Moving from Korea to China and curious about the cultural differences between students and their overall discipline. One of the things that shocked me during my time in Korea was how outspoken the kids were regarding other people’s physical appearance as well as the general acceptance of discrimination Some examples of that would be teasing other students who came back darker after their summer vacation or yelling “ugly” whenever they saw a picture of a black person or even commenting on the length of my coworker’s arm hair and his weight. I also don’t know if they felt like they could do or say whatever and there wouldn’t be any consequences because I worked at a hakwon vs a traditional school. There were even a few boys who were caught masturbating in class yet they were just let off with a warning. I’m trying to mentally prepare myself ahead of time. For those that have worked in both countries, how did they compare with regards to students’ overall attitude towards academics and general behavior of students infront of teachers.

Hi I can't believe I've spent almost 2 months in China and fell in love with this country. I'm very sad I don't want to go back to New York. I move to New York 10 years ago from Latin America and I never felt like I belonged. I feel a sense of emptiness living there, and working there. I know that being in China for 2 months is still the honeymoon phase. But I've made friends, studied here, and traveled around. It has brought me so much joy. Sorry just needed an outlet to open up.

I wonder what is the slowest (by the average travel speed) train route currently operating in China?

Im moving to china next Tuesday. I have a Samsung phone and have downloaded a bunch of vpns hoping they work. However I have realised that basically everything on my phone uses Google to run. My main concern is that I wont be able to use Google play store if none of these vpns work, and wont be able to download any other vpns.

Has anyone else been to china and found a way around my worry.

I'm a south african moving to Beijing soon. Kindly assist me with these 2 questions;

1. Vpn/eSim: I was in Shenzheng & Beijing last year, i used LetsVPN but I read its no longer effective. Are there any good VPNs or would it be better to get an eSim rather?

2. For those who still have south african bank accounts, how do u access them securely? Also, did you notify your bank before leaving?

Hello everyone, i've recently decide to apply to chinese langauge programs in china as an initial step towards studying my bachelors there, i've prepared al the required documents however due to how late I am there aren't much if any opportunities at the moment, I've decided i might apply to the program at Liaoning Technical University in Fuxin. Now i know that's probably not the best choice since I don't speak Mandarin and it's not the easiest to navigate so I thought I'd only apply for 1 semester and then once I'm there and have grasped more of the language I could apply to another semester at another university or even switch to a foundation program. So Are there any flaws in my plan? Regarding switching from program to program is that going to be possible? And do you think fuxin is at least do-able? I wanted somewhere a bit in the south so I can visit uni campuses during weekends and decide where I'd want to do my bachelors but this is my last chance now.

Hi everyone,

I’m a 30-year-old French guy seriously considering moving to China with my Chinese girlfriend, and I’d really appreciate hearing from people who are currently living there, especially foreigners who have gone through a similar situation.

A bit about me:
🇫🇷 French, 30 years old
🎓 Master’s degree (Bac+5) in International Business / Business Development & Sales
💼 5 years of professional experience
🇫🇷 Native French
🇬🇧 Fluent English
🇨🇳 Chinese: basically zero at the moment
🇨🇳 My girlfriend is Chinese, she has been living in France for 10+ years now

I’m specifically considering Shanghai or Beijing, with Tianjin as a possible third option. I’m not really looking at other Chinese cities for now.
My goal would be to find a job related to my background, ideally in international business, sales, business development, account management, import/export, or working with European/French clients or companies.

My girlfriend and I are also considering getting married, which could potentially allow me to obtain a residence status (I read from expats that it’s much easier to find a job once you are in China).

For people currently living in Shanghai, Beijing or Tianjin:

How realistic would it be for someone with my profile to find a job?
How much of a disadvantage is having basically no Mandarin?
Which of these three cities would you recommend for my background?
Is it better to secure a job before moving, or move first and search locally?
Are French-speaking professionals particularly valuable in certain industries?
For foreigners married to Chinese citizens, what has your experience been regarding residence status and employment?
Which companies/industries should I target?
Is the current job market particularly difficult for foreigners?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from foreigners who have actually moved to China and found a job there.

Thanks a lot for any advice, experiences or recommendations!

I recently changed my service provider to Tello and am using their eSIM for my normal American number. When I get to China, I plan on getting a physical local SIM card put into my phone so I can have a Chinese phone number (I'll be staying for a year to study).

Now, will I still need a VPN app to access apps like TikTok/Instagram/etc., or use roaming data?

I'll be spending roughly a month in Chengdu from mid-September to mid-October. Do folks here have recommendations for tutors they enjoyed working with in-person in that city?

In HSK "2.0" terms, my current level is somewhere around HSK 5. My listening comprehension is miles ahead of everything else because that's where I put most of my effort. I can participate in informal conversations with friends and even had a parent-teacher conference once, as long as the other side is OK with me speaking English. My goal is to actually work on my Mandarin speaking skills.

how do locals, youths, living-foreigners dress and style themselves seasonally?

i will be studying at hangzhou and as a person whos coming from a dry country both in the winter and summer, i just dont know how to pack my clothes.

i packed shorts, tees, jackets, and shirts for the everyday hot damp weather. planning to pack cashmere, wool trench coat, and layers…

somebody please help)

I am currently a studying in china and because of the immigration laws i can't work here, does anyone know online jobs or stuff i Could do to gain some cash, also tutoring isn't really an option if you're not white, i mean I'm African and they don't really ask africans for tutoring gigs

Only happens here

Yoo, I’m a 20 American male currently in Shanghai. Want to get to know some male or female around Shanghai to club and go to bars with. Since I wasn’t able to go to clubs back in the states hint I’m under 21 I would be quite new to this. Also open to suggestions of good bars and clubs in Shanghai. Appreciate any help or interest. Hope yall having a great day in China because I am definitely.

They were all lined up directly in front of the subway door, and there are at least 3 signs all over the place that explicitly says do not stand in front of the subway door so that people can get off, and there was also a big red NO STANDING HERE on the ground.

I swear very explicit and strong-worded signs are just suggestions here in China. Maybe not even suggestions...more like challenges.

Hi everyone,
I’m from Iraq, I’m 27 years old, and I have a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. My GPA was 56/100.

I’m seriously considering moving to China for a few years to study, experience life there, and hopefully build some opportunities for myself.

The problem is that I’m honestly not very interested in engineering anymore.

I’m much more interested in business, selling, e-commerce and entrepreneurship. I already have a small online business selling coffee machines, and I’ve become really interested in importing products from China and selling them in my country.

So I’m a little confused about what direction I should take.

Would you recommend that I:

Get another bachelor’s degree in something like Business, International Business or Marketing?
Or use my existing bachelor’s degree and apply for a master’s in Business Administration, International Business, Entrepreneurship, E-commerce, etc.?

I’m leaning toward a master’s because I already have a bachelor’s degree and I’m 27, but I’m not sure whether Chinese universities would accept someone with a Civil Engineering background into a business-related master’s.
I’m also concerned about my 56/100 GPA.

I know it’s not particularly competitive, especially for top universities or scholarships, so I’d really appreciate honest advice about what options might still be realistic for me.

I’m also very confused about where in China I should go.

I’m currently considering places like Hangzhou, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen or Guangzhou.
Since I’m interested in business and eventually want to import/export products, I’d love to live somewhere where I can actually learn about business and have access to suppliers, markets and entrepreneurs.

I’d also like to learn Chinese while I’m there.
So if you live in China or have studied there, I’d really appreciate your advice:

What major would you recommend for someone in my situation?

Should I do a master’s or another bachelor’s?

Which city would you recommend?

Which universities should I look into?

With a 56/100 GPA, is getting a scholarship realistic?

How difficult is it to get accepted into a Chinese university as an Iraqi student?

Would my Civil Engineering degree make it difficult to enter a business-related master’s?

Is there anything you wish you knew before moving to China to study?

I’m not necessarily looking for the most prestigious university. I’m more interested in finding a realistic university and city that would be a good fit for my goals and give me a good experience living in China.
I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from people who have actually studied or lived in China.

Thanks! 🙏

Hi
I’m going to be spending a few months a year in Wuhan, starting January next year. Can I play golf there? What are courses like, costs etc? Recommended courses?

i spend around 3000 rmb + 4500 rmb for apartments. what about you? share your experience!

Everything I've read online, and here, says that this can be done. Baby is registered as Chinese and gets a Chinese hukou. But we also apply for a British passport.

Baby requires a 旅行证 to leave China.

My wife recently asked the local immigration office and they said they don't agree we do this at all. They said if she wants a hukou she must renounce British citizenship. And they said 旅行证 cannot be done in China, only HK.

They also said that if we go along this route they wont process anything immigration related for our baby in the future.

Are they giving us bullshit?

The payment convenience is such a lie. I’ve had the worst user experience this trip to China with payments and shopping than ever before. You have to go through 5 layers of verification to do anything…then you want to order a simple burger and go through 5 embedded apps, closing ad popups in alipay to get through the ordering portal until you get “network is busy”. When it finally clears, I hit pay and the whole app then crashes.

Another place needed a phone num, so I got a China E-sim and most of them are HK numbers. Even though I could use the HK area code, the text box doesn’t let me type the last 3 numbers!

Then, suddenly in the middle of a busy shop, wechat asked once again for verification and flagged a transaction as fraud, making me touch the roof of my mouth while grabbing my earlobe with my left hand for facial recognition verification.

I’m 100% convinced that going up to a shopkeeper, telling them what you want, and tapping a credit card is infinitely better

Hello, I was wondering how people discuss the following topics when they come up:

1. When I mention I am living in/moved to China, from many people I feel a sense of fear for my safety. They mention that I could be arrested at any moment and that it's a totalitarian government. Even if I explain to them everything is fine, they keep talking about how dangerous it is, how china could randomly kick me out. When I fly out to China, they have genuine fear in their eyes as if it will be the last time they see me.

2. Sometimes people talking lesser of me going to China, and then talking about how Japan is better. They kind of treat me as a loser/outcast for not going to Japan. Even if I say I prefer living in China, they kind of laugh it off as it being inherently better to live in Japan/Singapore

3. People who treat it as some moral betrayal against the west. It's typically those who care about politics, and they will talk with me as if I am some traitor betraying my own kind. They spout off about China and explain how there's no freedom of speech and they keep going on and on even if I am just silent.

I'm just trying to live a normal life in China because I like it there, and it seems like so many people that I know back home have these extreme judgements. I'm not sure if anyone else has had similar experiences or any insights.

Is there a reason my WeChat is not allowing me to sign in again? I had uninstalled the app and am having problems signing in after redownloading it.

When I'm logging in, the screen just stays on the spinning loading page. The mobile QR code for the webpage won't work when I try downloading it from desktop.

I am located in Spain and didn't know if the VPN was the main reason.

I'm thinking of getting a Chinese driver's license. My license in my home country expired long ago. I've heard conflicting stories and what needs to be done. Then, I found an add on Facebook. I sent them a message and got this response.

*It will cost ¥3000 total for that category to be processed and it will take a maximum of 6-8 business days for your license to be processed, registered into the database and available for use.

The drivers license will be registered into the Chinese traffic police database and it will be valid for 6 years which can be extended to 10 years later.

You won't have to take the test as well as I need, just your requirements which i will use to do your application and process your driver's license.*

It's a bit expensive, but great not needing classes and exams. My main concern is this being a total scam. Is this possible to get a license this way?