The place to ask China-related questions!
Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou Shenzhen Chengdu Xi'an Hangzhou Qingdao Dalian Suzhou Nanjing More Cities>>

Categories

Close
Welcome to eChinacities Answers! Please or register if you wish to join conversations or ask questions relating to life in China. For help, click here.
X

Verify email

Your verification code has been sent to:

Didn`t receive your code? Resend code

By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .

Sign up with Google Sign up with Facebook
Sign up with Email Already have an account? .
Posts: 1300

Shifu

0
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

Q: For the expats who have been in China for many years, how has your social life changed?

I've been here for a long time and I realized that I don't go out as often as I used to, don't make much of an effort anymore to make friends, and I feel more satisfaction just doing my work, cooking at home, and saving money. Nowadays I prefer the company of fellow long-term expats than Chinese. Has your experience been similar?

5 years 50 weeks ago in  General  - China

 
Highest Voted
Posts: 5732

Emperor

4
5
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

There is no social life after about 3 years, it's just the same old same old, holidays are too crowded with people, and a concrete cage, your home, is the best place to be most of the time.

Report Abuse
5 years 50 weeks ago
 
Answers (10)
Comments (5)
Posts: 5732

Emperor

4
5
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

There is no social life after about 3 years, it's just the same old same old, holidays are too crowded with people, and a concrete cage, your home, is the best place to be most of the time.

Report Abuse
5 years 50 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1059

Shifu

1
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

not much social life for me now that I have a family,2005-2010 good social life

Report Abuse
5 years 50 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1198

Shifu

1
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

Used to party it up in my last city. The place I'm in now is a dud. I DJ out and about every now and then - it's like socialising but you don't have to talk to people, which is nice.

ScotsAlan:

Yeah. Where you live is strange NZ. I could not live there. OK for a beer now and then.. but its lacks something that I cant put my finger on.

5 years 50 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
5 years 50 weeks ago
 
Posts: 594

Governor

1
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

similiar too.. pretty normal agein' process. no more frequent parties n late nights.. prefr to meet up few close friends only.

Report Abuse
5 years 50 weeks ago
 
Posts: 7178

Emperor

0
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

My social life is ok at times. I find nights out with mates are rare enough that things go over the top.

Other changes have a bigger impact. When I lived in the UK I would be out fishing maybe 3 nights a week. Here maybe 6 times a year. That has a big impact.

And TV. I have pretty much not watched it for 6 years now.

diverdude1:

haha,,, tv,,,  15+ years?  always don't know what to say when they say 'title',,, can't really recall it now.   blue something .... all the nerds in Manhattan...

People trip out when I tell them I watch Seinfeld. 

5 years 50 weeks ago
Report Abuse

BHGAL:

I spend 7-8 hours on intermittent naps   4-5 hours on internet sports gambling    4-5 hours watching TV    is that 24 yet??  no?   1 hour cooking and cleaning  ..1 hour gardening ant tending to aquarium.  10 minutes showering    5 minutes shitting... 3 minutes shaving.  Am I getting there yet      shopping couple hours a week.

guess I sleep more, or gamble more, or watch TV     'cause there is nothing else to help make it to 24 hours. 

think about getting a hooker for an hour, then disregard and remind about the wife, then forget about that goofy option.

5 years 50 weeks ago
Report Abuse

ambivalentmace:

the hookers are just as boring as the wives, one position missionary looking at the phone the whole time with that famous far off stare that says "aren't you done yet", I have we chat messages to answer and videos to laugh at.

5 years 50 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
5 years 50 weeks ago
 
Posts: 827

Shifu

1
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

I've lived in China for a decade now. My social life steadily declines with each year. I travel back to Canada for 3 months each year. It is still good in Canada, but in China, it's almost nonexistent this year. So now my social life consists of WeChat and TV while in China.

Report Abuse
5 years 50 weeks ago
 
Posts: 7204

Emperor

2
5
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
3

Icnif77 for user mod....cast your vote

Report Abuse
5 years 49 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1263

Shifu

1
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

From 2008 to 2012 it was all party. Then I got engaged then married. It died a sudden and painful death.

Report Abuse
5 years 49 weeks ago
 
Posts: 27

General

1
3
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
4

2013-2018 Seems like I have ended up with less number of people in my circle both at home and here in China.

 

Social media presence went down 95%.

 

No TV/News particularly news. 

 

Just lost within myself and my other half and OF COURSE her family. 

 

But yeah, after seeing the shitload of things around the world specially the war stricken world, I have found peace here in China. Back in 2010-11 I would go crazy at times thinking about the shit going on with innocent people. Wrote a book on those things and was absolutely nuts seeing the horrors of war/conflicts. 

 

 

ScotsAlan:

Was your book published. Sounds interesting.

5 years 49 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
5 years 49 weeks ago
 
Posts: 107

General

0
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

Social meetings during the week, brews with my bors in the jing for weekends. 

 

Now in in dongbei in the middle of nowhere, sweet as hell pad, but no bros and can't stand it anymore

Report Abuse
5 years 49 weeks ago
 
Know the answer ?
Please or register to post answer.

Report Abuse

Security Code: * Enter the text diplayed in the box below
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <br> <p> <u>
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Textual smileys will be replaced with graphical ones.

More information about formatting options

Forward Question

Answer of the DayMORE >>
A:  "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "S
A: "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "Shenzhen agent can connect you with an employer, who's authorized to hire waigouren ... and can sponsor Z visa." It's not like every 10th person you meet in Shenzhen's hood can sponsor work visa ...  The only way to change student visa to labourer one is just a regular way by: 1. Finding an employer, who'll apply for an Invitation letter; 2. Exit China and apply for Z visa in your home country's Chinese embassy; 3. Enter China in 30-days after Z visa was stamped into your travelling instrument ...As I am aware, you won't be able to switch to Working permit by remaining in China....,so make ready for a return to your home .... -- icnif77