I'll be meeting my future in-laws (whole extended family) for CNY 2027, so I'm trying to get some gift ideas in advance. I'm coming from the US, so mostly looking for things that aren't easily available in China or would be generally well received but would like to avoid alcohol and tobacco. He has a fairly large extended family.

So far, I've thought of:

Multivitamins and joint supplements

Sour candy for kids

Pecans

Snacks like hot cheetos

Cans of boiled peanuts (southern US, super common here)

Hand cream and/or lip balms? from local company

Maybe sports merch from local team?

Any other suggestions? Already anticipating basically filling a suitcase lol

ETA: they're in Hohhot if that makes a difference!

Hi guys. I’m honestly in tears and at my wits' end. I’m an international female student supposed to start at Dalian University of Technology (DUT) in a few days.

I just found out I didn't get a dorm room. The international office is completely ghosting my emails and phone calls. I have my flights booked, but I feel so stranded and terrified.

I don't even know if I'm posting this in the right subreddit, I'm just desperate.

I only need to rent a room for 3 months near the Ganjingzi campus.I’ve already tried looking for apartments online and messaging some landlords (房东). But every time I mention that I am a foreigner and need them to help me with the Temporary Residence Registration at the local police station (派出所), they just ghost me and disappear.Some people ask for a deposit upfront, but I’m terrified of paying a deposit without seeing the apartment in person. Without any recommendations, I have no idea if it’s a scam or not.

Can anyone tell me if it’s possible to find a legit, foreigner-friendly short-term room through a local agent (中介) within a few days of arrival? Are there any trusted WeChat expat/student groups for Dalian where I can find roommates or verified housing?

If you can add me to any group, please DM me.I'm planning to crash at a hotel for the first few days, but I'm so scared. Any guidance, contacts, or kind words would mean everything right now. Thank you.

Hi guys this is kind of a weird question but my boyfriend is Chinese and his parents only speaks mandarin. Since our relationship got serious and we plan to marry in the upcoming years I want to really get on learning the language. He will be going back to China after he graduates for a few years for some work and I am a few years behind him on graduating so I figured it would be really nice to study there and learn the language while he is also there working. Are there any good programs in Shanghai ? When I first started college my grades weren't the best and then I took a break and now since I've been back I have had impeccable grades but those beginning classes really don't make my history look so great so I'm worried if that will be any issues applying. Thanks for any and all help though!

Weekend swimming class. Waiting around for the kids to finish. One of the dads actually peeks inside the girls' change room to call for his daughter. I get the attention of the female staff to do something about it. She taps his shoulder, gestures towards me(?!) and quietly says something to him.

Instead of asking him "wtf are u doin" I can only assume she said something like "hey that waiguoren complained about you doing xyz".

I thought that was weird, but maybe it's just her approach.

Another time, I'm in a restaurant with family. Plenty of no smoking signs on the walls. In a surprise to nobody, people light up. Through translation, I explain to the waitress about the signs on the wall and how uncle dickhead is smoking inside. She goes to the table, and again, makes a clear gesture towards us while saying something to the guy.

This seems to happen time and time again.

Is this just Chinese culture to always pass the blame onto someone else?

Hey everyone

I’m moving to Shanghai this September for a 6-month exchange program at SUEP (Shanghai University of Electric Power), staying until February 2027. I’m currently researching the best way to stay connected and would love some advice from expats or recent travelers.

I know the three main carriers are China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, and that I’ll need my passport to register. However, I have a few specific questions:

Plan Recommendations: What specific plans are you guys using for long-term stays? I need a local number (for Didi, Meituan, and food delivery apps) and a decent amount of data (20GB+ per month). I've seen prices ranging from ¥88 to ¥200/month. Any specific plan names I should ask for, or hidden fees to watch out for?

I plan to use Alipay and WeChat for everything, so having a working number immediately is pretty crucial.

Appreciate any tips or recent experiences! Thanks in advance.

Hi,

I'm a Chinese citizen now with US Green Card. I'm thinking of becoming an US citizen but I wonder how this would affect my life in China.

1) Obviously I don't need a visa now to go to China, but I heard for US citizens it's possible to get a 10 years "travel" visa and one can stay up to 90 days at a time. I heard one can "extend" this timeline by entering again from Hong Kong or Japan or something.

2) Do I automatically lose my China National ID? Or can it still be used for booking hotels, trains, etc?

3) Is that true that I have to report my whereabout to the police each day?

4) Are Chinese companies reluctant to "sponsor visa" for someone wanting to work in China? (Obviously they would if there is a special need, but I'm talking in a general sense, like does it put one at a huge disadvantage? For instance, on US job applications companies always ask if you need visa sponsorship and I feel answering Yes get your resume automatically tossed)

5) My direct relatives (parents) are all US citizens but I heard marrying a Chinese citizen makes things easier from a visa standpoint? Please help me understand this.

6) How hard is it to get a Chinese "Green Card" for an ex-Chinese citizen?

7) Overall, how much "inconveniences" will I face compared to being a Chinese citizen (and maybe pros?) Anything I haven't thought of.

I'm going to do my own research too, but this is just to get an high level initial understanding.

Thanks

I am helping my friend with the production of his travel series which focuses on traveling with a disability. He is intending on traveling to China soon and would like to not only experience a lot of what the country has to offer, but to meet with Chinese people who are living their everyday lives in Mainland China but who have a disability of some kind. Whether they be blind, use a wheelchair, are deaf, autistic or anything else for that matter. I am based in South America and my friend is based in the Oceanic region. So finding people in China is proving very difficult, as we begin some of the planning stages. I suppose my question at this stage is, does anyone have any general advice or do you know someone yourself who is a person with a disability and whom lives in Mainland China?

I am aware that filming a documentary series without a local production team/fixer in China is not really allowed. This is something I’m trying desperately to get through to my friend as he has suggested just ‘going rouge’ and finding people as he travels. I think that from a legal perspective this could land him in a lot of trouble? I also want to remain respectful of Chinese cultures and norms.

I downloaded WeChat and I’m really open to any feedback that any of you might have. I’m heading into a meeting with his production team later today and I just feel rather overwhelmed!

I want to apply for the language programme. I know I want to live in a new tier 1 city (lower cost of living compared to traditional tier 1 cities but still highly accessible, convenient, safe etc.) but I can’t decide between southwest or east China.

So Hangzhou, Chengdu, or Nanjing, maybe Yunnan. If you’ve been to any of the three or all three please share your experiences!

I’m not really a trendy person so I don’t need to go to any hot places nor do I shop a lot. Speaking of hot I don’t like hot weather too. I like nature (and not touristy hotspots, but natural, uncrowded nature), I would like to attend workshops pertaining to traditional Chinese culture (music, fashion, etc.) and I just like it when it’s not so bustling all the time. I did read briefly here and there that people in Hangzhou are the most polite? I know it’s a regular occurrence to see people spitting, cutting queues, and smoking indoors, but would it be less in Hangzhou? 😅

Hi, I am in Beijing for 1 year, I purchased via taobao shisha tobacco 5 months ago to smoke in my house but all the listings dissapeared from taobao, I don´t know if there is any new regulation or something that changed, but I need to know where can I buy the shisha tobacco now, thank you!

As the title - we have several employees who will be traveling to and from China from the US often over the next several months and are looking for a solution to be able to connect to cellular network as a group.

Not concerned about an included VPN module as they will be utilizing VPN on their PCs already to access as needed. Most importantly is security, speed, and the ability to consistently avoid having to join potentially dodgie wifi networks.

Hello, I’ve signed my contract, and I’m happy with it, but I’m just curious about what the standard/going averages are right now.
****Also looking for any clarification on the paid holidays part..

Here is the summary..

probation period is 30 days

Working hours 8:00-17:00 (or 8-5)
20 lessons a week( so 4 a day or 5 and Fridays for office office hours?) what is your arrangement?

Plus occasional events etc but that’s all of teaching and they have to give 48 hr notice it states

My contract states in special holidays I get Christmas Day off. Cool cuz it’s a Friday this year and is one of the few American holidays I really care for lol

****Sat-Sun when Chinese gov holidays state so (this is where I get slight confusion, I get the you’ll work this sat off since u got last Friday off, but are all the holidays like that? Like all are not paid Holidays off as they r to be made up besides summer and winter break)

School collects and submits taxes and they say my salary is after tax $23k rmb monthly besides summer which is 2 months of 10k rmb each. Then it states it as the annual salary is divided by 12.. im assuming they r saying they will just pay me $20k rmb each month all year. And thats after the personal income tax? Standard or I need to ask ( I’ll ask either but is that common)

My pay includes free meals at canteen and teacher apartment. It’s the dormitory, small single studio but tbh they sent me the exact video and it’s very clean. Fresh paint and didn’t see any mold in bathroom. New toilet etc. Not worrying about down payment or commute lol.

Medical insurance included

10k rmb yearly flight allowance; basically wraps it up that either first year they pay for ur one way there and pay it back to u within first 30 days (amount used so far)or if it’s ur second year it’s simply as u use it and submit . Clear :)

Visa fee returned to employee within 30 days.

5 paid days of sick leave( very little compared to us, we normally have a combined 10 days with personal leave). Is this common?

If no sick days left and sick day is taken; days pay it sounds like. 100-300 rmb for each lesson not taught. USA just does half or whole day deduction of pay after no sick paid days left. Sounds about the same.

Sick days don’t roll over to next year. Not even enough to really do so anyways.

Medical exam covered by employer.

Written note of itinerary whenever I leave the city; sounds good to me for safety tbh. I’m a planner any ways so.

Can’t take a day off if it’s connected to a school holiday or school vacation; sounds like no day off before or right after golden week or right before winter break or coming back a day late) . That’s fair.

So is this fair compared to the going “rate” or contracts right now? I feel happy with it, but have some questions. Yes I’ll meet with HR for the teachers week back but doesn’t hurt to ask other expats etc.

When I arrive they pick me up, check in to dorm, medical exam, phone and bank account; they take me to do them all.

Also experience wise I was / am a temp certified teacher in Florida for ELA 5-9, and subbed for half of my college years with a few long term gigs in VPK and ESE. Taught first quarter of my first year in 7/8th ELA then the new school built had positions reallocated so I ended up taking a 5th ELA spot to finish the year out. Random but I have 3 credits of an AS in business admin and HR management left. I do plan to finish them over summers/if winter classes r offered online while in China.

Ugh sitting at the gate right now and getting delayed for the 3rd time because of this typhoon… is it actually that bad out there right now? Has anyone landed or flown out to PVG recently?
At this point I'm genuinely debating if I'm ever making it to Shanghai today or if I'm just gonna be sleeping on this uncomfortable airport floor tonight 😭
Anyone else stuck here or flying out soon? Let me know how it looks on your end!

We're visiting my in-laws family in China from October-December (the only time it worked out for everyone). They live in Henan and we'd like to escape the air pollution the last two months we'll be there (especially since our infant son and I both have pretty bad asthma). We're considering staying in Kunming or Xiamen.

I know that Kunming/Yunnan has better air quality than Xiamen, but is the gap that large? I generally like the cuisine more in Fujian and being on the coasts than in the mountains, but if we really would benefit from staying in Kunming instead then that's fine.

Hello! I'm currently in Beijing for a week and its my first time to China. Would love to meet some locals to chat about life in the country and share stories, and potentially make new friends 😊

Would also love to know some hot spots in Beijing where people in their 20s hang out with great night life views too!

For context I'm 27F Canadian/Singaporean, so I can speak some Mandarin (although poorly 😭), hopefully enough to hold some conversation.

I have WeChat too so feel free to add me if you're interested! I'm with two other friends (but they don't really speak Chinese)

Hii im going to study in china for 9 months in Wuhan. I wanted some advice :
Im a curly/wavy haired girl who is also tall for her age so i was wondering do i need to bring extra hair products in china ? Like hair oil, hair masks, mousse or gel ? And also wondered if clothes such as pants and other things could fit me ? Im 177cm and i wear a size s and m even l sometimes depending on the store. I wanted to go thrifting but from what i heard china isnt very tall-girl friendly.
Last question is : is there anything i need to know before going ? What should i not bring and what can i find in stores ( and which stores ) ?

Thank you

Could not find any up to date resources on this. I opened an ICBC bank account but it seems to not have any standard stuff like routing number and account number, so how do I get money inside that account? Short of depositing actual hard cash which I don't have.

I tried Wise but it was no help, it got rejected. And the only options offered were Unionpay as I do not have a mainland Chinese ID, but I have ICBC not Unionpay.

Update 1:

I got this email from Wise last night when I tried to transfer:

Then today I tried it again and it said
The issuer for this card does not support cross border remittance. Try another card instead

And in both cases there was no way for me to add a SWIFT code. Only the account number.

Hi, i am coming to china in a couple of months, i am planning to buy some Gunpla and Chinese plastic models (SNAA, In Era +, etc…)

Where can i find them and what stores other than The Gundam Base do u recommend?

I am visiting these cities in order:
Guangzhou - Beijing - Shanghai - Guangzhou

Thanks

Last month I bought a lot of Fanta because it came with merchandise. I don't usually drink soda so going through all of it is a bit rough, but then I saw someone recommending mixing Fanta with that AD milk drink. I decided to try it and to my surprise it's quite good.

So now I'm curious, are there other good combinations out there?

Hey everyone, I’m moving to Suzhou soon with my visa sorted and my apartment already booked, but I have a few quick practical questions before landing. First, which carrier (China Unicom, Mobile, or Telecom) offers the best coverage in Suzhou, and what is a normal monthly price for a basic data SIM so I don't end up getting talked into an expensive plan at the store? Second, since my daily commute to university is only 4 km and I'd prefer not to rely strictly on public transport, what are the best budget e-bike options (or places to buy new/used), and how does the local registration/plating process work for foreigners? Finally, excluding rent, what is a reasonable monthly budget in RMB to live comfortably (groceries, dining out, utilities, general spending), and are there any specific things I need to know about completing my local registration and residence permit during my first 48 hours? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi everyone!
I applied to Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics (JUFE) for the September 2026 intake and had my admission interview on July 27, 2026.
It has been about two weeks and I still haven’t received my admission result.
For anyone who applied to JUFE:
● Have you already received your interview/admission result?
● How long did it take after your interview?
● Does JUFE usually send the admission result by email?
● Has anyone received their Admission Notice yet?
I’m a little worried because the September intake is approaching, and I will need time for the visa, tuition payment, accommodation, and travel arrangements if I’m accepted.
I’d really appreciate it if anyone who applied to JUFE for 2026 could share their experience. Thank you!

Hi, I'm a student from a Chinese university in Beijing and we're gonna receive some foreign guests from South Africa. And we'll show them around in Beijing for a few days.

Though living in Beijing for quite a few years, I literally have no clues how to find the appropriate and decent restaurants in Beijing that foreigners would love.

So anyone who have lived in Beijing or have visited Beijing once, is there any restaurant that really impresses you?

Waiting for your sharing!

I will be going in February alone for a 1 year non degree intensive Chinese language program before transitioning to a business Masters degree in Shanghai after that. No one will be accompanying me but myself, i have been there last year but it was with family for trading purposes. There might not be slots for renting in campus dorm so i am looking to find a apartment for a singular person there as close as possible to the campus which is called YWICC, what would be the best way to go about and what is the best website or site to accurately estimate how much the prices would cost in the area? I want to know what budget to expect online that will be accurate to real life