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Finally, and most ironically, freedom. One would think that when living in the States, the land of liberty, one would have more individual freedom. Ironically, when living as an expat in China, your individual life becomes so much more open than it could be in the US. To clarify, let me give an example. When living here, if my family wanted food, we had two easy and cheap options. We could head to a near by noodle shop and spend eight dollars feeding six people, or we could walk to the nearby market and buy the necessary ingredients to whip up a delicious homemade meal. This freedom of lifestyle is not always seen in the States, where price dictates much of life. In the US, living on little pay can trap one's choices to fewer food and lifestyle options. In China, a small salary doesn't possess nearly the same effect as it does in America, for in Chinese cities everything always seems to be nearby and cheap. An expat living here is rarely trapped in an unwanted lifestyle, but rather always has the freedom to choose how to live.Some people reading this may think that I have skipped over important aspects of China such as culture, language, people, etc. However, after taking a trip to Beijing or Kunming, you will see that, in all reality, the aspects mentioned above consistently have great impact on life in this country, making living in China more advantageous to living in the US in multiple ways.

最后，也是最讽刺的是，自由。也许有人会认为生活美国——这个自由之邦，人们将有更多的个人自由。讽刺的是，作为生活在中国的外籍人士，你的个人生活比在美国更开放。为了澄清，我举个例子。生活在这里，如果我们一家想要吃饭，我们有两个既容易又实惠的选择。我们可以到附近的面馆花上8刀，就可以喂饱六个人。或者我们可以步行到附近的市场购买一些食材，自己做顿美味的家常饭。这种自由的生活方式在美国并不常见，因为那里物价决定了你的生活（选择）。在美国，低薪水会减少你的食物和生活方式选择。在中国，低薪水不会像在美国一样举步维艰，因为在中国城市的一切东西都好像都在附近也很便宜。外籍人士住在这里很少会过着不想要的生活方式，而是始终自由地选择如何生活。
有些人读到这可能会认为我忽略了中国的重要方面，如文化，语言，人物，等等。然而，到了北京或昆明后，你会发现事实上我所提及的各方面对生活持续产生重大影响，使生活在中国很多方面比美国更有优势。

Joanie Wang 赞（36）
Instead of repeating some of the things others have said, I'll add something that I really didn't notice until I came back to the US.
Freedom is an amazing luxury in China. Not related to Facebook or internet or the government, but you, as an individual, have the freedom to do almost anything you want to do. The idea of total freedom when living abroad is different from the freedom you get once you move out of your parents’ house. You have the freedom to reinvent yourself, to hang out with a ton of people at the hottest party or to sit on the couch on a Friday night with a cup of tea without feeling bad that you’re not partying it up like everyone else. When I lived abroad on my own, it was me and my coworkers. Sure, I made friends with other expats and locals alike, but I didn’t feel obligated to hang out with so-and-so, and I could choose exactly what I wanted to do, every day with no strings attached and with no worries about how that would affect my friendships with said so-and-so. I was lucky that the place I worked at was filled with people who had similar interests and hobbies, and I could choose to go on a hike with them, or not.
More China-specific, as a (foreign) expat, I've seen so many people find and create opportunities for themselves that they never would have had if they were back in the States. A friend of mine who decided not to go to college went from playing drums as a hobby to pitching CCTV a show about music and different drumming techniques from China's variety of ethnic cultures. Even as an Asian American, I was able to work as a writer and editor for some local magazines, and was given a ton of responsibilities I never would have had as an intern at a magazine in the US.Freedom also means being able to wander the streets as a female without having to worry about crime - China is one of the safest places I've ever been, and I've never felt I was in danger while there.

我不会重复楼上已经说过的事，我会添加一些直到我回到美国才意识到的事情。
在中国自由是一种不可思议的享受。无关非死不可或互联网或政府，但是你，作为一个个体的你，几乎可以自由地做你想做的任何事情。在国外生活的自由与当你从父母那里搬出住时的那种自由不同。你有重塑自我的自由，在周五晚上，你可以与一群人去人气最旺的酒吧high，你也可以呆在家里坐在沙发上品茶，无需因为没有和其他人出去狂欢而感觉不好。当我住在国外时，这里只有我自己和同事。当然，我也和其他外国人及当地人交朋友，但我没有义务和某某某一起出去玩，我可以选择我想做的事，每天都无拘无束，也不用担心因此影响某某某的友谊。我很幸运，我工作的地方有很多共同兴趣和爱好的人，我有自由选择是否跟他们出去远足。
更中国——准确的说，作为外国人，我见过很多人为他们自己发现或创造了无数的机会，如果他们回到美国则是不可能的。我有一个爱好打鼓的朋友放弃上大学，而去参加CCTV的一个关于中国的多种民族的音乐和不同的打鼓技巧节目。即使作为一个亚裔美国人，我能一些当地杂志任作者和编辑工作，并给予我很多的职责，这些是我在美国杂志社当实习生永远不会有的。
自由也意味着作为一个女性能够漫步在街头而不必担心犯罪——中国是我去过的最安全的地方之一，我在那里从来没有觉得自己陷入险境。

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