Before I moved to China, I imagined sitting in teahouses discussing Lao Tzu and Confucius. In reality the four years I spent living there weren’t much like that. With that in mind, here are some of the things that surprised me the most:

No. 1: Chinese children have difficult childhoods

Due to the “one child policy” many children are used to getting everything they want — a phenomenon known as “little emperor” syndrome. At the same time however, the children have insane school schedules and face great pressure from their parents. This pressure also extends to their teachers — I’ll never forget the following conversation from a parents’ meeting:

Mother: “He’s been learning English for two years, why isn’t he fluent yet?”

Me: “Because he’s 5 years old and he only comes here for an hour a week.”

Mother: “Fine. He can come twice a week. But I want him fluent in a months’ time.”

No. 2: Foreigners are treated as celebrities

Outside of the top-tier cities, foreigners get a lot of attention. People stare in the street, and the braver ones ask if they can have a photo with you. This was amusing at first – but it can soon begin to feel like you’re an animal in a zoo.

No. 3: There is a business of fake foreigners

Foreign staff can make your company appear more prestigious — so some Chinese firms hire foreigners to sit in on important client meetings.Typically these foreigners know nothing about the company and can’t speak the language. That doesn’t matter though, because they are only expected to look smart and nod.

No. 4: “The Backstreet Boys” are popular

I thought no one had listened this group since the 1990s, but it turns out that most of China still does. A student of mine once asked whether I liked the Backstreet Boys.

“They’re not boys anymore,” I replied. “They’re middle-aged men.”

“Yes,” he said, “but we cannot call them ‘The Backstreet Middle-Aged Men.’ It does not sound like fun.”

No. 5: So is Titanic

To give you a sense of Titanic’s popularity, I taught 5-year-old kids who knew how to say “You jump, I jump” but couldn’t say “How are you?” Not a single day went by that I didn’t hear the Celion Dion Titanic soundtrack. I still believe a Backstreet Boys version of that song is a billion-dollar idea.

No. 6: Money is everything

Whenever I met someone new, they always asked the same three questions:

• Where are you from?
• What is your job?
• How much money do you earn?

Money is the route to status and people a person’s character is often measured by the size of their bank account.

Take a look at the following conversation for example:

Chinese man: “My best friend is a great man.”

Me: “Why?”

Him: “He has an expensive car.”

No. 7: There is motivational dancing before work

Each morning, shop employees congregate outside and the manager leads them through a dance routine. This is supposed to motivate them for the rest of the day. I asked some students whether they thought it worked. One replied: “If someone forced you to dance would you feel motivated or annoyed?”

Fair point.

No. 8: People shout for health benefits

Some people like to climb to the top of a hill in the morning and scream loudly — to clear the tension from their bodies. I tried this once and I must admit I felt more relaxed afterward. The only downside was that I felt like a mental patient.

No. 9: Karaoke is a daily occurrence

Karaoke is extremely popular in China. It is impossible to walk down a road without seeing a karaoke lounge — and most bars have an overworked karaoke machine, too. Typically Europeans only do karaoke when they’re drunk, but in China it’s common to go to a karaoke lounge (sober) in the middle of the day.

No. 10: Food is a national obsession

I knew the Chinese were proud of their food, but I had been unprepared for the sheer number of dishes. Each province has its own specialties — and it would take several lifetimes to sample them all. When you meet someone they might ask “Have you eaten yet?” Apparently this habit comes from the time of the Great Chinese Famine — when asking a friend whether they had eaten was a question of genuine concern.

No, 11: There is a ‘new’ Chinese medicine

Although traditional Chinese medicine is still widely used, many people choose pharmaceuticals instead. They prefer to receive these medicines via a drip, so every day people sit outside pharmacies attached to drips. Some of them aren’t even that ill — my boss ‘went for a drip’ whenever he had a hangover.

No. 12: Students learn by rote

There is a heavy emphasis on memorising facts and figures, which is the complete antithesis to the English education system — where critical thinking is the aim. In some classes, Chinese students are forced to learn the dictionary from A to Z — which explains why some of them overuse words that began with A, B or C.

No. 13: The smog in Beijing might be worse than you think

Before moving to the capital I was aware of the pollution — but I hadn’t anticipated how bad it would be. Some days I barely could see 50 metres ahead. It’s so bad that Beijingers will often greet you with,  “Good pollution levels today, isn’t it?”

No. 14: Chinese New Year can be tense

At New Year, Chinese people avoid using words with negative connotations — such as death, poverty and sickness  — as this is seen as a bad omen for the coming year. A Chinese friend told me her family became extremely angry with her last New Year because she mentioned feeling unwell. So the next time there is family tension at the Christmas dinner table, be grateful you’re not Chinese — imagine the extra strain that trying to remain positive would bring.