discussion Moving to China any advice?

[BionicWooHoo]

16 minutes ago, liver said:

trading bat meat was allowed in China up until recently, what point exactly are you trying to make? it's literally part of the Chinese culture

 

 

That’s like saying incest is a part of American culture bc some southerners like to bang their cousins and blood relatives but okay

[Jonver]

stop

[RedCarpet]

2 hours ago, PieceBy said:

Do you have any advice other than to get a VPN (which is listed as illegal according to the foreign ministry in my country so I cannot get it).

Where are u from?

 

and 

congratz on your job in China!

I know nothing about china but I think it’s such a fun adventure for You and great opportunity to meet new culture and people 

[Delirious]

50 minutes ago, Blue. said:

Let us know they be eating bats from the markets again.

This is so racist. You guys are too comfortable shitting on Chinese people I fear.

[Almighty Gaga]

You'll find the best tips on reddit.

[sxhunluv]

Ask on Reddit instead. This thread is already filled with racist yt gays who never stepped a foot in China... 

[sxhunluv]

56 minutes ago, Blue. said:

Let us know they be eating bats from the markets again.

Racist much? 

[sxhunluv]

38 minutes ago, liver said:

trading bat meat was allowed in China up until recently, what point exactly are you trying to make? it's literally part of the Chinese culture

 

 

The majority of the population in China doesn't eat bat meat... You're reinforcing negative racial stereotypes that only apply to a small group. 

[Jotham]

57 minutes ago, Communion said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We just hate the government, not the people! Trust us! We're not Sinophobic!"

 

My comment said nothing about Chinese people though? All I said is that OP likely won't find any helpful advice here since there aren't any ATRLers I know of who live in China.

[futurenostalgic]

10 minutes ago, sxhunluv said:

Ask on Reddit instead. This thread is already filled with racist yt gays who never stepped a foot in China... 

or any asian country

[Stimulus]

China tends to be more strict with enforcing internet censorship among its own citizens than with foreign visitors.

 

If you change your mind and decide to use a VPN:

 

You'll want more than one VPN in case some of them get blocked by the Great Firewall. VPN access is unreliable but you'll still need at least one of them to work if you want access to censored sites (and there are many more of them than most people realize).

 

Try setting up your own VPN since it's less obvious that you're using a VPN this way. Outline is great and easy to use. If you're good with tech and can set up a server by hand, try algo for something more comprehensive. Make sure you set up your VPNs and test them before you leave for China, or it's going to be much harder.

Edited May 15, 2023 by Stimulus

[Meev]

1. If you are gay, use Blued or Jackd to make some friends and hookups. Make sure you bring prep with you as it can be hard to buy in China.

2. You need a back account setup asap and connected to WeChat, otherwise you can’t buy anything.

3. If you can speak Chinese, great. If not, best to learn some common phrases such as 爸爸我想要

4. Before you get accustomed to Chinese food, best to cook for yourself first before trying street food or your stomach will hate you for it.

5. If you don’t want to drink, don’t.

[Archetype]

A lot of racists in here, gross.  China is a really amazing country to live in short term.  Cost of living is way less and a lot of construction is new.  I don’t know much about Guangzhou aside from the nice temples and stunning modern opera house by Zaha Hadid.  It’s one of her finest works (even though the local govt isn’t really taking great care of it). I’m sure you’ll have a great time!  Like some others said, definitely take the high speed rail and visit other nearby cities like Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Macao. 

[Iridesence]

None of you have been to China and it shows.  It's really not that bad. I haven't been to Guangzhou, but the public facilities and infrastructure all over China is actually quite amazing and it's actually a very safe society. There is also a lot of great food and culture to explore so enjoy it. 

 

One thing though is I would suggest to learn some basic Mandarin before getting there. It can be pretty hard to get by with just English in some areas. As for VPN I would suggest subscribing to NordVPN before you arrive, because I think VPNs can be harder to get/download when you are actually there. I'm not much help with the other stuff, as I've never lived in China, but I wish you good luck and don't be too afraid. Everyone I know that's been has enjoyed it. 

[TiaTamera]

I’ve been to Guangzhou. It was very hot (I was there in August). Hotter than any place I’ve ever been to (I also was in Spain in August). I’m Black and I feel like I was treated nicely but I’m also American (which means big bucks to a lot of people). The way they treated the African refugees during covid was disgusting so idk how I feel about that city now. If you’re white, I wouldn’t worry too much about the commentary from the people who have never been to Guangzhou, let alone any part of China. Keep your job and make your money.

[TiaTamera]

24 minutes ago, Iridesence said:

None of you have been to China and it shows.  It's really not that bad. I haven't been to Guangzhou, but the public facilities and infrastructure all over China is actually quite amazing and it's actually a very safe society. There is also a lot of great food and culture to explore so enjoy it. 

 

One thing though is I would suggest to learn some basic Mandarin before getting there. It can be pretty hard to get by with just English in some areas. As for VPN I would suggest subscribing to NordVPN before you arrive, because I think VPNs can be harder to get/download when you are actually there. I'm not much help with the other stuff, as I've never lived in China, but I wish you good luck and don't be too afraid. Everyone I know that's been has enjoyed it. 

 

2 hours ago, sxhunluv said:

Ask on Reddit instead. This thread is already filled with racist yt gays who never stepped a foot in China... 

 

2 hours ago, futurenostalgic said:

or any asian country

Exactly.

[Frappucino]

I've never honestly even been anywhere around that part of the world, not even close, so I feel like this borderline spam BUT I'm rooting for you and I'm excitef for you. Keep us updated!!

[Happylittlepunk]

Preferably you shouldn’t go and find another job. Ccp will be on your trail. 
you be a fool if you feel like you won’t be. 

if you are determined just stay safe and find as much info as possible to keep contacts with your friends and family in the west. 
 

I suggest to download a vpn or subscribe to one before you transfer to China. 

Keep to yourself and don’t get involved in politics or get political in China. If you see something pretend you didn’t see anything. Stay out of trouble. Good luck and be safe. 

[Genius1111]

1 hour ago, Meev said:

1. If you are gay, use Blued or Jackd to make some friends and hookups. Make sure you bring prep with you as it can be hard to buy in China.

2. You need a back account setup asap and connected to WeChat, otherwise you can’t buy anything.

3. If you can speak Chinese, great. If not, best to learn some common phrases such as 爸爸我想要

4. Before you get accustomed to Chinese food, best to cook for yourself first before trying street food or your stomach will hate you for it.

5. If you don’t want to drink, don’t.

I laughed too loudly when I read that. 

________________

 

@PieceBy

 

I've not been to Guangzhou in 5 years, but they were already pretty much cashless before 2018. The restaurant staff did not seem happy with me using cash.

 

Access to ZOOM is a bit iffy sometimes, according to someone from Shanghai. Sometimes you need a VPN, sometimes you don't.

 

One of the equivalents to ZOOM and Google Meet is VOOV by Tencent. I don't really like it sometimes, but it works.

 

 

 

Some references below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RemixNvyBlue]

你好，我用中文表达更方便，you can translation this

1. 有很多在中国的外国YouTuber可以参考一下他们的视频，例如：RachelR星星（她的妹妹也是YouTuber，住在东莞，不过她们应该也有在广州的经历，会说普通话粤语英语，很厉害）；还有一个博主是德国人，博主名叫保护野菠萝，她经常去中国不同的地方，或许会给你一些建议。还有一位博主叫做吴雨翔，在珠海生活（我也是），都是靠近广州的城市，总之可以先和在中国的外国人交流交流。

2. 不知道您是否是黑人，在中国网络上，在广州的黑人名声不太好（无意冒犯），虽然其实有以讹传讹的夸张成分，如果您是黑人，可能要做好被歧视的心理准备，如果您不是，和他们保持距离。

3. 貌似有微信后还需要有一张在中国可以使用的银行卡与之绑定才能使用微信支付，或许支付宝更方便？我也不太清楚外国人具体需要哪些东西才可以使用在线支付，还是问问在中国的外国人更方便吧。

4. 尽管这个帖子里说中国人爱吃蝙蝠，但绝对是少数中的少数，而且正规市场与超市绝对不会买卖这种野生动物制品，然后就是中国食物千变万化，粤菜相对外国人来说最容易接受，祝你在中国生活得开心！

[GipJo]

I'm a Guangzhou citizen, if you have any problem you can DM me.

First thing first, you need WeChat and it's also an e-wallet, in China you can use WeChat to pay anything pretty much anywhere. To register you need to have a China phone number, you should buy one as soon as you come. China is very strict when it comes to buying phone numbers because of Internet scam, so you have to take your identification.

Second, for housing, you can go to 58同城/安居客 etc, search these on your app store/Google store. You have to be very careful because information there are not very reliable, you might get scamed and pay more than you should. It would be great if you have local friends who introduce you some to rent. You should rent houses near metro stations if you can't find houses near your company.

Third, VPN is technically not allowed, but in practice no police would come for you if you didn't do anything major illegal like Internet scam or being spy. I use VPN for god knows how long and I'm just fine. I don't know what phone are you using, Android is very easy to find free vpn app to use, Apple is a little tricky.

How is your mandarin? You should learn some basic mandarin if you could. But people won't judge you if you can't. When you go out, if you can't find a friend who translate for you, just use translation apps such as 有道翻译/百度翻译.

Good luck with your work and life in China.

[Navy4Life]

Some of you never left your little town and it shows. Hope admins are busy handing out warnings in this thread. 

[A.R.L]

I once visited Hong Kong for vacation (which is a much better place than China), the place was boring, crowded and sad, but the people were more civilized than some of the chinese (from the main land) I've dealt with

[wehavetostan]

I’ve never been, but If anyone else from your job/company relocated to China for some time, maybe they could tell you what to expect? Also Reddit

[liver]

7 hours ago, BionicWooHoo said:

That’s like saying incest is a part of American culture bc some southerners like to bang their cousins and blood relatives but okay

 

6 hours ago, sxhunluv said:

The majority of the population in China doesn't eat bat meat... You're reinforcing negative racial stereotypes that only apply to a small group. 

Bullshit. I've lived in Beijing for 6 months and I've traveled a lot around the country and I can tell you that eating wildlife animals was super common ... I wouldn't use the bat eating **** as a drag like that user did because it's indeed quite a racist stereotype so stop quoting me on that but the fact is that this is indeed part of the culture

 

now back to the topic - although I had fun because I met awesome people, life there is quite sad, people are depressed and I feel like it has gotten much worse after Covid so good luck with your job, OP