Planning to live in China...

[Spaiz]

Hello all,

I'm planning to live in China for the next 6 month (maybe more). Hope to be in HK by the end of March/06 and get the 6 month visa and from HK there to China.

I'm still not sure where I'll live in China, I was thinking about Beijing or Shanghai. I don't know Chinese at all; I will have about $400-500 per month. I know that to rent a studion/1B costs about 200-300 in BJ, I guess $200-300 will do for the food?

I'm planning to learn a bit the language, the culture, do my business through the Internet, but the main reason - I just want to get some rest and relax for half of a year.

Can someone give me ideas or suggestion - what city should I choose?

I'll be 20 in few days, is it safe visit China by my self?

I also would like to know, if I should rent the apartment before I come to the city (through the internet) or should I stay for few days in some hostel and then visit & decide about the apartment I'd like to rent? Will I have to sign some sort of contract before I move in?

Is there (China) news paper with rental ads in English?

Is there some place I can read about the scam with apartment rent?

Is there list of things that people not allowed to do/say in china? - I don't want to do some mistake that will somehow effect my staying in China.

If you have any tips that would be great!

Thanks!

[Lu]

I will have about $400-500 per month. I know that to rent a studion/1B costs about 200-300 in BJ, I guess $200-300 will do for the food?

Check some other threads on this same subject. I'd say $500 a month is enough if you don't shop too much and don't go out too expensively.

I'll be 20 in few days, is it safe visit China by myself?

The danger you face is mostly that you will be cheated, especially in the beginning. And be careful that your wallet isn't stolen. For the rest, in my experience (and I was also 20 when I lived there), China is very safe.

I also would like to know, if I should rent the apartment before I come to the city (through the internet) or should I stay for few days in some hostel and then visit & decide about the apartment I'd like to rent? Will I have to sign some sort of contract before I move in?

Do not rent anything before you've seen it, especially in China. Best idea is to move into a hostel first (they're not expensive) and find an apartment from there.

Try reading some other threads in this forum, they might answer some more of your questions, including the Beijing or Shanghai-one.

[Spaiz]

Thanks!

I'm now at 22 page of "Living in China" forum, reading almost all of the threads, some are very useful, and I found nice thread about Beijing or Shanghai, BJ won most of the votes

I'm not planning to shop too much or spend too much money, just to get some rest

[Ferno]

check out www.chinarant.com for some more varied insights into living there

beijing is really better than shanghai? hmm i havent seen many posts comparing the 2 cities... i have heard that shanghai's taxi service is decades ahead of beijings.. although beijing must be getting all sorts of improvements for the upcomming olympics

[Spaiz]

Well, this is the topic I was talking about http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/3601-would-you-move-to-hong-kong-shanghai-or-beijing , it's not that old, and as you can see BJ got 18 votes :-)

I'm a bit concerned about the pollution in BJ, though I belive there will be some improvements before the olympics?

[gato]

If you are interested in resting, you probably should consider some place like Kunming where the climate is milder and is probably much quieter than either Beijing or Shanghai.

Beijing, in particular, is dirty (from the Gobi desert sand, construction, car traffic, and the lack of rain), noisy (drivers don't hesitate to honk here, plus the constant construction), and has one of the most serious air pollution problem in the world (you'll be bursting with joy when you see a blue sky after six months of living here).

Shanghai is better on all three of those points than Beijing, though still not great, but you want the big city experience, Shanghai would be a good choice.

So maybe consider Kunming. Though I've never been there, I've heard it's a great place to relax. Or maybe Guilin, which is also supposed to be beautiful and has less foreign tourists. http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=gmail&q=guilin

[liuzhou]

Much as I love and hate China, I would never recommend it as a place to come for a rest! And I have been to Kunming, and Guilin is just up the road and full of foreign tourists!

[need1head]

then do choose Kunming, u can easily find a 2bedrm,1bath,1kitch apartment within $100in Kunming, and people there are generally nicer and smarter.....they love life!!!! ........if u plan to stay longer.....u can extend your visa by taking a trip to Vietnam or just signing into a language school...btw it's also cheaper to sign into language school in Kunming.

[mr.stinky]

"easily find a 2bedrm,1bath,1kitch apartment within $100in Kunming"

no problem. our 3br/bath/kit/lr runs 800/month. very nice apt in a new building. you can

easily find a 2br for under 500.

language school here is cheap....12 hour minimum at shida is only 4350. plus you get

one free elective, so you can do taichi in the morning with the rest of the big white apes.

[waxwing]

mrstinky, i got the impression you've been living here a while?

I wonder could you tell me - I am thinking of staying in China next year for about 12 months but without working .. I've already been in China for a year and a half teaching. If I were to do this, would I be able to get a 6 month tourist visa from HK and then just go and get another visa immediately afterward for the following 6 months?

And if I do this, does it cause any problem with getting an apartment if you only have a tourist visa and not a residence permit?

thanks.

[mr.stinky]

afraid i cannot answer that. in the guise of my alter ego (mr.anal-retentive), i did as much

paperwork before arrival as possible. so i had already registered at the uni, had the

jw202, and the student x-visa. also had an apartment lined up for immediate occupancy.

can you get your current employer to keep you on file as a consultant or substitute, so you

can keep your work visa?

[mlomker]

waxwing, tourist visas are only 30 or 60 days according to what I've read. Business visas are 6 or 12 months but you'd need a letter from someone to get one. Your best bet is to enroll in public college for a year to study Mandarin. They'll give you an X visa.

You can study however hard you want and I doubt they'll care as long as you pay the tuition, which averages US $1500/yr...depending upon city and school.

[gougou]

tourist visas are only 30 or 60 days according to what I've read.

Not sure if that differs according to what country your passport's from, but I have 90 days (and double entry, which gives me a total of 180 days without extending - still have to go to Hong Kong though)

[mlomker]

>Not sure if that differs according to what country your passport's from

I was mistaken. The tourist visas are from 30-90 days.

Are you saying that you could go to HK at 90 days and re-enter the country without renewing and you'll have another 90 days? I was assuming that multi-entry meant that you can come and go within the original 90 days.

[gougou]

That's what I thought as well, but on the visa it says "duration of each stay". I think you can get more than this too, because the (very helpful!) lady at the consulate asked me whether I had enough with this or needed more. Unfortunately, I had enough so I can't tell you what else there is.

[jianada ren]

Visas in China are not very important. I was in China for 8 months teaching English and studying at BLCU on tourist visas. Not that I couldn't get a proper work or student visa, I just couldn't be bothered. That, and it is nice to get down to HK once in a while for some fresh air. In the entire time I was there, my lack of a student visa or a residence permit didn't cause me any grief, although there were times that I was afraid it would.

Of course, you should not overstay your visa. Every day you spend in the country beyond the expiry will cost you RMB500 to a maximum of RMB5000. So, you should make sure your visa does not expire, but if it does expire, after 10 days there is no rush to get a new one.

[waxwing]

I'm grateful this provoked a little discussion. At the moment I'm in Guangzhou 100% legit as I have been ever since I entered, on my second Z.

In May I'll be taking hols in HK, and I'll make a point of having a long discussion with a visa agency I used there to try to get the lowdown. I, like gougou was under the impression that 180 days was at least feasible .. and maybe 1 year business visas can be arranged too.

I was just wondering if anyone out there had lived in China fairly independently, without a school or University giving them support? The only problem I could foresee is with housing, as living here you are *never* checked up on.

Anyone out there doing this, I living and renting entirely independently? (without a chinese significant other, which would of course help a lot!)

I guess it's one of those things you just have to make work, if you really want to..

[roddy]

I am. F visa from HK, arrange my own accomodation. When I've had employers I've had them arrange Z visas, but when I go my own sweet way this works fine.

[Spaiz]

Oh, this topic still alive

I'll be in Beijing on 21 of April, got 60 days visa but will extend it when I'll get there.

Will live in a hotel for the first week and the will move to some studio - if I'll find one

Can somone recommend "cheap" school, just to get the visa?

Thanks.

[parasite]

Roddy, Can I ask about your F Visa from HK ? The documents I have looked at online seem to suggest that these are good for 6mos-1yr, but that you must exit and reenter the country every 30 days, that could be a huge huge pain.... Is yours like that ? Please provide specific details if you can!!! (Like what was the agency.)

thanks

justin

"I am. F visa from HK, arrange my own accomodation. When I've had employers I've had them arrange Z visas, but when I go my own sweet way this works fine."