Filed under: Essential / Must Read, FAQ, General Advice | Tags: China, Travel, Advice, Warning, Must Read, Working
This is a real life case that has happened in China:
Arrest: Linky.
Sentenced : Linky.
Execution: Linky.
So let’s recap:
A British man is facing execution after being convicted of smuggling heroin into China. Akmal Shaikh, 53, from north London, was arrested after a suitcase he was carrying was allegedly found to contain 4kg of the drug, with a value of £250,000.
Shaikh, who is said to be severely mentally ill, will become the first British citizen to be executed in China; his lawyers warn that he could be killed imminently by a gunshot to the back of his head. Foreign Office officials said there were reports last week that his second appeal had failed, but had yet to receive “official confirmation” or any news from the Chinese authorities.
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A BRITISH man on death row in China was told for the first time today that he’s due to be executed in less than 24 hours. Akmal Shaikh, from north London, is set to be put to death at 10:30am Urumqi time (2:30am GMT) tomorrow after he was convicted of smuggling four kilograms of heroin.
The Chinese had kept his fate quiet from him on “humanitarian grounds” but he has now been informed, according to the legal charity Reprieve.
Relatives of the father-of-three have made a final plea for mercy, supported by letters from the British prime minister and foreign secretary.
———
BRITISH Prime Minister Gordon Brown confirmed that China executed a British national today, which he condemned “in the strongest terms”.
Akmal Shaikh, 53, a father of three from London, was sentenced to death after being arrested in possession of 4kg of heroin in 2007.Chinese officials had vowed to press on with the execution, scheduled for 10:30 local time (14:30 AEDT), despite several appeals for clemency from UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and direct appeals from the condemned man’s family, who said Shaikh was mentally ill.
I hope all expats in China are paying attention to this. Even the intervention at the highest level of the British Government was not able to save this man’s life. The problem is, due to the history of the Opium Wars, the Chinese don’t look too kindly to drug smugglers, especially foreign ones. You are stirring up some very nasty emotions and some very old wounds.
Sure, he is the sacrificial lamb, and he was made example of to the all the expat criminals. But this is important, please don’t expect any leniency in the Chinese court system just because you are a westerner. What Thailand, Vietnam and other Asian countries might be able to overlook or turn you over to your native country’s custody, China does not have any qualms to sacrifice you just to prove a political point.
In China, like most of the Confucius systems around Asia, you are guilty until proven innocent. The thinking goes like this – if you haven’t done something wrong to be ashamed of, why would anyone accuse you of wrong doing? The Chinese justice/court system is a political one, make no mistake about it. There is a famous Chinese saying that expats should adhere to, “Respect the Authority, but leave it far enough away and alone”.
Some advice:
1. Get a friend! Sounds stupid isn’t it? Who isn’t going to make friends in a new country if they are gonna to live/work there for long periods of time? But hear me out. This friend needs to be your emergency contact. He/she should be able to speak your native language fluently. She/he should have your home phone number, your country’s consulate numbers/e-mails/contact info (or knows where to get it), and be expect to sign things on your behalf. Logically, this person should potentially have your power of attorney when you are in serious trouble.
2. Keep an emergency contact list handy/and be prepared beforehand. Your home country’s consulate’s contact info. Make a code with your spouse/parents/friend/family member or get a spare emergency cellphone with a pre paid sim card. Make sure your friend/spouse/parents know that you wll only call with that number when you are in trouble.
3. Don’t p*ss off the authorities. I know this is obvious, but it might not be as obvious as you think. I’ve been pull aside for extra searches at the boarding gates (after the customs) just for giving a disgruntled airport official an answer she didn’t like. If you are a reporter or a protester, please be careful of your safety and check out my post on protesters and reporters. Even if you are right, please avoid a fight with the authorities especially in public. If you are undermining his authority in public, he will lose face in front of his peers/public and it might become his personal agenda to get you.
4. Play the ignorant foreigner. I hate to say this, but this tactic works, especially for local authorities that don’t speak English well. If you speak French, Spanish, or German, etc, even better, because there are less available translators to deal with you. If it’s not worth the hassle to deal with you, the authorities will usually wave you off/get rid of you when they can. When in doubt, just smile dumbly and use your heaviest accent to say some basic Chinese words and walk away.
5. Don’t be an idiot. I mean that in the nicest way possible. Don’t sign anything in Chinese you don’t understand. Don’t take packages for your Chinese “friends” into China without knowing exactly what it is. Don’t agree to bring stuff to relatives of your friends in your home country unless you can be sure that it doesn’t violate any laws or won’t cost you thousands in tax at customs.
Be careful, Be safe, and have fun. I wish you luck in your travels.
Filed under: Essential / Must Read, FAQ, General Advice | Tags: Beijing, China, Living, Must Read, Travel, Visa
Courtesy or WSJ:
This is a sort of update on the Visa section. You may or may not have trouble getting a visa. If you need to stay long term, you don’t really need multiple entries anyway. I’ll stick to my original advice, stay away from consular offices and go with a certified travel agency. It’s possible to save yourself a lot of paper work and headache.
Feel free to ask any questions if you got any concerns.
—-
Edited to Add:
This is important, if you need to work or study, I don’t recommend the travel visa. If you are coming here for long term for -
1. Study: Get a student visa. It’s not that bad. Applying to a formal Chinese university might take more time and money, but you won’t get harassed once you get here. I personally know a few school official that won’t mind the extra paper work to properly “invite” you over.
2. Work: This is a gray area. It depends on what you are hired to do. If you are hired by a big company/university, it’s quite probable that most of the paper work are already done for you to get a proper work visa(you just have to pay tax). But if you are coming here without any proper plans except to maybe just get hired as an English teacher, it’ll be somewhat difficult to get one without going through some hoops. If that is the case, then you might want to try the business visa.
As for the crack down, going through consular offices will just makes it easier for them to track you. It’s up to you on what you want to do.
Some might be worried about this:
My face is more important than my people’s well being
But if you are really staying long term, wait out the Olympics. Chinese would eventually understand that visa restrictions(because of the complaint from the Chinese companies/people themselves) would actually hinder Chinese economy, investment to China, and continue to erode any foreign support or trust from any foreigners that are already choosing to live and work in China. Sooner or later, they need to learn that they don’t live alone in the world, and they can’t survive (let’s forget about economics for a second. China does not product enough food to support itself, not counting coal, oil and any other necessities that it needs to keep itself running.) without others.
As for residency permits, that’s entirely up to you. This is how I look at it, the more the Chinese government knows about you, the easier they can do something to you. On the other hand, you will be hard pressed for answers if you are found out. Of course, if you married a Chinese or work for big companies or universities, this is completely pointless to you.
Good luck in the path you take.
Filed under: Culture, Essential / Must Read, FAQ, General Advice | Tags: Advice, China, Culture, Must Read, Travel
Sorry for the delay, minor family problems kept me from writing.
I can’t believe I had forgotten this section, seeing how important this is.
1. Lotion. No matter where you are in China, it can be quite dry even if there is a lot of water around. An expat friend of mine who used to work in Hangzhou, one of the few cities in China with lots of fresh water and a half decent weather complained that the place is too dry. Bring a really big bottle of your favourite lotion.
A. Don’t forget Sunblock, SP30.
2. Medications. There is absolutely no guarantee that China has/sells the medication you need to function, especially newer drugs (psychotropic drugs are especially rare) that hasn’t lost their rights license, and Chinese companies can’t rip it off yet. The pharmaceutical industry in China is one of the worst industries that is constantly plagued by scandals and corruptions. (In fact, the Chinese equivalent of Head of FDA was executed last year for corruption charges) Unless you know the doctor really, really well, there is no telling what snake oil he/she is bribed to sell you. I’d also recommend you to memorize the active ingredients of some of the most common(therefore available) meds that you are used to taking, because none of the brands that you are familiar with are actually sold in Chinese pharmacies. Please don’t forget to bring your prescriptions.
A. Common meds that you should pack, just in case. Ibuprofen or Motrin/Advil. Alka-Seltzer. Tums. Meds for the common flu and cold symptoms, especially ones for coughing. Meds that help you sleep and meds to help diarrhea symptoms.
3. Deodorant. This is VERY Important. I have not been able to buy ANY deodorant in China at all. Suffice to say that most Chinese people don’t use it and probably don’t have the need. Some of my expat friends have been known to ration these fresh scented blessed sticks of gold. I’ve been called at early mornings for deodorant emergencies. Bring your OWN. And if you are planning to stay a long time, lots of it.
Athletes! Remember your country’s image, bring one for the team!!
4. Shaving Razors/Shavers. This is somewhat related to the topic above. Let me put this to you straight, a lot of Chinese people don’t need to shave, so except for the really expensive electric shavers in the malls, all they sell in supermarkets are disposables. You might get lucky at see a few surplus razors on sale in a few places. Therefore, if you have a favourite type of knife, say fusion or venus, bring your own.
5. High End Electronics. Laptops/Notebook Computers in particular. The selection, quality and price isn’t the same as home. It’s MORE Expensive. You heard that right. Even though China makes everything from soap to houses, it still can’t make/assemble some of the high end electronics with required quality requirements and price. Don’t expect to buy cheap and GOOD electronics in China. If you can tolerate Chinese standards, buy what you need here. If not, bring your own.
Mini story: A Dell with the same setup is more expensive in China than the US.
6. Sizes. This will get a little personal. Please don’t be offended. Ladies, if you are/have bigger than a D cup, taller than 185cms, bigger jean size than say 35, and a shoe size bigger than 10? Choose your wardrobe VERY wisely. Most stores won’t carry/stock those sizes. There is just not enough demand. Northern China is probably better than Southern China is this regard since they are taller/bigger here. Gentlemen, don’t feel left out. If you are/have taller than 195cm, jeans size bigger than say 42, a shoe size bigger than 12 and/or a broad chest/shoulder? You are probably in the same boat. And please remember, China doesn’t use US sizes, it uses mostly an ad hoc size system that combines European and Chinese. Try everything on!
Bra is a big issue for quite a few female expats. Lingerie shopping isn’t exactly sophisticated in China due to governmental regulation of its advertising and sales. You won’t find Victoria Secret or La Senza in China. You can always try the more expensive international malls that are catered to the foreigners for your luck for any of the clothes that you lack. Otherwise, you’ll have to do HK shopping runs like a lot of expats.
If you are an discerning shoppers with a Chinese sized body, you’ll love the clothing shopping in China. The selection is quite varied, and if you know how to find them, you’ll be able to find some awesome clothes for the fractions of the price you pay back home. Provided that you know what you are doing.
7. A phrase book or an electronic dictionary has been proven useful for certain people. This is entirely up to you. Most of the time, you probably won’t find what you are looking for at the time when you most need it. Something (like an electronic dictionary/translator) that will sound out the words might help more/be better, provided it doesn’t become a crutch that hinders your Chinese learning.
8. Some gifts that represent your home country or culture. Something a little cultural, a little unique to your homeland provided it’s legal to enter the customs is always nice to have on hand no matter who you meet.
Filed under: Essential / Must Read, FAQ, Work Advice | Tags: Advice, Beijing, China, Culture, Education, ESL, Must Read, Teaching, Work
This seems to be an extremely popular section, so I’ll give it more press.
I have taught English/ESL part time for nearly 10 years, and my experience is more than enlightening. If you want to teach English or otherwise in China, here are the general advices:
1. What do you want?
I can not stress this one enough.
Look, a lot of people came here with the reasons I have posted in section 1, and I really can’t say I approve it. The reason is very simple, working in another country is a VERY BIG commitment. China doubles that equation by 5 or more. Most westerners are JUST NOT prepare for the experience. This is in no way patronizing on my part because it is true. The amount of people, time, man hour, money and life wasted away here by westerners is probably enough to take the current USA out of recession. China didn’t build their current economy. Foreign investments, technology transfers and eager beavers who tried to cash in did. They lost trillions. I want to prevent you from doing the same.
If you want adventure, romance, sex, excitement, and a big pay check.., go to law school or take a MBA program. The best way for you to get that glamorous movie expat life is get hired by a large International Conglomerate and get stationed here. You make foreign currency, and all your living needs are already paid for by your company. Life on the ground is not like that. This is no place to escape a mediocre life. You need to know what you really want before setting foot here.
2. Take a tour.
Come here first. Take a look around. Spend 1- 3 month to travel the country a bit. Backpacking if you must. Talk to some expats around the town you are interested in staying. You need to get a general feel about the place before you decide to settle down here. If you can’t stay that long, 2-3 weeks is probably minimal.
3. Do your homework.
Talk to a career counselor and a financial adviser before coming. This is important. Working in a foreign country is like immigration, except that you are going to a (most likely 3rd world country). You need to have a realistic expectation on how much you are going to spend, and how long you can go without a job. If you loose/quit that first job(extremely common) you get hired for in China, you need to know if you can survive. China isn’t a cheap place to live anymore.
4. Have a realistic expectation.
This is the typical salary range for an foreign English teacher in China (exchange rate may vary) :
3000 – 6000 RMB/Month = 400 – 800 USD/Month.
But what about your living expenses? China is cheaper, right? Let’s use Beijing as an example:
Within 4 ring road:
1000 – 5000 RMB/ 1 bedroom, 1 bath/10+ square meters/Month = 150 – 700 USD/Month
2000 – 8000 RMB/ 2 bedrooms, 1 or 2 bath/20-25+ square meters/Month = 280 – 1100 USD/Month
3500 – 20000 RMB/ 3 bedrooms, 2 or 3 bath/35-40 + square meters/Month = 500- 2800 USD/Month
That’s not so bad, right? As long as you stay within the lower range, and you take on a few private tutor jobs, you should be fine, right?
Wrong. Most Chinese buildings are built to Chinese living standards according to the year they are built. Most of the buildings that are semi-suitable to what you used to as western standard of living are built after 2001 or later. I won’t go too deep into housing here, but expect what you deem acceptable to be in the high range.
What about living expenses?
2000 – 5000 RMB a month for food, public transport, a few nights out, 2 dinners a week is very common.
What about the visit home?
5000 – 6000 RMB for a round trip ticket from Beijing to Vancouver.
What about those jobs with contracts that includes room, food and an airplane ticket?
You get a room in a dorm. You will (most likely) share the bathroom with the entire floor. You WILL have a curfew. You will eat free in the school cafeteria that serves …, anyway. And expect things NOT to work. Your roof might leak, and most of the appliance are probably 5-10 years old. Expect to catch some kind of skin disease.
5. A Personal story.
A friend of mine makes almost 25,000 – 30,000 RMB/Month = 3500 – 4200 USD/Month in Beijing teaching. That’s REALLY GOOD, right? Guess how much he keeps at the end of the year? ZERO. He’s been here for 4 years, got a wife and kid, and takes 2 vacation outside China(mostly going home to Vancouver) every year. Very typical and normal for a western family right? Except that he doesn’t get to save any money. Why? He still hasn’t paid off his student loan, nor his credit card debt that he incurred when he first arrived and he has child support from the first marriage. That is also extremely common for typical western families. Making RMB to pay CAD debts is down right insane and not really workable.
But you will say, it is possible to make that much teaching, right? LOL.
The reason he even makes that much is because he has build up his reputation for teaching excellence after 4 grueling years here. And he doesn’t really teach in schools at all. He teaches for multinationals and big companies.
6. Consider the human cost factor.
I can’t stress this enough. Life is tough here. I am not just talking the pollution, the cost of living, and/or any of the other crap I have mentioned. Working in China can be very tiring psychologically and emotionally. The rudeness, the behind the back talk, the staring, the people asking for free lessons, the constant questioning, the sneaky picture taking and the complete absolute lack of privacy. There are a lot of wonderful things about the Chinese people, but you have to wade through a lot of things to get there sometimes. Think about it.
To be continued. I’ll also answer my board mate TK’s question in the next post. I’ll update this post later.
Filed under: Essential / Must Read, FAQ, Work Advice | Tags: Advice, Career, China, Jobs, Must Read, Teaching, Work, Working
Another series that will probably run for a long time, and no matter how many times I repeat myself or scream myself hoarse, clueless people continue to show up all the time.
There was a discussion about this at OE, and this was my response to a young Canadian guy who just got off animation school and getting bored with his office life. He wants adventure, fun, romance, and a dream life! This was his original question, (I’ll not print the discussion in full, because it requires too many permissions, but I’ll give the link below):
I could really use some career advice here. I just finished 4 years of animation school and while it is only my 1st year working as a proefessional animator I’m only pulling in about 43K a year. . and this is in Canada were at least 20% of it goes to income and sales taxes. Also I am working long hours and don’t get much in way of human interactions. (And everone I talk to thinks I have the coolest job haha!)
Mekhong. . your situation in Macau sounds like a dream job to me! I’d love to live in parts of China or Taiwan and teach at a university level. . and your tax free salary and benefits are great, considering the lower cost of living in China (as long as you can avoid those casinos in Macau!)
This was my response(mekhong is another semi regular at OE):
ROFL. Me and Jack here can probably write a novel on why not to come to China with that idea. I have been home for a month and the fresh air, drinkable water, hot baths, clean public places, and healthy/clean food make it seem like paradise.
You just got out of school, so you are probably much BETTER off working in the local area or go to the west coast like Cali or Vancouver for the animation scene.
Don’t expect to be the fab 5 life style here. It requires a lot of currency just to stay at the current life styles that some of the average North American families live. China is still dirt poor. Some farmers make $200 US a Year. The leather jacket I bought last year on 50% discount is still worth much more than that.
It’s ALL about WHO you know in China. You’ll be surprised the amount of doors opened when I was working in Hangzhou for a while and told people who my boss were. Party secretary. If you know anything about China, you will realize the amount of power that holds, and I didn’t. It was the most enlightening experience.
As for your salary, expect the monthly salary range around 3-6000RMB, which is 400-800 US a month. My life style in Beijing is as spartan as I can get, and I was spending 5000RMB a month. Then again, I do live in Beijing, and I haven’t started counting rent. I do teaching for fun since it’s nice to have someone look up to you, but it’s VERY hard to make it a good living unless you live outside of the 4 major cities and the living costs are MUCH cheaper. I have my business and teaching is good for me to practice my presentation skills.
As for animation, don’t expect to get hired in China, unless it’s for publicity reasons. If that’s the case, expect to be paraded around town like a side show.
I tell this to all the people who are seriously considering here, Don’t expect China to be the golden land that will solve all your problems. Tibet is suppose to be the Shangri-La, and look what Chinese did to it.
And if you want some real advice? Go see a good Career consulor. Sit down, talk with him or her on what you really want to do. I am Canadian too. I see a lot of people like you in China. Most of them come back after 3-6 months. Life is VERY different around here.
As for the teachers that really makes money? Those Montessori guys/gals. They make US dollars and British pounds. That’s the real money there. Make foreign dollars and spend RMB. RMB is useless anywhere else anyway.
As an animator, I am sure you are aware of the amount of work that is farmed out to China. Guess why? Cheaper. Can you, without any social or financial support live with their wages while learning the language?
Sorry for the cold shower, but having high expectations of China is like the AT&T. They spent millions courting the Chinese and in the end the Chinese never bought a single switch. And never be the old Macdonald-Douglas. In the end, all they got was bankruptcy.
Jacks’ Response:
Most of the young foreigners here in Lanzhou stay for quite some time just for the lifestyle. The pay is good considering one generally works less than twenty hours a week and the nightlife can be rather entertaining.
As for starting a business here. My experience is that you need to know someone. I’d go with that recommendation of getting a teaching job first, woo the locals with your charm, make some good contacts and then you can get stuff done. I have a friend from Canada who’s in the oil business. It’s fair to say that he’s loaded and while everyone wants a piece of that it’s also not been easy for him to get his business off the ground because it’s all who you know here.
If you want to teach, stay away from the universities. They’ll suck up your time and the pay isn’t great. Find a small school, Dave’s Esl Cafe is an excellent choice to look, and make sure they provide you with housing and what-not. Then, take it upon yourself to make contacts. Spend time hanging out where the local business guys hang out. If you’re not just another amusing monkey for them then they’ll take you seriously and provide you with more work.
I know we sounded cynical and jaded, but we have been here for a long time, and we have seen too many people fail, scammed, ruined and being made fool of.
Working in China is a big commitment, ESPECIALLY Teaching. There are a lot of cultural strings attached to this job that isn’t well understood in the west. Confucius was considered to be the grand role model for teachers. There are a lot of cultural expectations for this job that is just not there for western societies. Real teachers will love it here. The students here are smart, hard working, respectful, and don’t really talk back. But given the same mindset, you as a teacher are expected to be their legal guardian of sorts. You are the consular, boss, manager, priest and parent all rolled into one. It’s a very tough job, and the parents/adult students can be very demanding.
And never, I repeat, never misunderstand the respect as adoration or love. Going out with your students is a very bad idea. Only 2 types go out with their “English” students. Arseholes and idiots. If you are an idiot, may Deity/Deities have mercy on your soul. If you are of the first type, expect to be lynch mobbed and tarred and feathered. Public opinions can move very fast in China, and should the government get involved, don’t expect anybody to save you. Remember, you WILL be caught. There is 1.3 billion people here, and someone will see you. Doing stuff like this also makes life very uncomfortable for the hard working expats trying to live a respectful life here.
Should you help to turn negative opinion/spot light on our expat community, don’t expect help from us. We will help them find you!
P.S: The exchange rate has changed, so the salary is less now.
Filed under: Culture, Essential / Must Read, FAQ, General Advice | Tags: Advice, Background, Beijing, China, Culture, Geography, History, Must Read, Shopping, Travel
Alright, here we go! I won’t bore you with the usual boring details about the city that you can find on wiki or lonely planet. Beijing has been a city for roughly 2500 years, but it wasn’t anything special before the Mongols or Kublai Khan because the center of power has always been in the center of China such has Chang An or Loa Yang.
Beijing didn’t really become Beijing with the infamous Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven until the Ming Dynasty or around 1400. The Manchus that overthrew the Mings decided to not to mess with a good thing when they see it, and we have the Beijing today.
Now with the cliff notes version about the background of the City out of the way, let’s focus on what you need to know when and if you want to visit the place. Most of the places of interest that you want to visit are left by the 3 Dynasties I mentioned I above. But the most important thing is to get your bearings. You need to know where you are before you know where you are going, right?
Here is an easy reference, imagine Beijing as a giant castle with 5 walls and you’ll get the picture. But now imagine the walls have been demolished and replaced with giant free ways and you’ll get it right. These freeways are what we called Ring Roads. First Ring Road, Second Ring Road, etc. They go from inside out, just like a castle would.
Most things of interest(like shopping districts) are focused on old gates of the walls that enters or leaves the city (which makes a lot of sense if you think about it) . Most of the Tourist attractions that you want to see are within the Second Ring Road. If you can get a place within that square, getting around is easy and you can probably see most of what you want to see.
Don’t expect the Chinese maps you buy on the news stands to make sense, even if it’s labeled with English. They are littered with Pingying names for places, and can be down right out of date.
Here is a “interactive” (it doesn’t work, typical when you deal with official Chinese government stuff) map from the official Beijing Olympics website. It’s useless because it doesn’t have enough relevant labels, but it should give you a basic idea about the 5 ring roads.
Beijing has 8 urban districts, but most of the time, you don’t really need to know more than 3 or 4. Here they are in order of importance (to a visitor):
Xicheng District (西城区: Xīchéng Qū)
Chaoyang District (朝阳区: Cháoyáng Qū)
Haidian District (海淀区: Hǎidiàn Qū)
Dongcheng District (东城区: Dōngchéng Qū)
Xuanwu District (宣武区: Xuānwǔ Qū)
Shijingshan District (石景山区: Shíjǐngshān Qū)
Fengtai District (丰台区: Fēngtái Qū)
The links are courtesy of answers.com, since I was too lazy to type them out and if you wanted to know more, you can check it out there.
There are a few neighborhoods that is probably a must for most visitors. I’ll deal with the main attractions later. Here we go:
- Wangfujing 王府井
- Xidan 西单
- Yayuncun 亚运村
- Zhongguancun 中关村
- Guomao 国贸
- Wudaokou 五道口
Wangfujing is the quintessential shopping district in Beijing for the 25-45 and middle to upper class. If your image of China is still from the Cold War, go here. Oriental Plaza and the New World mall here pretty much covers all the second tier brand shops with a few first tier brands mixed in between. Chinese pop stars shops here, but it’s unlikely any will be recognized by any non-Chinese. There is also the only official government sectioned street stall food street here. Take pictures of the scorpions, sea horses, and silk cocoons here, while the braver souls can try the food to their large intestine’s dismay. It can be reached by Subway. It has the best foreign language book store in Beijing. Food here(that ain’t served from a street stall) aren’t bad. There are more, but I’ll get to it later.
Xidan is the second quintessential shopping district in Beijing, but this is for the young and not so rich type (14-24, counting allowance money type). If you want to oogle young girls of any kind in Beijing, go here. It also has the biggest book malls in town. They have a lot of English Text books for cheap. (35.00RMB for one, anyone?) This place covers all the second to third tier western brands plus all the funky but horribly expensive/crappy in terms of price and quality Chinese brands. There are no real food here, since it’s all filled by food courts and chained restaurants. Be warned, this place gets VERY busy during weekends. It is a subway station name, just get off when they tell you to.
Yayuncun or Asian Games Village, soon to be Olympics Games Village. This is where the bird nest and the giant fish bowl is. Traffic used to suck until they finished the subway line 5. I lived here for 2 1/2 years, and I’ll post the pictures of the changes of this place later. There aren’t a lot of attraction here for visitors, even though the real estate surrounding this whole area has gone bananas ever since they decided to put the bird nest here. Don’t bother getting a place here if you are here for the games. Most of the venues are spread all over town. Note: As far as I know, there is only one Starbucks near the stadium, and it’s at the 5th street Mall, which is 15 mins drive with no traffic and 30 mins walk.
Chongguancun or the Beijing “silicon Valley”. This is where all the high tech companies and the big electronic malls are. Come here to look if you like, make sure you bargain hard for the prices. There is no easy way to reach this place, and that has been a point of contention for quite a lot of workers here. As you can imagine, the rent is expensive around here.
Guomao or the International Trade Center. This is the old standby. All old/veteran China hands/expats got their start here at 80s, because this was the only place to stay and apply for a business license address. China World Hotel was where most international delegation stayed along with the western journalists. 30-65 and Rich is the audience here. All the top tier brands are here. Gucci, Prada, LV, and etc. Expect the snob from both sides. It also has an ice rink that is closest to town. It is directly connected to a subway station. There are a few interesting places to go outside the giant complex, but that’s another section. A lot of decent restaurants here, and with the price to match. This is also close to the old embassy compounds.
Wudaokou will probably be the new Wanfujing + Xidan. It’s college town, with quite a few big internet companies as anchors. There are lots of young and hip things/people here. Koreans have a huge influence in this neighborhood. The food is decent and cheap (student price). You can see a lot of expats working and studying here. If you are studying Chinese in Beijing, this is where you are most likely to be. The rent here is Atrocious. Expect funky and lots of people trying to practice their English with you. Crowded. It is accessible with a Skytrain station.
I hope you enjoyed that as well as it has proven helpful to you.
Filed under: Essential / Must Read, General Advice | Tags: Advice, Beijing, China, Must Read, Olympics, Travel
Ok, this is an extended section on getting Chinese visas. (You need a passport photo, most visa agencies will be happy to take one for you. My usual price is HKD 35.00)
As of now, all long term visas are no longer issued because of tighter security surrounding the Olympic time. The maximum time you are allowed to stay is 3 months on a business visa.
Work visa is different since it requires some proof of employment, an application with the Ministry of Labor and it requires you to start paying Chinese taxes ever since the start of last year. All tour/travel visas are one month only. I have no idea about the difficulty involving journalist visas since I never had to apply for one. I can imagine it being more complicated and formal given the current situation around Tibet. There are also family visitor visas and visas for H.K. resident/green card holders. Taiwanese go through another category entirely. Student visas requires you to be enrolled in a school and an ok from Ministry of Education.
There is also the issue of the how many times you need to enter or leave China on a given visa. Single Entry means, you are allowed to go in once, that’s IT. Once you leave, you’ll HAVE to apply for another visa to return even if you still had time on the original visa. (I’ll tell a funny story about that later) Double Entry means you can enter the country twice after leaving it the first time. Multiple entry means you can do it as many times as your allowable time of stay doesn’t run out.
Recap with price in HKD (rough estimate from the agency I use) :
Single Entry L – HKD 200.00 ( USD 29.00)
Double Entry L – HKD 280.00 ( USD 40.00)
Multiple Entry L or F – HKD 480.00 ( USD 70.00)
Ever since the beginning of 2007, the China Custom Office has apparently upgraded their computer system and has since refused to offer 1 year stay + visas unless they are either from official channels (with all the complicated and costly/time consuming paper work) or H.K. residents. As of now, you CAN apply for an one year visa if you feel like stepping outside the country every single month. You need that stamp every month to keep staying.
As usual most Chinese consulate websites do not have the updated information you need. They are also a LOT more expensive, time consuming, onerous and you get a lot more questions. Here is an link and a quote from the Chinese consulate office in Vancouver:
7. Types of regular visa fees(American citizen not included):
1 Entry(3mths valid), $50CAD; 2 Entries(6mths valid),$75CAD; multiple Entries(6mth valid), $100CAD; 12 and 24-month multiple Entries, $150CAD.From August 1st.2007,there will be adjustments to Chinese visa fee for U.S.passport holders, following as:
1.For an individual U.S.passport holder, any visa (single-entry,double-entry or multiple-entry )will be charged with 130 Canadian dollars.
2.The express and rush visa service fee will remain unchanged , which are 35 Canadian dollars and 50 Canadian dollar separately.
It takes four business days to process visa applications. For special cases, rush service is offered, and the applicant is subject to pay an extra fee for it. The rush service fees are rated as follows: $50 Canadian Dollars per person for the same day service (application must be submitted before 11:00a.m.), $35 Canadian Dollars per person for the second or third day service.
Note: The Consulate-General does not accept cash, credit card and personal check. Please make payment by debit card, money order or company check.
8. OFFICE HOURS: 9:00a.m.–1:00p.m. Monday to Friday, closed on holidays.
Stay away from the bureaucracy, and save yourself the trouble.
Filed under: Essential / Must Read, FAQ, General Advice | Tags: Beijing, China, Living, Must Read, Olympics, Travel, Working
It’s my first blog post! (p.s: Most of these things are based on personal experiences, research, word of mouth, and a prolonged trial and error from many expats, so if you have heard different things from different people, you are welcome to share it/discuss it.)
Here we go:
1. Wash your hands.
Bring disinfectant wipes or soap. I can’t stress this enough. Please make a habit of this before you even set foot in China. Practice at home, and form a habit of washing your hands whenever you enter/leave public spaces. The official population of Beijing is 7.2 million, but if you include the farm workers, and people who doesn’t hold Beijing residency cards but works/lives in Beijing, it is closer to 20 million. Trust me when I say you don’t know where whatever you just touched has been.
2. Shots.
Get your shots at home. Check out the travel advisories from your home country on what shots to get. Hep B is a must.
3. Visas.
You should get your visa from a Certified China Visa (tour/travel) Agency. The general experience from most of the expats who have been through the ringer quite a few times is that if you go to the actual consulate offices, they are more expensive and time consuming. Hong Kong is a good place to start.
4. Check around before you book that flight.
Direct Flights can be a lot more expensive depending on your situation and where you want to go. Before you book that flight, check around. I usually avoid Air China, and China Eastern if I can help it. Their service are just…., not up to snuff. (Most “direct” flights to Beijing go through either Vancouver or Vienna.)
5. Cash is King.
Don’t expect shops to accept any forms of plastic unless you are in a huge international malls. If some small shops say they do, be suspicious. It’s very difficult( depending on where you live) to actually exchange for Renminbi outside of Chinese controlled territories. Ask first, but don’t expect anything.
If you can’t do it locally, H.K. is fine if you happen to pass through. They have an exchange place inside the security zone in the H.K. International Airport, so you don’t even have to go through customs. If you have to do it inside China, then go with the big banks. Bank of China or ICBC. Bring your passport and go to a big location where they post the rates.
Ever since China opened up the banking sector a bit couple years ago, you can now go to local banks’ ATMs to take out RMB using your credit cards and/or your local bank cards. HSBC, CitiBank, and Standard Chartered all have ATMs in Oriental Plaza, one of the biggest international mall there. (They are easier to find than the old stand bys in GuoMao/International Trade Center) Check to see if your bank has affiliation with any of the big four.
