No bullshit.

I would love to hear some of the ways China has changed your lives for the better.

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[–]kanada_kid [+1]

Learned a new language, got fit (people straight up calling you fat does that), became more multicultural (oddly enough), and got more hobbies. Almost completely stopped watching TV and playing video games.





[–]Pomguo United Kingdom

I play so many more video games in China than I did before. The community in Beijing is pretty great!





[–]Sasselhoff

Haha, same here. Totally quit playing in University many years ago, started back up over here. All the way to "full gamer mode" with a custom built PC and VR system with all the peripherals...so I may have gone too far now.





[–]ktechmidas United Kingdom

I saw someone with a full to-spec airplane simulator taking up an entire room before now. He had more cash than he knew what to do with....

But damn was it fun to fly.





[–]we_llneedships

Almost completely stopped watching TV

Man, getting away from ads and the cycle of BUY THIS BUY THIS, for the most part, has been such a blessing.





[–]Mr_forgetfull

then you go back and watch 1 episode of something on tv and it just drives you nuts with the amount of adds





[–]ktechmidas United Kingdom

Piracy.





[–]kanada_kid [+1]

Maybe one movie every two months? Anytime I watch them its either on the plane, with a girl, or with an American (you have no idea how much these people honestly love their TV).





[–]dteeban United States

I met my awesome wife. She rules.

I also made many incredible friends, and due to the ease of life there, I was able to experiment with many different interests, passions and hobbies. I'm now happy to have a host of friends both from and currently in countries all over the world, and I feel like a well rounded person.

I don't regret the time I spent there in the slightest, but I'm also glad that it's over.





[–]OT43

Making friends and lifelong connections with people from all over the world has made it all worthwhile for me too.





[–]be_nice_2_people

With regular driving I have developed unbelievable reflexes and emotional control bordering on enlightenment.

I have developed the ability to tune out all sound unrelated to what I'm doing.

I can squat comfortably for long periods of time.

I haggle and curse in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hakka.

I have repatriated over a hundred thousand dollars stolen from my homeland by Chinese mercantilists.

I have come to accept how handsome I am.

Regular hourly bowel movements.

Given the praise I receive I believe my chopstick skills and ability to eat spicy food are unparalleled.

Did I mention how handsome I am?





[–]Rampaging_Bunny United States

With regular driving I have developed unbelievable reflexes and emotional control bordering on enlightenment.

This one. My most beneficial skill learned in China.





[–]ChinaBounder

Seconded. After driving in China I'm able to return back to the USA and face the worst rush hour traffic without even a smidgen of aggro.





[–]IamaLlamaAma Germany

This was is weird for me. I can handle it well here as long as my mood is neutral to good.

However once I am back in Germany and someone drives bad, I can't accept it.

I just apply a different standard here than in Germany. Does this not happen to you?





[–]ChinaBounder

Not yet. My biggest problem is remembering that I can't get away with driving in the USA the way I drive in China.

Second biggest problem is remembering I can't open the cold beer I just bought from the market and drink it in public.





[–]Josh_august

"I have developed the ability to tune out all sound unrelated to what I'm doing"

Totally agree. It's going to be so useful when I go back home in the big cities.

P.s. How do you guys quote like that?





[–]Yuanlairuci

Reinforced my go with the flow mindset, gave me a lifestyle I could almost never have in the states, taught me to socialize and stop being so goddamned awkward, gave me fluency in a language lots of people don't dare to touch.... 6 years in and I still love it here, don't know why people rag on it so much. Gotta just loosen up, bro





[–]B2FiNiTY [+2]United States

Living in China has hardened me to the point where most things don't bother me anymore. I see things, encounter things, that would have bothered me greatly before but now it has just become the norm and what I expect.





[–]we_llneedships

most things don't bother me anymore

That is a good point. Crazy driving, shitty service, the stank of sewage in a trash choked river, people talking at level 10, smog so thick you can't see 100m away, etc. Makes the west seem like easy street.





[–]mrfrosty2016 Great Britain

Yeah, living in China is like hyper-evolution for resilience. The contrast can be incredibly stark. When you go back to your home country and view the people there as "weak" and "soft", it's like coming back from the 'Nam or as an ex-con. Evolutionary social adaptation - do you know it?





Comic Nerd Alert: It reminds me of how Doomsday died, evolved, came back, in the most hostile environments imaginable.





[–]vagina_fang

So you lowered your standards and are now numb to horrible things. Nice one





[–]komnenos China

Unlike some here I enjoy learning the language of the place I live in. Everyday was a new challenge and I enjoyed putting myself out there. Anything from ordering food, flirting, paying my bills, making old farts laugh, being able to recognize some weird character, I got a kick out of it. In America almost nobody in my community spoke another language and growing up taking Spanish and Latin I never thought I would become fluent in another language. Well Mandarin is giving me that chance.





Point two, I feel that when you are an expat you bond better with other expats (unlike say... being an American trying to bond with non Americans), I made friends with Koreans, Japanese, Cubans, Russians, French, English, Swedish, Mexicans, Colombians, Aussies, Pakistanis, Turks, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Italians and of course the Chinese themselves. In the US I definitely had non American friends but I felt that it was harder, especially when everyone around you is American. (edit: Also this may just be me but being around expats made me realize all the similarities in their cultures to my own culture in contrast to the more eastern ones)





I recognize that my measly year was very much within the classic honeymoon stage but goddamn was it a nice honeymoon. I won't say I hate living in the US but China was a nice departure from the sterile WASPY family and community that I grew up with.





[–]HotNatured

Point two, I feel that when you are an expat you bond better with other expats (unlike say... being an American trying to bond with non Americans), I made friends with Koreans, Japanese, Cubans, Russians, French, English, Swedish, Mexicans, Colombians, Aussies, Pakistanis, Turks, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Italians and of course the Chinese themselves. In the US I definitely had non American friends but I felt that it was harder, especially when everyone around you is American.

This is a big thing for me, too. There's something just overwhelmingly...pleasant...about connecting with people from so many different places





[–]justinchina

agreed. i feel like there is a sense of comradery amongst all expats here that drops other barriers that would be difficult to overcome in a home-country setting.





[–]BillyBattsShinebox



I'm definitely a lot more confident than I was a few years back. I'm still a little shy in certain situations now, but I'm a lot better in most situations.

I'm way more confrontational, which sounds like a bad thing, but it's not if you're British. In my opinion, most Brits are too polite to call people out on their bullshit and will just tut and roll their eyes, but now, if somebody's smoking in an elevator or in a restaurant next to a no-smoking sign for example, I'll often ask them to stop without giving a shit. Surprisingly, everybody has cooperated so far and I haven't gotten stabbed once.

I have way more free time now than ever before because my workload is a joke despite also studying for an online MA. I started going to the gym for the first time in my life about 1.5 years back and have been regularly going ever since. I'm now way stronger/fitter than I've ever been in my life and still improving.

Those are the biggest things. Unfortunately, I've also changed for the worse in a bunch of ways (less trusting, less friendly and more aggressive with strangers, and less manners in general etc...).





[–]mrfrosty2016 Great Britain

I'm way more confrontational, which sounds like a bad thing, but it's not if you're British. In my opinion, most Brits are too polite to call people out on their bullshit and will just tut and roll their eyes

I was always a confrontational prick even in the UK (the exact terms used were "blunt" and "intense") but it's dialed up to fucking 11 here. Don't hold back here. Let that shit fly.





[–]TheDark1

Wot dew yew mean yew don't have any fahking cod, yew fahking tosser.





[–]mrfrosty2016 Great Britain

Oi! Doo wot? Eer's you fackeen' upvoat. Loverly Jubblee!





[–]BillyBattsShinebox

It can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you personally deal with it I think. If you're constantly getting worked up and stressed out about every little thing here, then you're just going to end up having a heart attack, but if you manage to stay calm composed when confronting people, it can work in your favour.

It varies for me depending on how I'm feeling that day.





[–]HotNatured

I'm way more confrontational...

&

less trusting, less friendly and more aggressive with strangers, and less manners in general

You don't say... haha. I'll take this as a warning, anyway. Thanks!





[–]KirinG

I work 4-6 hours a day and live very comfortably doing so. Even if my salary is shit compared to the US, the extra free time has been worth it. Plus, I can travel comfortably to places I'd never imagined being able to visit.

Getting a bit sappy, it's also been nice to get out of the Westerner/tourist bubble and really see how the rest of the world works (chabuduo!).





[–]UltimateArts13

That's a really good point. Although the money isn't as good the shorter hours make your time well spent





[–]KirinG

For sure. I'm looking forward to making US salary again, but dreading going back to 40+ hour work weeks. Losing the time I've been able to put towards hobbies and other interests here is going to be tough. It makes me question going back sometimes.





[–]kali_yuga_a_gogo

Made me understand what I had all along was not just teenage angst but a mild form of autism. Strengthened the misanthropy, forced me to accept it all and find a way to not be a murderous suicidal asshole. Nowadays when I get upset I don't look for somebody to punch, I just go and pound some dough and eat the result.

That may not sound positive but I've always been living by the laws of gun and knive on the outskirts of life. People look at me and say I'm living on borrowed time and they're mostly correct, sup.





[–]SentientCouch [+1]

Sounds like some serious improvement. Not wanting to hurt people as much? It actually counts for a lot. Part of that might just be getting older and sorta cooling off. People still look at you and say you're living on borrowed time?





[–]kali_yuga_a_gogo

Ah the second paragraph was GG Allin but anyway in a sense yes, anytime the need of telling people what am I and do here arises, without narrating the story of my life that nobody care or resorting to quote the Asano/Vinnie Jones skit from Survive Style 5+, I am faced with the same snarky "o I'd like to be a househusband too!" "it must be so easy cooking and cleaning and taking care of them poussis", and as a socially crippled man, it's hard to even rebuff them. Luckily that happens once every new influenza strain appears, but it always leave a scar.





[–]mrfrosty2016

I was going to post a similar thread but you got there before me (jiayou).

Benefits of living here instead of the UK..? Mainly economic, same as most of the r/china expats, I imagine. But that's traded off against the negatives (pollution, bad environment for families, etc). Not going to be drawn into listing negatives as it would derail the thread too much.

I will say this though: if you closely align with and share those darker aspects of the Chinese culture, then China will have a much larger positive impact on your life.





[–]Rampaging_Bunny

if you closely align with and share those darker aspects of the Chinese culture,

Think you can go into more detail on this one? I was thinking about "tea money", and the nature of doing business in China, which I learned a lot from without ever participating in it. I suppose it could be a positive in future careers....





[–]dazzazhonggua

Seriously, it does make you better at confronting people. That's not a bad thing. A Chinese boss is like the straw that broke the camel's back. That happened everyday.

It's good to learn, or become brave enough to argue with supposed superiors.

Also learnt that taking the environment for granted is a mistake.

And that real, solid regulations are a really good thing. China doesn't have them. Take note republicans.





[–]exceptionalaverage

Taught me to appreciate that wherever you go thereafter, you can feel appreciative of where you are, knowing "at least it's not China"





[–]basquefire

I've determined beyond a doubt that I don't want to live in China.

I'm not kidding. I came here looking for some sort of meaning regarding my Chinese heritage, and hoping to earn a good living along the way. While there are indeed many ways to make one's fortune during China's prolonged economic boom, it is now overwhelmingly clear that whatever "China" my grandparents departed simply no longer exists.

Now I can go home to the West without worrying that I'm missing out on something deep and valuable in the motherland. That freedom of mind and identity is tremendously valuable to me.





[–]Impmaster82

What exactly did you expect to find from your grandparent's "China"? A cultural identity of some sort? I guess Mao must've destroyed all that...





[–]imanimmigrant

It weened me off my country's welfare state. Can't imagine ever not being financially responsible again





[–]mrfrosty2016

Not sure why you were downvoted. Your post is spot on.

Financial responsibility can be a huge turning point for some people. In China, if you're lazy, good luck putting food on the table. It teaches people to be fiscally responsible real fucking fast without a safety net.

Foreigners who are welfare queens are going to be way outside their comfort zone here. While there's self-selection in terms of who immigrates here, everybody learns to stand on their own two feet real fast - laowai or not. Necessary adaptation at work again.





[–]Impmaster82 1 point 2 hours ago

Which state?





[–]duddha

I definitely benefitted from having lived in China:

It increased my hirability and gave me valuable experience in my career, good and bad.

It taught me a lot about stress management and putting myself in a good place mentally.

It taught me to be bold in trying new food.

Speaking the language well has been immensely gratifying in so many ways. But also, I forced myself to do a repetitive and not-immediately-gratifying task in learning Chinese (reading/writing), something I'm not predisposed to.

I'm now fairly well informed about one of the largest countries in the world.





[–]bendandanben

Where do you live in China? I'm missing out on the cheap jam spaces I think..





[–]duddha

I lived in Shanghai and jammed at probably 12 or so spaces. They usually have a drum kit, one or two guitar amps, a bass amp and mics/PA/mixing board. When I was last there, they ran about 60/hr.





[–]skullblasta

I became both way tougher and way better at understanding how to treat people with respect in a way that made them really like me. China's a damn tough place to live if you are used to cleanliness, order, quiet, and public decency, but in a way people there are easier to understand for me than in my homeland (US). Learning to understand face culture and apply it to my interactions back home has made older people adore me, and improved my interactions with my peers by being more conscious of giving them opportunities to look good in front of others. Sometimes I think of it as manipulation but people seem genuinely happy and respected.

I met my beloved wife and married her here in the USA, proposed on the pier overlooking Lake Michigan where I taught her to swim. I'm putting her through Nursing School and have such confidence in her ability to succeed. She studies and works so hard and is so gracious for the work I put into paying for her school and my mother and father who I see every week adore her. I don't think I could have found someone who fulfills my requirements for a lifelong partner in the USA very easily, at least not one I get along with so well. She's very respectful and yet very firm, and I know that many of her best qualities reflect the best virtues of China - she cares deeply for my health, she's really responsible with money (more than me), she works and studies very hard, she values our future family and education, she fully believes in the importance of taking care of our (read: my) parents and having a strong extended family, and she's hot!

Going to China was the second best choice I ever made, marrying her was the first.





[–]SailTheWorldWithMe

Money.

Paid off student loans early, managed to pay for a second degree online, and put away several thousand in savings.





[–]mister_klik United States

I'm better with money... more frugal.

I'm more flexible.

I've become a lot less impulsive and more responsible, that could simply be a natural maturation issue.





[–]dandanbei

I have the free time and disposable income to pursue my hobbies/take classes/travel, and I've learned how to be firm and stand up for myself and not let people walk all over me in any kind of negotiation. I used to be really passive and get taken advantage of or end up in situations I wasn't really happy with, but having to go to the work bureau to fight your employer and dealing with shady housing agents makes you toughen up fast. I also rarely have to deal with street harassment and feel totally safe walking home alone at whatever time of night, which is a nice way to live. I've lost a lot of my ingrained puritan self-consciousness about nudity as well which is kind of cool.





[–]Aan2007 2 points 3 hours ago*

I have even thicker skin than before and I am more assertive than before. Make me appreciate Western world and how good life we have than before, though that's not that new, been already in India and countries poorer than China before, but it's always a bit of shock to return back to Europe and hear people complaining about nonsense here.

Also had before more things lined down many steps in advance, now it's enough for me to worry about next 1-2 steps, I learned in China you can resolve things on the go, no point wasting energy and worry 10 steps I'm advance, life ain't chess.

I was pretty good negotiator before, improved that even more and i am much more confident about my own value not settle for little.

Of course financially I saved substantial amount of money, if I haven't met wife would use them for traveling around world, now together with her savings used it to buy apartment in one of the biggest and most touristy capitals of Europe. Not so sure about this being benefit, I would prefer work and travel.

Oh and I also don't care anymore about European politics like some people who are passionate about it, first world problems, pretty much don't follow local politics at all.

Should have leave China at least 1-2 years earlier than did in the end.





[–]mrfrosty2016 Great Britain

The Western welfare safety net "money for nothing" entitlement attitude appears almost bizarre (and disgusting) after living in China for years - a country where you live and die on your own wits.

Having said that, don't let people talk you down as an expat. Most foreigners from back home simply would not be able to hack it in this modern example of social Darwinism. Nothing is a true meritocracy ofc but at least you have to work and invest effort to get anywhere here as a foreigner.





[–]d254052656

living life without political correctness, being in a place where people don't tell you junk facts every 4 minutes (no Google),





[–]ZhouLe

people don't tell you junk facts every 4 minutes (no Google),

eh... do you actually interact with people? I'm constantly in contact with bullshit about cordyceps caterpillars, "radiation waves", hot water, cool air literally causing the common cold, and whatever bullshit story is currently going around weibo.





[–]d254052656 Ireland

there seems to generally be less of an obsession of trying to live a very long life,





[–]TheMediumPanda

I have full control over my job. I earn more than I could back home after taxes. There's no nanny state constantly hovering above you as long as you keep your visa in order. I've bought a flat, which I likely wouldn't have been able to in one of the bigger cities back home on a teacher's salary. Financially, I'm better off here presently. I've got my kid in a decent preschool but when he's done there after next year, I probably have to reevaluate the whole situation once more.





[–]mrfrosty2016 Great Britain

Agree about the lack of intrusive nanny state, esp. compared to the UK. We're not beholden to the hukou in terms of movement, but the feeling of freedom, esp. convenience (e.g. travel and shopping), is certainly much more pronounced here. Not being taxed into oblivion to prop up a bloated welfare state is liberating in itself.





[–]TA2398762

Money.





[–]TheFrenchCH

-I have travelled more of the world than my friends back home because of the low cost of living here. I am learning (slowly) a third language. I also, am learning that I am indeed a handsome devil. I've met some incredible people and have had crazy experiences. Pretty sure I'm famous on People's WeChat moments. I'm eating incredible food and learning some amazing dishes. Produce (Fruit and veggies) in China is so much better than Canada. I'm (arguably) more free here than where I was in Canada (Less bureaucracy, or at least my work hires people to deal with it for me). Laowai get some pretty light treatment in terms of rules. Best of all I met my incredible girlfriend here. - I'm making more and living like a king than I would back home.





[–]exceptionalaverage

I think I like China more than living in the U.S. I've been here a year and it just keeps getting better. I came expecting a police state but instead found it nearly lawless. You can drink in public and never get a citation, and you never get carded at the bars or at stores. Take an open beer into a taxi? You can do that too. You can also travel for cheap by taking the train. I love traveling by sleeper train in China. So many cool places to explore. I live in Inner Mongolia where you don't have to travel very far to reach some remote outdoor areas. And Chinese women go nuts for white guys. Seriously, you can get some even if you have absolutely no game whatsoever. I have several side-gigs in private tutoring paying 88 bucks/hour. Life here is pretty sweet and the living is cheap bro! Regards, Tim





[–]wienerstime

Completely agree with everything man.

I see so many bashing China posts and it's sad because they must've missed so many opportunities

I lived in China for 20 months. By the end I was living like a king. The whole trip cost me nothing. The experiences I had were priceless.





[–]caucasianchinastrug

Learning not to trust anyone, be a selfish fuck, can drink anyone under the table, not giving a fuck about anyone, complimenting people without batting an eye, lying through my teeth.

Learning how to squat and squirt shit all over the floor and not wprrying about the mess i made.





[–]mrfrosty2016

If you mean increased awareness/street smarts and survival skills, then yes.





[–]mrgoodkat1707

I can take much more unreal crap that would freak out most Westerners. Nothing surprises me anymore





[–]Neilug_Hyuga

Okay, after living in Beijing for 9months,and soon 10, here what changed : before I couldn't handle gross things, like smells or really disgusting leftovers in the toilets by persons. I couldn't handle vomit, or anything like this. Guess what? After China I became so strong with that, I no longer throw up from thoses things.





[–]SentientCouch

Good. I feel similarly. Although I was never really a squeamish adult, being in China for years has hardened my stomach to seeing some nasty shit. I still shudder inside when I hear the hocking of an incipient loogie, though.

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[–]Sasselhoff 1 point 3 hours ago

I was able to save more money and do more traveling than I ever would have been able to do working back in the states.

Met my awesome fiancee.

That about sums it up.





[–]paleforce 1 point 3 hours ago

China is a great place to develop yourself without a lot of pressure while maintaining a decent lifestyle.

I entered China as an English teacher with no experience and no real future. Over the course of six years, I became certified as a high school teacher, discovered I didn't want to teach, taught myself software engineering, and got a job as a software engineer in China. Before I came, I'd never considered that career path. I now have a path to a well paying career in my home country. I credit China for illuminating that path.

A fear of being stuck forever in China was the main thing motivating me throughout those years, and if worked.





[–]wienerstime 1 point 3 hours ago

I learned mandarin. Comparatively easy transition from Japanese, and I'm not a native speaker yet, but there are so many Chinese immigrants to California. Many towns have been upgraded from just Chinese money. I made a lot of new friends here cuz of it.





[–]ggqq 1 point 3 hours ago*

It made me realise that the only thing standing in the way of my own happiness was me. Not other people. Not the government. Not the world that's out to get me. Me. Big change starts with small change. And small change starts with oneself.

It's a lot harder to accept that you are the reason that you're unhappy. It's even harder to do something about it. But it's infinitely better than complaining and living life wallowing in self-pity.





[–]diskempt 1 point 3 hours ago

I improved my Chinese a lot and got fat on Chinese food. I also had an amazing summer there





[–]vagina_fang 1 point 2 hours ago

It gave new perspective and a new baseline to measure everything against.

I bitched and complained as much as anyone here. Now I live in Thailand and am much happier.





[–]LeYanYan France 1 point 1 hour ago

I met people for all around the world, shared some interesting thoughts, visited wonderful places. I felt in love, again, damnit.





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[–]grey_sun 1 point 48 minutes ago

The conveniency of my life has improved drastically--used to live in the American suburbs. The subway system is truly a whole new world. I've met amazing people from all over the world. Most importantly, my confidence has improved--if I can argue with a stranger in a language I'm barely passable in, I can talk to strangers in my first language.





[–]justinchina 1 point 4 hours ago

Tons of upside. From professional, to work/life balance, socially interesting and even with a family, there are a lot of upsides...but i think most on this sub will have more of a C/J response, unfortunately. you would probably get a more interesting/legit response from a half decent/professional Twitter network, than you would from reddit.





[–]nindgod -5 points 6 hours ago

30,000 rambos a month, making a difference in people's lives, no tipping at restaurant, decent girlfriend, plans for the future





[–]mojitorandy 7 points 4 hours ago

haha, amazing catch





[–]Pomguo United Kingdom 1 point 3 hours ago

decent girlfriend

abusive girlfriend

Choose one.

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