Jump to content

Recommended Posts

My son is going there for two years hopefully (he hopes). I've read a fair bit but he's too laid back about it to be bothered as he's going to Uni with some friends and lets everyone else do the thinking and/or make the mistakes. One thing that bugs me is that it would seem he needs to carry a lot of hard earned cash with him, which can always get lost/stolen. His HSBC bank here will charge him ?100 to open an account in China in advance. He also has to open an account with the bank connected to the Uni as their debit card is used to pay for everything/anything on campus.


One question I don't know the answer to is if you can withdraw cash from any bank's ATM without charges, as you mostly can here. Things seem to be changing there very quickly so some things I have read may not apply now.


Has anyone got any recent experience of the country and tips to offer which may help in general or specifically on this?

Maybe investigate a currency card like Caxton FX at least for early on or as a back up ? he/you can load the card as he goes along, so if it gets stolen he doesn't lose the lot. As long as you have something in place to reassure yourself, I'd let him go ahead and do his own planning (or not), and make mistakes ? he'll learn more that way!

If he's not planning on coming home during the stretch, make sure he brings enough condoms for the period, and then some extra to make sure. Also, deodorant as the local stuff is not good, and to plan ahead by looking at sites like Alibaba etc to make sure he can get domestic products / medical stuff imported easily, rather than having to pay shipping from the UK to China.


Also if he hasn't already figured things out, maybe look into a paying for a no-logs VPN and considering which social/news sites he'll be blocked from using without one under the fascist regime over there.


A decent book on current laws/regulations would be handy to get a working knowledge as China is not known for being light on foreign citizens.


Edit: Oh and there's a fair few ex/current Chinese residents who post on f*ckedgaijin.com he'll have to tread lightly when asking as its a rather niche forum with a tight user base.

Slightly off-topic, but Rivertown by Peter Hessler is a great book that you and your son might enjoy reading. Hessler and a friend spent two years in Fuling, a small (by Chinese standards) city on the banks of the Yangtze. Ostensibly there to teach English, Hessler documented his time there in fascinating detail and his insights into Chinese culture and customs are fascinating. Best of all, he and his friend made a real attempt to assimilate into the Chinese way of life, even though they were basically the only two westerners for miles around. It's worth reading for the story of their gradual acceptance by the locals alone. I wish your son good luck and good travels!
Thanks for all the posts and suggestions. I will look up that book Hawley as it sounds like an interesting read. Everyone who posted so far has had something worth considering and I'm not overlooking, as sjsl commented on, the need to learn from your own mistakes. Last year he learned it not a good idea to ride a moped in Thailand (or anywhere) if you've never ridden one before. If it wasn't for the helmet he wore he may not be here now. Lucky boy.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Walking last Friday early evening anywhere near where the bottom end of Lordship Lane meets the Goose Green roundabout, one would have been directly confronted - as I was - with this scene: Outside the East Dulwich Tavern an impenetrable phalanx of pushing yobs, shouty louts and selfish yahoos pressed outward from the open doors of this establishment, past the curtilage (the land in front of and owned by the business), all across the public right of way, to the kerbside. This was the situation all the way along, end to end. I watched as passersby, old people, children, parents with buggies, people just going about their business, were forced by these booze-sucking bellowing scumbags onto the road - where, at that hour, traffic rushed endlessly off the roundabout. We have, I realised, somehow become so used to this revolting spectacles as to believe it to be inevitable. It is not. This is why I'm dropping this post. Enough really is enough. This roiling boozy blockade represents a total failure by all the responsible authorities - the licencing authority, for example - but most of all (yet once more, again, as ever), by Southwark Council. Two very different comparisons to give you some perspective: 1. The Kings Head pub on the corner of Albermarle and Stafford Streets, London SW1. Here too, patrons like to drink and chat outside on a warm evening - why should they not. But here, on the latter side a line marks the curtilage on the pavement. Drinkers remain, respectfully, in good order, within the line, watched, quietly and carefully, by a security guard. I wager good money this arrangement is a condition of this pub's licence. 2. The Blue Brick is a cafe in the quiet backstreets of East Dulwich, on the corners of Fellbrigg and Shawbury Roads. Until a few months ago, about half its covers were tables out on the pavement. They bothered nobody. Oh! But they extended all of several centimetres too far into the footpath, so into fearless action swang Southwark Council officers - and now these tables are gone. Result, eh? "Well you see," some wiseacre said to me, "There needs to be a complaint." Not actually true, but for sure this is all too often how local authorities get pushed to do what they should be doing. Hard to think why a complaint trumps, say (and god forbid!) a child being injured on the road. In which circumstance, of course!, Southwark would swing into noisy, virtue-signalling, belated action. But in any case let this post be considered a big, very definite COMPLAINT about this prolonged abuse of our public right of way. I invite readers who agree with me to add their voices. Oh, and all those wee local ward councillors might get off their chufties, defy their party managers, and actually help sort this scandal out. Thanks for reading, Lee Scoresby
    • Hi there, I saw that Google lists the park opening time as 7:30am, but I was wondering if it might actually open earlier than that - maybe anyone who’s out running early or passing by has noticed?  
    • We are thrilled to announce that Little Stars Creche in Dulwich will be opening its doors on 28th April and we would love to invite you and your little ones to an open day where you can meet our team and visit our wonderful setting.  Little Stars is a fun creative space for children aged 2 to 4 years to enjoy whilst parents and carers get some well needed time to catch up on life! We are so excited to bring this much-needed service to the community, and we want to thank all the wonderful parents and carers for participating in our recent survey. Your feedback was invaluable in shaping Little Stars and ensuring it meets the needs of local families. For full information about Little Stars and a detailed schedule please visit our webpage here: Little Stars Crèche We can’t wait to meet you and your little stars soon!
    • Avoid any 2nd hand vehicle with the Ford petrol 1.0 Ecoboost engine and the Petrol 1.2 PureTech engine that can be found in Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall.... (you need to mention price for advice)
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...