What's it like living in China for the past 6 years without going back home ? Ask me! PART 1

I wouldn't say Asian (or Chinese) women want white guys because they're white.

Asian girls are like any other girl...

They want wealthy guys, powerful guys, good looking and wonderful guys. It just so happens that a lot of the expats going into China are better off than their Asian counterparts, taking in a bigger salary, living a cushier life. Girls want security, especially if they come from nothing.

I lived in china for two years. Also travelled china. I am from the
uk, and to be honest, i miss china. I lived in beijing, and lived.
Loved the people and the culture. I always felt safe walking around
beijing. None of these little chavs that plague the uk!

I had no problems at all while living and travelling there. I know china
is not perfect, but no country is. What suprised me when i first went
there, was the amount of non chinese people. I met so many friends
there, even played for a football team

Alot of people say this and that about china, mostly people who have
not been there. Chinese people are def not anti american. They love
america, and you can see this everywhere, from shops to posters and
talking to people.

One thing i will say. Chinese people are the hardest working people i have
come across.

I remember me and my wife went to this famous mountain( cant remember the name)
on top if this mountain were hotels. To get up there, you had to walk up steps, built into
the mountain. It tool me and my wife all day to get to our hotel. Im a fit person, but that
was hard. The amazing thing is, there were chinese people workung there. Their job was to
carry people to the top if the walking was too much. No way would you get english people
doing that.

I have photos of the trip on the mountain. Might post them tomorrow

reply to post by Jay-morris


It really does take actually going to a certain country to understand it and appreciate it and their culture. I feel so ashamed when I bump into Americans that hold so much anger towards China.

Another example, look at all of the hostility towards Iran by our government yet their country, people, and culture are just as amazing as those in China.

reply to post by JiggyPotamus

This thread makes me never want to go to China, lol. Thanks for writing it, as it is very insightful. It does make sense that their society is structured this way, given that their government is corrupt. Socrates did in fact say it was the state that youths will look to when learning about morals, and I think he was in part correct.

oh dear why are some people so ignorant You have never
been to china, so how the hell do you know how do you know
what chinese people are like. Ypu get good and bad people everywhere.
Yes, even america.

You say your not suprised because their government is corrupt. You
telling me that your government, and most governments are not corrupt?
Give me a break!

I spent two years in beijing, and six months travelling china. I never felt
more safe. I wish i could say the same thing about the uk, but i cant.

Originally posted by eLPresidente
I wouldn't say Asian (or Chinese) women want white guys because they're white.

Asian girls are like any other girl...

They want wealthy guys, powerful guys, good looking and wonderful guys. It just so happens that a lot of the expats going into China are better off than their Asian counterparts, taking in a bigger salary, living a cushier life. Girls want security, especially if they come from nothing.

Funny you should say that My wife is chinese, and actually had
a better job than me. I was teaching english and she was a producer
for mtv china.

Originally posted by Jay-morris

Originally posted by eLPresidente
I wouldn't say Asian (or Chinese) women want white guys because they're white.

Asian girls are like any other girl...

They want wealthy guys, powerful guys, good looking and wonderful guys. It just so happens that a lot of the expats going into China are better off than their Asian counterparts, taking in a bigger salary, living a cushier life. Girls want security, especially if they come from nothing.

Funny you should say that

My wife is chinese, and actually had
a better job than me. I was teaching english and she was a producer
for mtv china.

Then you might fall into good looking or wonderful guy categories.

Does your wife still produce for MTV over there?

Originally posted by eLPresidente
I wouldn't say Asian (or Chinese) women want white guys because they're white.

Asian girls are like any other girl...

They want wealthy guys, powerful guys, good looking and wonderful guys. It just so happens that a lot of the expats going into China are better off than their Asian counterparts, taking in a bigger salary, living a cushier life. Girls want security, especially if they come from nothing.

My wife makes loads more than me as well.
Alot of Chinese over here now are absolutely LOADED with cash, there's a Canadian private college over here where the tuition is $33000 a YEAR. It's got over 1000 students.

They want wealthy guys, powerful guys --- If you're rich and powerful here then that's more than enough for them,

good looking and wonderful guys.---- Usually the average and honest guys here, hard to find that with the rich and powerful.

I gotta make a short comment on this one, because I don't agree with you.
I live now for almost half a year in China, in Chongqing, a 32 million city in the south east.

I am not saying that the living conditions are something everybody, especially people from the west can get used to, but China offers a lot of advantages;

- You get your salary on time - every time (I work for a Chinese company)

- People don't complain about things they can't change, they don't complain at all or very rarely. That makes them very positive and they just enjoy their life, as much as they can.

- Nobody gives a *f if you're rich or poor, and even a poor person will buy you a dinner or cover a bill after a night out in order to give you a maximum feel of their hospitality.

-You can get a much better apartment/house with a regular (foreigner) salary, you can enjoy a much better lifestyle in terms of food, leisure etc.

- People respect you for you abilities, rather than your wallet (when you live here).

- It's much more secure, compared to the US or most major European countries. Homicides don't happen on a daily basis due to the harsh legal system. There is a lot of police on the street, that is acting like real police, and you feel safe from the first moment you get here.

- Most foreigners make the mistake in hanging out only with other foreigners, building expat communities. Chinese people don't like them, and there are a lot of reasons why. If you stick to Chinese people, learn basic Chinese and make an effort to understand their culture and *behave normally*, then you will be rewarded by being accepted into their community, which totally changes your perception of China.

- A great share of Chinese people still value old traditions and stick to being moral, especially in relationships. Materialism isn't so advanced like in Europe or the US (yet it's getting close, I admit).

- Chinas foreign policy makes it a very safe country to live in. You don't have to worry about "terrorist" attacks, eventual "foreign intervention" or political un-stability.

- In relation to "freedom of speech", China isn't as bad as portrayed in the Western Media. CCTV is criticizing, reporting on problems and so on happening in China on a daily basis, for example Tibet - from a Tibetian perspective! The reality is, that most of the Chinese people are happy with their government, *especially* in "rural areas". Yes there is poverty, just like in any other country.

he list goes on and on - I am not saying that China is a perfect country. I see suicides, drunk people, fights between people and tragic accidents on a daily basis - far more than in the West. Yet when I am comparing things, I can clearly say that the Pro's are much more than the Contra's.

Prior to China I lived in Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Spain and Bulgaria. And no, I am not a teacher

Originally posted by absente


- You get your salary on time - every time (I work for a Chinese company)

- People don't complain about things they can't change, they don't complain at all or very rarely. That makes them very positive and they just enjoy their life, as much as they can.

- Nobody gives a *f if you're rich or poor, and even a poor person will buy you a dinner or cover a bill after a night out in order to give you a maximum feel of their hospitality.

-You can get a much better apartment/house with a regular (foreigner) salary, you can enjoy a much better lifestyle in terms of food, leisure etc.

- People respect you for you abilities, rather than your wallet (when you live here).

- It's much more secure, compared to the US or most major European countries. Homicides don't happen on a daily basis due to the harsh legal system. There is a lot of police on the street, that is acting like real police, and you feel safe from the first moment you get here.

- Most foreigners make the mistake in hanging out only with other foreigners, building expat communities. Chinese people don't like them, and there are a lot of reasons why. If you stick to Chinese people, learn basic Chinese and make an effort to understand their culture and *behave normally*, then you will be rewarded by being accepted into their community, which totally changes your perception of China.

- A great share of Chinese people still value old traditions and stick to being moral, especially in relationships. Materialism isn't so advanced like in Europe or the US (yet it's getting close, I admit).

- Chinas foreign policy makes it a very safe country to live in. You don't have to worry about "terrorist" attacks, eventual "foreign intervention" or political un-stability.

- In relation to "freedom of speech", China isn't as bad as portrayed in the Western Media. CCTV is criticizing, reporting on problems and so on happening in China on a daily basis, for example Tibet - from a Tibetian perspective! The reality is, that most of the Chinese people are happy with their government, *especially* in "rural areas". Yes there is poverty, just like in any other country.

Salary on time ---- Maybe you work for an international company where they have the proper payroll system setup.
Delays in salaries are quite common, bosses will find every excuse not to pay if they don't want to pay you.
Many people get their pays held until they come back from Chinese new year to prevent them jumping to another job.

My wife got $5,000 delayed because the boss apparently made a mistake in his commission mathematics.

- People don't complain about things they can't change, they don't complain at all or very rarely. That makes them very positive and they just enjoy their life, as much as they can.

The only right you have here is complain, I don't know if you're sheltered or can't understand Chinese, complaining is everywhere.
So if the waitress brings you the wrong food or overcharges you, you won't complain ??? VERY common here to complain about service.

- Most foreigners make the mistake in hanging out only with other foreigners, building expat communities. Chinese people don't like them, and there are a lot of reasons why. If you stick to Chinese people, learn basic Chinese and make an effort to understand their culture and *behave normally*, then you will be rewarded by being accepted into their community, which totally changes your perception of China.

I'm kinda isolated I don't socialize with too many foreigners, mainly Chinese. You will always be considered the 'foreigner' no matter how much you understand the culture, you are a different color, That's the Chinese culture.

- A great share of Chinese people still value old traditions and stick to being moral, especially in relationships. Materialism isn't so advanced like in Europe or the US (yet it's getting close, I admit).

Where you live, it's 'The Red City' where communism still holds and there's alot of old local blood there, not like the first tier cities where people are from all over the country.

- Chinas foreign policy makes it a very safe country to live in. You don't have to worry about "terrorist" attacks, eventual "foreign intervention" or political un-stability.

There's still alot of murders around, people who will cut your arms off to grab your phone, kidnap you and sell your organs on the black market, steal children and resell them for a living.
Political un-stability.- I believe last year in Sichuan there were some uprisings due to the treatment of Tibetans.

Originally posted by absente


- In relation to "freedom of speech", China isn't as bad as portrayed in the Western Media. CCTV is criticizing, reporting on problems and so on happening in China on a daily basis, for example Tibet - from a Tibetian perspective! The reality is, that most of the Chinese people are happy with their government, *especially* in "rural areas". Yes there is poverty, just like in any other country.

So on CCTV (ATV,Pearl) where they cut off anything they don't like HK news talking about?
Weibo being censored if a hot topic is trending ?
Officials taking land without proper compensation ? Wasn't there a recent thread about a man being steamrolled over because he refused to give up his land ?
Let me ask you this, ask your Chinese friends if they pay tax or not ? Most people I talk to would be happy to pay tax if they saw the money being used correctly.

Originally posted by crackerjack
Salary on time ---- Maybe you work for an international company where they have the proper payroll system setup.
Delays in salaries are quite common, bosses will find every excuse not to pay if they don't want to pay you.
Many people get their pays held until they come back from Chinese new year to prevent them jumping to another job.

I work for a Chinese company, based in Chongqing. Salaries are always on time, we have a 1-(as much as you need) lunch break. Work starts at 10, ends at 6 - with a 1-2 hour lunchbreak makes 6 hours per day. Minimal salary in the company is around 3500rmb, maximum over 10k.

Originally posted by crackerjack
The only right you have here is complain, I don't know if you're sheltered or can't understand Chinese, complaining is everywhere.So if the waitress brings you the wrong food or overcharges you, you won't complain ??? VERY common here to complain about service.

I definitely don't have a right to complain, because its my own choice to come here as a foreigner, knowing that foreigners get "special prices" almost anywhere in the world - not just here.

I am not sheltered in anyway - I hang out with a lot of Chinese people, some very rich, some very poor. I talk a lot to street sellers, for example the guy I buy cigarettes from every day. An old men, maybe 65 years old. He works 18 hours a day to support his family, yet he never complains. There is life in his eyes, even though his situation is difficult. Of course some people complain, because the situation is not perfect. But compared to the West, complaining isn't so widespread. Honestly, where I come from complaining about everything is like a conversation starter - it's not that way here.

The people I actually complain the most here are actually foreigners, who complain about everything - just like your "opening" line in this topic. I simply can't understand why people are moving here, complaining about everything yet still stay here? If it's so bad, why don't they get back to their home country? No one forces anyone to stay here.

Originally posted by crackerjack
I'm kinda isolated I don't socialize with too many foreigners, mainly Chinese. You will always be considered the 'foreigner' no matter how much you understand the culture, you are a different color, That's the Chinese culture.

Partly wrong, you're either a laowai or a foreigner. Maybe the Chinese people in the cities you lived in are different, but here in Chongqing their whole attitude changes, as soon as they understand that you're not like everyone else (e.g. get drunk, make trouble and hangout only with foreigners)

Originally posted by crackerjack
Where you live, it's 'The Red City' where communism still holds and there's alot of old local blood there, not like the first tier cities where people are from all over the country.

True - yet it's the fastest growing city for the past 5 years and a lot of things changed and are still changing. Yet you're right that the majority of Sichuan are "old-blodded" and they still keep traditional (yet I don;t see how this relates in any way to Communism)

Originally posted by crackerjack
There's still alot of murders around, people who will cut your arms off to grab your phone, kidnap you and sell your organs on the black market, steal children and resell them for a living.
Political un-stability.- I believe last year in Sichuan there were some uprisings due to the treatment of Tibetans.

If you compare the quantity of those stories to those in the US, Europe or even Australia, you will come to the conclusion that China is actually much safer:

www.nationmaster.com...

A comparison between the US and China - take a close look at the statistics.

PS: I am just offering my personal perspective on things here, I am not saying that you're wrong about your life here, yet you cant simply generalize it like you did in the OP. China is a big country.

I think the most important information you might forgot to add is that though Chinese people like Western food and stock, the majority of them dislikes foreigners, especially Americans, Brits, Russians and Australians.

Originally posted by crackerjack
So on CCTV (ATV,Pearl) where they cut off anything they don't like HK news talking about?
Weibo being censored if a hot topic is trending ?
Officials taking land without proper compensation ? Wasn't there a recent thread about a man being steamrolled over because he refused to give up his land ?
Let me ask you this, ask your Chinese friends if they pay tax or not ? Most people I talk to would be happy to pay tax if they saw the money being used correctly.

edit on 13-10-2012 by crackerjack because: (no reason given)

There was a thread, but the incident was widely reported in mainland China, not just in the HK news. And he wasn't steamrolled, he was shot, after he and his family members tried to stab a police officer (!).

As for censoring, I would say it's far less then the censoring at CNN or BBC, or let's say equal.
If corporate or state media wouldn't censor we wouldn't need a site like ATS for instance, right?

Tax? That's not a serious argument, right? Nobody likes to pay taxes, nowhere, because no one feels that the money is used correctly - and yes, China is no exception.

reply to post by absente


So what about all the slave labor factories where people literally live at work?

They are all rich living the good life?

Do you work for the Chinese government?

Originally posted by poet1b
reply to post by absente

 

So what about all the slave labor factories where people literally live at work?

They are all rich living the good life?

Do you work for the Chinese government?

Nope, I work for a private company. Literally "living at work" is a common practice here, I never denied that. Especially in rural areas, yet I wouldn't call it modern day slavery. Those people are not placed there against their own will, they choose to work at such places, simply because there isn't much of a choice.

reply to post by absente


Forced to work to live, forced to work and live in the same place in the manner of a slave, because there really isn't many other options for many, but then saying its free will that they choose to do that?

No, those ideas don't add up, and complement each other.

Originally posted by crackerjack

Originally posted by antar
reply to post by crackerjack

 

Amazing, so are you attracted to Chinese women or do you miss the Caucasian ladies?

I have a Chinese wife, Surprisingly Chinese women are more caring for family than most western women this is one advantage of a Chinese wife but there's ALOT OF BAGGAGE that goes with it.

Hahaha 1 chinese woman is proof that ALL the women in the west care less about families - Not only an ignorant statement but also very insulting.

I met a very kind scottish man once, i guess that means all the men in england are assholes and will never measure up to being half the man this scottish guy was!

Originally posted by Unity_99
reply to post by absente

 

Forced to work to live, forced to work and live in the same place in the manner of a slave, because there really isn't many other options for many, but then saying its free will that they choose to do that?

No, those ideas don't add up, and complement each other.

There are options - just the development of new mega-cities gives work to over 5 million people in the Chongqing province alone, that came from little villages. Now those people earn a good salary compared to their previous standarts, send part of their money back home and their families live a better life.

I met a guy recently, an owner of a advertising company. He started with 1000$, and now he owns one of the major adv-companies in Chongqing, because the government "supported" him - yet he hasn't even been active in the party in those days.

40% of the people here do work, either for - or involving the government. So what the government does is giving you huge bonuses additionally to your salary. You get all kind's of vouchers and coupons - cinema, food, vacations whatever - for free, every month. A secretary I recently met, working for the majors office gets 4000rmb salary nd additionally 3500rmb in coupons. She gets 2 vacations a 5 days for free, to any place in China - 5 star hotels. And she doesn't even work in a high end position.

Yet like in any other country, for example the US, yes - there are people who live in misery and yes, accidents happen.

Trust me, I am having a hard time to admit that the Chinese system works better than the Western, but at the bottom line, all pro's and contra's compared to each other - It is better (If you are able as a Westerner to compromise with the "contra's").

reply to post by absente


Options, not for the working slaves. A system is judged by the bottom tier. And how equal it is. China fails in how it treats children, even aborts due term babies and has many girl infants in orphanages, and dying rooms. It mistreats its workers.

There are wonderful spots in China where incomes are raising for many. My cousin just came back to Canada after spending over a decade living there. She didn't want to leave. Its breathtakingly beautiful, and yet unless all people live in beauty and equality and freedom, its something that needs to be fixed enormously.

Given a choice between Norway and China, Norway wins hands down. Canada wins hands down.

reply to post by absente


China isn't a republic, or a representative government, it is a totalitarian government that has adopted communism, and of course those who adopt to party line live high on the hog, but everyone else lives like a slave.

For people like you, I'm sure the system seems great, but for everyone outside of the conformist inner circle life sucks. Such a system is fine in the short term, but in the long term it will self destruct. The large cracks are already there.

Originally posted by laserjeff
reply to post by crackerjack

 

Thanks

Ideal with India and same applies

this is why regulations and watchdog organizations are so important. the rule of law must be applied to those with wealth and thus power, or you end up with a society such as chinas. when you cannot trust your own government to keep wealth from corrupting the system, the system turns on the very people that it has a responsibility to protect.