If you are considering going to live and work in China, then I am sure that you have already begun your research and read as much literature as possible regarding Chinese customs, culture and lifestyle.  I have lived in China now for over a year, (I taught in Beijing during the academic year of 2002-2003 and I am currently teaching in Shantou on a six month contract), and I wish to share some of the many unwritten cultural differences that I have experienced during this time. These are not things that I have ever found in the plethora of guidebooks available on living in China, these have all been discovered on my confusing, frustrating and sometimes painful, time in China.

Another common problem for Westerners is China is dealing with the omni-present problem of squat-toilets and lack of plumbing. It is not uncommon in public places such as schools, restaurants and shopping centres for the flushing mechanism to consist of a tap and a bucket, and usually, the only public place where a Western toilet can be found are in major international restaurant chains.

A tap and a bucket may sound fairly primitive, but this is often the classier end of the spectrum.

If you are lucky enough to find something resembling plumbing and the option of a western toilet, I would choose the squat toilet anytime. This may sound odd, as squat-toilet will require the ability to balance and aim in a straight line all at the same time, and this is not something that many foreigners have a lot of practise in.

But another valuable culture difference in China is that, while many Westerners consider squat-toilets to be old-fashioned and less hygienic, many of the Chinese consider Western toilets to be equally unhygienic.

Moving on to the slightly more acceptable topic of fashion and what to wear in China, I would advise conservative dress and covering up if you are to have any chance of minimising the level of starring and attention that you will certainly receive as a foreigner. This means refraining from wearing shorts above the knee for both men and women, trying to wear short sleeves if at all possible in the uncomfortably hot summer months, and certainly no cleavage for the women at any time. Most guidebooks will tell you that it is acceptable to dress fairly freely in China, but this is often not the case in reality. Many Chinese would rather be too hot in their clothing during summer, (I have seen people - locals - walking around in polo-neck jumpers in the height of summer,) than to be showing as much skin as Westerners do. Tank tops that are favoured by many Western women draw attention to our different body shape, and the slightest hint of cleavage will give many Chinese the impression that you are walking around in your underwear. The same can be said for shorts on both men and women.

I find summer a highly confusing time to determine what is considered to be acceptable clothing, as Chinese women will wear shorter skirts than many of their Western counterparts, and also wear dresses made of very thin, flimsy material. To many Westerners, this would attract more attention than a sleeveless top, but one crucial aspect to understand in China is that foreigners need to play by a different set of rules to the Chinese in order to minimise the starring. Before going to China, foreigners will need to accept that they will be starred at simply for being different.