Living in China does not come without its challenges. There are many new things to get adjusted to: different cuisine, different customs, different language, and a completely different culture. Having a baby in China is certainly no exception to the rule.
Depending on your location in China and your personality, adjusting to life in China can vary. Foreigners that go to a very rural area, where there haven’t been a lot of foreigners before, are often bombarded with a lot of attention. Cities like Beijing & Shanghai, where there have been more foreigners traveling/living there, the people are more used to seeing foreigners and their customs. Some people take to this without any problem, but others are quite averse to it. Especially when it comes to their children.
*As you read these pages please remember that China is quite diverse and customs differ from place to place. You may find things where you live the same or different. If you have customs that you’ve observed not mentioned on this site, comment below and let us know your experience.
Great site and well focused!
I’m working on a blog post about lucky money in hospitals in China. Any info related to this aspect of baby-making?
Thanks a lot 🙂
Sorry, Benji. Haven’t heard of that one. I’ll keep my eyes open, though. BTW, we’d love to have some hospital information in Zhuhai if you know anything!
Yi-Li – Props to our friends at Image Cloud Design (www.imageclouddesign.com) for the logo work.
Thanks so much for letting us know about your book. Maybe we can consult you on some additional customs?
Great site (and I love your logo!). I noticed that you have various links and articles about “curious customs” in China, such as “doing the month” or having the mother stay quiet during childbirth, or (not) eating certain foods. These customs have a long history, and a lot of them are also discussed in the traditional Chinese medical literature. In case anyone is interested in historical details, I have written a lot about this (including the Chinese equivalent of “natural childbirth”) in my recent book, _Reproducing Women: Medicine, metaphor, and childbirth in late imperial China_ (2010) http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520260689