Travelling, working and living like a local in China can be certainly an unforgettable experience for everyone. You can not only save up to $18,000 a year for your future travels, but also be a part of different culture, customs, language and cuisine.
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| Guilin Highlights |
China is definitely a very specific country you might either fall in love at first sight or totally hate it. I sometimes feel both at the same time, but today I would like to share my 10 things I absolutely adore China for:
#1 Safety.
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| Chinese Soldier |
China seems to be a very secure and peaceful place to live in. The police are very strict with any violent behaviors here and serious crimes as well as minor offenses are punished rigorously. I’ve never been robbed or attacked in the street (touch the wood) even if I was going back home late at night. Moreover, nobody has never been aggressive to me, neither insulting.
#2 Local hospitality.
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| Chinese Locals |
Chinese are amazingly hospitable and you feel like you are always warmly welcomed to their country. They are often willing to help you when you get lost and you will be treated with the best food and drinks if you visit their home. Locals will keep inviting you for a lunch and dinner, will give up their seats on the train or bus to foreigners, smile back to you and always say hello to you. They can make a good impression on you!
#3 Diverse landscape.
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| Longji Terraced Fields |
Lakes, rivers, hills, mountains, waterfalls, and deserts- you can find everything here as this country’s enormous size gives it a wide variety of landscapes which I love about China. Wanna sunbath on the beach? No problem, go to Hainan province. Wanna see ancient China? Go to Xi’an or Beijing. Wanna do decent shopping and drink glamorous cocktails? Head to Shanghai. China, with no doubts, will make all your dreams come true when it comes to travel whims.
#4 Stunning ancient buildings.
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| The Great Wall of China |
From the Great Wall of China to Buddhist temples - China will surely surprise you with its rich culture. The shape (the articulation and bilateral symmetry) and colors (vivid red, green, yellow, green) of temples, palaces and humble farmhouses is just astonishing. The pictures you take here don’t need to be retouched!
#5 Low living expenses.
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| Dongguan city |
Food, transport fees, house rental and medical care are super cheap in comparison to Europe. You can live here cheaply dining out and going out and still enjoy everyday life with no renunciations. Moreover, working here can make you save some extra money.
#6 Chinglish.
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| One of the signs at the Great Wall of China |
The way Chinese translate single words or full sentences is just way too funny. There are so many grammatical and spelling mistakes you can spot when filling in some official documents or statements, looking at road signs or reading the names of the company on the top of the building. My favourite ones are “tickets ohline”, “crap eggs”, “relic protected- no scratch”, “let us do friends”, “wish you happy and beautiful all life”, “slip carefully”, “easy to slip- take care”, “fresh air can make you naturally breathe”, “less much noise please” and “enterness”.
#7 Events, celebrations, bank holidays.
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Celebrating Spring Festival with traditional Chinese mooncakes
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Chinese can party hard during Spring Festivals, national holidays and other big events. There is always lots of food, alcohol and fireworks with some breath-taking performances taking place all over China. It looks like Chinese government doesn’t save money on this kind of entertainment. People dress up, cook nice food and give you lots of present. The whole country looks amazing. There are numerous red lanterns hanging on the trees, houses and buildings all over China. Ach, it’s so beautiful!
#8 Culinary innovations.
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| Sneak meat served with veggies |
Although I've been living over 2 years in China, I still get surprised by a great variety of Chinese local dishes and snacks on the cheap - fried bees, cooked sugarcane with pieces of corn, Beijing duck, sea plants and so on. I can’t imagine my breakfast without steamed dumplings called baozi! I also love tropical fruits here.
#9 Chinese herbs.
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| Chinese tea |
The Chinese doctors prescribe herbs for any ailment and it really works. You can easily get well, when suffering from stomach-ache, insomnia or migraine, by drinking a cup of herbs after your each meal. It speeds your metabolism up and makes you feel toxic-free. Moreover, Chinese people believe that a major factor of disease is an imbalance of ying and yang and use an acupuncture to help restore ying yang through needles piercing the skin. I’ve tried it and it’s totally great. You feel much more relaxed and calm. I like the spiritual side of China a lot. It’s so mysterious.
#10 Adorable Chinese kids.
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| My students |
My students are just adorable. Every day is a blessing when I see them. They try their best to speak English and we spend a lot of time together shopping, playing chess and badminton, talking or reading magazines. They are extremely out-going.
Surely, China can be a really nice place to live in for a year or two. I keep saying that I've been having one of the best times in my life here and I wouldn't change a thing. There are days though when I feel like packing all my clothes and going away but I guess it's like that everywhere. The grass is always greener on the other side :). Can't wait for other challenges.
Would you fall in love with China?
Meet eTramping crew - Agness and Cez – best friends and travel companions from Poland. These two are sharing their budget travel tips on how to travel the world with $25 in your pocket. Since 2011, they have been travelling the world while teaching English in different Asian countries such as China, Thailand or Cambodia. They are both photography passionate obsessed with Chinese cuisine and culture.
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We could not have survived our trip without having this to guide us through. It is a fantastic collection of trip itineraries, attractions to see, restaurants to visit and places to sleep! Well worth the money and not as heavy as I thought it would be carrying it. Enjoy your South East Adventure!
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