Now ye're talking - to an Irishman in China

Boards.ie: Niamh

Our next AMA guest is an Irishman living in China. He lives in a city about 800km from Wuhan* so is hopefully safe from anyone infected with the coronavirus, however as a precaution some public services in his city have been shut down and things are a lot quieter than normal for New Year.

You can ask him questions about his experience here.

*Wuhan is a city in Hubei province in China and is believed to be where the novel coronavirus was recently transmitted to humans. The WHO have now declared the coronavirus to be a global emergency.

Gonad

How’s the bat soup over there ?

Do you speak Mandarin?

sonic85

How did you end up in China?

What's it like living there day to day - are you a fluent speaker, are there any customs you have to follow etc?

Would there be a big contingent of foreigners over there or could you go a while without seeing anyone who's not local?

Neyite

How concerned are you?

cloudatlas

Is there a lot of superstition and alternative medicine use around you or is that a misconception?

Sabre0001

I'd have so many questions at the best of times, but with the recent news from that side of the world I'm going to barrage you with related questions! Sorry in advance

What were the early reports about Coronavirus like and how has the news/reporting of it changed?

Do people believe that the reporting of number of cases and/or deaths is accurate?

How surreal was Chinese New Year with this ongoing?

What's the general advice being offered in Chinese media and by the Government? Are you staying home or venturing out?

What is the attitude towards this outbreak - are people heeding warnings, are locals more wary than foreigners living in China, does the slightest cough cause panic or nervous laughter, do people think enough is being done to

What essentials did you stock up on? And what's the first thing that stores run out of in events like this (we've learned over the last few years that bread is the first thing to go at the first sign of snow/storms/other in Ireland)?

Fr_Dougal

Are they a great bunch of lads?

gmisk

Have your family contacted you to try to convince you to move home a lot since the coronavirus thing?

I'm in China, AMA

Gonad wrote: »

How’s the bat soup over there ?

I've tried some strange food things here, but I do have my limits

Deleted User wrote: »

Do you speak Mandarin?

I know enough to get by, not fluent by any means. You really need to put the effort in to learn it, especially the characters. I'm always too busy with work to attend proper lessons, though I do hope to do that this year.

sonic85 wrote: »

How did you end up in China?

What's it like living there day to day - are you a fluent speaker, are there any customs you have to follow etc?

Would there be a big contingent of foreigners over there or could you go a while without seeing anyone who's not local?

By accident, sort of. I had done some teaching and really enjoyed it. I also love to travel, so basically combined the two in a sense. Why I choose China? Curiosity mainly, but ended up loving it. So much so that I left for China for a year to teach somewhere else and ended up missing it.

Yeah there are a decent amount of foreigners here. How many depends on the city. There would be thousands in Beijing and Shanghai, but for example I lived in a really small city my first year here and there were 6 of us. But most larger cities have a pretty decent foreign community.

Living here in general in pretty easy to be honest. Like every country there are some great things about living here and some downright annoying things. Thankfully the great things outnumber the annoying ones, for me anyway.

Neyite wrote: »

How concerned are you?

I'm not overly concerned at the moment, but certainly wary. Everyone is basically confined to their apartments at the moment, only venturing out to get what they need. Both Chinese and foreign I might add. Why is everyone staying at home? Well, because of everything is closed apart from conveniences stores and most supermarkets. Transport is also severely limited. Plus the fact that nobody wants to get sick, of course. It's a bit of a weird situation to be in, that's for sure. But I will say that they seem to be doing everything they can to make sure things don't get worse. I get my temperature checked every time I enter my apartment complex :pac:

cloudatlas wrote: »

Is there a lot of superstition and alternative medicine use around you or is that a misconception?

Chinese medicine is very common. I really don't know a whole lot about it as I never use it. I always ask for the had stuff if I'm sick. That would be my advice to anyone who ever visits China and gets ill...know what you want before you go into a pharmacy. They will have most popular western medications, but will often give you the herbal stuff. Does it work? Some say it does, I have my doubts. Acupuncture on the other hand, is like black magic. I don't know how, but from my own personal experience that stuff works, and well.

There is definitely superstition, though it's not extremely obvious in everyday life. Numbers, for example. 4 and 7 are considered unlucky. 8 is THE lucky number in China. People will actually seek out the number 8 i.e. living on the 8th floor, having 8's in your phone number etc. But again, it's not something that really stands out and you probably wouldn't even notice these things unless someone told you.

I'm in China: AMA

I'm in China: AMA wrote:

I know enough to get by, not fluent by any means. You really need to put the effort in to learn it, especially the characters. I'm always too busy with work to attend proper lessons, though I do hope to do that this year.

I got berrated on another thread for pointing out how difficult it is.

I was in Shanghai for two weeks back in July, so I have first hand experience of it. I can count to 5 and say thank you, and thats about it.

nozzferrahhtoo

How many different forms of moon cake did you eat a few weeks ago?

I should be in taipei for a week for the first time ever this year, so have you been over that way? Any cultural do's or don't I should know about?

And is stinky tofu all I hear it is?

I'm in China, AMA

Sabre0001 wrote: »

I'd have so many questions at the best of times, but with the recent news from that side of the world I'm going to barrage you with related questions! Sorry in advance

What were the early reports about Coronavirus like and how has the news/reporting of it changed?

Do people believe that the reporting of number of cases and/or deaths is accurate?

How surreal was Chinese New Year with this ongoing?

What's the general advice being offered in Chinese media and by the Government? Are you staying home or venturing out?

What is the attitude towards this outbreak - are people heeding warnings, are locals more wary than foreigners living in China, does the slightest cough cause panic or nervous laughter, do people think enough is being done to

What essentials did you stock up on? And what's the first thing that stores run out of in events like this (we've learned over the last few years that bread is the first thing to go at the first sign of snow/storms/other in Ireland)?

I started hearing reports about 2 weeks before Chinese New Year, but at time it just sounded like a local outbreak and I personally paid no attention to it, as did most people. Things started to sound a bit more serious in few days leading up to Chinese New Year, but again I think everyone thought it would just fizzle out.

While I don't necessarily believe that the government are intentionally (go figure), I do believe that there are far more people infected than the number quoted. Why the discrepancy? It seems that the hospitals in Wuhan are only admitting those with serious symptoms as that is all they can cope with. Are they testing every single person with symptoms? I highly doubt that. You've got to remember that in a city that size there are going to be tens of thousands of people every week who are sick with illnesses that are NOT the coronavirus. It's a matter of logistics. I take everything I see online with a grain of salt, especially videos as some of the more popular ones I've seen have turned out to be old. Though this one is particularly eye opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AI3R41dGnU&t=40s

Chinese New Year was basically non-existent, everything was cancelled. Since last Friday, almost everyone has been at home 90% of the time. Everything is closed, apart from shops selling the necessities. There are about 50 restaurants on the street I live on, none of them are open. For now at least, shops still have plenty of stuff, but as you alluded to, no bread There's been a huge increase in the number of places selling vegetables the last couple of days, apparently organised by the local government.

As for transport, that has been limited a lot. Most bus routes have closed. The subway is till open for now, but shortened hours and you need to show your passport, wear a mask and have your temperature taken. China's version of Uber has closed, that is a big one. To take a regular taxi you need to show you passport also, as well as wear a mask. Everyone is wearing masks. Streets are pretty empty for the most part, just people venturing out to get what they need and then straight back home.

I've stocked up on noodles and rice/beans, just in case. I venture out maybe once a day to get some vegetables and stuff. I have a dog so I bring him out 3 times a day, but just within the apartment complex I live which is pretty big.

I work in an office how, so I can work from home and will be doing so for at least the next 2 weeks, probably longer.

So yes, the boredom is real!!

I'm in China, AMA

gmisk wrote: »

Have your family contacted you to try to convince you to move home a lot since the coronavirus thing?

Yeah I speak with them about twice a week. As long as I'm not worried, they're fine. They've of course asked if I am going to stay, but have in no way tried to convince me to leave. In a weird way I think it helps that they've been here to visit.

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

How many different forms of moon cake did you eat a few weeks ago?

I should be in taipei for a week for the first time ever this year, so have you been over that way? Any cultural do's or don't I should know about?

And is stinky tofu all I hear it is?

I'm really not a fan of moon cakes, so zero I adore the food here, but mooncakes are an exception.

I actually haven't been to Taiwan would you believe, which is actually annoying me at this point as it's one of the few places I haven't been to in east/south east. I've been to a tonne of provinces here in China, Hong kong, Macau etc. But not Taiwan. This year, hopefully.

Good stinky tofu is really nice. Smells terrible but can taste amazing. It's very popular in Changsha, were I lived previously. Unfortunately it can be pretty terrible in other parts of China. That and Durian, you can find them a 100 meters away just using your nose

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

Are they a great bunch of lads?

Yes father!

Loomis

Deleted User wrote: »

I got berrated on another thread for pointing out how difficult it is.

I was in Shanghai for two weeks back in July, so I have first hand experience of it. I can count to 5 and say thank you, and thats about it.

Anyone who has a go at you for this doesn't have a notion how difficult the language is to learn for native English speakers. Mandarin (and Cantonese) are classified as Category V languages, meaning it takes roughly 88 weeks (2200 hours) of study (note study, not casual) to reach general proficiency.

Setting reading aside (and the massive difference in their characters to Latin based languages), the tones are extremely difficult to master. My wife has taught me a little, but without actually studying it, it's just very difficult. The few things I can say, probably only she would understand what I'm attempting to say. Without the correct tones, it could be incomprehensible to a native speaker or just as easily come out meaning something I didn't intend.

I'm in China, AMA wrote: »

Chinese medicine is very common. I really don't know a whole lot about it as I never use it.

Just drink some warm water and you'll be grand. :P

Urquell

What do you wish you could say, but if you said it, would get you sent to a Re-education camp for 10 years?

You can tell us.

Gloomtastic!

你好

I know it may be a bit difficult but can you try and explain Chinese society to us stupid westerners.

China is a communist country, I believe the state controls most things. How then, can you get to be a billionaire in China? Is it all who you know? How do ordinary Chinese people, who make the collective effort, put up with the sheer inequality of it all?

I watched American Factory on Netflix last week and the sheep mentality of the Chinese workforce was pretty evident. They are taught ‘life is work’. Do you see it in day to day life over there. How do they regard you as the lazy westerner? Do you think if we worked as hard as them would we be a more successful society?

I'm in China, AMA

Loomis wrote: »

Anyone who has a go at you for this doesn't have a notion how difficult the language is to learn for native English speakers. Mandarin (and Cantonese) are classified as Category V languages, meaning it takes roughly 88 weeks (2200 hours) of study (note study, not casual) to reach general proficiency.

Setting reading aside (and the massive difference in their characters to Latin based languages), the tones are extremely difficult to master. My wife has taught me a little, but without actually studying it, it's just very difficult. The few things I can say, probably only she would understand what I'm attempting to say. Without the correct tones, it could be incomprehensible to a native speaker or just as easily come out meaning something I didn't intend.

Just drink some warm water and you'll be grand. :P

I mean I can't really say much, I've been here over 4 years in total and my Chinese is only passable. I know 2 people who have gotten pretty good at Chinese in the space of a year, but they studied 4+ hours every single day.

The hot and cold thing is pretty funny, hot water fixes everything. You get sick, thats because the air conditioner is bad for you, everything cold is bad for you. Drink hot water, that will make you better. Yet on numerous occasions I've seen Chinese people in McDonalds ordering ice cream at 10am in the morning. Logic!!

I'm in China, AMA

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

你好

I know it may be a bit difficult but can you try and explain Chinese society to us stupid westerners.

China is a communist country, I believe the state controls most things. How then, can you get to be a billionaire in China? Is it all who you know? How do ordinary Chinese people, who make the collective effort, put up with the sheer inequality of it all?

I watched American Factory on Netflix last week and the sheep mentality of the Chinese workforce was pretty evident. They are taught ‘life is work’. Do you see it in day to day life over there. How do they regard you as the lazy westerner? Do you think if we worked as hard as them would we be a more successful society?

China is not a communist country, well not in the true sense anyway. It is a capitalist country that retains enough communist ideology to keep the government in control. Chinese people in general are free to make as much money as want. Anyone who has been to China, or plans to visit, would not for one second think they were in a communist country. Nothing would feel out of place apart from the obvious cultural differences, but you get that everywhere. Yes there's censorship and certain things are controlled, but as long as the economy is good and people can make money the vast majority of Chinese people don't particularly care. It's when those things go bad that we might see some unrest.

Yes, there can be a huge disparity in terms of earnings. The average monthly salary is pretty low for your bog standard worker. The cleaner in our office makes 2,500 RMB a month (325 euro). Yet I know a Chinese person who work for the government who has 3 apartments, in 3 different cities, and not cheap cities. But the one thing the Chinese government does well is making sure that as many people as possible have a job. There are more parking attendants in China then there are people in Ireland. Do Chinese people work more hours than those in western countries, definitely. But it also depends on what job you have. The people I work with work 9-6, that's it. Yet just outside my apartment complex are 3 convenience stores, owned by a husband and wife in all cases, who are open from 8am until midnight, every day without fail. So it's a mixture of being told you need to work X amount, versus voluntarily working X amount to make as much as you possibly can. Trust me, there are as many lazy Chinese people as there are Irish.

Like you said above, it can be hard to explain as things here vary so greatly from person to person, and city to city. I guess, in general, inequality is more noticeable when there's 1.4 billion people.

Pauliedragon

How's the interest in soccer over there? It seems the last few years the money players moving from Europe are getting has exploded exponentially. Has it always been like that or has China all of a sudden become a mad soccer nation overnight? Do they get massive crowds, tv money etc to pay these massive contracts?

limerickabroad

A friend of mine who worked in China some years ago said that, whatever you do, don't talk about 'the three Ts' - Taiwan, Tibet and Tienanmen (i.e. the massacre there in 1989). Is that still the case? Are local people willing/happy/able to talk about these issues, or, say, the Uighur situation in Xinjiang? In other words, how much freedom of speech is there on the ground in China?

Cheers!

miamee

I'm in China, AMA wrote: »

I started hearing reports about 2 weeks before Chinese New Year, but at time it just sounded like a local outbreak and I personally paid no attention to it, as did most people. Things started to sound a bit more serious in few days leading up to Chinese New Year, but again I think everyone thought it would just fizzle out.

While I don't necessarily believe that the government are intentionally (go figure), I do believe that there are far more people infected than the number quoted. Why the discrepancy? It seems that the hospitals in Wuhan are only admitting those with serious symptoms as that is all they can cope with. Are they testing every single person with symptoms? I highly doubt that. You've got to remember that in a city that size there are going to be tens of thousands of people every week who are sick with illnesses that are NOT the coronavirus. It's a matter of logistics. I take everything I see online with a grain of salt, especially videos as some of the more popular ones I've seen have turned out to be old. Though this one is particularly eye opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AI3R41dGnU&t=40s

Chinese New Year was basically non-existent, everything was cancelled. Since last Friday, almost everyone has been at home 90% of the time. Everything is closed, apart from shops selling the necessities. There are about 50 restaurants on the street I live on, none of them are open. For now at least, shops still have plenty of stuff, but as you alluded to, no bread There's been a huge increase in the number of places selling vegetables the last couple of days, apparently organised by the local government.

As for transport, that has been limited a lot. Most bus routes have closed. The subway is till open for now, but shortened hours and you need to show your passport, wear a mask and have your temperature taken. China's version of Uber has closed, that is a big one. To take a regular taxi you need to show you passport also, as well as wear a mask. Everyone is wearing masks. Streets are pretty empty for the most part, just people venturing out to get what they need and then straight back home.

I've stocked up on noodles and rice/beans, just in case. I venture out maybe once a day to get some vegetables and stuff. I have a dog so I bring him out 3 times a day, but just within the apartment complex I live which is pretty big.

I work in an office how, so I can work from home and will be doing so for at least the next 2 weeks, probably longer.

So yes, the boredom is real!!

I've watched some of that video you posted earlier, it is very scary isn't it? Hopefully it's as contained as it possibly can be for you but it seems like a total nightmare for people in Wuhan. A dreadful situation. Has your workplace closed down or are there others who are still going to the office - was it a choice to work from home I mean or were you all told to do so?

Have you stockpiled any food and water just in case or are you reasonably happy that the stores will remain open?

Have you a plan to fill all of your spare time for the next while indoors? At least having a dog gets you out of the apartment a few times a day and you have some company

vriesmays

Will you ever be considered Chinese living there.

Black Swan

Have you recently visited Hong Kong? It has been a few years since I was there to present a paper at a conference. It was expensive when I went. But fortunately, someone was paying my way. Still expensive to stay? Anything else to be mindful about?

cloudatlas

is veganism/vegetarianism a thing?

I'm in China, AMA

Pauliedragon wrote: »

How's the interest in soccer over there? It seems the last few years the money players moving from Europe are getting has exploded exponentially. Has it always been like that or has China all of a sudden become a mad soccer nation overnight? Do they get massive crowds, tv money etc to pay these massive contracts?

I would say interest is on the rise, but not enough to actually make the Chinese team decent :pac:. The've built lot's academies in recent years and hired lots of coaches from abroad, so they're trying. Maybe in a few years. Interest can be quite regional too, for example Dalian is known as a football city, mainly because they used to have the best team. Whereas in other cities basketball would be the most popular sport.

I believe they've capped the salaries now, no they won't get getting the big name players anymore. I play football every week, though it dies down a bit in the winter. There are some really decent Chinese players, they're always very technical. But if anything they try to be too technical, and no matter who we play we always win. They're also awful in the air.

vriesmays wrote: »

Will you ever be considered Chinese living there.

Nope. Getting Chinese citizenship is next to impossible, so you will always need a visa that has to be renewed every year.

Black Swan wrote: »

Have you recently visited Hong Kong? It has been a few years since I was there to present a paper at a conference. It was expensive when I went. But fortunately, someone was paying my way. Still expensive to stay? Anything else to be mindful about?

I haven't been to Hong kong since 2015. I was supposed to go last October but decided against it and went to Macau instead. I really liked it, buut going from China it was pretty expensive. In saying that, the local food street food was cheap enough. I've heard that hotels and stuff have gotten a little cheaper because of the recent unrest. A friend was there last week and he didn't seem to have any problems, he loved it.

cloudatlas wrote: »

is veganism/vegetarianism a thing?

Among Chinese people, not really. There are vegetarian/vegan restaurants, very few though. So perhaps there has been a small increase in the number of people adopting a veggie diet, but not a noticeable amount.

There are plenty of vegan/veggie foreigners here. My girlfriend is one of them :pac: Most of them don't actually find it too bad here being a veggie, contrary to what most people would think. Chinese people live their meat, but they eat more fruit and veg than the average Irish person. The issue is that in typical Chinese restaurants they often find a way to sneak a little bit of meat into dishes. Eating culture is different. A group of people would share multiple dishes rather than having their own dish. I love this aspect.

miamee wrote: »

I've watched some of that video you posted earlier, it is very scary isn't it? Hopefully it's as contained as it possibly can be for you but it seems like a total nightmare for people in Wuhan. A dreadful situation. Has your workplace closed down or are there others who are still going to the office - was it a choice to work from home I mean or were you all told to do so?

Have you stockpiled any food and water just in case or are you reasonably happy that the stores will remain open?

Have you a plan to fill all of your spare time for the next while indoors? At least having a dog gets you out of the apartment a few times a day and you have some company

Yes my workplace is closed completely, along with most most other peoples. The official government set Chinese holiday was extended from January 30th until February 2nd, but I believe that has been extended again. No it wasn't a choice on my behalf, we were told to work from home for the next 2 weeks, that will probably be extended. The consensus is that the the number of confirmed cases is going to continue to rise for the next 2 weeks, at least. They slowly reduce, but nobody really knows.

I've stockpiled certain things, but for the moment shops are still open so no cause for concern just yet. As I mentioned previously, shops (convenience stores, supermarkets) are the only things open.

I won't lie, it can be mind numbingly boring. I've never been in a situation where I've been stuck inside for so long...and for the foreseeable future. Crazy when you think about it. I've done lots of reading, watched tonnes of TV shows and movies, lots of cooking and cleaning etc. I'll have work to do next week so that will help. I'll have to come up with something else to so though. Any ideas? :pac:

I'm in China, AMA

limerickabroad wrote: »

A friend of mine who worked in China some years ago said that, whatever you do, don't talk about 'the three Ts' - Taiwan, Tibet and Tienanmen (i.e. the massacre there in 1989). Is that still the case? Are local people willing/happy/able to talk about these issues, or, say, the Uighur situation in Xinjiang? In other words, how much freedom of speech is there on the ground in China?

Cheers!

You can probably include Hong Kong in that list. But yes, it is advised that you don't discuss these topics, especially in a public setting i.e. in a classroom. In saying that, there are plenty of Chinese people who are willing or even want to discuss these things. Know your audience comes to mind. While some Chinese people like talking about Taiwan or Hong kong, some can get pretty offended if you, for example, believe Taiwan should be an independent country. You've just got to really know the people you're surrounded with then talking about such things. I've seen Chinese people almost start fights over someone saying teh wrong thing. Chinese people, in general, are quite patriotic and proud of their country...and that includes the above mentioned places. And if their views don't follow that of the CCP then, yes, they better not air those thoughts publically. That includes on social media.

The Uighur situation is a bit different. Everyone just turns a blind eye to what's happening there. People from Xinjiang are also, in a lot of cases, treated as second class citizens. I'll give you an example. A former colleague of mine, American guy, lived in Xinjiang for 2 years. He married a girl from Xinjiang and they moved to Tier 2 city in eastern China. She had perfect English and was a qualified dentist, but could not get a job anywhere. On various occasions they even had the police knocking on their door. They eventually had to move to the USA when her brother and father were sent from 're-education'. Mad stuff altogether.

Ulmus

I read the sad news of Wu Huayan, a 24-year-old student, on the BBC website (which is banned in China). It was reported she died from malnutrition as she scrimped money to pay her younger brother's medical bills. However, it appears she actually had a rare genetic condition which causes advanced aging of the body. It must be really scary in China if you are poor and need medical intervention. Do you have medical insurance?

Smiles35

What are the supermarkets like over there? Is there the same range and diversity of goods as over here?

6541

Do Chinese people know anything about Ireland.

Mars Bar

I'm in China, AMA wrote: »

I would say interest is on the rise, but not enough to actually make the Chinese team decent :pac:. The've built lot's academies in recent years and hired lots of coaches from abroad, so they're trying. Maybe in a few years. Interest can be quite regional too, for example Dalian is known as a football city, mainly because they used to have the best team. Whereas in other cities basketball would be the most popular sport.
:

I'm a full time coach in the Middle East. China is where a lot of the jobs are and the packages look decent on paper but I have heard of a lot of exploitation and poor conditions.

I'm in China, AMA

Ulmus wrote: »

I read the sad news of Wu Huayan, a 24-year-old student, on the BBC website (which is banned in China). It was reported she died from malnutrition as she scrimped money to pay her younger brother's medical bills. However, it appears she actually had a rare genetic condition which causes advanced aging of the body. It must be really scary in China if you are poor and need medical intervention. Do you have medical insurance?

Yes I have medical insurance through work. It covers inpatient care, but thankfully have never had to use it.

Healthcare here can range from excellent to downright atrocious. The big difference here is that almost everyone goes to hospital when they are sick, no matter how minor. They don't really have GP's in a sense, just go the hospital. It's not expensive if you just need to go in and get checked out, but the cost starts to rack up if you need surgery and have to stay in hospital. As an example, I had to get an MRI on my knee last year. It cost about 80 euro, got it done pretty much on the spot. But obviously if you're poor that can be a lot of money. Also, everything needs to be paid upfront. You pay first, then get treated.

Smiles35 wrote: »

What are the supermarkets like over there? Is there the same range and diversity of goods as over here?

The supermarkets are an experience when you first arrive, especially the seafood section. Live fish, frogs, crabs, turtles etc. Definitely nowhere close to the same range and diversity of goods, the majority of the stuff is Chinese. Most large supermarkets will have an import section, as well as some familiar brands/items. But for the most part it's all Chinese stuff.

Funnily enough the most popular large supermarkets are probably Walmart, Vanguard and Carrefour. But maybe that's just because I'm not Chinese :pac: Carrefour is generally better for western products. The you have Ole and Metro, which are probably the best for western products, but there's less of them around.

If I want something, let's say an ingredient to cook a particular dish, I just buy it online. Online shopping is huge here. I can buy literally anything online and get it delivered to my door in a couple of days. I have a whole kitchen full of herbs, spices, condiments etc.

6541 wrote: »

Do Chinese people know anything about Ireland.

Not a lot to the honest, but it depends on the person. Most of them know it's near (or part of :pac:) the Britain. The most common response is that Ireland is beautiful. Those more travelled might know a bit more, but the above is usually the extent of it. I get asked if I'm American all the time. White person, must be American.

I'm in China, AMA

Mars Bar wrote: »

I'm a full time coach in the Middle East. China is where a lot of the jobs are and the packages look decent on paper but I have heard of a lot of exploitation and poor conditions.

I knew quite a few coaches in the previous city I lived in, played football with them every week. They were mostly South American, but I know of a few Irish coaches as well. They had mostly positive experiences from what I remember. But it's like any job in China, there's an element of luck as to how good/bad your employer will be. You can mitigate that somewhat by doing your research on the company, and most importantly asking to speak to current employees. Any good employer will be happy to put you in touch with someone who is working there, or has worked there previously.

cloudatlas

Do you feel like you miss out because you can't speak the lingo and therefore are limited to hanging out with Chinese who speak English and other Westerners?

JCX BXC

Ever encounter people who pry too much into your personal affairs? Asking OTT questions and the like?

StringerBell

Whats the nightlife like there, or the seedier side of things I mean. In general I have found the Chinese to be a relatively conservative people when dealing with them but assume there is a sex, drug, underworld section of society and is it all gang controlled? With government blessing/cooperation or what do you make of it?

namenotavailablE

Has your time living in China increased your appreciation of the importance of maintaining a good environment e.g. access to good quality water, fresh air, open spaces, even personal space where you can 'get away from it all'?

I've visited China approx 5 or so times (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing mainly as well as a few touristy spots) and really noticed these things where they were negative (so much so that I'm not really in any hurry to return, to be honest).

greenttc

Really interesting reading about your experiences in China, I would love to hear about some of the customs and traditions that are different to our own.

Are there great fears for the economy over there? Surely shutting down workplaces is going to have a significant impact on both the nations economy and on individuals, particularly after reading about your description of the hours some people work. Is salary protection a thing over there? will your poorly paid office cleaner get paid when he/she doesn't have an office to clean for two weeks?

My early Sunday morning head is also struggling to understand why you have to show your passport to use public transport etc during this virus outbreak, does your identity or nationality matter? the virus doesn't discriminate so what is the significance of a passport? probably a totally reasonable explanation that I don't have the brain power to come up with right now!

I'm in China, AMA

cloudatlas wrote: »

Do you feel like you miss out because you can't speak the lingo and therefore are limited to hanging out with Chinese who speak English and other Westerners?

No not really. I have friends, and friends of friends, who don't speak English and it's not really an issue. Issues arise when you need to go the bank or hospital, or something online those lines. That requires a whole other level of Chinese which I certainly don't possess. When I hurt my knee, try to describe that was probably pretty funny for a spectator. But again, in those situations you have plenty of apps that translate voice to text.

JCX BXC wrote: »

Ever encounter people who pry too much into your personal affairs? Asking OTT questions and the like?

From my experience this is more evident in smaller cities, for 2 reasons. First, smaller community that are less likely to see a foreigner so everyone wants to be friends with you. Second, in smaller cities you sometimes have no choice but to only hang out with only Chinese people. That's not to say you wouldn't do that in a bigger city, but certainly not as often. You still get in bigger cities, but not as much and it's more 'controllable'. It doesn't bother me though, I've lived in a small city and loved it. However, I can see how it would annoy some certain people.

I still get asked every now again if I'm married, how old I am, how much money I make etc. They're quite common questions if you meet Chinese people who have had little or no interaction with foreigners. I got asked how old I was in the elevator yesterday by some old dude. But again, not every Chinese person will ask such things.

StringerBell wrote: »

Whats the nightlife like there, or the seedier side of things I mean. In general I have found the Chinese to be a relatively conservative people when dealing with them but assume there is a sex, drug, underworld section of society and is it all gang controlled? With government blessing/cooperation or what do you make of it?

Nightlife is decent enough. I wouldn't be much into clubbing anymore, but there are plenty of bars that would fit whatever type of night you're looking for. Drinking at bars can be expensive, funnily enough. Especially if your tipple of choice is a foreign brand.

Regarding drugs, I'm probably not the right person to ask as to how available they are. I do know some people who have smoked weed from time to time. However in the past year or so there has been a big crackdown by the police. Bars have been raided in several cities and people drug tested. It's not worth it, the minimum you're looking at if you get caught is 2 weeks detention, after which you get deported. I know a couple of people that this has happened to, including a husband and wife.

namenotavailabl wrote: »

Has your time living in China increased your appreciation of the importance of maintaining a good environment e.g. access to good quality water, fresh air, open spaces, even personal space where you can 'get away from it all'?

I've visited China approx 5 or so times (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing mainly as well as a few touristy spots) and really noticed these things where they were negative (so much so that I'm not really in any hurry to return, to be honest).

Probably the reason I could never live in Shanghai or Beijing to be honest. Of the above issues you mentioned, the only one that comes to mind as a bit of an issue on occasions is the fresh air. While not constant, pollution in northern China during winter can be terrible some days. Of course, if I had a choice I would prefer that wasn't the case but at the end of the day those are the choices you make.

While I do miss going to the kitchen sink to grab a glass of water, I do have a water dispenser that I can have refilled whenever I want. Even the outdoor and personal space, I can jump on the ebike and go for a walk in the park. Or jump on a train/bus and go out into the sticks If I want, that's always fun to do. I guess living here is just far different to visiting, everything becomes normal. You really notice that when you have people come visit. Now THAT is a fun experience.

I'm in China, AMA

greenttc wrote: »

Really interesting reading about your experiences in China, I would love to hear about some of the customs and traditions that are different to our own.

Are there great fears for the economy over there? Surely shutting down workplaces is going to have a significant impact on both the nations economy and on individuals, particularly after reading about your description of the hours some people work. Is salary protection a thing over there? will your poorly paid office cleaner get paid when he/she doesn't have an office to clean for two weeks?

My early Sunday morning head is also struggling to understand why you have to show your passport to use public transport etc during this virus outbreak, does your identity or nationality matter? the virus doesn't discriminate so what is the significance of a passport? probably a totally reasonable explanation that I don't have the brain power to come up with right now!

Yeah there are measures in place for this. I have had a quick read of it but it depends on a a lot of things, including if you were infected, what type of job you have, if you're voluntarily not going to work or don't have a choice etc. This is obviously only coming into force as of the last few days, so I'm not entirely sure of what happens to to a cleaner for example. I can give you an example for my company if that helps. This is a breakdown of the official email if that helps, but beyong that I don't know about other people.

- Must fill in a online health check form every morning before 10am, in case someone starts to get symptoms.
- Official government holiday extension, 30th January to February 3rd, will be paid as normal.
- Those that are unable to work from Feb 3rd until Feb 9th, are encouraged to use their personal leave. Those who can work from home will do so from February 3rd until at least February 9th. This may be extended.
- Anyone who has been infected, or is suspected of being infected (medical supervision and quarantine), will be paid as normal.

Yeah everyone has to show their ID, obviously for foreigners that would be your passport. For Chinese people it would be their ID card. To be fair, it's quite common in China to have to show ID. It's just how things are here. Any (long distance) bus, train, many tourist attractions...must show your ID. Want to get a sim card, must show your ID. So while it might sound strange, I'm not really surprised. Though like you, don't quite understand it in case.

hottipper

ever try luckin coffee or hear about it?
what food delivery app do you use? is it from meituan dianping?
what app is the equivalent of netflix?

thanks

JCX BXC

What is the Chinese technology and internet service like? Do you have difficulty accessing many sites that you could have in a western country?

What aspects of the Chinese culture do you find best?

Yurt2

Do you have any good weird expat stories? China in my experience has been a magnet for oddball expats who get into all sorts of scrapes.

(Not for a moment suggesting you're an odd expat! Just that my in-and-out again experience of the place is that is has become home to a lot of lost souls trying to reinvent themselves)

I'm in China, AMA

hottipper wrote: »

ever try luckin coffee or hear about it?
what food delivery app do you use? is it from meituan dianping?
what app is the equivalent of netflix?

thanks

I buy Luckin coffee every morning, it's super convenient. I order ut on my phone while I'm on the the bus to work, and it's sitting there waiting for me when I get there. But 2 coffees, get one free Works out much cheaper than starbucks.

I use both Ele.me and Meituan. Meituan probably has a few more options than Ele.me though. Meituan is also great for restaurant deals, booking cinema tickets etc.

To be honest I don't use any Chinese sites or apps to watch stuff. I use QQ music for music, but that's about it. If I want to watch something I, ahem, torrent it. Piracy is not something you have to worry about here. Netflix is a bit hit and miss with a VPN.

JCX BXC wrote: »

What is the Chinese technology and internet service like? Do you have difficulty accessing many sites that you could have in a western country?

What aspects of the Chinese culture do you find best?

The internet here is pretty decent for the most part. Obviously, there are a lot f sites that are blocked (google, youtube, facebook, reddit etc), but all you need is a VPN to get around that. Internet in my apartment is 100 mbps. Sure, the VPN slows things down a bit, but not by a noticeable amount. So I have zero issues. On occasion the Chinese government will target VPN's when there is something important happening, try to slow them down. But again, ways around that.

Technology here is the same as any western country, though they just do certain things better. I'm sure people have heard about cashless payment in China, well they do it better than anyone else. I haven't been to an ATM in over a year. You don't even need a bank card, everything is done through your phone. The only time I couldn't use my phone in the past year (probably even 2 years) was at a 5 star hotel, they only accepted card for the deposit. It's one of my favourite things about living here.

Regarding the culture, I love eating out here. It's a much more social experience then at home. You order a bunch of different dishes and everyone shares, so you get to try many things instead of just having your own plate of food. I also love the people, for the most part they are extremely friendly, helpful and generous. There are exceptions of course, as with anywhere, but overall they're a great bunch of lads. Apart from that, it's just a really beautiful country, countless things to do see. So much so that after 4 years I still have a big list of places of I want to visit.

I'm in China, AMA

Yurt! wrote: »

Do you have any good weird expat stories? China in my experience has been a magnet for oddball expats who get into all sorts of scrapes.

(Not for a moment suggesting you're an odd expat! Just that my in-and-out again experience of the place is that is has become home to a lot of lost souls trying to reinvent themselves)

I don't really have any weird ones of my own, more so just the usual funny stories that happen when you live in a different country. I work in HR, so I deal with English teachers every day. So in a sense I get a front row seat to some of antics and oddballs that end up in China. I'll list some memorable ones, maybe not all weird but ones that definitely stand out. Most of them involve alcohol.

- American teacher who lived in a small city gets drunk on Baijiu and tries to walk home. Gets lost and climbs over a fence into a large field, then falls asleep on the grass. Gets woken up by a bunch of guys with rifles. Turns out he had managed to wander into a military base.

- 2 teachers get drunk and go back to their apartment. Can't open the front door so they decide to play with fire extinguishers. Eventually, in their drunken state, they proceed to try to kick the front door in. And yes, you guessed it, they were on the wrong floor. Chinese guy comes out with knife and they run away but get arrested down the road, one of them with no shoes.

- Dude meets a Chinese girlfriend in a bar and brings her back to his apartment. Goes to work to the next morning only to come home later in the evening to find she is still there, cooking and cleaning. Next day she is still there and is refusing to leave, saying that he has to marry her. This is another small city and he is working for a company that places teachers in public schools. Nobody at his school is willing to help. He tries to tell the police but they don't care. Eventually he has to call the boss who owns the placement company and tell him what's going on. The boss says he has seen this happen before and tells the guy to back his bags on leave immediately. So he leaves in the middle of the might and gets a train to a different city where he is placed in a different school.

- Friend of mine met some Chinese people at a restaurant, started drinking with them. They invite him to a party at one of their homes. No harm in that he thinks. Goes to the apartment only to find about 15 naked people performing all sorts of sex acts on each other. He had been invited to an orgy. Rather than trying to explain that this was not his thing, he just ran.

Loomis

I'm in China, AMA wrote: »

Nope. Getting Chinese citizenship is next to impossible, so you will always need a visa that has to be renewed every year.

Something to point out here is that it's not like say America - being Chinese is about ethnicity, not citizenship. You will always be considered a foreigner irrespective of how much you've assimilated. Probably due to the country being closed off/homogenous for so long.
Heard a story of a guy who went there, studied Chinese in college, the history of the language, spoke and wrote fluently, knew traditional characters in addition to the simplified form. Routinely got quizzed by locals, and in one exchange was continually able to answer the guy who was clearly trying to catch him out. He basically knew the history of really obscure characters and in the end when the guy couldn't 'get' him, he resorted to "well, you'll still never be Chinese" and walked off.

RiseToMe

Great AMA considering the current status over there. So you are not in Wuhan but your city is also in self isolation? Is that the same in all Chinese Provinces? I ask as we inadvertently test products which are mainly made in China obviously around Chinese New Year things are very quiet but nothing has picked up except one box of products that arrived (with no prior notice which is usual). Most of our factories are based in Zhejiang but we have had no contact and are unsure if they are also in a lockdown situation

Trojan

How do locals view the environment & climate change?

greenttc

I have a controversial kind of question that I hope does not come across as racist....

I lived in Australia for a while where there are large populations of Chinese people, i lived in Chinatown in Sydney for a good while. One thing that that really really stood out to me about the Chinese people was their sense of competitiveness or self preservation which i kind of just assumed came from living in a country with such a huge population.

To give an example, I might be in a shop and have picked up all I need and am heading straight for the till to pay but regularly I noticed a Chinese person speed up to get ahead of me in the queue. Or, I might be waiting for a lift in my apartment block, I would stand a normal distance back from the lift doors but when a Chinese person got to the lift after me they wouldn't stand beside me or behind me, instead they slotted themselves in between me and the lift door. This type of behaviour really stood out to me and I asked other westerners if they had noticed it to and they agreed that they had. It's almost like an ingrained mentality of needing to look out for yourself over others. Never bothered me at all but it has always stuck with me. Is this something that you have noticed in your time in China or is my description completely alien to you?

Again, I really hope I am not coming across as racist or anything, it is meant in the same way that we could say Irish people have a habit of apologising too much (saying sorry for everything), just a quirk of our nationality.

Smiles35

I think there is something about the smell of milk and butter that Chinese people pick up on. They don't have dairy products in their diets. I heard that can actually be smelled from us.

I'm in China, AMA

RiseToMe wrote: »

Great AMA considering the current status over there. So you are not in Wuhan but your city is also in self isolation? Is that the same in all Chinese Provinces? I ask as we inadvertently test products which are mainly made in China obviously around Chinese New Year things are very quiet but nothing has picked up except one box of products that arrived (with no prior notice which is usual). Most of our factories are based in Zhejiang but we have had no contact and are unsure if they are also in a lockdown situation

Every city in China is in some state of self isolation as every province has at least 50 confirmed cases. I'm close enough to Hubei province, but that's in terms of the size of China, still a few hundred kilometers. To give you an idea, because of of my job I know people who live all across China, and their all in the same situation. Pretty much stuck in their apartment, venturing out to just get what they need. There are a number of apartment blocks in the city I'm in that have been quarantined i.e nobody is allowed in or out. They can get stuff delivered once a day, but that's it. This is because people who were confirmed to have been infected with the virus lived in these buildings. Everything is closed, apart from convenience stores, supermarkets and fruit/veg places. And not even all of them are open.

There's also a lot of people who live in China who are stuck abroad. Chinese new year is a popular time of year for people to go on holiday to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia etc. Indonesia and Vietnam have stopped all flights to and from China. Even those in the likes of Thailand were there is currently no ban on flights are been told by their employers to stay their longer. My girlfriend is currently stuck in Vietnam

Zhejiang, for some reason that I don't know, has the second highest number of confirmed cases. I've heard that Wenzhou is locked down, and that's a huge manufacturing city.

Trojan wrote: »

How do locals view the environment & climate change?

Don't want to generalize, but most of the locals don't really care. There will be of course those that do care, but most don't. They introduced a recycling system last year, every apartment block has 4 bins outside; recyclable, kitchen waste, other waste and hazardous waste. They even have instructions stuck on the walls as to what exactly should be put in each one. Waste of time, everyone just throws random stuff into each bin.

greenttc wrote: »

I have a controversial kind of question that I hope does not come across as racist....

I lived in Australia for a while where there are large populations of Chinese people, i lived in Chinatown in Sydney for a good while. One thing that that really really stood out to me about the Chinese people was their sense of competitiveness or self preservation which i kind of just assumed came from living in a country with such a huge population.

To give an example, I might be in a shop and have picked up all I need and am heading straight for the till to pay but regularly I noticed a Chinese person speed up to get ahead of me in the queue. Or, I might be waiting for a lift in my apartment block, I would stand a normal distance back from the lift doors but when a Chinese person got to the lift after me they wouldn't stand beside me or behind me, instead they slotted themselves in between me and the lift door. This type of behaviour really stood out to me and I asked other westerners if they had noticed it to and they agreed that they had. It's almost like an ingrained mentality of needing to look out for yourself over others. Never bothered me at all but it has always stuck with me. Is this something that you have noticed in your time in China or is my description completely alien to you?

Again, I really hope I am not coming across as racist or anything, it is meant in the same way that we could say Irish people have a habit of apologising too much (saying sorry for everything), just a quirk of our nationality.

Not racist at all, that is pretty much the norm here. There are plenty of Chinese people who will hold the door for you, and thank you if you do that for them. But equally as many that won't. Supermarkets are a good example, people will bump into you with their trolleys and just continue on without saying a word. The amount of times I've had a trolley stoved up my backside when queuing. Queuing is another one, you need to be on the ball or someone could just jump right in front of you. Many Chinese people have no patience for queuing. I don't put up with that kind of stuff anymore, but I see foreigners who are new to China not knowing what to do, it's pretty funny. In saying that, plenty of Chinese people will also call people out for skipping the queue. So like I said, it's not everyone but it is something that just seems to be part of the culture.

mcgucc22 wrote: »

Is there a lot of crime there? I’m sure it probably varies city to city, but in general is there a lot of gang violence or street crime, muggings, burglaries compared to an average European or Irish city.

Crime is pretty much non-existent if you compare it to other countries. It's the safest country I've ever been to, only thing you have to take care with is crossing the road. Yes, crimes happen, but compared to the size of the population it's so small that the odds of you encountering it are extremely low. For most westerners visiting China, the main concern in places like Beijing is just not getting ripped off. You can walk down the street at 4am without a care in the world.