Image Source: china.org.cn
I often tend to be a miserable old bastard that does complain about a lot of stuff; but it is important to acknowledge that it can be good to adopt a positive outlook on life from time to time. It may be the case that a lot of China bloggers are what could be described as irritatingly too positive due to their lack of experience of living in the country, but regardless one should not allow their scepticism get themselves down too much. While attempting not to repeat the points that have repeatedly been made elsewhere, here’s a few good reasons for any foreigner to consider themselves lucky to be in China or look back upon their time positively.
You’re right in the middle of the party.
Some people may not like huge crowds and that may explain why some of us like to escape the country once in a while. However, if you were return back home for any extended period of time; with only a few exceptions, most people would miss the general buzz of living in some of the most populated cities in the world. Here you can rarely escape the presence of humanity and you will often witness several people simply enjoying their lives, no matter what their personal circumstances are. This is a country where people love dining out, walking around night markets while drinking their milk tea, playing on their phone etc. Just simple things that keep them happy; not every night need be a major event.
Breaking free from the West.
I’m very pro-Western and tend to be a strong believer in the values that we hold. Yet I also believe that it can be of great benefit to a person to live in a society where the West is not necessarily the strongest cultural force. I’ll avoid the usual glowing talk about experiencing other cultures; not all cultural elements are wonderful, nor are the foreign cultures themselves. Yet, it can very beneficial to learn to see things from a different viewpoint, or even life as a whole.
You don’t have to love all other cultures, cultures are not a weird and magical thing that you can take a photo of and show off to your friends on Instagram. Cultures could be described as a collective set of circumstances or as the famous author Geert Hofstede would title his globally respected works, ‘the software of the mind.’ By spending time experiencing the cultures, warts and all, you may find yourself developing a healthy and genuine respect of the culture that is beneficial for one to have rather than trying to outdo your friends and prove that you are a well travelled and sophisticated person. You’ll find that you despise certain aspects of it, but will also better understand why things are the way that they are.
The second language is the second skin.
I’m not talking about simply getting another skill to show off on your resume here. Language plays an important in truly understanding a culture in further depth, giving you a more hands on feel for how the culture had developed over time. Learning another language also gives one a second personality; one may find themselves expressing themselves or behaving in a completely differing manner when speaking their second language, due to linguistic limitations, cultural norms or the structure of the language itself.
By unintentionally adopting an alter-ego of sorts, one can expand their mind. Things that didn’t previously make sense, can now appear to be completely normal. The relationship between oneself and different things may begin to change. You won’t even notice that it is even happening to you, yet it can represent a fascinating change.
Becoming a realist.
In Western countries, we often have it fairly easy. Social healthcare schemes, maximum working hours and various other rights ultimately mean that we have things pretty good. When one lives in a land where these are not quite the norm, we begin to question things. Can we work a little harder? Do we need to value our health more? Maybe social class divides are a necessity, after all.
You may have spent your whole life avoiding being a racist only to find that it offers absolutely no protection from being on the receiving end. You may conclude that some people from poorer backgrounds actually deserve to be poor. Or fell that not all human beings deserve to survive in a totally incompassionate dog eat dog world. Maybe you will decide that not everybody can be trusted. Dirty tricks and corruption could seem like a lesser evils compared to poverty. Not everybody is going to place value upon your sensitivities and beliefs. Romantic love and hedonism are overrated. All things that are bitterly painful realisations at first, but may do you some good in the long term.
Life goes on.
People may be excessively critical of various aspects of life within China. Some may not be huge fans of the political system. Others may feel that people place too much emphasis on working rather than living. The pollution and deteriorating environment may be a cause for concern. However, people still live here, make the best of their circumstances and fight their own struggles without letting it break them down. Life can be tough, but the people can be pretty tough too. Some of us can learn something from these people, but what we learn exactly depends solely upon us.