How I went from tourist to full-time freelancer in two years

I landed in Beijing in October 2022 with a 30-day tourist visa, one client who needed some copywriting done, and the vague idea that I'd "figure it out." My Chinese was zero. My savings covered about four months if I was careful. I had no plan B.

Two years later, I have a steady roster of eight clients — mostly international brands entering the Chinese market — a work permit, and an apartment in Sanlitun I actually love.

Here's the honest version of how that happened.

The first 90 days: survival mode

The tourist visa buying me time was the first thing I figured out. A quick trip to Hong Kong got me a new 60-day entry. That gave me breathing room. I used it to cold-email every international brand I could find with a China presence and offer content audits. Out of forty emails, three replied. One became a client.

The thing nobody tells you about freelancing in China as a foreigner is that your value isn't your skill — it's your perspective. Brands don't hire you because you write well. They hire you because you can write *for* audiences that think the way you do. That reframe changed everything.

Month three: the community thing

I found Sofa Lounge at a small event in a coffee shop in Gulou. About fifteen people, half of them designers, half of them in a state of comfortable confusion similar to mine. I met two people that night who referred me to clients over the next year.

The lesson: community is not networking. Nobody was pitching anything. We were just people comparing notes on how to get a SIM card and where to find good injera. The work stuff happened sideways.

Getting legal

The work permit process was the thing I dreaded most and the thing that was most straightforward once I committed to it. My biggest client agreed to sponsor it — which required them trusting me enough to go through the paperwork. That trust took eight months of reliable delivery to build.

If you're reading this and wondering whether it's worth staying: it is, if you treat it like a long game. China rewards patience more than hustle. Show up consistently, build relationships slowly, and don't disappear every time a better-looking opportunity shows up in another country.

I'm still here. Still figuring things out. But I'm home.