Chinese home life centers on strong family bonds, multi-generational living (often in apartments), and filial piety, with distinct roles (provider father, homemaker/childcare mother), though modernization brings changes, especially with both parents working and grandparents heavily involved in raising grandchildren amidst high-pressure education and housing realities.
As an ancient saying goes, "The family is essential under Heaven."1 Traditional Chinese family virtues include: One should respect the elderly and love the young; a virtuous woman brings her husband good; a kind mother brings up children dutiful to the family; the younger brother should respect the elder brother and ...
In China, spending time with family is expected. Chinese people respect hierarchy and appreciate proper social relations, full of harmony and with minimal conflict. Families in cities tend to live in apartments, often with grandparents. Filial piety and loyalty are valued by most Chinese families.
Yes, approximately 90% of people in China own their homes, making it one of the highest homeownership rates globally, a result of significant housing reforms starting in 1998 that privatized public housing, alongside strong cultural emphasis on owning property as a marker of stability and a prerequisite for marriage, though it's important to note ownership is of the building, not the land, which remains state-owned. Urban rates hover around 87%, while rural rates are over 95%, with many families owning multiple properties.
A society where problems are hidden rather than solved can appear “orderly,” but that order is often achieved through coercion and silence, not care and dignity. Homelessness exists, but it is made largely invisible through a mix of short-term containment, forced removal, and strict control over reporting.
According to the China Real Estate Index System (CREIS), as of October 2025, the average price of newly built residential properties across 100 monitored cities stood at RMB 16,973 (USD 2,389) per square meter, while second-hand homes averaged RMB 13,268 (USD 1,867) per square meter.
China's "3-hour rule" for minors restricts children under 18 to playing online video games for only three hours per week, specifically from 8 PM to 9 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, to combat gaming addiction and improve health. Implemented by the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) in 2021, the rule mandates gaming companies use real-name verification and facial recognition to enforce limits, though some children bypass it using adult accounts.
By 2020, China had eradicated extreme poverty. However, in 2024, 15.2 percent of the population still lived on less than $8.30 a day (in 2021 purchasing power parity [PPP] terms), a higher living standard benchmark used as a reference by the World Bank to compare progress across countries.
The "Three Ts" in China refer to the highly sensitive topics of Taiwan, Tibet, and Tiananmen Square, which are major taboos and subjects of strict censorship, with discussions often discouraged or forbidden due to their challenge to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) narrative and authority. Foreigners are often advised to avoid these topics to prevent discomfort, legal issues, or awkwardness with Chinese citizens.
Five US dollars (around 35 Chinese Yuan) isn't a lot in China for tourists but is a meaningful amount for daily necessities, buying several street food meals or bus rides, though it won't go far in big cities for luxuries, varying greatly by location and type of purchase.
Living in China: What Life is Like as an Expat
In this regard, during the 2020 National People's Congress (NPC) session, NPC deputy Huang Xihua suggested removing the penalty policy for having more than three children. Previously, the fine, called a "social upbringing fee" or "social maintenance fee", was the punishment for the families having more than one child.
However, it is important to note that cohabitation before marriage is still not widely accepted in some parts of China, particularly in more conservative rural areas. Additionally, parents and older generations may still hold traditional values and disapprove of cohabitation before marriage.
In Chinese ethics, the “Five Virtues” refer to “Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom and Trustworthiness”, which are the core values of Confucianism, hence also the values to be adhered to by Junzi Corporations.
A study conducted by the Chinese Children's Happy Growth Index Research Group on the Youth Happiness Growth Index surveyed 3,500 children in seven cities including Beijing and Guangzhou, revealing that 64.4% of the children reported being very happy, but 7.5% indicated that their happiness growth index had not yet ...
Although Chinese society is welcoming and Chinese people are friendly to foreigners, regularly failing to understand the culture or language can make you feel isolated. Poor internet connection. Chinese internet restricts access to Western social media and websites, including Google.
China's "0.1% rule" refers to its October 2025 export controls, requiring licenses for foreign products containing ≥0.1% by value of certain Chinese-origin rare earths or made with controlled Chinese rare earth tech, extending China's jurisdiction extraterritorially to high-tech supply chains like EV magnets and AI chips, impacting global industries by giving Beijing leverage over critical materials. This "de minimis" rule creates significant compliance burdens for foreign firms, potentially halting supply of advanced tech.
The pooled mean sleep duration of 21 studies with available data was 6.82 hours/day (95% CI: 6.59-7.05 hours/day). The estimated proportions of sleep duration <5 hours/day, <6 hours/day, <7 hours/day were 18.8% (95% CI: 1.7%-35.9%), 26.7% (95% CI: 19.7%-33.7%) and 42.3% (95% CI: 34.8%-49.8%), respectively.
If you hold an ordinary Australian passport, you may be able to enter China without a visa for no more than 30 days for business, tourism, visiting family and friends or transit. Chinese authorities will assess your eligibility to enter China.
The 4-2-1 family structure refers to families in which three generations coexist in a variety of family forms. The structure emphasizes a social living community, including four older people (paternal and maternal grandparents), two parents, and one child, based on relationships of marriage, kinship, and adoption.
Chinese citizens are allowed to own private property by the Constitution, which includes lawful income, houses, daily necessities, tools for production and raw materials as provided by the Property Rights Law. However, China does not allow private ownership of land or natural resources.
It really depends on what you're going to do with that $100. If you're living a western style of life with food, $100 US in the cities would be like $120 US maybe? It'll stretch out a little. But if you're eating like the locals, buying groceries and the like, this can be a small fortune.