Used to Live in Beijing and miss it ... ask me any question

[rw86347]

I used to live in China.  I loved it!

 

Over time I realized that many of my presumptions were wrong.  I think getting to answer questions about China could really make me feel a lot better about my current ho hum life.

 

Please ask my anything.

 

Man, woman young or old, politically incorrect or not.

 

I used to live in Beijing (wudaokou), and my Chinese wife is from Jiangsu.  Ask away!

[roddy]

We have loads! Lets start with

Why Chinese

and

Your current aims and objectives for your Chinese. 

and

Why did you leave China

[Angelina]

Are you planning to go back to China? If yes, would you consider sending your (potential) children to a standard school in China?

 

Does your wife want to move back to China? Or she feels lucky she moved out? 

 

Do you think you loved living in Beijing because you were a 'foreigner' there? 

 

What did you learn from your experience in China? In what ways has living in China made you a better person? 

 

What's wrong with your life now? 

[rw86347]

Angelina,

Sorry for the late response....

I will definite move back to china! I did send my daughter to a Chinese school while in china. She hated it! She understood nothing however she picked up Chinese fast. I think had I stayed longer she would have enjoyed it more.

My wife is Chinese she would love to move back.

I felt Beijing was good because people were honest. I felt people in Shanghai were always wanting my money and I felt like a three legged monkey in the country. Beijing was in the middle.

I do believe china made me a better person. I learned that we don't need to work as hard as we all do in America. There are lots of people in china who just enjoy life.

Now that I am back I. The USA I am working non stop paying bills.

[rw86347]

Roddy,

I moved to china for work.

I want to learn to read Chinese novels.

I needed to get back home for family reasons.

[rw86347]

Angelina,

 

​You touched on another issue which I *think* needs addressing, which no one will want to talk about.

 

I assume you are moving with your dear husband and children to China.

 

Here in America women don't give men the time of day.  Much less young beautiful women.  This is not true in China.  When I lived in China every week young beautiful women asked for my phone number.  It was a real ego boost.  I went from thinking I was over the hill and worthless to feeling like a prized stud.  Now for many men this change can ruin their marriage.

 

Some of these girls have a financial motivation because it's their job.

Some of these girls want to move to America.

Some want to know what it is like to sleep with a white man.

 

I guess what I am saying is you can't put them all in the same bucket.  But I am also saying you are heading into game day.  For that first year you should have your game face on.  You should be the sweetest most loving wife you can be.  And you should go with your husband everywhere.  Find a good baby sitter quickly so that you can go with your husband on business trips.  After that first year your husband will actually grow a little tired of the attention.

 

When I told my wife that every time I walk down Sanlitun a woman hits on me she said I was dreaming.  So one evening we did just that.  Not a single woman did hit on me.  However this last summer walking down the street in Shanghai it happened twice in one hour.  If you are with him he will be safe.

 

Also I would not share this information with your husband.  These are your playing cards.

 

After my first year I learned that when a woman asks for my number I would say that I was getting a new number next week and that they could just write down theirs.  Then I would toss it in the trash after they left.

[Bigdumogre]

What was your favorite go to food?

Greatest thing to see there? I'm going in 2 weeks I have the Great Wall and imperial palace on my list what else to add?

[ChTTay]

What? What in Angelina's post made you make that assumption? She gives no personal information! From other threads...im fairly sure Angelina already lives in China or did recently.

Also..."Some want to know what it is like to sleep with a white man." Is there a part of Wudaokou I don't know about?

[Angelina]

The reason why I asked certain questions (I am not married) was this:

 

I will definite move back to china! I did send my daughter to a Chinese school while in china. She hated it! She understood nothing however she picked up Chinese fast. I think had I stayed longer she would have enjoyed it more.

 

How do you know your daughter will be happy studying in China if you go back? What do you know about Chinese education? There is a reason why she hated it and she will probably still hate it if you go back.

 

You might not be enjoying your life now because you have to pay the bills. If you go back to China, you will still have to pay the pills, plus you will have to worry about your daughter's education. Is she happy now? Do you think it will be easier for you to adapt to Chinese society or for your wife to adapt to American society? If the entire family will be happier in China, you should go back. 

[Shelley]

Oh Angelina, you sound so cynical .  Do you feel so sad about living in China that you think other people will feel the same way?

 

People change and their daughter may have changed her mind and may love it. Even if she doesn't like it now, it will be a worthwhile experience. When she is old enough she can go where she wants but she will always have had the experience of living in China.

 

You do have to pay bills where ever you but some times those bills are smaller or different. Or the OP might feel he gets his monies worth in China and doesn't mind paying.

 

In fact that's a good question to ask: Do you think you have a better standard of living in China and by what do you measure this, money or happiness?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rw86347]

What was your favorite go to food?

Greatest thing to see there? I'm going in 2 weeks I have the Great Wall and imperial palace on my list what else to add?

 

Oh!  I have lots of favorite foods!!!

 

- ji dan guang bing.  ( it is like a flat bread taco filled with a fried egg lettuce and hot sauce, but you can only buy in in the morning on the street)

- Yang rou chuan (mutton kabobs ... you can get them on the street or a muslim restaurant.)

- gun bao ji ding - kung pao chicken

- hui guo rou - twice cooked pork (kind of like boiled fatty beacon)

- zhu rou bao zi - steamed roll with a pork meat ball inside

- jian jiao - fired dumplings.

- liang pi - bean noodles with vegetables and vinegar.

 

I used to love the summer palace.  You can walk there for an entire day.  700 acres.

 

If you go to the great wall hire a taxi driver to take you to mu tai yuan.  For the whole day he will charge 600 RMB.

 

You should probably also go see the forbidden city followed that night by dinner at Hou Hai (back sea) it is a lack north of the forbidden city.

[rw86347]

How do you know your daughter will be happy studying in China if you go back? What do you know about Chinese education? There is a reason why she hated it and she will probably still hate it if you go back.

 

 

You might not be enjoying your life now because you have to pay the bills. If you go back to China, you will still have to pay the pills, plus you will have to worry about your daughter's education. Is she happy now? Do you think it will be easier for you to adapt to Chinese society or for your wife to adapt to American society? If the entire family will be happier in China, you should go back. 

 

My daughter won't be happy in China.  Thus I am going to wait until she goes to college before I move back.

 

The reason she hated it was because she couldn't speak Chinese.  And pushing her into the deep end was a bad move on my part.  I think had she stayed there for the past 7 years she would hate American schools just as much.

 

I used to live in China, I had almost zero bills (rent, utilities and food).  The difference was so stark it is amazing.  black/white.

 

I think in some aspect Chinese education is better and in some ways worse.

 

My daughter is happy now.

 

It was way easier for me to adopt to chinese society.  In fact I don't like life here in America for the same reason my wife does not.  We both deeply miss china and can't wait for our opportunity to move back.

[Angelina]

Sounds like a good plan. Best of luck to you!

[Wahed]

Do you happen to be very familiar with the area of Beijing where Minzu University is? If so, I will going to China for the first time in my life and will be a summer school student there. I think I have a number of questions for someone very familiar with the area.