Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Now ye're talking - to an Irishman in China

245

Comments

  • Company Representative Posts: 39 Verified rep 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.


  • Company Representative Posts: 39 Verified rep 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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,709 ✭✭✭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?


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,078 ✭✭✭✭JCX BXC


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


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,990 ✭✭✭✭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?

    "People say ‘go with the flow’ but do you know what goes with the flow? Dead fish."



  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 59,513 ✭✭✭✭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).


  • Registered Users Posts: 927 ✭✭✭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!


  • Company Representative Posts: 39 Verified rep 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.
    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.
    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.


  • Company Representative Posts: 39 Verified rep 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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 242 ✭✭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


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 18,078 ✭✭✭✭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?


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,381 ✭✭✭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)


  • Company Representative Posts: 39 Verified rep 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 :D 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.


  • Company Representative Posts: 39 Verified rep 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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,692 ✭✭✭Loomis


    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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭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


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,402 ✭✭✭✭Trojan


    How do locals view the environment & climate change?


  • Registered Users Posts: 927 ✭✭✭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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,749 ✭✭✭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.


  • Company Representative Posts: 39 Verified rep 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.


  • Advertisement
  • Company Representative Posts: 39 Verified rep I'm in China, AMA


    Smiles35 wrote: »
    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.

    Chinese people love milk, but don't really eat butter or cheese. There are whole aisles in the supermarkets of just milk, not all dairy but a decent amount. They also really like yogurt, and yogurt drinks. Two thirds of the refrigerated section is just yogurt.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭RiseToMe


    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.


    Thanks for this, unsurprisingly most of the manufacturers that products come through are based in Wenzhou. But on this side of the world there is no real list of locked down places but obviously, being locked down, it has been hard to tell of they are on extended New Year leave or locked down! And being that they are likely involuntarily closed there's no comms either. Appreciate it


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,247 ✭✭✭Gloomtastic!


    As an Irishman living in China, do you think, if a highly-contagious virus was to hit Ireland, like the corona, that the Irish government would be able to contain the people like the Chinese have?

    I can see the headlines now! :rolleyes:


  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 13,937 Mod ✭✭✭✭pc7


    With the UK now advising citizens to get out of China, would you consider leaving now?


  • Registered Users Posts: 34 iamgroot


    Been living in China for the last 10 years. Was not so far from Wuhan last week.

    Anyway, some - but by no means all - of the comments in this thread are a bit typical. lads

    <snipped - off-topic>


  • Registered Users Posts: 34 iamgroot


    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.

    Chinese is easy to learn if you go to total immersion. I am fully fluent in Chinese. and I also speak Dublish. It all ok lad category 5 or 6? I dont know


  • Registered Users Posts: 34 iamgroot


    Loomis wrote: »
    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.

    Im in the process of naturalizing. I have to renounce my Air-ah citizenship. But I can claim it back again after I get Chinese citizenship.

    Not joking, have to do it for the purposes of inheritance and work and travel rights.

    Never had an argument with a Chinese person about an obscure character though, whats with that?

    did have an argument with an ill informed langer in the pub though, it happens..


  • Boards.ie Employee Posts: 12,597 ✭✭✭✭✭Boards.ie: Niamh
    Boards.ie Community Manager


    MOD note:
    iamgroot, if you don't have any questions for the OP please don't post. The AMA forum is different to others on the site in that this is just a Q&A with one person, I'm an Irishman in China, AMA. If you wanted to do an AMA about your own experiences, you can email me, niamh@boards.ie.


  • Company Representative Posts: 39 Verified rep I'm in China, AMA


    RiseToMe wrote: »
    Thanks for this, unsurprisingly most of the manufacturers that products come through are based in Wenzhou. But on this side of the world there is no real list of locked down places but obviously, being locked down, it has been hard to tell of they are on extended New Year leave or locked down! And being that they are likely involuntarily closed there's no comms either. Appreciate it

    Yeah Wenzhou made sense when you mentioned Zhejiang and products. I looked into it a little and from what I can tell Zhejiang, and Wenzhou in particular, had a large amount of people travelling back from Wuhan, or perhaps people from Wuhan travelling there. Either way, it seems that Wenzhou has a lot more restrictions that other cities currently. I'm not sure of it's quite 'locked down' to the extent that Wuhan is, but I'm would guess the places you deal with are involuntarily closed.
    As an Irishman living in China, do you think, if a highly-contagious virus was to hit Ireland, like the corona, that the Irish government would be able to contain the people like the Chinese have?

    I can see the headlines now! :rolleyes:

    This is difficult to answer, I honestly don't know. I'm going to say no, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there's absolutely no chance we would be able to quarantine a city. If you take Dublin for example, there's just too many routes out. But the main thing is Irish people would just not let that happen. Secondly, I'm sure most people here have been to A&E at some stage. Unless you've had a heart attack or some other serious illness, due to staffing/facility issues you're gonna be waiting quite a few hours with the number of people that seek treatment on a daily basis. Now imagine 1000 patients in the space of week with respiratory issues, and those people will have to be isolated for 2 weeks. In terms of logistics, that's not a pleasant thought.

    Then again, you really can't compare Dublin to cities in China in terms of number of people and how quickly/easily it would spread. I'm sure population density would have an effect, as well as other factors such as medical equipment, hygiene practices etc. So for those reasons, I really don't know. What I do know know is that the Irish government couldn't quarantine Dublin, which is the only city of comparable size (that's debatable) to Wuhan.
    pc7 wrote: »
    With the UK now advising citizens to get out of China, would you consider leaving now?

    No I'm not considering leaving, at least not right now. I can work from home, so in that sense I'm fine. As mentioned, I also have a dog and it would take a least a couple months to get everything sorted for him to come home. I'd rather get infected with the corona virus than leave him behind. Plus my girlfriend is stranded in Vietnam.

    Truth is, I'm not worried. But at the same time I'm also not stupid, I've been taking precautions, same as everyone else. Doing what I'm doing now the chances of me getting sick are slim to none. Funnily enough I actually had bronchitis just a few day before this s**t started. Thank christ I didn't get it just as this was starting...imagine :pac:


  • Advertisement
  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 13,937 Mod ✭✭✭✭pc7


    Stay safe, hope your girlfriend is too, must be a big worry not being together. Great you’ve your dog for company. Very interesting AMA. Are you worried about food running out?


This discussion has been closed.
Advertisement