Life in China - Telegraph Mentor
Jonathan King says that Beijing is often seen as the cultural city with Shanghai touted as more of a commercial entity.
Visas
Banking
Accommodation
Transport
Health care
Entertainment
Orientation
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I have been in the Peoples Republic of China for two years, working as a landscape architect and have been fortunate enough to travel to many cities through work.
China is exciting, the country is changing in many ways and opening up for foreigners to discover, experience and to try to begin to understand this diverse country. 56 ethnic cultures, eight main language dialects and over 1.3 billion people make up the worlds most populous nation.
Visas: An entry (visitor) visa is easily acquired in Hong Kong where you can obtain one month single, three month double entry visa (L-class) or the 6 /12 month multi entry business visa (F-class). Agencies can do this for you and will deliver your passport back to your hotel. Otherwise, through the Chinese embassy or consulate in the UK.
Full time legal employment in China will require a Z-class visa, a Foreigner Residence Permit and the wonderfully titled Alien Employment Permit - proof indeed that you may have landed on another planet! Annual renewal is a formality. A medical is required for this visa. The above three documents are for a specific city or region. If you move city or employer permanently then you will have to renew the above.
Banking: Many locally based companies insist on paying salary in Renminbi (RMB) and this will need to be credited to a Chinese bank account. If you get the option of payment in a different currency (Hong Kong for example) take it. Sending money back to UK is a major headache that requires the patience of a saint.
It is possible to transfer money back to the UK but it is an exacting procedure that banking staff will look for more opportunities to not send it rather than to provide a service to a customer. Bank of China is the only bank that exchange and transfer funds for personal customers. CITIC industrial bank undertakes business transactions.
To undertake a telegraphic transfer, you will need the original and copy of your Employment Contract, Payroll Statement, Tax Receipt , in some cases a copy of your companies Business license, 'Proof of working in ...city' statement, and all of the above need to be officially stamped or 'chopped'. Don't forget your passport with visa, employment and residence permits. Try to ignore the black market money changers that roam freely inside the bank touting for business.
Requirements may vary from city to city, bank employee to bank employee, but the bureaucratic muddling is consistent throughout. Banking practice is sure to change within the next few years, through the influx of foreign banks and WTO agreements. This will take much frustration out of what should be a straight forward procedure as practiced in many other Asian countries.
Accommodation: Huge range available in major cities from luxury villas and apartments to traditional Hutong courtyards and Shanghai Lane houses. There are a multitude of real estate letting agents that can help with this task. Some unbiased local knowledge can help immensely as foreigners do get charged top rates.
Transport: Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou all have decent subway systems that are cheap and clean. Taxis are cheap and plentiful and cycling is a great way to discover new cities. It also gives you the necessary traffic experience should you wish to get a car. To obtain the local driving license, you apparently have to surrender your own license and take a test.
Driving is pretty lawless here and it is advisable to become well accustomed to driving habits first. Cars are expensive and you can end up with all sorts of problems should you have a prang and not be able to converse fluently. Buses are generally crowded and uncomfortable but cheap, and timetabling can be complicated.
Health care: Insurance is a must. Beijing has many good recommended hospitals that look after foreigners well, Shanghai too. Regular Chinese hospitals are pretty shocking - dirty, unhygienic, no patient privacy, with poorly trained doctors - to be avoided at all cost from my personal experience.
Entertainment: Beijing is often seen as the cultural city with Shanghai touted as more of a commercial entity. Both have great entertainment for diverse tastes - theatres, traditional opera, music - from Orchestral to R and B, clubs from jazz to underground Tokyo trance, bars and restaurants from all over China let alone from all over the world. Where to start, see Orientation section.
In terms of sport, everything is available from football, skiing, scuba diving and martial arts to the running clubs (HHH), yoga, Aussie Rules and golf.
Orientation: China has a number of recommended 'What's on' type magazines - City Weekend and the excellent 'That's…' series covering Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and 'the rest of China'. They both contain a huge selection of popular expat restaurants, bars, clubs, spotlights on community and sports events, contact details for all manner of clubs, associations and services.
Accommodation services are very well covered in these magazines. Recommended newspapers are the China Daily, Beijing Weekend, Shanghai Star. All of these publications collectively give the newcomer a good feel for what is available in the major cities.
On first appearance, this place can seem absolutely bewildering with a language that sounds like a fusion of 'chewing a brick' with 'dissecting a rodent' (my initial thoughts on Mandarin and Cantonese) and a script of characters that seem totally beyond human comprehension.
Over time, China becomes a part of you; the nuances become pleasant and more anti-social habits become more tolerable. The warmth and friendliness of the people is a major factor that can often be discovered through a smile and a few words from the foreigner! Effective communication through language is the long-term key.
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