China Portal

Welcome to China

China is a big, diverse country. There is as big a difference between Guangzhou, Changsha, Taiyuan, and Beijing. There are big differences in weather, political climate, wealth, language, culture, corruption, availability of Western goods, etc. There are even big differences within a single city. There are places in Beijing that are super-modern and clean, but there are other places in Beijing - perhaps in the same block - that are run-down, poor, and filthy. Executives may arrive at the front door of a glitzy office tower in the latest Mercedes, while there are hundreds of dusty bicycles parked outside the back door.

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences. But in the 19th and early 20th centuries, China was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralised economic decision-making. Output quadrupled by 2000. Political controls remain tight while economic controls continue to be relaxed. The People's Republic of China is now one of the world's fastest changing societies.

The capital city of China is Beijing. China has a population of 1.3 billion, and land area of 9.3 million square kilometres.

Everyday Living in China

Your salary should be sufficient for living expenses in China. You may be able to get an advance on your first month's salary if required.

Food

China has tons of restaurants at widely varying prices. You can get a decent meal at a food court or cheap restaurant for 16 RMB (less than US$2).

Fast food is popular now. McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken are in most major cities.

Chinese cities now have western-style supermarket chains. In some of the wealthier cities you can find foreign "hypermarket" stores, including Carrefour and Wal-Mart. Convenience stores, including 7-11, are also becoming popular. Supermarkets are usually clean and have good quality products, but they're more expensive than street markets.

Fresh vegetables and meat are bought in street markets. There may or may not be signs to tell you the price. Sometimes you might have to bargain over prices but don't bargain for food prices until you have enough experience to know what the correct price should be. Food in street markets is usually very cheap.

Water

Tap water is not safe to drink, so everyone drinks either bottled  or boiled water. Bottled water is for sale everywhere for 1 to 2 RMB per bottle. Be careful not to buy bottles that have been refilled. If you buy a name brand, such as Wahaha or Nestle, you should be OK. Make sure the seal on the cap is not broken.

Transportation

Bicycles are the way to get around in China. In cities like Beijing and Guangzhou, bikes are disappearing as cars and motorcycles become the favoured mode of transportation.

In China, entire families can ride on one bike. The mother, possibly carrying her baby, rides on the back fender, while the child rides on the crossbar, and dad peddles. You can carry anything on a bike. If anything goes wrong, there are bicycle repairmen on every corner. You will probably at least need to get a flat tire changed sometime. Be careful of accidents. If you see a crowd of people standing around on a street corner looking at something, they are probably looking at a bleeding biker lying in the road. Good luck!

Buses are always crowded, so don't be afraid to push and squeeze in and out. A ticket seller sits near the door at the middle of the bus. Each bus has a number corresponding to its route. They are called "No. 1 bus," "No. 38 bus," etc. Sometimes they are called by the important landmarks they go to, like "Liberation Bridge Bus," or  "Department Store Bus." You can buy a map that has all the bus routes on it. The fare depends on how far you go. In any case, it will be cheap -1 or 2 RMB.

Taxi's are more common in China now, and they're generally cheap, although you won't be able to afford to ride them daily on your Chinese salary. The minimum fare is 8 RMB in Beijing and 5 RMB in smaller cities. Some drivers will overcharge you. Most taxis have meters, but some drivers will take you on a longer route than necessary. The fare from Beijing airport to downtown should be about 100 RMB. Don't let anyone charge you 250!

Garbage and Recycling

Beijing is now a very clean and green city compared to its past. But not every city in China is blessed with an Olympic bid, tons of cash and the full support of the central government. A foreigner who assumes New Beijing is representative of the New China is seriously mistaken.

Using a garbage can is a novel idea for most Chinese outside of the developed cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. Most businesses facing the street deposit waste in a pile near the curb or in a wicker basket at most.

Garbage cans are few and far between, and, even when available, are under-used.

The streets of western cities in China look like the aftermath of an outdoor concert. Plastic bags, styrofoam containers, paper, chopsticks, old shoes, and rags of every nature etc. lie strewn haphazardly along the roads, gardens and parks of Chinese cities.

The garbage is sifted by aging men and women with a cart in tow. They pull out what they can use or resell and then mosey on down the road to the next pile of refuse.

Like all places, there are exceptions. A strong foreign presence can have a dramatic effect on the attitudes of Chinese city dwellers and their environment. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, is a relatively clean city. Stars are visible and river canals are not choked with garbage.

Housing In China...

Almost all employers offer free accommodation for English teachers. Thus, there is no need to sign a lease or pay any key money. Living accommodations in China are changing fast, so there's a lot of variety.

Cost of Living

The cost of living in China is between one tenth to one quarter that of Australia, North America and Europe. You can buy a fresh healthy cooked meal in China for less than US$1.50. A local breakfast will cost you under US$1!

The vast majority of China's population are peasants. An average wage in China is around 400 to 800 RMB per month, with which people feed and house their family and often extended family. As a teacher you will get a minimum of 3000 RMB per month plus accommodation.

Money Matters

The currency in China is the Yuan, or also known as the renminbi (RMB). The government pegs the RMB to a stable exchange against the US$, hence some people prefer to hold their savings in US$.

You can convert your teaching salary to hard currency. The amount of your teaching salary that you can exchange for hard currency is set out in your contract. It can be as high as 70%.

Opening a Bank Account

The Bank of China is a big state run bank that offers ATM cards. The cards however have a daily withdrawal limit of around 2,500 RMB.

The CITIC Ka Wah Bank, is perhaps more accustomed to the kind of requests foreigners might make. Unlike the Bank of China, it is not found all over China, but only in larger cities.

Tipping

There is no need for tipping in restaurants or for taxis and other services.

Shopping

China is the biggest worldwide exporter of clothing and linen products. Chances are, most of your clothing you are wearing now was made in China. Everything is available cheaply so don't go overboard packing.

Health Care

Health care should be provided free, but you never know what you might have to pay for. Remember, this is a country where, when they execute a prisoner, they send his family a bill for the bullets used.

Health services in Hong Kong are more westernized and usually still reasonable, so many people get dental work and immunizations done there. There are good doctors in many large cities, and Beijing has some foreign-operated hospitals. They even have a pet hospital now.

Health Examination

English teachers are required to have a health examination. You can get this form from your local Chinese Embassy.

Health Insurance

Until recently China had free medical care for urban residents. This is now being changed as people are being encouraged to buy health insurance. There are no rich doctors in China, as they all get paid a pittance. Every village, factory, and school has a hospital, which is more like a clinic.

You probably want to avoid Chinese hospitals as much as possible. Your school will take care of you if you get sick or injured, because they are responsible for you. As you've probably heard, they reuse needles, so some people recommend that you take unused hypodermic needles with you, should you need an injection.

Take your favourite medicines with you. Arrange to have someone send you medicine from back home.

What is a Waiban?

Waiban is the Chinese shorthand for "Waishi banchu," translated to "Foreign Affairs Office." In some organisations the name is being changed to "Office of International Cooperation." The waiban's job is to take care of you. They make sure you have what you need, keep an eye on you, and try to keep you out of trouble. They protect you from China, and they protect China from you, as necessary.

Waiban is also the term often used to describe the person who has the job of looking after you. This is usually a young recent graduate who speaks English well. This is not always the case, however. Speaking English is not always a requirement to be a waiban.