Is it worth moving to China to make more money? I'm currently working in the USA for a tech company making a 6 figure salary, but I was offered a job in China that would double my pay and provide a free rental home with a housekeeper and chauffeur.

为了更高的薪水搬到中国去值得吗？我现在在美国的一家科技公司工作，拿着6位数的薪水，中国有家公司为我提供了一份工资翻倍的工作，还提供免费租房，配有管家和司机。

以下是Quora网友的评论：

Gail Ma

It is not possible to make decision for others, but if i were you, or put myself into your boot, i would like to say yes, only if the location and position are not bad. If you have the experience in China, know about the cultural, even the language, could make you more competitive in the future. Also the oversea experience could be a challenge for you to step out of the comfortable zone. Just give you some reasons to come to China.

别人不可能替你做决定，但如果我是你，只要工作地点和职位还不错，我会接受的。如果你在中国生活过，了解中国的文化，甚至懂点中文，你以后就更有竞争力了。但要走出自己的舒适区，到海外工作，对你也会是一个挑战。下面我列几个来中国的理由：

1, Learn a new oriental cultural, business environment, even a new language which may benifit you a lot in the future.

可以了解东方文化，商业环境，甚至一门新语言，这会对你的未来助益颇多

2, You China is a big China with a lot to see. You can experience different scenaries in different part of China

中国地大物博，在中国的不同地区可以饱览不同的风景。

3, Food in China is much better than US, if you are a gourmet, you should not miss it.

中国的美食比美国好吃太多了，如果你是个美食家，绝对别错过。

4,You could live very comfortable with your salar, the cost is much lower. (but also depends on where you will be)

你的收入会让你在中国生活得很滋润，中国的生活成本比美国低很多（不过也得看你住在哪里）

5, If come back to your professionals, china cares about tech and internet and the industry has developed very fast recent years, so you could get a lot of opportunities.

中国很重视科技、网络以及近年来迅速发展的产业，如果你的专业对口，你会有很多机会。

6, I still believe that China holds the biggest market in a lot of industries. If you want to do something special in your future, you should go to china.

对很多行业而言，中国拥有全球最大的消费市场。如果你对自己的未来有一定规划，那么你应该去中国。

Of course, there are some nagative parts to stop you from China,

当然了，也有一些可能阻拦你去中国的因素

1, It is never easy to get to used to the new cutural life as a foreigner, you should stand for being lonely sometimes.

作为外国人，要融入一个新的文化生活，从来都不是件容易的事，有时候得忍受孤独

2, The air quality is not very good in China, especially in beiing.

中国，尤其是北京的空气质量不是特别好

3, Traffic is bad in the big cities.

大城市的交通很拥堵

If you have family, you have to think of them as well. But it is not bad to move your children to china to learn Chinese, it will be a strength for his/her future.

Besides, you need to know well about the company, you boss, and maybe also the location you need to take into consideration. It is not possible to say yes or no just according your limited information.

如果你有家庭，你也要为家人们考虑一下。但带着孩子来中国学习汉语不是坏事，这对孩子的未来很有帮助。

另外，你必须深入了解这家公司，老板，也许还有工作地点，这些都需要认真考虑。仅凭你列出的有限信息，是没办法做决定的。

Anonymous

Originally Answered: Is it worth moving to China to make more money?

If it’s in the tech capital of Shenzhen, which it will most likely be, then a HUGE NO.

如果新公司不是位于科技中心深圳，那么千万不要去。

My boyfriend (European) accepted a job offer in a TOP Chinese tech firm. He has worked in the many parts of the world and was itching to try a different continent but generally, he’s used to an expat lifestyle and jobs. His mindset was the same as yours. A lot of money and Asian exposure, it’s like he has struck the lottery. It’ll be crazy to dismiss it right? He thought that a top Chinese company would be ethical and everything will be fair, like in the west. NOPE.

我的男朋友（欧洲人）接受了中国一家顶级科技公司的工作机会。他在全球许多国家工作过，很想去中国试试。但他已经习惯了外籍雇员的工作方式和工作岗位。他的思维方式跟你很像。既能赚大钱，又能体验亚洲生活，他觉得就像中了大乐透。疯子才会拒绝这份工作吧？他觉得这家中国公司肯定会像欧美企业一样公平，但他错了。

It was the worst decision he has ever made. Let me fill you in just some of the difficulties he had to face in China (this by the way, is not an exhaustive list):

这是他做过的最糟糕的决定。以下是他在中国遇到的一些困难（这还只是其中一些）

Dishonest employer: There are just so many incidents of dishonesty. But this is one of them that I thought is outrageous. The company requested him to take a medical in Europe (which he had to pay for). He passed the medical and they claimed he was good to go. He arrived in China to be informed that now, the offer is conditional only after he passed a CHINESE doctor’s medical examination. Imagine that?! You quit your job, relocated across the world only to be told that suddenly, now the job offer is conditional!

雇主欺诈：雇主欺骗他太多次了。我举一件叫人无法容忍的事做例子。公司要求他去欧洲体检(费用由他自己支付)。他通过了体检，他们说没问题，可以赴任了。他抵达中国后又被告知，现在这份工作有附加条件了，必须通过中国的体检才可以。想象一下? 你辞掉了工作，远赴重洋，却又突然被告知，这份工作现在是有条件的

Disorganisation: Upon passing his medical, he discovered that the HR department did not organise his work permit properly. As a result, he could not leave China for the next two months. This is a nightmare as he had to attend important events within those two months.

杂乱无序：通过体检后，他发现人事部还没搞定他的工作签证。因此，他接下来2个月都不能离开中国。但他那2个月要参加很多重要活动，这简直就是灾难。

More nasty news: Despite being informed otherwise, he now was told that he has exactly ZERO (yup, nil, nada!) annual leave and had to work on the last weekend of every month. The Chinese public holidays which he is legally entitled to, he had to earn it by working for it in the weekends. These policy is company wide by the way.

糟心事又来了：公司告知他没有年假，是的，零，一天都没有，这跟事先谈好的完全不一样了。而且每个月的最后一个周末必须上班。而法定的中国节假日，也只能靠周末加班来换。而且全公司都这样。

No transparency: One of the reasons, he took the job was the location in proxmity to Hong Kong. The company shifted their office within a month of him starting his job. They must have known this in advance, but they did not inform him at all. Sneaky.

信息不透明：他之所以接受这份工作的原因之一是这里离香港很近。可他入职不到一个月，公司就搬办公室了。他们肯定早就想好了，但根本没有告诉他。太卑鄙了。

Dangerous working conditions: The new HQ is at a remote part outside the city. It is rural. The roads are pot holed, there are live wires everywhere. Take a wrong step and you may end up dead. Not kidding.

工作环境不安全：新的总部位于城外的偏远地区，就是乡下。道路坑坑洼洼，到处都是带电的电线。踏错一步可能就没命了。我可没有开玩笑。

Pollution: The building, although new and stylish, have indoor pollutants issues and are not fit for employees to work in. A lot of the employees fell ill due to the indoor air pollutants issue. But they can only take sick leave if they provide a doctor’s medical certificate.

污染：办公楼虽然很新很光鲜，但却存在室内污染问题，不适合员工在室内工作。很多员工都室内空气污染问题生病了。只有提供医生开的证明，他们才能请到病假。

Disenchanted employees: In Shenzhen, he met foreign expats just like him. The first thing, they said to him was, “Why, what have you done? Why did you leave Europe for this?” => They are the most miserable, clinically depressed bunch of HIGHLY PAID expatriates he has ever met. They (and later him) complained to each other about China every single day.

失望的员工：他在深圳遇到了和他一样的外籍员工。他们一见面就问：你干了啥？为什么为了这份工作离开欧洲？他们是他见过的最痛苦、最抑郁的高薪外籍员工。他们每天都互相吐槽中国，后来他也成了其中一员。

Suicide is the norm: In his time there (which is not that long as he had enough), a Chinese employee committed suicide by jum off the office building. The other Chinese employees joked about it and even, sent each other distasteful images of her dead body. They acted like it was no big deal. Suicides and depression are common. My boyfriend who is the happiest and chillest person I know, fell into deep depression for this first time in his life in China. There were moments when he wanted to commit suicide himself. I had to talk him out of it.

自杀频发：在他任职期间，一名中国员工跳楼自杀了。其他中国员工居然拿这件事开玩笑，甚至还发尸体的可怕照片。他们好像见怪不怪了。自杀和抑郁现象很普遍。我的男朋友是我认识的最快乐、最冷静的人，但他在中国工作期间生平第一次陷入了深深的抑郁。有时他自己也想自杀。我不得不苦苦相劝。

Language Barriers: Unless you speak Chinese (Mandarin), it is going to be tough trying to communicate with the locals, especially if you are going to be based in Shenzhen. There are very few who can speak English. You are almost always going to end up only making friends with other miserable expats.

语言障碍：除非你会说中文(普通话)，否则很难与当地人交流，尤其你们公司的总部设在深圳的话。那儿说英语的人很少。你大概只能和其他可怜的外国人交朋友。

Unsafe drivers: The drivers in China whether it be tax drivers, bus drivers, chauffeurs or just resident drivers do not drive safely like they do in western countries. It is akin to being in a roller coaster except your life is on the line. My boyfriend got involved in a few accidents while he was being driven. I have received so many messages from him in the middle of his ride, telling me how petrified he was that he may die.

危险的司机：中国的司机，无论是出租车司机、公共汽车司机还是私家车司机，都不像欧美国家的司机那样安全驾驶。坐他们的车就像坐过山车，命悬一线。我男朋友就赶上了几次车祸。他坐车时给我发过很多消息，说自己都快被吓死了。

Monetary issues: Fake money are in circulation everywhere. It is common to receive fake money by ATM machines even from major Chinese banks. In China, all that money that you make is not really yours in that the chinese has RIGID regulations on allowing you to transfer YOUR own money overseas. My boyfriend had to take ridiculous steps to transfer his own money to his European bank at the end of his term in China. Up till today, he has got a huge amount of money stuck in his Chinese bank.

假币问题：假币泛滥。在中国，从ATM取到假钱也不稀奇，就算国有银行也一样。在中国，你赚的钱也不是你的，因为有严格的规定，不许你把自己的钱挪到海外。我男朋友任期结束离开中国时，为了把自己的钱汇到他在欧洲银行的账户大费周章，折腾了很久。现在他在中国的银行账户还里有一大笔钱呢。

These are some of the challenges. These may seem specific but it seems to be a common experience amongst the expats in CHINA.

以上都是你可能会遇到的困难。外籍员工在中国普遍会遭遇这些困难。

It has been suggested by those who have lived through it, that if you really want to experience Asian cultures, Singapore or Hong Kong are the cities to be instead. These are the places where young, ambitious and dynamic expatriates thrive. China is the place where older(almost retiring) expats who are stuck in their career go because there is nowhere else they can go to make money.

在亚洲生活过的人建议，如果你真的想体验亚洲文化，新加坡或香港是不二之选，很适合年轻有野心、活力四射的人。中国适合年长的(快退休)的人，他们遇到了职业瓶颈，没有其他赚钱的好地方了。

Bill Hable

Studied at OU GradAuthor has 248 answers and 133.5K answer views5y

Originally Answered: Is it worth moving to China to make more money?

I was an expat in China.

First of all, having a maid and chauffeur is no big deal. Don't let it go to your head. The maid(ayi) will be paid by your company but she will probably make maybe $80 a month. And many of the ayi’s are not that good.

我是一个在中国工作的外国人。

首先，请个保姆和司机都是小意思。别太当回事。保姆（阿姨）的工资由公司支付，但她可能一个月只挣80美元。而且很多阿姨也就那样。

You fail to mention where in China this is? You are single?

If this is with a Chinese company, unless it is a large established company like a Huawei, be very careful. Unless this job is with an established firm, I would hesitate to take it, as it sounds to good to be true.

你并没有提及这是在中国哪儿？你有对象吗?

如果对方是家中国公司，除非是华为这样的大公司，否则要非常小心。如果不是老牌公司，我可能要好好想想，因为你列出来的条件好得令人难以置信。

If this job is with a Chinese company, you need to find out if your pay is in local currency or not….? Big deal. If the pay is in local currency, you need to change that.

As for the apartment, you need to find out the condition of the apartment. And research rents online if you can.

如果对方是中国公司，你要问清楚你的工资是不是用人民币结算....? 这很重要。如果是人民币结算，你得要求对方进行更改。

至于房子，你得了解一下房子的情况。可以的话，上网查查房租。

Doubling of one’s salary, unless you are underpaid now, is not usual, even as an expat. Most expats get a bump up in pay, but nothing close to double.

除非你现在工资很低，否则工资翻倍并不多见，即使作为外籍雇员也是如此。大多数外籍雇员的工资都有提高，但基本没有翻倍的。

Having said all the above, if you are single, consider taking it anyway, if it will be a boost to your career. We must all learn more about China, the good the bad, the ugly. Living in China will be a great experience for you, but China is not a place for older people, but for the younger folks with no kids, no mortgage, no college tuition to pay. 

如果你还单身，如果这个工作计划对你的事业有帮助，那么肯定要考虑一下。我们都得多了解了解中国，不管是好的坏的、美的丑的。在中国生活对你来说将会是一次很棒的经历，但中国不适合老年人，中国适合那些没有孩子、没有房贷、不用支付大学学费的年轻人。

Rachel Casale

Studied at Johns Hopkins UniversityAuthor has 124 answers and 875.2K answer views1y

Related

As an American, why would or wouldn’t you move to China for the same salary?

I wasn't going to answer this, but then I made the mistake of reading the other responses. Sigh. Now I have to respond to all of the inane and incorrect comments. Thanks guys!

本来不想回答的，但我不小心看到了其他答主的回帖，哎，我必须对那些言之无物、错漏百出的回帖做出回应。

If you need to be racist, at least do it correctly. They eat cows in China. Hindus don't eat cows. Hinduism is a religion, not an ethnicity, and they are located in a different country.

如果你要搞种族歧视，起码别搞错。中国人吃牛肉，印度人不吃牛肉。印度教是一种宗教，不是种族，他们生活在不同的国家。

You can own property. Yes, technically the land is leased from the government, but the lease automatically renews. It means very little. The property is always yours.

人们可以拥有房产。没错，严格意义上来说，土地是政府租让的，但至少它会自动延期。房产永远都是你的。

No, China does not need walls to keep people in. Millions of Chinese citizens leave every year to study, work, or travel abroad. Oddly enough, these people return to China, and not because they are afraid or oppressed or something else ridiculous.

中国每年都有数以百万计的中国公民去往海外求学、工作或旅行。说来也奇怪，这些人都会返回中国，并不是因为他们害怕或被迫或其他可笑的原因。

No, China is not committing genocide. If you actually believe that, then you really need to do some research. There are some good, in-depth answers to this here on Quora that you should read.

No, China is not oppressing and torturing their people. Actually, China has done an incredible job at alleviating poverty and making life better for ALL of their citizens. (Not just the rich.)

No, I'm not a wumao, or whatever other slur you feel like using in order to better ignore me. I'm an American who lived in China. Actually, I was a diplomat's wife, so we were there with the US State Department.

不，那里并没有所谓的种族灭绝。如果你不相信，那么你真的需要多研究研究。Quora上有一些不错的深刻答案，你应该去读看看。

不，没有压迫和折磨。事实上，中国在扶贫减贫、提高公民生活水平方面付出了极大的努力。

不，我不是五 毛党，更不是你为了抹黑我随意给我编排的什么罪名。我是生活在中国的美国人。事实上，我是一个外交官的妻子，我们是和美国国务院一起来中国的。

I would love to live in China, but I definitely couldn't live there on my current salary. There are places in China I could move to, but I love Shanghai. Unfortunately for me, Shanghai is expensive. However, if my employer paid for my housing, I would definitely move. Why?

我喜欢在中国生活，但光凭我现有的薪资水平，我肯定没办法过活。我也可以搬去中国的很多地方生活，但我喜欢上海。很可惜，上海的生活成本太高了。但如果我的雇主能支付房租，我二话不说立刻搬家，为什么呢？

I really liked being safe. As a woman, I could walk alone at night in a city of over 25 million people. I'm afraid to do that in my wealthy US suburb.

我很需要安全感。作为一名女性，我可以夜里独自散步于一座有着2500万人口的大城市中。而即使在繁华的美国郊区，我也不敢这么做。

China has amazing mass transportation systems, which makes life a lot easier.

中国有了不起的交通系统，这使得生活非常便利。

I was much healthier and happier in China. If I wanted to eat McDonald's, I walked over a mile each way to get it. There is very little sugar available, and you have to really want Häagen-Dazs in order to pay $17 for it. The food also tends to be much fresher and healthier.

我在中国时更健康，也更快乐。如果想吃麦当劳，我会走上1英里。这里也不怎么吃糖，哈根达斯冰淇淋17美金一个，如果不是真爱，就不会想吃了。这里的食物也更新鲜，更健康。

I could trash talk the government, read my Bible, and go to church whenever I wanted.

Things like cell phone plans, food, and newspapers are incredibly cheap.

我可以读圣经，想去教堂随时都可以去。

手机话费、食品、报纸的价格都便宜得惊人。

Li Pengii

What are the pros and cons of moving to China for tech jobs?

I know a programmer guy who was in Hangzhou. He moved back to the UK where his pay tripled.

Then brext hit and cost of living increases ate up all the excess so he’s actually worse off :D

我认识一个曾经在杭州工作的程序员。他搬回英国了，他的工资涨了3倍。

接着英国脱欧，生活成本增加了，吞掉了他的工资涨幅，所以他日子更难过了。

Dylan Dai

Should I leave America and move to China?

No~you can't

I am a real Chinese, and my words may be more convincing.

First of all, you cannot immigrate to China.

China is not a country of immigrants, and China does not accept immigrants most of the time.

Unless you have extraordinary science and technology, you have excellent corporate leadership, you have strong investment funds, you are a genius in music, art, sports, and you are a shareholder and president of a very powerful company... .

不，你千万别

我是如假包换的中国人，我的话可能更有说服力。

首先，你不可能移民到中国。

中国不是一个移民国家，大多数时候中国不接受移民。

除非你拥有卓越的科学技术水平，出色的企业领导能力，雄厚的投资资金，是音乐、艺术、体育方面的天才大师，或者你是大型企业的股东和总裁...

In short, you must have these prerequisites before you can pass the Chinese immigration conditions. Even if you are of Chinese descent or you have been married to a Chinese in China, you cannot become a Chinese immigrant.

Some people are very close to this condition, but they can only get China's long-term residence permit or permanent residence permit.

For example, Elon Musk built a super factory in Shanghai in 2018. Under such circumstances, China's Premier personally issued him a permanent residence permit in China.

总之，你必须具备这些先决条件才有可能满足中国的移民条件。即使你有中国血统，或者在中国与中国人结婚，也不能成为中国移民。

有些人非常接近这个条件，也只能拿到中国的长期居留证或永久居留证。

例如，埃隆·马斯克于2018年在上海建造了一个超级工厂。中国总 理亲自为他颁发了中国永久居留证。

Also, my suggestion is

Please stay in America, China is not for you. I am not kidding.

The living habits and work pace in China are very different from those in the United States. And most of the food is spicy, people here hate sweets and burgers;

Men weighing more than 170 kg and women weighing more than 130 kg will be despised and despised by most people.

另外，我的建议是

请你留在美国，中国不适合你。我没有开玩笑。

中国的生活习惯和工作节奏跟美国很不一样。中国的大多数食物都很辣，中国人讨厌糖果和汉堡

体重超过170公斤的男性和体重超过130公斤的女性会被大多数人瞧不起。

Even if you are Asian or a yellow person who looks like a Chinese, you cannot immigrate back to China. Because due to language, way of thinking and living habits, the local Chinese can only think of you as a ‘‘banana person’ (yellow American).

Please stay in the United States. Don’t immigrate to the United States to enjoy your happiness when the United States is rich. Now that the United States is in trouble, you are ready to abandon her! ! This is immoral!

We Chinese despise this kind of garbage immigrants! You should stay in America to help her get back on track! ! Remember "Don't ask what the country has done for you, but think about what you have done for the country!"

就算你是亚裔或长得像中国人的黄种人，你也无法移民回中国。因为语言、思维方式和生活习惯都不同，中国人只会把你看作“香蕉人” (黄皮肤的美国人)。

请你留在美国吧。不要在美国富裕的时候移民到美国去享福，而现在美国有麻烦了，就打算抛弃美国！这样做不道德！

我们中国人看不起这种垃圾移民！你应该留在美国，努力让祖国重新振作！你要记住：“别问国家为你做了什么，想想你为国家做了什么！”

Ayu Razumova

Why should I move to China?

Opportunities

There are literally a lot of working opportunities in China, if you know where to look and how to network. There is no guarantee that you will get a job right away though, so I suggest to start looking while you are still in your home country. But if you are feeling adventurous, there is always a way to get a job as a teacher!

机会

如果你知道该去哪里寻找，知道如何建立人脉，中国确实有很多工作机会。虽然不一定就能马上找到工作，我建议你在国内就开始留意。最起码你能找到外教老师的工作

Challenge = fun!

Life in China is challenging, even for me as a Southeast Asian. Challenges of living in China includes; language, food and culture in general. Even in Shenzhen, a 30 years old hi-tech city that sits right across Hong Kong, you will still see people spitting on the street, making horrible disgusting noises at work (first hand experience here!), talk super loud in public transportation and kids poo on the street encouraged by their parents.

挑战=乐趣!

中国的生活充满挑战，即使对我这个东南亚人来说也是如此。在中国生活会面临的挑战有：语言，食物和文化。即使是在深圳，一座有着30年历史的高科技城市，就坐落在香港对面，你也还是会看到有人在街上吐痰，上班的时候发出可怕的恶心的声音(我亲身体验过)，在公共交通工具上大声说话，父母怂恿孩子当街拉屎。

Money

It is not a secret that foreigners gets higher salary than the Chinese (although it still depends on your past experience & whether your expertise can’t be fulfilled by the local). Living cost in most of Chinese cities are very low, but even me who lives in one of the most expensive city in China, managed to save 50% of my income (okay, maybe this also depends on how do you live here. I live like the local and don’t like to go hangout in bars or clubs) but even you lives like a real expat, you will be able to save quite a lot of cash.

钱

外国人的工资比中国人高已经不是什么秘密了(但还是取决于你的工作经验以及你的专业技能是否紧缺)。大多数中国城市的生活成本都很低，但即便是生活在中国物价最高的城市之一的我，也成功存下了50%的收入(也许这也取决于你的生活方式。我像当地人一样过日子，不喜欢去酒吧和俱乐部)，就算你还像外国人一样消费，也能省下不少钱。

Plenty of place to travel around

China is huge so you don’t really need to travel outside of China during holiday. Also, China is close to other gorgeous Asian countries = cheaper flights!

有很多旅游景点

中国幅员辽阔，所以假期都不用去国外旅行。而且，中国离其他亚洲国家很近，这意味着机票价格很便宜

Apps = Easier Life

Chinese companies love building apps. I have apps for banking, public transportation schedule, private bus, private tax (like Uber), food delivery, grocery delivery, package delivery and of course, shop! Also, their payment system are pretty much advanced that I never really carry cash or card in the past year. Everything is done through one app, purchase movie ticket, buy food at McDonalds and even pay for bills.

Most of the apps are in Chinese, but they shared the same UI so once you get a hold of it, you will be able to master all other apps in no time and your life in China would be far easier.

手机应用=生活更便利

中国的企业喜欢开发手机应用程序（APP）。我就下载了银行、公共交通时刻表、私人巴士、私人的士(比如Uber)、食品配送、食品杂货配送、包裹配送，当然还有购物的各种APP！而且，中国的支付系统非常先进，过去一年里我出门就没带过现金和信用卡。一个APP就可以搞定一切，买电影票，在麦当劳点餐，甚至交水电费。 

大多数APP都是中文界面的，但用户界面很相似，只要玩转一个APP，你就能很快掌握其他的APP，在中国生活就会轻松得多。

Calvin L

Why do more than half of all foreigners who move to China end up living there for more than 5 years?

Most foreigners come to China for work. The traditional expats are often on 2–4 year contracts after which they’re supposed to go home.

This type of expat still exst but they’re normally in the top management of western companies. What you see more and more in the middle-management or professional roles are “half-pats” who basically get local contracts with some added benefits.

大多数外籍雇员都是为了工作来中国。外籍雇员通常会签2-4年的合同，到期后就回国了。

这种类型的外籍雇员现在也还有，但通常都是欧美企业的最高管理层。中层管理或专业岗位上的员工基本上签的都是本地的雇佣合同，还有一些额外的福利。

People come to China because of the work opportunities in a fast growing environment. Some like it and stay longer, some leave after a few years.

I lived and worked in China (Shanghai) for 14 years and loved it. But I also saw a lot of people coming and going.

人们来中国是因为在快速发展的环境中有许多工作机会。有些人喜欢中国，多待几年，有些人待上几年就走了。

我在中国上海生活工作了14年，我非常喜欢上海。但我也看到了很多来来去去的人。

What you saw a lot was that people loved it in their first year. Everything is new and exciting, they are determined to learn the language. The second year is often the end of the honeymoon period. Reality sets in and you start to notice certain things that didn’t bother you in the first year. In the third year these certain things will annoy you more and more. People in their fourth year either become fed up and eventually leave or settle in and accept this new normal.

通常你会发现，第一年，大家都表现出很喜欢中国。中国的环境对他们而言是全新的，刺激的，他们决心学习汉语。第二年，通常蜜月期结束了，大家开始发现现实问题，开始留意到一些第一年还觉得OK的事情。到了第三年，这些事情让你越来越烦。第四年，大家要么忍无可忍地离开，要么适应并接受这种新环境。

There’s no magic reason why people stay or leave China. Some like it, some don’t. But if you have the right skills China offers a lot of opportunities.

There’s also more choice in locations these days. A decade ago it was basically just Beiing or Shanghai and maybe Guangzhou or Shenzhen for most foreigners. Nowadays you have also cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, iamen, and a slew of other secondary cities that are very livable for foreigners in terms of communities, food, and entertainment.

人们或走或留，并没有什么特别的原因。就是有的人喜欢，有的人不喜欢而已。但如果你有一技之长，中国能提供很多机会。

如今，外国人来中国的居住地也有了更多的选择。十年前，对大多数外国人来说，基本上只能选择北京或上海，也许还有广州或深圳。但现在，成都、重庆、杭州、厦门和其他一些二线城市的社群、餐饮和娱乐方面都非常适合外国人居住。

William Regan

What is it like to work in China?

—Organization—

Company structures here tend to be much more hierarchical compared with Western companies. Colleagues of a higher position than you will feel a bit shameful about asking a person of a lower position for help. I’ve also seen a lot of workers not really do anything unless specifically pressed by their boss. When people have disputes (or just need something done) they will often talk to that person’s boss. Of course in the West we like to deal with that person directly — as talking to their boss is seen as more of a threat — but here they still stick to the hierarchy.

组织

与欧美企业相比，中国公司的架构往往等级森严得多。职位较高的同事会觉得开口请职位较低的人帮忙有点丢脸。我还见过很多员工，除非老板特别要求，不然就什么都不做。员工发生纠纷(或需要完成某项工作)时，他们会找那个人的老板。我们欧美人喜欢直接和那个人交涉——因为和他们的老板交涉会被当做威胁——但在中国，他们很看重等级。

—Culture—

Office politics are everywhere — but in China I find office politics to not only be more common but also more accepted. Sucking up to the boss here is normal — while in the West it will be frowned upon to a higher degree. Workers here are also more submissive. Many of them will work longer than initially agreed — and they’ll work weekends and overtime without really vocalizing their thoughts on the matter. They figure that if they quit or are fired then someone else is right there to take their job. 文化

办公室政治无处不在——但在中国，我发现办公室政治不仅更普遍，而且大家都更默许。在中国，拍老板马屁是再正常不过的事，但在欧美国家，大家都不乐意这么做。中国员工更顺从，很多员工接受加班要求——他们会在周末和加班时工作，不会表露出对加班的真实想法。他们担心如果自己辞职或被解雇，其他人随时可以接替他们的工作。

—Business Deals / Dinners—

Be prepared to eat, drink, and maybe sing. Many business deals start with dinners and end with a night of drinking or KTV. Since the default level of trust here is quite low — showing your “human side” is important in order to gain cooperation from others. (It’s kind of like a “partners in crime” mentality — although I don’t want that to sound negative) Sharing food, drink, and fun helps build trust and grease the wheel of business here.

谈生意/商务晚餐

做好吃吃喝喝，可能还有唱K的准备。很多生意要从晚餐开始谈，谈到喝酒或唱K。因为信任基础薄弱，为了争取跟别人达成合作，就一定要充分展现“人情味”。(这有点像“犯罪伙伴”的心态)一起吃饭、喝酒、玩乐，有助于建立信任，谈成生意。