Migrating to another country is not simple and even more, if it is another continent. A culture, language and ways of seeing and understanding life and work totally different from Spain and that are factors that test anyone who decides to undertake in the Asian country. In spite of this, there are those who manage to adapt in one aspect, which is that growth opportunities are far superior to those found in Spain.
This is the case of Adrián Díaz, a Spanish entrepreneur who settled in China to make his way in the business world and who in an interview with the Conpdepodcast channel, which has more than 471,000 followers, explains the lights and shadows of living and working in an environment so different from the European.
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Discipline as a central axis of work
One of the things that surprised Díaz most was the work discipline that prevails in Chinese companies. As explained, workers show a strong commitment to their jobs and are willing to dedicate long days in order to achieve their objectives.
“In China the culture of effort is very marked. People take it seriously: if they have to work ten hours, they work them. The discipline is very strong,” he explains. This level of demand, however, is not always easy to assimilate for a western one accustomed to smaller times or a greater balance between personal and professional life and digital disconnection.
Despite this, Díaz affects that this intensity also translates into results that are tangible, since it sees how the projects that advance rapid, companies that grow at high speed and an environment where innovation has a leading role.
More opportunities than in Spain
Another of the points that the entrepreneur highlighted is the abundance of opportunities that China offers for those who are willing to risk. “If you have a good project and you know how to move, here there is a market and there is an investment. It is a huge country, with an increasingly broad middle class and wanting to consume,” he explains.
In his opinion, Spain drags a feeling of stagnation. “When I go back and go outside.
That dynamic, he says, makes China a country where an entrepreneur can grow and climb his business faster than in Europe.
What they don’t have to work in China
Now, not everything is positive, says Díaz. Strong labor discipline often becomes constant pressure, where rest and conciliation are secondary. “If you are not able to adapt, you can burn you quickly. It is not an environment for everyone,” he warns.
To this is added the cultural and linguistic barrier, which hinders integration for foreigners. Although the big cities are increasingly open, the difference in the way of relating, negotiating or even understanding success can generate clashes.
As for housing, one of the problems that worries both in Spain and in China, the entrepreneur points out that there is uncertainty due to the real estate bubble of the Asian country. “I don’t know if it’s going to explode tomorrow, but the truth is that the economy continues to grow around 4%,” he clarifies, suggesting that the magnitude of the Chinese market allows him to resist tensions that are perceived in Europe as more serious.