Hello Steem Blockchain!
If you have been following me for a while, then you should know that I live in a Tier 3 city in China named Qinhuangdao.
The population of this city is around 3 million people, which is small by Chinese standards. Just remember that Beijing's population is almost 22 million!
Downtown Qinhuangdao at night
I think a lot of people that want to come and live in China are thinking about staying in large cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. These cities have the highest density of foreigners in China and it seems to be a safe place to live because they are used to foreigners.
However, let me give you my top 7 reasons why a small city in China might actually be suitable for you!
#１: Less Noise and Crowds
China is a noisy place. There are people everywhere shouting and vendors selling stuff on the side of the road. If you are in a big city, you are more likely to be around all this noise. For some people, they might be ok with it, but for others, it could be a torturous nightmare.
In my city, it is generally very quite. There are noisy places like the shopping plazas and the downtown core, but that is to be expected in an city.
In a smaller city, there is just less hustle and bustle and for that reason, less crowds and less noise. My apartment used to be very tranquil because there we no roads built here. Nowadays, it is more noisy because they built some major roads around my apartment and you can here the people driving and talking, but it is still OK.
#2: Less Tourist Traps and Scams
Most tourist traps and scams happen in the bigger cities. Why would someone waste their time trying to scam people in a place that doesn't have many people, let alone foreigners?
Most tourist traps will occur in the big cities because that is where all the foreigners are. A small city just doesn't make sense.
There is often lots to see even in small cities. In fact, because you are off the beaten path, you may find even more to do in a small city that haven't been exploited by tourists!
#3: More Independence
Being in China can really test your intelligence and independence. When you move to a big city, chances are that everything is already laid out for you. They are used to dealing with foreigners, so many things will be in English or there will be people there that can speak English to help you. In a small city... not really.
You will have to figure out how to do things on your own because you can't assume that people speak English or that the system is already set up to accommodate foreigners. Many bank tellers don't even know how to set up a bank account for a foreigner and you will find many similar instances in other facets of life.
By being independent, you will have no choice but to figure things out on your own and to get pushed out of your comfort zone.
#4: Almost All Amenities are Available
Don't think that just because you live in a small city, you won't have access to many amenities. Many foreigners can't live without cheese or upscale Western restaurants. If that's the case for you, then you are probably better off living in a larger city. For me at least, I have everything that I need here. I don't cook foreign food that often and yes, the foreign restaurants in a small city are usually not the greatest. Other than that, I don't have any reason to venture off the one of the big cities unless I am really craving some foreign food or I just want to make videos and shoot photos.
We have several supermarkets that sell imported products. Most of them are from other Asian countries, but you have a lot of Italian ingredients like pasta/pizza sauce and spaghetti.
We have great Chinese restaurants, movie theaters, nightlife and women hahaha. For someone that comes here to teach English, this place pretty much has it all.
#5: More Popularity and Hospitality
Foreigners aren't as common in the smaller cities so when they see you, they will stare and want to speak to you. If you can speak Chinese, that would be great because then you can actually communicate with them.
Some people don't like to extra attention, but I usually don't mind. I'll be honest though, sometimes it can get a little intrusive or annoying at certain times if you don't feel like talking to people.
You also can get more hospitality and service. I met a doctor here that works at one of the hospitals and he lets me visit him for free. We have a good relationship and he seems like a really good doctor. I'm lucky because he actually speaks pretty good English (while most doctors do not speak English).
#6: Better Opportunity to Learn the Culture & Language
This ties into what I said about the doctor in #5. When you are in a smaller city, you cannot expect people to speak to you in Chinese. I know people that lived in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou for 10+ years and still can't speak Chinese. To be honest, you could still get by pretty well with English because they are such international cities.
Over here though, you will be hard-pressed to find someone you can communicate with in English besides a "Hallo!" and "Where are you from?"
I'm not saying you will learn the language, but you will be under greater pressure to learn at least basic Chinese. There are foreigners here that can't speak Chinese and to be honest, I don't understand how they can go through life like that. I remember first coming here and not knowing any Chinese and got so irritated by the daily sherades, hand gestures and cell phone translations I had to do just to do something simple. From that point, I knew I had to learn the language and it has definitely paid off. I can pretty much get by on my own and can communicate with people to get what I want. I don't need to look like an idiot anymore by making stupid hand gestures and always needing to take out my phone so that I can translate what they said or what I want to say.
#7: Lower Cost of Living
The cost of living here is ridiculously cheap. In my previous post I talked about how my expenses amount to a whopping $200. That's insane and I can pretty much save my whole salary.
You can find new apartments for less than 1000 RMB ($152.55) per month. Lillian lives in a 2 bedroom apartment with her colleague and in TOTAL, they pay about 8000 RMB ($1220.36) per year!
In Beijing, you will pay the same as what you would pay in a metropolitan city like New York or Tokyo! Say goodbye to your salary!
There you have it folks. 7 reasons why you should live in a small city in China. Hope this educates all of you out there that are thinking about moving to China in the future!
Thanks for reading & watching!
Check out my other posts!
Differences Between China and Australia According to My Chinese Student
The Difference Between Teachers in China and the West
What Kind of Imported Food Is Available in China?
MOUTHWATERING Food Of China's Ethnic Turkic Minority!
The MASSIVE Construction Boom in China!
Why I Left My Engineering Career To Be a Teacher in China!
Is Chinese Food Low Quality? Organic Farming in China
Why The Heck Did I Move to Communist China?
What's It Like For A Canadian Living in a Small City in China?
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