That's interesting, @yick. I haven't been to China for quite some time, despite living at a couple of hours distance from it. I have been to Taiwan and Hong Kong multiple times, but never to the Mainland.yick wrote: ↑December 14th, 2024, 5:45 pmI live in China and have done so for over 15 years and met some crazy people out here but they thrive and are somewhat happy here but they are low level sufferers of autism/adhd/aspergers etc and they can move in and out and prosper and though I have met some proper madmen - they don't usually last that long - psychotic, PTSD from military service, mentally ill in the most severe sense where one took his own life before he was deported out of the country and back to America to a future of homelessness - I used to think I wasn't the full shilling before I met some of these characters and I now realise I am perfectly normal!
So, forgive me if my knowledge is second hand, gathered from the multitude of videos I watch about the state of China. Most of them are "polarizing", that's for sure. Long term enthusiasts-turned-detractors SerpentZa and LaoWhy keep posting about the hypocrisy and contradictions of Chinese society, citing their many ticking time bombs and the fact that, under Xi Jinping's presidency, the anti-foreigner, or anti-Western sentiment has been dialled up a few notches.
Some other, probably more randomic travellers, wax lyrical about the hyper-tech cityscapes of Shenzhen, Chongqing and similar, basically glimpses of what Japan could have become had they stopped growing 35 years ago. They show modern, efficient infrastructure, amazing architecture and well-dressed people crowding amazing-looking malls and public spaces.
I am sure that the truth, as usual, is in the middle. I have already decided I would like to spend at least a month travelling China next year, work commitments permitting. For "closed" some say it is, just a few weeks ago they started allowing citizens from 38 world countries, including Italy, to enter their border Visa free for 90 days.
As for the variety of human specimen living in China, I have no doubt that that is the case. If China is anything like Japan, their "live and let live, so long you don't offend our Government" would probably ensure a good share of Western misfits could find more freedom and relief in China than in their home countries. For those without major skills, the prospects of trading their native English proficiency for a living wage, is probably still there.
May I ask you what you do to support yourself in China, @yick? I am genuinely interest. Feel free to PM me. Grazie!