{"id":1275,"date":"2018-02-02T07:39:16","date_gmt":"2018-02-01T23:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/2018\/02\/02\/10-things-i-miss-the-most-about-living-in-china\/"},"modified":"2024-12-31T16:53:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T08:53:00","slug":"10-things-i-miss-the-most-about-living-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/10-things-i-miss-the-most-about-living-in-china\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things I Miss the Most About Living in China"},"content":{"rendered":"

After spending three months working and travel<\/a>ling in China, I have come to the conclusion that it is both absolutely amazing and completely crazy in equal measures.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After spending three months working and travelling in China<\/a>, I have come to the conclusion that it is both absolutely\u00a0amazing and completely crazy in equal measures.<\/p>\n

There are so many things that happen where the only appropriate response is:\u00a0\u2018only in China\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

My internship there led to my\u00a0starring role in the media production<\/a>\u00a0company\u2019s documentary on educational differences in Shanghai. The\u00a0filming day involved navigating Pudong\u2019s outskirts whilst clinging on for dear life (my first time on a motorbike, of course), returning to the\u00a0migrant school from charity day,\u00a0befriending the principal who spoke no English and then attending\u00a0a\u00a0banquet with his two sets of twins.<\/p>\n

Only. In. China.<\/p>\n

It takes a certain sort of outsider\u00a0to be able to deal with the country\u2019s culture shock and madness (someone cool, sassy, intelligent- the list goes on, ha). And there are definitely undesirable aspects of life in China: the pollution, the spitting in the streets, and doorless squatter loos, to name but a few.<\/p>\n

Despite this, I fell in love with the\u00a0country, and have decided to share a few things that, I think, make it so exciting, bizarre and unique. I think\u00a0everyone should experience China\u2019s insanity\u00a0at least once.<\/p>\n

1. The Bubble Tea<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina2.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

No exaggeration, I miss CoCo more than I miss my family who recently moved to Canada. I know that bubble tea originates in Taiwan, but my favourite chain, CoCo, was a staple of my time in China. I wish I could tell you, dear reader, about the array of incredible flavours on\u00a0offer there, but I was so consumed with adoration for the 10RMB \u2018lemon yogurt and coconut jelly\u2019 drink\u00a0(don\u2019t diss till you\u2019ve tried it) that I\u00a0had it every time.<\/p>\n

Spending \u00a31 to\u00a0lift\u00a0my\u00a0mood, quench my alcohol-induced thirst and satisfy nightly cravings for\u00a0dessert? Bargain. I have no doubt that it contributed to my weight gain in China, but since\u00a0every sip was\u00a0a refreshing mouthful of heaven, I\u00a0have no\u00a0regrets.<\/p>\n

2. The Shameless Selfies<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina3.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

Oh how \u2018shameless\u2019 is an understatement in describing China\u2019s selfie culture. Prior to landing in the vain, selfie-stick obsessed nation, I viewed selfies as a\u00a0mildly embarrassing practice to be confined to one\u2019s bedroom, and only when looking particularly ravishing before\u00a0a night out.<\/p>\n

After spending several months in China, however, I learnt that the more public and cringe a selfie is, the better it is. Case in point: a loved-up couple proudly posing for multiple \u2018kissing\u2019 selfies on a crowded Beijing subway journey. The experience made me cast any misgivings aside and I am now the proud owner of 20 near identical selfies taken\u00a0on the Great Wall.<\/p>\n

3. The Language Barrier Hilarity<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina4.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

Before landing in Shanghai I genuinely expected most young people in China to at least understand\u00a0a basic level of English.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

And so since leaving China, I\u2019ve experienced a profound culture shock. I no longer bother talking in restaurants, shops and taxis. So skilled I became\u00a0in the art of pointing, sign language and showing photos of food<\/a> stored on my phone, that I took it upon myself to prioritise sleep (and CoCo) over\u00a0the free Mandarin lessons offered with my internship program. No, this wasn\u2019t the wisest choice, but I spent my days\u00a0laughing at hysterical translation<\/a>s, in a a\u00a0blissfully ignorant\u00a0bubble of non-communication<\/a>.\u00a0Great fun.<\/p>\n

4. The Wechat Obsession<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even though Chinese people found themselves unable to verbally communicate with me, the fact that my WeChat has over 70 contacts (yes, I\u2019m proud), is a testament to China\u2019s addiction to the messaging\u00a0app. I say \u2018messaging\u2019, but after a few months in China, I have realised it is so much more.<\/p>\n

Like Whatsapp but better, the essential networking tool successfully combines elements of Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Tinder and more. With the sheer volume\u00a0of enthusiasm I possess for it, it\u2019s only a matter of time before Wechat becomes\u00a0a global\u00a0phenomenon.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0The Celebrity Lifestyle<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina5.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

In England I don\u2019t get asked to feature in photos on a daily basis, I don\u2019t get told I\u2019m beautiful with alarming regularity\u00a0and I\u2019m stared at no more than the average Joe.<\/p>\n

Hard life, I know.<\/p>\n

In China<\/a> a westerner is a rare breed worthy of ogling and photographing 24\/7. Though this can get tiring (#celebprobs) it is also very sweet to think you can make a shy Chinese guy\u2019s day by smiling next to him in a photo that will most likely be displayed proudly \u00a0and instantaneously on his WeChat, alongside\u00a0the claim that the two of you are lovers. Perfection.<\/p>\n

6. The Mad Nightlife<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina6.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

One of my first tweets upon settling into China\u00a0was: \u201cIn Shanghai, Tsingtao beer is cheaper than bottled water. Loving life!\u201d. Much to my family and my health<\/a>\u2019s dismay, this sentiment summed up the\u00a0next few months. Whilst interning, the combination of outrageously cheap alcohol,\u00a0lots of young people and a place where westerners are officially exotic (and so plied with yet more alcohol), resulted in some sometimes sexual and always hilarious consequences.<\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina7.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

My experiences of clubbing in China have been limited to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Yangshuo, but they share some entertaining similarities in that THERE ARE ALWAYS NEARLY NAKED WOMEN EVERYWHERE.\u00a0I have no particular objection to this but it\u2019s just so random to be in the middle of fighting over free champagne\/drunkenly dancing to Shanghai\u2019s Top 40 (I swear that it\u2019s a genuine playlist) and to look over and see a catwalk of strutting Chinese chicks in underwear, or, more regularly, some good old pole dancing.<\/p>\n

On a more serious note, a great aspect of China\u2019s nightlife, and general life, was how safe and non-threatened I felt as a woman. I wouldn\u2019t walk the streets of most big cities alone at night, and if I did I would almost expect unwanted attention, catcalls etc. But in China the nearest I came to creepy or gropey was an over-enthusiastic \u2018Ni hao\u2019, something I am more than happy\u00a0to deal with on a night out.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0The Street Happenings<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina8.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

I love how much daily life<\/a> is played out on China\u2019s streets. Not only are they home to my\u00a0favourite thing ever \u2013 street food, they are just filled with so much mad,\u00a0bustling life that they\u2019re a pleasure to walk through. From toddlers shitting in the streets to sellers\u00a0offering\u00a0everything under the sun, there\u2019s never a dull moment.<\/p>\n

In terms of character,\u00a0Beijing\u2019s hutongs\u00a0are second to none, and in terms of food,\u00a0Xi\u2019an\u2019s Muslim Quarter\u00a0is bloody brilliant.\u00a0When I\u2019m sitting in a western office, having popped to an indentikit Pret for a disappointingly average \u00a34.00 sandwich, I\u2019ll be missing China\u2019s streets even more.<\/p>\n

8. The Unplanned Bizarrities<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If I hadn\u2019t already mentioned it, China is crazy. It doesn\u2019t do things like \u2018health and safety\u2019, \u2018politeness\u2019 or \u2018planning\u2019. That would be far too sensible.<\/p>\n

During my internship, my boss informed me one day that she was going to spend a few\u00a0weeks in Shaolin shooting a documentary that hadn\u2019t yet been commissioned. Naturally (or maybe just in a typical British fashion) I asked several questions about where she would stay, when she\u2019d be back etc, as she\u2019d never been before. She gave me a confused look, shrugged and replied saying, \u201cI don\u2019t know. It\u2019s China\u201d.<\/p>\n

Classic China.<\/p>\n

9. The Affordability of Eating Out<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina9.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

If the street food comment and Pret distress passed you by, I\u2019ll reiterate the fact that I enjoy food lots. In the west you have meals out maybe once a week, dress up for them, pay your tenner and leave feeling pretty satisfied that you\u2019re living an enjoyable, sociable life. Contrastingly, in China (and the rest of Asia), eating out is just a mundane part of everyday life, as evidenced by the functional restaurant pictured\u00a0above.<\/p>\n

But what these restaurants lack in glamour they more than make up for in tasty, good value food. My two favourites in Shanghai, situated across the road, were a \u2018Hong Kong\u2019 style one and a Muslim-run one. No one spoke English and if I was a hygiene inspector I\u2019m sure I\u2019d leave distraught, but they were great. I spent between \u00a31-4 on dinner every night, and with favourites such as the eggy beef rice and spicy aubergine dish (assumedly, not their official names) I was forever content.<\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina10.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

10. The Buzz<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ThingsIMissAboutChina11.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Image: The Thoughtful Traveler<\/p>\n

\n

I don\u2019t know if China\u2019s buzz is due to the fact that it\u2019s now the\u00a0world\u2019s biggest economy\u00a0in terms of Purchasing Power Parity, or because it is\u00a0skyscraper crazy\u00a0with construction everywhere, or simply because it\u2019s\u00a0home to nearly 1.4 billion\u00a0people.<\/p>\n

Whatever it is, I love it. People rushing\u00a0everywhere, fluorescent lights even more everywhere and 24 hour cities full of life.<\/p>\n

Fingers crossed\u00a0I can return soon; China\u2019s\u00a0incredible energy\u00a0has got me hooked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After spending three months working and travelling in China, I have come to the conclusion that it is both absolutely amazing and completely crazy in equal measures. After spending three …","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[3590,60,1246,2788,353,1780,1874,306,1713,29,34,1319,214],"class_list":["post-1275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pro-tips","tag-10-things-i-miss-the-most-about-living-in-china","tag-china","tag-communication","tag-daily-life","tag-e-china-cities","tag-food","tag-health","tag-hiredchina","tag-in-china","tag-jobs","tag-jobs-in-china","tag-translation","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1275"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25597,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1275\/revisions\/25597"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}