What Is It Like to Live and Work in China?在中國生活工作體驗如何？

埃米·霍金斯

People who live and work in China often have a great range of different experiences， but there are a few common themes to be aware of if you are thinking of moving to one of the most exciting， perplexing1 and challenging countries in the world. Here are a few tips to let you know what its like to live in China.

What to know before you move to China

If you are thinking about moving to work in China， there are a few things you should consider before you take the plunge2. Firstly， are you more motivated by the kind of job you want to do， or the part of China you want to live in？

If you want to work in politics， tech or finance， youll likely be limited to the major first-tier cities of Beijing， Shanghai， Shenzhen and Guangzhou. These are fascinating and vibrant places to experience the modern Chinese lifestyle， but lack beautiful countryside and unique local traditions that much of China is famed for.

If youre craving a deeper cultural immersion， want to hone your Chinese language skills or simply want to live in some of the most stunning landscapes in the world， look for rural opportunities. For foreigners， this mostly means teaching English or certain jobs within NGOs.

Secondly， its worth considering how Chinese workplace culture might differ from what you are used to. For example， colleagues may have little regard for “personal time”， thanks to the ubiquitous messaging app， WeChat. “There can be different expectations from the West in terms of work-life balance， overtime and availability3，” says Simon Frank， English Editor at Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. “You are reachable on WeChat 24—7.”

This can be both positive and negative. While it makes it more likely that a colleague will message you at 11pm on a Saturday， the app also makes workplace collaboration much quicker and more efficient. “What surprised me，” says Katie Cundale who works for Beijing-based travel company， Wild China， “is how much is done via WeChat （Work）. Everything in the office can be transferred， booked， and approved on one system.”

There are many other positives to working in China. The cliche that China is a land of opportunity holds true， and youll meet dozens of people who are starting their own businesses on the side. There is much less bureaucracy4 than in western countries for start-ups， and a can-do attitude means that you could experience more exciting challenges in a month in China than you would in a year in the West.

What to expect of work life in China

If you do decide to work in China， youre sure to find friendly and welcoming colleagues. Even in companies that are used to having foreign workers， some locals still find it exciting to meet someone from another country and will love to talk to you about the differences in your cultures and experiences.

Chinese workplaces tend to have long working hours. In many offices， staff religiously5 clock off at midday for a 90-minute lunch break， but then stay late into the evening to get all their work done. Chinese offices also often have strict， inflexible hierarchies6. “From my experience working in China， employers willingness and ability to accommodate foreign employees varies quite widely from company to company，” says Mr Frank.

“Grey areas that used to enable employment for foreigners in China are disappearing fast， working without visas and other permits can be quite dangerous.” says Mr Frank. Anyone considering working in China should make sure that their potential employer is up to speed on the paperwork necessary to apply for a work visa.

There are 11 days of national holiday each year， and on top of that most workers get five days of annual leave. If you work at a Chinese company， western holi-days such as Christmas are not recognised， which makes going home for the holidays difficult. Some companies offer more generous annual leave policies for foreign staff， but even then the probation period， in which you are entitled to no annual leave， could be up to one year.

Chinese business culture： all you need to know

Foreigners who work in China often encounter a bit of a culture shock. For example， the term “foreigner” is still widely used in China， which some expats find alienating7.

The foreigner/local distinction is especially stark if your Chinese skills arent up to scratch. In many offices， for example， Chinese staff and foreign staff eat lunch separately： this might be because they want different things for lunch， but its also because， understandably， Chinese staff dont want to spend their lunch break making the effort to speak English if you havent bothered to learn Chinese.

Many expats work in China without learning Mandarin. This is more feasible8 in the big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai， but even in those places youre likely to run into difficulty if you only speak English. Often， the more senior a role is， the more possible it is for a foreigner to occupy that job without speaking Chinese， because it is assumed that their work experience is sufficiently valuable， and they can afford to hire local assistants/translators.

If you are looking for an entry-level job， its definitely worth learning the basics before you decide to work in China. “One of the greatest things about working in China， when you have to order things or get things printed， is just how incredibly efficient it all is. You can basically coordinate any purchasing and delivery around the country from your phone and it all tends to happen within days，” says Ms Cundale. “On the other hand， it is all in Chinese， so that makes it a little difficult when you cant speak the language very well.”

What is the cost of living in China？

This varies hugely depending on where you live， with the cities being much more expensive， but in Beijing you can rent an apartment for 9，000 yuan （approximately 1，000 pounds sterling） per month. Many international companies will pay your rent for you as part of your employment package.

In general， local life is very cheap， but if you want to do something western， such as a night on the town at fancy cocktail bars， expect to pay London prices if not more.

Chinese social customs

More attention is given to Chinese customs in western stereotypes than matters in reality. But there are a few golden rules： accept/offer business cards with two hands; always take your shoes off before entering someones home; and be appreciative9 of any food that is offered to you. Also， learn how to use chopsticks.

外國人在中國生活工作的經歷通常都各不相同。中國是一個令人無比激動、讓人備感迷惑而又充滿挑戰的國度，如果你正考慮移居該國，就要了解一些常見問題。以下是一些小貼士，讓你知道在中國生活是怎樣的體驗。

移居中國之前需要了解什么

如果你想去中國工作，在決定之前你需要考慮幾件事情。首先，你去中國是因為那里有你想要的工作機會，還是有你理想的居住之地？

如果你想從事政治、科技或金融類的工作，那么你的選擇可能會局限于北上廣深等一線大城市。這些地方活力四射，令人神往，可體驗到中國現代生活方式，但看不到鄉村美景和當地獨特習俗，而中國很多地方恰恰以此聞名。

如果你渴望深入體驗文化氛圍，鍛煉漢語能力，抑或僅想住在世界上風景最美的一些地方，那么就去農村吧。對外國人而言，這大多意味著去農村教英語或從事某些非政府組織的工作。

其次，你需要考慮中國的職場文化與你所習慣的職場文化可能有哪些不同。例如，在中國由于微信無處不在，同事們也許不大注重“私人時間”。北京尤倫斯當代藝術中心的英文編輯西蒙·弗蘭克說：“西方國家對于平衡工作生活、加班加點和時刻待命，或有不同的期許，而在中國，人們可以隨時通過微信找到你?！?/p>

這既有好處，也有弊端。雖然微信讓你更可能在周六晚上11點接到同事的信息，但也使職場協作更為快捷高效。任職于北京碧山國際旅行社有限公司的凱蒂·坎戴爾說：“（企業）微信的強大功能讓我驚嘆不已。所有辦公事項都可以在一個系統上轉發、預訂、審批?！?/p>

在中國工作還有不少其他好處。人們常說中國充滿機遇，事實的確如此，你會遇到許多業余時間自主創業的人。與西方國家相比，中國創業公司受到的官僚束縛少很多，而且，中國人積極進取的精神意味著創業者在中國一個月內所能經歷的精彩挑戰可能比在西方創業一年還要多。

中國的職場生活

如果你真的決定在中國工作，你一定會結交到友好而熱情的同事。即使在慣常聘用外籍員工的公司，一些本地員工仍樂于結識外國人，樂于與你談論兩國不同的文化和生活經歷。

中國企業的工作時間往往都很長。許多公司的員工會在中午準時下班，午休90分鐘，然后卻熬到很晚才完成所有工作。而且中國職場通常等級森嚴。弗蘭克先生說：“根據我在中國的工作經驗，不同的雇主接納外籍員工的意愿和能力差異很大?！?/p>

弗蘭克先生說：“以往外籍人士在中國就業的灰色地帶正迅速消失，無簽證或工作許可十分危險?！比魏慰紤]在中國工作的外國人都應確保其潛在雇主能夠及時提供申辦工作簽證所需的書面材料。

中國每年有11天的國家法定假日，除此以外，大多數員工還有5天年假。如果你在中國公司上班，由于圣誕節等西方節日并非法定假期，外國人難以回家過節。一些公司為外籍員工制訂了更為寬松的年假政策，即便如此，他們在試用期內也不能休年假，有時試用期可能長達一年。

中國企業文化面面觀

來華務工的外籍人士通常會遭遇一些文化沖擊。例如，“老外”一詞在中國仍廣為使用，使有些外籍人士感到疏遠。

如果你的漢語水平不過關，與本地員工的差異則會尤為明顯。例如，許多公司的中外員工分開進餐：原因可能在于各自有不同的飲食偏好;另一個原因是，如果你一直懶得學中文，中國員工午餐休息時間和你在一起還得費勁說英文，他們自然也是不愿意的。

許多外籍人士未學漢語便來華務工。在北京、上海等大城市，此類做法較為可行，但即便是在這些地方，僅通英文亦會令你遇到麻煩。通常，外籍員工的職位越高，越不需要說中文，因為人們認定其工作經驗能夠創造足夠的價值，他們也請得起本地助理或翻譯。

如果你正在尋找初級崗位，那么在決定來華工作之前掌握基礎的中文是很有必要的?？泊鳡柵空f：“在中國工作的一大好處就是無論什么事情，如下單訂購、打印材料，效率都出奇地高?；旧嫌檬謾C就可以從全國各地購物并送貨上門，往往在幾天之內就可搞定。另一方面，凡事都要用中文，所以你的中文若是不太好，就有些難辦?！?/p>

中國的生活成本

生活開支額度很大程度上取決于你的居住地，城市的生活成本要高得多。在北京，一套公寓的月租為9000元（約合1000英鎊）。許多跨國公司的薪資待遇會將房租包含在內。

一般而言，當地生活成本很低，但是，如果你想體驗西式生活，比如去市區的高檔酒吧夜飲，其花銷不會低于倫敦的價格。

中國社會習俗

西方人士更多關注的是刻板印象中的中國習俗，而非真實情況，但這里仍有一些黃金法則：遞接名片須用雙手;進別人家門之前先脫鞋;別人給你夾菜要表示感謝。此外，你還需要學會如何使用筷子。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）