So you've started thinking about it; you're going to move to Beijing. Pretty intimidating, right? Here's this massive city of 20 million people, the capital city of China, big and foreign and alien and unknown. Where on Earth do you begin?
Most expatriates relocating to China for the first time are in for the usual stages of adaptation to a new home:
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Enthusiasm: when you first arrive, everything is new, stimulating, and so exotic, so different. It's energizing! There's so much to explore, so much to do, and so much to be excited by... it's a process of discovering an entirely new world to live in.
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Disillusionment: this is the stage normally referred to as "culture shock," when the thrill of the "newness" has worn off (typically between 1 and 3 months into your move), and the annoying things about a new culture begin to grate on your nerves. Perhaps people aren't polite enough - or perhaps they're too polite. Some things that are easy in your home country are much harder than they need to be here. The language barrier complicates things, some of your favorite foods are impossible to get (or don't taste nearly as good), most of your friends and family are so far away, and there are so many things that people in your new city just don't seem to do right; it's maddening.
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Adaptation: the final stage of cultural adjustment, where things aren't new anymore, and they aren't frustrating either; that's just the way they are. You're moving around your adopted home like a native now, and people are telling you you're more local than the locals. But you don't even notice; it's just how you do things.
But at this point, you're not even worried about those things; all you can think is, "How am I even going to pull off this move? SHOULD I even make this move?"
This article was written to help you answer those questions, introduce you to the challenges and differences you're likely to face in Beijing, and help you decide if a move to Beijing is right for you - and how best to make it if you decide it is.
