Is it difficult living in China without knowing the language?

It is a mistake to think that English is truly a world language. Most people you will see have learned a little English, but they cannot remember much or are embarrassed to use what they know. That being said, it is not hard at all to find people who are quite conversational. Fortunately, most of our teachers have found learning basic oral Chinese to be quite easy, thought they typically encounter more difficulty with the written language. Until you can communicate in Chinese though, get used to the idea that you might have to use a lot of creative gestures and body languages to communicate.