During the Chinese New Year, expats in China are left with two options: either to embrace the cultural peculiarities shared among mainlanders, or maintain a mindset of impermanence. (Photo : Getty Images)
For many mainlanders, the Chinese New Year holiday is a time for homecoming and celebrations. But such may not be the case for expats in China, who face the prospect of loneliness amid the transience of fellow foreign workers in a culturally unique country.
In that case, expats in China are left with two options: either to embrace the cultural peculiarities shared among mainlanders, or maintain a mindset of impermanence--that is, to think of their Chinese experience as more of a fleeting one than something they could come to espouse.
One Shanghai expat shared her account by sharing how lonely she spent her Chinese New Year in the city, which is otherwise teeming with some of China's most multiculturally holistic population comprised of Chinese migrants from other parts of the country and expats like her.
Having shared her disillusion toward the way Shanghai--China's largest city and perhaps its most exciting and dynamic one--has conjured an image of youthful excitement, she admitted to having a hard time connecting with her fellow expats, since many of them do not plan on staying for long.
A conversation with a Korean-Canadian exchange student, however, changed her perspective. Having been told that their hometown Canada is way lonelier as its clichéd welcoming spirit conceals difficulties in breaking into tight-knit communities, she became inspired to appreciate Shanghai like a local.
As seen in that case, the failure of expats in China to assimilate with their surroundings serves as the root of their loneliness, which is why it is highly recommendable for them to make the most out of the colorful cultural facets the mainland offer.
Wringing into Chinese New Year traditions and superstitions, for instance, has become an exciting way for expats in China to enjoy their stay in the mainland. Having a "jiantoufa" (haircut) before the Chinese New Year, said to bring good luck to uncles, has become among the traditions observed by foreign workers.
Integrating into the local community has not been particularly difficult for many foreign workers in the mainland--the conscious effort of doing so is something many of them have done to survive life in China. The Chinese New Year holiday serves as a great opportunity for them to enjoy the things locals do.
