6 Things I Learned While Living in China as an ESL Teacher

Introduction

While it’s easy to learn plenty by reading online articles and watching YouTube videos, it’s sometimes necessary to have firsthand experience. When I started living in China as an ESL teacher, I discovered a few unique things about everyday life, culture, and the ESL teaching environment in the country.

Temples are legitimately peaceful places

There are plenty of old, traditional temples throughout China. These are major cultural heritage and learning sites, so China has put a tremendous amount of effort into restoring and maintaining them. As a result, temple districts are some of the most genuinely relaxing places in the entire country. Anytime I needed to get away from the bustle of the city, I would buy a hot tea and walk around temple grounds. It was a nice balm for the soul.

Wish Ribbons in Chinese Culture

In Chinese culture, red ribbons are used for making wishes. ESL teachers in China can visit plenty of archways, wishing trees, money trees, hongbao trees, and temple sites to tie red ribbons around branches or ropes. It makes for an impressive sight, with layers and layers of red ribbons covering branches. I had a few of my Chinese-speaking ESL coworkers write my wish for me in Chinese before tossing it onto the appropriate branch.

Red Envelopes are Very Exciting

I was quite surprised when my ESL boss went around the office passing out red envelopes to his employees. I was even more surprised when I was granted one, finding a random amount of money inside. Red symbolizes good luck and prosperity in China, so the act of giving out red envelopes around Chinese New Year is a popular cultural tradition.

The ancient story I was told in regard to the envelope tradition was quite interesting: A demon known as Sui terrorized children on the eve of Chinese New Year, so parents would try to keep their children awake all night. One child was given eight coins to play with while staying awake, but the child still fell asleep. However, when Sui appeared, the coins (which were actually the Eight Immortals in disguise) flared with light and drove the demon away.

I enjoyed the story even more than the red envelope, though both were a lot of fun to receive.

Appearances are Important

In China, much of the culture is high-context. How a person gestures, the tones they use, the manner in which they dress, and the posture they hold are important in signaling different types of communication. It took some practice, but some of my Chinese friends coached me on ways to appear more approachable and considerate when working with my ESL students. These subtle lessons greatly improved my effectiveness as a foreign English teacher in China.

This is an OLD Country

China is a truly ancient country with a rich, layered culture. There are cities with over 5,000 years of historical legacy and written sources which are nearly as old. Learning about China’s past and cultural heritage can seem daunting at times—there’s simply so much of it. But there’s always something new to discover, from Terracotta Warriors to Baoding Mountain Cliffside Statues to the Sanxingdui Ruins to revitalized temples. ESL teachers wishing to learn more about the country they’re living and teaching in can always find more stories, legends, relics, histories, and cultural anecdotes.

Guangzhou Goat Story

One of my favorite methods for experiencing a country comes from experiencing their storytelling traditions. I believe that understanding a culture comes from appreciating their food and learning about the stories that shaped them.

During a visit to Guangzhou, I got to visit the famous Five Goat Statues. An ESL teacher I was traveling with provided an abbreviated version of the legend.

The legend states that in ancient Guangzhou, during a devastating drought, five gods appeared from the South China Sea on a five-colored cloud, each riding a goat and carrying wheat. They distributed the wheat to the people, ensuring future abundance, and the goats they left behind turned into stone statues. These statues symbolize the city’s prosperity and are part of Guangzhou, China’s narrative heritage.

Conclusion

Overall, there are endless interesting things to learn while living and working in China as an ESL teacher. Half the fun of living abroad comes from discovering new aspects of the world we live in, especially in a culturally rich and diverse country like China.