Beijing - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
Beijing had an enormous expatriate community prior to COVID, but the expat population shrank by an order of magnitude during the Zero COVID era. Expat morale also plunged over the course of the Zero COVID era, driving even long-time expats away from mainland China. Expat numbers and morale have improved significantly in the post-COVID era, but the Zero COVID experience has indelibly shaped expatriate opinions about Beijing (and greater China). - Nov 2024
Pre-COVID I believe there was a substantial community here. It's much smaller now, but there are still abundant expat-focused services and activities. Morale has taken a hit as it is now very difficult to travel outside of Beijing due to COVID restrictions. Thus far we have simply opted not to take R&R as there is nowhere to go. It's just not worth the hassle. - Nov 2021
The expat community is huge. Morale varies greatly. - Nov 2020
The expat community has shrunk drastically in comparison to a year ago, but (outside of the Embassy bubble) the morale is generally high. If you’re still working in Beijing at this point, you either really want to be there, or else you’re getting paid really well. - Aug 2020
Fairly large until you consider that this is a city of 20 million -- then it feels quite small and insular. In general it's a good expat community with countless options to keep you busy and having fun. Morale is generally pretty high for most people, perhaps a little lower for people at the embassy, for a variety of reasons. - Jul 2020
Huge and mixed, but you can find your crowd. - May 2020
Large, and it is divided between people downtown and people out by the schools. Overall the morale is good. - Oct 2017
Large and tepid morale. It is common for people here to be experiencing "China rage." The traffic, cultural differences, air, and internet really get to some people (and get to everybody eventually). Most people here recognize they're in a really interesting city with a lot going for it, but everyone loses it from time to time. - Dec 2015
Large expat community. Morale relatively good. - Apr 2015
This is a huge embassy. I think that Beijing is what you make of it. The embassy itself seems to be a stressful and somewhat intense place to work. Lots going on here. The high-pressure atmosphere combined with the traffic and air quality has a marked impact on morale. There are plenty of people who are quite unhappy here. We have been quite happy, but do find ourselves in periodic need of breaks from China since this post can wear on your after a while. - Jul 2014
Massive - Jun 2013
Quite large. The U.S. Embassy alone has several hundred families here, and you frequently see people from other countries out and about. - Aug 2011
Large - Apr 2011
There won't be official numbers until the census results are out later this year, but official estimates are over 100,000. Keep in mind that nearly every country in the world maintains an embassy here, so many of these people are embassy personnel from small Asian and African countries. There are probably around 20,000-30,000 people from English-speaking developed countries. This includes a mix of students, professionals and embassy personnel. - Jan 2011
Huge. I run into new folks every day. - Apr 2010
Sizeable. - Jan 2010
