Is China a Potential Land to Work in?

[kate]

I am from China and I am in the field of importing & exporting. I got to know a lot of foreigners from all over the world. Some of them even want to work in China in the near future. So you may ask, is China a potential land to work in and live in?
Well, my answer is you have to discover it by yourself. You got to experice the life here in China. A lot of foreigners work in Shanghai. Your salary depends on what kind of company you work for. If it is an international company and you get paid in other currency like USD or Euro, you might get a lot more. But if it is a chinese company, Maybe not.
If you are from Africa. The better place to go is the South of China, for the weather there not so cold. Or you can do business in Africa. Just can make money from water or pure water. You can use a kind of machine that is made in China to make all kinds of ice in Africa and sell it. Very profitable.
In a word, no matter where you are, if you are happy and live a comfortable life, then wherever you are, it is a happy land.
Welcome to discuss this topic with me.

[Scaffold]

So how do I get to China?

[kate]

It's very convenient,you can choose the way you want.

[yuemax]

Interesting thread...

I've been in China for almost exactly 5 years now and will throw my observations:

Timelines:

Months 1 - 3 : Absolute amazement - you can go down to the 7/11 at 4am to buy beer - in your underpants, and no-one blinks...
Months 4 - 9 : Hatred - everything about the country makes you mad - you hate EVERYTHING.
Months 10 -- : Love it - you get into the groove, it gets under your skin... (where I am at now) Occasional bad days, but a trip to HK to buy salami and cheese fixes that...

All long-term foreigners here go through these phases...

PRO's of working/living in China:

* It's safe - unless you do something stupid, chances are you will not have any problems
* Living - you can get a nice apartment for relatively cheap pricing
* Work - there are many opportunities, particularly in niche industries
* Cost of living - lets just say, my lunch cost me ZAR4 today, and was delicious (Jiaozi)
* Food - wow, so varied
* Family/Friend Structures - never in my life have i met and befriended such good close family and friends - re-defines loyalty

CON's of living in China:

* Visa - for South African's, it can be difficult to obtain annual residency documents - especially if you are an English teacher - apparently our first language is NOT English anymore...
* Living culture - this can be a challenge (see months 4 - 9 above) - it can be a deal breaker and we have seen so many hit the road if they cannot make it through this time - farmer-types spitting, kids doing their business on the pavement, people aiming their cars, not driving them etc
* Business culture - this is a tough one - the concept of relationships (guanxi) is really complex - takes (and will take...) years to get a grip on
* Food - i mentioned it as a PRO above - but also can be a CON - my wife (Chinese) tells me I need to "learn" to eat rice - WTF?!?!?!


All in all, i have no regrets in the slightest - it's not for the feint-hearted, but is very interesting and rewarding...

Cheers
Max

[kate]

Welcome to China,hope you have a good life here.HAHA,rice is very delicious! Hope you love it.

[yuemax]

Welcome to China,hope you have a good life here.HAHA,rice is very delicious! Hope you love it.

Hi Kate,

Thanks for giving a good laugh this afternoon...!

Foreigners in China CANNOT eat rice every day! My wife told me I had to "learn to eat rice" I replied "do I need to go back to xiaoxue (junior school)?"

88
Max

[robinsonwang]

xiaoxue is not junior school but primary school.