[prairiedogg]

China has never been a place, historically, that has welcomed foreigners as anything other than short-term visitors. To the extent that it has, those foreigners have become Chinese (Manchu, Mongol - and the "welcome" there is uh… being used pretty liberally). From a legal and policy perspective, there are very few paths to long-term residency in China for people who are not of Chinese descent, and of the nominal few there are, there are only a tiny handful of foreigners who live there for longer than a decade or so. By law you can't become a citizen of the PRC without being of Chinese descent. Chinese people are wonderful and on an individual level are incredibly warm and open to all the depths and facets of human relationships with non-Chinese foreigners. As a society, China has, in general, never been a particularly welcoming place for folks who aren't Chinese. I don't see any indication of that changing any time soon. Would love to be wrong.

[byw]

My impression with the visa situation is that while technically green card is very difficult, in practice most expats have no issue renewing their work visas, so effectively living as long term residents - buying properties, getting married, and sending their kids to (mostly international) schools. I've also seen quite a few who worked for a few years and then started their own businesses.

In terms of how well expats integrate, I've seen people from across the spectrum. There are definitely those who are meshed into the local social circles. Foreigner privilege is a thing, and I find that how you view social status is a strong determinant in how well you integrate. Those with a more egalitarian mindset seem to do well in this regard.