{"id":399,"date":"2023-10-24T03:58:41","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/2023\/10\/24\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/"},"modified":"2023-10-24T03:58:41","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:58:41","slug":"ten-things-we-love-about-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Things We Love About China"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>When most people think of China, the first thing that comes to mind are mega-cities with congested roads, massive crowds of people, factories churning out cheap goods, and a thick gray sky full of smog floating overhead.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/#1_The_Nature\" title=\"1.&nbsp; The Nature\">1.&nbsp; The Nature<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/#2_The_Food\" title=\"2.&nbsp; The Food\">2.&nbsp; The Food<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/#3_Low_Cost_Of_Traveling\" title=\"3.&nbsp; Low Cost Of Traveling\">3.&nbsp; Low Cost Of Traveling<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/#4_The_People\" title=\"4.&nbsp; The People\">4.&nbsp; The People<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/#5_The_History\" title=\"5.&nbsp; The History\">5.&nbsp; The History<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/#6_Ethnic_Minority_Cultures\" title=\"6.&nbsp; Ethnic Minority Cultures\">6.&nbsp; Ethnic Minority Cultures<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/#7_Traditional_Architecture_Style\" title=\"7.&nbsp; Traditional Architecture \/ Style\">7.&nbsp; Traditional Architecture \/ Style<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/#8_The_Language\" title=\"8.&nbsp; The Language\">8.&nbsp; The Language<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/#9_Public_Transportation\" title=\"9.&nbsp; Public Transportation\">9.&nbsp; Public Transportation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/ten-things-we-love-about-china\/#10_Traditional_Chinese_Arts\" title=\"10.&nbsp; Traditional Chinese Arts\">10.&nbsp; Traditional Chinese Arts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_The_Nature\"><\/span><b><span style=\"color: rgb(227, 55, 55);\">1.&nbsp; The Nature<\/span><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"1.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/Fk4x1m7rFKut_SN6ULrHyYy7Aypb?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"433.52461799660443\" width=\"598\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>When most people think of China, the first thing that comes to mind are mega-cities with congested roads, massive crowds of people, factories churning out cheap goods, and a thick gray sky full of smog floating overhead. If the only images of China you get are from Western media, it makes sense that this is your perception. After living and traveling here for a few years, though, that\u2019s not what springs up in my mind when I think of the Middle Kingdom. Rather, I see the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, the bewildering karst mountains of Guangxi, the sheer beauty of Jiuzhaigou national park in Sichuan, and the rolling rice fields of southern Yunnan. Even around Beijing and Shanghai, you don\u2019t have to go far to be near a towering mountain or a majestic river. Get out of the concrete jungle and explore some of China\u2019s natural beauty, because it\u2019s all over the place.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_The_Food\"><\/span><b><span style=\"color: rgb(227, 55, 55);\">2.&nbsp; The Food<\/span><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"2.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FsTxOAD3-GormBCdCnKfAF66rc0Z?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"454.84550084889645\" width=\"598\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Food is at the center of Chinese life and culture in so many ways. It\u2019s ingrained in everything from the way the Chinese greet one another (\u201cHave you eaten yet?\u201d) to the way they do business and celebrate momentous occasions (i.e. dumplings on New Year\u2019s Eve, longevity noodles on your birthday, etc.) and there are so many reasons to enjoy the food in China.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Low_Cost_Of_Traveling\"><\/span><span style=\"color: rgb(227, 55, 55);\"><b>3.&nbsp; Low Cost Of Traveling<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"3.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/Fj7eGI_MRzCfEujkZheQBLsTl797?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"480\" width=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>What could be better than not having to spend much money (as long as you don\u2019t stay in expensive hotels and eat only the best of food) to see the sights of China, learn from China, and meet the people of China? Not everyone can afford long trips in Europe \u2013 but many can in China. Life-changing, perspective-shattering (perspective on your life, values, and own country as much as on your former perceptions of China), adventure-filled trips.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_The_People\"><\/span><span style=\"color: rgb(227, 55, 55);\"><b>4.&nbsp; The People<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"4.png\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FiRYIWcuJYpX_mAk7P6ga2GlKZnO?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" title=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"4.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FiN_Vm_jkRLGFs6YxmW7PV_AeFL2?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"479.79684418145956\" width=\"589\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>In spite of my recent run-in with a couple of rather unpleasant individuals, my overall experience with Chinese people has been very positive. They are by and large a warm, happy, and fun-loving people. If you have the privilege to be invited to their home as a guest, you will likely be rendered extremely uncomfortable by the lengths to which your host will go to provide for you.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_The_History\"><\/span><span style=\"color: rgb(227, 55, 55);\"><b>5.&nbsp; The History<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"5.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FsbLFdtQat1Gd9qUXLDVbTIwQJE4?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"380.494\" width=\"589\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>China has a history of 5,000 years, as most any Chinese person will happily remind you (particularly if you get it wrong), and they\u2019re proud of that fact. With such a long history, it should come as no surprise that by studying some of their history you stand to gain incredible insight into why China is the way it is today.If you really want to understand China then you must look back into its deep and complex history and I encourage you to do so. It\u2019s impossible to know where China\u2019s going without knowing where it\u2019s been.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Ethnic_Minority_Cultures\"><\/span><span style=\"color: rgb(227, 55, 55);\"><b>6.&nbsp; Ethnic Minority Cultures<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"6.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FtFxMklR6zW93UyO62x1Z17acDqS?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"426\" width=\"589\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Did you know that there are actually 55 ethnic minority (\u5c11\u6570\u6c11\u65cf \u2013 sh\u01ceo sh\u00f9 m\u00edn z\u00fa) groups in China? While Han Chinese people make up about 92% of the population of mainland China, there are ethnic minority groups all over the country. We covered them in a post a few months back, so check it out to learn the name\u2019s of all 56 ethnic groups in China. Each group has its own unique architecture, clothing, food, holidays, music, and more, making China quite a culturally diverse country \u2013 something I didn\u2019t expect before coming here. Perhaps the best place to learn about the ethnic minorities of China is my new home \u2013 Yunnan province (\u4e91\u5357\u7701 \u2013 y\u00fan n\u00e1n sh\u011bng) \u2013 as it home to 26 of the 55 groups. I\u2019m thoroughly looking forward to exploring this amazing part of China and diving into the local cultures here in the coming years.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Traditional_Architecture_Style\"><\/span><b><span style=\"color: rgb(227, 55, 55);\">7.&nbsp; Traditional Architecture \/ Style<\/span><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><\/b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"7.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FvKkQY3U0Mjj-OeBzZDKMkByjmZj?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"389\" width=\"640\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"7.png\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FiRYIWcuJYpX_mAk7P6ga2GlKZnO?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" title=\"\"><br \/><\/h3>\n<p>Together with European and Arabian architecture, ancient Chinese architecture is an important component of the world architectural system. During its long development, it gradually formed into a style which featured timberwork combining stone carving, rammed earth construction, bucket arch buildings and many other techniques. Industrious Chinese laboring people created many architectural miracles such as the Great Wall, Forbidden City and the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_The_Language\"><\/span><b><span style=\"color: rgb(227, 55, 55);\">8.&nbsp; The Language<\/span><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"8.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FmIKv1g7-tGMGo0Xn7gwRfg2MZsJ?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"360\" width=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Chinese is a very efficient language. You can express almost anything in 4 syllables. I swear. Chinese idioms, or Chengyu. There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of them. Really complicated messages might required 6 syllables for the whole message. The Chinese language is sophisticated and beautiful with thousands of unique characters each with their very own meaning that is distinctly different from the rest. There are 3,000+ &#8216;common&#8217; Chinese characters that all Chinese must know to be considered educated.To give the non-Chinese\/Asian an idea of how to wrap one&#8217;s head around the Chinese language, consider this small, fun example. What you call a family member requires you to identify their exact relationship to you in your family tree. There&#8217;s no &#8216;uncle&#8217; in Chinese. There&#8217;s a word for Mom&#8217;s-eldest\/younger-brother that is different from Dad&#8217;s-older-sister&#8217;s-husband.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_Public_Transportation\"><\/span><b><span style=\"color: rgb(227, 55, 55);\">9.&nbsp; Public Transportation<\/span><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"9.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FqC1cukiRDV-acpqcrzN2iAk_FsA?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"444\" width=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>In the Middle Kingdom, you can travel to all corners of this massive country by bus or train. It\u2019s astonishing what China has done in the past decade in terms of train travel \u2013 it now has the biggest high-speed rail network in the world, with nearly 7,000 miles of track. There are plans to double this by 2020, and lofty talks of building lines to connect China with London, Singapore, and even the United States. The high-speed trains are great and all, but I also love taking the older, slower trains when traveling. Hard-sleeper bunks are affordable and actually quite comfortable, and a long train journey in China is a great way to see the country and mingle with locals. I\u2019ve had tons of fun on train trips in my years in China, including a ridiculous, drunken, shirtless photo shoot with some guys on the way to Changbai Mountain. The massive train and bus network in China allows you to travel more for less, and it assures you can go just about anywhere you want without a car.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_Traditional_Chinese_Arts\"><\/span><b><span style=\"color: rgb(227, 55, 55);\">10.&nbsp; Traditional Chinese Arts<\/span><\/b><br \/><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"10.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FjVwkwPhpSErrEDNYZAppwGFlWO_?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"381\" width=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Art is an important part of Chinese heritage and culture. China has excelled in all forms of art for several centuries and shows the Chinese people&#8217;s love of it. The Chinese art includes performing arts, sculpture, paintings, calligraphy and even cave drawings.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GIC QR.jpg\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FlXXlKXBxtykYAuKbjvAxKMwIbVH?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" height=\"543.2937181663837\" width=\"500\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When most people think of China, the first thing that comes to mind are mega-cities with congested roads, massive crowds of people, factories churning out cheap goods, and a thick &#8230;","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pro-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399","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=399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}