China is an old civilization. The collective wisdom of the Middle Kingdom has been accruing for centuries, and the contemporary populace still hold true to many tried-and-tested maxims and ways of living. Arrive to China with an open-mind, and you may well find yourself adopting some of the simple habits and ways of life embraced here. It is not so much a Western-Eastern thing, but rather a slightly different perspective. Lets take a look at some habits to adopt in China!
The habits which we have decided to focus on are positive and beneficial, and we hope that their slight or full adoption will help improve your life in China and beyond. Let’s take a look.
Habits to adopt in China: Embrace Thrifty
The Chinese, particularly the older generations, are notoriously steadfast savers: this policy of saving has well and truly paid insane financial dividends. As an expat living in China, it is worthwhile learning from the locals in this regard, and setting aside a chunk of money from your monthly salary (and keeping an eye on your spending) may lead to a stronger long-term financial position. How much you’re able to save will of course depend on your lifestyle and exactly where in China you’re living, but for most people, it’s perfectly possible to keep costs low. From taking advantage of a city’s cheap eats to shopping around for the best deals, with a bit of planning your finances will stay in good shape. That being said, China is pretty darn cheap, so being thrifty will not lead to a massive compromise on lifestyle.
Daily Exercise/Meditation
If you’ve ever gotten up early enough to see the ayis and shushus practicing taichi in the park, you know it’s a beautiful sight to behold. While most of us in the West tend to shuffle into old age with our backs bent and our spirits broken, the Chinese religiously look after their bodies and minds throughout their lives. So make like these shockingly sprightly old folks and endeavour to do some form of mindful exercise each day. You don’t necessarily have to start banging your back against trees or pummelling your legs as you hoist them onto impossibly high railings, but remember to take a bit of time out of your day to challenge your body and relax your mind.
Learning for Life
The habit of continuing to learn into our adult years is great for the brain. You can choose anything to learn: languages, sports, painting, writing… It is really up to you. The Chinese have embraced a culture of life-long learning, and after spending some time in China you will come to appreciate how learning-for-life is a pretty sweet thing. Brain training of any sort is an investment that’s nearly always worth the time put in.
Habits to adopt in China: Try the food!
Living (and, more importantly, eating) in China will open you up to a whole new culinary and cultural world. Chinese food has a somewhat negative reputation in the West, but be open to the food here and you will not regret it. Chinese cuisine is probably the most diverse in the world: just think about that for a second. And even if you don’t like all the local delicacies on offer, trying them will expand your palate and leave you more open to life’s other colourful experiences. Adopting open-minded eating habits while in China will mean you’re never afraid to try something new when you leave. And trust us when we say, you will find some Chinese dishes irresistible.
Eating Smaller Meals, More Often
How do the vast majority of the Chinese stay so skinny? They eat a lot!? Genetics may be playing a part here, but don’t discount the habit of eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. Many Chinese eat small-portioned meals and snacks four to five times a day, which keeps blood sugar levels stable and helps ward off that ravenous hunger that can lead to over eating. What’s more, the Chinese tend to eat more at breakfast and lunch than they do at dinner time, giving their bodies more time to work off the calories they put into it. Given the state of obesity levels in many Western countries, adopting this Chinese habit may be worthwhile.
Persistence really does pay off
Living in China is really easy, but for some it may present a few challenges, especially for those moving abroad for the first time. Moving to any foreign country can be difficult, but these difficulties are what lead to personal growth: persist! You really can make it. Embrace any challenges which get thrown your way: we guarantee that one day you will be looking back and will be thinking, “meh, that really wasn’t that bad”.
Embrace your move to China. Grow. Learn. Save. Explore. Network. If you have decided to move to one of the most exciting and trail-blazing nations on Earth, that says a lot about you. So do as the Chinese do, and begin cultivating some new positive habits.