I’m currently a postdoc in China and the experience has been pretty good, so I thought I’d share some information about it here. If you’re from a country that’s less developed than China, doing a postdoc in China could potentially give you a leg up your career. (If you’re from a developed country, don’t bother, there’s probably better options.)

Here are some reasons:

1. There are a lot of open postdoc positions because there’s a hard cap on the number of PhDs Chinese universities are allowed to produce, but there is no such cap for postdocs. Thus there aren’t enough domestic PhDs to meet demand. I’ve seen labs with 10 postdocs and 2 PhD students. I’ve heard many PIs grumble about how hard it is to find postdocs.

2. It’s easy to get funding and the pay is decent. China has had dedicated funding for postdocs since 1985, and most local governments have regional postdoc fellowships on top of that. Though you should definitely check with current postdocs how much they’re actually getting, since some of that funding was cut due to COVID, YMMV by region. Usually there is a bonus if you graduated from a top 100/200 university. There’s also a lot of grant writing opportunities and dedicated grants for foreign scholars you can write in English, and the odds are not too bad, better than the US at least.

3. It’s a temporary job by design, so you don’t have to worry about being stuck there for longer than you want. Postdoc positions in China are called “postdoctoral mobile stations”, it’s supposed to be a stop in your career, and then you move on. The fellowships typically last 2-3 years; after the time is up, the PI will likely be shooing you away because they’ll have to pay for you out of their own funding from this point on. I don’t recommend trying to immigrate to China, but spending a few years there temporarily can be a good experience.

If you do decide to give it a shot, here is some advice:

1. Check with current lab members to see if the work culture is a fit with you, and try to pick a younger PI if possible. Most younger PIs have overseas experience and many of them don’t subscribe to the “work yourself to death” Asian culture. My current PI is pretty chill and doesn’t care whether we show up to the lab or not, as long as the work gets done. My mental health is a lot better compared to when I was doing my PhD in the US.

2. Again, double check the pay and try to min-max the various postdoc fellowships. Overseas experience is valued at Chinese universities, and you’ll probably get paid better than local postdocs for it.

3. Not all positions are posted, you can directly contact the PI you’re interested in and ask if they are taking postdocs. There’s no harm in applying for more positions, just try your luck.

4. For information about life in China in general, don’t go to r/China, try r/Chinalife instead, or regional subreddits such as r/Shanghai.