US architect Adam Brillhart teaches a class at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. [Photo/JiangsuNow]

For many expatriates living in China for years, integrating into daily life often starts with the simplest pleasures – food and local routines.

Li Wei, a Russian student at Nanjing University of the Arts studying Digital Media, fell in love with local treats like plum blossom cakes and duck-blood vermicelli.

Increasingly, young foreign residents immerse themselves in the everyday rhythm of Chinese city life. Lisa, a Russian student at Nanjing Normal University who has lived in China for eight years, enjoys exploring local markets. She can instantly recognize produce grown by local farmers and often haggles in fluent Chinese with the vendors.

Spanish language instructor Lu Yingyang, a native of Spain teaching at Nanjing University, has lived in the city for nine years. She helped translate the "Symbols of Jiangsu" pocketbook series, which includes titles such as Qinhuai River, Changzhou needlework embroidery, and Nantong Blue Calico. Through this work, she developed a deep appreciation for Jiangsu's cultural heritage.

A nature enthusiast, she often spends weekends at Ginkgo Lake in Jiangning district, or travels to nearby cities to enjoy sights like the Suzhou classical gardens and Slender West Lake in Yangzhou, soaking in the serenity and beauty of the region.

Adam Brillhart, a US architect and faculty member at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, has called Suzhou home for seven years. He enjoys wandering flower-and-bird markets, antique shops, sipping coffee near Suzhou Park, and dining at a vegetarian restaurant. In 2022, he led a field study team across Jiangsu, observing how urban and rural architecture and living spaces had evolved over the past decade and how these changes interact with local social governance. "My impressions of China have changed little by little, through these very real, everyday scenes," he said.