Expert: Nicola Zheng - 3/27/2010

Question
Hi,
I'm 16 and I aspire to be a scientist. I already have good good grades in my exams and will probably go to a good university. Anyway, I really want to work/live in china for a number of reasons, especially since I hate the 'safe and unadventurous' society I live in, in the UK.
Though, my mum and dad won't allow me to go to china because they are misinformed about how it's like there. So I will never know until I leave university and see for myself.
Could you give some advantages/disadvantages about living in china.
Is the culture friendly and warm-especially to foriegners?
Is it a picturesque country?
Is there plenty to do?
Where is the best place to live in china, where the pollution is lowand agree with my last 3 questions.
Etc
I haven't been to china so I wouldn't know.

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Ryan,

in terms of pros and cons of living and working in China, it's personal and quite subjective, so I'll leave you to explore that.  Plus, you'll actually have to spend some time in the country to make a decision for the longer term.  However, I can tell you a little bit about the more objective aspects of your inquiry.  As for whether the country is picturesque, I suggest you could probably glean more info if you get a typical travel book.

Big cities such as Shanghai and Beijing are very foreigner-friendly, with a lot of restaurants and entertaiments geared toward local and foreign clientele.  There are also language schools and supermarkets and amenities that could make any foreign expat's life easier in these big cities. However, as with any country, these these bigger cities also happen to be more polluted.  I'm from NYC, and even I can't tolerate Shanghai's pollution for an extended period, so this should be    fair warning to you.

When you go to university, perhaps you could try an exchange program and see how you like it.  A lot of the universities in China have exchange programs with foreign institutions of higher learning.

Good luck!

Nicola