r/chinalife

I am an international student and my parents wanted to send me money for my living expense.

They send directly in RMB through SWIFT system , rmb 5000, but the bank rejected the money stating foreigners cant directly send rmb.

Am I missing something or they can send it through

USD or EURO only?

I always see people online saying how efficient Chinese hospitals are, but I've had the following experiences (all at different places):

1. Hospital rejects me, says I need to go to one with an international department.

2. Hospital says I need to make an appointment a week ahead to see a doctor.

3. Arriving without an appointment and waiting 2 hrs to see a doctor about a simple issue.

The only positive experience I've had is at expensive private international hospitals.

Anyway, none of this is that bad, but I see people online glowing about the Chinese healthcare system, and I'm just wondering if I'm been doing it wrong or something?

I started teaching in China (and teaching in general) back in 2019. I was in my early 20s, not married, and with zero care in the world - well, except for desperately trying to find a job back home after graduation to absolute zero avail.

Long story short, I came to Shenyang on a business visa (which meant crossing the border every 2 months so I could legally stay for 4 total in a year). I worked in a horrible kindergarten as a homeroom teacher -which I’m told is still around - and a training center with a lovely principal. I was testing the waters and I actually liked it. Not the kindy, of course, but I realized this industry was sustainable. If I got married and both of us worked, we could save a fortune compared to back home.

So, I went back when my visa ended, got married, and started job hunting knowing exactly what I wanted. After a couple of months, we got offered two positions at a newly opened kindergarten in a small city in Heilongjiang: 13k RMB a month after tax, plus housing. We were the only foreigners in the whole place. At first, it was a bit rough. They lied about the apartment (showed us nice pictures, reality was... different) and wanted us to do all sorts of random tasks. BUT, we lucked out with the principal. She was an absolute legend - any problem we had, she sided with us. She was hardly ever at work, but everyone loved her, Chinese staff included.

After a few months, we were settled. Then COVID hit. We were locked down in our city for 8 straight months. For 3 of those months, we weren't paid full salary - just the bare minimum 2k RMB each. Looking back, that was actually pretty decent pay considering so many kindergartens and institutions weren't paying their teachers a single dime at the time. Still, we stayed there for almost 3 years, getting a salary increase every single year (granted, we had to awkwardly ask for it every year, but they obliged). By our last year, we were making 18k after tax as non-natives.

Better yet? Virtually zero micromanagement. You could do your classes as poorly as you liked and literally no one cared, though we still did our best so the kids would have fun and learn at least something.

Despite the money, we hated it at the time. The city was tiny, there was nothing to do for a 20-something year old (though I was genuinely looking forward to drinking baijiu with parents who invited us to their homes on New Year, lol). We wanted a change. So, after saving close to six figures USD - which we thought was so much money at the time (narrator voice: it wasn't) - we decided to go home and start a business and settle down around the time our child was born.

In just a year, about half of those savings were completely gone. To make matters worse, the exchange rate meant that 13k RMB in 2019 bought way more back home than 18k RMB in 2022.

Decision made: We’re going back to China.

We landed a new job in 2023 in a place with tons of foreigners. Before coming, there were already red flags - communication issues and weird vibes from the school, but we ignored them because we were desperate to stay afloat and not just keep losing money. We figured, Hey, working with other foreigners will be great! We share the same mentality!

We couldn't have been more wrong. Some of these expats are the most toxic, insecure human beings on the planet. Smiling to your face, talking behind your back, running to upper management to snitch about what you're doing. No help, no solidarity, just pure high-school drama, except these people are in their late 30s. You’ll make a harmless joke and someone will get so deeply offended they literally storm out of the office. Meanwhile, some are in a bizarre rat race to prove "who did more work today," constantly on their phones loudly complaining about making PowerPoints, when in reality they spent the whole day watching movies. It's so exhausting.

And the job itself? It’s garbage and getting worse by the year. First they deducted our bonuses, then they shortened our holidays while ramping up our workload and class hours. Weekend classes get dropped on us with a couple of days' notice. You have to do a demo class for upper management, who are guaranteed to nitpick the first one just to justify their own jobs, so you have to do a second one. And if you have actual weekend plans and tell them you can't come? You get scolded.

I can't help but draw parallels to our old job—the one we thought we hated. In 3 years at the old place, we were called in once on a weekend, followed by a mountain of sincere "sorrys" from management. Here, it's an expectation. To top it all off, the city is worse. Over 9 million people, heavily polluted by local factories and farm fires, and still nothing to do for a foreigner. Our old 3-million-person city had air so clean it actually tickled your lungs. Oh, and did I mention we make less money now than we did 4 years ago?

Anyway, this isn't the first year we've wanted to change jobs, but nowadays - especially as a non-native - I'm starting to think it's impossible. I mean, I've contacted countless agents for specific listings, only to be asked for my CV and self-intro video. Then, just like Batman vanishing into the night, you never hear from them again. They post jobs here and there, but the second you text them, the vacancy magically disappears while they just keep filling up their portfolio of white monkeys.

Thanks for reading if you managed to make it through my whole vent. If anyone has navigated this circus and found a way out, or knows of reasonable opportunities in a cleaner, more livable city, I'm all ears. Drop a comment or reach out. I'd love to hear how you keep sane out here.

Hello I’m wondering if anyone here has any suggestions on what Chinese phone is worth 1300$ vs the iPhone 18 pro max I bought the 18 pro max and can cancel it I’m asking incase anyone knows something that’s better ? Any phone that could compete or even better I use metro pcs service in us e sim

I am currently back in my home country and I have my China Mobile SIM card line disabled (removed the SIM from my phone). I am still paying and topping up my China Mobile SIM with the 8CNY per month protect your number plan in order to keep my number.

I’m wondering whether my SIM Card can be deactivated if I don’t connect to a cellular tower, despite paying for the protect your number plan?

If so does anyone know how long before it does get deactivated?

Is this type of personal trainer available in China? Where could I find one? I want to get healthier but can’t talk in Chinese very well at all…

Throwaway account for work-related reasons.

We have the opportunity to move to Shenyang for my partner’s job and I’m wondering what the expat community is like for young families. I do not speak any Mandarin (but am willing to learn/try!). My questions are as follows:

1. We have multiple children under the age of 5. Where is the best place to live with active children? The kids very much enjoy being outside; I understand the winters are very harsh and some months they won’t be outside much, but I’d still like to have somewhere they can ride bikes, scooter, kick a soccer ball, run around, etc.

2. What are the school options for preschool and early elementary? We have a preference for English language school (not bilingual). I’ve done some research on schools and have my opinions based on what’s online, but would like to hear from others.

3. Will I have friends as the partner? I’m unsure if I’ll be able to work (both due to logistics of the kids + visa requirements), but whether I’m working or not, how likely is it that I’ll be able to make friends not speaking the language? Where would I meet these friends? We are 40.

4. Lifestyle. Any comments on lifestyle, recreational activities, etc. are appreciated. My partner and I have independently lived abroad in multiple different countries before we knew each other so we are up for an adventure (!) but I’ve never been to China so just trying to get a sense for what it would be like in Shenyang. We have a 60 lb. dog and I enjoy running outside and going to workout classes (F45, solidcore). We currently live in a major US city and on the weekends we really enjoy grabbing a coffee, hitting a few playgrounds, hanging out with friends and their kids at breweries or someone’s house, and going on date nights.

[supprimé]

Morning everyone,

I keep trying to transfer money from Bank of China into my Wise account and this message keeps popping up. For the record, I have the requisite amount in my back account to transfer and am aware of the minimum/ maximum ammounts of money you can move in a transfer. Has anyone overcome something similar before? T.i.a.

https://preview.redd.it/t3bynblt8kuh1.png?width=356&format=png&auto=webp&s=688386c737e158fa6878d6cfbd0ca7c5975933ef

Hi all

Does anyone know of any agencies in china that specifically place ESL teachers in secondary schools?

Thx!

I’m an American who lived in China for nine years and had a great time. Of course, when I first arrived, plenty of things shocked and annoyed me (people smoking in non-smoking areas, spitting on the ground, cutting in line, etc.), but eventually, I learned to tune them out.
I knew expats who lived there for years, built great lives, and yet still let those everyday occurrences bother them. At the same time, I noticed some people back home acted as if nothing in the US could possibly be annoying.
Well, after being back in the States for three years, here is a list of things I’ve compiled. I know neither China nor America is a monolith, but here are a few things I find deeply frustrating about living back in the US/LA:
Aggressive / Macho Attitudes: This might be somewhat exclusive to big cities and urban areas, but people here seem far more aggressive. Some folks are ready to physically fight you over the smallest inconveniences.
Homelessness & Open Drug Use: It’s insane how normalized this has become in major US cities. It isn’t shocking to see someone passed out on a sidewalk surrounded by empty bottles or syringes.
Racism: As a South Asian man, I definitely experienced my fair share of racism in China, but most of it was fueled by ignorance. Here in the US—even in a major metropolitan city—I still get the vibe from older generations that I’m not a "true" American simply because my parents aren't white.
Lack of Universal Mobile Payments: The inconsistency is maddening. Walmart, one of the biggest retailers in the country, still doesn't accept Apple Pay. I really miss having a single, standardized app like Alipay or WeChat Pay that works everywhere across the nation.
Out-of-Control Tipping Culture: I’ve worked in the service industry before and used to have the mindset that if I hustled harder, I'd earn better tips. Now, there's a lot of entitlement from service workers toward customers. On top of that, the rules are confusing—tipping percentages vary wildly depending on whether you're at a restaurant, getting a haircut, or buying a drip coffee.
Safety & Property Crime: If you live in a major city and check apps like Citizen or Nextdoor, the constant stream of property crime is exhausting—stolen Amazon packages, home break-ins, catalytic converter thefts, and car break-ins.
Overall, I’ve realized a lot of Americans are extremely selective about what they choose to find unacceptable. They’ll highlight every single annoying detail about living in China while completely turning a blind eye to issues at home.

For Halloween was thinking of dressing as a contestant from Squid Game or one of the guards

I searched on Taobao and Alibaba using English and Chinese 鱿鱼游戏 but no result.

Am I just out of luck? Or do I have to search something more specific.

Hi guys, I'm from Europe and I'm learning Chinese. I've been using WeChat for about a month now and I have around 30 contacts there, mostly people I met through a language-learning app and TikTok.

With around 20 of them, I don't even know if they're male or female, or how old they are. I honestly don't really care about that stuff, so I've never asked. I'm mainly there because I'm learning the language, meeting people and hopefully making some friends.

There are about 4 people I know are female because they do livestreams on TikTok or have uploaded pictures of themselves on the language-learning app.

Then there are another 3 people who I only found out were female later, because they eventually uploaded a selfie on WeChat.

What I find interesting is that almost none of them have a picture of themselves on WeChat. Not as their profile picture and not really in their Moments either.

And it's not like they are unattractive or anything. Some of them are actually pretty good-looking, at least in my opinion.

I'm an average-looking guy myself and I still upload pictures of myself every now and then, so I'm wondering if this is just a cultural difference.

Why do so many Chinese people seem to prefer using pictures of cats, cars, landscapes, anime characters, random pictures, etc. instead of themselves on WeChat?

And what's even more interesting to me is that some of these people are perfectly comfortable showing their face on TikTok through livestreams, but then have no photo of themselves on WeChat.

I also have a Chinese supplier who I've been working with for around 5 years. He's become a very good friend of mine. We normally communicate through WhatsApp, and he sometimes sends me pictures of himself from holidays or other things. He even got married a few months ago and sent me pictures from his wedding.

I also added him on WeChat, and it's exactly the same there: he doesn't use pictures of himself. He mostly posts pictures of his car or his cats. He has one picture where you can see him, but he's photographed from behind.

So I'm curious: Is there a cultural reason for this, or am I just noticing something that isn't actually that common?

Thanks

First time visiting relatives in China (they are ages 18-50), what are easy souvenirs from the US I can bring them? So far from my research, I only have Trader Joe's bags and snacks. I'm from the Bay Area if there are any other specific souvenirs.