10 Reasons To Live In China One Day: #7

七。People

The people you will meet in China are some of the kindest and most sincere people you will ever come across - fact. There's much to be said about how easy it is to settle into a place with such a foreign culture when the vast majority of people are welcoming and willing to help. Sure, it's not easy when the language barrier is such a big factor that can isolate you, but most people are very patient and friendly, willing to look past the fact that you can't communicate in the same words. At least, in my experience, it's true.

Some of the fondest memories of China I have so far are of the friendships I made in hostel dorm rooms when I was travelling. Fleeting as they may have been, they certainly left a lasting impression on me. I remember it coming as a lovely surprise when I woke up one morning in Shanghai with a fellow dorm mate patiently waiting for me to wake up so she could hand deliver some biscuits and sweet treats from a local bakery she bought for me and my friends. We exchanged WeChat contacts and although we never actually spoke again apart from the odd comment on my pictures, it was the first time I'd experienced such a selfless act of friendliness in China.

Later on when I went to Xiamen, Fujian Province, I met yet more locals who undoubtedly made my time there even better. Sam, Haroon and I became good friends with two girls manning a waffle stall in Zeng Cuo An food market. We became particularly friendly with a girl called Dracula (yes, what a name!) who I bonded with because she was originally from Tianjin. The following day, she offered to show us around a little more, taking Sam and I for a little trip to the park and out to lunch at 'Grandma's House' (外婆家 - one of my favourite Chinese restaurant chains). It's easy to be sceptical of people who want your contact details almost as soon as they meet you. Certainly, if the same thing happened to me in London, I'd be massively guarded but living in China has definitely made me more trusting of people's good intentions. If you don't engage with the people, you'll miss out on opportunities to experience the culture and lifestyle in China beyond your expat bubble.

Haroon, Sam, Me, Nicki and Dracula - Xiamen, April 2016

It's not just the locals that make China though, it's the expat and traveller community too. The group of British Council English Language Assistants that I went out to China with are genuinely a bunch of people who I have come to call good friends. We were all there for each other when we needed to rant about a crap day of teaching. We travelled together. They've shared a big part of my life and understand exactly what I mean when I make a China reference (without getting annoyed that I might be mentioning it too much in conversation).

A young, clueless bunch of English Language Assistants in Beijing

Fellow travellers I came across have also become good friends. I had the pleasure of meeting up again with Poppy who I travelled to Dali with during Spring Festival very recently. We caught up over many cups of tea, sharing more travelling stories together and appreciate the funny sides. Poppy mentioned that she told one particular story to her friends about a typical Chinese tourist she came across in Portugal who she had somehow become a personal photographer for during a hike. The trouble was that to her friends, it was just a story about her taking photos of a stranger, but to us, it was hilarious simply because we knew that it was just "soo China" and I could completely visualise exactly what happened as she told the story because I'd experienced similar things too.

Me and Poppy hanging out in trees by Erhai Lake, Dali

Having other people in the same boat as you, who understand the strange and wonderful context of China only consolidates your experience. It's not the easiest of countries to crack but the people there and the people you meet certainly make it worth it.

Things I wish I knew before moving to China

That Timehop app is both one of the best apps I've downloaded, as well as one I've regretted having from time to time. I'm a bit of a nostalgic person. I like looking back and being reminded of things that have happened years ago, even if they are really cringeworthy. In recent days, I've been reminded that this time last year, I was frantically preparing to move to China for the year. In all honesty, I know it's about to kick in an awful bout of China blues again, especially as there are people I've met in the last year about to head back to the Middle Kingdom for another year of fun.

Anyway, I thought it might be helpful and useful for anyone just about to fly out to China to read about some things I wish I knew prior to going. By no means an extensive list, but here are some things that stuck out to me.

1. The smog can get bloody awful.

It was pretty naive of me but I genuinely didn't think about smog or haze or even remotely factor it into my expectations before moving to China. When I first arrived in Beijing for teacher training, I was graced with hot weather and beautiful Beijing blue skies. I was later whisked away into the Beijing mountains and didn't really experience much by way of smog. My first few weeks in China also coincided with the upcoming 70th Anniversary of Victory Day Celebrations and to ensure the skies were clear for the parades, factory work was cut down and cars limited on the roads so as to control smoggy emissions. In the beginning of the year when my students asked me what I thought of the haze, I had to admit I hadn't really come across it much. It was only later as the winter months swung round it got goddamn awful and Beijing announced a red alert - which meant that it was REAL bad.

The genuine split between fresh air and smog as seen from a flight back into Tianjin

At it's worst, visibility was so affected, you couldn't really see even 100 metres in front of yourself, breathing felt like someone was sitting on your chest, you could taste something metallic in the air whenever you inhaled and the smell of smog lingered in my hair. I do count myself lucky that I didn't ever really get sick from it but there were definitely points when I would feel physically drained and tired more quickly as an after effect of the bad smog. I know I shouldn't have been as nonchalant as I was about the hazy weather but one thing I immediately appreciated upon landing back in the UK was the improvement in air quality. Breathe in deeply, appreciate fresh air whilst you can because the smog can get pretty bloody awful in China.

2. There's an invasion of personal space, and then there's a Chinese 'queue'.

I don't really mind a bit of pushing and shoving. I know how to protect my own space when the situation calls for it (I'm looking at you gig crowds. We've all paid to see this band live and this aint some bump and grind teenage club night, so back the hell up!) but you don't really know what an invasion of personal space is until you hop in a Chinese 'queue'. I say queue but what I really mean is an chaotically organised crowd of people who don't have a concept of what an actual line looks like.

Its funny because on more than one occasion, normally in a 'queue' for train tickets, I'd get quite well acquainted (and not voluntarily) with the men or families who stood behind me who seemed convinced that the line would never move forward if we weren't physically touching in some way. Don't worry mate, I'm here to get tickets too but I don't fancy getting all up close and personal with the stranger in front of me cheers...

It's not just queues either. During national holidays, pretty much the entire Chinese population gets time off and uses it to go travelling to all the famous tourist hotspots. There's a famous Chinese saying that every local is familiar with that goes "人山人海" (ren shan ren hai) which translates as 'People mountain, people sea'. It really does perfectly summarise the overwhelmingness of Chinese crowds. Don't believe me? See for yourself...

'人山人海' on the Great Wall of China during a national holiday 

3. A VPN is both a blessing and a curse

One of the most common questions I got whilst I was out there and when I returned home was how I was able to access things like Facebook whilst I was in China, despite the fact that it's banned. It's no secret that people use VPNs to get around the 'Great Firewall'. I won't get into the ins and outs of how that works but basically having one gave me access to all the modern web-based conveniences I had access to back in the UK - Facebook, Google, YouTube etc. It was definitely a blessing. I could keep in touch with my family and friends all year. I could research teaching resources and ideas for my job. I could watch Lip Sync Battles and Carpool Karaokes to pass the time when I was feeling lazy. I'm not sure I would have coped especially well without a VPN in China.

That said, using a VPN always made whatever I was doing on the internet noticeably slower, which really tested my patience the entire year. And, if it wasn't slow, it was glitchy AF. You could lose connection at any given point and have to wait to reconnect - an excruciating minute or five. It was a whole lot of waiting. Expats in China will know my pain but it's the tradeoff between a frustrating wait and the ability to Google things. And in this day and age, who can really get by without googling things?

4. You're never going to quite get used to all the spitting

Of all the things that were strange to begin with and would eventually get accustomed to, spitting in the streets was not one of them. Squat toilets? No problem. Parents encouraging their kids to pee anywhere in public if their little one needed to go - a common sighting! But spitting? It's a habit that I never got used to happening around me. You'd be walking down a street, having a conversation with your friend and in the near distance, you'd here someone hawking up a gob of spit good and proper. More often or not, it was an elderly old man committing the crime but there were women too, which came as a double shock.

I've asked my students about it before and they are well aware of how gross the habit is and always condemned it as a disgusting act. They put it down to generational differences. Others have also explained that it's probably a response to the smoggy conditions whereby people need to clear their throats and chests regularly because the bad air does things to your lungs, which I guess is kind of forgiveable. Either way, it's something that stuck out to me in China and still makes me shudder whenever I hear someone about to do it...

5. You're going to fall in love with the place...

For all of the inconveniences that might get thrown your way, whether its smog, crowds, firewalls or spitting, I didn't ever think I'd love China as much as I currently do now (hence why I've been writing about all the reasons you should live there one day). If you'd have told me a year ago I would have done or seen all the things I did during my time in China, I probably wouldn't have believed you. And there's still so much left I want to do! I've become a bit of a China obsessive. I'm constantly checking the news for mention of China, always trying to keep on top of all the viral trends there, always on the search for authentic Chinese food to match that of the original. I can't let go of using WeChat. It's definitely a place that is difficult to get bored of because there is just so much to love about it. I just wish I knew I'd love it so much because it'd probably make the current China blues I have less of a blow, but until next time, China, until next time...

新婚快乐：A glimpse into a Chinese wedding

There weren't many things I had lined up for the summer when I returned home but one thing I was definitely looking forward to was going to my older cousin David's wedding in what would technically be my first ever proper Chinese wedding. I say 'proper' but we've got to remember that it was still 'western' by Chinese standards. But there were still so many customs that were observed for a traditional Chinese wedding. I was roped in last minute to play photographer which meant I was close up to most of the action from the minute it started until the very end as the last stragglers left the dinner venue. So what does a Chinese wedding entail?

Me playing photographer, getting up close and personal with all the action

My understanding of a Chinese wedding was somewhat limited before going to Dave's wedding. In my HSK 3 textbook there's a passage about what a Chinese bride and groom wears, namely focusing on the bride traditionally wearing a royal red Chinese style dress but that more brides opt for the traditional 'westernised' white gown as well. I could confirm that it was true having flicked through some of my parents old wedding photos from back in the day. Mum had the big white dress in the day time, and a sleek red cheongsam dress for the evening reception. According to some TV documentaries I'd seen, I understood that it was also sometimes traditional for the groom to come knocking at the bedroom door with his beautiful bride and her bridal party on the other side. After a series of games and some serenading, he must convince the bride to open up. The deciding factor normally comes down to how many lucky red envelopes filled with money he would pass through the door give the impression he could take care of his wife-to-be financially before they let him in. All a little strange as traditions go, but the symbolism and the sentiment they represent is all there.

It wasn't quite the same with Dave's wedding. Being British Chinese, I think it's nice to be able to make your wedding your own with a combination of both western and Chinese elements. There wasn't the whole 'give money to prove you're worth it' thing, but unlike the western tradition, Dave did go to fetch Jenny and saw her in her wedding dress before the actual ceremony. My Dad was head chauffeur for the entire day and drove them to a beautiful manor house where the actual ceremony would take place.

Exchanging vows

There was a pre-ceremony professional photo session whilst my cousins darted around getting the venue set up. One thing that was always very prominently seen in China whilst I was there were dolled up couples getting amazing pre-wedding photos done in beautiful spots in various cities all over the country. Weddings must be a massively lucrative market in China because giving off the impression of grandeur seems important for wedding couples. To know what I mean, you can take a look at one of my favourite instagram accounts by a wedding photographer based in Kunming. Couples appear to compete to ensure they get the most stunning and unique pre-wedding photos, whether that's down to hiring amazing photographers, wearing the most lavish looking dresses or travelling to beautiful locations for the photographs. I think it's quite a recent trend to do so, but one that was always fascinating to observe all the same.

Dave and Jenny's vow exchange was really heart-warming. I never understood why people cry at weddings but watching them both tie the knot did make me well up with happiness. It was a beautiful ceremony which followed the quite standard process of exchanging vows, rings and signing their names on the registry. After, we all proceeded to gather outside to throw confetti at the newlyweds and enjoy a small drinks reception om some beautiful outdoor gardens.

Wedding banquet set up

If there's one thing Chinese families love to do, it's to dine together so Dave and Jenny hired out an entire venue to cater to a party of over 200 people, including both sides of their families (both immediate and extended, and friends of those people) as well as close friends. If I haven't mentioned before, my family on both my Mum and Dad's side are pretty big. And then there are all the other family friends of all our parents. Suddenly I was seeing the faces of my parents friends who I hadn't seen since I was a little girl which was strange but in a way, it's nice to see that they could make an appearance to show their support and join in the party. Dinner involved a 10 course feast of Chinese food which was staggered through out the evening. We shared all the food together and drank together to celebrate.

Tea Ceremony; Dave and Jenny offering Mum and Dad tea

Another traditional aspect of the wedding was the tea ceremony. As you can see, Jenny underwent a costume change into a beautifully embroidered red Chinese dress for the evening banquet. During the tea ceremony, the newlyweds kneel down on special pillows and offer tea to their elders to show respect who in turn take a sip as an acceptance of their gratitude. With the help of one of Jenny's bridesmaids who poured the tea and helped to ensure the tea was offered in the correct order (from eldest relative to youngest ie:- grandparents, parents and uncles and aunties in descending order of age with the groom offering the first cup, followed by the bride), each tea exchange ends with the relatives offering lucky red envelopes filled with money and/ or wedding jewellery made from real gold. All of these exchanges are done with the traditionally polite two handed offer and reception. I'd never seen a wedding tea ceremony so up close before but it's a really beautiful thing to witness as the whole thing symbolises the acceptance of the new couple into the family as a united pair and the hope of financial stability and happiness.

After more food, Jenny and Dave went round to each of the 24 tables to toast everyone and thank them for coming. It was a lot of 干杯-ing (that's basically cheers/ down it in Chinese) and to be honest, I'm not sure how Dave wasn't on the floor with the amount he had to shot in the process. But it was great fun to see how each table of different people made such a ruckus in celebration.

As a wedding memory, everyone was asked to take a fun prop-filled photos on a polaroid camera to stick into a guestbook and leave a little message- my siblings and I scrubbing up decently in our photo above! Dave and Jenny, we all wish you a wonderful life together!

Dad, Pete, Phil, Me, Mum and Jen

It was the first time all my immediate family had sat around one table since I got back home and it's moments like this that I realise just how much I appreciate having such great parents, brothers and sister. I did find myself thinking about what my own wedding (if there ever will be one) might be like one day. I think I'd quite like to keep some of the traditional Chinese elements of a wedding because I think the symbolism really matters. However and if ever it happens though, I know I definitely want my family very close by...

Here's one last shot of my Dad taking a short, but well needed, pre-ceremony nap. My Dad's a real trooper for offering to be such an important part of the wedding, getting up even earlier than the bride and groom and driving all day, ensuring both Dave and Jen got to where they needed to be on time, safe and sound. He really represents what it means to have strong family values. This man would do anything for his family and it's certainly something that's been ingrained in me growing up. If there's one thing that I think any wedding should involve, whether Chinese or whatever culture, it's definitely the felt presence of family.

10 Reasons To Live In China One Day: #6

六。"Stranger things have happened"

Every day I woke up in China and there was always a sense of 'anything could happen today'. Maybe it's because I was living in a culture so different to what I was used to for years or maybe it was because it was the first time I'd lived abroad for any extended amount of time. Whatever it was, it was a pretty exciting way to live. I've already written about how my China experience has undone some of my OCD organisation tendencies, leaving me to instead just accept that "because it's China" was an acceptable response when things didn't quite go to plan. In a similar vein, some of the strange and crazy things that happen in China can likewise be justified in the same way.

I had one of my first realisations that China can be quite random to live in at times just a couple months into living in Tianjin. I'd just finished one of my Chinese classes and was walking towards the subway station when I had to double take when I came across a falcon just casually perched on a gate outside a Seven Eleven corner shop. I didn't really even question it. Falcons outside corner shops? Sure China. Sure...

So lets take Tianjin as a key example. It always really amused me that whenever Tianjin was mentioned in Chinese news, it always seemed to be for some bizarre reason. It's not a city that is on many people's radars, despite it being one of the largest cities in the country. Some may be a little more familiar with it in the past year after the tragic chemical explosions that left a huge crater on the outskirts of the city and which caused our mentors to warn us not to let any rain touch our skin for fear of chemical contamination when we first arrived in Beijing for teaching training. Again, not something I expected to have to deal with when I got to China...

Some of the headlines which made me double take about Tianjin included the announcement of Tianjin's plans to open up a cloning factory for animals, 'Fatties eating for free at a Tianjin restaurant' and Tianjin University's degree course offering on lessons of love. Such a random bunch of headlines about the city I lived in which constantly left me thinking "Oh, China!". You just can't make this stuff up.

If it wasn't headlines about my own city that made me ears prick up, it was other strange fads and trends like the Chinese A4 waist challenge, which later became the iPhone 6 legs challenge, and then eventually the 100元 note wrist challenge. To the outside world seem, these types of things could seem absolutely crazy. Of course they did make my jaw drop too but not in such a judgemental spectator type way. I always loved keeping on top of all the viral stories from around the country. Strange and crazy as they seemed, for me, it opened up a new channel and way of understanding China today. There are so many strange yet wonderful things that happen all the time in China and I often have a hard time being able to explain just how different and opposite China can be. But I only see it as a great thing. It's not just amusing for the most part. It's just China...

Readjustment

I can't lie. I miss China. A lot. But as of today, I've been back in the UK for one whole month and I have to admit, it's taken quite some getting used to again.

I was definitely dreading coming home. I didn't want to think about how much money I'd be spending for day to day expenses in London. I wasn't looking forward to having to live at home with my parents again. Generally, I just knew I'd rather be somewhere else other than home. And to top it all off, I was welcomed back to London in true British style - yep, you guessed it, rain.

London cliches; Big Ben, red buses and rain

I took a bus towards Vauxhall one day, reminded of this familiar route I used to take to work a year ago and I was taken aback by how much the buildings have developed just one year on. I'm not sure why I was so surprised. This kind of thing happens in China all the time. New buildings and shopping complexes seem to pop up over night but it the changes in London seemed really noticeable to me. Vauxhall has shiny new residential blocks, a fancy new Waitrose and still more construction work going on to develop the area even more. I couldn't help but wonder what else was new? Are the shops I think are where I think they are still there? Or have they too been closed down and replaced with another new brunch spot or fancy coffee roastery as I've noticed happen down my road?

One of the strangest parts of being home was how much I longed to be back in a place where I couldn't really understand the conversations around me very well. Suddenly my thoughts on this bus journey were interrupted by the loud conversation of a couple of school kids sitting behind me who were arguing about how "gassed" the other was about their summer plans. I just felt moany and annoyed that I was back, having to endure such loud, trivial conversations when in China, I could simply ignore or tune out conversations when I wanted because I probably couldn't understand anyway.

I think I'm at odds with myself a lot of the time. Part of me feels like this 'moany-ness' is a little bit of what it means to be British. We're supposedly a nation of complainers so I should in theory just accept that being a bit moany is me actually readjusting. Another part of me however hates that my go to reaction is to find something to moan about. For an entire year, I haven't had much reason to moan about anything and I've loved not being negative about things for a year. I'd quite like to keep things that way but readjusting to home has certainly made things difficult.

I know I could write a long ranty post about so many things that I've struggled with since returning (Brexit shambles, people who actually queue and why there are so many goddamn cranes interrupting the London skyline to name a few!) but this readjustment phase isn't all doom and gloom. I do finally feel like I'm getting used to home again with the help of the fleeting heatwave a few weeks ago. It's funny what just a little bit of sun in London can do - I was definitely seeing my hometown in a new light. With the help of my friends and family, it's easier to remember what makes home, home. Now it's time to settle in and plan my next steps...

10 Reasons To Live in China One Day: #5

五。Let It Go

It's only now I'm back home that I realise (as cheesy as it sounds) how much I've changed in the past year. Not in that I'm a completely different person but that when it comes to being really organised and planning ahead, I'm far more relaxed about things and that's definitely down to living in China.

All my friends from university or even way before that will tell you, I'm definitely one of those types of people who seems to have their head screwed on, knows what they're doing, has all the details pinned down and is likely to have a plan B if all else fails (or so I'd like to think, anyway). In fact, it's something I've always secretly prided myself on. I love being the person in the group who is relied upon to keep things orderly and organised. It's not to say that this side of me has disappeared, but if there's one thing I've learnt from living in China, it's to let it go.

Road traffic on Yingkou Road, Tianjin (营口道)

China is a little crazy. There's no denying it. Simply crossing the road turns into a genuine issue of life or death. And you know that really typically British tendency to queue for things in an orderly manner? Yep. Not really a thing in China. It's also not uncommon to hear people really going for it when they hawk up a gob of spit, launch it just centimetres in front of your feet and carry on with their day like nothing ever happened. But for all of China's differences, you learn to just accept that these things you might consider dangerous, inconvenient or down right disgusting as a way of life and shrug it off repeating the mantra, "Just 'cos... China". If you don't embrace that it's ingrained in the culture, you'll struggle to accept life in China.

Another thing I've become really accustomed to is things changing at the very last minute. It happened all the time. I might be told the day before (or a week if I was lucky) that my lessons would be cancelled because there were exams going on, despite the fact that exams had been scheduled for weeks. As I said, for someone who likes to think of themselves as very organised and likes to plan ahead, this type of thing would initially bother me. But I learned to just go with the flow and became well versed in making impulsive, last minute plans rather than well thought out contingency plans as I might have done prior to living in China.

I'm not quite sure how but things in China, however crazy, just seem to work themselves out eventually and there's a kind of certainty in knowing that things are always quite uncertain. As a result, I've definitely become way more relaxed in my approach to planning. I know that there's not much point getting stressed out or angry if things don't quite go your way or turn out different to what you expected. Rather, you need to 'unexpect' the expected, let it go and just find a new way to deal with last minute changes. It's been quite a journey but once you embrace that it's simply a part of life in China, you can really see how amazing the country is and how it's developed in spite of all the chaos.

Teaching English in China: Part One

Another thing this blog has lacked is mention of my experience teaching in China, which is pretty poor on my part considering it made up a significant part of my time when I wasn't off swanning around China. So where to begin?

一。Typical work week

On average, I worked around 16 hours a week teaching 20 different classes of students aged between 13-15 years old. I was one of the lucky ones. Before getting to China, I was told I could be teaching class sizes of up to 60 or 70 with varying degrees of English but I was fortunate enough to only have 20 students per class and only ended up teaching as many as 50 in the last few weeks of my final semester. Classes were spread across the working week, but often I would get Wednesdays off which was handy to have a little mid-week break to do whatever I wanted. I ended up having my weekly Chinese lessons on this day and it made for a good routine to study and practise until my evening classes. All in all, my teaching time table was pretty well scheduled which gave me a good amount of time to prepare my lessons, pursue other hobbies and not be too tired out by the end of the week.

二。Typical work day

If there's been anything that has made me appreciate my school life more, it's the ability to compare my school experience with that of a typical Chinese student. First classes began at 7:35am sharp and last classes finished at 5:15pm. At least two out of three of my working days began from first lessons and as much as I'd like to complain about such early starts, I never had to teach a full school day and was often finished by around 2pm in the afternoon.

Lessons lasted for 45 minutes with a ten minute break in between. Students had about three "breaks" during the day. Morning break, which began at 10:10 until 10:35, was dedicated to a flag raising ceremony on a Monday, and/ or morning exercise. You might have seen it on TV before, but this is when students launch into a synchronised exercise routine as a form of fitness. It wasn't uncommon for my students to return from morning break a little out of breath.

Lunch began around 11:20am for around an hour. It was strange at first to each lunch so much earlier than normal but considering the early starts, I was almost always really ravenous by this time so I welcomed early lunches. I'd often eat in the school canteen on working days. I was given a teachers meal card which was loaded with a monthly allowance and gave me meals for as little as 10元 (£1). The lunch offering changed on a daily basis and it was always a nice surprise not knowing what we might get on a given day. Here's an example of a school meal I got:

Fish/ Chopped courgette with chicken (?)/ Rice/ Mixed brocolli and cauliflower/ Potato smileys 

Potato-bloody-smileys! Of all things I didn't expect to see in China, classic school dinner potato smileys were not one of them! But needless to say, I was always chuffed whenever I walked into the canteen with this on the menu.

After lunch, the kids were always a little more energised which made teaching after such an early start a bit easier. At 3:05pm, students have noon break. For the most part, they were given actual rest time, but often, they'd have to do eye exercises which attempt to improve vision. Luckily, I never had to teach later than 3:05pm so my day was pretty much over by this point. I could return to my room, whack on an episode of Modern Family and unwind.

三。Some differences in education culture

As I said, I really came to appreciate my school life more after being able to compare it to what the average Chinese student has to endure. Breaks during the day was just the tip of the iceberg. I often felt sorry for my students that they didn't have the same opportunities to kick around a football for an hour like the boys I knew from school would during the lunch break, or just sit around with their best friends and just chat like I did at school.

If they weren't doing exercises or eating lunch, my students could most likely be found scribbling away at homework they weren't able to finish or mouthing to themselves passages they were told to memorise for examinations. For them, education did not stop when they left school. My students often told me that on average, they'd stay up until midnight to complete all the homework they had been given during the day. Even on weekends, they weren't given much time to relax and instead would be taking extra classes to get ahead (or to keep up) and get top scores in the class. It's a well-known stereotype that Chinese students are incredibly hard-working and from what I experienced of teaching in China, I can vouch for that. But admittedly, it was a little disheartening when some of my students would come up to me and express their disappointment in that they came only sixth best in the class and really beat themselves up about the silly mistakes they made out of stress and anxiety. I for one was incredibly proud of the vast majority of my students and how far they'd come in terms of oral English compared to when I first met them. But there's only so much you can say to console them.

The reality is that education is really competitive in China. Every student strives to be the best, not just for themselves but also for their parents and families. But with every student aiming for the same thing, it makes it much more difficult to shine and stand out. One thing that I really did like about my classes though was the sense of family. There isn't really such a thing as 'sets' or separating students based on ability in China. It's something that I believe makes a lot of difference in the way you can teach but the sense of family amongst each class means that each student helps to pull one another up when they're falling behind. There's a genuinely strong familial bond amongst students which is really heart-warming to observe and it's perhaps something that's not seen quite as much in the UK education culture. In spite of the competitive nature and need to highly achieve in China, there's still a sense of wanting to help each other out to ensure your family stays together and no man is left behind. Certainly, family is a strong value in Chinese culture and it can be seen in the classroom too.

10 Reasons To Live In China One Day: #4

四。Cure wanderlust

I can't promise this will be the last time I harp on about travelling in China in this past year, but here I am, at it again just one more time. I guess if there's definitely one thing that I've been so proud of in the last 12 months is the amount I've been able to explore the vast country that is China. And yet, I still feel like I've only scratched the surface! I've managed to tick off 18 different places within China, and there are still many places left on my list. I'd love to be able to say I've visited at least one place in each of China's provinces/ municipalities/ autonomous regions.

My impression is that when it comes to Asia, China doesn't rank too highly on people's travel list. Many opt to hop around the countries in South East Asia instead. With beaches, warm climate and incredible food, who could blame them? But China is somewhere I urge everyone to go and visit at least once in their life, and not just the famous destinations like Beijing or Shanghai. Whilst these places are amazing in their own right, other places a little less known in China are well worth visiting too.

Shanghai 上海/ Harbin 哈尔滨/ Kunming 昆明

In a country as big as China, there is bound to be something for everyone, whatever your interests are. If it's the glitzy city life you're after, you'll find that and more in Shanghai. If it's laid back beach vibes, Xiamen has just the thing. A bit more outdoorsy? Plenty of incredible mountain ranges all over China you can go and hike.

Sure, you can find all these kinds of things in almost every country in the world, but what makes China a bit more special is the context of the country. You won't find another place in the world which has the same population. The sheer size and vastness of China is something I still can't get my head around and with that, it just means there's literally so much to explore. The culture and history of China stretches so far back, everything is steeped in some kind of historicism and it can be tangibly felt in the surroundings. China is just... something else.

Shangri-la 香格里拉/ Guilin 桂林/ Beijing 北京/ Yunnan 云南

Another great thing about China is that it can be a great springboard into surrounding countries too. As well as cities within China, I've also been able to visit South Korea, Vietnam and Hong Kong this year too. But many of the friends I made this year also visited Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan and more.

If you're someone who suffers from wanderlust, China could be the perfect cure. China has been completely different to any place I have ever experienced or travelled to and it's been amazing to compare it with other places in Asia or western countries in general. Travel-wise, China has so much to offer, but don't just take my word for it. You should go find out for yourself...

10 Reasons To Live in China One Day: #3

三。It's Cheap

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner but if there's been one thing I knew I'd miss about China, it's how cheap it is to live there. I've had one of the most incredible years living and working in the Middle Kingdom and have been afforded so many great opportunities to travel and explore a such a rich culture - but it couldn't be done had I have been on the same salary in the UK, even if it wasn't London.

Let me break it down.
- Average cost of one journey on the subway in Tianjin: 2元 (20p)
- Start rate of a taxi journey: 8元 (80p) with additional 1.7元 per km
- Average cost of a typical A to B taxi journey in Tianjin: 21元 (£2.10)
- Cost of a bowl of noodles: 18元 (£1.80)

I could go on, but it depresses me that I'm not dealing with these prices any more now I'm back in London. It genuinely hurts my soul every time I tap my oyster card...

As I've mentioned a lot in the blog, I've travelled a lot in China and beyond this past year. The prices for domestic flights are reasonable considering the distance covered across the vast country. Even then, if you fancy 'slumming it' for something cheaper, long distance buses or overnight trains are often even cheaper than flights. Even bullet trains are cheap (only 54元 to get from Tianjin to Beijing in a quick 30 minute bullet train - just a fiver to get to the capital!). It's really not hard to get around in China on a budget and it's because of this that I've been able to tick off quite a few places on my China list.

Pins of all the places I've visited in the last year

Of course, it's worth mentioning that the living costs for each city in China varies. Those who want to live a more 'western' lifestyle will also end up paying the price for products that you can find in your home country. Still, I believe I found the right balance between living like a local, as well as indulging myself every now and then with more western comforts when I felt like it. So long as you keep an eye on what you're spending and weigh up the pros and cons about shelling out a little more on things like western branded chocolate, milk or cheese, it's easy to live a very comfortable lifestyle in China and enjoy all it has to offer. I'm already missing so much about China and having paid £1.10 for a bottle of Ribeana at my local Sainsbury's today, I realise that the cost of living in China is definitely up there on the list...

10 Reasons To Live In China One Day: #2

二。Taste real China

If you think you love Chinese food now, then wait until you get to China and taste real authentic Chinese food. Everyone's got their own favourite local Chinese takeaway. You might even know what numbers to call out over the phone when you order your usual favourites on a Friday night - but the 'delicious' guilty treat that comes in a plastic tupperware box with some complimentary prawn crackers is far from the real deal. 

Hot pot set up (火锅） 

As a foreigner in China, it's not hard to come across a 'western' restaurant to eat all the things you're used to. Even I was prone to going for pizza every now and then when I wanted to change things up but for the most part, I ate Chinese food so as to integrate myself into the culture as much as possible. Over the course of the year, I've managed to visit many Chinese cities and one of the main things I attempt to do is to try THE must-eat thing. Without this goal, I wouldn't have tried some of the best food I've ever tasted or developed new favourite things to eat. RouJiaMo (肉夹馍) in Xi'an is genuinely one of my favourite things ever and I'm certainly going to miss being able to get it from a street vendor if I get a craving.

RouJiaMo (肉夹馍) in Xi'an 

One of the greatest things about Chinese cuisine is that it is so varied. Each province or city has their own speciality, and for the most popular types of food (noodles, dumplings, bao etc), there's still a lot of local variation. Take for example Tianjin, where I've been living for the past year. Tianjin specialises in 'snacks'; from fried dough twists to 'fried ear hole cakes'. The municipality is also famous across China for its 'Go Believe' baozi (a white bready bun, typically filled with meat). Tianjin also lays claim to a famous egg pancake based breakfast food called 'Jian Bing Guo Zi' (煎饼果子)- although I have come to find out that it's sold and eaten over much of China, but it does indeed taste a little different depending on where you are. But that's my point exactly. No matter where in China you are, you can be sure the typical cuisine has a local take on it, making it hard to resist sampling all food to discover its variation. 

Sharing food with newly made friends

The food culture in China is also centred around sharing food. It is common for families or groups of friends to cook or order many dishes to be shared amongst the entire table. I'm used to this style of eating at home but I don't think I ever truly appreciated the sociability of this kind of food culture until I came to China. Not to mention the fact that you get to try so much more than if you simply order one thing for yourself. It's a complete win-win situation for all!

Yak, mushroom and mint in Yunnan Province

Provincially, each place also has its own 'thing'. Whether it's the spiciness of Sichuan, the Peking duck of Beijing, the dim sum or morning tea of Guangdong or the yak based meals in Yunnan - there is simply so much to try and it's all delicious in its own way. For the more adventurous, China also serves some of the strangest foods I never thought I'd become so fond of. Personally, I've taken quite a liking to spicy duck neck but it does get even more odd with the likes of snake or the stomach of various other animals appearing on menus. 

Fried scorpion on sticks found in the snack streets of Beijing

All I know is my eyes have been opened to so much more in terms of Chinese food. I've always appreciated it. In fact, my Dad is a chef so the food I eat at home has always been top quality Chinese food but it has to be said, my Dad has to step up to the plate now I've discovered so much more about the taste of China. It's not all sweet and sour chicken or egg fried rice - there's a whole lot more to explore and China is the place to do it if you want to do it right!

TFLS For Life

A short but sweet post from me to mark the end of my teaching journey in China this year. Today I taught my last lesson with some of the best students I could have wished for during this English Language Assistant's programme. Amongst all the selfies and the endless streams of textbooks I was asked write my signature on (it genuinely felt like I was some kind of celebrity), I managed to get some very sweet photos of all of my Grade 8 students, all of whom I will miss teaching every week. I'm saddened at the thought of not being able to watch them develop even more as people and improve even more than they have at English. This must be how every teacher feels when an academic year comes to an end but at least I can take away some sweet memories from this year!

Tianjin Foreign Languages School, Grade 8, it was a pleasure to teach you all this year!