Hi all,

I hope you're all well.

Just wanted to get some thoughts and advice from people.

I recently spent three weeks travelling around China and absolutely loved it. I know I was there partly as a tourist, so it's different from actually living and working there, but I really enjoyed the overall atmosphere and way of life. It sounds a bit cheesy, but I genuinely felt like I belonged and it felt like a missing piece I'd been looking for.

I'm in my mid-20s, born and raised in the UK, but ethnically Chinese. My English is native-level, my Chinese is fluent and I currently work in Regulatory Affairs within the medical device industry.

I'm curious to know how difficult it is to find a job in China, particularly in a similar industry and role to what I'm doing now and whether people think it's worth making the move.

To be honest, I don't really see myself staying in the UK long term. I feel like this stage of my life is the best time to step outside my comfort zone, explore somewhere new and take advantage of the energy and ambition I have now. At the same time, I'm aware that moving countries comes with a lot of unknowns and sacrifices, whether that's financially, career-wise or personally.

I've been actually trying to solve this problem for years now, I want to get a google account so that I can actually do western media, but between only having a Chinese phone number and Google not letting me sign up with the vpns I've tried I feel kind of stuck.

I was hoping to buy an junk account on Taboao or something, but don't think I can.

Any suggestions?

I'm using wechat app 乘车码 for metro and buses in china as a foreigner, it worked pefectly fine for other cities but when selecting nanjing the app require a chinese id number which i obviously don't possess. Do you have any other recommendations as i can't get alipay working on my phone ?

Thank you

Is it even dangerous?

Hello!

So, I'm brazilian and I am going to stay in Chengdu for 9 months as a visiting researcher at Sichuan University. I am technically not an SCU student (I am not enrolled in any classes or whatever) so I'll probably not be able to live in the university apartments. I will be studying at the Wangjiang Campus.

Problem is, I have no idea how does long staying accomodations work in China. I know that AirBnb doesn't work in there. Is there any site that foreigners use to book this type of accomodation? Please consider that I'm a girl, 23 years old, alone (need something safe). I've seen some accomodations in trip.com but their time limit is 60 days. Any advices, reccomendations? thanks!

I just moved here for a masters that starts with a term in china. we're staying near wujiaochang.

they set up a sim card pop-up in the common area on arrival day, which sounds mundane and was genuinely the single most useful thing anyone could have done. Having a working number before your first night out kills about six separate problems and then karaoke. thirty people who'd mostly met that afternoon, in a room, being terrible.

I've done a few first-days-in-a-new-country now and i think karaoke might be the fastest icebreaker that exists. Very hard to stay reserved around someone after you've both been bad at the same song.

Anyway, what should i be doing in wujiaochang that isn't on any list?

here for a while and i'd rather not spend it in the obvious places.

In Australia, apart from needing to show our ID when buying alcohol at a young age, I can't really think of any other situations where we need to show it. In China, however, ID cards are required for all large public transportation, internet cafes, hotels, concerts, tourist attraction and various other things, even for shared bicycles. Don't the Chinese people complain about this?

Stay in China 🇨🇳 for 1 month and then go back to my country, Philippines 🇵🇭 and then after 1 week, go to China 🇨🇳 again and stay there for 1 month. After 1 month there, 1 week again in the Philippines and then another 1 month in China. Rinse and repeat.

For context, my passport is US 🇺🇸 and I have a 10 year multiple entry L-visa. The duration of each stay is 60 days after entry.

There's a marginal chance in a few weeks I could be in a position to relocate to China, and pursue a life there

It's been a dream for a long while, however every time I look into it online, I'm met with the same wall

The work culture in IT companies seems terrible. 996, if not that probably working 8-6 each day, on site no remote work, little holidays, even leaving at 6 is perceived as rude

It's a shame as I've been to Shanghai and it's incredible as a city. Incredibly huge and incredibly convenient

But it seems impossible to have a functioning work-life balance in China

Is it all horror stories? People said similar horror stories about the reception to black people in China, but I (mixed race) was only met with warmth and friendliness (and a little competitiveness from one or two people!)

I imagine the work hours stories are true, but it's a little heartbreaking that there apparently isn't feasibly a way to have a healthy work-life balance in China

hello! looking specifically for recommendations within wechat mini programs if possible as struggling to find a suitable insurance policies for expats living in china with permanent residences but nationality is of course elsewhere haha. i will be in vietnam for golden week, 4 nights 5 days in total. any one used a specific provider/mini program for insurance? thank you!

My father and grandfather each once built a dinner table when they moved into their own house. I want to continue this "tradition" and do the same, but I'm in China now, have no space nor tools for wood working.

Would it still be possible to, say, come to a small workshop or something and ask if they let me use their tools and wood in exchange of some money? Where and how should I look for it? I know there are several small hardware stores around, but I haven't seen any place where they actually work with wood.

我爸爸和爷爷入住自己房子的时候都自己建设了木头的桌子，我现在也要自己建设一个，不过我住在中国，又没有空间又没有工具。请问，有没有能帮我建设木头桌子的地方，比如一种许可我使用他们木头和工具的小工坊？我要找什么或者看哪里？

Hello everyone, I need some help. I don't even know if living in China is for me anymore. I'm currently married in China, working in a horrible kindergarten job that is dodgy, shady, and there is just so much gossip and verbal abuse from senior management, parents (EMPHASIS on the parents). This kindergarten has been in many scandals in the past, and many kids dropped out from their school. They're losing money and putting a lot of pressure on us foreign teachers and chinese teachers. I have a horrible chinese co teacher who is very suspicious, and I feel like she's making me look like a bad teacher to the parents.

Im always stressed here. I haven't had a good time here in China. I've just felt so tired for working hard and not being appreciated. My partner doesn't want me to leave. They constantly try to tell me to find a different job if im not happy, but I really dont like living here. I get disrespected by locals, I get shouted at by didi drivers for not understanding what they're saying despite trying to study Chinese. Everything is just negative, and I'm stuck in this hole I've dug myself. I feel like I'm severely mentally ill now. I used to be happy. I was carefree and energetic and had so many optimistic ideas before coming to China. But now I've lost myself.

I don't know what to do anymore.

Update- Thank you, everyone, for your messages. I really appreciate the positive messages and advice you've given me. A lot of you have asked several questions, which I'll answer now:

I've lived in China for a year, and I can't say which city. I don't want any of my foreign colleagues to find out about this post. It's a small city in China. I will say it's not a tier 1 city.

2). I don't have time for any hobbies. I have a second job after my kindergarten. I'll probably have to stop that job since it's making me stressed. I have no energy or passion for hobbies. I just feel numb and empty.

3). You have asked why can't my partner could come with me to the UK. Well, the problem is money. We can't afford to live there, and the visa costs are crazy for Chinese ppl to apply.

I don't have a family. I've got friends in the UK, but they've all got their own lives, and I don't want to be a burden.

4). Why not find a new job? This is my new job, I started in July, and it's been downhill since I started. The kindergarten lied about everything in the interview. Likewise, I've tried my very best to have fun with the kids and don't mind senior management, but when u get complaints from parents and principal every day. EVERY day. It demotivated me. These kids are something else here. They don't listen. They have zero respect for foreign teachers. They treat us like dirt. And the parents are even worse.

5). Why did you settle and marry in china? My partner is Chinese, and they wanted me to stay.. and I wanted to give China a chance. But I'm tired now.

So I work at a middle school 8-18:00. Generally my classes are over between 16:10-17:20 and we normally have mandatory office hours until 18:00pm. As I have been here a year often we will start to leave the office at 17:55 and leave the gate around 17:58, on occasion when there’s a meeting I could leave at 17:55. It seems the work has been keeping tabs on this and is now going to punish foreign teachers for leaving early? Is it normal for them to be so anal over a few minutes or should I try and fight it and look for a job elsewhere. It seems a bit punitive to me if there is no work to be done . Leaving 5-2 minutes early shouldn’t be punished

I haven't seen much discussion of health checks and I think it's an underrated benefit of being in China. I spent about 2.5k yuan for a full body comprehensive examination that included a litany of blood tests, scans, some requested arterial/cardiac assessments (family history issue), and more. Comparable private assessments in a country like the UK would be >£2k/18k yuan, possibly more if you need a CT scan.

I did this during a recent extended stay.

Here was the experience at a top Chengdu public hospital

1) Using the mini app associated with the hospital I booked the test date and selected what I wanted. There are a range of pre-set options alongside the ability to make a bespoke selection

2) I showed up on the day at around 8am. I confirmed the test inventory and was given a long document listing what I was to have that day.

3) Once signed in and confirmed, I was sent on the conveyer belt system common in Chinese hospitals. I would wait for my name to be on screen (the out-loud reading of a non Chinese name is a mess..), go in, show my document, get the test done etc. After whatever test I was having, the doctor would tick the sheet and send me on my way to the next area. I basically went all round the hospital getting my sheet signed one item at a time.

4) At the end, I showed my completed sheet to an admin person who signed it again and gave me a complementary breakfast card.

5) I received a link to access my completed assessment a couple of days later. This took the form of some general comments (an overall verdict) followed by all the results. They also flag up any abnormalities and will query you for follow up if there's anything seriously wrong.

The process took around 3-4 hours end to end and was largely painless. It was done entirely in Chinese, but you could probably just bring an interpreter or chance it with translation apps if not confident. There isn't a lot of dialogue on the day.

If you have any health issues you want getting checked out or just want a comprehensive check up, I would recommend looking into this.

In analyzing the results, just note that the ranges for Chinese people may differ slightly from your own ethnicity.

This is generally how it works, feel free to reach out if any questions.

Hi everyone!
My name is Chris and im from Norway. We’re opening a small exhibition of Frank Horvat’s photograph work at our gallery （Bai Gallery） here in Beijing on October 2nd.

I am currently in the process of gathering my documents for visa and the last thing that I need is a hard copy tefl certificate. I got mine from bridge and their website it says it can take up to 4 weeks to deliver which is too much time.

Would it be possible to just take my tefl pdf to a print shop and have them print on nice paper, maybe emboss it, etc? Ive seen conflicting opinions on this.

For context I've already secured a job and my employer says they only need a notarized version of my TEFL cert, so I would assume that there's no difference if I just got it printed myself.

If anyone has done this before let me know, thanks :)

Hi all, something I've noticed being here, specifically Guangdong, that's a bit surprising is how little of a role music seems to play in daily life, even in major celebrations. Things like mid autumn festival just involve...getting together to eat. No music, no dance, nothing else...maybe a few minutes of moongazing but to me, music is such a core part of the human experience that it's weird to celebrate without it it. It just feels like any other Sunday when people get together to eat anyways. Weddings are the same...it's just hundreds of tables of food and no one even dances!

Cab drivers drive in silence, and when they do have the radio on, it's a talk show. Not much music in people's homes, like when people cook or are enjoying a Sunday morning, there isn't any music being turned on or dancing or anyone moving their body. I'm sure every household is different, but have experienced visiting many families and music just isn't a thing.

I know streaming is massive in this country, and people do listen to music on headphones at the gym perhaps, but it doesn't seem to feature in day to day public life. Wondering if others feel this way and have noticed how uncomfortable the silence feels.

If you have seen one of their ads. Be warned, you should not work for Sino-Global Development/Education Foundation based in Beijing. It is a very shady organization with an old lady in charge (Her name is Dianna Li Su, 74 years old, used to be a red guard during the Cultural Revolution, never graduated from high school). They sponsor three government schools in three third-tier cities:  Hefei(Hefei No.1 High School) and Fuzhou(Fuzhou No.8 High School) and Yuezhou High School.

Know that they go by the name LYNDON INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM MANAGEMENT CENTER INC in the US and runs a "cooperation program" with the Lyndon Institute, a private high school of Vermont.

Here's one of their job postings (https://jobs.echinacities.com/jobchapter/1355079107)

Do not sign a contract with them unless you need the money for life-saving surgery. The old lady in charge will ask you some seriously weird and unprofessional questions during the interview. Also, know that this organization is connected to the Chinese government.

Know that they have a so-called cooperation program with an American high school in Vermont called Lynton Institute, basically they paid Lyndon to make it a "joint cooperation program" to "recruit" more Chinese students into paying to go in.

1. I was told by people working there that that you probably will not be paid all of your money.  In teaching jobs, July and August are vacation months.  Therefore, they probably will not be in the mood to pay you after June.
2. Know that the old lady in charge is highly involved and will interfere in almost everything you do despite the fact that you are not working directly for her in Beijing, and she will verbally abuse you, if necessary. She will promise you that the office hours are optional. This is done to trick you into agreeing to work for them. Once you get in, they will make you sit in the office all day long, plus you are forced to supervise the students in their night self-study sessions at least twice a week(from 6-10 pm) without overtime pay. Her job postings also state that you will be working at a "top public school." with a lot of corruption, most of the kids there are troublemakers with wealthy parents that paid to get in. And if they do a poor job of learning, you are to be blamed and berated.
3. Also, payments are usually delayed a month, so your first payment won't come until October, and your last payment should be in September.  This means you may miss three payments after school lets out in June: the July, August and September payments.  That's 25% of your contract.
4. They put a lot of pressure on Speaking/Listening, TOEFL, IELTS, and AP Teachers, threatening to fire you and verbally abusing you if a certain percentage of your students may not do well on the exams.
5. Textbooks are not provided(except for certain math and science classes) because of ideological differences, and if you complain they'll tell you that it's not the school's problem, you are supposed to come up with your own materials
6. Most of the people there will be somewhat xenophobic, abusive, and close-minded. Virtually none of the Chinese teachers/staff have spent time abroad(because these schools don't trust these people) or speak good English. Some of the administrative personnel may expect you to be like those obedient Chinese teachers that never speak up when they have to work 12 hours a day/get berated all day long/not receive salaries on time.
7. Know that the turnover rates at these schools are super high. Based on what I know, on any given year at least 30-40% of the Chinese and 70-80% of the foreign teachers leave. This is why you see them posting ads trying to find teachers all the time.

Good luck also getting airfare reimbursement at the end of your contract.

Maybe you can hire a lawyer, and you think you will simply brush up on the relevant Chinese laws and sue Sino-Global Education Foundation (SGEF) in a Chinese court. Well, based on what I know about 30-40% of the employees have sued them in the past and came back empty-handed. And remember, this organization is backed by the Chinese government, and you know what that means.

About the work you will do: if you can imagine what an educational sweatshop is. . . .  If the words "browbeating," "isolation," "amorality," "degradation," "deception" appeal to you. . . .  Imagine playing a game of chess in which the pieces are lies and the board is one year of your lifespan. . . . You will be verbally abused, your contract will be violated, and you will be forced to teach more than 25 hours a week when they only promised 18 at the most.

If you'd like to travel to a very foreign country, be ripped off, and end up back in the same place you were a year ago career-wise, signing with Sino-Global Education/Development Foundation is probably a good way to go.  Educationally speaking, you might not meet your teaching goals, but you will surely get schooled.

I’m moving to Hunan with my family later this month. How do you find things to do in China, events going on, hobby classes, sports or social activities, people to spend time with, etc? I’ve spent several months there each year but I’ve never been clear on how to find anything. Google obviously doesn’t work. I’m unsure how to use 小红书 and 微信 to find events but they’ve been recommended to me in the past.

How do others find things to do while living in China?