China? Hardship Post?
Via Glen at Lost Laowai, Business Week has published an asinine list of the world's hardest 'hardship' posts; i.e., the worst places in the world to be an expat.
Some of the names on the list are obvious; Lagos, Nigeria and Nairobi, Kenya rank in the top ten. However, BW also includes the Chinese cities Suzhou, Qingdao, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.
Are they kidding?
Granted, Business Week's audience is more likely to be businessmen with families than twenty-something backpackers. Access to cheap beer doesn't appeal much to the straight-laced family man. But I would argue that for anyone, the four cities listed are far from global hardship spots.
Much of the criticism aimed at China's cities criticize their few opportunities for culture and recreation. Maybe they just aren't looking hard enough. In Kunming, hardly one of China's marquee mega-cities, I can see live music nearly every night of the week. There are also art galleries, museums, and lots of restaurants and bars in the city. Options multiply if one learns to speak Chinese, something I assume Business Week doesn't expect its 'expats' to do.
Culture and recreation aside, are Chinese cities that 'hard' to live in? First of all, unprovoked violent crime is virtually non-existent here. Petty street crimes, like pickpocketing or bicycle theft, are arguably less prevalent than in many developed countries, such as Spain or Italy. People are out on the street a lot, even at night.
Unlike many countries around the world, Chinese cuisine is rich, varied, and tasty. Not to mention healthy. Each of the cities listed in this 'hardship guide' also boast plenty of decent Western fare for the homesick.
And unlike other societies, particularly in the Middle East, China's is reasonably liberal. You can drink and smoke as much as you'd like. People are friendly and approachable. There are no real restrictions on dress. Having a relationship with a local isn't all that uncommon, nor particularly frowned upon anymore. Pirated DVDs abound.
The biggest difficulty, I'd say, is in language; it can be difficult finding people who have a good understanding of English and Chinese isn't an easy language to pick up. However, isn't half the point of being an expat learning the language?
I only hope that enough people spot this list and decide to stay away. If everyone know how much of a joy it can be to live here, they'd come in droves.
June 23rd, 2009 - 11:01
Nah, nightlife in Kunming sucks!
June 23rd, 2009 - 20:38
Remember that these are aimed at “full expats”, and that under their criteria, China does still count as a hardship post for the following reasons:
- access to services such as English speaking babysitters and international schools.
- ability to get around easily on your own.
- language, language, language. Full expats, as opposed to “halfpats” as WSJ’s Alan Paul calls people like us, are never expected to learn the language, and that closes a lot of doors here.
I dig the general idea of your post, but realize that those executives with overseas posts see a much different China than we do. One more reason not to respect them.
June 23rd, 2009 - 23:24
Well said. I couldn’t agree more. I remember hearing about Suzhou being put on the list a few months ago via Ryan of LLW, and all I
could think was, ‘really…Suzhou?’
Apparently, a hardship of Shenzhen’s is ‘communications’, Guangzhou is ‘physically remote’ and Tianjin lacks ‘culture’. Really? That’s just uninformed.
For good things let’s not forget: cheap and convenient services (of all kinds, including housekeepers and drivers), great transportaion (cheap, new, all the time: subways, fast trains, cabs, etc.)
Of course, you can’t argue with pollution, but even then, I think putting these cities in the top 15 is just…well, silly.
June 24th, 2009 - 09:53
Good point, Jason, about cheap services. English-speaking babysitters may be rare, but I’d think most people would prefer to have a Chinese-speaking one so that their children can be raised in a bilingual environment. Or maybe that’s just me.
Seems to me that the only place Business Week doesn’t think of as a ‘hardship’ posting is Europe.
June 25th, 2009 - 03:51
Overall a very westerncentric, US-centric (but not surprising) take on the world. You are a hardship place as long as your people don’t speak English and your culture is not Judeo-Christian. There is no chance in hell that those “full expats” will try to learn another language, most of them just want to get the job/project/tour done and get the hell out of here.
Equally, a Chinese “full-expat” who doesn’t speak a word of English would find any place outside China hardship post. They can’t just stay at Chinatowns.