Hey mate, welcome to steemit. My wife Hive account@mumma-monza and I are both expats also. We came to Cambodia 6 years ago to travel south east Asia for a year with out 5 kids... Now we don't want to go back to Australia.
Life abroad certainly opens your eyes to alot of things. Politics as you mentioned, being a big one.
Your content sounds like it will be interesting, and your obviously an experienced writer.
As a beginner things can feel daunting and overwhelming at times. I highly recommend checking out Hive account@greetersguild. It's a great community built to help you find your feet and guide you through the various aspects of steemit, whilst offering support along the way. You can also use the #greetersguild to help get some support on your post. Your also welcome to join the discord group https://discord.gg/V383U3t, which is a great way to chat and meet new people, and learn.

Again welcome to steemit, I've followed you to hear more about your adventures in China. My oldest daughter has been busting to go over to China. Good to have you here and Good luck!