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Q: What Top 10 Things Do You Like Most About China?
We all bash and trash China a lot and always compare it to "back home". Yet we are still here. Why? What are the things that keep you here and that you like the most about China. Here is my list:
1- Family
2- Low cost of living
3- Great selection of tasty foods
4- Seeing the world from a unique perspective
5- So many historical sites
6- Great business opportunities
7- A great variety of weekend get away and vacation spots
8- Sincere and friendly people in Shandong Province
9- A slower pace of life
0- A cultural learning experience
Yes, I could give you 20 things I absolutely hate about China, but what good would it do?
Numerous objections!
1. Family
Do you mean parents taking away their children's right to make decisions and forcing their children to live the same unhappy, unfulfilling lives that they (the parents) do, due to being small-minded, selfish and materialistic, and less interested in their children's happiness than their own material security or the snide opinions of the old woman next door? Or is it the eye-gouging, ear-chopping and baby-flushing that you are referring to?
I guess you were relying on the sentimental connotations of the word "family" and hoping people wouldn't pry any deeper. When we accuse Chinese people of thinking in slogans, that's exactly what we mean.
When Chinese families get together they sit in front of the TV bored out of their minds. Then they tell foreigners how "wonderful" the Spring Festival is.
2. Low cost of living
Agreed.
3. Great selection of tasty foods
I gather you are Chinese or not very adventurous. Of all the countries I've traveled to, China has the least diverse and least sophisticated food. Considering China has one fifth of the world's population, that is a bit disappointing.
4. Seeing the world from a unique perspective
Seeing the world from a reduced perspective. Chinese people's worldview is based on nationalistic slogans and self-praise, not on experience, research, receptivity, honest discussion or engagement with reality.
Saying China has a "unique" perspective is much like saying Muslims have a "unique" view of feminism.
5. So many historical sites
Such was the observation of the Communist Party, right before it destroyed them all. At one point in history, China was the most culturally advanced nation on Earth. So much amazing architecture, culture and history. And then, to quote the Rockbiter from Neverending Story, it was gone. "It just wasn't there anymore. Nothing was there anymore." Communism is like the physical and metaphorical manifestations of The Nothing. It makes beautiful and magical places disappear AND signifies the death of imagination, creativity, individuality and wonder.
Considering what China had, its vast emptiness of history and culture is a tragedy.
6. Great business opportunities
Agreed. And the more comfortable you are with bullshitting your clients, partners, investors and auditors, the greater the potential!
7. A great variety of weekend getaway and vacation spots
With the drawback of not being able to sit on the ground anywhere because nature is covered in pollution. In terms of mountains, lakes and beautiful picnic areas within driving or cycling distance, I guess you haven't been to Australia. Or New Zealand. Or the Philippines. Or countries other than China.
8. Sincere and friendly people in Shandong Province
Sincere. Compared to who? Henan people? I'm genuinely interested.
9. A slower pace of life
Agreed, though I also find that a bit of a trap.
10. A cultural learning experience
"Cultural learning experience" is nothing more than a slogan unless you specify what you learned. Aside from China's culture of ignorance, dishonesty, materialism and exceedingly crass behaviour, to what cultural experience do you refer?
In answer to your question, here are the Top 5 things I like most about China (I'll work on the other 5 later):
1. My girlfriend
She is bright, ambitious, thoughtful, hard-working, and cares about animals.
2. Your girlfriend
For a plus size woman, she is quite limber.
3. Zongzi (sticky rice)
If Zongzi had been invented by the Communist Party, that would change my opinion about everything. But it wasn't.
4. Hong Kong
Excellent for shopping, eating, swimming, sightseeing, and interacting with intelligent, informed, switched-on, self-aware, fashionable, forward-thinking people. All of these things are totally not because Hong Kong was part of the British Empire. Clearly the work of the Communist Party. Clearly.
5. Apple pie
You know the saying - "As Chinese as apple pie". Mmmmm. Apple pie, fresh from the oven. That's got to be one of China's best inventions.
DrMonkey:
Ha, the dreaded Spring Festival show. They watched it 4 times in a row. The first time, for the Spring Festival eve. Then, we visited various uncles and aunties, where they watched the same show *again*. Eventually, my wife, seeing I was about to bang my head on a wall, suggested to go walk all together on some nearby hill. The parents never did that before. After the walk, the parents found it was a fantastic idea and enjoyed the walk in the "fresh" air (it was a smoggy day). I was like "O RLY ?!"
Scandinavian:
.... Low cost of living. The wife did a 2013 overall expenditure, and we burn 13000 per month on staying alive, that is not counting traveling to Europe and such. This is actually more than it would have cost to stay two in my old downtown apartment back home including normal expenses such as food (but no cinema tickets)
Consider the salary is a LOT lower, that makes China really expensive.
My old downtown apartment is in one of those cities that often is represented on lists of expensive places.
1- My wife.
2- The wilder areas (like, Xinjiang desert, Sichuan/Yunnan mountainous areas, etc...)
3- Huge market for my skills set, with lot of demand and desperately short offer : R&D. For some reason, Chinese competent in R&D are not in China.
4- Lots of interesting food (No Samsara, let's agree to disagree)
5- One more language learned (okay,still working on it)
6- I know now how freak'in awesome is my native province, Medoc. I used to think it was dull and boring. Then I lived in Hefei.
7- I don't take a clear blue sky for granted anymore. From now on, it's the most precious thing ever.
8- I don't take civil rights for granted anymore. Town-level politics used to make me laugh, I'm now craving to have it back.
9- I don't take civil behavior for granted anymore. Hold the door for me, you're my knight in shining armor.
10- Hum...
1 - My wife
2 - BBQ on the street markets
3 - Hot Pot
4 - Cheap Beer
5 - Chatting with locals (joys of learning Mandarin)
6 - It has taught me patience.
7 - Hangzhou, Suzhou, Hong Kong and Sanya were cool
8 - Nian Gao - Sticky rice (not the stuff during Dragon Boat Festival - Zongzi, don't like that)
9 - I love Niu Wa (Bull Frog)
10 - China is so crazy, both good and bad...
I kind of struggled to make this list though.
1. Being able to witness first hand one of the fastest growing countries in recent history in terms of urbanization, industrialization and social change. That is truly an amazing spectacle!
2. Meeting people from all over China and learning about their background, life and dreams. It makes you realize that China is the most diverse and heterogeneous place you've been to (despite CPC's efforts to reverse this) - in stark contrast to most Western countries.
3. Great business opportunities although there are several entry barriers.
4. Living in China really helps you become more self-concious. Your experiences here will make you question notions of morality, trust, religion, business etc. in ways that weren't possible in the West. It forces you to define your own values and understand who you are and what you (don't) want to become.
5. Cheap and stable public transportation. At home I pay 10 times more for a train ticket and most of the time the train will be delayed.
6. Chinese food
7. Good environment for learning Mandarin (depends on where you live in China of course)
8. Chinese women
9. Cheap beer
10. Baozi (deserves its own place on the list)
Nessquick:
9. cheap beer is mostly way too cheap to be considered as beer. and when you come from country where the original Budwar and Pilsner beer are brewed ... :-)
Just these
1.
The quantity of airports. It makes me feel comfortable, that I may runaway wherever whenever is needed 
2.
My wife and son.
Sorry,
No have any other things as TOP 10 China in My List.
Nessquick:
order of items on the list does not correspondent with their importance. it is just as it is. just those two...
1. Baozi
2. Meeting expats from all over the world and learning about almost every country.
3. Safety
4. Variety of Chinese food (so many regions so many different dishes)
5. The language
6. Convenience (subways, buses, cheap-ish cabs, 24 hour shops/booze)
7. Ease of travel - trains going everywhere, now with more and more fast trains.
8. Awesome old people
Count down clocks on traffic lights. Public transport.
Cheap beer, such as it is...
Undemanding lifestyle, such as it is...
Hmmm..... Nup.
Scandinavian:
They've removed the countdown clocks here. Except you get the last 15 seconds. At red lights that now means you don't know if you are going to wait 24 seconds or 167 seconds, in the latter case there is no point having the engine produce CO2.
DrMonkey:
Here in Suzhou Industrial Park, the control boxes for the traffic lights have often their maintenance doors opened, gaping and exposed to the elements, the eventual passing drunk or mischievous kid. So sometime the countdown is glitched : impossible glyphs, overflowing counter and odd arithmetic.
When the countdown works, you have the "let's solve our population problem"-edition : the countdown shows 15 seconds to cross a street, which is barely enough to do it running at a good pace. Anyway, few walkers and bikes cares about the traffic light or the countdown (2 secs before red ? I go !).
1. Baozi
2. Fried dumplings (from a specific place in downtown Changsha)
3. The wife
1) Legs
2) Long hot summers and legs
3) Can drink a beer any where any time in long hot summers
4) Crazy outfits that come with legs
5) Platform shoes with 6" heels and legs
6) Platform shoes with 8'' heels and legs
7) Legs mostly have slender thighs
8) Fugly girls have nice legs
9) Can drive scooter with 2 or 3 pairs of nice legs on scooter, while drinking beer and running red lights.
10) Can actually have 2 or 3 pairs of legs on scooter
Hi Ted, let me guess, you are a leg man? I will hide my dogs. I have three and those 12 legs might be too irresistible for you!
TedDBayer:
You dress your dogs in miniskirts and high heels? Kinky
I have a dog and 5 cats, I like pussy more.
