We all have different coping mechanisms. Mine, apparently, involve packing up my life in England and moving to live and work in China. No, I didn't speak Chinese. Yes, I was absolutely lost for a good two months. No, I don't regret it a single bit.
If you're thinking that maybe moving half way across the world is the thing for you, then you're in luck. Here's some tips, tricks, and recommendations that will make your life in China 1,000 times easier.
1) WeChat is your new best friend
You might be planning to keep Whatsapp as you live in (or travel to) China, but if you plan to be here for more than a month then you will need WeChat. A social app similar to Whatsapp, WeChat is the way many companies keep in touch with their employees, the way you'll keep in touch with friends, and the way you may even begin to pay for things. You can synch your WeChat wallet up with your bank account to pay quickly with no fuss. Though cash and card are always options in larger shops and establishments, a lot of smaller places prefer to use WeChat pay over other methods.
With a variety of in-built add-ons such as Didi (China's answer to Uber), Dianping (Deliveroo), and location sharing, WeChat has everything you could need, neatly wrapped up under one roof, so to speak.
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| (Image propery of WeChat co.) |
2) VPN, VPN, Wherefore art though VPN?
Speaking of keeping Whatsapp, if you're from the West and plan to use any of your favorite apps, such as instagram, facebook, snapchat or even Netflix, you better invest in a good VPN. Express VPN is generally the most recommended (no, before you ask, this isn't sponsored) and it's the one I've been using for the past 10 months. The service will go down in China if there are any political or socially controversial events occuring anywhere in the country and while this can be annoying, it always comes back. Express is safe and easy to use.
Free VPNs are available but I would highly recommend purchasing one if you want to ensure that your data is safe and secure. China's security is excellent and a free provider has never felt as secure as Express.*
(Image property of ExpressVPN co.)
3) Learn how to use public transport ASAP
I came to China with an iPhone and though Didi is available in English, it's only available on Android. This is disheartening to anyone who's just arrived in a country so entirely different to anywhere in the West, but given time, Chinese Didi is easy enough to use. Nevertheless for my first few months in China, I gave up on learning how to use it. It took me two weeks to successfully hail down a cab and tell them where I needed to go - most taxi drivers do not speak English and don't want to mess around with translator apps. The easiest way to communicate where you want to go is to make sure you have your destination on a map, and show this to the driver. A lot of drivers don't understand Google maps, so Tencent is your best bet.
The metro is also a lifesaver as announcements are made in both Mandarin and English. There's a handy map on all station platforms so you can track your journey, and the cost is impressively low.
Though the bus can be intimidating, getting an app like Moovit will make getting around the city so much easier. If you get a card for the metro (available from any 7/11) you can also use this on the bus. If not, it's usually only 2 yuan for a single journey.*
(Image property of GuangFo metro co.)
4) Join an expat community
Moving to work in China means you'll probably find other foreigners quite quickly, whether it be at your workplace or in the local Western bar, but there'll always be a local group for exapats if you know where to look. Once you're added to the city's WeChat group, a lot more doors open up for you with regards to socialising with other expats. You don't have to go to everything but it's a nice way to meet new people, and knowing there's always someone to ask a question to is very reassuring.
5) Learn key phrases
If you plan on moving to a different country then you should probably (definitely) at least try to learn the language. Apps like DuoLinguo and HelloChinese are very good for gradual development, but make sure you've got some essential phrases ready in case you need them.
- Hello / Thank You / Goodbye
Hello is probably one of the easier pieces of Chinese to say. Ni Hao directly translates to 'you good', and once you learn this, Ni hao ma ('Are you good?') is barely a stepping stone upwards.
Thank you is a bit tricker. Though the pinyin looks friendly enough, xie xie has a pronunciation that took me months to get right. It's not 'shee shee', 'she she-ah', or anything like 'zee zee'. Your closest phonetic guideline would probably be 'Shier shier', but even then it's difficult to pin down. Listen to Chinese people as they speak - it's the only way to get it right.
Goodbye is very simple. Though the Chinese do have their own word for it - Zaijian - I have yet to come across a single person who doesn't just use 'bye bye'. It's nice to try, but if you happen to forget, they'll know what you mean if you use the English, instead.
- I want / Where is... / This / That
The easiest way to order in Chinese is to point at a menu and say 'I want this one'. Wo yao zhege [wuh yeow juh-guh] is a simple phrase and can be used in a lot of different scanarios.
Asking for directions is comlicated and even I still have trouble with it, but if you want to know where the toilet is, Cesuo zai nali is your best shot. Zai nali ('where is it?) can be easily paired with zhege if you have something to show whomever you're talking to, in order to ask zhege zai nali (This one, where is it?).
'This' and 'That' are always handy terms, and we've already used 'this' a few times already. It's 'zhege' [juh-guh], if you need a quick reminder. 'That' is a word that made me do quite a few double takes the first time I heard it, but useful to know. Nage [nah-guh] is used any time we want to refer to 'that one'.
All of this, of course, doesn't even cover the affect that tonal influences have on different words. The wrong tone can change the meaning of any sentence, but as a foreigner you're cut a little bit of slack. If you explain that you don't speak Chinese very well (or at all), people will try to help you as best they can without paying attention to your tones.
'I don't speak Chinese' / 'I speak Chinese badly':
Wo bu hui zhongwen / Wo hui zhongwen bu hao
(Image property of HelloChinese co.)
6) Bring a plug adaptor
Probably the most common piece of advice that's given when you're travelling, but still worth noting. More than one will be handy, or an extension lead. You'll be needing it.
7) Take your passport with you everywhere
Whether you're just going to the shops or are on a night out, take your passport. The Chinese police are very vigilant and good at what they do. Random checks are common in China, especially if you're working here. They want to make sure that your Visa is valid and that you're here legally, so get into the habit of making sure you've got it, no matter where you are. Without it, you could risk being detained for a few hours until they've been able to check for you on their system. This can be a fast process or it can be slow; either way it's unpleasent, so best to avoid it alltogether and don't go anywhere without the correct documents.
8) Taobao is love, Taobao is life
As organised as you may be, there's bound to be something you've forgotten to bring with you to China. Taobao is Asia's answer to Amazon, with everything you could ever want or need just a click away. It's easy to download and set up despite being in Chinese with no other language option. Simply taking a screenshot of the page and translating it with WeChat or Google will help you along your way, though it's easy enough to navigate without translation once you've made your account.
9) Don't drink the water. No, seriously, don't.
The water in China is not okay to drink. I'd even advise against brushing your teeth with tap water until you've adapted to life here, as the last thing you want to do is get sick during your first few weeks. Once it's boiled, it's okay to cook with and to use for coffee and/or tea, but don't drink it straight from the tap. Avoid ice in drinks unless you can be sure it's purified. It's not worth the risk.
10) Selfie game strong
If you're a foreigner in China, particularly if you're a light skin foreigner, you will have people either coming up to you asking for a picture, or they'll try and grab a sneaky candid while you're not looking. But really, they're not that sneaky. Don't be offended if people stare; though tourism is massive in China, it's immigrant population isn't as large as it is in Europe. Embrace it and throw some funny poses - it's just fun, in the end.
(Image property of cliparts.co)
And there you have it. There's heaps more to write about with regards to life in China, but it'll leave it here for now. Are you thinking about travelling to Asia? Does expat life speak to you? Let me know in the comments below!
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