r/guangzhou

Hi, I will be starting university this September in Guangzhou and was planning to buy a laptop after coming there but there are a few things I wanted to ask, would be really grateful if anyone could help me out:

1. I am looking at the options online on JD, but I was wondering if buying it in an in person store would be a good idea as I'm hoping they would help me reinstall Windows so I can use the English version. Do most stores help you with all this if you go in-person? Also would the prices at the physical stores be higher than online( assuming no discounts on online platforms)? Also, should I only go to the brand's official store or is going to non official electronics shop also OK?

2. I found that the Chinese brands like Mechrevo are a lot cheaper compared to the well known brands. When I did a little bit of searching online, I found that the major complaint relating to these brands is their after sales services like repairs but since I will be living in Guangzhou, that shouldn't be a big issue right? Is there anything else I should be aware about while buying these laptops?

3. Regarding the national subsidy, as long as I have a residence permit I should be fine right? Or is it only available to people with Chinese ID card?

4. This is a bit subjective but I wanted to ask if anyone has any recommendations for a laptop around 6k-10k RMB, a gaming laptop that doesn't make too much noise, I know the two ends of the budget are widely apart and the requirements are too vague, I'm just trying to gauge if there is any laptop that is just a lot better and gives better value in it's price range compared to the rest.

I heard that wedding dresses are quite affordable from Guangzhou, so I’m hoping to come for a week to buy a wedding dress and a qipao.

Where do you recommend? My budget is about 2000-3500RMB per dress.

And are they off the rack? Like can I buy and leave with them? Or are they made to order?

I can speak a bit of mandarin and Cantonese but have no connections in China that I can rely on.

Since July is here and I know a lot of people are traveling around Guangzhou, and if anyone is visiting or already living here and wants someone to hang out with, please hit me up. I've been around Guangzhou for a long time, so I know the city pretty well. I can at least make getting around Guangzhou a little easier by helping with the language barrier.

I cannot speak Chinese, but I am willing to learn it. Will I face racism here during my stay (3-4 years) ?

Hi, I'm a 16-year old thats traveling to Guangzhou for about 3 weeks, and I'm looking for any local pickup communities or volleyball players that know places to go to play, if so please shoot me a dm.

Trying to learn as much as possible - from what I understand, for our visit we should avoid the main storefronts cause quality is bad and it's generally overpriced. If that's the case, are there recommendations for people to reach out to over wechat or links to Taobao sellers to ship to the hotel?

The 3 brands, Ralph Lauren, ALO and Lululemon, were the main ones we were interested in.

Any info or help is greatly appreciated! TIA!

Hi!
I have 1,5 days in Guangzhou and I’ll be staying in Dongshankou.
I’m very interested in speciality coffee, craftsmanship, nice clothes, and hipster shit in general; so any tips here are appreciated!
I know I don’t have much time, but any other areas I should visit? Or specific things to see?

Also, any restaurant tips are appreciated!

Coming for short trip from India .. what can be purchased in electronics or tech .. looking for some quality products .. thanks

I’ve been working here for 4 months now and I still have some time here before my work contract expires. I don’t speak Chinese and don’t know how to socialize here in Guangzhou. Besides going to the club and dancing.

It seems like people will stare at or ignore me without saying a word regardless. What am I not understanding about this place? It seems like people here aren’t confident enough with their English to try to speak to me.

It feels like I have to carry every social interaction and most of the time it’s transactional where they want me to teach them English when I already do that at my job and would rather not do more English teaching 😅

I like to play casual sports nothing too competitive. I like to swim. Hike. Play basketball (although it’s getting very hot here I’d prefer being indoors ngl almost had a heat stroke playing last week) I can play badminton or table tennis but it seems like people are too good to play with a beginner just for fun.

This seems long enough, lmk if you have any advice or suggestions 🙂‍↕️

I’ll be in Guangzhou for the October Canton Fair and will have only 2 free days for sightseeing before heading to Shanghai for another work commitment.

I’ll be staying in Yuexiu, and it’s my first time in China. I’m interested in affordable tech/electronics shopping, clothes, souvenirs, good local food, city atmosphere, museums, temples, historic areas, and other cultural/tourist spots.

I’ve read that a lot of the tech shopping available in Shenzhen can also be found in Guangzhou if you know where to go.

1. With only 2 free days, would you recommend staying in Guangzhou and exploring the city properly, or spending one day on a day trip to Shenzhen?
2. Is there anything truly unique or unmissable in Shenzhen that Guangzhou doesn’t offer, or would the travel time make it not worth it?

Any advice from people who know both cities would be very helpful.

I just moved to Foshan recently . I am looking for Foshan & Guangzhou Expats Group to meet friends and also if those groups are related to business, entrepreneurship topic , it's better . Thanks a lot

Hi all,

I’m planning a trip with my husband, my mom and our one year old and looking to book a two bedroom suite. It’s under the LN hospitality brand but on their website (not user friendly), I can only drop down the menu to 2 adults and 2 children. On 3rd party websites, it says “up to 4 pax.” What do I believe? Are they going to ding me if it’s not 2 kids and in fact a grown woman? Should I book through third party?

I have no way of reaching these hotels as no one is responding to emails and their WeChat doesn’t work as it’s a “follow” page. What can I do? Any input would be great! Thank you!

Just the title. If yes, how strictly that ban is enforced. With it's warm climate and green countryside Guangzhou seems like a good place to go some countryside motorcycle ride. Can I do that with an electrical one?

I have a long term rental in Poly Tianyue that costs 12,000 RMB per month. It’s ‘OK’ by European standards but it’s nothing special - when we moved here we were surprised to be paying so much. Some of the ‘nicer’ buildings in the same area are advertising apartments for 50,000 RMB/month and they’re probably more expensive than similar apartments in central London.

I have 2 questions:

1. Are people really paying the advertised rates? Or is that just a headline number and the negotiated final rate is significantly lower?

2. If people *are* paying that money, what on earth are they doing for a living? There are hundreds and hundreds of that size apartment in my area. How are there so many people that are earning millions of RMB per year? This is not a global financial hub, it just doesn’t make any sense to me when I look out the window and count up how many crazy rich people there must be if that’s the going rate. And this isn’t even the ‘posh area’ of the city..

Hello!

I am searching for an exotic leather manufacturer for bags & accessories in bulk that can ship to Europe.

I'm looking for consistency.

*No reps, custom & unique designs only

Looking for bars or pubs that show the very early or late World Cup games. Preferably in tianhe area. Thanks!

Hello everyone. I got a full tuition scholarship from HKUST-GZ. Guangzhou, from what I have read, is incredibly affordable. The cost of living is much lower compared to my country. However, I want to know how living in China is. I only speak English. Are the locals friendly to foreigners ? Are there any anti-immigrant sentiments. I only intend to complete my degree and move back to my country. Are they racist ? For context, I live in a small African island but is of Indian descent. How is the healthcare ? I have also got offers from British universities which are much much more expensive, and I am yet to make a decision.

looking to buy a dual esim/LLA/USA spec/variant 256gb iphone 17 pro max,where will i find it for the cheapest and how much,without being scammed