| Here's my opinion on how China scores against your criteria: - Dense cities: Yes. I grew up in the suburbs and love the density here and how walkable everything is. - Affordable housing: A good place in a popular location in Beijing or Shanghai is about $2k USD a month. You can get that down to $1k if you have roommates. - Great public infrastructure: public transit, yes, but I rarely need to take that anymore. Public parks aren't great. You can't drink the tap water. - Modicum of agreement: political discussion is so thoroughly suppressed that we all engage in self-censorship. I guess that could be called "agreement", but when I think of agreement I think of a place like New Zealand. Here are the great things you're maybe not seeing: - There's a bit of friction in everything in daily life, and that somehow makes life more enjoyable for some kinds of people (including myself). I think a big reason for that is that most people here don't speak English. - It's incredibly easy to make friends. - Most people you meet are interesting: either they're an expat and they moved here because they didn't want to coast through life, or they're a local and they're curious about people from other cultures. - Some jobs pay incredibly well. For example if you're a teacher (not a "teacher"), China is a big step up. Here are the not-so-good things you're maybe not thinking about: - Air pollution is still a thing. In some cities, half the days you'd like to go outside for a run, you shouldn't because the air is too bad. - Things like national parks are more crowded, less natural, and less tastefully done here than in any other developed country. - As a foreigner you can only stay at maybe half the hotels and guest houses around the country. The others will simply not allow you to stay. - As an American you'll deal with special attention from the government. - Going to a hospital where nobody speaks your native language is one of the most stressful experiences you will have. |