Life in China (Challenges / Annoyances)

Life in China (Challenges / Annoyances)
hadleyj09 Dec 25, 2014 09:59

So, while living in China has a lot of great things to offer, but just like all countries, there is the challenging aspect of China that you will have to overcome. If you can get past these things, then China will be a great place to live for you. It’s not for everyone, but see how you like it before you pass judgement.

 

The most common annoyance is spitting, and littering. It can get quite annoying at times, I will admit, and the fact I do love to see a clean environment makes it difficult to take in that many people in China do thrown trash on the ground and walk away. It’s not a “BIG” deal, but it is annoying to see. The spitting thing, well, you can’t really control who spits so there’s not much to comment on when it comes to that.

 

The next thing would probably be the last minute notice on everything. For example, if you are a teacher in a public school in China, you will realize very quickly that your co-teachers and boss might tell you things at the last minute that you think you should've known way beforehand. It’s not a huge and serious issue, but it does get annoying and at times. It may even interfere with time you thought was free, and now is not. On the flip-side, this can be a nice surprise when you have a long day of classes and your co-teachers tell you that all your classes are cancelled. That’s always good news, so it works both ways. 

 

Traffic, traffic, traffic..…and public transportation (PT). If you live and a 2nd or 1st tier city, you may know what I’m talking about. It is true that the convenience of PT in China is very nice, but there’s the side you may not know. In some cities, traffic can be a breeze, but in many major cities, driving can be a pain. A lot of construction and accidents can make life a bit more difficult than usual. Another reason why small towns are a good alternative to big cities. Anyways, the buses can also get stuck in this traffic as well. Along with that, the buses can and usually do get very crowded, literally to the point where people are actually pressed against the doors. Trains can be the same way in some cities. Now, this is not going to happen every time you travel somewhere, so don’t get turned away or scared, but it does happen. 

 

Politeness and compassion. Chinese people are for the most part, very friendly, but there are times when you are like….what’s going on here? Going back to PT, if there is a large crowd of people, notice I did not say long lines, going to get on a bus or train, well let’s just say that I hope you have at least a little muscle mass because it can be like playing American football when trying to get on a bus. Something I miss from the west is the kindness to hold the door open, or making a line instead everyone trying to get somewhere at once, but, I guess it’s part of the culture…..ehhhh, oh well. 

 

Food safety is something worth noting as well. With China, most of the food here is good in taste,  but needs you need to be cautious on where you eat. Most restaurants are safe and okay. Now, I won't get too much into detail with this, but, just have street smarts when going to various food vendors and restaurants. If it  looks good, well, at your own discression, go ahead. Cooking at home is much safer, and cheaper than eating at certain restaurants.  

 

The last thing I’ll say here is the pollution. I don’t wanna get too political so I’ll just say that the factories and small villages burn a lot of coal and other pollution generating materials, especially in the winter. At this time, the skies can be gray for miles. I would suggest living in Southern China, or smaller cities around China because the air is much cleaner. With the smaller cities, they can have little to almost no pollution at all…..some of them

 

 So, that’s what I have to say on this. I really don’t like talking about the negatives, but these are things people must know before coming to China, so I hope this helped. I also hope you don’t get scared about coming to China, because it is a great place, but I would highly suggest you research what city you are going to, and be sure to know as much about the city as possible.

 

Tags:General Health & Environment Teaching & Learning Travel Food Language & Culture Expat Rants & Advice Expat Tales Lifestyle

12 Comments

All comments are subject to moderation by eChinacities.com staff. Because we wish to encourage healthy and productive dialogue we ask that all comments remain polite, free of profanity or name calling, and relevant to the original post and subsequent discussion. Comments will not be deleted because of the viewpoints they express, only if the mode of expression itself is inappropriate. Please use the Classifieds to advertise your business and unrelated posts made merely to advertise a company or service will be deleted.

kb88882022

hi,do u use wechat?

Oct 11, 2022 10:21 Report Abuse

Xue-ren

Up north of China almost no pollution.for example:Harbin.the largest city of northeast China. But they do have pollution in winter because the coal. But spring and summer and autumn are so nice. Not hot in summer and almost blue sky every day!

Oct 10, 2015 11:02 Report Abuse

hadleyj09

We'll see how it goes. I've heard and seen great life stories in China with people living here long term, and then I see your stories about how China and so many of its people are bad. I can't judge everyone based off of the bad experiences I've had here, but I am more cautious now. I don't know, we'll see.

Jan 22, 2015 06:36 Report Abuse

hadleyj09

Haha, you really don't like black people do you? :D Oh well. It's cool. Many people in this world don't like us, but it's all good. Hope you can get some of that hatred out of your heart, but I'm sure that won't happen. Peace, Love and Wellness all day. and try to get some of that good sunlight. It will make your skin darker lol, haha. peace

Jan 19, 2015 18:05 Report Abuse

hadleyj09

Dude, be quiet. man we face challenges throughout the whole damn world. Stop whining. I got Chinese friends in every single city I been to. It's all about your perception of the situation you're in. It's not hard to talk to people in China, or to be friends with them, or to have a girlfriend. It's all about your confidence which you seem to be lacking in big time. Chinese people, just like white people, just like black people, just like every other race on this planet has ignorant people. Stop letting them get into your head. Live life, have fun. Life is to damn short to be whining about problems. Also, I have no Idea why you have a hard time finding a job because it's been super easy for me here. Talking to women, making friends, it's not hard. It's all about that confidence. Get some more of that and you'll be good. But stop whining so much, and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You are the first black dude I know to have trouble talking to women lol. If you can't do that at this age, you gotta go back to dating 101. Chill out, be cool, and stop being a drama queen. peace.

Jan 19, 2015 20:41 Report Abuse

hadleyj09

Haha, if you say so.

Jan 20, 2015 09:12 Report Abuse

coineineagh

A very "clean" collection of gripes. Well done. Are you paid to write blogs in sets of three?

Jan 14, 2015 18:37 Report Abuse

coineineagh

huh? did some comments get stacked onto mine because of a deletion?

Jan 22, 2015 16:35 Report Abuse

DrMonkey

People told you all those things a year ago, in your first posts. Imagine your own experience, but after a few years more, with the locals being in denial, and with the additional things like wanting/having a kid. You can see where it all come from, now ;)

Jan 14, 2015 16:11 Report Abuse

hadleyj09

True, I don't have a kid, but I can only imagine the challenges of having one, in addition to the challenges of having one in China. However, I've seen great foreign-chinese families doing very well here, so that's good. :)

Jan 15, 2015 19:14 Report Abuse

dongbeiren

Thanks for posting this Hadley. It presents a balanced perspective. People shouldn't criticize you for liking China or being happy here. As long as you're willing to acknowledge the negatives, good for you on staying positive.

Jan 14, 2015 11:21 Report Abuse

hadleyj09

I will admit, I wasn't really able to see the negative side of China before, or I wasn't really aware of the negatives yet. However, I still think China is a decent place, but I am more aware of the negatives as well as the positives.

Jan 15, 2015 19:11 Report Abuse