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Wellbeing

8 things different about life in the UK vs China

By UALHalls 15 Aug 2017

Living in the UK is very different to my life in China! 🇨🇳

I moved to the UK excited to start my new life and experience a different culture. However, the big difference between the lifestyle in the UK and China shocked me.

Here are some of my findings...

1 Pound = 9 Yuan 💷
Please do not ask me the cost of living in the UK - everything is so expensive under the exchange rate. I spend £1 (almost 9 Yuan) in China to buy 4 or 5 lettuces but here, I can only buy one. Sad times!
Chips, chips, chips 🍟
“What do you want to eat today? Fish and chips? Rib and chips? Steak and chips?" and it makes me miss Chinese food. Rice, noodles, buns, dumplings and so on. But British food and the price has forced me to become a good cook...
Cash or card? 💳
The common methods of payment here are cash and card, but in China I am more used to Alipay and WeChat payment by QR code, so the only thing I would need is my smartphone. Make sure you remember your wallet!
Push the button 🔘
Crossing the street in China, we use an overhead bridge but, in the UK, I always forget that I need to push the button first before crossing the road so that the traffic lights change.
Let’s go enjoy the sun! ☀️
Chinese girls always carry sun umbrellas when they go out to avoid tanning. But British people are obsessed with the sun and lying on the grass in summer is very popular.
Fancy a drink? 🍻
A lot of students in the UK like to relax in a pub or bar after but it's a little tedious for me but that's because social activities are more varied in China. We would go to karaoke, play Mojang and eat hot pot instead.
Send an email 👩🏻‍💻
In China, if you need to inform others of an important message, you would use a telephone. But in the UK, email plays a key role in work and daily life. Either way, make sure your information reaches the other person successfully!
"Oh, I'm sorry..." 😅
British people say “sorry” a lot! Before moving to the UK, I only used the word when you did something wrong or to express my apologies. If you bump into a Britsh people, they will probably apologise before you do.