Buying Stuff

Regardless of where you end up in China, you will eventually have to do some kind of shopping. This can be a little intimidating for those of you who are not accustomed to shopping and haggling in open-air or street markets. Whether that shopping be for groceries, furniture, clothes, dishes, or other random items that you might require there are several options available to you. To assist with your general shopping needs in China here are a few helpful hints:

Food:

Supermarkets: Most major cities in China have supermarkets that have both fresh and preserved foods. However, I would only recommend them for the forzen or preserved foods as fresh fruits and vegetables as well as meat tend to be rather expensive. If you live in Shanghai, Wenzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou or Beijing (and other large cities) you will have access to Walmart, Carrefour, Century Mart and a few other local supermarkets.

Corner stores: You will find many small shops carrying basic items like water, oil, snacks and toilet paper on every street in every city and town in China.

Street markets: Most neighborhoods in China will have an open air market for fruits, vegetables, beef, poultry, fish, and pork within easy walking distance. Some of them will also carry dried or preserved items like dried mushrooms, noodles, tofu, or dried or preserved vegetables and meat. I highly recommend getting your food from these markets. While they look dirtier, they are much cheaper and you know that the boards used for chopping meat are not ever used for cutting fruit or vegetables.

Furniture:

Supermarkets: Supermarkets like Walmart (formerly Trustmart in China) will carry some furniture items for relatively cheap prices. It can be worth checking them out if you need a bookshelf, chair, or table for your place. However for larger furniture items like beds you will have to go to the specialty stores.

Specialty stores: These are often the most expensive route to take. I would first ask your Chinese coworkers where they find items like sofas or beds before going out to purchase one from a specialty shop. They may know of a store that sells it cheaper.

Commodities and street markets: There are many cities with at least one commodities market where small furniture items can be haggled for and purchased for relatively cheap. I would check these out if you need a water cooler, table or other small items for your living room. Remember that most street market stall operators expect you to haggle. You shouldn't pay the initial price quoted. Instead, haggle with the operator until you come to a price you both agree on.

Household Goods:

2 yuan shops: These can be found throughout most towns in China. They are shops that sell all kinds of items for 2 yuan: roughly the Chinese equivalent to a  five and dime store or (pound shop in the UK). The stock they carry will vary from month to month, but generally includes plastic utensils, cheap metal cutlery and flatware, hair brushes, towels, toys, and other random items. I recommend getting your towels, spoons, forks and knives from these stores.

Supermarkets: Again, this can be hit or miss. If you happen to come across an item on the discount rack, it can be cheaper to buy it at the supermarket than on the street, but this is a rare occurrence. If you require a heavy duty pan or cookpot, the best place to look will be the street market rather than the supermarket, but Walmart does offer VERY good prices on cleaning supplies, insecticide (a must if you live in warmer climates), bathroom supplies, and occasionally on bedding and towels.

Street/independent shops and vendors: Ask around to see if anyone at your workplace knows of a street market or shop that sells pots and pans, dishes, etc. Here in Wenzhou, you can get VERY cheap dishes and cookpots from the various mom and pop shops that supply the many restaurants in the city. The dishes will be plain grayish-white, but they will be much larger and sturdier than what you can get at the supermarkets. The cookware will likewise be more industrial, but much less likely to break. You can sometimes haggle prices at individual shops, although generally haggling is only accepted in street markets.

NOTE: Appliances like ovens, microwaves, refrigerators, etc. are usually cheaper to purchase online (used or new). See the Internet section under Other below.

Clothing:

Supermarkets and street markets: If you are lucky enough to be Chinese sized, you can get some basic items like t-shirts, underwear, and socks from any supermarket or street vendor. Keep an eye on sales and prices to determine who is cheaper in your neighborhood.

Tailors: For the rest of us who are not so lucky as to be Chinese sized, the cheapest option is to locate the nearest fabric market in your city, purchase a bolt of cloth and take it to the tailor to have your dress, pants, suit, or shirt made specifically for you. Tailors are usually rather cheap if you purchase your cloth before hand. Since you can haggle the price of cloth, your suit might actually cost less than you paid for your pants at the supermarket.

Other:

Foreign Markets: You may get a craving for something special from home. Maybe it's a special ingredient or specific brand of something that is not readily available in the Chinese markets. For these items, ask around for a foreign market. Most larger cities will have at least one foreign import market. Keep in mind however, the IMPORTED = EXPENSIVE in most cases. However, as is the case with all stores in China, everything comes with a "sell by" date (even toilet paper) so keep an eye on that Italian coffee, it will eventually be marked down for sale starting two weeks out from its "sell by" date.

Internet: One of the gifts of the modern age is that anything can be had on the Internet. The best way to go about it if you do not have a Chinese credit card (most foreigners don't) is to ask a Chinese coworker or friend to do the ordering for you and for you to pay them back. The best website available in China is http://www.taobao.com/. Taobao is where I recommend you go for any foreign items you can't get in your local import stores or for items that are exceptionally expensive like APPLIANCES (ovens, microwaves, toasters, etc.) as they will generally be much cheaper on Taobao than in the supermarkets.

Note:  I also use Taobao to pruchase certain food items that are difficult to find in China such as cheese (especially hard cheeses like Cheddar or Gouda) and specialty flours for baking.


Convenient Taobao Searches (sorted by price):
Cheap Jewlery
Microwaves
Water Dispensors and Accessories
Electric Ovens and Accessories

Tutoring in China

After a few weeks in your new job, you may begin to feel that maybe you should be earning a bit of extra money. How can you do that you ask? The easiest way is to become a part time tutor. Tutoring is an easy and relatively low maintenance way of making a couple extra quai (RMB). Most people, especially teachers at public schools in China will find that the extra money goes a long way. I am certainly in this boat. The last time I was in China, I tutored just to make ends meet. This time I have a bit more room in my budget, but I still want some extra spending money.

 So what is involved in finding such a job you ask? It's actually not all that hard to find tutoring jobs teaching school-aged children. Every parent wants their kid to be "Best in Show" all the time and in all subjects. This is especially true in China where most families are placing their entire future on the success of a single child. The easiest way to land such a job is to put your name out there with other expats to see if they know anyone who is looking for an English tutor or instructor. Posting your advertisement in online forums is useful only if you can use Chinese-language forums (and read and write Chinese).

While looking for a tutoring job, there are several things you should consider:

First, if you are working at a private language school, you should avoid tutoring at another private school. This can cause unnecessary friction; and in most contracts, teaching for a competitor is expressly prohibited and would make you liable for termination and all that the "breach of contract" clause entails.

Second, try to avoid tutoring anyone who might otherwise become a student at your private school. Your school will not look kindly on you taking money out of their pockets (potentially). However, tutoring an existing student might be OK if you clear it with your employer first.

Third, you should try to tutor in your local area or online to cut down on transportation costs. You can also negotiate to have the students come to you.

Fourth, be wary of online advertisements or "help wanted" ads. These can be false and in the case of online ads, clicking on them may present you with some unwanted "surprises."

Fifth, before you agree to any tutoring job (public or private) you should make sure your rates and billing structure are understood clearly. Get it in writing if you must.

Sixth, if the client demands an strange or restrictive stipulations that make you uncomfortable, don't accept the position. There are plenty of other jobs out there.


So what should you charge? This depends largely on the nature of the tutoring job. More advanced and technical tutoring should demand a higher price. Business language tutoring also usually claims a higher pay rate. The average rate in Wenzhou for tutoring children is 100-200 RMB per student per hour. I charge 150 RMB if I must travel to the student. If the student comes to me, I typically charge only 125 RMB. Also, if you are tutoring at a business, you may negotiate to have them cover your travel costs or give a discount to them if they refer additional students. The terms and conditions of pay are almost entirely up to you. Remember to ensure the client(s) understand your pay and billing requirement BEFORE you start work.

If you have a class of 4 students at 150 RMB per student for one hour a week, then you are making an additional 600 RMB per week or 2400 per month. If you are teaching twice a week, that will double. Please note that these pay rates are approximate and apply only in Wenzhou. To find the average rates in your city, ask your fellow expats what they are charging and charge similarly. Also, remember that tutoring at a business or tutoring business English should command a higher price than tutoring children so do your research.

Happy job hunting.

Finally There!

So you have made it to China. Now what? For me this question involves many other questions and uncertainties. The biggest of which is WHERE WILL I LIVE? If your workplace does not offer accomodations, you will in all liklihood be put up in a hotel for the first few days of your stay until suitable accomodations are found for you. Here are some things you need to consider when house hunting in China:

1. Most landlords require the full year's rent up front. If your workplace has not paid you the money, you should negotiate with them so that they pay the up-front cost and you pay them back over the course of a few months. This usually won't be a problem.

2. Rent is rather high in China at the moment. As of the time of this blog, Shanghai property values are as expensive per square meter as downtown Manhattan and the sizes of the apartments are just as small.

3. Expect to pay more than your stipend. The skyrocketing rental rates in China mean that most employment stipends are not keeping pace with the property costs. Expect to pay anywhere from 500 yuan to 1000 yuan more for a 1 bedroom flat than your stipend allows.

4. If you do not mind living with roommates, it is actually cheaper to rent a villa with 4 or 5 bedrooms at 4500-6000 yuan per month than it is to rent a 1 bedroom apartment at 2000+ yuan per month.

5. Most apartments will come with at least some furniture.  This usually means a bed, maybe a sofa or couch, a table, and possibly a TV (but not always).

6. Cooking facilities vary greatly from one area to another. Every apartment will have at least a hot plate (or space for one) and sink, however this may not be enough for you so keep that in mind. Cookers in China are typically gas fed and come in 2 and 4 burner varieties. The gas may be a tank or piped in directly.  Tanks must be rented.

7. Ovens are not common in China. I have yet to hear of an apartment in Wenzhou that has an oven built in (although it is becoming the new fad to install "western" kitchens with full size ranges and ovens in other parts of China). They are available in both counter-top and built-in models, but will have to be purchased separately. A decent counter top model will run you about 250-400 yuan online depending on size.

8. Microwaves are some times included and sometimes not.

9. Refrigerators will usually be included, but they may not work quite right so make sure you check that the freezer compartment freezes properly and that the refigeration section maintains temperature appropriately.

10. TV and internet are not usually included and must be purchased separately.

11. You most likely WILL find cockroaches and/or mice in your apartment if you live in a warmer region. Be prepared with cans of bug spray and mouse traps.

12. Pet policies vary greatly from one landlord to the next so if you have a pet, ask the landlord if it is OK before signing any agreement.

13. Don't be surprised if you find left over food in your kitchen from the previous tennant. For some reason it is considered good form to leave rotten food in some parts of China. Don't ask me why.

14. Your first purchases for your apartment should be cleaning supplies. Bleach or ammonia and some surface cleaners for floors and kitchens will be well-used. You should also purchase dish soap and hand soap. Apartment cleaning is at the discression of the previous tennant rather than of the landlord in most parts of China so be prepared to do some cleaning.

15. If anything needs immediate fixing, you should negotiate that before signing any agreement. If things break after, most landlords will offer to fix it if you give them the money. DO NOT DO THAT. Instead, go out and get a quote and show that to the landlord and negotiate with them to cover all or part of the repairs.

Hopefully this helps you find a comfortable place in China. Good luck with your house hunting.

Almost There

Alright, the bags are nearly packed, tickets purchased, and visa is in hand. I only have another two weeks until my 6,000 mile flight to China (Wenzhou in my case). While I was speaking to my mother last night and telling her about the 13+ hour flight from Vancouver, BC to Shanghai, she asked me what I do to keep myself entertained. That got me thinking. Usually I try to sleep as much as possible, but sometimes there are cased where sleep just doesn't come. So here are some other ideas:

1. Watch a movie. Most commercial airlines offer an in-flight movie. Some will even give you choices.

2. Fire up the laptop/tablet/iPad, etc. and watch movies, listen to music, or play a few games to pass the time.

3. Read a book. Considering most smaller tech devices (like MP3 player.) will not last 13+ hours without a re-charge this becomes a viable option in the last few hours of the flight.

4. Puzzle books. These are popular forms of cheap entertainment and are likely to assist you in your quest for sleep.

5. Chat with the insomniac next to you. If you or the person next to you are the outgoing type, a conversation is a great way to pass the time. You might even make a new friend.

6. SLEEP. I know this list is supposed to be what to do when you are not asleep, but if you can't fall asleep on a boring 13 hour flight, you need to lay off the caffeine and/or sugar.

How Do You Say...

So. You have your visa in hand, bags almost packed, and suddenly you realize that you won't have a clue as to how to communicate once you arrive in China. Before you begin pulling your hair out trying to make heads or tails of a Chinese-English dictionary, remember that for the most part, you will not be expected to know the language immediately. To begin with, every city and town in China has it's own local dialect; often completely unrelated to what we think of as Mandarin. Even Mandarin has sub-dialects. What you need to do is build a short list of common phrases and words, learn to recognize them in writing and learn how to say them. 


Some Common "Survival" Phrases: 
(note that I am not an expert in Mandarin, so some of these translations may be off a bit. However, I have done my best to translate them accurately.)

English Translation	Chinese Characters	Pin Yin
(that is) Not good.	也不好	Yě bù hǎo. (saying "bù hǎo' will suffice)
Good	好	Hǎo.
Hello (to answer the telephone)	为你好	Wei, Nǐ hǎo.
Hello/ How are you? (formal-singular)	您好	Nín hǎo.
Hello/How are you? (familiar-singular)	你好	Nǐ hǎo.
How much does it cost?	多少钱?	Duōshǎo qián?
I would like to send this money to the (United States).	我想送这笔钱到(美国)	Wǒ xiǎng sòng zhè bǐ qián dào (měiguó).
No.	号	Hào
Sorry, I do not understand	对不起, 我不明白	Duìbùqǐ, Wǒ tīng bù dǒng.
Sorry. (as an apology for example when you run into someone)	对不起	Duìbùqǐ.
Thank you	谢谢	Xièxiè.
Where is the restroom?	厕所在哪里?	Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ?
Yes, that's correct/right. (as in response to a question).	是的	Shì de.

If you are staring at this table wondering how to pronounce the words, have a look at the third column. The pin yin is a pronunciation guide that was developed by Westerners for Westerners. There are several versions or styles, but they all have the same basic rules. The important rules are in the accent marks. These represent the "tones" of speech in Chinese. Since most Western languages only have two tones (rising and neutral) learning the four tones in Mandarin can be difficult. Pronouncing a word with the wrong tone can seriously affect the meaning of the word. But don't worry. As long as you give it your best effort, people will be able to understand you.


The Tones: 


First tone: Neutral-indicated by a level or horizontal line over the vowel (mā). It is pronounced without variation in the vowel sound.


Second tone: Rising-indicated by a rising accent mark above the vowel (má). Closely approximates the rising at the end of a question that is found in English. 


Third tone: Falling then Rising. Indicated by a 'v' shape above the vowel (mǎ). Pronounced by starting at a neutral pronunciation, descending and then ascending back to the original tone.


Fourth tone: Falling. Indicated by a downward accent mark above the vowel (mà). Pronounced by making a sharp, descending tone. Some people call it the "angry" tone because the pronunciation sounds a little cross.


*Note: in these examples: mā = mother, má = hemp, mǎ = horse, and mà = scold


Below are some additional words that might be good to know.

Numbers:

English Name	Chinese Characters	Pin Yin
Zero (0)	零	Líng
One (1)	一	Yī
Two (2)	二	Èr
Three (3)	三	Sān
Four (4)	四	Sì
Five (5)	五	Wǔ
Six (6)	六	Liù
Seven (7)	七	Qī
Eight (8)	八	Bā
Nine (9)	九	Jiǔ
Ten (10)	十	Shí
Eleven (11)	十一	Shíyī
Twelve (12)	十二	Shí'èr
Thirteen (13)	十三	Shísān
Fourteen (14)	十四	Shísì
Fifteen (15)	十五	Shíwǔ
Sixteen (16)	十六	Shíliù
Seventeen (17)	十七	Shíqī
Eighteen (18)	十八	Shíbā
Nineteen (19)	十九	Shíjiǔ
Twenty (20)	二十	Èrshí
Thirty (30)	三十	Sānshí
Forty (40)	四十	Sìshí
Fifty (50)	五十	Wǔshí
Sixty (60)	六十	Liùshí
Seventy (70)	七十	Qīshí
Eighty (80)	八十	Bāshí
Ninety (90)	九十	Jiǔshí
One Hundred (100)	百	Bǎi
One Thousand (1000)	一千	Yīqiān
One Hundred Thousand (100000)	十万	Shí wàn
One Million (1000000)	百万	Bǎiwàn

Country Names:

English Name	Chinese Characters	Pin Yin
Australia	澳大利亚	Àodàlìyǎ
Belarus	白俄罗斯	Bái'èluósī
Brazil	巴西	Bāxī
Canada	加拿大	Jiānádà
Egypt	埃及	Āijí
Ethiopia	埃塞俄比亚	Āisāi'ébǐyǎ
France	法国	Fàguó
Germany	德国	Déguó
Greece	希腊	Xīlà
India	印度	Yìndù
Ireland	爱尔兰	Ài'ěrlán
Italy	意大利	Yìdàlì
Japan	日本	Rìběn
Korea (also refers to South Korea)	韩国	Hánguó
Mexico	墨西哥	Mòxīgē
Mongolia	蒙古	Ménggǔ
New Zealand	新西兰	Xīnxīlán
Russia	俄国	Éguó
Scotland	苏格兰	Sūgélán
South Africa	南非	Nánfēi
Spain	西班牙	Xībānyá
Switzerland	瑞士	Ruìshì
Turkey	土耳其	Tǔ'ěrqí
United Kingdom	英国	Yīngguó
Untied States	美国	Měiguó

Common Food Items:

English Name	Chinese Characters	Pin Yin
(not) Spicy	(不)辣的	(Bù) là de
Apple	苹果	Píngguǒ
Banana/Plantain	香蕉	Xiāngjiāo
Beef	牛肉	Niúròu
Beer	啤酒	Píjiǔ
Carrot	胡萝卜	Húluóbo
Chicken/Fowl	鸡	Jī
Chinese Cabbage (Bok Choy)	白菜	Báicài
Coffee	咖啡	Kāfēi
Cola	可口可乐	Kěkǒukělè
Corn/Maize	玉米	Yùmǐ
Crab	蟹	Xiè
Dragon Fruit	火龙果	Huǒlóng guǒ
Durian	榴莲	Liúlián
Fish	鱼	Yú
Fried Noodles	炒面	Chǎomiàn
Fried Rice	炒饭	Chǎo fàn
Frog	青蛙	Qīngwā
Fruit	水果	Shuǐguǒ
Green Beans	绿豆	Lǜdòu
Kale	羽衣甘蓝	Yǔyī gānlán
Lemon	柠檬	Níngméng
Milk	牛奶	Niúnǎi
Orange/Tangerine	桔子	Júzi
Peanut/goober/monkey nut	花生	Huāshēng
Pork	猪肉	Zhū ròu
Rice	饭	Fàn
Shrimp	虾	Xiā
Squash (pumpkin)	南瓜	Nánguā
Squid	乌贼	Wūzéi
Tea	茶	Chá
Tomato	西红柿	Xīhóngshì
Vegetable	蔬菜	Shūcài
Water	水	Shuǐ
Wine/liquor	酒	Jiǔ
Yogurt	酸奶	Suānnǎi