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I expect to be able to smell Mao's embalming chemicals from my bedroom.
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Jul 28, 2013 16:22
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DontAskKant posted:The bigger shock is... The Chinese can swim? I don't think I know any Koreans who can.
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Jul 28, 2013 16:53
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Dilber posted:My old apartment complex in Beijing which I lived in for 3 years had a full sized indoor heated olympic swimming pool, 2 tennis courts, 2 basketball courts, 1 soccer field, and a full clubhouse with karaoke rooms, racquetball courts pool tables, ping pong tables, and other poo poo all for under 5k a month. Under 5k? I live in one of the poorest areas of Seoul, but up and coming apparently  , and I get places where I can almost lay across the room and touch both sides for the cheap cheap price of 4k rmb with 110k rmb deposit. Please clean up the air so I can come over. Please.
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Jul 28, 2013 20:10
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VideoTapir posted:Is there an official Chinese-government tier list? I thought there was, a Chinese professor mentioned the tiers in my development economics class here and said they were based on economic development. I searched for a bit and couldn't find one. VideoTapir posted:Tier-1 is where most of the non-teaching job (if not business) opportunities for foreigners are, as you go down things generally get more specialized, harder to come by, or lower-paying. This is becoming less and less true. Chongqing, Chengdu and Xiamen especially are getting crazy amounts of development now. I actually know mainly non-ESL teachers in Chengdu. the PRC seems to have really grand designs for Chengdu especially though, and is giving foreign companies super lucrative tax deals to set up shop here and throwing tons of money in to the infrastructure. I'd reckon before 2020 Chengdu and Chongqing are right up there with BJ/SH/GZ. Chengdu is also going to be the hub for this massive germany->China freight railway which is doing plenty on it's own to get people to set up shop here.
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Jul 28, 2013 20:37
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Dilber posted:My old apartment complex in Beijing which I lived in for 3 years had a full sized indoor heated olympic swimming pool, 2 tennis courts, 2 basketball courts, 1 soccer field, and a full clubhouse with karaoke rooms, racquetball courts pool tables, ping pong tables, and other poo poo all for under 5k a month. Where is this?
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Jul 29, 2013 02:15
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Tier 2 is where it is at. Tianjin has everything I need...nice gym with a pool, good metro and bus system, Starbucks and legit Papa John's and nice western malls for my bad days but hutongs and hole in the wall Chinese family restaurants for the good days. I live in a two story penthouse for 6,000 RMB/month with two other roommates right downtown. You simply can't complain about any of that. Talking about all this pool talk, I apologize to BadAstronaut, I guess living in a tier 2 city I've NEVER, NEVER seen a complex with a pool. I've seen local pools near complexes but never one actually in the complex. Even my richest friends that are like international pilots here don't have that, and they are making like 800k a year in RMB, so I figured they'd live there if they had the chance. Never been to Shanghai before so I can't comment on that. This past weekend I went to this new "Water Paradise" as my Guangzhou girl kept referring to it, called 欢乐海魔方, about two hours away from the city center. I was super, super skeptical of going to a waterpark in China, although she insisted to me it had a wave pool and waterslides. I figured it would totally blow. Boy was I wrong. It was loving awesome. It had the biggest waterslide I've ever done, almost a straight drop from five stories that was absolutely terrifying. It was incredible. It had two other huge slides that were from four stories up, one with huge loops around and one with three big bumps. I had to wait in line an hour the first time but she and I stayed until after 6 and no one was there and we just walked on them a few times. The lazy river went through a huge badass CAVE and it was really clean. The wavepool was gigantic, made huge waves, and had some black dancers in the middle pumping up the crowd. I totally owned some Chinese kids at water basketball. It was...dare I say it...AWESOME. The food was even not so bad. I guess it opened 8 days ago so it hasn't had time to be ruined by Chinese people yet. But holy poo poo. Good job China. Also in the wavepool this whale of a Chinese chick was dancing and her boob fell out and she didn't notice. She was raging for like two minutes during some Chinese pop song with her right tit out. What was even more amazing was the amount of Chinese people that were not terrified of the water. Sure you had a fair amount of people who seemed completely horrified of the water but by and large most people seemed to just kinda be...I don't know...like...normal. I'm definitely going back. It was the most Western Fun I've had in China since coming here...four years ago. drat. edit: Should this have gone in the LAN thread? My bad, I am kinda blurred on what goes where, other than TWM's FYAD/Asperger outbursts obviously belong there. The Great Autismo! fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Jul 29, 2013 |
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Jul 29, 2013 02:22
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Magna Kaser posted:I thought there was, a Chinese professor mentioned the tiers in my development economics class here and said they were based on economic development. I searched for a bit and couldn't find one. I've seen this presentation, divides Chinese cities into Tiers based on economics and development. But they somehow think that China has 18 Tier 1 cities... so take it for what it's worth I guess.
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Jul 29, 2013 02:32
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Link doesn't work for me at the office.
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Jul 29, 2013 02:33
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goldboilermark posted:Tianjin has everything I need...nice gym with a pool, good metro and bus system, Starbucks and legit Papa John's and nice western malls for my bad days but hutongs and hole in the wall Chinese family restaurants for the good days. I live in a two story penthouse for 6,000 RMB/month with two other roommates right downtown. You simply can't complain about any of that. Are you saying that it's 6k/month before being split with two roommates (and therefore costs you 2k/month), or are you saying that your split is 6k/month for a bedroom and shared kitchen/living room/bathroom? I mean based on the "You simply can't complain about any of that" quote I'm assuming it's the first one, since I'd be pissed about paying 6k and still having roommates.
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Jul 29, 2013 02:39
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We have two big bathrooms, three bedrooms, a patio, a sunroom, a nice kitchen and it came with a big screen and it is 6,000/month for everything. Each roommate pays 2,000/month. Tianjin is dirt cheap. And I love it.
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Jul 29, 2013 02:41
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Just got notice that I got a Chinese Gov't Scholarship to Sichuan University, so I'll be joining the other Chengoons in September. Of course, the admissions package is just 2 pages and doesn't give me any useful information about when to arrive or how to apply for a visa. 
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Jul 29, 2013 03:24
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Smeef posted:Just got notice that I got a Chinese Gov't Scholarship to Sichuan University, so I'll be joining the other Chengoons in September. Of course, the admissions package is just 2 pages and doesn't give me any useful information about when to arrive or how to apply for a visa. Go to the International Student Office (on the second floor of the 留学生公寓，NOT 留学生宿舍) on whatever date it gives you in that packet. Mine said I needed to register between X and X date last year, so just come sometime in that period. Language classes start about a week after that period, other classes later. I had a solid 3 weeks before my first class. Are you doing the language program or a degree/fellowship? As far as visa stuff, with all the new crap who knows. I was already in China on an L and just switched that to a 居留许可。
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Jul 29, 2013 03:46
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Magna Kaser posted:Go to the International Student Office (on the second floor of the 留学生公寓，NOT 留学生宿舍) on whatever date it gives you in that packet. Mine said I needed to register between X and X date last year, so just come sometime in that period. Language classes start about a week after that period, other classes later. I had a solid 3 weeks before my first class. Language program for a year. I will likely be the greenest student they've ever had. I don't speak a word of Chinese. The packet doesn't have any specific dates. I emailed the international student office this morning, though.
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Jul 29, 2013 04:05
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Smeef posted:Language program for a year. I will likely be the greenest student they've ever had. I don't speak a word of Chinese. You're by no means the greenest! Many can't speak any Chinese even after a year of classes  I would also highly recommended not living in the dorms even though they are free; unles you are under 21, your life revolves around drinking at 2pm, you love Kpop and cigarette smoke, and enjoyed sharing a squatter with 30 other dudes. Chengdu is cheap find an apartment.
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Jul 29, 2013 04:50
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I planned on living off campus from the start since I'm past college age and have the money to do so. I'll probably just get a hotel for a week or two while I apartment hunt.
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Jul 29, 2013 05:02
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goldboilermark, did you see anyone surfing there? I imagine that during hours with lots of bathers they would not allow boards in the water, but would be cool to know. Have you got an address or name (or is it water paradise?) I can try look up some Google images please? Well, my job interview is in an hour and a half... Wish me luck!
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Jul 29, 2013 06:29
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I'm in the very very early stages of planning a trip to SE Asia, but was thinking about starting in Hong Kong and going overland to Hanoi. Is there a decent amount to do in southern China? I know very little about tourist attractions in China, and almost all of it has to do with stuff going on up north. Also, I'll most likely be around in early November; is that a pretty tolerable time down there weather-wise?
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Jul 29, 2013 07:16
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Just stay in Hong Kong. We'll take care of you. And November is basically the perfect time to come. It's finally stopped being cold and typhoon season is over.
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Jul 29, 2013 07:35
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BadAstronaut posted:goldboilermark, did you see anyone surfing there? I imagine that during hours with lots of bathers they would not allow boards in the water, but would be cool to know. Good luck. This was not on the ocean, it was a waterpark. Just found this http://www.whitewaterwest.cn/HappyMagicWaterCubeNanjing.html that was the waterslide I was talking about. I Bing searched 欢乐海魔方 and some decent images came up. There was no surfing there.
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Jul 29, 2013 07:42
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Thanks. Well, the interview went really well. It was with the Global Brand Manager, and at the end he told me that he's moving the application on to the next round, and if I got the job how quickly could I relocate. Which I think is all pretty positive... Anyone in the know aware of how long it takes to organise a working visa? The company would take care of all the administrative side of things for me - I'm just curious how long it takes for these working visas to be issued? EDIT: By the way, I read this a couple weeks ago and it must be open or opening soon? I'd love to live near to this, or at least on a line connecting to this place, so I can surf fairly regularly in the city: http://www.surfparkcentral.com/wave-pools-surf-parks-coming-to-china-via-murphys-waves/ Surf Park Central posted:February 14, 2013: “After returning from China last week, Waves Sales Director Jim Stuart confirmed that he is thrilled to be working “The Wanda Group”, one of Chinas leading companies and that he is looking forward to the first park opening early in 2015.” – Murphys Waves Facebook Page BadAstronaut fucked around with this message at 10:33 on Jul 29, 2013 |
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Jul 29, 2013 08:38
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BadAstronaut posted:Anyone in the know aware of how long it takes to organise a working visa? The company would take care of all the administrative side of things for me - I'm just curious how long it takes for these working visas to be issued? Depends how quickly your company is on the ball. I'm doing the same thing for my company right now, hiring foreigners, and from when they get everything ready to actually getting them to PEK takes between 1 and 2 months usually. 5 weeks seems to be the absolute, best case, lightning fast scenario. 2 months seems a bit more likely because 
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Jul 29, 2013 09:11
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On holiday at the moment in Guiyang - channeling GuestBob's mighty visa learnings. You can get a work permit in a little under two weeks and the invitation letter in less than that (if it needs to be cosigned by the local MoE for example). The process starts with the online submission of the candidate's details, which takes about three days, and the paper submission takes up to five working days. Of course, this is just where he is at and big cities may differ because they are busier. All of this also assumes that the candidate has everything ready to go - normally GB would tell people to wait until after the online pre approval to get a paid medical and that slows it down. Also, if you are not a teacher then you will go brought a different ministry and what that does to the timescale is is not covered by the above. Also your T2 / T3 chat seems pretty weak for a true 河南老外. Apartments with pools indeed! Also, Chongqing is total boss. 
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Jul 29, 2013 11:49
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Smeef posted:I planned on living off campus from the start since I'm past college age and have the money to do so. I'll probably just get a hotel for a week or two while I apartment hunt. Stay at the Mix or Lazybones hostels, they're really good for the money. A private room is only like 50-60RMB a night. As far as apartments you'll want to be in Jiuyanqiao, Niuwangmiao or Yulin. Tongzilin is OK and not too far from the uni itself, but it is really far from where your classes will be (All in one building right near the East Gate) and more expensive-r. You can start looking online before you go, it'll speed poo poo up a lot. Chengdu is very cheap, so depending on your budget you could live somewhere really nice. Waterfront is a luxury complex with tennis courts and pools which is popular with foreigners, like 10 minute walk from the university and only costs like 1.8-2.2k... which is pricy for Chengdu. You can find a place in Niuwangmiao or Jiuyanqiao for <1500 easily. Yulin is kind of the most hipstery area of town, it's cheap and popular with young people and foreigners. Has a lot of cool bars, cafes and restaurants and is where most of the underground Chinese rockabilly scene hangs out. Ailumao fucked around with this message at 12:21 on Jul 29, 2013 |
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Jul 29, 2013 12:19
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Can anyone recommend a good site to browse property listings/apartment rentals in Shanghai, beyond just what one finds in the top results in a Google search? Second interview set up for Thursday afternoon, in person, with the Brand Manager coming here to London. I think barring catastrophe this thing is going ahead.
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Jul 29, 2013 12:26
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Bad astronaut, Smart Shanghai does a good job. City Weekend and That's Shanghai are so-so. You need an agent though. That's the best way I've found.
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Jul 29, 2013 12:44
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Mt Emei may be open 24/7, but the ticket office certainly isn't! gently caress, I was hoping for a nice nighttime hike.
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Jul 29, 2013 14:31
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Big Alf posted:Where is this? The seasons in wangjing. Prices were going up when I left china so it might be around 5.5k now.
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Jul 29, 2013 14:34
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JimBobDole posted:Bad astronaut, Smart Shanghai does a good job. City Weekend and That's Shanghai are so-so. You need an agent though. That's the best way I've found. Thanks. Got a recommendation for an agent? If I'm working in Jing'an close to Chanping Rd metro are there any areas you guys would recommend me staying that are 30 minute's commute or less, and decent parts of town?
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Jul 29, 2013 14:58
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xcdude24 posted:I'm in the very very early stages of planning a trip to SE Asia, but was thinking about starting in Hong Kong and going overland to Hanoi. Is there a decent amount to do in southern China? I know very little about tourist attractions in China, and almost all of it has to do with stuff going on up north. If you have enough time I would first travel all around the Pearl River Delta (HK, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Macau, and Guangzhou). Then take a sleeper bus from Guangzhou up to Yangshuo near Guilin, and rent a bike to ride to Xingping and other nearby villages. Spend at least four days around here to explore the area by bike. The Longsheng rice terraces are about three or four hours away by bus and can be done in a couple of days round trip from Guilin/Yangshuo. Then go down to Nanning (overnight train from Guilin, or by bus) and take a bus to Daxin, where you can catch another bus to Shuolong, which is right next to Detian falls. The waterfalls are split between China and Vietnam, and you can walk across the border if no guards are around (don't do this by more than a few meters). After heading back to Nanning you can take a bus down to the border at Dongxing 东兴, then walk across a tiny bridge into Mong Cai, Vietnam. That's the border crossing closest to the sea and Ha Long Bay.
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Jul 29, 2013 15:11
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BadAstronaut posted:Thanks. Got a recommendation for an agent? If I'm working in Jing'an close to Chanping Rd metro are there any areas you guys would recommend me staying that are 30 minute's commute or less, and decent parts of town? Do you have family coming too? What's your budget? You always have options when you have money.
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Jul 29, 2013 15:54
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Nope, just me by myself. I'd prefer not to spend more than RMB6500 a month on accommodation. What else do I need to budget for when it comes to this side of things?
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Jul 29, 2013 16:11
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Do you mind roommates, because you'll only darken the door of a compound at 7500.
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Jul 29, 2013 16:52
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Nah I'm not entirely sharing-averse, and I reckon I'd be totally up for a goonmate. They really that expensive? From browsing the rental sites I have seen what appear to be plenty for 6500 or less, but I obviously know nothing about these spots nor their actual pros and cons beyond the photos and description...
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Jul 29, 2013 18:38
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BadAstronaut posted:Can anyone recommend a good site to browse property listings/apartment rentals in Shanghai, beyond just what one finds in the top results in a Google search? I used to use SouFun for this (sh.soufun.com), but it's not going to help much until after you arrive so you can check places out. I seriously think you can find a small place (without roommates) for like 4k. A coworker just changed apartments last month and is paying 3k-3.5k for a place in Xujiahui. Maybe you can find something in this 3k-5k list for JingAn district: http://zu.sh.soufun.com/house-a021/c23000-d25000-n31/ Edit： Oh wait you want a pool, I have no idea on prices for that. Could just use any of the public pools where they charge like 25rmb/single entry or get a cheap gym membership.
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Jul 30, 2013 02:41
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LentThem posted:Edit： Oh wait you want a pool, I have no idea on prices for that. Could just use any of the public pools where they charge like 25rmb/single entry or get a cheap gym membership. poo poo, that much? They're $17-20 or $300/month in Hong Kong.
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Jul 30, 2013 03:15
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Dilber posted:The seasons in wangjing. Prices were going up when I left china so it might be around 5.5k now. Looks like a 70sqm 1bed is about 6.5k now. How did you manage to survive in Wangjing? I really can't stand the place, though I'm not exactly sure why. The Seasons is not actually that far from where I am, but it's still too far from April Gourmet. Oh and it's in Wangjing. Big Alf fucked around with this message at 04:22 on Jul 30, 2013 |
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Jul 30, 2013 04:18
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I'm looking to return to China finally, hooray! I'm definitely going to Xian for five or six days, and Shanghai for two or three (depending on flights for partial days). Trying to figure out my budget and I've forgotten how much money I brought on my previous China trip. I did Tokyo on $100 a day and that was enough to be semi-extravagant, so I'm thinking $50 a day would be plenty. I know Shanghai will be more expensive than Xian but I'm basically going to museums, looking at old poo poo, sleeping in hostels, and eating street/local food. Probably hit a couple markets but not like any high class shopping. So like $500 for a trip of maximum nine days. Plus flight to Shanghai from Busan, and I've heard I can get really cheap internal China flights if I use a Chinese website. Any flaws in this plan?
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Jul 30, 2013 06:33
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Big Alf posted:Looks like a 70sqm 1bed is about 6.5k now. They want 6.5, but no one is taking it. My landlandy said she wanted 6.5, but the agent said that average was around 5.5k when I left. I actually liked living there. It had nice facilities, was right next to line 13/15, and only 3 KM to line 10. There's an open air market right next to it, and there used to be a nice BHG that closed because the property company of that mall was terrible. Also, the tiles on the wall only fell off once, and I had central air.
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Jul 30, 2013 15:40
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Dilber posted:They want 6.5, but no one is taking it. My landlandy said she wanted 6.5, but the agent said that average was around 5.5k when I left. 1.7 a month for 82m2, 100m from the subway. Chengdu 
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Jul 30, 2013 18:22
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A few questions I have about my second visit to China: 1) Last time I landed in Shanghai, I exchanged US dollars at a machine in Pu Dong airport to receive Chinese Yuan. Is this still the best way to do it without getting a huge % taken out? 2) I have a LG Google Nexus 4 and am wondering whether I should pay $60=300MB / $120=800MB with ATT for the international data package or purchase a sim card when I'm in Shanghai. Is that even possible? Does anyone here have any experience with using a US bought Nexus 4 and using a Chinese sim card?
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Jul 30, 2013 22:12
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