Living in China - 5 advantages and 5 disadvantages

[@ikbeneenpop1]

Living in China as a foreigner is relative cheap, but if you work and get paid an average wage, the living in China is quite expensive.

[@ngai1842]

+ikbeneenpop1 you can also be a foreigner who gets an average salary

[@BryanGarza121]

Your videos are always interesting! I'm just a beginner in Mandarin, and hearing about your life in China is inspiring. Looking forward to the next one! :)

[@dingyanhaizi1511]

I am Chinese and I do not think having strict distinction between chinese and foreign is a cons for foreigners. Being treated as a guest is way much better than being discriminated by another race.

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

+Patrick Wang Right. In some situations it can also be an advantage.

[@nikolonian]

I appreciate how you shared your mature and intelligent insights with us here. I also respect and admire your fluency level which comes through hard work. 加油！

[@jaimebenito620]

You're so polite, Chris! Maybe some of the disadvantages?? Like everywhere in the world, there are always disadvantages, although what constitutes a disadvantage is a very subjective thing, of course. The food, the cost of living (in many places) and the beauty of so many locations are definitely great things about China. Internet restrictions are a real pain, whereas privacy is a cultural thing I fully accept, but I find it hard to relate to most people's apparent (or is it just my perception?) complete compliance and acceptance with absolutely everything that happens in their country -but, again, this is very subjective.

[@sintin9419]

***** have to solve problems through personal connections. CAN NOT AGREE MORE

[@jaimebenito620]

***** That's why when you start Chinese as a beginner, first you learn 你好!, and then 关系 (in this order).

[@yiw3448]

I came from CHINA and i am totally agree about disadvantages and advantages you said.

[@cocolovespopcornj1787]

So articulate, polite and informative. 2 paws up!

[@jl25735]

你好 according to your personal experience: do you recommend better to live in Hong Kong or in mainland China? Also which dialect do you consider to be easier between mandarin and Cantonese? 谢谢你for your help (I still don't know how to build that phrase)

[@笨蛋-p9b]

can i know which VPN are you using?

[@kokoken1]

Chris, do you go to church in Beijing? I used to lead worship at BICF Eastside in the 21st Century Hotel auditorium.

[@LingoLewi-27]

Great stuff!

[@ajtorres1984]

Hi Chris, Nice video! How about the education system and health benefits for foreigners? As a foreigner, can you still receive them?

[@willwan9182]

既然你会中文我就写中文了。关于在中国的一些遭遇有点遗憾，然后就是很高兴你这么喜欢中国。其次就是如果你是个吃货的话可以选择生活在成都，重庆，长沙一带，而且空气质量也会好很多，我个人认为中国西部风景最美丽，但如果你喜欢文化悠久的城市可以去北京，西安。

[@TheAllen501]

他遇到的都是屁大点事，英国人，法国人和瑞士人来中国很少有不抱怨的。刚开始你可能还挺同情的，可是后来就慢慢发现有些人会连续抱怨二三十年，曾经有某个牛津的二逼，每次见我在说how are you之前就开始贬低中国人，感觉他特优越。每一次都好像受了多大的委屈，说什么自己一定要离开，可他倒是走呀，不还是赖在中国几十年吗。他们英国人就像是反刍动物，而且永远都是咀嚼前人咀嚼过的陈词滥调，连抱怨都从来没有一点儿新花样。他们那些成天抱怨的英国人就该统统滚蛋。他的那些抱怨听腻了就一点用都没有。除了别人拍他照片那件事，他抱怨的所有事在加拿大也统统发生在我身上啊，你以为加拿大白人不吐痰吗？我在大街上看见好几次随地吐痰的都是白人，地铁里还撒尿呢，中国地铁里会闻到一股尿骚味儿吗？在加拿大，白人盯着我看，然后背后讲我坏话，以为我听不懂的事经常遇到。走在大街上看你和他们长得不一样，有的人张口便骂，公交车上看我是亚洲脸直接推我，骂骂咧咧的。还有人偷东西的。第一次到政府里办事，他们的政府公务员就当我面说：“不知道怎么就那么多中国人”，还有很多很多，无数不好的经历，某些人那态度差的直接冲你喊，平均一年里遇到的很明显的种族歧视能有15~20起，那些隐形的歧视就不提了。动不动就会有人拿“中国人怎么怎么样”来说事。加拿大是英联邦国家。再怎么说，英国毕竟没有加拿大那么文化多元化，我就不信英国会比加拿大好很多。去中国餐馆吃饭的时候，打死我都不会相信中国服务员会用"Are you sure you are gonna eat anything here? Are you sure you are gonna pay any money here?"这种话对待他的。他要是想去中国学校注册一个什么summer course, 中国人欢迎都来不及，绝对不会有人对他说：“我们这里very selective. We are very very competitive. Maybe you are too weak for this. .... Ask that guy there, you speak the same language”。中国人绝对不会这么对待他们的，更不会指着他鼻子叫他滚出去的。这种人吧，就是“得了便宜还卖乖”型的。要我说，中国人就是对他们太nice，总给他们优待，supercitizen status，把他们惯的都不习惯了。虚伪就是虚伪，优越感就是优越感，把自己的complex of superiority说得冠冕堂皇，恶不恶心。更有些人，整天拿中国人吃狗肉说事。德国以前不吃狗肉，还是法国不吃？巴黎以前都有狗屠宰场，瑞士人到今天还有3%的国民吃狗肉，也没见过英国人和美国人联合抵制和在youtube上谩骂啊。哦，他们今天不想吃了，就全世界都不要吃狗肉了？你到瑞士买的某种巧克力面包或者酒里保不准就有狗肉和猫肉的成分，但是没有人公开承认啊，有坏名声肯定是推给中国嘛。法国Lyon的一种名吃就是各种内脏各种entrails混合，苏格兰人也没少吃内脏，墨西哥人也没少吃狗肉，你何时见过西方人拿墨西哥和瑞士说事了，那是因为不带“中国”这俩字。中国人以前也不是自古以来就像今天这么让人恶心般吐痰的，要不是独裁者毛泽东法西斯式的饿肚皮外交政策和泯灭人性的文革，中国人会轮到他们这帮小喽喽瞧不起？目前，大多数中国人仍然是因为各种原因出不了国，所以对西方的了解还局限于新闻联播和好莱坞大片。像他们这样的英国人，又不是走不了，还整天赖着。受不了还不简单？滚蛋啊！

[@sugiki_7498]

TheAllen501 bro, awesome microphone skill (ӦｖӦ｡)

[@lillianxian2285]

TheAllen501 說的太解氣了

[@sieggehortjetztmir208]

TheAllen501 毛澤東殺人8千萬，應該像史大林一樣被鞭屍，唾棄

[@rbbrum110]

Hi. Will you post a link on some more info about teaching abroad? I've met a couple people that lived in China for a year or two teaching English, and they didn't even know much Chinese when there.

[@shk00design]

Recently I started watching a series from China: "外国人在中国". It's a show which documents the lives of foreigners living in China. On 1 episode was a Swiss married to a Chinese. He started in Shanghai teaching and ended up in Wuhan as the owner of a shop selling 生煎包 shēngjiānbāo, a kind of pork dumplings popular in Shanghai with pork and other fillings. In another episode a man from Africa (probably Mali) who adopted the name 凤凰山 Fènghuáng shān (Phoenix mountain). He dated a Chinese and eventually they got married. He started a school teaching English to Chinese kids with just 2 students. Took him a while to get accepted into the community because of his skin colour. He tried very hard learn the language and to fit into the local community. Many countries in Africa suffered from years of civil war, high unemployment and unstable governments. The ones who decided to take a chance in China see opportunities even with the high levels of pollution, traffic congestion, etc. The bottom-line to living in China is that you need to be fluent in Mandarin. If you haven't started a family already, you'd eventually have to decide to marry a local if you want to become a permanent resident.

[@barrelrolldog]

as far as i knew as a forigner you cannot ever be a permanent resident in china. which pretty much says it all.

[@barrelrolldog]

***** no.

[@jithindaredevil90]

Hi Chris What about dairy alternatives like lactose free milk products and gluten free products? Also how is the pollution levels in the rest of the country (apart from the north) ?

[@McRocket]

THis was very helpful. Thanks.

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

+McRocket you're welcome

[@silentwatcher1455]

Very interesting. I hope you show and discuss about places in China.

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

Glad you enjoyed the video. If you want to see videos about places in China, you can also check out the channels serpentza and laowai86, they have a lot of videos of everyday life in China

[@exposingliars9824]

I lived there for three months. I used a VPN and this helped.

[@xunwang8114]

I agree with you

[@studentsofmanga]

Great video! Visiting China for the first time this summer. Is it true that you have to carry your own toilet paper around in China? Also, I've taken 1 year of Mandarin and I'm terrible with tones - does speaking Mandarin flatly hinder communication a lot?? Thanks!

[@sdushdiu]

+E. C. It is prudent to carry readily available small packages of 'tissues' with you much like one carries a handkerchief. While more places in larger urban centers are installing western style toilets and supplying paper, it is prudent to assume that none will be available and to be prepared. Its very easy to do and after a week or so it will be a simple routine just like carrying a handkerchief. And if you can speak ANY Chinese, you will not only impress the locals, you will do fine! The Chinese are generally quite flattered that you even try! Relax and enjoy!

[@hateclub]

+E. C. I know this response will be too late, but someone might find it useful so I'll answer this for you. 1. Yes, bringing your own toilet paper is fairly important. You can buy little packs of pocket tissues almost everywhere though, so no worries. 2. I had a mate whose Chinese vocabulary was huge, he was conversant with the locals on all sorts of topics, BUT he spoke with NO tones whatsoever. He basically used his British English tone of voice with Chinese words. It was so ugly to listen to. But people could understand him! (Okay, sometimes they pulled weird faces, or maybe sometimes didn't understand, but he still managed perfectly fine. Believe me, he was the worst person on the planet with his tones. He didn't even try - not one bit!!!)

[@willowclay3137]

They are extremely family oriented too!

[@xueqiane5384]

internet resctriction is not a thing man, just spend like 5-10 yuan per month then you can get a good VPN service,there are also free VPNs everywhere on Chinese internet

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

Yeah, I know, I have one

[@alexpianoplayer15]

Hi! Are you learning only chinese or some other languages too? Can you recommend some good books on China's history (in english or french or german)?

[@Expresso98]

***** Very informative video, Chris, many thanks. Re: Russian - have you identified any particular reason why your progress in this language is slower? Given the standard of your Mandarin, it seems you have a very developed talent for languages of all types, so am just curious about your experience with Russian. Thanks!

[@flyingphonix121]

***** just as one of the well known Taiwanese movie director Ang Lee's movies 喜宴，the leading character married a girl went to New York for study to cover up his sexuality.

[@reigninblood123]

Balanced and fair!

[@loot6]

Don't forget that the internet is also mindnumbingly slow! I was getting 12MB a second in England but here I'm lucky to get 250-500k a second. Regarding the food, it is good and has a lot of variety but it only varied within the boundaries of Chinese food. Its not like England where you can eat good varied food from any country. Also the food often is not very sanitary and so you can get stomach upset or more serious food poisoning involving vomiting and splitting headaches.

[@nirvanafan6669]

How do you upload videos if you can't use KZbin in China?

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

+TheRussianEevee You just connect to a VPN located in Hong Kong, Japan or the US

[@nirvanafan6669]

Fluent in Mandarin.com thanks I always wondered that.

[@cocoyuen8044]

For English speaker，the internet isn`t restricted at all.don`t you even know VPN!

[@jricky7981]

i watch your videos almost every day on Tik Tok~

[@dr.zoidberg8666]

If you live in mainland China, how is it that you have a KZbin channel? Is this not illegal?

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

It's not illegal to have a KZbin channel. A lot of Chinese media and companies have KZbin channels. It's easy to get on it if you know how.

[@dr.zoidberg8666]

I mean... I get how you do it. I'm just confused about who is allowed to use KZbin and who isn't, I suppose. I might not be very well educated on this, but if you have to use a VPN to circumvent the filtering of the internet by the Chinese government, I can't imagine you're doing something that they're okay with a regular citizen doing. You see what I'm saying? I suppose I don't understand where the line is drawn. Is there a special permit media & educational organizations can obtain? (please excuse my ignorance. I just don't know) Thanks for replying to my comment, by the way!

[@sintin9419]

When do u make a video for reading Chinese poems in Cantonese?

[@ngai1842]

Agree with most of his points, except for the cost of life thing... I used to live there with a very average salary, and found life quite exepnsive. No travelling almost no leisure expenses still everything gone at the end of the month As for the Chinese/老外thing, yes, it gets tiring after a few weeks. Guys we're all human beings. If i have a child with a chinese girl, will that child be 老外 or Chinese?...

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

+ngai1842 It really depends where you are in the country. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are getting much more expensive. The smaller cities are still pretty affordable.

[@jithindaredevil90]

Also how developed is the west and of the country for foreigners? is there a big divide in lifestyles between the east and the west?

[@hiiiidama]

So, how do you upload videos in youtube? haha I'm curious because I wanna visit china this year

[@mussaratjabeen7145]

A JG vpn

[@disfunctionalcyclist]

what vpn do you use? (assuming you do)

[@mikerijsel]

Your video is very interesting. Keep going.

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

+Michael Blanc thanks for the encouragement ！

[@kidszone221]

What is meaning very friendly

[@wangping1411]

May I make you friend. I want improve my English. How we can contact. Thanks.

[@AnthonyFutures]

You speak very well English, where are you from ?

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

From the UK

[@shk00design]

When you are in neighbouring Hong Kong, you'd never feel at home unless you are a native HK Chinese. Even the Mainland Chinese who doesn't speak fluent Cantonese are made to feel they are foreigners. Unless you marry a native Chinese and have a family, very few foreigners applied successfully for permanent residency. The food is good most of the time but food safety was and probably still an issue. I was in HK between August and Sept. and there was a shipment of "used" cooking oil from pork fat supposedly for biodiesel fuel from a warehouse in HK shipped to Taiwan and repackaged as cooking oil (地溝油 Digouyou). Within days of the discovery, dozens of restaurants and bakeries in Taiwan & HK pulled specific brands of cooking oil off their shelves. Infant formula is still a concern so many Mainlanders would head to HK and shop for this 1 item. Stores in HK started enforcing a policy to limit infant formulas sold to Mainland Chinese (something like 6 containers per family) so that there would be enough supply for the locals in HK. In Japan they refer to foreigners as 外人 (Gaijin) or what you would call Ausländer in German. These places have a homogeneous population unlike other places (US, Canada & Australia) with greater ethnic diversity.

[@shk00design]

When it comes to being open to foreigners, Hong Kong already has a large ethnic Chinese population. There are Indians who lived there into the 3rd generation and as always in an extended family with many in-laws under the same roof. The Chinese tend to have less trouble associating with White people than those of colour like the marriage between the daughter of the former Australian PM Kevin Rudd to a Chinese in HK. Many people from the Philippines & Indonesia (especially women) are hired as housekeepers on short-term contracts (usually no more than 5). The local Chinese see them as economically impoverished and their only reason in HK is to send remittance home. Their attitude to the Mainland Chinese is that they are tourists and consumers who queue up in front of designer boutiques (Gucci, S. Ferragamo, Chanel, Louis Vuitton) everyday because many of the same goods on the Mainland are knockoffs. Infant formula is especially popular because of food scandals in China. One big issue for debate is the "1-country, 2-systmes" and how far this policy will go to maintain HK as an "autonomous" region along with Macau within China. Many accepted the status quo of having the British Governor (an appointed figurehead from London) replaced by a Chief (an figurehead appointed by Beijing). While in HK, I read an article in the English edition of the S. China Morning Post entitled: "No Happy Medium" dated Sept. 3. As debate rages over which language of instruction is best for learning, many Hongkongers feel they are struggling to hold onto their dialect and culture, write Elaine Yau and Vanessa Yung. The debate over switching to Mandarin as the language of instruction in the classroom is like telling French speakers in Quebec, Canada that the language of instruction in class will be in English. Many parents would take their children out of schools that do not use Cantonese as the main language of instruction. We are talking about HK, not neighbouring Guangdong, China.

[@shk00design]

There is a general attitude in HK that people from the Mainland are inferior because they have gone through the Mao Years & the Cultural Revolution. The debate between Mandarin & Cantonese in HK isn't just about speaking another language but between 2 different groups with a different mentality. Everybody has the ability to acquire a second or even a third language. The use of Cantonese in HK is a cultural identity. If you watch Chinese shows from Singapore, many of these are in Mandarin and some in Hokkien (the dialect of Fujian). There is a lot of mixing of the 2 dialects along with English phrases. In Hong Kong, however, you may see an actor on TV using the phrase "I Love You" in place of the Chinese equivalent "我愛你" pronounced the Cantonese way but never "wǒ ài nǐ" in Mandarin unless someone is talking to a person from the Mainland. Even among HK people who are fluent Mandarin speakers it is uncommon for them to talk Mandarin among themselves unless a person from Taiwan or the Mainland is in the group. Don't forget, the introduction of Mandarin & Pinyin in HK schools is sometimes seen as a language invasion. Parents fear their kids may lose the ability to pronounce certain words the "Cantonese" way because the younger generation is more used to pronouncing words & phrases in Mandarin. What comes next is the introduction of "Simplified" Chinese which many see as the erosion of Hong Kong as a distinct society within the People's Republic. I was in Taiwan 1 summer and the language instructors there politicised the use of "Simplified" characters by saying that the Chinese communists are destroying thousands of years of Chinese history sort of thing (中國共產黨樣樣都推翻)...

[@Moyoxi]

***** the Cantonese will not be threatened because it not only people in HongKong but also people in GuangDong Province speak Cantonese, thats the local language, Mandarin just the official language .y People in different city speak different local words.

[@reesespeanut4778]

+Moyoxi but the traditional characters will be threatened. simplify characters are so uglyyyy!!!

[@shk00design]

Historically learning to read and write Chinese characters was the privilege of the elite (including the ruling Emperor and government officials). The same in Korea where the elite kept the use of Chinese characters long after the Korea alphabet was introduced. The use of simplified characters was the Chinese answer to fight illiteracy. Many of the characters were simplified but not all...

[@tiazhang3484]

Haha I'm from Shenyang and whenever I step out of the airport I feel like I'm breathing in smoke/coal particles.. However I find hospitals and health care centres more accessible in China, and they have also a lot of experience in dealing with different illnesses and symptoms ୧(๑•̀⌄•́๑)૭

[@fakharraza9235]

Hi my university is in shenyang

[@leoruffalo2278]

I don't really understand why western people who want to live in China for personal reason rather than study or business. Don't get me wrong, China's great and has much more than 5 advantages. It's just, it seems like pollution, freedom, privacy are the top things western people care. I've seen many times that wp hate China for that. Is the cultural really that attractive?

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

+Leo Ruffalo I think study and business are the main reasons.. They have to be strong enough to counteract all that negative stuff

[@reesespeanut4778]

+斯卡蕾特 you dont feel restricted because you are used to it.

[@reesespeanut4778]

*****​​​​ i experienced it for almost 7 months before running away to Taiwan. I couldnt learn traditional Chinese in China and those simplified characters are just too ugly to be representing your so called 5000 years of civilization. I couldnt stand all the internet censorship and all the anti-japanese tv shows nor pro-communist party crap on tv. Taiwan and HK are like completely different countries (Taiwan is a different country). I love Taiwan, people are polite and much more organized...and I hope they'll be free from the communist party and be recognized as a country. 

[@reesespeanut4778]

***** maybe you should go back to Beijing then if HK is so boring. As my HKer friend said: one less uncivilized person in HK. Ever wondered why HKers and Taiwanese dont want to be in the same group as the mainland Chinese even though they are technically Chinese?

[@silentwatcher1455]

Kale Girl I will tell you why HK people will try to be different from Mainland China. First they were colonized by the British for so many years. Some of their habits,ways of thinking , and others have been changed. If they suddenly changed to say Muslim culture, it will be difficult. Secondly China used to be a poor country compared to HK colony. But times have changed and people changed. China is now richer than HK and way ahead technologically and ahead in many aspects. Still many HK people are still in their dreamland and have not awaken to the reality of life. HK people are no longer richer than Chinese mainland. Most Chinese mainland see HK people as the losers and no longer richer than Chinese mainlanders. There are more Chinese mainland billionaires living in China than combined HK and Taiwan billionaires together. Culturally most Chinese are ashamed of being from a poor country. But times are changing fast. Many Chinese mainlanders are now proud to be rich. Some of them now look down on HK and Taiwan. Historically many of HK and Taiwan inhabitants were Chinese mainlander Republican soldiers who lost the fight to communist and rich people with their families who lost their lands and factories thru confiscations by the communist gov't. This bitterness against the communists still lingers slightly among HK and Taiwan people and Chinese living in southeast Asia.

[@shuangfan1131]

u know u can use a vpn tool called shadowsocks.....then u can use all the website in western country...and it is really quick

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

Yes I have that too

[@steelwings74]

You speak better mandarin than most chinese

[@jmelnick22]

Where in China do you live?

[@puppetsock]

The shoving! Uhg! I was pushed off the side of a stairwell once. No hand rail and I was not paying enough attention. I fell about a meter down onto a stone floor. Luckily I have quite a well padded bum and was not really hurt. The people who pushed me didn't even say sorry, they just kept shoving. If you are from a country that is not crowded you just won't be ready for it.

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

Haha, thanks for sharing your story. It depends on the person really, but these things do take some getting used to!

[@leavesgreen7729]

So far my internet speed is 100MB for one second,how to explain?

[@yongsun7509]

好棒

[@leparrain5909]

Where do you live?

[@kylez6424]

How've you been practicing Chinese?

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

+XIkai Zhao More than 9 years

[@kylez6424]

verry cool man. what do you do for living in China?

[@alexpianoplayer15]

Chinese is your strongest foreign language? Do you still encounter new words in Chinese?

[@tesoltcsol]

***** 很認同你的觀點

[@willowclay3137]

I like their sense of family and traditions. The US has lost this because of drugs and high divorce rates!

[@willowclay3137]

Some Chinese people are very nice and warm once they trust you.

[@Nilguiri]

How easy is it to get vegetarian food in China? 我不吃肉

[@Nilguiri]

***** Thanks for the answer, Chris!

[@krlezg]

There are also many vegetable foods made with animal fat,so if you are really serious about vegetarianism you also need to pay attention to that:)

[@Nilguiri]

Krsto Lesic Yes, that is my main worry as I am very strict about that. I'm an "ovo-lacto" vege. I live in Spain and I've had the same problem here. I once ordered something and explained that I was a vegetarian and wanted no meat, no fish, etc. When I had nearly finished, I found an big chunk of ham right at the bottom. When I complained, the waiter said that had ordered "no meat" and had said nothing about ham. haha. So while I do speak a bit of Chinese, I would be worried about that sort of thing happening all the time in China. Is there something I could say when ordering to make this clear? As you say, I don't think that saying 素食 or 吃素 would be enough to avoid them giving me some sort of meat or animal fat, etc. Any ideas, Chris?

[@sdushdiu]

+1 to what Chris said above! I would suggest a slightly different approach than looking for commercial answers to solving the problem. If you remain reliant upon others cooking, then you Will encounter the addition of meat into most things - if for nothing other than flavoring. Note also that many Chinese do not consider seafood "meat", So, if you let it, this may also become a problem even if food is identified or requested as ‘vegetarian’. So, if you turn yourself into a victim, you will be frustrated. As a vegan myself per the research and clinical work of C. Esselstyn, T.Colin Campbell, J. McDougall & M. Greger of NutritionFactsdotorg (only Whole plant food w/ no meat, dairy, eggs or oil - with oil actually being the BIGGEST issue here), eating out is an issue as with increasing affluence meat is put into nearly everything, if only as a flavoring, with oil being almost a food group in itself. ;-) That said, answer is simple - learn to cook and avail yourself of the magnificent wet markets (think along the lines of a farmer’s market) with many vendors selling a huge array of vegetables and mushrooms, as well a meat and seafood vendors, tofu and various others foodstuffs. The wet markets are quite literally a DELIGHT. You will be impressed with the availability of a huge variety of good fresh green veggies, MANY varieties of mushrooms, beans, grains, legumes & fruit for VERY attractive prices . For example, compare spinach for example at 3-4rmb (~50-65 cents) per jin (500g or 1.1 pound) versus ~$4 per lb in the US. Nutritious green & other veggies are readily available. Cabbage avgs about 1-2rmb/jin. While tomatoes avg ~3-3.5rmb/jin. So, with just a rice cooker for veggies & a slow cooker for black beans… you are in hog heaven for pennies on the dollar. Stir frying using water or any varieties of liquids simply to keep the foods from sticking instead of oil is also easy if you have a burner, but be aware that in many apartments the burner is now more commonly an induction style burner more suited to steaming and boiling. In fact, eating is one of the nicest experiences here being that such an array of fresh food is so readily available in the variety of neighborhood wet markets. As for the meat eaters, along with the predominant pork and poultry, they will be overwhelmed by the extensive variety of fresh (read “alive’) seafood available. Trust me, if you assume a bit of control over what you eat and learn to prepare simple dishes, eating well will be your least worry and may very well become your greatest joy here. And while eating vegan is indeed healthier, I do regret missing out on an aspect of the cultural experience that is indeed very special. That said, when ‘eating out’ for business or entertainment, you had best eat before leaving and be prepared for slim pickings. But not to worry, as folks here will tend to be very open to your choice - especially as many here are becoming more attuned to eating healthy - even if they do not go as far as opting for such a lifestyle choice. Thus the biggest hassle for many is the Internet, which even with a VPN is a pain due to the low speeds and limited bandwidth into and out of China. Rather than something you can overcome, it is indeed part of the design. But, depending upon for what you need the Internet, for many A/V resource needs, once you acculturate yourself and become familiar with the domestic 'local' alternatives to the western sources, you will find less and less need for dependence upon Google & western based social media tools. That said, if you do depend upon reliable high speed connectivity based communication with the west, and in particular over Google based tools, you will REMAIN frustrated by design. And for reference, while attempting to edit this reply for clarity, the VPN went down no fewer than 4 times and I went through a choice of SIX servers to finally get a connection with enough bandwidth to simply post this.

[@Nilguiri]

sdushdiu Thanks for the reply. There are a few things to think about there. Cheers.

[@brendonh8298]

gosh, I love your english accent. you're so much hotter speaking english than Chinese. Cost of living is cheaper? hahaha where were you living? cost of living was f***** expensive. I was living in Shanghai. Absurd, all western staples like Milk, (quality) Bread, Steak (and other quality red meat which mostly was imported from my country, Australia), Pasta, Olive Oil, Coffee, Beer at a Bar/Club, the list goes on and on, all the things that I fill my fridge and pantry on a budget was ridiculously expensive in China, and after 3 months you actually get sick of Chinese food and want your Western staples back, and you pay thru your teeth for it.

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

+Brendon H the cost of living depends on what kind of lifestyle you lead. If you eat mostly western food and buy a lot of imported products then it is expensive.

[@silentwatcher1455]

Some western people expects western culture to be popular in China. Strange people with strange expectation. In any country imported products will require import tax to be paid, causing prices to be expensive.

[@aprilcox871]

What would it be like for an LGBT foreigner?

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

Attitudes are not that open yet about people who are LGBT. It might be better just to talk about it with close Chinese friends because attitudes vary.

[@hateclub]

+April Cox Go to Chengdu. I spent a year at Sichuan University where they had 'English corner' every Friday evening, which is basically a part of campus where about 200 Chinese people (mostly students) turn up to practise their English with each other, and talk to any foreigners who might turn up. Almost every time I went there I would be asked the same repetitive questions and told the same things. Some of it was just annoying: "Do you like the girls in China?" But one thing that stood out was how many openly told me that Chengdu was known as a sexually liberal city. Many of the girls mentioned having lesbian friends, and once I was on a night out with a girl who I thought was interested in me... until it turned out she was just trying to sweeten me up for her male homosexual friend..!!! So... try Chengdu.

[@ngai1842]

+April Cox i actually met quite of lot of LGBT in China, and overall found the people not over hostile about them (inside "friend circle" let's say)

[@goCRYnoobNOW]

What is life like for homosexuals (not saying that you are one, just wondering if you knew)

[@Cmi1267]

Leshka from Russia Fuck you?

[@xiongmu]

Poindexter here forgot to mention the best thing about China.... the ladies! A lot of Chinese girls are friendly, cute and smart. Many of them are curious about Western guys so you'll have plenty of chances to get to know them.

[@MrJohnHydrogen]

I do not agree with your first point, I would definitely put the food as a negative point there. I think Chinese food is absolutely disgusting, I have travel many places but China wins the worst food of all in my book maybe it is just a matter of taste but damn I was glad when I arrived in Vietnam after 6 months of bad Chinese food. I have to agree with the rest of the points you made though. Keep up the good work !

[@FluentinMandarinDotCom]

+Wesley I'd love to visit Vietnam and try real Vietnamese food :-)

[@randomguyontheinternet8345]

I been in china for 8 months. the food is actually really good. it also depends what your eating and where you eating. though some food is questionable. but most westerners don't like Chinese food. but I grew to like certain foods.

[@MrJohnHydrogen]

You're right not everything is bad. I actually like the jiaozi and baozi, fried rice is good and the those pasta shops are quite yummy but in general I would say that the Chinese cuisine is not very refined. Overall it is very oily, fat and it has poor presentation. But hey when it comes to taste everyone has its preferences

[@MrYFM2]

Of course you're British.

[@李斯基-i7y]

你现在还一直在中国了吗，生活在哪个城市了

[@tiancili1345]

你是山西人吗？这个“了”字的位置好熟悉啊

[@李斯基-i7y]

No，