In Chinese, there is an expression:

酸甜苦辣

Pronounced: Suan, Tian, Ku, La

It literally means as Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy and translates as the joys and sorrows of life. 

I love this phrase. It is true to life anywhere in the world. But it seems to lend itself particularly well to life in China. As my Chinese tutor explained to me: nobody’s life is just Tian, now is it?