WORK IN CHINA

8 Tips for Surviving the Holidays in China

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As Christmas and the Chinese Spring Festival have already come and gone, I thought it might be a good time to address a topic that can easily frustrate foreigners living and working in China. Basically, what the heck are you supposed to do during the holidays?

This can be a complicated issue as different companies have different rules on vacation time and there are different cultural norms between Chinese and Western firms. It’s also often a long and expensive flight home, often requiring more than half a day in a stuffy, cramped, and bacteria-filled plane cabin.

However, no matter how stressful and uncomfortable making the trip home for the holidays can be, it’s still an important part of many of our lives. After all, what’s more important during the holidays than spending time with family? And with that in mind I’ve prepared a few pointers based on my own experience in the Middle Kingdom. Take a look and it may lead to easier and more relaxed holidays in the future!

When you CAN go home for the holidays:

The best situation possible, in my opinion, is when you have both the time and means to travel home for the holidays. However, for those living and working in China, there are several unique challenges to be aware of.

  1. Book plane tickets early: As in other countries, it is common for the price of plane tickets to begin increasing in the time leading up to major Chinese holidays, especially Chinese New Year and National Day. Sometimes during the last several weeks, prices can skyrocket to extraordinary levels. This is partly due to the extraordinarily large number of people on the move in China during this time of year. Therefore, in order to be able to pay a reasonable price, it’s important purchase a plane ticket early, at least 60-90 days in advance in my experience.
  2. Make sure you have a multi-entry visa: One very easy, yet extremely wasteful mistake to make is leaving the country only to return to discover you can’t get back in due to a single-entry visa. One reason this can occur is because many Chinese companies’ HR departments have yet to get their act together in terms of hiring foreign talent, and most staff members display an amazing lack of awareness of what needs to be done on the visa side of things. On the other hand, for those coming over on a tourist visa, it’s important to make sure you take charge to a certain extent and ensure you have the correct visa.
  3. Make sure you can get time off: This one is the kicker, and often overlooked by foreign talent in China. When working in China, it’s easy to forget that most Chinese companies don’t schedule time off for non-Chinese holidays. This can be compounded by the fact that many departments in Chinese companies are unlikely to employ more than one foreigner (if any). So not only is there no pre-scheduled time off for the holidays, but there may be no one available to cover your shift if you do want to go home. It’s therefore crucial to have an early and upfront conversation with your manager, otherwise it may be impossible to get time off in the future.

When you CAN’T go home for the holidays:

Unfortunately, not all of us can make it home for the holidays every year. Sometimes money is tight, and at other times it’s impossible to get away from work. However, this doesn’t mean you have to stay at home by yourself .

  1. Don’t spend the holidays alone: This is a very important point for visitors to China, as we all suffer from certain degrees of culture shock, which can get worse over the holidays. This is a time of year we are taught from birth is supposed to be spent among friends and family, and not doing so, especially while in an unfamiliar country and culture, can feel very draining. So do what you can to be around people if you find yourself in China over the holidays – go to a mixer, have dinner with coworkers, meet up with local friends for coffee – every little bit helps.
  2. Get a good meal: One nice thing about many larger Chinese cities that can make culture shock easier is not only growing expat populations, but also more and more foreign-owned restaurants. Many family-centered foreign holidays (e.g. Christmas and Thanksgiving) also have a big focus on food. And missing out on that can be a big disappointment if you’re staying in China over the holidays – I always think of my family’s signature stuffing over Thanksgiving! So do a little checking in advance, and see what restaurants are planning to serve holiday specials.
  3. Decorate a little: Sometimes it’s the simple things that can help you get by. No matter if you are putting up colorful turkeys for Thanksgiving, scary ghosts and goblins for Halloween, or a cheerful tree for Christmas, a little extra color can make a holiday alone feel that much easier to endure. And this is made very easy by the fact that many decorations are available on Chinese e-commerce sites – they’re just a few button taps away (Chinese translation assistance may be required).
  4. Don’t forget to call home: Another easy way to cope while feeling under the weather in China during the holidays is to just make a call home. In addition to cheaper than ever overseas calling plans offered by Chinese carriers, there are a number free online services, Skype chief among them. So when you’re feeling down, comfort is just a phone call away.
  5. Create your own China holiday tradition: After living in China for many years, I’ve found that not only have I adapted to the a new holiday schedule, but my family back home has as well. To date, I’ve never really had the time to make it home for Christmas. So instead of feeling bad during Decembers in China, I simply wait excitedly for a few more months to pass, until the Chinese Spring Festival rolls around. In practice, this Chinese holiday is my Christmas – it’s the key time during each year when I get to travel back to the USA to see my family. And that i what I’ve found is really important to me – not what specific date I’m back home, but being able to spend time with family at all.

Final Thoughts

In the end, there are multiple way to ensure you aren’t feeling down in the dumps over the holidays. This partly requires some pre-planning and early communication. It also needs a little extra effort to step out the front door and go do something. No matter where you are in China, there is always a way to cope and to get through the holidays largely happy and intact.

I also think this potentially difficult issue is something that must be faced squarely and openly – culture shock is a horrible feeling, and one that not only strikes unexpectedly, but also takes away from the wonderful experiences and memories China can provide. And while my own experience tells that culture shock does indeed fade over time, it never really truly leaves  completely. Or perhaps it’s better to say that a part of us will always remain in our beloved homelands, making our hearts ache whenever the holidays roll around.

Therefore, I hope the above tips can be of use to China travelers young and old, new and experienced, so we can all enjoy our time in China a little bit more. So happy holidays in advance – for next time!


Thanks for reading!

Do you have any comments or questions on staying in China over the holidays? What do you usually do when returning home for the holidays? Please feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section below.

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CULTURE BASICS

Don’t Let Assumptions Define Your China Experience!

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Picture this: you have just arrived in China and are excited to try out the Chinese you have learned. You pop into a local corner store and ask something simple: “这是多少钱?” (zhè shì duō shao qián; how much is this?). But to your dismay, the clerk merely stares at you blankly, before asking in halting English, “Can I help you?” So what happened? Was your pronunciation off? Did you use the wrong tones? Did you completely waste your time studying Chinese only to fail epically on your very first attempt? In fact, it may be none of these things.

This perplexing phenomenon has been experienced by many of my non-Chinese friends who live and work in China, who have also attained a fairly high mastery of the Chinese language. We have all experienced this type of reaction from Chinese locals in our daily lives, and have all been unsure about what, on certain occasions, made our spoken Chinese completely incomprehensible. After discussing the issue with a number of Chinese friends and colleagues, a possible answer emerged: according to certain Chinese people, many locals simply accept as fact that the Chinese language is more or less “impossible” to learn for non-Chinese, and therefore fail to comprehend when a foreigner actually speak understandable Chinese. In short, they expect foreigners to be unable to speak Chinese.

While I’m sure this is not the case every time a Chinese person cannot understand a foreigner speaking Chinese, it explains many of my own experiences, and also raises another interesting question: how much does the same thing happen to foreign visitors to China?  How often do we unconsciously make a decision about a situation before we actually experience it? How often do we judge Chinese people before actually letting their words and actions speak for themselves? How often do we pass judgement before making any effort to understand Chinese culture or history? How often are our negative experiences in China the result of the influence of negative media coverage, or the negative stories of other foreigners?

My suggestion: anyone who truly wants to enjoy a positive experience in China should try to really listen and observe as much as possible, and try to do so in an unbiased manner. If we shut out those voices (e.g., our friends, parents, coworkers, politicians, the media) that are constantly trying to tell us what China is like, and simply try and experience China for what it really is, we may surprise ourselves, and discover a China we never knew existed.

Thanks for reading!

Do you have any comments or questions on communicating effectively in China? Do you have any stories you can share in which you overcame your assumptions when communicating with the Chinese people? Please feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section below.

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WORK IN CHINA

5 Tips for Fun and Flexibility in China

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Cultural conflicts are very common for expatriates, foreign students, and visitors in China. They are things that color the experiences of everyone, even ethnic Chinese who grew up overseas. However, while this is normal when visiting any foreign country, it often leads to negative experiences and results. When faced with conflicting viewpoints, concepts, behaviors, beliefs and customs, it is not uncommon for foreigners to get angry, become bitter, or simply give up.

With this in mind, I have put together several tips on how visitors to China can try to get over culture shock and acclimate to Chinese culture quicker, thereby gaining more enjoyment and knowledge from their stay.

  1. Don’t believe in stereotypes: Stereotypes about Chinese people are everywhere, largely driven by incomplete reporting in the media and biased accounts written by foreigners who have spent time in China. These descriptions view the Chinese people through a narrow and often backwards lens, and are never helpful. Once we view a single culture or people as being “only one way”, we lose our ability to view them as individuals and our fellow human beings. There is an old Chinese story which is particularly relevant here: Three blind men were placed in front of an elephant. One touched the trunk and thought it was a snake. One touched the leg and thought it was the trunk of a tree. The last man touched the tail and thought it was a rope. Each man was confident he knew what was in front of him, but in reality, each did not come close to truly understanding what the elephant was. Likewise, while stereotypes might reflect some aspects of China and its people, they also make true comprehension impossible.
  2. Don’t assume something is wrong with Chinese Culture: A common reaction to the difficulties of living and working in a foreign environment is defensiveness and blame. Specifically, I have heard many foreigners claim that Chinese culture is “wrong”, “backwards” or “bad”. And while this type of reaction may be natural, it also offers no help in adapting to a new environment. For example, the main problems I have personally faced in China involved specific individuals with bad attitudes, or my own failure to adapt. They had nothing to do with Chinese culture as a whole. It is important to remember that there are negative individuals in any culture or society, though culture shock can make it much more likely for foreigners to incorrectly remember such experiences as representative of the culture. It’s true that Mainland Chinese society may face certain developmental woes, but Chinese culture is rich, and there is much we all can learn, given the patience to do so.
  3.  Don’t assume you are the patient one: One thing that often strikes me is how easy it is for foreigners (including myself, on occasion) to become frustrated when communicating with Chinese locals. While this is of course a natural part of adapting to a foreign culture, my own experience shows that the Chinese people are often overwhelmingly polite and accommodating when trying to help a foreigner. Yet time and again, it’s also very common for foreigners to lose their temper and lash out verbally. I understand that foreigners can feel lost and confused in a foreign culture. However, being impolite doesn’t help solve problems, and it is also disrespectful to the Chinese, whose country we are visiting.
  4. Don’t object to personal questions: Personal questions are a big taboo for many foreigners, especially those from Western countries. However, there is literally no getting around this in China, as the Chinese are naturally curious about their foreign visitors, and often uneducated about what questions can make non-Chinese feel uncomfortable. Instead of taking such questions personally, I’ve found that it’s more helpful to prepare answers ahead of time, as these conversations can occur so often you often are simply repeating the same answers – just like small talk. For example, when asked for the umpteenth time whether or not I plan to marry a Chinese woman, I now always reply with, “I’ll leave it to Yuanfen (fate) to decide.” After this kind of reply, most Chinese people will give a knowing nod, and not press the subject any further.
  5. Don’t focus on your feelings; focus on getting results: After a long day of confusion and cultural conflicts, it’s very easy to get to the point where anything not from your own culture simply feels wrong. However, it’s best not to get bogged down in questions of right and wrong (culturally), and instead focus on the bigger picture. For example, if you are in China to sign an important contract, your end goal is much more important than the initial discomfort you may feel concerning drinking Baijiu or Chinese communication styles. Likewise, if you are living and working in China long-term, your end goal may be to learn about the Chinese language and culture, make money or simply enjoy life. In all these cases, trying to overcome cultural barriers, while potentially uncomfortable at first, will lead to a much more enjoyable stay, and make it easier for you to achieve your end goal.

Focus on Learning, Understanding and Adapting

Lastly, I’d like to emphasize that I in no way intend to make light of the bad experiences of other foreigners in China. Indeed, I have had my own share of bad experiences. Even the most localized foreigner will almost certainly have the odd off day in a foreign culture – that’s simply how our minds and the world work. However, I DO think is important to remember is that there are ways to compensate for the potential negative mental impact of living for a long time in a foreign environment, some of which I listed above.

While our journeys in or outside China may differ in their courses, I believe we can all benefit from a certain degree of humility and a willingness to compromise. Our goals, after all, are to enjoy life and work to the greatest extent possible, and I believe these goals can be best obtained by trying to learn more about the Chinese people, understand the reasons behind their behavior and adapting, whenever possible, to the nuances of local life.

 

Thanks for reading!

Do you have any questions about adapting to life in China or other countries? What has been your own experience adapting to Chinese culture? Do you have any other suggestions? Please feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section below.

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