Overseas Chinese returning to China

[leigao]

So.... speaking as some one who was born in China, but holds US citizenship and can only read and write Chinese at a first year middle school level, how difficult is it to live in China?

I mean I probably would try to get a professional job and not teach English. I still have several strong ties in China (relatives and family friends) who can definitely help out, but as some one who haven't been back often (twice in the last 15 years, once in the last 13 years) how difficult do would I find a city such as Beijing or Shanghai to be in? My hometown would be Changchun, but I think I would be too close to home for comfort. Also it would suck that my parents are still in the States.

[miss_China_so_much]

:mrgreen:OK, you are one of those so-called 1.5 generation of oversea Chinese:mrgreen:

I guess it depends on many things, such as your purpose of return, how long you'd stay, etc...

You probably would have to convert yourself back to a 100% local Chinese if you are to stay a very long time.....People would be very likely to treat you just like another 海龟，so you can check out information about 海龟, such as 海龟 job hunting, reverse cultural-shock, ect...

Teaching English is not a good choice, you can't compete with those foreign-faced.

Edited March 18, 2009 at 10:59 AM by miss_China_so_much

[rezaf]

海龟s are now called 海菜 cuz there is no job

[Lu]

How difficult? Well, a lot easier than for someone who doesn't know any Chinese and has never been there. I'd advise you to not emigrate completely right away, try first going there for a long holiday, to see how easy or hard it is to find work; and when you do move there, don't plan to stay forever, plan to stay for one or two years and see how things are then.

Best would be if you can find a foreign company to send you to China, they won't mind your limited Chinese and hire you for your skills. Local jobs won't pay as well, and Chinese sometimes tend to think that your Chinese should be perfect just by virtue of your looks, and give you a hard time if you don't live up to that.

Good luck!

[miss_China_so_much]

海龟s are now called 海菜 cuz there is no job

Well, there are still jobs, but may not be the same jobs like it used to be (i.e. much higher paid, higher position) for a starter.

[teaforme]

Hi there,

I just responded to a post the other day about being an ABC in China. I'll just paste the link here for you: http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/2832-chinese-gender-roles5

My story is actually very similar to yours. I've only been in China three times. This is trip 3. Trip 1 was when I was 2 years old; trip 2 was a study abroad in undergrad; and now trip 3 is to do long-term research for a PhD.

Trip 2 was very difficult. It was my first "real" trip to China. I had a lot of issues with language, adjusting to the culture, and not being accepted. This time around it's been a lot easier. I already knew what to expect, which is to not expect anything and just let things happen.

It is tough finding jobs as an ABC, but keep your eyes peeled. It's all about finding opportunity, and finding a way to sell yourself. Someone above mentioned that it's better to get a job with a foreign company. I would agree, as you're likely to get a better salary. You might even get an expat package (house, visa, airplane ticket, and possibly driver). You wouldn't have to deal with a lot of those transitional things that often cause problems and misunderstandings.

In the meantime, work on your Chinese and polish your resume. Everyone on the board talks about how difficult it is being ABC in China -- and it is. But at the same time, it is probably your best attribute. In some ways, that is actually advantageous to doing business. You blend in the crowd, and though you might not speak perfectly, you "have the same values" as a person of Chinese ethnicity. Locals do take that into consideration.

Good luck and feel free to hit me up with any questions!

[caffeineaddict]

It depends on your personality really. Some people are able to adjust really well, and some people go through longer periods of "culture shock". My parents always say to me oh think of all those foreigners (they mean non-ethnically Han)...they can adjust so well etc. However I really think XBCS have to adjust on a whole different dimension. I often feel like I only half-belong in any one place.

That being said I think Beijing and Shanghai are fantastic cities and an absolute blast when you're young. There's a lot to get used to but as long as you're willing and prepared to expect some differences to everyday life I think you will do fine. Are you aiming to improve your Chinese writing skills? Because there are many part-time (e.g. 4 hours/day) language courses you can do. They're a great way to meet people and possibly network.

Having a support network is very important I think, so it's great that you have relatives and family friends. Though I wouldn't recommend emigrating without at least visiting the city first.

[liuzhou]

get a professional job and not teach English

Are you suggesting that teaching English is not a professional job?

[zipstone]

It's not just about language, it's about everything, every ugly detail you might feel unaccustomed to. Many things you might encouter here in China could be quite unexpected and shocking.

I think you value lies in bridging the cultural differences between countries in a time of globalization.

Therefore, although you might believe you a strong nerve to learn to tolerate all these. Taking a long vacation here is really a good suggestion, perhaps renting a house, mingle with some grass roots pepole might give you a more comprehensive view of the real cutural environment. After all, those replying your post are all English speaking, meaning decent people, which does not reflect the real situation if you want to do some non English teaching work.

[ABCinChina]

Chinese sometimes tend to think that your Chinese should be perfect just by virtue of your looks, and give you a hard time if you don't live up to that.

Amen to that! When I first came to China, I tried being an English teacher which didn't work out, but it was fun to meet the other teachers and explain China culture. I ended up getting a job through one of my mom's contacts in China. "Guanxi" goes a long way!

[huier]

If being an ABC is bad, I don't really want to imagine what it would be like to be a "MBC" (Malaysian-born Chinese). At least you have the right accents.

[gemini_gal]

haha.. MBC? Well.. how about being an IBC (Indonesian Born Chinese). I might be in a worse position..

[huier]

touche. Are you already in China, or are you planning to go to China anytime soon?

[zerolife]

I'm in the same position as you except I'm a GBC = German born Chinese living in the US for four years now.

Like you, I'm looking for opportunities to start a career in China. I'm actually surprised there are so many 海龟 here with the same thing in mind ... lol we should band together to help each other in China

As others have said I would go to China for at least a couple of months, mingle with the Chinese society as much as possible, and then decide if this is the right place for you if you haven't done it yet

btw for those ABC / IBC / MBC /... who are successful in China, were you able to read and write Chinese before you went there? This is exactly my problem, I'm near native fluent in speaking (yes some Chinese people I met didn't even realize that I'm not a Chinese-Chinese) but my reading is more like 2nd year level. I guess this is really going to hurt me on any potential job prospect, especially in this economy?

[huier]

I knew of a SBC (Singaporean Born Chinese) who can read/write/speak because S'poreans speak a lot of mandarin anyway. He was doing quite well before he got transferred back, but then again, it was because he was transferred internally within his company anyway.

I think they'll do better in general, if it's not anything, then at least because they don't stick out like a sore thumb. My Chinese Flatmate says "just don't open your mouth and it'll be fine."

Banding together is awesome. Like the say, All Men are Brothers!

[anonymoose]

I'm near native fluent in speaking (yes some Chinese people I met didn't even realize that I'm not a Chinese-Chinese) but my reading is more like 2nd year level

If your speaking is near-native, I think improving your reading shouldn't be a big problem - you just need to practice more. Part of the problem for learners of Chinese who don't have a Chinese background is that when reading, if you come across a character you don't recognise, you very likely don't know the word, and even if you do, it may not come to mind at the time. On the other hand, if you can speak Chinese fluently, you should be able to guess the word from the context, making reading a lot easier.

As for writing, well, this also takes practice, but being able to recognise characters is more important than being able to write by hand, as you'll probably find that most of the time you'll be using a computer anyway.

Good luck.

[renzhe]

Yeah, seriously, if you are fluent, you should be able to get your reading up to speed in a year's time, provided you put in a concentrated effort.

Get a good flashcard program, go through the most common 3,500 characters with it (you'll likely already know many), and read read read read.

[gato]

Take a look at this thread for learning to read Chinese for those who already speak it

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/9243-re-learning-chinese-the-second-time

Re-Learning Chinese (the second time)