• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

ChinaGAF: I'm moving there for a year...

Status
Not open for further replies.
4000RMB is not a lot of money. But its a small city so cost of living is low. Yeah its probably hard to find clothing fit your size.

There are Citibank cash machines in China, but probably not in that city. It's easy to open an account with Bank of China though. Its their most official bank so they make things easy foreigners. You can bring the US money over and have them change to RMB in a Bank of China branch. No personal check doesn't exist in China so don't use it.
 
How much would you say to bring? All of my money or just half of what i have in the states?

I don't think it'll be a problem the money aspect because without buying vgames, i won't be spending my money on jackshit next to food, etc. I don't drink often, so overpartying shouldn't be a big problem for me, and as stated living expenses are free for me, so i dont need to pay for electricity or rent or anything.

I'm off to get a physical now though, so that should be fun.

Also, I bank with a small credit union for Southern Company(Power Company) so I'm doubting they'll have anything over there.
 
Just a travel advisory, If you ever visit Beijing whatever you do just steer clear of Beverly Hills luxury apartments, it's a rough neighborhood. A lot of hoodlums hang about all day kicking magazine racks and shit. Highly skilled in the art, be warned.
 
AFreak said:
How much would you say to bring? All of my money or just half of what i have in the states?

I don't think it'll be a problem the money aspect because without buying vgames, i won't be spending my money on jackshit next to food, etc. I don't drink often, so overpartying shouldn't be a big problem for me, and as stated living expenses are free for me, so i dont need to pay for electricity or rent or anything.

I'm off to get a physical now though, so that should be fun.

Also, I bank with a small credit union for Southern Company(Power Company) so I'm doubting they'll have anything over there.
Click to expand...
I think half would be fine. You can bring it all if you're nervous. Having a Bank of America account or Citibank account (or any other major bank account with Chinese branches) is probably mostly useful for tourists or people who will be constantly drawing money from their American accounts, I don't think they let you deposit to those accounts, though who knows (maybe HSBC allows that). Also if you're concerned about your money, Traveler's Cheques which are different from personal checks, should be accepted at at least Bank of China. Bank of China probably has the most branches but I've heard it offers the lowest rates.
 
Another question for Beijing GAF - do you guys know where I can get larger shoes? I'm a size 13 (which is like a 48 in China), and the couple of places I've peeked around at didn't come close.

Would I be better off ordering online or do you know of any specific places?

Oh, and to the OP - Yes, clothing will probably be hard to find. I'm about 6'0" and 250lb, and just looking around some, I didn't see anything that would likely fit. Bring some money, but you won't need much. I just brought $100 to get me started (and they gave me a 2000 RMB advance), and I've not burned through that yet. I'm making 5000 RMB a month and that's more than enough right now for Beijing.
 
Don't bring the 360, you'll too busy with other things. /lame

I do wonder though, what's shipping like? 360's aren't that light
 
TehOh said:
Another question for Beijing GAF - do you guys know where I can get larger shoes? I'm a size 13 (which is like a 48 in China), and the couple of places I've peeked around at didn't come close.

Would I be better off ordering online or do you know of any specific places?
Click to expand...
I think there's some building that is full of like 40-50 small discount shoe stores on the top floor in Wangfujing (I don't remember the name). Wangfujing also has a whole bunch of shoe stores as well. Xidan is also supposed to be full of clothes and shoe stores. Both Wangfujing and Xidan are on the main subway line.
 
numble said:
I think there's some building that is full of like 40-50 small discount shoe stores on the top floor in Wangfujing (I don't remember the name). Wangfujing also has a whole bunch of shoe stores as well. Xidan is also supposed to be full of clothes and shoe stores. Both Wangfujing and Xidan are on the main subway line.
Click to expand...

Yeah, someone else said to look around Xidan. I need to get over there sometime. I just have to hope they have shoes for giant feet. :lol

Also - I loooove the Bejing subway system. Easy to use, english on all of the signs, etc. I love having the LED subway map in the cars so I know where I am at all times. Makes life easier.

One more piece of advice for the OP - be careful around the roads. Chinese drivers are insane. Since getting here I've a) seen cars swerve around people crossing at a crosswalk, b) watched a wreck occur within five feet of me and c) watched cars drive up on the sidewalk to go around things. It's insane. Don't even try to drive yourself, get a bike (they will be dirt cheap) and use the public transportation.
 
AFreak said:
Yeah, I wanted to get a bike anyway. Would you suggest getting a helmet?
Click to expand...
Probably a good idea, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone with a helmet except on a motorcycle. At least in Beijing, it seems every road has a bike lane, sometimes completely barricaded from the road (though you still will need to interact with car traffic a lot).

Have your employers or anything given you much information about where you'll live, your hours, what you have to do, etc.?
 
Cow Mengde said:
Don't put anything in your mouth.
Click to expand...
yum.jpg
 
As tongue-in-cheek as the dog-eating jokes are, you will be roughly 100 miles or so from the North Korean border, and I think the province you are has the most North Korean influence and immigrants. And one of the random North Korean restaurant that I went to in Beijing had a big picture of a dog on their sign. You should still go to their restaurants to eat some good non-dog Korean food though.
 
AFreak said:
Yeah, I wanted to get a bike anyway. Would you suggest getting a helmet?
Click to expand...

You can't over think this stuff. It sounds like you're basing life as if it were similar to the US. Don't. Road rules are different, and that said, road etiquette is different.

In the US, a pedestrian crossing, pedestrians have right of way - heck, even if the crossing isn't there, it's assumed by law at intersections. This threw me when I moved from NZ, where nothing is assumed, but a pedestrian crossing is still for pedestrians. My experience n Beijing told me otherwise. Pedestrian crossings seemed to just be an area on the road where there might be people. Cars will not necessarily stop.

Point is, you're going to have to learn as you go. Be observant to customs and culture. Unless you look Chinese, you'll always be stared at, but that doesn't mean you can't adjust.

It's good to be prepared, and get an idea of what to expect, but don't plan out all the finer details until you have a better idea of what you're dealing with - for example, the helmets thing - you can think a lot about this now, but when you get there you might not even want to get a bike (you probably will though).
 
AFreak said:
How much would you say to bring? All of my money or just half of what i have in the states?

I don't think it'll be a problem the money aspect because without buying vgames, i won't be spending my money on jackshit next to food, etc. I don't drink often, so overpartying shouldn't be a big problem for me, and as stated living expenses are free for me, so i dont need to pay for electricity or rent or anything.

I'm off to get a physical now though, so that should be fun.

Also, I bank with a small credit union for Southern Company(Power Company) so I'm doubting they'll have anything over there.
Click to expand...


Let me break down the cost of living for you. Street food, like noodle or fast food lunch box cost 5-10RMB for a meal. 7-11 stores are everywhere. They are like mini-mall you can buy anything you need in there. Most of the food on average cost 1/3 of the US price. Some stuff are strangely expensive, like a 1.5-litter bottle of coke (they don't have 2-litter bottle), that costs 8RMB, which is exactly the same cost in the U.S. bizarre right?

McDonald is everywhere. They are fast food restaurants. But Pizzahut is an up market diner over there! That's one of the weirdest thing in China. We are talking about Pizzahuts with very good interior decoration that open in the busiest districts. Starbucks coffee costs the same in China, but they offer free wifi! They do have a bootlegged Starbuck copy cats, and they usually have very good service.

Rent is like US price, but in RMB. Broadband is kind of expensive, about 150-200RMB a month. Clothing is cheap but hard to find large size clothes. And no tax and tips in China.

Electronics probably will be cheaper if you buy it online in the U.S.

I would say experiment with Chinese food. They are very good and cheap. Chinese food in China is so much god damn better than Chinese food in the US.

I don't know what's your plan on killing your spear time. Maybe stock up on ebooks and audiobooks? My approach for long trips has always been preparing more entertainment than what I can consume, otherwise I would feel suffocated.

Oh you can't really buy authentic 360 disks over there. You can buy bootlegs that runs on hacked 360 of course.

It's safe if you want to put all your money in a Bank of China account. They require PIN for any purchase, even credit card purchases require PIN.
 
BeijingGAF: You guys should definitely find time to check out the 798 Art Zone (I think its just normally referred to as Qi Jiu Ba).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/798_Art_Zone

It's a former complex of Cold War weapons factories formerly run by the Soviets, East Germans and Chinese. The factories were abandoned and Chinese artists basically took up shop and have converted it into a whole bunch of neat art exhibits and studios. You can see post-modern paintings right inside former factories with Cultural Revolution-era Maoist slogans still painted on the ceilings.

"Through word-of-mouth, artists and designers started trickling in, attracted to the vast cathedral-like spaces. Despite the lack of any conscious aesthetic in the Bauhaus-inspired style, which grounded architectural beauty in practical, industrial function, the swooping arcs and soaring chimneys had an uplifting effect on modern eyes, a sort of post-industrial chic. At the artists' requests, workers renovating the spaces preserved the prominent Maoist slogans on the arches, adding a touch of ironic "Mao kitsch" to the place."

arkrx.jpg
 
~Devil Trigger~ said:
I wonder if you can log on GAF in main land China?
Click to expand...
I think there are at least 3 people from China posting in this thread, so it doesn't seem to be a problem.
 
tino said:
McDonald is everywhere. They are fast food restaurants. But Pizzahut is an up market diner over there! That's one of the weirdest thing in China. We are talking about Pizzahuts with very good interior decoration that open in the busiest districts. Starbucks coffee costs the same in China, but they offer free wifi! They do have a bootlegged Starbuck copy cats, and they usually have very good service.
Click to expand...

One of the things that threw me off is that every fast food place delivers. The concept of delivery McDonalds still baffles me.

tino said:
I don't know what's your plan on killing your spear time. Maybe stock up on ebooks and audiobooks? My approach for long trips has always been preparing more entertainment than what I can consume, otherwise I would feel suffocated.
Click to expand...

While I know everyone is down on the OP for bringing the 360, I definitely recommend bringing books. Just sitting down and reading something written in English for a few minutes will be great when you're feeling the culture shock, especially if your Chinese is not great.

~Devil Trigger~ said:
I wonder if you can log on GAF in main land China?
Click to expand...

Yep. You don't even need a proxy/vpn.
 
Do you need your Xbox? I thought I did. This was my experience with it...

When I moved to Japan, I brought my PS2, Wii, DS, PSP, and a shitton of games. I totally expected that I would spend most of my time there to myself, saving money, paying off credit cards/student loans, etc.

But once I got there, I don't believe I turned on any of my game systems for at least 2 months. Honestly... I didn't even get laid or fap to porn in that time either. I was completely and utterly inundated with incredible new sites and experiences. My mind was so far from games and sex during then that I didn't even remember a time when I had such things.

Instead I was traveling, I was staying out, I was blowing money on drinking late nights out. I hardly ended up saving any money while I was out there.

The only time I ever really did any gaming was when it was getting close to payday and I was out of money, so I had to stay in. I'd fire up the Wii and play Super Mario World with my roommate. It was great for stuff like that.

So do you need it? You'll be surprised at how much you don't. But sure, it will be nice to have when it's rainy and when you're too poor to go out for a few days. You definitely won't need it for the first few weeks, though. You'll be too busy having the time of your goddamn life.
 
Enjoy yourself in Asia. I may eventually get to the PRC after Korea and Japan but we'll see.

The power used in the PRC is 220V 50HZ which is (roughly) the same as Europe. So if you're not European you'll need a stepdown converter for your Xbox 360.
 
I think there's some building that is full of like 40-50 small discount shoe stores on the top floor in Wangfujing (I don't remember the name)
Click to expand...
I think the entrance to that building is close to the McDonalds, on the first floors there should be some jewelry/jade shops and top floor BAM shoes everywhere. There is also a huge market (mainly for wholesale, but you can try your chance there) chose to the zoo (Donzhimen area) for anything you wear, so they may have large shoes there.
 
GONz said:
I think the entrance to that building is close to the McDonalds, on the first floors there should be some jewelry/jade shops and top floor BAM shoes everywhere.
Click to expand...
Yes, this describes the building pretty well--you go up several floors past some floors with only jewelry/jade/vase stores, and you get to the floor with more shoes than you've ever seen.
 
I like JPop/Japanese Rock like The Pillows. I've been wanting to find some Chinese music to listen to before i get over there, anyone got suggestions?
 
One thing you might like about China is Google Music (http://www.google.cn/music/). Google signed deals with most record companies (Western and Chinese) to provide all Chinese Internet users with free MP3 downloads for most of the songs that are out there, and Google pays the record companies with ad revenues. You won't be able to download any music from that site right now (unless you connect through a Chinese proxy).

I don't know too much about Chinese music--I tend to listen to slow stuff just because I'm at a point where I want to try to understand what I'm listening to, and that tends to veer towards cheesy poppy stuff.

Maybe you'll like 五月天 (AKA Mayday), they're an alternative rock band that also does pop songs (Technically a Taiwanese band if people get fussy)

Here's a bunch of Youtube videos:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D76EE54AFF0ED80A

I particularly like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy9_tfYgddo
 
AFreak said:
I've already said this is for the nights I have nothing to do. I don't game 24/7 godamit.

Thanks for the help though, and I'm going to sightsee during Summer,so where would you suggest to go? I want to go to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, but don't know if I'll have the funds for all of them. So which would be the best for two months?
Click to expand...

I'm breaking my fast from GAF; I haven't posted here in at least 6 months, and it's probably closer to a year. I can't sit by when someone's got questions about living in Beijing for a year!

1) Ditch the Xbox, especially if you are going to be there in the Spring. For the winter, I had my Wii there (and played the shit out of Fire Emblem:PoR and Trauma Center) because it got really dark really early and I don't go out to drink at night. But for the spring, I sent my Wii back home because I never touched the thing.

It'll just be a hassle to take with you. Seriously, ditch the games. Take a handheld if you must, but you probably won't touch that either, not if you do things right.

2) If you ride a bike or drive a car, you are a braver man than I. Traffic is fucking terrifying, and I say this as a resident of Miami and South America. I usually walked where I could, took the metro when I couldn't, and used taxis when I was desperate.

3) You will not find clothing for your frame. Sorry man, but you are like a freakin' giant to them. Take all the clothes you need for the year.

4) Do not drink tap water, and be wary of bottled water. I'd say take a Brita water filter, really.

5) Food is cheap and delicious. You should lose weight, if you do it right, you'll lose weight just by eating.

6) Travel is ridiculously cheap. Go on weekend journeys if you can; friends of mine often did, to the surrounding countryside, and I did so myself once. It was dead cheap.

7) Whatever you pay for non-labeled merchandise, you'll pay too much. It was 6 months before I could get a fair price. If you pay for price-labeled merchandise, you'll still pay too much, but you have the comfort of knowing that you are being ripped off on an equal level to everyone else.

8) Go to Beijing if you want to visit another city. I lived there for a year, went out at least once a week to explore, and still didn't see everything. I'm going back this summer with a friend, and I'll be there for about two months, too. It'll be a whirlwind.

Any more questions?
 
FlightOfHeaven said:
I'm breaking my fast from GAF; I haven't posted here in at least 6 months, and it's probably closer to a year. I can't sit by when someone's got questions about living in Beijing for a year!
Click to expand...

:lol

Love the superhero tones of this post.
 
Another thing, when you eventually go traveling for fun--stay in hostels. You can find them in Lonely Planet or Rough Guides or whatever guidebooks, and websites like hostelz.com and hihostels.com. If you've never used hostels before, they're basically dorm type accommodations that are very cheap--you share bathrooms with people, for instance. In many places you'll meet some backpackers who have interesting stories to tell. You'll save a lot of money this way (and be able to travel to more places, or spend more on things you can keep). I remember staying in places as cheap as 20 RMB/night in 2005--that's like less than $3 back then, though that was in far west rural areas.

Oh yeah, and wow @ FlightOfHeaven...AFreak: you should ask him some questions since he broke himself out of the fortress of solitude for you.
 
Awesome thread. Horizon-broadening and eye-opening for a dude like me who's only lived in Brooklyn and Miami and has never traveled out of the States.

For me, it's like reading "tips for acclimating yourself to one of the most foreign places in the world."

Very cool. Youre a brave man, OP.
 
For the clothes, if you're in the need of shirts or suits, you can also try to have they tailored for you. In Beijing you can have good quality shirts for ~100RMB (~10€, ~15$) and the suit (jacket and trousers), 800 to 1000RMB seems a good price. Ho and as you'll be in 东北 Dongbei, north-east), be ready to face the cold (in the night at the moment it can go down to -15°, but the wind will make it feel like -25°)

For the bicycle, I find it the best way to discover the life of the population. Of course as FlightOfHeaven said, you'll need a pair of steel balls as people drive like crazy, and passer-bys seem not to care if something is coming from behind before changing directions. BUT really, if your city has at least some sideways for the bicycles and you're ready for some cold sweats at the beginning, I can only encourage you to give it a try. Maybe your city will have rent-a-bike services if you really are not sure about liking it. Can't wait for the spring to start biking again in Beijing:D
 
GONz said:
I think the entrance to that building is close to the McDonalds, on the first floors there should be some jewelry/jade shops and top floor BAM shoes everywhere. There is also a huge market (mainly for wholesale, but you can try your chance there) chose to the zoo (Donzhimen area) for anything you wear, so they may have large shoes there.
Click to expand...

Oh man, I didn't realize Wangfujing was so close to Tien'anmen. I went to the Forbidden City to do the tourist thing today.

Thanks for the directions. :D I'll check it out sometime next week.

GONz said:
For the bicycle, I find it the best way to discover the life of the population. Of course as FlightOfHeaven said, you'll need a pair of steel balls as people drive like crazy, and passer-bys seem not to care if something is coming from behind before changing directions.
Click to expand...

Are the drivers even worse in the snow? Because it's coming down pretty hard right now and I'm terrified enough when the roads are clear. :lol
 
TehOh said:
Are the drivers even worse in the snow? Because it's coming down pretty hard right now and I'm terrified enough when the roads are clear. :lol
Click to expand...

Are we in the same Beijing? :lol Sorry just kidding, today's snow looks nothing compared with what we had at the end of 2009, there were 2 really heavy snow falls, breaking records, with people forced to take a day off 'cause of the snow on the roads (as snow uses to be pretty rare here, the municipality is not equipped to clear the roads in case of snowfall), trains delayed by hours (my arrival from Xi'an was delayed by 10 hours). In these cases yeah only a few people are driving, but then taking the bike then reeks of sheer madness!
 
AFreak said:
I like JPop/Japanese Rock like The Pillows. I've been wanting to find some Chinese music to listen to before i get over there, anyone got suggestions?
Click to expand...

Wong Faye

Tell people you are leilie cheung fan you get extrs street cre. You should seek out his songs anyway

There is really one major Chinese rock bank, Beyond. There some only popular in the north I am not familiar with. Maybe 窦唯 崔健?
 
GONz said:
Are we in the same Beijing? :lol Sorry just kidding, today's snow looks nothing compared with what we had at the end of 2009, there were 2 really heavy snow falls, breaking records, with people forced to take a day off 'cause of the snow on the roads (as snow uses to be pretty rare here, the municipality is not equipped to clear the roads in case of snowfall), trains delayed by hours (my arrival from Xi'an was delayed by 10 hours). In these cases yeah only a few people are driving, but then taking the bike then reeks of sheer madness!
Click to expand...

I heard about that. This is my first snow in China, and it totally caught me by surprise. :lol Nothing all day, then I step back outside to grab some dinner and bam - snow is coming down.
 
Do you have an expensive mobile phone? If you do - leave it at home. China has extraordinary stats re: mobile phone theft.

When you are finished your contract, try to visit Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan or Thailand. They are all a cheap flight away.

I'm envious. Lived in Taiwan and now Thailand but have always wanted to do China. It's definitely on my list! Have fun and update this thread with your travel tales.
 
tino said:
Tell people you are leilie cheung fan you get extrs street cre. You should seek out his songs anyway

There is really one major Chinese rock bank, Beyond.
Click to expand...
Both of them sang in Cantonese, so I'm not sure they have much fame in North PRC.
 
GONz said:
Both of them sang in Cantonese, so I'm not sure they have much fame in North PRC.
Click to expand...


They do sing in Mandarin as well. But you miss the point, these singers are the ones that universally loved by Chinese people from any political region.
 
No expensive phone. I guess the only other question I have for FlightofHeaven so far is about out of country calls. Is the best thing to do is to get a cell phone there or try out vonage/skype? My PC mic outlet is busted, so do they sell Skype phones there or...?

Anyway, that's pretty much it for now. I'll update when I get closer to launch. I'm going to TN, IL, and MN to see family before I go over. Should be flying out by the 23rd of Feb.
 
AFreak said:
No expensive phone. I guess the only other question I have for FlightofHeaven so far is about out of country calls. Is the best thing to do is to get a cell phone there or try out vonage/skype? My PC mic outlet is busted, so do they sell Skype phones there or...?

Anyway, that's pretty much it for now. I'll update when I get closer to launch. I'm going to TN, IL, and MN to see family before I go over. Should be flying out by the 23rd of Feb.
Click to expand...
Well you will need a cell phone anyway--you need a GSM phone. If you are on AT&T or TMobile you should be able to use their phones. There are 2 major carriers: China Unicom and China Mobile. It's pretty cheap--you "buy" a SIM card that comes with a phone number, cost might vary depending on what number you get, and most people just buy pre-paid 20/50/100 RMB refill cards from convenience stores to refill their balances, it's cheap and costs very little per minute. You don't want to be making overseas calls on the things though, but I think it is free to receive, so your family can contact you anytime. I didn't have problems with carrying around expensive phones, for what its worth.

I'll let FlightToHeaven answer the other stuff. :P
 
I'm not FlightOfHeaven, but I'll give my input on out of country calls. You can buy what they call "IP cards", which make you first call a number, input the code found on the back of the card, then you can call the numbers in the supported countries of the card supplier. Too bad your PC mic outlet is busted, as Skype works here. I don't know about the Skype phones
 
I am an avid user of Skype. If your family can use Skype. It's still better option than cheap phone card. Phone card can be brought anywhere. You can even dial a 5 digit number on your ChinaMobile cellphone and then the US number and get charged for low VOIP rate.

As for Skype, you can buy a usb skype phone. Just search "skype usb" on ebay. I'd advise buy it online than in China. Even thought they probably ship it from China, it's hard to find those phones in China. :lol

Oh if you don't have webcam, just buy a webcam, it will come with a mic. Any webcam will do. I use the PS2 eyetoy camera on my XP computer.
 
tino said:
I am an avid user of Skype. If your family can use Skype. It's still better option than cheap phone card. Phone card can be brought anywhere. You can even dial a 5 digit number on your ChinaMobile cellphone and then the US number and get charged for low VOIP rate.

As for Skype, you can buy a usb skype phone. Just search "skype usb" on ebay. I'd advise buy it online than in China. Even thought they probably ship it from China, it's hard to find those phones in China. :lol

Oh if you don't have webcam, just buy a webcam, it will come with a mic. Any webcam will do. I use the PS2 eyetoy camera on my XP computer.
Click to expand...
I never figured out that 5 digit thing--how does it work? (In case I ever go back to China and need to do it).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

I need your opinions... I'm writing a book
34
698
DeafTourette replied
I'm useless at learning a second language
47
1K
Nydius replied
  • Poll
HP is selling a laptop with 1.1TB storage, but 1TB is a one year trial for OneDrive
2
64
950
Grildon Tundy replied
I'm ready for our robot overlords
31
761
EverydayBeast replied
I'm done with Television
2 3
130
2K
DeafTourette replied
Top Bottom