China found lacking in expat survey

china

Despite making a seemingly relentless march to the top of the economic ladder, China has been found to pose a few problems for new expats who travel there.

The second part of HSBC's 2010 Expat Explorer Survey, Expat Experience, has revealed that expats in China often encounter a number of issues that dampen their overall experience.

The biggest gripes came from setting up services that would perhaps be easier elsewhere, for instance healthcare and finances. However it's clear that the language barrier is a big issue with 57 percent of the respondents citing that learning the language is their biggest problem.

Unfortunately the negatives didn't stop there though, 48 percent moaned that their balance between work life and personal life was worse than before, and 43 percent were unhappy with their working conditions, and 70 percent were unhappy with the local entertainment.

However, despite the negatives, expats realised there was lots to gain from working in China, an unnamed respondent said: “It is a very good opportunity for me and I try to enjoy my life in the country where I am working until repatriation. But work wise, hard to understand local behaviour.”

You can learn more about expat opportunities in China by reading our detailed City Guides.