I can't speak for "founder/tech startup" scene in China, but I did spend 4 years as a manager in the property development arm of a large foreign retailer. 1) A

I can't speak for "founder/tech startup" scene in China, but I did spend 4 years as a manager in the property development arm of a large foreign retailer. 1) As far as I know, the overpaid expat days are over. A lot of Chinese have returned from long stints overseas, and they're bringing that experience back with them. If you want a good position, now you actually need to offer something unique. 2) It's not impossible, but you will struggle if you can't speak Chinese. It's funny how this working generation were all forced to learn English at school, but many of them can barely string a few words together. Depends on your industry, of course. 3) Most of your business interactions will be unpleasant. Chinese companies will lie, cheat, steal, and anything they can to sell you down the river. Most of your time will be spent watching your back and trying not to get screwed. Same goes for employees. 4) The pollution is horrible, and one of the main reasons why so many people left at the same time I did. 5) Managing teams can be a nightmare. Chinese employees love empire building, and their answer to any problem is "you need to give me more people". 6) Decisions are very much top-down, and noone wants to second-guess the boss. This means companies are constantly lurching from long periods of inaction (waiting for the CEO/ Chairman to make a decision) to mad sprints/crunch time (once they make a decision and insist that it be carried out in a ridiculous timeframe). 7) "Face-time" is very much a thing. Many employees are working 12 hour days, but most of that is spent on WeChat/mobile games/etc. In short, would I recommend someone do it? Yes - if you can speak Chinese, have no kids and can swing a well-paid, time-limited posting (say 2 years) with your existing company. It's an eye-opening experience and really makes you value things that you take for granted in the West.