Meet the 'huapiao': China's drifters from abroad

Gary Li: I think the large cities in China are certainly good places for young people to come and experience a dynamic stage of their careers, but they need to be committed and be willing to face some challenges. Living in China is not a smooth ride or a long holiday but a real challenge to someone who is used to the comforts of the West.

But for those who persevere it is immensely rewarding. I do think that in the large cities at least, the environment is fairly tolerant toward people of all races, gender and sexual orientations.

Raul Parra: For young people, you can learn Chinese here and stay as students.

But for professionals, competition in China is really tough for foreigners. Earlier, nobody wanted to come to China and now everybody wants to stay here. You don't compete with foreigners, but Chinese.

Here is a place for people who have something to offer. If you are an expert in your own country, and you come here, you will be valued for what you can do, valued by society for the knowledge you have. But if you are not, things will be different. So, my advice to young people - if you want to come to China, you need to offer more.

Learning Chinese is still the key to many things because there are not many people who can speak in other languages.