I 'm moving to China and I don 't want to be one of those expats that spends 20 years there and never become fluent in the language. How can I use the fact I 'm an English teacher there to my advantage?

There is no shortcut and to speak Chinese takes years.

You can only learn to speak Chinese from people, so you need to meet people. Be on the look for groups of Chinese people doing things you are interested in (music, art, movies, food, etc.). Go to places, share your knowledge, offer help, spend time, make friends!

Having friends gives you some people to talk to and makes the whole experience in China so much nicer.

Enjoy !

This text was originally published in quora.