Postdoc in China: what are the possible difficulties and disadvantages? According to the research paper, where the comparison of postdocs in China and US was done, there are several global cons of Chinese postdoctoral positions, like low sallary and lack of permanent jobs. But, what are the other unofficial problems I could face if I go to China?

First, I really recommend everyone who is interested in postdocs to read this article - Postdocs in Science: A Comparison between China and the United States (November 2015) (link to pdf).
After it, I turned my search vector to China and found the position in good academic institution. I have my own subjective reason to go there and the pros are clear for me. However, I worried about any hidden specifics of Chinese science. For instance, my position is only for European researcher and it was opened at the institution’s web page during last 2 years. If Chinese postdoc is still not very attractive for foreigners, why is so (except money)?

Moreover, China has very old traditions and they probably influence at scietific ethic and standards.

This will be my first postdoc, therefore, could you please share with me your experience and knowledge regarding unpleasant specifics of Chinese science.

*Possible topics:
collaborations and attending conferences (local and abroad);
grants and project I can apply for (local and foreign);
duties and demands (help from colleagues or PhD student);
tangible and intangible benefits and attitude to scientists (see Laowai).

Some questions have been already discussed here:


What is the average postdoctoral salary in
China?
Is it possible to study in China without knowing
Chinese?


PS: I also will be very greateful if you mention the possible solution for a problem (maybe add some point to my contract).
I'm doing a postdoc in computer science at Nankai University, Tianjin, China.  You've asked about the negatives, but I first want to point out that I love living in China (my friends talk about how they should visit China one day; I live here!).  It's not perfect, but it's not nearly as bad as made out on Western media.  And I feel physically safer here than I do in any other country.

Some items that might be of concern:


Culture shock.  Have you been to China before?  Because wow!  It's a shock when you're new.  I recommend visiting (e.g. for 3 months) before taking up a job here.  Things you'll need to get used to:  chopsticks, squat toilets, pollution, crowds, haggling, real Chinese food, the great firewall (e.g. Facebook, Google, Dropbox are blocked), crossing the road, finding clothes that fit, fighting over the bill, people pushing in front of you, traffic.  A lot of the time, you won't really know what's going on because it was explained to you in Chinglish.  At other times, things won't make sense because they're just done differently in China.
Low salary (by international standards--well paid by Chinese standards).  But the university should cover accommodation (so no bills to pay), and cost of living is next to negligible (as long as you eat the local food; Western food incurs Western prices).
Language barrier.  Even if your colleagues all speak English, you will need to do things like buying food, taking taxis, etc., which will require some level of Chinese (unless you want to disturb your colleagues repeatedly).  You might end up misunderstanding important things (e.g. your salary level) because it was explained to you in broken English.  Also, how good are you at pronouncing Chinese names (your future co-authors names)?
Medical care.  Forget having privacy; expect to explain your medical conditions in front of maybe 5 other patients.  Oh, and probably one of your work colleagues will need to translate for you, and help you buy medicines.  (It helps if you know someone who's a doctor.)
Loneliness.  All of your friends will probably be through work.  They will go off and spend time with their family and friends, or go back to their accommodation, and you'll be left alone.  You'll be a kind of outsider, and people might be too shy to invite you to events, even though you are lonely.  (From my perspective, this is the worst aspect of living in China.)
Proofreading papers.  You're probably going to get asked to proofread/polish a whole bunch of papers.
Administration.  In order to get a work permit, there's a lot of forms to fill in.  You'll need a "foreign experts certificate", a "work certificate", and there's a medical check and an interview.  Many forms will be in Chinese (and your colleagues will likely need to fill these in for you).
Grants:  There's also special grants for foreigners: Research Fellowship for International Young Scientists (which I'm on currently), and the 1000 Talents Program.
No fixed address.  When people ask me for my address, it's hard to explain to them I don't actually have one.  (E.g. I'll stay in some random hotel for the next few weeks, then I travel to some country, and will stay in some other random hotel.)  I essentially live out of a suitcase.
Hard work.  People in China seem to work much longer hours than in Western countries.  (E.g. I'm in the office virtually every day, including weekends, from morning to night.)
Team work.  China is the country of people power.  Everyone in our lab helps out everyone else, and we end up with papers with many authors.
LGBT?  Don't be too obvious about it and virtually nobody will care.
Religious?  For my postdoc, a government official told me that it's okay to have and practice a religion, but not to preach religion.  (Easy for me; I'm not religious.)
Vegetarian?  It's tricky completely avoiding meat; it's easiest to just accept that you'll occasionally end up with meat.  (You'll probably need to get used to tofu and spicy food, if you're not already.)
Woman?  Expect groups of men (typically construction workers and gardeners) to stare at you, making you very uncomfortable.  Also, some Chinese men will think of you as "exotic".  (Oh, and I can't find anywhere to get my eyebrows tinted.)
Man?  You'll probably be requested to drink (lots) at celebrations, dinner meetings, and so on.
Bathrooms are disgusting.  Knock before opening the stall door (if there is a door)---it most likely doesn't lock and if you open it without knocking, you might interrupt someone (and you need to say "you ren" = "has person" if someone knocks on your door).  You'll need to get used to squat toilets and carrying around your own toilet paper.
People are less uptight about things.  E.g. people will compare skin colors; males will have pictures of sexy women on their computer; movie and software piracy is not a big deal (even on the lab computers).  Things that are not really appropriate in Western countries.
Other things: Random people will take photos with you (or of you).  Fresh milk is difficult to find.  Coffee is poor quality and expensive.  It's hard to get decent wine.  Don't drink the tap water.


The things you ask about (but I don't have a general answer):


Collaborations.  It's a bit embarrassing having to ask for letters of invitation from colleagues.  Other than that, it's been real easy for me to travel.
Conferences.  It's easiest for me to go to conferences as the professors are too busy, and I don't need a visa for most places.  I travel a lot.
Duties.  They're trying to make me associate professor here; which will require teaching a course.  I have no idea how I'm going to do that.
Attitude to scientists.  Held in high esteem, although you might be mistaken for a foreign student if you're young looking.  The public won't be able to understand what a "postdoc" is, though (it's easier to say "teacher").