Chinese New Year Resolution: Leave US to stay alive. For most Americans not understanding how China works overlooks things beyond gross pay. 新年決議: 想活著考慮離開美國. 對於大多數美國人而言, 不了解中國的工作方式會忽略工資總額以外的事情.

1) foreign earned income of US$110,000 earned outside and live physically outside US for entire year is exempt from Federal, State and social security tax. Tax savings alone is over $20,000. 全年在美國境外和在美國境外居住的外國收入110,000美元免徵聯邦，州和社會保障稅。 僅稅收節省一項就超過20,000美元.

2) while in China, you have so many choices, say eating a 9 course Chinese dinner at Hyatt or Ritz Carlton in China with wines will cost you US$2,000 easy, at a restaurant like San Francisco Burlingame Pearl or Koi Palace in China will cost you US$600, at a local restaurant not at upscale neighborhoods will probably cost you less than US$300. Besides all local restaurants allows you to bring your wines without corkage charges. Do your shopping!

Like jobs in US, if the employers really wanted you, you name your terms. I have a few clients initially offered as local hired eventually changed into foreign hired.

I have a classmates managing hotels in China is a Malaysian Chinese don’t even speak Mandarin when he starts working in China 25 years ago. He is an American. There are 1,000s of examples like him.

There are so much opportunities outside of US that US can no longer match.

I look at US today like Hong Kong in 1990. In 1990 Hong Kong was a shining star among China cities beating Shanghai and Shenzhen. But it is like the old story of the race between a rabbit and a turtle that the turtle wins.

The feeling of US today is just like many HK people feeling today, unable to swallow that China has risen beating Hong Kong and US.

Both HK and US are unrealistic. Hong Kong could not be Asia financial center without China. And US cannot enjoy low inflation without less expensive Chinese products, not to mention US moved the most polluted industries to China including garbage in the past.

For Chinese and Asian, it is no longer safe to live in America. You could get killed just because we have the wrong skin color. The White House and the elected official demonize Asian and Chinese everyday to make sure America hated us.

Yes, you could be making more money, but if you dies it does not matter how rich or how much money you made, money stayed in the bank and you cannot take it to heaven.

Remembered the movie “to live” by Gong Li.

For us Chinese in US, we just want “to live” but is getting increasingly difficult.

For many, maybe time to leave “to live”.

Johnson Choi
Chinese New Year Eve Resolution
January 21 2023