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Tomorrow, I Leave For China!
- Thread starter Deleted member 23212
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At the end of the day, people just want to have a good life, find love, and not die of starvation. There's not going to be some magical spiritual Awakening in 5 months. He or she will be getting up, going to school, and going home just like anywhere else. Except now with more smog.
and censored internet
OP
OP
So, I do have a VPN. Someone from Beijing is coming with me and will try to help me set up a bank account and all of that for the first few days, but can I use Taobao even if I'm staying on-campus?
Oh no, I completely agree. The idea that it's radically different from your daily life is a bit of bs. Your response to him just made me giggle on how blunt it was.
Who cares when you are squatting?
Yea why not?
Yep. Credit card no workie.
I wouldn't recommend driving cars as Beijing and China in general is a hot mess. Use DiDi to travel short distances and high speed railway to go to other cities.
Ah, well I think I'd understand after being there so long. Lol
Upload those videos after you've left China or only say nice things about China in them.
lol
I'm planning to possibly make a move to Beijing for a year soon, so I'd like to know if the toilets are clean.
Just depends on where you are. Newer malls will carry toilet paper and you could eat off the toilets if you wished to. The old places like in old electronic cities. Well. They might actually make you want to throw up.
He's not wrong.
I always just paid cash everywhere, but I was paid in cash there so it was available to me. If I had to use an ATM to get money from my US accounts, things might have been different.
Drove for 5 years in Beijing and China now (over 60.000km) and never had an accident. You really get used to it quite quickly.
Don't be that expat guy who only hangs out with other expats. Make friends with some English-speaking locals if you want to make the most of the country.
Also eat all the western food you can before you go.
Edit: Oh, five months? Don't stress about the language, it's too hard to get good at it in that timeframe. Just enjoy yourself and stay out of trouble.
Also eat all the western food you can before you go.
Edit: Oh, five months? Don't stress about the language, it's too hard to get good at it in that timeframe. Just enjoy yourself and stay out of trouble.
Yeah everyone can use Taobao. Just make sure you have Alipay account first and have someone help you type your address to receive your package.
Lol I mean if this is your definition of daily life, then sure. But if we're talking about actual food/drink, communication, transportation, music, clothing and any other facet of day-to-day life, then your equivocating is ridiculous and I think you and Zackie know that.
Beijing is Beijing. Beijing is basically a developed country in itself. Don't think of it part of China. BJ, SH and the entire Guangdong are basically developed countries, don't assume you will get the Chinese experience in there.
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When I was in China 10 years ago, getting a Chinese license involve going to a school for 3 full days. So my option was pay somebody to get the license for me illegally, or drove illegally with my friend's car. I opt for the second one since China use camera on most moving traffic violation and it's easier for me to pay the fine when I get caught than getting a Chinese license. I won't do it now because Chinese traffic cameras have face mapping tech and do use them.
Also now it's super easy to get a license. Just need to pass a computer test in English. There is an app with the questions. I studied it for 3 days or so then passed the test first try. The hardest part is parsing the chinglish.
You just need to translate your countries drivers licence (at a notary office) sit in front of a PC like Vern said, every day you have 3 tries and if you get at least 85 right answers out of 100 you get it sent to you a few days later.
To me the hardest part was that I was learning the questions with an iphone App that had them translated well but the actual test was translated to "Chinese German".
I've been in Shanghai from NYC since September. One of the things no one told me is you can not use toilet paper in most toilets, even private residences. If you see a trash bin next to the toilet that more or less means it's not safe to flush. Their plumbing just wasn't built for it. Also, invest in a good bidet for home use :) I found out the hard way after my 16 hour flight - it was not a nice surprise.
What happened? Got off the plane and clogged the first toilet you saw?
Speaking of toilets and whatnot, I have always had a pretty strong stomach and don't generally get the shits from anything, even the dirtiest grimiest oiliest street food I'm usually good. So I almost never remember to bring toilet paper, cuz I can wait to shit at home or somewhere else with paper. I'm pretty much never in a hurry. But in 7 years in china I've had 2 or 3 experiences where I wished I did have paper cuz something just didn't sit well. It won't hurt to bring paper with you, but unless you have a weak stomach you probably will be perfectly fine without it. Don't get too stressed when people warn you to carry paper all the time. Though I've heard a few horror stories.
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i get what you're saying here but also poor china is not more or less 'authentic' than modern china. there has always been modern city folk and rural farm folk, in china and every other country.
Yup. Went straight from airport to our apartment, signed the lease, and immediately clogged her up. Had to call some local uncle to come with his jimmy stick for like 100 kuai. This was like at 3AM local at this point.
Lol I grew up in the easten bloc and the toilet flushing thing was the same there. You don't flush toilet paper. Still used to that line of thinking.
You didn't get taught to stash the unsused restaunt napkins in your bag? That was one of my first China trips pro advice from the locals.
Ask about the Tibet and say Taiwan is a separate country from China, the Chinese government always loves questions .
Oh yea I take the extra napkins when they make you buy them. I'm just not constantly thinking about where I might have to shit when I'm in public so I don't really think of bring paper when I leave the house.
The knock offs are so obvoius, youd be a real idiot to be taken in by King Burger or JFC. Prime locations will have the real deal, it's not hard to tell.
Also even if they are fake they still sell fried chicken burgers and fries roughly equivalent to what McDonald's sells, it's not like a counterfeit mcd is gonna serve porridge or roast duck or something. I don't really get the concern.
OP
OP
To be honest, I'm not worried about knockoffs, if the food is fine then there is no problem. I am worreied moreso about food poisoning, be it from anywhere.