I'm staying in China for the summer and am staying at airbnbs. And I have met wonderful hosts. They only speak Chinese, so if you are English only, you are in a rut.

One of them literally pulled himself up by the boot straps. He did not even go through college, and had lost a parent as a kid, but now he owns three businesses and bought more than a few houses in the said large city. Lol. He was so open and wonderful, and is great to hang out with. He even tells me the thing he hates most about Chinese people --lack of originality and creativity. Very cool guy.

The second family I stayed with has a lovely young mother, father, and an adorable kid. The father is a full time designer and a part-time painter/Song Dynasty broken pottery mender. Great guy. He has a unique taste for art and other things. And the mother is just a very interesting, lovely individual.

The thing is, this country is so big, you are bound to run into interesting people. The question is, how do you find them? I think universities is a good place to start, with young adults who are interested in different things. Speaking Chinese fluently is another, lol.

One more thing. I think what people have said in this thread is totally right. Find people with similar interests. Last time I was in Chengdu, I met up with a few traditional Chinese musicians --because of my interest in world music --and it was great meeting them. They were so genuine and talented, and played great music. They were also very thoughtful. Something I didn't expect in China。

I'm not saying that you have to meet with artists in China. But there are interesting people everywhere with hobbies similar to yours.