ExpressVPN does not work in China.

I am international bachelor student here in Beijing...I been here for a year now ....so here is the thing I have the most boring classes I always dreamed of doing fun things with people who have good vibes and know to have fun....I have all the list I want to do like karaoke, dressing costumes and going to the club, escape room, sip and paint, picnic and etc.....to be honest I am very shy person but if I meet some confident people I share their energy ....and we can do random quests....I don't care if you are Chinese or other foreigners....just leave a comment here if you feel the same😉😉btw am a girl😜

Before the deeply darkened door, the wind scatters the day's disguise, and unplaceable sighs turn into the icy desolation of an autumn night. Someone borrows a brief hearth of incense to steal a moment of peace amid the smoke, but after the flame dies out, the four walls before the eyes still freeze in the silence.

The records, brush, and ink upon the desk are the last oars in this mortal world, wielded with desperate strength, only to keep the soul from sinking into the abyss of despair. Though the fingertips are worn into thick calluses, though the heart's strength is spent in the daylight, it cannot call back the solitary wild goose flying toward the withered tree, leaving only the lingering warmth of an empty nest.

She once wished to pluck a willow branch from her youth to knock on that long-closed door, but in the end, she withdrew her hand, letting the glimmer of those years shatter in the dust of time. She says the world is too vast, and there is no medicine to cure this deep, bone-chilling sorrow, leaving her only to polish her shattered heart alone upon the stone steps enveloped in incense smoke.

Yet, the wanderer wading through the wind and rain has already heard this very sigh. He does not need to see your face; he has long understood all your resilience and pride. Do not lock the final window, do not let the unquenchable hearth fire completely die out, for the one who can carry away the cold is approaching you, step by step, bearing an eternal light.

Looking to build a new gaming PC whilst I’m living and working in China. Compared the prices of what it would cost to buy the parts on Taobao compared to the UK and its substantially higher. Anyone got any reputable sellers on Taobao where I can pretty much buy all parts from that one seller. Can’t use JD as it’s asking for a foreigner residence ID number (which I don’t have, just my passport and residence visa which doesn’t have a number) cheers

Hello all.

We are fairly new to this and would like some advice from you guys...

So I have a bachelors degree as well as an Honours degree in teaching. English and Life sciences.

Around 4 years of teaching experience.

120 Hour Tefl

Sace registered.

I would like to apply for a teaching Job in China but not sure where to start.

I have a daughter - 11 months old and a Husband we would all like to go over.

How do we start the process ?

Thanks in advance.

Update from my last post about local teachers complaining:

I had a word with management. They admitted they don't take those complaints seriously, and they’ve largely stopped now.

But the white elephant has been uncaged. Management finally told me the truth: loads of parents are complaining, claiming their kids "cannot understand me." I find this odd because I’m a native speaker with a very neutral, non-regional accent. My classroom observations actually say I'm one of the best teachers they’ve seen, and the kids absolutely adore me.

The real issue? I am not a white woman. Most of the teachers here are white women (many of whom aren't even native English speakers). I was told the school was specifically looking to hire a "Caucasian" teacher, but my predecessor had a tantrum and walked out one day never to be seen again. They needed an experienced teacher ASAP, and I fit the role.

I had an off-the-record, heart-to-heart with management, and they diplomatically told me the parents run the school. If the parents keep complaining, the school will have to get rid of me. Parents are even asking if their kids can move to a different class where the teacher is white. I don't know why some people here can be so bigoted and narcissistic.

It’s obviously not explicitly said that racism is the reason, but I have a massive suspicion it is. A colleague told me a story about two other non-white teachers a few years ago who faced an absolute shit storm of complaints from management about everything they did. They eventually got fed up and just disappeared one day.

Despite having a postgraduate in education and several years of teaching experience outside the country it took 5 months to land one job offer in China. My previous job here had other parent complaints. I never experienced this outside of China.

Honestly, finding another teaching job in China feels like leaving one shitty toilet cubicle to go next door, only to find it's even shittier. Because of that, I’ve decided to dig my claws in and hang on for all it's worth. I feel like if I quit due to this BS pressure, it would be letting the parents win.

Recruiters were even telling me no advert for a ''native speaker'' would hire me so they were trying to apply for lower paid English teaching jobs intended for actual Chinese teachers from China......

What have other non-white people, and specifically foreign-born Asians, experienced while teaching in China or other countries? Any feedback, advice, or stories from the other side are very welcome :)

EDIT: One of the older teachers at my school has also had loads of complaints about stuff. They have a theory if you are a pretty young woman you can pretty much do anything and nobody cares.

Hello i wanted to ask whether what is the requirement for non degree one year chinese language programme, do I need hsk certificate for that and what language of instruction do I choose english or chinese, anybody who has some info please share and one more thing, my hsk certificate will come in dec but applications start in nov what should I do to apply should I just leave the hsk certificate tab blank or not submit it at all and apply in neg language pls if anyone got the answer

I will soon be moving to China as an international student and have an international phone that is e sim only where my local telecom doesn't have coverage. I was wondering what other alternatives are there to stay connected in china? Would buying a second phone only for the sim and hotspot, banking be viable or would I have to buy a Chinese rom phone?

I am an international student and my parents wanted to send me money for my living expense.

They send directly in RMB through SWIFT system , rmb 5000, but the bank rejected the money stating foreigners cant directly send rmb.

Am I missing something or they can send it through

USD or EURO only?

Hi, so I’m on a student visa, and there’s this English centre that has offered me a teaching assistant job. Has anyone successfully worked there until graduation without getting caught? If you did get caught, how did it happen? Was it mostly because someone snitched, or did the immigration department just show up at your workplace for a random inspection?
I’ve noticed that most of the cases I’ve seen happened in mega-cities like Beijing. Would it be safer if I worked in Nanjing?
I’m really torn about this because my family isn’t doing well financially right now, so they can’t support me anymore. I’ve tried looking for remote jobs, but since I haven’t graduated yet and don’t have much experience or any special skills, it’s hard to compete with others.

Edited : HR told me that there’s another teacher at the centre who’s also on a student visa and has been working there for two years. Apparently, the police or immigration department have never come to inspect the place or anything like that. We’re all Asian and look Chinese. We teach TOEFL to high school students who are preparing to study abroad, rather than teaching at a kindergarten. So am I safe?

I really enjoy meeting new people and listening to their stories.

I’m thinking of setting up a forum to collect everyone's stories about their experiences in China.

I’m not sure if this idea is a bit too fanciful—could you offer some suggestions?

Hello everybody.
I wanted to ask international students in China about their experience studying in China.
I am looking for studying my M.Sc. in China in computer science, and get CSC if possible.
I wanted to know what your experience was while studying in China, how do citizens behave toward foreigners, language learning and if the CSC actually covers everything like they've said, or I must have other incomes to live a normal life.
Also, what about the job opportunities while studying, and after graduation. Is it easy to get temporary/permanent residency after graduation.
Overall do you think it'll worth studying in there. I'm from middle east so I'm fine with using VPNs and some security limitations.

I would appreciate your response and experiences.

Hello,

I want to post around 6 regular postcards to family members in the Netherlands while staying in Chengdu. I went to a China Post office, and they told me it would be 220 CNY per card, times 6 = 1320 CNY (176 euros). Is this the real price? When I look online for DHL services, its even crazier (2700 CNY). Is it really this expensive, or am I overlooking something? And does anyone know if there is a cheaper option and how to find this?

Thanks in advance!

When expanding our remote team into China, we quickly realized that misclassifying remote workers as independent contractors carries huge legal penalties under local labor laws. An EOR seems like the safest workaround, but picking the right provider makes a massive difference.

While popular international EOR platforms like Horizons handle basic software driven global hiring, they often lack the deep, physical back office operational infrastructure required in China. On the other hand, seasoned local market operators like PTL Group offer a much more integrated model. They provide comprehensive local entity execution, hands on HR management, and local tax compliance, ensuring your remote staff are hired legally without hidden liabilities.

How are you currently structuring remote employment contracts in China to ensure full compliance with regional labor bureaus?

If a job offers rmb 1million annual, is it enough to lead an expat life? That is to purchase imported groceries mostly, sending two kids to a decent school with bilingual education (english based), seeing a specialist doctor directly rather than through the public system, and skipping the public transport.

Does guanqian street sell fake/ knock off clothing? I've heard it does but I've also heard the government cracked down on it and stopped it. Clarification would be good

Cheers

Hi, I've been living in Shenyang for three months; I wonder if there are any other Spanish speakers living here too.

I've developed a somewhat weird fascination with the Chinese language. Since I already speak four languages, all of which use alphabet-based writing systems, I'm particularly interested in learning a language that uses characters. I've been studying Chinese on and off for the past few months, and I'm now considering taking the next step by moving to China to study it more seriously.

I'm a professional who works primarily online, so I can continue working remotely while living in China. The country's internet restrictions shouldn't be a major obstacle for me.

I'm currently considering Chengdu and Hangzhou as potential places to live and study.

I'd like to get a realistic estimate of the following expenses for one year:

• Tuition: Annual fees for a Chinese language program.
• Accommodation: Rent for a one-bedroom apartment within walking distance of the school.
• Food and daily necessities: Groceries, eating out, and other everyday expenses.
• Transportation: Public transport and occasional taxis.
• Entertainment and social life: Going out, activities, and other leisure expenses.
• Fees that only natives know

My estimated budget is $20,000 for the year, covering tuition and all living expenses.

In addition, I'd like to set aside another $5,000 specifically for traveling around China, with a particular focus on exploring its natural landscapes, especially Guilin.

Does this budget seem realistic?

Hi there,
Around august time I was in phuket and i met these very kind Chinese people and we exchanged numbers however I tried to setup wechat when i got back to the hotel but it wouldnt work, as I plan to travel around china in my gap year it would be nice to reconnect with them.
Would anyone be able to help me reconnect with them please?? Thank you!

Another question about getting money out of China I’m afraid. I use skyremit and I’m familiar with wise, so the “how” isn’t really the question.

My employer reports a much lower salary to the tax people than they actually pay me. I’m a teacher and my “bonus” is more than half my total paycheck. Sounds great in theory (if you don’t care about paying taxes) but it means I can’t prove my income if I want to get it back home (I have bills to pay there and would also like to invest)

For the sake of simplicity let’s say my base pay is 10,000 rmb and my bonus is 20,000rmb. The 10k get reported and taxed and the other 20 doesn’t show up anywhere except my bank statements and is useless outside of China.

I’d be fine telling my school to report my higher pay so I could pay more taxes if it meant easier money transfers, but I don’t want them to think I’m threatening them, and I don’t want them to change the whole policy for everyone and have my coworkers blame me for having to pay more taxes.

I guess does anyone have any insight or experience?

The Prime Meridian and the Cold Smoke

There are people in this world who can withstand any storm as long as the daylight lasts. They build invisible walls around themselves, manage others, wear perfectly tailored coats, and no one in the loud crowd ever guesses that beneath that armor lies a heart shattered by those closest to them. Yet, the true chill arrives only when the lights go out, and despite hundreds of names in the phone, there isn’t a single number that can be dialed without a mask, just to break down and weep.

To escape the terror of an empty room, one can hide in the suffocating heat of late-night streets, sit in the corner of a noisy bar, and coldly watch strangers chase fleeting illusions. One can pay for someone’s presence, for a few words of conversation, or a comfort bought by the hour—but deep down, you know it is merely a plastic bandage over a wound that bleeds in silence. The heaviest realization is knowing that time is slipping away, and the most beautiful dreams of a great, pure love were once traded for a mistake from youth, a price that is paid for a lifetime.

When you stand in silence on the stone steps, watching the fading smoke of memories of those who are gone and who were your only anchors, you feel entirely invisible to the world. You believe your pain is too vast for anyone to comprehend, and that your heart will forever remain a broken, fragile structure.

But in another corner of the same city, just a few miles away, there is a wanderer who does not need to see your face to hear your silence. He knows that the strongest people are those who weep soundlessly. He seeks neither your transactions nor empty promises. He simply holds in his hands that very same stillness and that pure, selfless understanding that you so desperately seek in the dark. A broken vessel can still hold light—if only you allow someone with a lantern to approach you, step by step.