China at a Glance
Popular Expat Destinations in China
Traditional architecture is prevalent all over China.
As mentioned before, expatriates moving to China tend to congregate in specific regions and even cities. Present-day China includes 22 shěng (provinces), 5 zìzhìqū (autonomous regions), 4 shi (municipalities), and 2 tèbié xíngzhèngqū (special administrative regions). However, expat life in China is mainly limited to the “Big Three” of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, with other boomtowns like Shenzen – opposite Hong Kong in the Pearl River Delta – and the port city of Tianjin now close behind. For instance, about 210,000 expats live in Shanghai alone.
Beijing
As the nation’s capital, Beijing – sometimes still known as Peking abroad – attracts many diplomats, journalists, and foreign correspondents. Moreover, foreign joint ventures often send a representative to Beijing, even if the company’s main office is located elsewhere, in order to deal with government bureaucracy directly.
The host of the 2008 Olympic Games is a sprawling, bustling metropolis of 19.6 million inhabitants, according to the latest government census in 2010. As such, Beijing has seen rapid population growth and hasty urban renewal during the last few years. While expats may often grumble about traffic congestions, construction sites, air pollution, and the relatively high cost of living, they also appreciate its many fine international schools and sparkling cultural highlights.
Shanghai
Shanghai – one of China’s most important industrial cities, biggest port for the export business, booming financial hub, and the main location of the Chinese stock exchange – is even bigger than Beijing. The urban agglomeration beyond the city center houses over 23 million people.
It is both the most frantic and the most international of mainland China’s cities, a dream for shopping enthusiasts and people who want to throw themselves into nightlife and have some fun. On the downside, its problems are the same as in Beijing, and while Shanghai has more sophisticated standards than the capital, living expenses are slightly higher, too.
Guangzhou
Guangzhou, which was referred to as Canton during its time as a 19th century trading port under the influence of the British Empire, is another of China’s industrial centers today. Due to its traditional reputation as a port city for foreign commerce and its relative proximity to Hong Kong, it has profited a lot from China’s recent economic development.
Guangzhou has become attractive to foreign investors, e.g. from the Japanese automotive industry. It is also developing a service industry in fields such as logistics and regularly hosts China’s biggest import/export trade fair.
New Expat Destinations
In addition to these three urban centers, other jīngjì tèqū (special economic regions) like the high-tech hub in Shenzhen, home to FoxConn’s “iPod City”, or clean and peaceful Xiamen in southeast China – the host of the China International Fair for Investment and Trade – are starting to attract foreign businesses, expat employees, and self-made expats.
Quite a few expatriates are thus beginning to explore second-tier cities and provincial capitals where life tends to be cheaper and quieter than in the “Big Three”. For instance, idyllic Chengdu in Sichuan, at the foothill of the Tibetan Plateau, benefits from the “Go West Policy” of the Chinese government, intended to further industrial and economic growth in the central and western provinces. Chengdu may be slightly off the radar for foreigners, but as an investment location, it has indeed awoken the interest of such international companies as Intel and Motorola.
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