How is life in China. How to move to China and work from there: personal experience

- The Chinese do not have any taboo on this - everyone relieves the need wherever he pleases. Of course, public toilets are built at every turn, and it would never occur to anyone to take money for them, as some do. But the sight of children pissing right in the middle of a busy street or next to a cafe does not bother anyone for sure. Children have a slit on the bottom of their pants, in theory, in order to change a diaper, but careless parents often leave their child to walk around just like that, bare-assed.

- In everyday life, belching, blowing your nose, spitting, blowing gases and other pleasures. And it looks especially “cute” on the decorated girls-princesses. Everyone constantly makes loud and disgusting noises when eating, after eating and between meals. They say - "you can not restrain yourself, there are evil spirits sitting!". Deafening sneezing - in my opinion, one of the national sports - who is louder.

“It is an unwritten law that boys buy pads for their girls, and girls buy condoms. The sight of another fashionista with a hostohair on his head, all perfumed and dressed up, concentrically choosing maxi pads always makes me wildly happy.

It's normal if you live in a family with your parents, and your mother buys you condoms (oh horror ....)

Cold.

This is something that infuriates wildly, both in Japan and in China, and defies logic. In the cold season in shops, cafes, hotels, etc. doors and windows wide open. Apparently, so that no one thought that they were suddenly closed. There is no central heating, more precisely, there is very rarely. Because of this, everything in public places is piercingly cold.

Asians warm themselves, the body, not the room. Doctors, students, attendants, everyone, everyone, everyone is working, shaking from the cold, in street clothes with uniforms over. I stubbornly do not understand why it is impossible to close the window and the door - after all, it will become warmer in the room anyway? But they love fresh air too.

With a cramp, I remember the ice toilet in our hostel in Tokyo, the window of which was constantly open, no matter how long you close it. I don't know who does it. Also spirits, I guess. We, spitting on the wildest dryness of the skin, never turn off the air conditioner, but the maid in our absence always opens the windows wide. It's hot for you, poor ones, - he says.

My biggest breakdown happened in Shanghai, when we were given a huge room in which we could safely store frozen meat. In search of a source of wind and frost, it was discovered that wise people stupidly pushed the hose from the air conditioner into the half-open window sash. Accordingly, there is no way to close the window and the wind joyfully walks around the room. The hotel staff reacted to my indignation with undisguised surprise. “Not cold,” they say. "Sleep." Plugged the hole with towels, shrugging. But it was still the coldest night of my life. We made a wigwam out of blankets and slept there, clinging to each other like koalas. The next morning we changed the number to a small one, but without national features.

Food.

Yes, they eat everything. And scorpions and caterpillars. But it's more of a delicacy, for fun. Something else is more interesting here - they eat all the time and simply in incredible quantities. Any slender chick eats a bowl of ramen and a 10-course meal in one sitting, showing the wonders of the Asian metabolism.

— Choudofu. If you have ever been to a Chinese market, the first thing that knocks you down in the literal sense is the wild stink from fried choudofu - “stinky tofu” literally. It's old moldy tofu, a delicacy again. Like blue cheese. My girlfriends say they don't eat it, but they say it's wildly healthy.

During meals, all garbage is thrown on the floor. “We are not pigs to put waste next to food!” - they say.

- Interesting stereotypes about food: they say that potatoes contribute to a good figure, for example.

“They drink hot water all the time!” This is generally a panacea for everything - for digestion, and for the throat, and warms, and you lose weight. I know from my own experience that it is hot water that I advise Chinese doctors to drink from everything. Even if the leg fell off. Therefore, everyone goes with kawaii thermoses. You can drink water everywhere - dispensers and thermoses with water are available for general use anywhere.

Clothes and style.

- Everyone wears uggs of all modifications and does not take a steam bath. Ugg boots cost 25-30 yuan.

- In the Chinese winter (zero, plus ten) they wear a bunch of clothes (see Cold). Very fashionable terry underwear, all sorts of undershirts with long sleeves and leggings with fur inside. I was given this at work, for a princess, I wear it and am happy.

- What can not but rejoice - no matter how you dress, no one will point a finger. Grannies chasing hellokitties in shorts, businessmen in pink sneakers, fashionable coons with women's bags.

Asians have an amazing gift for combining things and colors. What would look ridiculous or go on a European will be nice on an Asian.

Relations.

“Well, as usual, it’s not customary to kiss in public.

- If a couple started dating, it is in 90% of cases for life. To sort out partners is bad manners.

- At the same time, the girl has the right to meet with several guys at the same time, if she has not decided yet. The guy has no such advantage.

It's normal if a girl in a bar came with a guy and flirts with another. Selects.

Guys love skinny girls. Girls complain to me that no one will date a chubby girl.

- The guys, in turn, complain to me about the windiness and the huge demands of the girls.

- I saw a program where they asked guys under 25 - who would they choose as a girl? 95% want a foreigner, but only a blonde.

Many foreigners, including Russians, are considering moving to China. Some are attracted by its rapid economic development, which promises excellent opportunities for self-realization, others dream of getting to know the original culture of the Celestial Empire better, others hope to live a calm and prosperous life here. With a favorable set of circumstances, the presence of patience and perseverance, the dreams of every immigrant quickly become a reality. But before moving permanently, it would be nice to learn about the peculiarities of the standard of living in China, so that after that you would not be disappointed in your choice.

China: the life of ordinary people and the features of the country

The Chinese economy has shown explosive growth in recent years, but is the standard of living of the population rising after it? Today, almost all Chinese people note the rise in prices for basic goods and services, and salaries of employees increase not so quickly. But despite this, already more than 400 million people can be classified as middle class. Over the past decade, the number of Chinese spending between $10 and $100 per day has grown from 4% to 30%.

... if we compare the standard of living of the middle class, in my opinion in China it is an order of magnitude higher, for example, take ordinary teachers, doctors (doctors in China are generally gods).

INAKOS

Standard of living

In 2015, China ranked 52nd in terms of living standards, ahead of Russia by 6 and Ukraine by 8 positions. When calculating the standard of living indicator, the following were taken into account:

• the state of the economy;
• entrepreneurship and innovation;
• disposable income;
• healthcare;
• controllability;
• education;
• security;
• individual freedom.

Comparison of the absolute values ​​of these indicators suggests that a rather high place was assigned to the state due to success in the economy and the growth of citizens' savings. However, in terms of security and personal freedom, China ranks 100th and 120th, respectively, which indicates the presence of serious problems in these areas.

As for life-existence, it depends on your requests. Of course, you can live on 1.5 thousand dollars. Moreover, this is approximately the average salary rate for a hired foreign worker (we do not take into account any valuable specialists). The chances of finding a good job, and this also applies to any life prospects, always depend only on you!!! You can live on 1.5 thousand dollars and send your child to kindergarten. It all depends on how to live, how to eat, and in which kindergarten to give. In general, prices in China are certainly lower than in Russia ...

Alexander Karpenkohttp://liveinchina.ru/kak-pereehat-zhit-v-chinay/

Way of life

Currently, more than 2/3 of China's population already lives in cities. The Chinese who have moved from rural areas are happy to plunge into the frantic pace of modern megacities and are happy to pay for a higher quality of life. A significant increase in domestic consumption is noticeable not only in Shanghai, which belongs to the championship in this indicator, but also in all major cities. This can be seen even with the naked eye: there are more well-dressed people on the streets, the number of private cars has doubled over the past 5 years, fashionable gadgets are being sold at a frantic pace, housing construction is actively developing.

As in other countries, people in China are very different. There are rich and poor, and they get along well with each other. A chic skyscraper peacefully coexists with slums, an elite five-star hotel is surrounded by working barracks, a brand new Ferrari stands next to a battered moped. All the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire are boiled in a single cauldron, apparently, this explains their tolerance towards each other and tolerance towards foreigners.

Video: the whole truth about life in China

Features of the mentality

A person with a Slavic soul who wants to move to the Celestial Empire needs to learn that its citizens have 3 values: China, the Chinese people, family. And in that exact order. The public prevails over the personal in literally all spheres of life.

Three states of aggregation in which the Chinese usually live: moving, eating and talking. The first impression a foreigner has of major Chinese cities is one of constant movement. Everyone is going somewhere, walking or running. Beijing, like any other metropolis, almost never sleeps. You can go to a cafe at 3 am and it will be more than half full. Traffic on the street at night remains almost the same as during the day. And there are already legends about the talkativeness of the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. The Chinese hold noisy production meetings, discuss politics and family matters over dinner, and argue in movie theaters and bars. It seems to foreigners that they are having lively discussions even in their sleep.

The Chinese do not drink strong alcohol, preference is given to local beer. Moreover, they drink it from small 100-gram cups, and not from liter mugs, as is customary in Europe and Russia. At the same time, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire actively smoke. You can smoke in transport, hospital, elevator, shop, bank: there are no restrictions. However, only men are subject to this bad habit, Chinese women are not noticed in addiction to it.

Climate and ecology

The area of ​​China is about 9.6 million square kilometers. km, the territory of the country is usually divided into 7 climatic zones:

• northeastern with damp summers and frosty winters;
• central China with a temperate climate and tropical cyclones in coastal areas;
• tropical and subtropical;
• Tibetan Plateau;
• southwestern, with a temperate climate in mountainous areas;
• desert;
• Inner Mongolia with sharp seasonal temperature changes.

Today, the state of the environment is one of the most serious problems in China. The explosive growth of production and the complete neglect of environmental protection measures have done their job: the country is already on the verge of an environmental disaster. Among the tasks that urgently need to be addressed by the Chinese are:

• air pollution;
• desertification;
• reduction of arable land;
• salinization and soil erosion;
• pollution and water scarcity;
• damage to river flows;
• degradation and impoverishment of pastures;
• garbage accumulation.

In addition, the risk of man-made disasters caused by insufficient attention to ensuring the safety of production and improper storage of waste is constantly growing.

Ecology is a painful problem for the Chinese. Their cities are literally drowning in garbage

Russians in China: reviews and real stories

Active immigration of Russians to the Celestial Empire began at the end of the 17th century, when the descendants of the Cossacks, the Albazins, who were dissatisfied with life in the Russian Empire, joined the Manchu imperial guard. Subsequently, the diaspora was replenished by convict defectors and fishermen captured by the Chinese in the Amur region. Significant immigration began with the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1897.

Twenty years after the October Revolution, the number of Russians in China increased dramatically, reaching 125,000 by 1930. However, after the Cultural Revolution, their number decreased, and by 1982, less than 3,000 Russians remained in China. Fortunately, after a few years, relations between our countries improved, and the Russians again reached out to China.

Which of the Russians moves to live in the Middle Kingdom?

Today, the bulk of immigrants from Russia are 3 categories of people:

• students and young professionals;
• businessmen;
• pensioners.

According to official figures, about 15,000 Russians live permanently in China today. In fact, 25-30 thousand Russians are constantly here. At the same time, there is no Russian diaspora as such in China; its place was taken by small Russian communities in different cities. However, the number of Russians in the Celestial Empire is constantly growing: according to various estimates, it increases by 0.5–1 thousand people annually.

Where do Russians usually settle?

The north and south of China differ markedly not only in climate, but also in their way of life. Therefore, everyone can choose a place of residence in accordance with their preferences. Today, the main areas of concentration of Russian immigrants are:

• Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region - Ghulja, Chuguchak, Urumqi;
• north of Heilongjiang province;
• south of Hainan Island - Sanya;
• Argun-Yutsi Autonomous Region;
• Beijing in the Yabaolu Street area - the main part of Russians live here.

There are still so-called Russian colonies in Harbin and Dalian. There are also Russian communities in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Adaptation of Russian emigrants to new living conditions in China

The speed of getting used to a new environment directly depends on the knowledge of the language. The sooner an immigrant manages to learn Chinese, the sooner he can get used to the new reality, make friends and get a decent job.

For those living in large cities, adaptation is usually easier and faster, because there is a higher pace of life and there is no time for nostalgia. Those who are homesick have the opportunity to visit Russian shops, restaurants and clubs.

I studied Chinese for 3 months. When you live here, communicate, go to the market, you gradually begin to understand a lot. Pronunciation is difficult, you need to correctly emphasize and choose a tone (only 4 tones), otherwise instead of “thank you” it will turn out that you sent away. For example, “mama”, pronounced in a different tone, can mean “mother”, “rope”, “horse” and, finally, just a curse, if you say it abruptly and with an emphasis on the last syllable!

Daria VAGNERhttp://www.kp40.ru/news/kp/21565/

Where do Russians work and how much do they earn?

The employment process should begin by obtaining a Z visa for work. It can be done in your own country. After arriving in China, it is necessary to obtain a work residence permit within a month. It will not be possible to ignore this issue, since the laws of the Middle Kingdom severely punish illegal migrants.

When all documents are ready, there are 2 options for employment:

• open your own business;
• find a suitable job.

In the latter case, you will have a hard time, because there are many people who want to find a job in China. However, in Beijing, Shanghai and other large cities, Russians quickly look for a suitable place for themselves. The country is actively developing, and in almost any industry you can get a decently paid job. Of course, there will always be those who want to get a good position, but the level of competition here is much lower than that faced by immigrants in other countries.

Simply surviving by earning money to pay rent and buy food is not difficult in China. There are plenty of vacancies for sellers in supermarkets, waiters, hotel administrators, animators. A job with a salary of $400-800 per month can be found within 1-2 weeks.

If you are interested in high-paying positions with a salary of $ 1.5 per month, you cannot do without knowing the Chinese language and having a profession in demand in the local labor market. Russians are happy to take on the positions of fashion designers, IT specialists, engineers, technologists in the clothing and footwear industries, scientists, teachers, and doctors. Usually those who have successfully worked in Russia are quickly employed in the Middle Kingdom and almost always receive tangible career growth.

... In China, the main thing is to have a higher education. Therefore, all teachers and teachers are demigods ... The highest salaries are military, police, doctor, university teacher, teacher ...

Iffan VareNel https://lifehacker.ru/2014/05/22/kak-pereexat-v-kitaj/ https://lifehacker.ru/2014/05/22/kak-pereexat-v-kitaj/

China through the eyes of Russian pensioners in exile

In recent years, Russian pensioners have been actively moving to the border cities of the Middle Kingdom. There are especially many of them in the cities of Hunchun and Heihe, more than a thousand elderly Russians have already settled here. The main reason for the mass relocation of pensioners is the cheapness of life. Receiving a Russian pension and renting an apartment in their homeland, they feel more wealthy in China.

Among other advantages of moving to China, many cite the mild climate, stable political situation and the availability of medical services. In later years, these reasons become of paramount importance. The opportunity to receive high-quality medical care at any time, not to stand in queues at clinics, not to give bribes to doctors - all this for many becomes a decisive argument in favor of immigration. Well, if nostalgia torments you, you can always visit friends and relatives, since they live within reach.

… half of the Annunciation old women live in neighboring Heihe, having rented out their apartments in Russia. And receiving a pension in China by transfer. They buy their own housing, many compatriots stay with them. Some elderly Russians are moving away completely - to Harbin and other cities, where the payment for electricity is only 40 kopecks per 1 square meter (now they have raised it a little, but it's still lower than in Russia). The cost of living in China is only 700 yuan. So that it is possible to live (for a pensioner)!

Iffan VareNelhttps://lifehacker.ru/2014/05/22/kak-pereexat-v-kitaj/

How do they treat Russians?

Unlike Japan, where locals always distance themselves from immigrants, in China they are treated quite loyally. Often, people who have not been able to realize themselves in their homeland literally spread their wings in the Celestial Empire and begin to live life to the fullest. Students in China who failed their university exams quite successfully gnaw at the granite of science, unsightly men enjoy the attention of young Chinese women, and ordinary-looking girls receive a lot of compliments from the opposite sex solely because of the color of their skin, the marble-white shade of which the Chinese really like.

Comparison of Russia and China

What do the Russians expect when they move to the Celestial Empire for permanent residence? First of all, to improve the standard of living: increase in disposable income, improve the quality of medical care and social security, the ability to rent or purchase better housing. In a word, immigrants hope that their life in China will become more comfortable and interesting than in their homeland.

Prices for products and real estate

The myth of the dizzying cheapness of Chinese goods still dominates the minds of foreigners. However, prices for groceries and basic necessities vary greatly depending on where you live. Therefore, many visitors are unpleasantly surprised by the price tags in local stores. It turns out that in such large cities as Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, the cost of goods is not much inferior to Moscow or Kiev, and in some places even exceeds them.

Table: comparison of prices for goods

Position, USD	Chengdu	Harbin	Nanking	Beijing	Russia
Drinking water, 1.5 l.	0,44	0,4	0,85	0,65	0,39
Bakery products, 1 kg	1,03	2,37	1,36	1,78	0,32
Chicken breasts, 1 kg	3,87	6,27	3,46	4,53	2,85
A pack of cigarettes	2,32	1,3	2,36	3,15	1,05
Lunch in a cafe for one person	2,34	2,85	3,00	3,93	4,38
Travel by public transport	0,31	0,3	0,35	0,45	0,3
Gasoline 1 l.	1,04	1,2	1,12	1,43	0,65

If you are planning to move to China, be prepared for the fact that at first your expenses will not noticeably change. When you get comfortable in a new place, you will surely find cheaper stores. The upside in this situation is that for the same monthly spending in China, you will enjoy noticeably better quality goods and services. In the shop on the next street you can buy fresh vegetables and fruits every day, excellent meat and fabulously tasty fish.

Video: what Russians buy in China

The range of local clothes and shoes will satisfy even the most demanding fashionista, and their quality will be no worse than that of well-known foreign brands. But even here there are difficulties: the products of the domestic Chinese market are completely focused on their consumers. Therefore, sometimes it is not possible to quickly find clothes that fit well, or buy shoes in large sizes. Some are alarmed by the specific taste of local products.

At the same time, buying foreign goods in China is expensive. The price of products of European and American brands practically does not differ from Moscow, since all imported goods are subject to high import duties.

The cost of housing in China varies widely. It all depends on the city and location of the property. The larger the settlement, the more prestigious the area and the better the house, the more expensive the housing will be in it. In big cities, real estate prices are already comparable to European ones.

Table: housing prices in China and Russia

Those who are thinking of buying an apartment in the Middle Kingdom should keep in mind that in the end only square meters will become yours. The land on which the house stands remains the property of the state, but you lease it for 50 years. What will happen next is unknown. In addition, the footage of the apartment is calculated along the outer perimeter of the walls, and the area of ​​​​common areas (stairs, storage rooms, platforms in front of elevators, control rooms, common balconies and corridors) is divided proportionally between all residents of the floor. That is a 100 sq. m according to the documents in reality will be approximately 80 meters.

China is being built very actively - America is very far from such rates of construction and such cities. Honestly - imagine a couple of dozen mankhetons a year. No kidding. I have traveled to many places in China and I will say that everyone around the world is jealous of both technology - and demand - and speed. In yus - would dream of such a speed of development.

Sergei Glukhov-Bezukhovhttp://spydell.livejournal.com/584219.html

The modern standard of living in China has grown by leaps and bounds! In the cities, you can't just visit. Because everywhere there is a level of security or protection. There are guards at the entrance of the yard (day and night), you can’t enter the house without a smart key, the entrance to the yard by car is only for residents of the house, etc.

RoEhttp://dnevniki.ykt.ru/girlnextdoor/744514

Salaries

The average monthly salary in China at the beginning of 2016 was about $750, which is about the same as in Mexico, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, and Russia. In the mainland of the country, salaries are much lower than in the capital and coastal provinces. In general, wages directly depend on the education and experience of the employee.

Table: comparison of salaries in China and Russia

Profession	Monthly salary in China, USD	Monthly salary in Russia, USD
Engineer	800–1200	600–1000
Waiters, hostesses	400–600	300–700
Factory worker	400–700	400–800
Real estate specialist, realtor	750	Up to 1000
construction worker	600–800	Up to 1000
Sellers, managers	850	Up to 600
Scientific staff	From 1100	Up to 1000
Teachers, university lecturers	up to 1200	up to 800
Private teachers	Before 1600	Up to 1000
financiers, economists	1300–2500	up to 1200
translators	Up to 4000	Before 1300
IT specialists	Up to 4500	up to 1200
Model	3000–6000	up to 1500

Education

Key words characterizing the Chinese education system: discipline and competition. Both preschool education and higher education are built on these two factors. Children from an early age are taught to be the very best: smart, cunning, strong. The winners are honored in every possible way, the losers are encouraged to work on themselves.

In kindergartens, the emphasis is on teaching social skills and discipline. As in Russia, there are not enough state preschool institutions in the Celestial Empire, so often children from 3 to 6 years old are raised by grandparents.

The school system in China is very similar to the one that used to operate in the USSR. Chinese education is divided into 2 stages:

• from 6 to 13 years old - primary education, which provides basic knowledge in basic subjects, patriotic education, development of physical skills;
• from 13 to 17 years old - secondary school of the 1st stage, deepening the acquired skills.

Those who have received the right to study in high school are offered 2 options for continuing their education:

• 2-year study at a vocational school for specialists in agriculture, industry, economics, law;
• in-depth 4-year education in a general education program with the possibility of entering a university.

Upon graduation, graduates take a state exam, which is an analogue of the Russian Unified State Examination.

Higher education in China is built on a standard pattern. As in Russia, it is represented by 3 types of educational institutions:

• colleges - provide basic education, which is an analogue of the Russian bachelor's degree. College graduates can work in their specialty or continue their education in the magistracy;
• higher professional schools similar to Russian technological institutes. Here the Chinese receive technical specialties;
• universities providing classical academic education.

Some Chinese universities are happy to accept Russians for study. For enrollment, it is enough to send the results of the exam and withstand the competition, which can sometimes reach up to 100 people per place. The presence of marks in the Chinese language in the USE results will significantly increase the chances of entering a university.

Chinese students are among the most disciplined in the world

Social Security

Unlike Russia, where socially unprotected citizens are forced to cope with their own problems, China is really developing and promoting a system of social work aimed at implementing various programs to support the population. Social insurance here is assigned to the responsibility of the departments of labor and social protection, which oversee the payment of various benefits: for pregnancy and childbirth, disability, and disability.

In the Celestial Empire, the system of ensuring the subsistence level of the population is impeccably operating. If in Russia the cost of living is used to calculate the amount of fines and benefits, in China, on its basis, those in need receive real financial support. When the average per capita income of a family is below the subsistence level established in the locality, it is assigned an allowance from the budget to compensate for this difference.

As in Russia, pensions in China consist of a basic part guaranteed by the state and a funded part funded by employee contributions. The right to a pension can only be obtained after paying contributions for 15 years and reaching retirement age. Currently, the level of pensions in China is low. In cities, it is about 1,300 yuan ($190), in rural areas it is lower: from 900 yuan ($135). The average Russian pension is slightly higher: by mid-2016 it was $220.

In China, citizens who have worked for at least 10 years are eligible for unemployment benefits. The Russians are lucky in this regard: any able-bodied citizen who has worked for at least six months and was unable to find a job on his own within 2 weeks after losing his job can receive unemployment benefits. The amount of state benefits cannot exceed the minimum wage, which in different regions of the Celestial Empire ranges from 115 to 325 US dollars. In the Russian Federation, this figure is noticeably lower: the Russian unemployment benefit in mid-2016 ranged from 15 to 80 US dollars.

Retirees in China today often feel lonely

Assessing the chances of immigration to China

The fashion for moving to China appeared about 15 years ago. During this time, hundreds of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians have managed to buy housing here, find decently paid jobs, and arrange their personal lives. However, not everyone manages to feel at home in a foreign country. Often, ignorance of the language and rejection of the peculiarities of the life of local residents become an obstacle to assimilation in the Middle Kingdom, and these reasons have been mentioned more and more often in recent years.

For many, overcrowding is a big problem. More than 1.3 billion people live in the country today, so immigrants must understand that they will have to live in a large human anthill. However, some people even like it. The consequence of high population density is environmental problems, high congestion of urban infrastructure and great competition in employment.

However, a more serious obstacle to immigration is the nuances of local legislation, making it almost impossible to obtain Chinese citizenship. The fact is that it is given "by blood". In other words, only one who has at least one of the parents who was a Chinese by nationality can become a citizen of the Celestial Empire.

Otherwise, there is practically no chance of obtaining citizenship. It is quite possible to leave for the Middle Kingdom, live and work there, but it will not be possible to fully naturalize. In this case, only those who make a significant contribution to the development of the country by:

• multi-million investment in the economy;
• making significant scientific discoveries;
• achievement of outstanding results in other fields.

Table: living in China: pros and cons

Advantages	disadvantages
In China, it is easier to achieve positive results, as immigrants can apply their knowledge and experience in various fields	Without knowledge of the Chinese language, there is little chance of getting a well-paid job, knowing English does not provide an undeniable advantage.
The standard of living in big cities is comparable to European ones, almost all the benefits of modern civilization are available here	Career opportunities are concentrated in large cities, in small towns you can only count on low-paid uninteresting work
The usual way of life gives a lot of domestic advantages due to the cheapness of most products, goods and services.	Pollution in most cities is a serious problem.
There is a cult of European appearance in the country, so there are much more chances to arrange your personal life than in your homeland	There is a certain shortage of organic food products
In China, there is a real cult of the family, so the marital relationship of local residents is surprisingly tender and strong.	In large cities, very heavy traffic, complicated by huge traffic jams, driving by the rules is not a strong point of the Chinese

To become a successful person in the Celestial Empire, it is necessary to completely dissolve in the local culture and accept the values ​​of the people living in its territory. Otherwise, immigration to China will bring you nothing but disappointment. Those who are going for permanent residence in China should not forget that dual citizenship is prohibited in China. Therefore, it is worth thinking carefully before renouncing the citizenship of your state and starting a new life in a country with specific laws, a socialist economy, an exotic culture and a peculiar foreign policy.

Instead of an intro:
Our names are Gregory and Natalie. We are 25 or more. And we are enthusiastic, mobile and gambling. It so happened that at the moment we live in China. We live in a small, non-international and almost unknown city on the Southeast coast. Few tourists see such China as we see it - not touristic, everyday, China from the inside. The text below is our notes about life in China, these are the amazing and incomprehensible things that we constantly encounter, this is our real reality. And please read slowly.

Live in China. Like this?
In general, this is interesting. We have not been here for so long, so everything around still continues to surprise us daily. There is so much mixed up here that, as we understand, the Chinese themselves often cannot figure it out. This is some kind of incomprehensible territory. There is no need to compare China with any European country at all. It's incomparable. Nothing will work. Therefore, we do not compare anything - we tell everything as it is. Of course, our view of the world is subjective, but we are not state. com. statistics...
So, China through the eyes of the layman:

There is constant movement in China. Everything is moving, moving and moving. Wherever you go and wherever you look, you will see the Chinese busy with something. Either they work, which is more likely, or they eat, which is also almost everywhere, or they argue about something. The totality of these three actions is the state of aggregation of the Chinese. There are a lot of people everywhere. You can go to any open cafe or restaurant at night - no matter what time, at four or five in the morning - and in this restaurant more than half of the seats will be occupied for sure. You can go out on the balcony of your apartment at night and see that the traffic on the street has not decreased at all. Yesterday we returned home late and, passing by the tennis court, we saw two Chinese people playing tennis in our yard. In uniform, in white sneakers, with good rackets - at four o'clock in the morning!!
The Chinese are everywhere and always. But they are very different. People are well differentiated by social level. Lots of poor people. Lots of rich people. All of them peacefully coexist with each other in close proximity. There are no elite areas and no Harlems. A high-rise skyscraper can stand right in the middle of a slum, and an elite 5-star hotel can be surrounded by poor areas with two-story shacks and sewers. Just like a brand new Ferrari can stand at the crossroads between cycle rickshaws and three-wheeled dusty scooters. All this is cooked in a single boiler. If you go outside any city and go along any road - on the sides of it you will not see forests and fields - you will see the fences of factories and factories - one replacing the other ... In any direction. There are thousands of them here. These can be small factories with up to 500 people, and ultra-modern factories with world-famous names with no clear number of people at all. All of them work at an incredible speed. All of them are making money every day. Any of the owners of these plants is a wealthy person. Any of them can afford a shiny luxury Mercedes and a 500 meter house or apartment. There are definitely more millionaires here than in Austrian resorts. But, with all this, hundreds of workers work at each plant, who receive 100 bucks a month. And there are an incredible number of them too. In general, it is still difficult for us to understand how it all works and harmoniously coexists.
Food is a common hobby of all Chinese people. In the morning, afternoon, evening and night, all restaurants and cafes are more than half full. The Chinese are everywhere and they eat everywhere. Everyone eats. They eat snakes, toads, worms, scorpions, insects, all animals, including dogs and mice, and all entrails, including fried intestines and deep-fried lungs. Wow you say!? Okay, you can get used to it. In the evening, these glass stalls on wheels come out onto the street. They drive out to the middle of the sidewalk, the stallholders laying out various parts of animals and seasonings in a glass case. All this is fried and steamed in front of you on a high fire and in a large amount of oil. You can try the ears, snout, udder, lungs and much more .... In front of these "glasses" there are usually 5-7 low stools where you can sit down and eat everything you just bought. In this case, the bones and skin should be chewed well, and then spit out on the floor in front of you. You can champ without embarrassment - everyone champs - this is the norm. 15 meters from this "glass" is the entrance to a respectable restaurant. There is a soft lounge, subdued lights, a 46-page menu, and remote call buttons on the tables for waiters. On the menu: steaks, fried potatoes, spaghetti balanese, the best European wines, Carlsberg beer, and great fruit cocktails. Having dinner in such a place you relax and after a few minutes you forget what you just saw on the street. The distance between these two worlds is 15 steps.
Versatility and contrast everywhere. You can go into the courtyard of a multi-storey new building, such as the one we live in, and see an exhibition of cars in the parking lot below. There are Mizirrati, Ferrari, Caenas - this is generally the people's car of the Laoban (lao ban - boss in Chinese) 500 and 600th Mercedes, several Jaguars, two Hamers and other Behi - fives. You can leave the courtyard, go across the street to the left and get into a two-story area with the same exhibition, but already tricycles. The tricycle is generally one of the symbols of China. They carry everything from garbage to refrigerators.
There are many extremes, but they are extremes nonetheless. We want to talk about China and the average Chinese.

Chinese at home and at work. The Chinese work from 8 to 12, then a two-hour lunch break. From 12 to 14 they have lunch and have time to sleep. In offices at this time, you can easily meet a Chinese sleeping right on the desktop near the computer. The Chinese are working hard. They do everything quickly - that's a fact. The quality is a separate issue. When working with a Chinese in a pair, it is important to constantly ensure that he understands you thoroughly. Not just understood, but understood thoroughly. Otherwise, he will do some of the work "on his own". The discretion of the Chinese, most likely, will be great different from yours. China has dinner after work. From 18:00 to 20:00 all cafes and restaurants are almost 100% occupied. Dinner is not accepted at home. Many apartments do not have kitchens. If you go to a cafe in the evening, the first thing that rushes is a powerful din. Everyone is talking to each other very loudly - almost shouting. Such style. After dinner, the Chinese go home or to friends. At home, he watches TV - and constantly changing channels. This is not surprising - the quality of programs shown on central television is very low. 80 percent of these are local productions - it’s great to learn the language from them, but you can’t delve into the meaning - otherwise the brain will soften, and many times repeated advertising where characters talk to cartoon-washing powders. When visiting friends, a Chinese argues, shouts loudly and gambles. Gambling is a completely separate issue. They play everywhere. In shops, on the streets, in parks - everywhere, everywhere ... We have not yet understood what they are playing - something in between chess, backgammon and dominoes. They always play for money, while shouting loudly, throwing dice on the board.

Chinese on the road It is impossible for a visitor to understand the logic of traffic in China. The driving culture is simply different than in any other country. A very large number of participants in the movement. A lot of cars. There are three to four times more motorcyclists and cyclists. While the red light is on, a certain number of cars accumulate at the intersection, surrounded on all sides by motorcyclists. Lights up green - everything is moving smoothly. Distances between cars and mopeds are usually 20-30 cm, regardless of speed. Turn signs are ignored. Double solid almost everywhere, but no one knows why it is needed. The priorities of the roads are very conditional - often a dusty three-wheeled truck with chickens in the back can fall out onto the main, busy road along which the flow moves at an average speed of 70 without worrying that someone might crash into it. The Chinese do not drive very fast, smoothly and constantly rebuilding. It is normal to change lanes all the time. Just driving enjoying the road is not accepted.
Surprisingly, the Chinese never swear at the wheel, they react to all the cutting and constant sharp moments by calmly and confidently pressing the brake, while not showing a drop of aggression or even discontent. There are no accidents at all. We haven't seen one. Just like there are no “Zhoriks” on the “Tens” with mufflers into which you can stick your head and there are no old right-handed “Subareys” with “Sparko” inscriptions across the entire body.
The motorcycle is the people's means of transportation. Basically it's "Suzuki" and "Honda" - 125 cc four-stroke small engines on a simple frame. In appearance, they resemble the Soviet "IZH", only more carefully. Motorcycles with an engine capacity of more than 250cc are banned in China.
Roads. In cities, traffic is organized very logically. The maximum number of interchanges, the minimum number of traffic lights. “Second level roads” are being built everywhere - this is when the first floor of the road goes in one direction, the second in the other. All roads are perfectly smooth. Auto communication between cities is carried out in two ways: 1 - you can choose a toll road - by paying about 50 yuan (200 rubles) for a hundred kilometers you will get an excellent road surface on which you can drive both 200 and 250 (but everywhere the limit is 110), perfectly trimmed flower beds on both sides and the absence of any surprises. 2 - after paying a symbolic fee of 6 yuan (24 rubles) for a hundred kilometers you go to the "budget" road - and then ... God help you! From personal experience: when you drive along such a road, you feel like a fighter pilot deep behind enemy lines.

If you go to the grocery department in a supermarket, it can confuse an unprepared person. Approximately 70% of products are not identified by a foreigner. How it is, what it is, this is the first, whether the second, or the third - it is not clear. But in any case, whatever you buy - most likely it will be delicious - the main thing is not to know what it is made of. But, all in order. Meat – Meat is sold everywhere. Lots of pork, lots of beef, lots of chicken. In China, there is a special type of chicken - black chickens. The taste of the meat is exactly the same as that of the usual one, just the color is black. Such - chicken-ebony. Along with pork and beef, dog meat can lie on the shelf in the store - in order not to cook it for your lunch, it is important to learn the hieroglyph "dog" well. In China, it is believed that the insides of animals - the heart, liver, stomachs - are much healthier than meat - therefore they are more expensive. Fish - we live on the very shore of the ocean - there are a lot of fish in these places and a great abundance of varieties. If you go to the fish department of any supermarket, you can count at least thirty varieties of fish. All of it is fresh - either live or chilled. Any shop will clean and cut it for free, as you ask. Turtles, snakes, frogs, worms, rapans, snails, clams, octopuses and lobsters are sold live. They swim in large aquariums with filtered water until you buy them. We cannot say anything authoritatively about the taste or the preparation of these undoubtedly magnificent exotic dishes. Natalie is not a fan of gastronomic experiments. And I put up with this, subconsciously realizing that this is fortunately.
In the department with eggs - you will find at least 15 types of eggs. It's hard to tell whose they are, but they are all different colors and sizes. Eggs are also sold already boiled, boiled in soy sauce and rotten, and then boiled. Vegetables. There are a huge number of vegetables - while many of them are unknown to us. The potatoes are very large (slightly smaller than a volleyball) and gnarled. Carrots are sold only peeled. Surprisingly, there are no beets. Absolutely not. Nowhere. In the fruit section, you will be pleasantly surprised by the variety of choices. Bananas, kiwis, oranges, tangerines, pears, apples, strawberries, pomelo, lychees, and many more fruits whose names we only know in Chinese. All of them are different in taste, but equally ripe and sweet. Among others, you can find the famous "durian". This is a large fruit - the size of a large watermelon, yellow in color and with many thorns on the body. It should be eaten with plastic gloves, otherwise the fingers will smell like shit for a week. No wonder it is called durian. In the white pulp that is inside, there are large yellow slices larger than orange ones and they are eaten. The taste is unlike anything, very unusual, moderately sweet and pleasant, but it is better to eat such a fruit after a cold, while the runny nose has not yet passed. This is how a child's shit smells - it doesn't seem to be disgusting, but it still smells ... We tried durian visiting our Chinese friends. Natalie would never let me buy it and bring it into the house.
Dried food: sold in bags, it can be shrimp, and mushrooms, and carrots, and seaweed, and anything else. Almost everything is sold dried. What it is and how to cook and eat it correctly, we do not know, therefore we do not buy.
There are almost no dairy products. Milk is mostly soy. We forgot what cottage cheese, cheese and cream are.
Now a few lines about restaurants and cafes. In China, you can eat once for 150 yuan - or you can eat for the same money for a week without denying yourself meat. But in any case, you can afford to never pay attention to the right column in the menu, and it's damn nice! All Chinese public catering can be divided into three types. The first and most colorful are small eateries for 8-10 people. They are in every home. I didn't make a reservation in every house. We call them chi-fanki (from the Chinese "chi fan" - to eat, dine). These are private establishments that are not certified, do not pass any controls, and cook there incomprehensibly what and it is not clear from what, but, we must pay tribute, delicious. When you eat in such a place, it feels like you went to some Chinese to have lunch in the kitchen. Plastic tables, plastic chairs, disposable tablecloths, flies and the constant TV with serials. I ate in such chifanki a couple of times secretly from Natalie. It's interesting, after all... The average check is 6 yuan. (25 rubles). The second type is restaurants and cafes of the middle level and above. There are countless of them in China. On any street, in any house there will be such a restaurant. They are purely Chinese, which is more common, and there are also various areas of cuisine, such as Filipino or Japanese, or Korean, and so on. It is a pleasure to dine in such restaurants - the food is delicious. It is cooked over high heat and with a lot of oil. It is especially interesting when the kitchen is open - and you can see how your order is being prepared. You can watch for hours - incredibly interesting - the Chinese are unsurpassed virtuosos in this regard. Within a radius of three hundred meters from our house there are a dozen of these restaurants, where we go alternately. There is usually calm music, pleasant interiors and owners of establishments with whom we know personally. All of them are a little proud of our presence as guests and are always glad to see us. And the third type is elite restaurants. They are often found in the lobbies of five-star hotels. Large spacious halls, tables set with knives and forks, well-trained waiters and an impeccably delicious menu. You need to go to such places - first of all, in order to feel “on the level”.
The food in all Chinese establishments has one thing in common - it is very fatty and oily. If a foreigner eats all the time outside the home, sooner or later his stomach will fail.
The Chinese have a cult of food. The Chinese always order more than they can eat. This is especially exaggerated if you are their guest. You have dinner for four, and the dishes are ordered, for example, ten. The Chinese eat well! They slurp. They burp. They spit bones on the table. (We are talking about the average Chinese, as a rule, this does not apply to directors and tops of factories and international companies). At the table, the Chinese are always noisy. They talk a lot and loudly while eating. They argue, joke, discuss politics and family matters. In institutions there is always a din, which is not easy to shout down. Ten minutes later, you catch yourself thinking that you yourself are already screaming.
The Chinese practically do not drink strong alcohol. In restaurants, you won’t find vodka, whiskey or cognac on the menu. Although there is almost always beer. Beer is drunk here from small 100-gram cups. Such a container is ideal for Chinese beer, because it does not foam at all. Chinese beer is not beer in his understanding - it is some kind of separate drink. Although the green bottle may say Hainiken. The most famous of the local beers is, of course, Qingdao. Served in liter bottles. You can see these on the tables of restaurant visitors, but not often, not everywhere. And of course, you will never see a Chinese drinking or walking with beer down the street.
At the same time, the Chinese smoke. They smoke everywhere. There are no smoking restrictions. You can smoke in transport, in an elevator, in a bank, and anywhere else ... Recently we went to a sports store for sneakers - and so, in front of the window next to us, a Chinese man was standing and smoking, choosing a pair for himself. (! In a sports store!) One one of the salesmen was kind enough to bring him an ashtray. Only men smoke.

Chinese faces: Who said that the Chinese are all the same? This is not true. You just don't understand it right away. You need to get used to it and after a while you start to see a little more. And you can already say: “this Chinese woman is beautiful” or “ah, this one is only after four Qingdaos.” But, to be objective, there are very few beautiful, cute Chinese. There are more of them in large cities and less in small cities. Partly because modeling agencies and the entire fashion elite are concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. But, let's talk about stereotypes... There is a certain standard of beauty in the world. No one will argue, these are: long legs, moderately large breasts, a long neck, big eyes, long eyelashes, even white teeth, and it’s very cool if it’s still a blonde. Now let's look at the Chinese women. Features of the Asian genotype are: short stature, short legs, very short neck, narrow eyes and lack of eyelashes, dark skin color, yellow teeth and black hair. It turns out that the Asian appearance in itself contradicts the generally accepted standard. And this contradiction is very cool, as we see, it puts pressure on the Chinese. Otherwise, where do these widespread skin whitening services in beauty salons and such popular simple plastic surgery to increase the incision of the eyes come from.
In Chinese advertising, in most cases, European faces. Santa Claus in China is also European. The mannequins in the stores are Europeans. But this does not mean that there are no beautiful faces in China. There is.
Despite the fact that the Chinese are constantly eating, there are no fat people here. All girls are slim, all men are skinny. Although there are exceptions, such as, for example, our fitness trainer is a handsome man.

Chinese hospitality: Chinese hospitality is a brand. Everyone knows that Asians are hospitable, but you can feel it to the end only after living here for a while. We live in a small, by Chinese standards, albeit a few million people city. You rarely meet Europeans here, so we really stand out from the crowd. Of course we are kind of exotic for the locals. And it often happens that you get tired of such attention. But you can get used to it and not notice. Moreover, all this is more than covered by Chinese hospitality. We are welcome everywhere. And this is not fake, sincere joy. We have discounts and discount cards for almost all establishments within a radius of a kilometer from our house. And we have never seen a service in the service sector of such a level as in China.

Chinese taxi: Red-and-yellow ushatannye "Volkswagen-Jetta" - a car that was removed from production in Germany thirty years ago. The WV factory in China made so many of these cars that the Jetta has become one of the symbols of China. In a taxi, the driver is fenced off by a metal grill from passengers. Security! All taxis are metered. If you got into the car, the driver must turn on the meter before moving off. This rule is. If the meter is not turned on, you are being scammed! You should only sit in the back seat. There are no seat belts in the front. The cost of the trip depends on the mileage - but it is always available. After 21-00 the cost increases by one and a half yuan - the night rate. An alternative to a regular taxi is a motorcycle taxi. This type of private cab can be found in small towns. In Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Xiamen and other cities, it was banned due to the high accident rate. For 10 yuan, a motorcycle taxi driver will offer you a sweaty helmet and take you quickly and dangerously anywhere in the city. It's great to ride a motorcycle taxi around the city at night - when you've had a little drink. Fun! Cycle rickshaws are a full-fledged, albeit dying, mode of transportation in China. Bicycle with sidecar, two passenger seats, negotiable price. We went a couple of times - original, but much is debatable.

Modern China is a big construction site. Houses in China are built in blocks. From the window of my office, you can count 17 tower cranes, each of which is building two 30-story buildings. There is no point building. If something is being built, then a whole district is being built. Modern residential buildings are complexes of 6-8 30-storey buildings, united by a single infrastructure. Downstairs there is almost always a swimming pool, often a tennis court, a small park, a playground, exercise equipment and underground parking. The internal territory is under video surveillance and round the clock security. The entire ground floor is reserved for shops and boutiques. In them you can buy everything you need right in your slippers. In the evening you meet Chinese in pajamas and with a newspaper in their hands, who went down to the store for soy sauce. Such modern houses are housing of a good standard. They have large apartments of 150-200 meters. And neighbors corresponding to this level. But, even here, not without a Chinese flavor, for example, our neighbor in the stairwell - the director of a plant for the production of plastic products - every Saturday morning cuts off the head of a live chicken right on the site near the elevator. She has all the devices for this - a cage, a special clamp so that the chicken does not run, and a basin for blood. Shocked? We, too!
There are two apartments per floor. There are also two elevators - one internal, the second external - it rises in a glass box mounted on the outside of the wall. The apartment where we live has five rooms - two toilets, a kitchen, a large hall and three balconies. Each balcony has a marble bathroom and a faucet for household needs. Washing machine is also on the balcony. Each room has air conditioning - this is not a luxury, but a necessity. In summer it can be up to +50.
Linen is always hanging on the balcony. It's not just dried, it's stored here. In China, you will not see a single balcony on which laundry would not hang on clothespins.
The Chinese have no secrets from each other - that's why the walls and ceilings in the houses are very thin. This is not only here - it is everywhere in China. Therefore, we know everything that our neighbors live with, and in the mornings, while still lying in bed, we blush a little, realizing that they, like the campaign, also know a lot about us ...

Chinese and green tea: Green tea means a lot to the Chinese. Tea and tea drinking is one of the important components of life and everyday life. Entering any apartment or institution, you can see a special tray, a teapot and a set of cups and tools for the tea ceremony. If you come to visit a Chinese, just chat, for 15 minutes, most likely, he will offer you to drink green tea with him. If you stopped by a factory or factory to discuss some operational issues, most likely you will be offered green tea, if you buy something in a store for a long time and cannot make a choice, you will be brought a tray with a tea party set. Tea houses are small shops where you can not only buy, but also taste real green tea, prepared the way it should be prepared. In such shops there is a large table for 6-8 people, and a pretty Chinese woman will invite you to sit down and try any tea you want. All this will be very beautiful, easy and unobtrusive. Tea prices can range from 15 yuan per jin (Jin is a Chinese unit of measure equal to 500 grams) to 15,000 yuan per jin. (for clarity, for the cost of 1 kilogram of good tea, you can buy an average car). An uninitiated person will not understand such a difference in price. But, the Chinese are very good at this from birth. Otherwise, how to explain such a number of teahouses. There are three of them in our house alone. Tea shops are more common than grocery stores. And the province we live in is considered the best tea province in China.

Beauty in Chinese: The Chinese have a very peculiar idea of ​​beauty and style. It shows up in everything. In architecture, in the design of apartments in clothes, etc. Let's start with the most curious - with women's fashion: what Chinese girls look like can be said in one word - asexual. No mini, no tight, no emphasizing ... Modest, gray, nothing. There is no "girl in a small Peugeot" here. There are no girls here who want to turn around, just because they just want to turn around ... And the point is not at all in external beauty, but in the ability to present oneself. This is neither good nor bad. So it's accepted here.
The school uniform in China is the same. It's a baggy green and white tracksuit. It is usually a size or two larger than necessary and deprives its owners of any sexual differences at all. This costume has nothing to do with the concepts of beauty or style. I think ten years of being in this form leaves an imprint on the rest of my life.
In Chinese houses - their own, Chinese comfort. The walls are always white. No wallpaper, just whitewashed walls. There are always red Chinese lanterns in any apartment, usually they hang on the balcony. And there is always a mahogany altar with a statue of Buddha and burning incense. It stands in the hallway of any house.
The most beautiful color is red. The rule "the more shiny - the better" - works without exception (this is especially read in the designs of the Chinese car industry).

Chinese letter: The Chinese language is a thing in itself. If you meet a person who says that he knows Chinese perfectly, you can laugh in his face. The Chinese language is obviously not meant to be known perfectly. There are over 50,000 characters in Chinese. Of course, no one exactly counted them, and it’s impossible to count them, it’s just accepted that there are about 50,000 of them. At the same time, 2000 are enough for the Chinese to fully communicate. There are four tones (tonality) in the Chinese language. The first one is neutral. The second - the main stress of the word has an upward direction. Third - the main stress of the word first goes sharply down, then sharply up. The fourth key (or reverse key) is the downward stress of the word. The same sound combinations in different keys have a different, and often opposite, meaning.
So, for example, mai - in the third key means to buy, and mai - in the fourth key - means to sell. At the same time, the hieroglyphs meaning these actions are different. There are an infinite number of such examples: Ma - in the first - means mother, Ma - in the third - a horse. Bei zi in the first - glasses, bei zi in the fourth - a blanket. Etc. This is where confusion often arises. That is why the Chinese ask again and repeat the words of the interlocutor in a conversation in order to make sure of their meaning. Chinese in the north of the country and Chinese in the south are, one might say, different languages. Despite the fact that the writing is the same, the pronunciation of the same hieroglyphs differs strikingly. Each of the provinces speaks its own dialect. This causes serious difficulties for translators. But at the same time, there is a generally accepted Chinese pronunciation of hieroglyphs - putonghua. This pronunciation, close to the Beijing dialect, is taken as a standard. The announcers on the central TV and radio speak Mandarin. Mandarin is also spoken by all educated people, regardless of which province they live in. But factory workers and old people will not understand you, and neither will you, even if you have an honors degree from Xiamen University.
Hieroglyphs are written in a strict sequence. One line after another from top to bottom, right to left. Any, even the most complex hieroglyph, must be strictly geometric and have a height equal to the width. Chinese is a living, ever-changing language. Hieroglyphs are simplified and modified over time. But in countries such as Hong Kong or Taiwan, the change of hieroglyphs is not accepted at the government level, and therefore the old “non-simplified” characters are still used there. Thus, the language in these countries is increasingly moving away from the common Chinese language.

Much more could be said. One can spend many days trying to comprehend this country. But we do not strive and do not even try. We simply dissolve in it and live in the present, not analyzing, but accepting everything as it is.
Come to visit my place!
Gregory and Natalie

Feel free to ask any questions by e-mail.

In connection with the upcoming Olympics and the growing public movement in the world for the observance of human rights in China, this country is becoming a center in which all the economic, political, moral problems and interests of mankind have merged.

One of my good friends has been to China many times and for a long time. In his work, he often had to communicate with both ordinary workers and middle managers in several Chinese factories. His answers to questions showed the life of ordinary Chinese, which can be judged not by superficial descriptions of tourists, but by a true reflection of their real life and a desire to understand their way of thinking.

What is your general impression of China?

This is a country of contrasts. White and black are side by side. There is a skyscraper, and next to it is a hut. Those who live in skyscrapers earn $20,000 a month; they sleep in the same bed in three shifts in a hut: one person slept - went to work, then the second, the third, etc. slept. In an ordinary cafe you can meet two people, one of whom is quite wealthy, and the other is poor. But they eat the same thing. In Russia, I have not seen this. I can explain this by the fact that all of them, on the one hand, came from the same environment of ordinary people, and, on the other hand, brought up in the spirit of devotion to the Chinese Communist Party, they are quite clamped and restrained.

- What should entrepreneurs who have their business in China take into account?

The Chinese believe that everyone who comes to China wants to take something away from them. Therefore, in turn, they are trying to outwit their European partners. But it manifests itself in a rather peculiar way.

They believe that China is great, powerful, that they can fulfill any order. The Chinese sincerely believe that they can do anything. Therefore, to refuse and not fulfill any production order is to lose face. But they will fulfill this order according to their ideas, not yours. For example, they will make the batch of green shirts you ordered with high quality and on time, but the shirts will be ... red. Literally all production processes must be continuously monitored.

- What is the situation of the workers in the factories that you had to visit on duty?

It's no secret that there are many factories in China where people literally work for food. They have one or two days off a month and are not allowed to leave the factory. Live for 5 - 12 people in one room. People don't have time to start a family, or don't have money to rent an apartment. I met a lot of unmarried men. Therefore, the percentage of rapes in cities is quite high.

Ordinary workers receive from 500 to 1500 yuan (about 1700 - 5200 rubles per month). This money is barely enough to provide themselves with everything they need and at least send something to poor relatives in the village. They simply do not have enough money to buy such simple things for us as a TV and VCR.

Many Chinese people have no personal life - they only work 12 to 18 hours a day. The Chinese themselves consider themselves the hardiest people in terms of work. No one in the world works like that. If, for example, you ask to produce a product not in 21, but in 10 days, then you will most likely not be refused. People will be additionally taken out to work at night, and during the day they will work as usual. In addition to the Chinese New Year, there are a number of public holidays throughout the year when workers must be given days off. In fact, the workers will work as long as it is necessary for its leaders. I just didn't hear anything about protecting the interests of workers and respecting human rights in general.

- How do people with families live?

Among ordinary people, I have not seen a husband and wife living together. The wife works on a par with her husband, but in a different factory, in another city. They can see each other once every 2-3 months and even less often. The Chinese have a highly developed labor migration. In any factory, up to 70% of the workers are visitors from other cities and villages. A woman can go on maternity leave for just a few months to care for a child. Further, as far as I know, the husband's parents are sitting with the child, and the woman goes to work.

Is there a division between male and female labor?

I simply did not notice this division. I have seen women swinging pickaxes. At the same time, I saw men gathering grass. I have seen women carry large stones and men have taken these stones and leveled them. The picture is very sad. Many women have hands twisted from work, like my old grandmother. They only work to survive. It's true.

To what extent are the Chinese informed about what is happening in their country? In China, the websites of many organizations disadvantageous to the government are blocked. What did you hear about it?

I have not personally experienced Internet blocking, but I know a lot about it from the American and British press. If a foreign company is not beneficial, for some reason, to the Chinese government, then its activities are blocked, including the website. A lot is written about this, naturally not in Chinese, but in foreign literature.

- What Chinese newspapers have you read. To what extent do you think they present information objectively?

I regularly read Chinese newspapers in English: China Daily, Shenzhen Daily, Zhenzhibao and others. They contain practically only positive information: the mayor of the city planted a tree, a new bridge was built, and so on. I doubt its objectivity. If there is negative information, then it appears sporadically, and then, I think, the government needs it more as a deterrent for others. For example, I read that the Minister of Labor was executed for corruption, although the entire Chinese society is saturated with corruption. I learned this both from the words of the Chinese and from the words of the foreigners with whom I spoke. Giving a bribe to an official is normal, it is customary. In China, there is even an expression kwankshi - good friendly relations. First install the quankshi, and then negotiate the case.

- What negative and positive traits could you note in the Chinese?

Chinese workers and middle managers are not very receptive to everything new. They are used to doing one standard production operation. For example, I know one furniture factory that produced only two sofa models for two years. Once, I asked to replace the white glass screws with black ones. It took a lot of effort for me to convince the workers of this. They simply did not understand and did not want to understand what was required of them. I noticed that you need to repeat or describe a new process at least 7 times in order to be understood. But then everything is done precisely, without any unnecessary initiative, as is often the case here in Russia.

I can't say that the Chinese are hardworking. They just have to work hard to survive. But the Chinese are reserved and very patient, unlike us. They, at the level of simple communication, will always try to help you. The main thing is that they will do it sincerely.

I talked with several people who have visited China more than once, and noticed that not everything about the behavior of the Chinese is completely clear to them. But, to learn to understand another, doesn't it mean to learn to understand yourself better, to reveal in yourself still dormant beginnings?

Sergey Goncharov, Epoch Times

May 21, 2012, 17:36

With any move of a person who does not have a strong attachment to the Motherland, a feeling of euphoria first appears. For the first two or three months, everything around is new, interesting ... After this period, a number of things begin to irritate wildly, because this was not the case in previous places of residence. The irritation period lasted another four months and ended a month ago, incl. it's time to write about life here. I live in Guangzhou, the southern center of the country, the third most important city after Beijing and Shanghai. It is never cold here (with me the temperature did not fall below +7), but it is very hot, but this moment is still ahead, from time to time heavy rainfall unexpectedly sneaks up, and constantly high humidity.
Guangzhou is a fairly new city, so it is extremely busy with sights, except for numerous parks.
About real estate I live in the business center of the city. A few years ago, all the buildings in the area were demolished and new ones built in their place. The prices for buying real estate here are now very high and until recently they have been growing at a cosmic pace: 3.2 times in 2 years. For example, if we wanted to buy a rented apartment, we would have to pay 50.5 million rubles. - 210,000 rubles / m2 (in fairness, it should be noted that today this house is the most prestigious apartment building in the center of Guangzhou).
The amount that we pay as rent is also quite high, with one drawback: for this money we would never rent an apartment of the same size and level either in Moscow, or in St. Petersburg, or in Lausanne. The bulk of visitors rent real estate with a footage of 120 - 200 m2 for 20,000 - 40,000 rubles. The Chinese themselves, like the Russians, are more inclined to buy, since, unlike Russia, the mortgage interest rate here is very low.
When choosing an apartment and an office, I realized that I didn’t want to live / be in the place where someone lived / was before me, because the local population easily and naturally gets everything around, including the walls ... including with their feet. This is what a typical Chinese office looks like:
Chinese construction companies have no concept of high-quality interior decoration. For example: they take a socket wrapped in a plastic film, mount it, and then remove the film without worrying that A - pieces stick out, B - film and electricity are not best friends. We had a hose in the main bathroom ruptured by water pressure - this happened a year after the commissioning of the house. Lifting up the marble slab (solid marble, not tiles), we saw that the installed hose was used. When they lifted the same slab again, it fell apart in half, i.e. Apparently, it was neatly glued together, otherwise it stopped holding with what they glued from the water ... About life For the first two months I lived in a hotel. Accordingly, as soon as we moved, we decided to celebrate this joyful event with self-cooked food. Our kitchen is fully equipped with built-in appliances: "oven", built-in refrigerators, stove, "dishwasher", even a TV on a bracket. Joyfully having bought a chicken, I decided to bake it. I took out a baking sheet from the “oven” (I’ll explain why the oven is in quotation marks now), spread the carcass on it, loaded it into the “oven” and began to choose a program, since the miracle technique writes in English. The machine offered only a double boiler, but I still found how to remove the word double boiler and switch to cooking meat. I pressed “start”, “oven” asked me to pour water into a specially designated container. I am a kind lady, and there is nowhere to go - the unit does not work without water, I poured it. And then the process of steaming my game began ... The oven turned out to be a double boiler. Similarly, the dishwasher turned out to be a sterilizer. It turns out that for the Chinese, just washed dishes are not clean, they sterilize them, even at home. Twice a week a cleaner comes to us, her visits cost 4,000 rubles a month. She manages to clean the apartment, iron bed linen and things in 2.5 hours. The secret is that in China people don't really like using household chemicals (especially those that smell strongly) - they just wash with water. The bulk of the population does not know how to iron, it is not customary here, clothes are dried and put on. There are many dry cleaners with a price difference of 2-3 times, I started with the road and made sure that more expensive does not mean better. Now for 1000 rubles I manage to clean about 8 things. We bought furniture for the apartment ourselves (in general, apartments in China are rented furnished). Our owners had five objects in the house, and only in one of them did they manage to buy anything except a TV stand. Accordingly, we agreed on an independent arrangement on the condition that we do not actually pay the first two months of rent. As a result, instead of the terrible furniture that the landlord would have bought us, we got pretty decent things, spending a little more than the allotted amount on them. As an example of prices: for 100,000 rubles. I managed to buy a dining table, a coffee table and a TV cabinet made of solid stone.
By the way, when concluding a lease agreement, you make a 2-month deposit, which is returned at the end of the lease period, in addition to this, both you and the owner pay 50% of the monthly rental amount to the agent as a reward. In a normal situation, you must register in the rental property and pay a monthly tax - 8% of the monthly contract amount. But if you do not have a business visa, but a business visa, then you can skip the registration procedure :). The rent here is charged every 2 months. These invoices must be paid no later than one week after receipt. The date by which this must be done is indicated on the invoice. It is not worth forgetting and postponing this event; from the very first day of delay, penalties are charged in the amount of 3% of the invoice amount (for comparison, in Switzerland 8% per year). In order to pay for the Internet, you need to get a card in one of the Chinese banks: money will be debited from it automatically. About banks: never in any country in the world have I seen such a copper service and such a transfer of paper to completely unnecessary operations. For example: you need to change money. There are special exchange points only in tourist places, so everyone goes to the bank, since there are branches and ATMs on every corner. The main building of the agricultural bank: If there are 2 people in front of me, and there is only one cashier, then I can be sure that I will spend at least an hour and fifteen minutes in the bank. Bank employees check passport data 10 times with those specified in the application for currency exchange. They make a copy of the passport itself and keep it for themselves. You fill out the exchange form yourself, if there are several currencies, then there should be several forms. Each form consists of 4 self-copying sheets, each of which is stamped by a bank employee. Then he prints a couple more papers, on the same sheets, and checks your money from all sides ... If you received money in foreign currency to a Chinese bank account, and you are a non-resident, you will have to go through the same operation in order for your map. Moreover, you do not have the right to exchange more than 50,000 US dollars per calendar year (if you change the euro or any other currency, they will be converted to dollars first, and only then to yuan). ATMs here are of varying degrees of friendliness to foreign cards: some allow you to withdraw no more than 1,000 yuan at a time (5,000 rubles) and no more than 5,000-6,000 per day, others - 3,000 at a time. As soon as you try to withdraw more than 20,000 (100,000 rubles) in a day, it does not matter which bank you started your operations with, this procedure will be denied to you and you will have to wait until tomorrow to continue. This is a limitation of local banks, because. the daily limit on my cards is higher than this amount. In general, what is interesting: withdrawing money and paying in cash turns out to be more profitable than paying for purchases with cards in dollars, euros and Swiss francs, and it is better to use ruble cards as cards. The transaction itself takes longer than in Russia, and as a result you get several checks, some of which are again on self-copying paper. About friends I found my first girlfriend using a search engine on Gossip. I wrote to the girl in a personal, and on the 3-4th day of my stay in China we met. In general, it is much easier for a person of a European type of appearance to make friends here than in Switzerland and even Russia: you are very different from everyone around you and this gives rise to communication at the very first visual contact. There are many foreigners in China, so there are no problems with communication. In addition to Russians, we have friends from Italy, the States, Canada, Slovakia, Syria, India, Great Britain, Singapore, Mexico, the Netherlands, Austria and, of course, China.

About food When I first moved to China, I persistently suggested that everyone should go to a Chinese restaurant and did not understand why no one really wanted to. Now we eat Chinese food once every two weeks. Chinese restaurants are much cheaper than European restaurants, the food is delicious (the scarier the restaurant, the tastier it is, and, for my taste, dishes in the north of the country taste better than in the south), but after scandals about recycled oil, posts about beef and eggs, I rarely want to taste something local. On the street you can buy a lot of any stinking muck (not larvae and other rubbish, which is still exotic here), but smelly tofu, disgusting meat of an incomprehensible animal, chicken paws (not legs, but paws) and who knows what else .. If you want European products of decent quality, then we found only two stores, the prices in them are higher than in Switzerland, and it turns out that going to a restaurant is more profitable than cooking at home.
For example, a bag of mozzarella in rubles will cost 240 rubles, against 80 in Switzerland. Parmesan - 500 rubles for a small triangle, against 220 rubles in Switzerland (I don't know Russian prices for these products, so I can't compare). By the way, in any restaurant in China you get tea or water for free. Here, fruits are relatively expensive, but cheap vegetables and fish, whose carcass is about 22-25 cm long, costs 75 rubles, and this despite the fact that I do not go to the market. And I don’t go there because the Chinese like to eat freshly killed animals. Chickens, rabbits, piglets sit in cages, fish swim in aquariums: you choose who you want to eat, they kill and skin them in front of you. Of course, I understand that those whose parts I buy in the store were also killed by someone, but I can’t but want to participate in the process, it’s easier for me to refuse to consume.
The Chinese do not like meat that is not freshly slaughtered, and in fact no one ever buys it in stores, so what you can find there does not look fresh even at the time of purchase, and after a night in the refrigerator it generally deteriorates. As a result: at home we cook a maximum of once a week or two, and the rest of the time we eat in restaurants, regularly ordering home delivery (you can order virtually everything from McDonald's to food from fairly decent European restaurants). All delivery is carried out using bicycles and orders are accepted only by those restaurants that are relatively close. Water, and tap water cannot be used here, comes in the same way. About transport Since we are holders of business visas, and driving in China requires a Chinese license, which can be obtained by a person officially residing, we do not have cars. The main transport for moving around the city is a taxi. It is very cheap, as a rule I fit into 50 - 100 rubles, and it is convenient - there are a lot of them. The only negative for taxi drivers is shift changes at 18.00, just when everyone finishes work, so it’s better not to leave the office / home until 18.40, because all these 30-40 minutes you will stand waiting for a free car.
Motorcycles and mopeds are prohibited to move around the city. The Chinese drive as they want: they can easily ride along a one-way street in the opposite direction, they easily carry out the same movement at a roundabout, they never let pedestrians through, they don’t react to red lights, they don’t look in mirrors when changing lanes, so they don’t like to ride next to each other. Underground. The subway is clean, tidy, no one spits, eats or drinks, but trains run much less frequently than we do, about once every 5 minutes. The ticket price is from 10 rubles or more, depending on the duration of the trip (living in the center for more than 30 rubles, I could not ride). Buses. I rode them 3 times. Clean, air conditioning works well. If you have an IPhone, then on the map, when you enter the place where you need to get, it will be shown what type of transport and what route number you need to get there.
Trains. In trains, air conditioning works in such a way that you always want to put on something warmer. My colossal mistake was boarding a train with a journey of over an hour in shorts and a T-shirt. I was shaking all the way. In China, there are many high-speed trains with which you can cover a very decent distance in an hour or three. It is bad that these trains do not always run in the directions you would like to go. By the way, on all trains you will always be given a free bottle of water. I saw long-distance trains only from the side and I didn’t like them: three levels of shelves, you can buy standing places (and stand, for example, 15 hours!), seated, recumbent and recumbent suites (lux = Russian coupe, not SV). Airplane. Of the Chinese companies, I used China Southern Airlines and I didn’t like it: on long flights they don’t always give earplugs, the food is disgusting, they don’t give a toothbrush and toothpaste. Moreover, they do not have large planes, so there are no personal TVs in the economy. The price of air tickets in Europe is more humane than in China.
About the toilet This topic deserves a separate post. Can you imagine a hole in the floor that someone decided to ennoble, giving it a ceramic shape? - This is the local toilet. (In my opinion, something similar pops up in my memory when I remember going to the restroom at a summer cottage railway station in the years of the USSR.) These toilets are still being built in new class A shopping malls (in A +, after all, the option we are used to) . They are at all stations, airports, in the lion's share of local restaurants ... The Chinese believe that it is more hygienic, but I could not see hygiene in the floor described. About medicine Medicine in China is expensive. Ambulances come only for money, the health insurance system is poorly developed and has no state support. There are also no clinics here, only hospitals where you don't have to be really sick to visit a doctor, and private clinics. I once went to a private clinic, paid 12,500 rubles for an examination, and realized that I would never go back there. Once I was in the hospital and also realized that I didn’t want to go there anymore ... In pharmacies you can buy everything without a prescription, the problem is that everyone writes in Chinese. You have to call the pharmacist the active ingredient of the drug in English and hope that you are understood correctly. Local pills differ from European ones in that they must be eaten 3-4 pieces at a time, otherwise they do not work. (When I caught a cold, I ate 12 tablets a day.) About beauty salons I have never seen peeling varnish on the nails of Chinese women: either there is no varnish, or it looks like it has been applied. Edged manicure and pedicure, for both procedures together in the basic version, the price ranges from 400 to 1500 rubles. There are no special chairs anywhere: just chairs with pillows of varying degrees of purity. Styling costs nothing from 100 to 800 rubles, but a good professional hair dryer can only be found in “expensive” places. It is very difficult for people of European type to find a good place for cutting and coloring: the Chinese have completely different hair, and they do not know how to work with ours. Massage is everywhere, anyone. Starting from 125 rubles for 40 minutes of foot and back massage, in an unpresentable place, ending with a two-hour full body massage for 5800 rubles. at the Ritz. All salon procedures that are not popular with the local population are obscenely expensive. Hardware cosmetology is not developed at all, despite the mass production of the devices themselves. As an example: LPG 5500 rub. in 30 minutes. Solarium 450 rubles for 8 minutes in a cabin very far from modernity. Anti-cellulite body wrap - 5800 rubles, only done at the Ritz. Epilation - wax, the rest is not worth even dreaming of, bikini - 2500 rubles. and they don't know how to do it. In fairness, it should be noted that other places can be epilated cheaply. In general, Chinese women are not afraid to walk with hairy legs and even more hairy armpits ... With cosmetology, in the usual sense of the word, everything here is extremely neglected. About clothes I want to immediately debunk the myth of cheap and good shopping in China, for a person who is accustomed to a certain level of quality of things they buy - it is not here. I have a few acquaintances who think that they make luxury products in Chinese factories - bags, wallets. When I look at things, I think that people have not even seen this very luxury - interesting models, but disgusting quality of leather, fittings and finishes. I am by no means saying that it is not possible to establish the production of something really worthy here, but this process will take a lot of time and effort. The Chinese and I have a different concept of product quality: they will turn a thing inside out, see how even its seams are, even buying a jacket for 100 rubles on the street, but it never occurs to them to soberly evaluate the material from which it is made. The Chinese women themselves dress quite well, but as a rule, everything looks decent only from a distance of five meters. They almost never wear jeans, many in skirts/dresses and high heels. Cosmetics are either not used at all, or they wear pronounced false eyelashes ... In general, China is very simple in terms of clothing, like a kind of balance between Russia and Switzerland, i.e. no one will look askance at you if you dress up right in the morning, and there will be no judgmental looks in the absence of makeup and proper clothes in the evening. The open neckline is allowed here only at night. An open belly equates to a bare chest for us, but at the same time, Chinese women can easily put on a skirt that looks more like a wide belt, or shorts that look like underpants, and put on pantyhose with "panties" under this skirt / shorts, most of which will stick out. Glasses without glasses are also very fashionable. I was at the local clothing market and saw things that looked quite decent, but nothing could be tried on there. I was at the bag market and found something there that was deformed in half a month of wearing. I have not been and will not go to those places where local shoes are sold ... As for shopping malls, decent European brands here are 30% more expensive than in Europe / Hong Kong, and in any store, sellers will follow you around, with the hope that they will still be able to sell you something ... C I finally gave up shopping in China, since Hong Kong is only 2 hours away. About sport
The Chinese do a lot of sports. Older people do it in the mornings or evenings in parks (various types of gymnastics and martial arts - I'm not an expert and I'm not particularly interested in names, dancing), young people in fitness centers, of which there are a lot.
There are many table tennis tables in the parks. Basketball and badminton are very popular. Surprisingly, the Chinese swim very badly. At sea, the lion's share of swimmers, regardless of gender and age, puts on life buoys, and this despite the fact that you can swim only in strictly designated areas, limited so that even with my 160 cm height, I always get my feet to the bottom without immersing even a part faces in the water. Local swimsuits deserve a separate topic, they are so closed (by the way, there are no thongs in ordinary lingerie stores either) that they wildly shorten the already long legs of Chinese women: monokini without the slightest semblance of a neckline, with shorts and a skirt partially covering them. In Russia/Europe this is sewn only for very small girls, and even then with a more open booty. Features of the behavior of the local population The Chinese are divided into two categories: those who speak English and everyone else. The peculiarities of the thinking of these groups are absolutely different, the first ones are very close to the European ones, the rest, of which the vast majority, is absolutely illogical for us. I will not write about those who are able to speak a foreign language, I will write about the rest. They never wait for other people to come out from somewhere, regardless of whether the elevator arrived on the first floor, or the train stopped at the platform - they won’t let you get out, they will immediately climb inside, and not along the wall, but along the very center of the passage . If you are standing and hailing a taxi, these wonderful people will quite easily, approaching from the back, stop two meters in front of you: the taxi stops next to the one who is closer. If a taxi stops a couple of meters from you, the Chinese will come running and get into the car first. They slurp wildly not only when they eat, but also when they chew their gum. Belching is also not a sign of bad upbringing. They talk very loudly. They do not like Americans and all persons without a bright national identity are attributed to them. They won't sit next to you at a sushi bar because they think that sitting next to unlucky people (the Chinese love their country so much that they think that you can only go somewhere else if you are not at all successful in your homeland) badly reflects on their karma, but at the same time, local beggars believe that even poor visitors are cultured people, and it is their direct duty to help their neighbor, unlike their compatriots. The Chinese are not aggressive and peaceful, you will never find yourself in a situation where you are afraid to walk down the street, but they are absolutely unclean. Spitting is officially forbidden, but 5 percent of the population does not know about this ban. A Chinese smile is a sign of embarrassment. A man, going on a date with a girl, will definitely remember everything that she likes and will feed / offer to do exactly that each subsequent time (if you liked ice cream - get it every time you meet, if you like to eat sushi - go to the sushi bar ...). When shopping or going to a restaurant, the man always pays. The local population is very easy-going, they can be called somewhere right now. They don’t argue with the elders: if mom / dad / grandmother said, then it will be so. The wedding, regardless of the age of the spouses, must be approved by relatives. A woman, if she is not married, has no right to have a child. In the event that she somehow still manages to do this, the child will never have a passport and other documents that allow a normal existence (I asked if documents can be bought - based on the answers of the interlocutors - no). Their creative thinking is absolutely not developed, it is completely suppressed by the local school curriculum. (By the way, schoolchildren go to school in tracksuits) Since the population of the country is huge, each person has his own very narrow specialization: the driver of the mail delivery truck does not carry it out, the seller does not work with the cashier ... In general, China reminds me of Russia in many ways 10 years ago: - there is a possibility of quick earnings; - everything is decided by the necessary acquaintances; - the more expensive it is bought, the better the thing (price is more important than quality); - brag about how expensive you bought something or how much you spent on something, be sure (the amount that you will be called at the same time may differ several times from the real cost), - restaurants and clubs in the proper majority are only good first six months after opening. P.S. Everything written is my subjective opinion, photos are my own.