China’s changes right in front of my eyes

The past six years of my life were spent travelling the world, but China has always had a way of consistently calling me back. My adventures living abroad began in Xi'an, China, in 2012, and in total, I've spent three years in the country on and off during this time. While I'll never forget the initial culture shock of Xi'an in 2012, back before I could distinguish between the Chinese characters on a menu, the real shock came upon moving back for my second experience in the city in 2015.

In just three years, the city had radically changed. I remember asking some colleagues where we would be going for dinner, and they suggested the Xi'an Brewery. I remarked that the city must have changed a lot since my memories of Xi'an three years before consisted of sipping Tsingtao beer on low stools in the street with chatty vendors selling their culinary creations hard at work around us. I was told that this was one of three breweries in Xi'an these days and that the Western food served there was just like home.

Was I really back in the same city where cheese was unheard of just three years earlier? I remember getting a call from my friend Sam in 2012 that New Zealand Cheddar was at Wal-Mart. I rushed as fast as I could to get a hold of a block since it was a creature comfort of home that was normally not seen in the city. Back then, if you wanted a modest cheese selection, you had to travel to the outskirts to buy cheese at Metro at pocket-burning prices.

Not only was cheese incredibly common, but Xi'an was now a place where foreigners could buy just about any comfort from home. Multiple foreign grocery stores had opened that gave no indication of the country we were in. Restaurants were serving high-quality burgers and trendy Western-style brunches, and both Chinese people and foreigners were sampling anything international. In just three years, the nightclubs were playing more English songs, and young people were coming up to me to ask in English if I was a tourist who needed assistance. English signage that had previously not existed was popping up everywhere to make my life easier.

The initial charms of Xi'an had not disappeared, however. The old men could still be seen practicing tai chi in the mornings and playing mahjong in the afternoons. My favorite Bo Cai Mien spinach noodle stand was still there, and the woman actually remembered how much spice I wanted after three years away. Xi'an maintained its own charm while also demonstrating international growth at a impressive rate. Shiny new buildings were cropping up left and right, but the ancient city wall remained constant.

I found myself even more dumbfounded in 2017 when I decided that I wanted to make China my home for the long term. I wanted a bigger city, however, so I signed a contract with a company in Shanghai. I had visited the city once before in 2012 when cash was something people still regularly used, and I was anything but prepared for the technologically forward city that Shanghai had become.

During my first stint in China, WeChat was just becoming known among the small foreign community, but by the time I arrived in Shanghai five years later, existing in China without it had become impossible. Combined with Alipay, these two apps had made life in China almost too easy for foreigners. The idea of going home where we wouldn't have these conveniences is daunting. Other apps such as Didi had released English versions, and in Shanghai it was apparent right away that I could get away without speaking a word of Chinese for weeks. If I got sick, I could go to a top-notch hospital with doctors who spoke to me no differently than a doctor in my home country.

All of the changes are fantastic and they have made a beautiful fusion of East and West. Even in an international city such as Shanghai, I have the option to strike a balance of the home comforts I do appreciate and the Chinese culture that attracted me here in the first place. Some foreigners integrate more than others, but China now gives you that choice with English signage everywhere and a significantly more welcoming attitude to foreign inclusion. While it feels like decades ago that I first stepped off a plane in Xi'an due to the incredible changes China has undergone in this short time, it has only been six years.

Upon visiting Xi'an this year, I see that it is still less of an international city than Shanghai, but I'm also seeing many of the same large conveniences. My home country doesn't have the same high-quality train network that facilitated my visit, and I can see that living in China is living in the future. I'm just excited to see what's to come--whether that be new skyscrapers, more baozi, faster trains, or quicker food delivery--China is open to change.

Emily is a keen world traveler and amateur writer based in Shanghai. She currently works in university admissions and is always happy to try new things.