CHINA

Country Overview:

“Love the food, hate the government”

I arrived in China in May 2013 and left August 2020. I taught English for awhile, did my master’s of politics & foreign policy at Tsinghua University, worked for a year at China Today, and then two years at Xinhua News Agency. I spent most of my time in Beijing, but also traveled to Shanghai, Wuhan, Inner Mongolia, Shenzhen, Panjin, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Qingdao, Xi’an, Sanya, Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Degen Hill Degen Hill

It’s a terrible foto, but this gives you an idea of how crazy the subway is at night between line 10 and 1 @ Guomao. Literally wall to wall packed

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Degen Hill Degen Hill

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly


It’s been 3 and a half months and here is how I view Beijing, China. 

PROS

  • Street food is AWESOME
  • People are understanding that my Chinese is bad and constantly tell me the names of things when I ask them
  • Public transportation, for me, is more of a pro than con. Yes, traffic and the subway can be congested, but for millions of people, Beijing is doing alright
  • Chuar
  • Amount of people who speak English. I know it’s not Hong Kong, but there are still a lot of random people who speak good English. Like the lady selling tickets at the movie theater or the guy selling ipod cases on the bridge. 
  • Street vendors sell anything from socks and shoes to ipads and fresh fish. As someone who likes to barter, I’m a big fan of these guys. 
  • Like any big city, Beijing has variety. From food, shopping, clubs, tourist attractions, bars, and job opportunities. There’s something for everyone. 
  • The Subway

CONS

  • Cars tend to double or triple park on the street leaving absolutely NO room to maneuver 
  • Chinese dudes roll their shirts up past their belly and walk around / eat / sit on the street like this to ‘cool off’
  • People take smoke breaks in the adjacent corridor at the gym
  • There are no sense of 'lines’. People just shove in wherever they want. The subway, restaurants, bike lanes, lines at the store. 
  • Anyone who decides to move to China is a bit weird in their own right, but I’ve met a lot of socially awkward Americans who play WOW, wear socks & sandals and never go out. It seems to be a common theme for many foreigners in China, but hey, live your life
  • Parents let babies poop on the street. If you think I’m kidding, ask anyone who has lived in Beijing. This is probably due to the fact that most parents don’t put diapers on babies. They just free-ball it in an oversized tee. 
  • The Subway
  • People stare, A LOT. I understand that I’m the foreigner, but just because I don’t weigh 60 Kilos like most Chinese guys doesn’t give you the right to eye fuck me everywhere I go. I used to turn to people and say, “ Can I fucking help you?”, but it happens so often that I’ve just come to accept it. 
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