Beijing - Post Report Question and Answers
What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
We knew that Mandarin would be hard to learn, we knew that work would be stressful (albeit very interesting), and we knew that we’d never be able to experience everything that Beijing and China had to offer in a four-year tour. However, we never imagined how long Zero COVID would last and how challenging it would be to live here during the Zero COVID era. - Nov 2024
How much COVID restrictions would affect our ability to do anything outside the expat bubble. How bad the internet actually is. - Nov 2021
I should have brought a car so we could get out of the city more easily. - Nov 2020
It is impossible to truly prepare for Beijing until you’ve lived here. And even after you’ve lived here, it’s still impossible to truly understand the place. - Aug 2020
The internet will frustrate you even more than you expect. The air quality may not be as bad as you expect. Traveling in the region is more expensive and time-consuming than you probably think. Weekend trips to Thailand are not really an option. You may want to consider Guangzhou if you're hoping to hop around Southeast Asia for frequent vacations. Otherwise, plan to generally take week-long vacations out Beijing. - Jul 2020
gGeat place to live and work, but with real challenges too. You'll earn the hardship, but it will be a fun ride too. - May 2020
How difficult it is to feel as though I'm being watched or listened to all the time. - Nov 2019
How bad the traffic is and how long a 10 mile commute is. Give yourself an hour to get anywhere. More if it is further than 10 miles. This country is not cheap or easy to travel around. - Oct 2017
The air is bad. We all know that, but, it's serious. - Dec 2015
Level of Chinese required and the inconvenience of the traffic. - Apr 2015
Perhaps because of our lack of language, perhaps because of a more insular culture, it has been very hard to socialize with Chinese families. - Jul 2014
