local police station and get our friend's help to register us at the police station. For this reason, we were never able to be house guests.
Yes, we did go through the honeymoon stage where we sent home various pictures and talk about the differences in the culture. We learned to appreciate the differences and found this to be very educational.
In traveling around independently, we understood our inability to speak the native language was a huge restriction but it was not a problem. This was a price we knew we had to pay in living abroad.
As we came closer to going home (after about living in Beijing for 9 months), we were ready to go home. We knew there were major culture differences but we really appreciated the freedom and mutual respect we had for one another in the US. The Chinese do not trust their government and any public discussions of this is forbidden. We practice political, commerce and religious freedom in the US. The Chinese have none of this.
I found myself to be more appreciative of the US and the freedom we possess. We may not all agree; as a matter of fact, we normally DO NOT all agree. In the US, we welcome different opinions and ideas. It is OK to be different and unique. This is not the case in China. The more we learned, the more sad we became for the Chinese people. Many work very hard and were extremely kind to us. Many treated us like family. We love them and wish we could give them what we have in the US. Unfortunately, many are trapped in a country of inequality and they will never go beyond limits that are imposed on them unless they work for the government. The government controls everything.
The Chinese had a great desire to care for their family. The parents retire at about 55 (women) and 60 (men). They care for the grandchild and live with their children. They feel a sense of duty to care for their parents and the grandparents feel that it is their job to care for the grandchildren. It is also a law that the children care for the parents. The government can garner part of the childrens' wage to care for the parents if the children are negligent in their care for the parents.
There is no transparency and consistency in how things are done in China. We cannot make any sense in how they operate in the university (we work in the university), government (the Chinese call this the "Black Box" since no one understands how officials are selected), banks (answers differ based on who you talk to). It all depends on your relationships (otherwise called "Guanxi". The stronger the relationship you have to someone that have strong connections, the better you have in getting things done. This certainly builds inequality, sometimes it helps us.
You should ask some of the most basic questions in trying to get things done and ask it twice and possibly to two different people to make sure they are correct. This is due to some communication gap and them not wanting to tell us "no". To save face, they will always say "yes" even if it is "no". For example, we brought some money to China and asked them to convert our US dollar to the Chinese RMB and deposit the money into our savings account that we recently opened up at a Chinese bank (we did this through one of the bank employees that spoke English). We left town thinking that we were able to pull additional cash from another province. We left to go to another province and discovered that we could not pull cash out from the local ATM. We went into a branch of the same same bank and were told that we had no money. In pushing the issue, we discovered that in fact we did have our money deposited but that the money was never converted so we did not have access to the money. We asked the bank to convert the money but they could not do so. We were told that the only bank that could convert the money was the bank that we originally worked with in Beijing. Apparently, each province controls their own clients' money even if you can withdraw RMB from any ATM from all over China. Your money conversion can only be done at the bank at where you deposit your dollars. Also, the Chinese employers who were our employer did not pay us prior to leaving for the 9-day holiday. We had no RMB in our account (due to the holiday break) and we had no access to our dollars that were sitting in our account. Luckily, we had enough money to last us for another 2 days before the school paid us. It was a very nerve racking experience.
Make sure to convert your dollars to rmb as soon as you can and make sure to have enough rmb cash with you.
Get a quotes for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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Get a quotes for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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Get a quotes for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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Get a quotes for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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Guide to Living in Beijing, China
Beijing, China: Cost of Living, Healthcare and What to Know About Living in Beijing
China Forum
Join our China forum to meet other people living in Beijing, China.
Contribute
Help other expats and newcomers by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Beijing.
Expats living in China discuss health insurance and quality of medical care in China. Tip 1: if you're going to the hospital in China (or to a doctor), bring a translator!
Rental listings in Beijing. Plus, advice about renting and buying real estate in Beijing
Expats talk about what it's like living in Beijing, China: Cost of Living, Healthcare and What Newcomers to Beijing Should Know
An expat in Beijing advises newcomers to bring shoes (especially if they were larger sizes), a first aid kit and to install a VPN on your computer and phone before you move to China. He explains that you'll need a lot of cash on hand initially since most apartments require 3-month initial payment plus a 1-month deposit. When deciding where to live in Beijing, make sure you live close to work to avoid spending your life in traffic.
Get a quotes for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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Get a quotes for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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For American expats looking to dine out on Thanksgiving, here's a list of several restaurants offering Thanksgiving dinners in Beijing.
With its huge expat population, expats in Qingdao enjoy numerous expat-oriented social events and local resources. Expats also appreciate the friendly and welcoming to locals, sea view homes in the Laoshan district and Qingdao's international schools.
Expats living in China discuss health insurance and quality of medical care in China. Tip 1: if you're going to the hospital in China (or to a doctor), bring a translator!
Expats in China offer tips for newcomers and others considering a move to China. Advice what to bring when you move to China, health insurance and healthcare, finding an apartment, expat banking and more.
Get a quotes for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
GET A QUOTE
Get a quotes for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
GET A QUOTE
Beijing, China: Cost of Living, Healthcare and What to Know About Living in Beijing
China Forum
Meet other people living in Beijing.
Expats living in China discuss health insurance and quality of medical care in China. Tip 1: if you're going to the hospital in China (or to a doctor), bring a translator!
Rental listings in Beijing. Plus, advice about renting and buying real estate in Beijing
Expats talk about what it's like living in Beijing, China: Cost of Living, Healthcare and What Newcomers to Beijing Should Know
Contribute
Help other expats and newcomers by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Beijing.
An expat in Beijing advises newcomers to bring shoes (especially if they were larger sizes), a first aid kit and to install a VPN on your computer and phone before you move to China. He explains that you'll need a lot of cash on hand initially since most apartments require 3-month initial payment plus a 1-month deposit. When deciding where to live in Beijing, make sure you live close to work to avoid spending your life in traffic.
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