Making Friends with Locals in China (Part I)
As a foreigner in China, you will most probably want to make some local friends since people are the key to learning a new culture and adapting. The ability to clearly communicate with people of different cultural backgrounds is such a vital skill that you must never overlook. Chinese people are more than happy to make foreign friends, but the process can be hard if you don’t speak Chinese. Most foreigners would love genuine Chinese friends and not the ones that make you feel used. Below are some of the ways to make Chinese friends.
1. Get out there
Really, if you want to make friends then there is no way you will achieve that by shutting up in your apartment all day and night, that’s pretty obvious. If you are feeling homesick or lonely and you do not know how to speak Chinese, then you might start feeling that the only option you have is to stay in. Well, you just can’t let that happen to you. Don’t give in and just sit in your comfort zone. Why travel all those miles to such a beautiful country with rich culture only to sit in all day? If you want to make friends, leave your apartment and get out there.
2. Getting to know and bond with your classmates/colleagues.
Odds are that when you are living in China, you are probably studying or working. You definitely have classmates/colleagues probably around your age. Try spending some time with them outside the workplace or school. You can suggest eating out after class or work, and if you are a fan of karaoke, suggest hitting up KTVs on maybe a Friday night. Most Chinese adore KTV, this can be a great choice since you can bond over some music, food and drinks. Seeing a movie is another good option.
3. Knowing exactly what kind of friends you want.
Having Chinese friends really makes your life more fun and interesting while in China. To some extent, they make your life much more bearable and easier. When you make great friends, they can be quite resourceful and help you figure out a lot of things, from showing you how to do something and helping you find something or helping with your translation. The Chinese friends are exactly what you need to live and feel like a local, eat street food with them, and go shopping in the local markets together.
Lots of Chinese people are quite friendly and very much interested in making and meeting new friends from other places. This is mostly true with the younger college-going age but also with the older Chinese people. You can look for English Corner activities or cultural exchange clubs that you can join. These are all over the cities in China, but the easiest ways to get them is by joining WeChat groups and expat resources.
To be continued…