Dolphynn
American looking for information about China
Forum posts
34
Contacts
1
About me
American
Lives in EUGENE
Registration: 13 April 2015
How to find imported food at fair prices? by MattScapp
Hi, I am living in SZ since 3 years and still struggle to find good imported food at an honest price. Can anyone help?
I would buy most my food from Taobao. Cheese from Denmark was about $7 per kilo. Hormel pepperoni was reasonable. The pizza crusts I bought were a rip off, but there is lots of food on there, and it got delivered quickly in styrofoam with ... Read More
Disease outbreak in China by Anne-Lise Mty
Hi all, I hope you're all doing well despite the recent news. I am writing to let you know we, at 天美麻豆, have written a little guide on [url=/en/expat-mag/3004-how-to-survive-an-epidemic-abroad.html]what to do when ...
The nurses did not speak English. I was in the Hospital with my wife for 6 days, but I was allowed to come in and out. She was not. I would go fetch her food and stuff. 6 days was about normal. We had no complications and did not have a ... Read More
Disease outbreak in China by Anne-Lise Mty
Hi all, I hope you're all doing well despite the recent news. I am writing to let you know we, at 天美麻豆, have written a little guide on [url=/en/expat-mag/3004-how-to-survive-an-epidemic-abroad.html]what to do when ...
There is an American with a Chinese wife and 3 year old who posts YouTube videos from Ningbo. Lookup Jayoe Nation to see their life. Currently they ran away from Ningbo and finished up their 2 week self-quarantine in the US. We had our baby in ... Read More
Disease outbreak in China by Anne-Lise Mty
Hi all, I hope you're all doing well despite the recent news. I am writing to let you know we, at 天美麻豆, have written a little guide on [url=/en/expat-mag/3004-how-to-survive-an-epidemic-abroad.html]what to do when ...
My wife and our two year old went back for Spring Festival on January 20th. By Jan. 23th the shyt had hit the fan with the Virus being the main news. Instead of the fun time she was expecting, she was locked down in her village. The village ... Read More
Chinese Food "what to eat ? " by gogobrad9167
I'm an American living in Guangzhou with my Chinese wife.I really enjoy China and the culture.But I have a problem.Finding something to eat.Everything is so different.Its kind of confusing.To know what to try.That I would like and can enjoy.Is there ...
While I was there I primarily ordered chicken and cheese from Taobao and baked it in a countertop oven. Taobao had Motzerella from Denmark for about $8/kilo and cheese stuffed frozen boneless chicken breasts for reasonable prices as well. You can ... Read More
British family relocating to Beijing by Mhughes87
Hi, I have just been offered a job at an international school in Beijing to start in August, we are a family of 4 with children 1years and 6years old. The school is located in the Shunyi district. Are there any British or international families ...
WeChat is ubiquitous and everyone has it. It is used to pay for stuff or a ton of other features besides just instant messaging. Western software is often blocked. Order a VPN before you go. Expect that VPN to be flaky as they play cat and ... Read More
British family relocating to Beijing by Mhughes87
Hi, I have just been offered a job at an international school in Beijing to start in August, we are a family of 4 with children 1years and 6years old. The school is located in the Shunyi district. Are there any British or international families ...
Expect quite a bit of cultural differences, mainly negative depending on your point of view. My viewpoint is as an American who lived there 1 year and had a baby there and is mostly negative, though others who have lived there longer have a ... Read More
Sending and receiving packages in China by Priscilla
Hello, As an expat, there are inevitably certain items you might want or need from back home, and around the holiday period, many people like to send gift packages. How easy is it to send and receive packages in China? Is the public postal ...
Shipping to China can be expensive using the normal carriers like USPS. There are US based reshippers that you can send your package to, who get it over to China at a cheaper price. I believe they package your stuff with others and save money by ... Read More
US Citizenship for Baby born to U.S. Citizen+Chinese Wife in China by Frank-n-Tina
Hi, all - First time posting, but a big question here. Just married a wonderful Chinese woman. Made the terrible mistake of looking at the USCIS website when deciding if to get married in China or the US and read about the K3 visa for a spouse ...
Nice, we are in Eugene. Everything is going awesome so far. You can likely get your back bills online and print them out I would guess. Go to your power companies website, your banks website, your internet providers website and create accounts ... Read More
My life in China by fableb01
My name is Fabrice and I come from Belgium. Now I'm located at Shanghai. Maybe it's the opportunity to explain my (unfortunately bad) experience in China and share with you. There are few years ago I was in China. But before this period ...
Hope things are looking better for you now Fabrice. Sounds like you are missing social connection. Hopefully Shanghai is better. Get yourself a computer and Skype your friends backhome for some interaction. Make use of your family, even if you ... Read More
US Citizenship for Baby born to U.S. Citizen+Chinese Wife in China by Frank-n-Tina
Hi, all - First time posting, but a big question here. Just married a wonderful Chinese woman. Made the terrible mistake of looking at the USCIS website when deciding if to get married in China or the US and read about the K3 visa for a spouse ...
To prove my residency I took 10 years worth of bills and rental agreements and renters insurance bills and bank statements. Since I had all the documents needed the process to get the CRBA and US Passport was very smooth and she was a US citizen at ... Read More
US Citizenship for Baby born to U.S. Citizen+Chinese Wife in China by Frank-n-Tina
Hi, all - First time posting, but a big question here. Just married a wonderful Chinese woman. Made the terrible mistake of looking at the USCIS website when deciding if to get married in China or the US and read about the K3 visa for a spouse ...
Yes, I did it last summer. I am an American man with a Chinese wife. We had our baby in Guangzhou last July as we were waiting on the I-130 to process. My wife had a tourist visa and we were married in the US, but did not plan to get married on ... Read More
Registering a birth in China by Priscilla
Hello everyone, Have you had to or are you going to register a birth in China? What was the experience like? Who is required to register the birth, and where? Can it be either the mother or father? What documents are usually required in ...
Search for a website called Visa Journey and you can get an estimate of the time it takes for others to get their wife over. For us I filed the I-130 from the US in March and 14 months later my wife made it over in May. There is a big 9 month or ... Read More
Registering a birth in China by Priscilla
Hello everyone, Have you had to or are you going to register a birth in China? What was the experience like? Who is required to register the birth, and where? Can it be either the mother or father? What documents are usually required in ...
I am not sure of the impact on the I-130 if the Consular Report of Birth Abroad was refused. I hope it would not be detrimental. For proof of my US residence I took a giant folder of my Utility bills, renters insurance, Rental agreements and ... Read More
Need some advice - where do we stand? by Nustun
Hi, I've come here for some advice. A bit of background is me and my girlfriend (27 and 29yrs) have been working as English teachers in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia since August 2017. After a good year or two of hunting and planning our long ...
If she is violating her contract then it may be your duty to make sure other future employees know this. Post the school name online to warn them if it is not resolved satisfactory. Read More
What do you wish someone had told you before you moved to Shanghai?
If you are a guy, take enough shoes and clothes to last your trip. It is highly likely you shall not find shoes which fit. My foot wont even go into the largest shoes in the shoe stores. Take your own deodorant. Get WeChat. Read More
Work/internship in China for headscarf wearers by CUCKOOHUNTER
To people who live or have lived in China, I have a question. (I would like very honest answers). I am thinking of applying to engineering/technology internships in China through one of the many dozens of companies/agencies online. My question ...
I am 5'11 and untattooed and stared at constantly. In like 9 months of living in my wifes city I saw 1 other caucasian and 1 Indian. Little kids shall follow you around. Say "Woooooow" as you walk past. Some are even fearful of ... Read More
Visa and relationship with A Chinese lady by Winterjazz
Hi, 5 years ago i met a lovely Chinese lady in New Zealand, since then i visit her as often as i can, usually 6 weeks in a year, which at this point is hardly enough for either of us. As she has a daughter who is about to go to university in HK, we ...
Flemming, the 10 year tourist visa is likely a reciprocal agreement between China and the US to offer each other 10 year visas (though the US cheats and makes the Chinese person reregister with EVUS every 2 years). On my visa I was limited to 6 ... Read More
Hi from Brisbane
My Chinese nieces have over 95 students in their public 1st grade. One has Dyslexia but China is not geared up to recognize it or tailor teaching towards it. Likely similar to what you saw in 2002. Public school also costs money and can be tied ... Read More
Cost of settling in to Shunde, Foshan, Guangdong China by amw10605
Hey everyone! My name is Lexi. I am 21 years old, married, and moving to China alone, for a total of one year. I am moving to Shunde on May 9th for a paid teaching job; however, I have to come up with initial settling cost. How much would you all ...
Not sure on the housing. But Taxis are cheap, maybe $2 or so. PizzaHut is about 100 - 120 RMB for a large stuffed crust. Most your groceries and things are about the same price as the US. Street food or rice is really cheap. Buy a countertop ... Read More
Would you recommend Shenzhen for a young family ? by JasmineLaura
Myself and my partner are considering moving to Shenzhen to teach. We feel we need a change and a bit of adventure. However, we are unsure on whether this is a wise move as we have three young daughters. We have a 5,4 and 4 month old and would ...
I have a negative view of the Chinese education system. My Chinese nieces have 95 students in their first grade class. Learning is by rote, with loudness emphasized when repeating. The teacher wants bribes. Although this seems like a public ... Read More
Free and low-cost leisure activities in China
A local health spa may be incredibly cheap. We paid about $12 for 2 all you can eat meals, a movie, and all day of using the spa. But it was full of smokers, ha. Read More
Organic produce /meat by Viki0710
Hi all, we will be posted to Dalian soon. Wondering if the fresh produce in Dalian are safe for children to eat? Can we get organic produce /organic meat / organic milk easily in their supermarkets? Thank you. Do they have any international ...
I would disagree with the previous posters. Food in China is not safe in the slightest. It is grown in contaminated soil. Food regulations are not enforced. Imported milk and other imports can often be faked. Repackaged local concoctions in ... Read More
Raising kids in China by Priscilla
Hello everyone, How is raising kids in China different from raising kids in your home country? What are the activities that your kids seem to enjoy the most in China? Do you feel that the country is "family-friendly"? Do you recommend ...
No way shall I raise my kid in China. My mother in law and 2 nieces (7 and 5) live with my wife. The Mother in law hits the nieces with sticks daily for such infractions as not chewing fast enough. First grade for the nieces have 95 students. ... Read More
Keeping in touch while living in China by Priscilla
Hello everyone, What are the best ways you've found for keeping in touch with friends and family back home while living in China? How frequently do you stay in touch with loved ones? Are there local equivalents to common instant messaging and ...
https://republicwireless.com/ Looks like their cheapest plan is currently $15/month which would let you talk unlimited if you are on WiFi but likely wont let you talk outside of a wifi network. Works great in both China and the US (and should ... Read More
Keeping in touch while living in China by Priscilla
Hello everyone, What are the best ways you've found for keeping in touch with friends and family back home while living in China? How frequently do you stay in touch with loved ones? Are there local equivalents to common instant messaging and ...
I used my US Republic Wireless phone in China. $6/month and make and receive phone calls as normal, though limited to doing so over WiFi. This means my friends and job offers and the rest just call me normally with no indication I am actually in ... Read More
Adult homesickness advice needed by dackall
Hi all, Realise very few people will read this, yet alone reply. But I need to get it out there to people with experience. I am Dackall, I'm from the south of England. I am a university graduate teaching English in China for 10 months (or ...
You may need to know Chinese to set up your TaoBao account. BaoPals is a website which sits on top of it for English speakers. Think they charge an extra 5%, but they may let you find stuff from home you are missing. TaoBao is amazing, but may ... Read More
Adult homesickness advice needed by dackall
Hi all, Realise very few people will read this, yet alone reply. But I need to get it out there to people with experience. I am Dackall, I'm from the south of England. I am a university graduate teaching English in China for 10 months (or ...
TaoBao can get you cheese and lots of western food. There is a service on top of it called Baopals that may work better for English. I bought a counter top Oven and baked my own pizzas and chicken cordon bleu from food bought on Taobao. I have ... Read More
Seeking advice for some guidance on living in Ningbo
If you can VPN to YouTube there is an American Vlogger who lives in Ningbo with his Chinese wife and infant. I believe the YouTube channel is called Jayoe Nation. Read More
Registering a birth in China by Priscilla
Hello everyone, Have you had to or are you going to register a birth in China? What was the experience like? Who is required to register the birth, and where? Can it be either the mother or father? What documents are usually required in ...
Had our baby in July in Guangzhou. One hospital said it would take 2 weeks to get the birth certificate, English OK. The Womans hospital had no clue about putting an American name on the birth certificate. The hospital we finally chose (2nd ... Read More
Looking for Game Factories
Excellent, thanks for the advice. I returned from Guangzhou after visiting a few factories and arranging for suppliers via Alibaba. The online customer service in China is excellent. 4 suppliers found me on Skype after I contacted them on ... Read More
Looking for Game Factories
I am heading to Guangzhou in May, 2015 for a few weeks. Does anyone have any leads on which area of town I should look for companies to make some game components. I need an inexpensive producer of Cards for one game. For another game I may ... Read More