你是哪种中国人
Which Chinese character are you?
Shenzhen founder or Chengdu bon vivant? A light test about the personalities of Chinese cities.
Your ideal Saturday?
Methodology
Which Chinese city are you? China’s regional cultures
你是哪
China is not one culture but dozens of regional characters, and Chinese people love to joke about the differences between cities. This light-hearted quiz shows which of eight cities would feel like home for your way of living and working.
Why Chinese cities are so different
Beijing is farther from Guangzhou than London is from Rome, and food, dialects and pace of life vary more than between many European countries. The capital, Beijing, values status, history and big-picture talk, while Shanghai prizes precision, style and international polish. Shenzhen, a city of migrants, lives by the motto “time is money”, and Guangzhou has been trading and eating well for two thousand years. Chengdu and Chongqing both love spicy food, but the first favours tea and a slow pace, the second mountains, energy and bluntness.
Eight cities, eight characters
The quiz features Shenzhen (speed and innovation), Shanghai (refinement and business by the rules), Beijing (power, culture and connections), Chengdu (work-life balance), Hangzhou (aesthetics and tech, home of Alibaba), Guangzhou (pragmatic trade), Xi’an (ancient history and steadiness) and Chongqing (fiery temperament). The descriptions draw on first-hand experience of working in these cities and on how Chinese people describe them. These are generalisations, of course, not rules: each of these megacities is home to millions of very different people.
How the quiz works
The questions cover everyday situations: how you spend weekends, what you order for dinner, how you behave in meetings and what pace of life you want. Each answer adds points to several cities, and the result is the city with the highest score plus the runner-up as your “second home”. There is no astrology involved, only your preferences matched against regional cultures. The quiz is meant as a fun introduction to China, not a scientific questionnaire.
What to do with your result
If you are planning a trip to China, your result suggests where to start exploring. If you do business there, it is worth remembering that a partner from Shanghai and one from Chongqing may react very differently to the same proposal. Share your result with Chinese friends — it is a great conversation starter, and almost everyone will tell you why their hometown is better. Just don’t turn a joke into a stereotype about a real person.
Questions
Are people from different Chinese cities really that different?+
The differences are real — in dialect, cuisine, pace and business style — and Chinese people often joke about them. But they are generalisations, and any individual may not fit them at all.
Which Chinese city is best for business?+
It depends on the industry: Shenzhen for electronics and hardware, Guangzhou and Yiwu for trade, Shanghai for finance and multinationals, Hangzhou for e-commerce. The quiz tells you where you would feel most at home stylistically.
Why isn’t my city in the quiz?+
We chose eight cities with the most recognisable characters and business cultures. Future versions may add Xiamen, Nanjing, Harbin and others.
Is this a psychological test?+
No, it is an entertainment and culture quiz without scientific validation. Its aim is to show China’s diversity and give you something to talk about.