The Essentials for a Beijing Dating Expat: How to Maneuver the Dating Scene
Throughout the years, China has continuously developed to accept more foreigners. Visa categories increased for tourists and those who wish for permanent residency.
Studies reveal that in 2017, China ranked fourth as the most favored destination, with more than 139 million who visited the country. In 2018, more than 47 million foreigners came. 51% of them are in the prime ages of 25-44 years old. Of the 10.13 million marriages recorded in that year, 480,000 partly involved foreigners.
The spectacular statistics on the national levels are mirrored in its capital city, Beijing.
Research estimates that the population in urban Beijing is about 20,462,610.
According to the preceding analysis, Beijing was rated third as the center point of the city’s expat population.
Expat Living in Beijing China
So how does it feel living in Beijing as an expat?
Surveys show that the majority of the expats in China are generally satisfied. It is continuing to attract many migrants because of the increasing number of Chinese people speaking in English, job opportunities, and career growth. Most expats work for the education, research, and academic field, as well as business.
On the flip side, foreigners who left enumerated high rental rates (Beijing identified eleventh in the world), poor air quality, and unsatisfactory healthcare standards.
The Dating Scene in Beijing
By gender, expats in China are sufficiently proportioned with males, comprising 54 percent while 46 percent are females. The expat population in China who are single is 38 percent, with 40 years old as the average age of the overall expat.
To match, China has the highest population of single men and women, presently at 240 million. A closer look at Beijing details that 55 percent of the unmarried population are male and 45 percent are female. Along with Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangzhou, Beijing has low marriage rates, with more and more Chinese men and women lingering in the dating scene.
Expats normally within the working and dating age complement the increasing marrying age of Chinese men and women currently at 26.3 years old.
This means there is a robust opportunity for expatriates and Beijing locals to meet and mingle in the dating scene. The decreased pressure to settle down early also allows the dating men and women to explore sufficiently and then focus on building relationships with firm foundations for marriage when they are ready.
More Must-Knows for the Beijing Dating Expat
The Beijing dating scene is generally non-discriminatory.
If dating in Beijing is a game, it is a fair one. All players have equal chances of getting a date.
Further, along with locals and Chinese people from the country’s other cities and provinces, Beijing is also home to foreign tourists and immigrants.
The dating pool is uniformly composed of:
- foreigners who date foreigners and locals
- locals who date locals and foreigners
- foreigners who only date fellow foreigners
- locals who only date foreigners
- foreigners who only date locals
- locals who only date fellow locals
Expats in Beijing have a surprising craze.
In most Asian countries, natives swoon over newcomers. On the other hand, in Beijing, foreigners, particularly Western men, usually are the ones who get obsessed with Chinese women. Online, this is humorously named “Yellow Fever.” The Chinese locals in Beijing are aware of how attractive they are to expats and their behavior in the dating scene reflects it. The Asian beauty who appears lovestruck may unceremoniously leave you for the new bachelor in town.
The dating phase in Beijing tends to be brief.
The bustling city has too many perplexities. It is a city of fast-paced relationships. Some people find this appealing and thrive. Most find it excessive and leave.
Nevertheless, whirlwind romances in Beijing can be cut short or lead to marriage. It doesn’t take long for a Beijing dating expat to determine whether a date was just an infatuation or one worth pursuing.
All who are participating in the Beijing dating scene are assertive and energetic.
There are frequent expat gatherings held to maintain connections and socialize. In these gatherings, a competitive number of Chinese singles come to hope for romantic relationships with foreigners. Hence, this is motivating to dating in Beijing expats who are looking for romance with a Beijing local. The relationships in Beijing are balanced, with both pursuing each other.
Whether open or exclusive, temporary or permanent, it is a commitment.
The reasoning behind the rising hookup lifestyle in Beijing is being pointed to young local boys and girls choosing to liberate themselves from conservative Chinese ways.
As the younger generation of Beijing gradually become expressive of their sexuality, the megacity’s culture shifts.
Accommodating people from the unfettered West has become easy for expats to find flings and affairs based on sexual desires. But note that relationships in Beijing, however casual it may seem, are quite earnest. It is usually the Chinese local girls that get attached. If you have gone out a few times or had any sexual experience together, it is considered a commitment.
Online Dating in Beijing
Beijing expats dating are commonly fast and fleeting. The expat community often notes how people come and go in Beijing and no one seems to stay. Most foreigners then just live their dating life to the fullest. Dating Beijing expats get equal attention from locals and foreigners so they do not tie themselves down with only one person. The good thing is, the locals are the same. More and more Chinese men and women in Beijing prefer to experience a brimming dating experience.
With the recent extensive developments in digital technology and the pandemic lasting longer than hoped, online matchmaking and dating services have become indispensable.
In China, Statistica records online dating platforms to have the most services being offered and have the highest number of users with 42.6 percent. Around 56 percent of the users said the wide reach enables them to meet people they would have otherwise encountered. Convenience comes second as a top reason in the use of online dating services and third is for its entertainment value.
China has banned most apps and sites popular to the rest of the world, but the country boasts equally, if not more, competitive platforms. Tan Tan, for one, is the popular substitute for Tinder. Momo, Let’s have dinner, Baihe, Zhenai, Jiayuan, Blued, Liu Liu, WeChat, and TrulyChinese are among the leading apps and sites in Beijing and the whole of China as well.
Truly Chinese is the most recommendable online dating service for expats, especially when new to the online dating scene, learning Mandarin, and familiarizing with Beijing’s dating culture. The site and its partner app’s interfaces are direct, simple, and easy to navigate. The supplementing blog spot is also a great resource for those who do not have any idea yet how to start.
Dating Tips
Establish expat connections.
It is best to tie up with staying expats to get additional reliable information about socializing and dating in Beijing.
The expat community in Beijing is compact. They know who has dated who and who is currently with who. While this may be awkward, it can be useful to gain perspective.
Also, this social circle is a dependable asset for practical knowledge, like local places where expats may frequent in Beijing to find dates. To expound, expats living in Beijing are raving about the Sanlitun Bar Street, the nightlife center of the megacity! It houses trendy shopping centers, art shops, hotels, popular pubs and bars, and romantic city views where you can meet your prospects.
More laid-back dating destinations would be the “hutong” parts of the city. Both local and foreign restaurants line up the alleys and streets of these areas. It is also where the best places to get to know classic China, like Houhai Lake and Nanluoguxiang. This is the region where foreigners and locals converge.
Stereotypes and hearsay.
For awareness, keep it at the back of your mind. But do not let it hinder you from making meaningful bonds. In the same way, this knowledge can help you by being able to recognize it when someone boxes you in with the typical characteristics of a Beijing dating expat. Depending on your preferred strategy, you can anticipate how you can set yourself apart to stand out or blend in to maneuver the dating scene smoothly!
Beijing dating expats should stay true and engaging.
Invite genuine interactions by being honest. Men and women in Beijing, especially for those who have been circulating in the dating arena for a considerable time, develop a keen sense of newcomers being authentic or just putting up a facade. The relationships you will have with them will greatly depend on what you’ll show them.
Though rising in numbers, the locals still do not do casual dates as those in the West. As a Beijing dating expat, it is advisable to balance assertiveness and prudence when courting a Chinese man/woman.
Make great first impressions.
Appearance matters. The standard of beauty varies from place to place, culture to culture, and/or just personal preference. But cleanliness, good manners, and confidence are all universal qualities that all of humanity will find attractive. Online, set up your profile advertising your best qualities as a date. Describe yourself accurately by bringing your personality into your word picture.
Set the right expectations and be transparent.
All relationships in Beijing are considered commitments. As in all commitments, you need to be clear whether it is one to be continued or pursued.
Conclusion – The Beijing Dating Expat Guide
To be the ultimate Beijing dating expat means a lot of persistence, a good deal of patience, tons of positivity, and a little bit of wit.
Arriving in Beijing as an expat, it will be natural to feel apprehensive. The greatest tip you can take away from here would be to shift the anxiety to excitement. Remember, challenges become adventures with enthusiasm!
