Surviving the first six months in China

The first six months in mainland China for an extended stay (work, study, family relocation) follow a recognisable pattern. Here is what to expect, in roughly the order it happens.

Week 1-2: arrival shock and admin

Land. Hotel for a few nights while you find an apartment. Open a bank account. Get a Chinese SIM card. Register with the local Public Security Bureau.

What's hard: jet lag plus dealing with paperwork in Mandarin plus finding food you can identify. Most newcomers eat at international chains for the first week.

What helps: a relocation services company (¥3,000-¥8,000 covering the first month's logistics) handles the bank account, SIM, registration, school enrolment paperwork. Worth it if your employer covers the cost.

Month 1: settling

Move into your apartment. Buy basic kitchen and household items (Taobao does most of this; allow 3-7 days for delivery). Set up internet. Register utilities. Start orientation at work or school.

Apps installed and active by end of month 1: WeChat, Alipay, Didi, Meituan, Pleco, Baidu Maps, Amap. The 'I have apps' phase begins.

What's hard: the basic-life logistics in a non-English environment. Even with apps, the friction is constant.

Months 2-3: novelty and exhaustion

The honeymoon phase. Everything is new. You photograph everything. You eat at every kind of restaurant. You make plans to learn Mandarin seriously.

By the end of month 3, the novelty has worn off. The language barrier feels permanent. You realise the expat bubble is comfortable. You may experience a low-grade homesickness.

What's hard: the energy gap between 'I should learn Mandarin' (frequently spoken) and 'I'm learning Mandarin' (less frequently sustained).

What helps: structured Mandarin classes — 2-3 hours per week of formal class plus daily app practice. Don't try to teach yourself; the dropout rate is high.

Month 4: adjustment trough

The hardest month for most expats. The novelty is gone, the difficulty isn't. Daily-life friction accumulates: the building management didn't fix the heating, the taxi driver didn't understand your address, the bank account requires a fresh stamp from a branch you can't find.

Symptoms: irritability, retreat into expat-only social circles, scrolling Instagram for hours, sudden food cravings for home cooking, comparing everything unfavourably to home.

What helps: - Acknowledge the trough is normal and temporary. - Talk to other expats who've been through it. - Find one Chinese friend who'll explain things to you without judgement. - Schedule a return visit home for a holiday. - Don't make major life decisions during this month.

Month 5: recovery and adjustment

The trough breaks. You realise you've started doing things in Mandarin without thinking. You order at restaurants without anxiety. You navigate the metro without checking. You have one or two ongoing relationships with Chinese colleagues or neighbours.

What's hard: realising you've been in the expat bubble more than you'd like.

What helps: deliberate effort to push past the bubble. See the expat-bubble guide for specifics.

Month 6: equilibrium

You've stabilised. Your apartment feels like home. You have a regular weekly routine. You have a small social circle, possibly partly Chinese. Your Mandarin has progressed past survival level. You can handle most daily-life situations independently.

You also have a clearer view of whether you want to stay long-term. Many people make the 1-year-versus-multi-year decision around this point.

What helps across the whole period

• Routine matters more than novelty. A weekly Mandarin lesson at the same time each week beats ad-hoc study.
• One thing at a time. Don't simultaneously start a serious Mandarin programme, a fitness regime, a new job, a romantic relationship and a hobby. Pick two.
• Talk to other expats but also push past them.
• Take care of physical health. Air quality, sleep, diet. The combination of new environment and stress can crash health quickly.
• Schedule a home visit at month 6. Even a short trip resets perspective.

What's harder than expected

• The language barrier is more persistent than people predict.
• The friendships with Chinese people take longer to deepen than friendships with other expats.
• The bureaucratic friction (visa renewals, bank issues, ID-related problems) recurs.
• Air quality bad days affect mood more than expected.
• Distance from home family (illness, ageing parents) feels heavier from China than from a closer location.

What's easier than expected

• The day-to-day is less stressful once routines settle.
• Costs are manageable on most expat salary packages.
• Most things actually work — Chinese infrastructure is excellent.
• People are friendlier than the stereotype suggests.
• The food is genuinely good.

The first six months are the hardest. Year two is substantially easier. Year three you start being asked for advice by new arrivals.