A regulation will be made to help foreign experts participate in national science and technology programs. (Photo : Getty Images)
What does it take to be a true-blue Beijing expat? Several foreigners living in the Chinese capital talk to Chen Ximeng with the Global Times to share what it takes to be a real Beijing expat.
Is it enough, however, to call oneself a real Beijing expat after only living for a few months or years in the capital? Apparently not.
For one, real Beijing expats don't get duped by cab drivers--a lesson 21-year-old Ronja Ostlund from Sweden learned.
"I had just arrived at my destination, and I gave him a new 100 yuan note, but he handed it back, saying he didn't have enough change," Ostlund said. As a result, she paid the cab driver in smaller bills. It was only until later when she discovered the 100 yuan note the driver handed her was a fake one.
Another sign that one has become a real Beijing expat is when one stops to check out foreign commercialized items, said Peter Behn, a 30-year-old American who has been living in Beijing for over three years.
"When you turn down an invitation to go to Sanlitun because you realize you don't care about all the foreign commercialized stuff, when the person at the breakfast food stand by your office recognizes you and you don't have to tell them what you want in your 'jianbing' (Chinese crepes with egg, soy cause, and rice cracker), that's when you know you are a true Beijing expat," Behn said.
For expats who have been living in Beijing for far longer, being a true Beijing expat goes deeper than adapting local habits and cultures.
"It's like being with an old friend," shared Jacobe Ragione, a 39-year-old Italian who has been living in the capital for 15 years as a director of a culture and media company. "There is a part of me in this city and there is a part of the city in me."
Regardless of what makes one a "real" Beijing expat, the most important thing is to develop a sense of belonging in a place a foreigner is trying to call home.
