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Q: If someone back home asked you, "Hey, how's China?" How would you answer?
I was having a conversation with a friend last night about friends back home and I mentioned that there are some people back home, good friends mind, who I haven't seen in the 4+ years that I've been living in China. I make trips back about once a year, but often they're very fleeting and there's no time to properly catch up.
Anyway, I was wondering, if you, like I have, have been here for a long time, have seen a lot, experienced a lot, felt a lot, and have gone through all the wild emotions and challenges that China throws at you on a daily basis, how would you answer if someone said, "Hey mate, how's China?" Personally, I wouldn't know where to begin with that.
10 years 44 weeks ago in Relationships - China
Pushing, spitting, screeching and public defecation; forced abortions; labor camps; horrifying frequency of abduction, rape, murder, dismemberment and child abuse in the poor areas (which we aren't supposed to know about); prevalent domestic violence; crime statistics that are 99.9% unreported (thus making China the "safest" country in the world); nationalistic brainwashing; ultra-materialism; culture of lies.
None of this outweighs the excellent and leisurely lifestyle of a foreign teacher. I love my job, love my students, and have loads of free time to spend reading, writing, swimming, watching movies and stating polemic opinions on eChinaCities.
Red_Fox:
Looks like "Never a dull moment" got the answer of the day. Agree with crimo and the stats, but samsara didn't stand a chance. Who decides "answer of the day"? The board (voting democratically)? Or _____________ (fill in the blank)...?
Another year on from first answering this question and still no one has asked. Or visited.
coineineagh:
folks back home probably assume your tales are of the dating variety.
royceH:
Very happily married these days. And sorry about the dig at Dutch humour. Naturally, no offense.
coineineagh:
Dutch humour sucks donkey balls. Luckily, I'm not only Dutch.
I would say that China is OK is you have a lot of money and good connections with the local government. You can basically do anything you want without having to worry about the consequences, you can even break the law as many times you want if you have regular KTV concerts or Baijiu drinking contests with the chief of your local police office, a quick call to the man will get you out of troubles if you accidentally kill someone while racing with your Audi at 200km/h on the ring road.
Of course I do NOT encourage such behaviors, I only draw a honest picture of China.
But for your average Zhou or Unconnected Foreigner, China can be a nightmare.
ScotsAlan:
I agree with much of what you say. But, I have been talking to a South African from Capetown this week. He thinks Guangzhou is fantastic. Public transport, metro. Thesebthings dont exist in many countries.
yongge:
Yes Scots, that's right. I am South African too and in Wuxi, Jiangsu. I find it a great city, very modern and almost European. A far cry from South Africa's bigotry, violence and anti-white discrimination.
I would tell them this...
China is probably the best place to go to see the deprivation of humanity in many different areas.
Be prepared to encountered situations you never knew could exist.
many times when i see friends in the USA they wonder why Im in China at all! Yes China has many drawbacks, but so does everywhere else, but I still find the 15% of China I dont like, i focus on the 85% I do like. The USA, Im pretty much bored there 85% of the time.
No one in China has ever told me to get off their land, or what are you doing? I havent seen a highway patrol officer behind me ever in China! ha
I would ask them, "How much time do you have to talk?". Then, it depends on what aspect of China do they want to talk about.
