Location: S&S Korean Market Apartments Near TianTong Lu Metro Station (Line 10, Shanghai China)

Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the landlady who runs apartment rentals for the apartments in this area, but I found the apartment on craigslist. There is a middle aged woman, her husband and a young assistant (who knows good english). They are located in the 4th floor, 7th floor (I believe). This apartment led to frustration after frustration including the following:

• Not giving me my keycard to enter the gate at night. When I asked for it, they indicated that the landlord had lost it. I didn’t really feel like this was a clear response to my concern. They indicated that I should pay for it. Again, I didn’t understand this rationale.
• Charging me 3x my normal electricity bill for my last apartment (bigger). When I went to ask about it, the landlord had indicated that everyone was paying a lot. When I asked to see the original bill (they don’t show the original bills), they said that they don’t have it.
• Telling me that I could extend my lease an extra month with no trouble by bringing an extra month’s rent in the day my 6 months are up. Then re-confirming this at around month 4. Then, when I went to pay for that last month, I was looked at blankly and told that the owner of the apartment had already rented it out and that I needed to move out that next day with no heads up. Then asked if the owner had talked to me about it (Nope :)).
• Them helping me by allowing me to move everything into short term storage while they push me into a smaller apartment at a higher rate for my last month (I had no negotiating power).
• Them charging me for a full month even though my new apartment couldn’t be moved into for a week (therefore I only needed 3 weeks).
• Them indicating that I would get reimbursed for a day that the owner of the new apartment pushed back my move in day and all of my keys this time. The young assistant signing a form stating this. Then, after I pay the money, them stating that they won’t stick to that and that they won’t give me any keycard, reimbursement for that last day or a mail key.
• The middle aged woman indicating that I don’t really need a mail key because “You are a foreigner. You don’t need to receive mail”
• The middle aged woman showing off my apartment to potential clients by showing up to my door and knocking on it rather than calling me first. Then, when I give her my phone number and watch her store it in her phone she does it again and again.
• The middle aged woman knocking on my door and me not answering it because I don’t want anyone checking out my room at that time. The middle aged woman then using her spare key to unlock my room and walk into my apartment while I am inside. Me screaming at her and slamming the door in her face when she is with a client.
• The husband of the middle aged woman asking me where the keycard and mail key was when going to pay my deposit.

Location: Apartment in Wuhan, China

Due to my bad experiences with agents, I was trying to cut some of the middlemen by dealing directly with an apartment owner and got more than a handful in Wuhan. This is when I met one of the craziest women I had ever met. Although this woman was only 24 years old, she looked to have experienced what a 30+ year old woman had experienced. Covered in tattoos, she frantically showed my friend the apartment and indicated that I would need to choose it and pay for it 6 months in advance that night if I wanted it. This would be before receiving the keys or being able to move in. For only 1300 RMB / month with a balcony, in a gated community with a pool and nice new furnishings, this was a steal in my mind. However, I was a bit leery about the woman. I raised my concerns of giving her all of that money in advance and had to listen to her freak out about my friend and I not trusting her and how she didn’t want to deal with people who didn’t trust. Well, I paid under the condition that she would give us the keys upfront. Here were the highlights of my stay:

• Her indicating that she was the owner. Then indicating that she was the wife of the owner. Then indicating that she was the secret lover of the owner.
• Her giving us the final keys after blaming us for being late and being the reason why her husband/lover beat her up that night. We then found out that the reason her husband/lover beat her up was due to her scheduling a date with another guy in front of him while waiting for us.
• Her moving to another city nearly immediately following the rental, never to be seen again.
• Finding out that she sells stun guns and knives for a living.
• Her telling my friend that I could move out a month early because she didn’t have time to come back to check the apartment out during our move out date. We agreed, I spent all day finding an apartment, packed everything up and then had her say that I couldn’t move out a month early.
• When I finally moved out, I ended up giving my keys to her “cousin” who could only pay me my deposit after renting out the apartment to two other people the morning before I moved out.

What I’ve Learned From My Experiences

• If you have a bad feeling at first with a landlord, stay away from the situation
• Negotiate everything up front. Make sure they say “Yes” and don’t dodge the question. Indicate that you don’t want the apartment if your needs aren’t met.
• Negotiate everything.
• Clearly define things in a contract. Even if your landlord doesn’t follow through with the contract, it is nice to help with arguing.
• Get a copy of the rentals agreement unless you are working with an agency. Make sure that the one renting you the apartment is the owner of the apartment and not just a tenant.
• Don’t get too upset if something goes wrong. It is bound to happen if you are paying less than 4000 RMB / month.

So, what about you?

I’m guessing that my experiences are a bit tame versus some of the stories that I’ve heard. If you have a story that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it. So, can you beat me? Can you share any tips?

I bought a cheap Lenovo cell phone yesterday morning from a China Mobile store on Shanghai’s Nanjing West Road and I can text internationally (I’ll pay the 200 RMB for intl calling service later), surf the web and all that.  Altogether, it was 520 RMB, which is around US $81.  Service is basically pay as you go, but the 350 RMB ($56) phone would be free after 18 months since my account is credited 20 RMB each month.  The other fees were 100 RMB for a SIM card, 50 RMB for international text service (for which the rate is 1 RMB per intl text, 0.1 RMB per domestic text) and 20 RMB for China Mobile just because.  If I remember correctly, these were the prices. The web usage fees are .01 RMB per minute and I opted for the lowest download deposit of 5 RMB for 30 MB of data. To add money for usage or change plans, I just need to send a text to China Mobile. For me, this is a placeholder phone until I get something else. The higher end phones in the store ran around $500 – 700.

Now that I’m here in China, this post marks the end of the Pre-Departure Checklist series.

Does anyone know if there are cheaper phone options with similar plans? Leave comments below to share your experience purchasing mobile phone service in China.

Obio is an international educator who writes sometimes. He is moving to Ningbo.

Get Your Visa, a.k.a Follow the Rules to the Letter

My transition process has been smooth so far.  Two weeks ago, my workplace mailed my Alien Employment License  with my Z-visa invitation letter in a DHL package that arrived the next day.  Thank goodness for DHL.  I promptly took the docs along with my completed visa application forms and paid my $160 to the Chinese Consulate in New York for next-day pick up.

Although I arrived at the consulate at 7:15 AM, I was not surprised to encounter six earlier birds perched on the building’s stairs and window ledges waiting for 9 o’clock to come.  It was going to be a long wait so I struck up a conversation with the gentleman who happened to share a window ledge with me .  He often visits Keqiao in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province to source textiles for his family import-export business.  After this new buddy and I had been chatting for over an hour, the security officer finally opened the doors of the consulate so we on the long line  of visa applicants could enter the building.  When the officer checked our paperwork at the door, the textiles businessman was turned away because he did not follow the consulate’s newest directions.   This made for a slightly uncomfortable goodbye.

The most recent policy posted online for the Chinese Consulate in New York (note that each location has their own forms and procedures, so check with yours) requires each person applying for a visa to arrive with the June 2011 edition of the Visa Application Form already printed and completed.   The  consulate no longer allows people to obtain and fill out applications on-site and, although he had showed up empty-handed and applied that way in the past, things changed and he should have checked the website for policy updates.  The lesson here is to follow the rules to the letter.  If you’re Moving to China, you will save yourself some headaches if you make it standard practice to read, understand and adhere to the myriad rules and regulations that will apply to you as a laowai (foreigner).  Get used to it.

Develop a Housing Gameplan

Pre-China Checklist

I’m Moving to China for a new job that I am supposed to start in two weeks but I don’t have my Chinese employment visa (Z-visa) yet.  My employer is waiting to receive my approved work authorization papers from the Shanghai Foreign Affairs Bureau.  They will then send me the employment authorization and visa invitation letter which I am supposed to take to the Chinese Consulate in New York.   It can take close to a week for the docs to arrive once they’re mailed and close to another week after I apply to get my Z-visa.  My nerves are starting to boil up and I’m beginning to worry needlessly about ludicrous potential processing hiccups.

This will be my fourth time going to China.   My first was ten years ago during a college spring break trip.  I’ve been as a tourist, a student and as a business traveler.  Now I will be  going there as an expat employee.  It’s a much heavier concept when you know you are not coming back home after a semester or summer; when you know you are, in fact, Moving to China.  Indefinitely.   But definitely at least a couple of years.   So, I need to make China home.   And if you are reading this blog, perhaps you do, too.

To help make China home, add these three tasks to your own pre-departure checklist:  Learn the language, connect with people (expats and locals),  know which belongings you can and can’t purchase in China.

Learn the language

This task can’t just be checked off a list as if it’s as simple as sweeping the porch.   But you can make  great strides toward a workable comprehension and facility with the language if you put in some pre-departure time and effort  toward the endeavor.   It will get you far and you will thank yourself later when you know how to recognize the character for cashew on a restaurant menu and you’re severely allergic  to nuts.  And you’ll feel a strong sense of reward  when you can successfully negotiate simple interactions like asking for and receiving directions in Chinese.

The bottom line is that since you will be in China for an extended period of time, it will never feel like home if you have no command of the language.  We can talk of study techniques, resources and materials later, but all of that information is abundantly available elsewhere anyhow.  For now, it’s best to move on to the people who can help you feel at home in China.

Connect with people

You are not the first person who is Moving to China, so why would you embark on it without interacting beforehand with people who have already made the move?   Perusing this website is a start–kudos!  Online expat forums are also helpful because they often offer robust discussions of issues facing foreigners in the cities you may be moving to.    Then reach out in a more targeted way to closer connections who live(d) and work(ed) in China:  alma mater alums, people in your professional organization/company or profession, friends and friends of friends.

Individuals who know you and your background can be a much better info source on China expat lifestyle than most generally available  information.  So, be sure to do an exhaustive search of contacts in your circles for the old China hands.   The idea is both to minimize the cultural surprises and to establish relations with folks who may be part of your community in China.

Minimize your belongings

Throw out, donate or sell many of your things knowing that you can buy new stuff in China.  For the things you need to replace in China, make an effort to go out and buy them in planned shopping trips so you get used to shopping in China.   This is the biggest challenge for me.  I just did a massive purge to fit all my stuff into four suitcases, but it was tough.   If your company offers an ample shipping allowance where sending over pianos, sofas and sculptures is not an issue, by all means, move everything you own.  But Moving to China can provide a chance for you to downsize and then buy new belongings which will give you a sense of belonging in a new country.

Have you done these suggestions in preparation for a transition to China?  What other preparatory measures have you taken?  What should be added to the list?  Let us know in the comment section.

About the Blogger

Obio is an international educator who happens to write sometimes.  He is moving to Ningbo.

My move to Wuhan wasn’t exactly as simple as I had expected. While I had been accepted to attend Wuhan University to continue my Mandarin studies, I quickly realized that my commute to the school from any apartment with a toilet would take over an hour. This put me on a mad dash to find an apartment AND find a school before my Visa expired at the end of the month. My apartment was found about 1 week into living in Wuhan and after checking out over 20 apartments. My school was found and paperwork was finalized the last day possible (before administration went on Summer vacation). I pushed things to the limit and this limit was pushed even further by the following problems.

China Visa Problem #1: I Rented an Apartment From Someone Who Wasn’t The Landlord

My apartment was rented in a very “unofficial” way. The woman who I rented from had the keys to the apartment and handed me the keys after paying her, but she never gave me any official documentation of owning the house. She got defensive when I requested documentation and insisted that her “husband” was the owner. Since i had the keys to the apartment and knew that things worked a bit differently out here, I figured that the problem wasn’t a large one. As long as I was living in the apartment, everything would be ok. This, however, led to problem #2.

China Visa Problem #2: I Couldn’t Register My Address Without Proof of Renting

While this wasn’t a problem in Shanghai, it became a problem in Wuhan. This forced me to contact the owner of the house to have his “wife” / former tenant give me a signed document stating that she was a co-owner and that I was living in the apartment. This led to some headaches as the “wife” was crazy and would yell and cry about the slightest thing. Also, she was having “marital” problems due to going out with other guys and having her “husband” beat her up. Fortunately, I got the signature and went to the police station only to have them tell me that the actual owner needed to sign and that I would be assessed a 1500 RMB fine for not declaring my home right away. I’m still trying to fight this, but won’t need to pay right away. On the positive side of things, I got the document showing my residence.

China Visa Problem #3: The Health Check

With my school and residence documents assembled, I figured I was good to go. The school I attended had me registered for a residence visa, which, I was told, wouldn’t force me into a health check (I didn’t need to do it in Shanghai). Unfortunately, things weren’t so simple. When I went to extend my visa, I was told that a health check was mandatory. I quickly took a bus to the health clinic that day and arrived at 2 PM only to be told that the health clinic was closed during the afternoon.

The next day, I returned to the clinic and got everything taken care of. 3 days later, I returned to pick up the results. Next came China Visa problem #3.

China Visa Problem #3: My Passport

At this point, I had documentation from the school, a residence permit and my health check. I figured that everything would be fine. I took the 2 hour bus ride out to the Visa place and gave them everything I had.

“You don’t have the yellow school paper” was the beginning problem. I looked at her with a “WTF do you mean?!” expression on my face. I then calmed down and told her that the white piece of paper was the only documentation that was given to me. Everything else was at the school and everyone was gone for Summer break. She reluctantly took my white paper. Then it happened.

“You don’t have enough pages in your visa” came out of her month as my heart sunk. I looked at my passport and then back at her. I saw pages blank, but they were reserved for other things. “I can’t do anything for you.” I was freaking out on the inside, but I asked her calmly “what can I do?”. “I don’t know, you need to call your embassy” was her response. Again, I calmly asked “where is my embassy?” leading to the next problem.

China Visa Problem #4: My Return to Shanghai

Yes, the closest USA embassy in China is Shanghai. Meaning, I need to take a special trip back to Shanghai to get some additional pages placed into my passport so I can *hopefully* finally get my visa. On the positive side, the lady from the Visa place accepted my application for a visa extension and submitted it for me while I borrow my passport to get the additional pages. I need to return to Wuhan from Shanghai after my Visa expires, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am “ok” since I submitted my visa application before the deadline. However, it’s hard to know for sure what the outcome will be since every solution leads to another problem.

Have you dealt with a China Visa Problem before while moving to China? If so, I’d be interested in hearing your stories in the comments section. It might make me feel better about my problems :)

While there are a lot of moving parts in my life from a business standpoint, I will be staying in China…for a little bit at least. My newest venture is one that I wouldn’t have expected to take, but one that eventually fell into my lap.

Moving to Wuhan

Wuhan, for anyone who doesn’t know, is in Hubei province, around the east/center of China. For those who wish to paint the city in a positive light, you can say that it is central to every major city in China. It is a 1 1/2 hour plane ride from Shanghai and a 3 hour train ride from Guangzhou.

Why Wuhan?

Wuhan is my newest destination due to personal and professional reasons. From the personal standpoint, living in a city like Wuhan will force me to practice my Mandarin due to a limited expat population. Also, Wuhan offers a low cost of living and a great network of schools for Mandarin students. Professionally, I am looking to get into buying and selling products. This will force me to be able to commute to Guangzhou. With Wuhan being 3 hours away by train, this shouldn’t be too problematic.

What is Wuhan Like?

Temperature: extremely hot in the summers and extremely cold in the winters

Cost of living: about 60% of that in Shanghai

Shopping: a few nice shopping centers, but nothing to compare to what Shanghai has

Population: Locals and students. Not a large population of the rich business class or expats in Wuhan.

How will this impact the Moving to China Blog?

Most of the popular content on this website is specific to Shanghai. The more I updated the blog, the more I realized that the value of this blog had been reached if I simply stayed in Shanghai. With a new experience in the center of China upon me, I will be able to provide you with fresh content and a relatively untold view of life outside of a major city in Shanghai.

If there’s anything you’d like for me to post about in the future once the move is complete, leave a comment below and I will do my best to post about it!

Finding work in China can be as simple or as hard as you make it out to be. If you are a top executive in your home country and wish to be paid as such in China, you will likely need to use your own connections to find a job. However, if you are looking for a way to work in China to support an international lifestyle, this article is for you.

Work in China Idea #1: jobs.echinacities.com

EChinaCities is an established website in China that has a job classifieds section that is tailored to foreigners in China. For those in the USA, I liken this website to a mini monster.com. It has sections for all major cities in China, so you don’t need to life in Shanghai for this website to be applicable for you. You can find full-time or part-time employment through this website.

Work in China Idea #2: Freelance Work

If you have any skill at all, you can position yourself as a freelance worker through a site like elance (click link to get started). Do anything from article writing to graphical design for pay. I spend part of my time doing freelance work and part of my time building websites (partially related to work in China idea #3).

Work in China Idea #3: Internet Marketing

I’m going to be brief in my description here on internet marketing, but the field is essentially a way to make money online through different ideas and ventures. The great thing about internet marketing for someone like me is that I can work for myself without needing a work visa to be in China. While I don’t get paid in RMB, I do get to cater my internet projects to a western population that has more disposable income for the products / services I sell.

If you would like an introduction to internet marketing, I would recommend you get your feet wet with the $100K Adsense Blueprint (click link here). While it likely won’t make you $100K USD, it has some great fundamental information on building income online using Google Adsense. I’ve used this course as well as many others to formulate my online marketing strategy, but, for the price, you won’t be able to beat the $100K Adsense Blueprint for the knowledge it offers. If you purchase it and have any questions, reach out to me by e-mail (see my contact page) and I’ll take on the task of getting you up to speed (I love talking internet marketing).

Work in China Idea #4: Become an English Teacher

Many of the young foreigners working in China are English teachers. For those interested, I put together a Teaching English in China post to discuss this profession. A lot of English teachers find their jobs through their universities, but you can also find an English teaching job using a website like echinacities. I’ve never personally found work in China as an English teacher, but I would highly recommend the experience for someone looking for an international experience straight out of undergraduate school.

Work in China Idea #5: Get an Internship in China

Following point #4, you may also consider the idea of an internship in China if you’d like to work in China for a brief period of time. I discuss my experiences as an intern in Shanghai in the following two posts:

Internship in Shanghai

China Internship

Work in China Conclusion

Working in China doesn’t have to mean that you are sent abroad through your company. There are many different ways for you to find employment in China.

Do you work in China using another method? Let me know using the comment field below!

You just need to promise me that you won’t compete with me directly :).

Let’s get started.

4 Steps to Starting Your Own Website

1. An idea (why make a website if you don’t have anything to write about?)
2. A domain (the name of your website — www.movingtochinablog.com for example)
3. A hosting plan (metaphorically speaking, the house that will “host” your websites)
4. A programmed website (getting tired yet?)

Fortunately, I can help you out with step 4. Just take care of steps 1-3 using the direct instructions below.

Step 1: The Idea (Why You Are Blogging in the First Place)

There are many valid reasons to start a blog, such as the following:

• you have specialized knowledge on a topic and want to share value and knowledge with others
• you want to document a special experience in your life
• you want to connect with new and existing friends
• you would like to have an online presence
• you want to make money online

The reasons above are generally the top reasons for building a blog. Most blogs end up being a combination of more than one factor. Admittedly, all five reasons are why I built this blog.

Once you have your reason for making a blog figured out, it is time to get started with choosing your name.

Step 2: Getting Your Domain (Your Name)

The domain of my website is www.movingtochinablog.com. The reason that I chose this name is that I wanted to tailor my website to those who were moving to China. Because it was a blog, I figured that movingtochinablog made sense. It was easy to remember and it was logical. I’m not a big fan of making things fancy and complicated, so it worked for me. Another benefit is that having “moving to china” in my domain name has allowed me to rank well in google for the term “moving to china”. I will discuss this benefit in a later post when I get into my SEO rant.

For now though, I want you to think of a name that suits what you will write about.

Are you building a blog on baking cakes? Is your name Susie? How about SusieBakesCakes.com? You can even get abstract by going with a brandable, but short name (Nike, Exxon, etc.).

Once you have some ideas for domain names figured out, head on over to namecheap to register your domain. I currently own over 70 domains on one of my Namecheap accounts (in the event that you question my loyalty to Namecheap, you will see this confirmed in the videos).

To get the lowest prices on a domain name using Namecheap, click the banner below (will open up in a new window) and watch the video under the banner where I show you the exact instructions to getting your domain purchased along with a discount.

CLICK BANNER BELOW OR THIS LINK TO GET STARTED

CLICK BANNER ABOVE OR CLICK THIS LINK TO GET STARTED

Namecheap Video:

As you can see, getting a domain name isn’t as hard as some may make it out to be. At around $9 USD / year, you really don’t have to worry about the expenses of purchasing your own domain name. Just don’t get addicted to this like I am :).

Step 3: Getting Hosting (Where You Will Keep Your Website)

Hosting is where a lot of people waste a lot of money in setting up their website. I’ve heard people spending over $100 USD on a monthly hosting plan when this is absolutely overkill. Instead, I’m going to suggest you a way to get started for about $7 USD / month. If you want to have multiple websites hosted under the same plan, you can spend less than $8 / month with incredible service and unlimited space (you can have 1000 websites if you want). I sell some of my websites, so I have reasons for having multiple hosts, but for the benefit of simplicity, let’s say that you should only be purchasing one hosting plan.

Whether you are located in the USA, China, Canada or wherever, I recommend that you use Hostgator for your hosting services. I use it myself and I know a lot of non-Americans who also use it. This website is hosted on Hostgator and Hostgator is the only host that I plan to ever use because of their outstanding customer service and low prices.

Hostgator offers two plans that will likely be relevant to you — a baby plan and a hachling plan. I would opt for the baby plan if I were you since it isn’t much more expensive than the Baby plan and it allows you to add multiple domains to it for not additional cost. Trust me, once you start building one website, it will grow to 2 and then 5 and then 50 and then…

NOTE: IF YOU WANT ME TO SET UP YOUR WEBSITE FOR YOU FOR FREE, I WILL NEED YOU TO USE ON THE LINKS BELOW TO SET UP YOUR HOSTING ACCOUNT WITH HOSTGATOR. YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED AN ADDITIONAL FEE FOR USING MY LINK! By using my link, Hostgator will send me a small commission for your sale that I will use to pay myself to set up your blog up for you. This way, you are essentially getting Hostgator to pay me for your website development while you just sit back and relax. At the same time, the cost you pay for hosting will be just the same if you use my link or don’t. So — you get a free blog programmed and set up for you and you get to support this website. Not bad, huh?

Anyway, let’s get to the links and the video to help you get your hosting set up.

IF YOU WANT ME TO SET UP YOUR BLOG FOR YOU FOR FREE, CLICK BANNER BELOW OR CLICK THIS LINK TO GET STARTED

IF YOU WANT ME TO SET UP YOUR BLOG FOR FREE, CLICK BANNER ABOVE OR CLICK THIS LINK TO GET STARTED

Hostgator Video

As you can see in the video above, you will need a domain to link to your host as your primary domain. What you will need to do at this point is go back to your domain to complete the link to your host.

**NOTE: If you are registering from outside of the USA, you may need to verify your credit card and ID. Host Gator will send you an e-mail with instructions. Get your camera or scanner ready.

Linking Your Domain to Your Host

Let’s go back to our metaphors again to explain all of easily… You can think of your domain as yourself and your host as an apartment that you are renting. What you’ve done above by signing up for hosting is signing the lease for your apartment. The landlords have your name on the contract, but you haven’t physically moved in yet. To physically move in, you will need to go back to your domain and give it your host’s address. Let’s check out the video explaining exactly how to do this.

Linking Your Domain to Your Host Video

Now that you are done, you will typically have to wait about 24 hours before your domain is fully connected to your host. This process may take up to 48 hours if you are unlucky.

Step 4: A Programmed Website (Your Content)

Now is where the real hard work comes in :). If you’d like to take me up on my offer to set up a fully-functional programmed blog for your for free, you will need to send me the following through the information submission form below:

• the e-mail address you used to sign up for Host Gator hosting using my link above (so I can verify that you signed up using my link)
• your control panel link (found in the Host Gator E-Mail to you)
• Your control panel user name and control panel password (found in the Host Gator E-Mail to you)

Your hosting information will go to me and only to me. I will not share this information.

Initial Information Submission Form

Once I receive this message, I will get to work and will have the beginning stages of your first blog up and ready in less than 3 days. I will also send you instructions on how to get started with your blog (by substituting generic information with your own).

Your Blog’s Appearance / Theme

Your blog will look similar to the website shown below. Click the image for a live demo. It was the top free blog I was able to find. However, there are other options (read below) if this isn’t your cup of tea.

Alterations to Your Website, Custom Graphics and Other Templates

If you don’t like this website, I will give you instructions on how to quickly change the look and feel of your blog. If you are interested in a logo that isn’t text based, I can take care of that for you for $5 (you will need to hire me through a free freelance website). I am also available to set up custom blogs for you, including ones found on sites like WooThemes.com or Themeforest.net. Reach out to me using my information submission form above for more information. Prices for this will begin at $5 as well (you will need to hire me through a free freelance website). To begin this process, find a WordPress template using one of my two recommended sites below:

Frequently Asked Questions

1)      If you program my website for me, how long will it take you? Generally 1-2 days. I’ve built over 50 websites, so the process will be much easier for me than it will be for you. I figure I might as well do something productive with my knowledge :).

2)      How will my website be programmed? I will use Wordpress to program your website. Wordpress is far and away the most user-friendly website program you can use. What makes it even better is that it is quite easy to quickly adjust the look of your site.

3)      Are you available for additional consultation or services once my website is built? I’ll be happy to give you some pointers by chat. If you’d like any programming or graphical work done, we can chat about that also. As stated above, I have a way to put together a nice looking custom logo or website for you for only $5 USD (or a drink if you are in Shanghai :)).

4)      Are you willing to put together a free website based on a platform other than Wordpress? I am sorry, this won’t be possible.

5)      What about custom programming? I can work with you to adjust your website for pay. However, I am building your initial website for free.

6)      How do I make money with my website? If you’re interested, I can lead you into some interesting directions regarding how to make money with your website.  However, I’d prefer to only share my methods with those who take me up on the free website offer above.

7)      Can you make my website look like the Moving to China Blog? While I’d prefer to keep my website slightly unique, you will be able to find the template to my website on themeforest.net. I can help you set this up.

8)       Do I need to choose your standard theme or a theme from your two recommended sites? I can take on additional themes on a case-by-case basis. There are some not-so-good themes out there. I’d prefer to stay away from them as they can be programmed incorrectly and will lead to more trouble than it is worth for me.

Let’s get you started on the blogging path today!

Best regards,

Mike

How to Learn Mandarin in China (If You Follow My Path)

In January of 2010 I sent in my application to Jiao Tong University to learn Mandarin in China (Shanghai, to be specific). When I signed up, I didn’t know what to expect — what I would learn, how capable I would be, how long I would stay. 1 year later and I’m still at the same school. With this experience, I figure I am slightly experienced enough to give a good overview of the Program.

Jiao Tong University Mandarin Program Notes

• Cost is roughly $1500 USD / semester
• Books are roughly $15 / semester
• Learning consists of reading, speaking, listening and writing (although writing isn’t manditory)
• Location is in XuJiaHui area and is in the middle of downtown Shanghai
• There is a large population of western, Asian and hispanic students
• Your education level will largely depend on how dedicated you are to learning the language — if you are disciplined enough to study at home, you will learn quickly. However, there are A LOT of distractions when you get out to China.
• Asian students tend to pick up the language much faster than the western students. Much of this is due to them having a better grasp of the hanzi characters. Part of it is due to a more dedicated study style. Part of it is due to less-than-intelligent people such as myself bringing the statistics for western people down :).
• You don’t HAVE to learn how to write the language. I don’t know how to write more than 5 characters (and this is being generous). However, I can read characters decently. I still pass the tests and get to go on to the next levels.
• If you start at the very beginning level, you will find that a lot of your classmates will simply stop attending classes by the end of the semester. The first semester tends to weed out those who are dedicated and those who aren’t. Unfortunately, not many Americans make it to level II.
• For those attending Jiao Tong, I would recommend that you live near the campus or live off of Metro Line 10 (there is a direct stop that takes you to Jiao Tong University’s XuJiaHui campus).
• Classes are 3 hours a day (with a 20 minute break in between the two classes). These classes will either be in the morning (from 8:30 – 11:50 AM) or in the afternoon (starting at 1:10 – 4:30 PM).
• In the normal beginning classes, there are three classes that you take — reading, speaking, and listening. Out of 10 classes, you will have 4 reading classes (6 hours), 4 speaking classes (6 hours) and 2 listening classes (3 hours) per week.

If you make the decision to learn Mandarin in China, and specifically in Shanghai, I would highly recommend Jiao Tong University. I’ve also heard good things about Fudan University and Tonji University, but Jiao Tong tends to be the most noted university for foreigners looking to learn Mandarin in Shanghai.

Other Ways to Learn Mandarin in China (Besides Going to Class)

While there are other ways to learn Mandarin in China, it will be much more difficult to dedicate yourself to studies without taking “full-time” classes. You can consider getting Pimsleur CDs (see my Pimsleur Mandarin Review) or you can get a private tutor, but I find that part-time students never really grasp the language beyond the very basic level. To learn mandarin, you really need to engulf

yourself in the language. Here are some other ideas:

• Get a job that requires you to speak Mandarin. The more you are forced to speak it, the better you will get.
• Get a Manarin book and a language partner and meet to study every day. You can find language partners on various websites who are happy to meet you for free in exchange for some English talk. This can be a great way to learn the language from a dedicated tutor while offering value in return (your English abilities).
• Get a Chinese girlfriend/boyfriend who doesn’t speak much English. I can’t say that I’ve gone down this path, but I’ve heard from others who have had great success in learning the language using this method. If you aren’t learning the language for yourself, you might as well learn it for someone else.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you make your decision on how to learn Mandarin in China if you are moving to China. Understand that, unless you dedicate yourself, leaning Chinese will not be automatic. A lot of students run into the trap of thinking that going to class is all they need to learn the language. Stay dedicated and stay patient. It will come in time.

Did you learn Mandarin in China? Do you have any other unique ideas to learning the language? Please share your story in the comments below…

Health Insurance in China: My Situation

Unfortunately, I wasn’t lucky enough to get a lot of advice on getting health insurance in China, so I had to do a lot of research myself — including contacting a few companies. One of my biggest fears was that I would be stuck paying over $500 / month on insurance. In fact, a few of the plans that I found were over $1000 USD/ month. This made me second guess my decision to move out to China (or, at least, give pause to this decision). Fortunately, I was lucky enough to get a recommendation online to Pacific Prime, who’s agents helped me decide on a nice plan that only costs slightly more than $100 USD / month. Fortunately for me, they were very professional, had offices in Shanghai, and laid out choices and recommendations well.

I generally don’t prefer to go through agents (due to agency fees), but I matched their prices with the insurance company they connected me with and realized that the prices were identical. So, essentially, Pacific Prime helped me shop for insurance plans while giving me local support for no additional fees (in return, I assume the insurance companies give Pacific Prime a commission). Because they have an office in Shanghai, I can go to them with any questions as they arrive.

The health insurance in China plan that I ended up selecting gave me insurance that covered anything international (not within the USA). I could have paid for coverage within the USA as well, but it would have been substantially more expensive. It made more sense for me to buy travel insurance to the USA for the couple of weeks there rather than to get continuous USA coverage. Fortunately, you can do this as well through Pacific Prime.

Things to Look Out For With Health Insurance in China

There are a few primary things that you should look out for yourself when choosing a health insurance plan:

• location of in-network hospitals in your city
• how to deal with out-of-network hospitals in your city
• how much of a deductible you need to match

What was nice about my conversations with Pacific Prime is that they actually recommended the plan that I decided to go with. This was the lowest cost plan, but represented the best value for my situation. Fortunately, they didn’t try to up-sell me to something I didn’t need (and, as a skeptical person, I looked into it substantially). Because they gained my trust, I remained with them for another year, submitting my paperwork yesterday.

Need Help with Health Insurance in China?

Of course, you can reach out to me with any questions (by e-mail or using the comment section below). However, if you’d like to talk to someone who knows her stuff, you can reach out to Louise from Pacific Prime using the form above. Just ask her to reach out to you and she will e-mail you right away with some recommendations. Don’t worry about including any sensitive information initially. Louise will reach out to you for that. If you’d like, you can just start by giving her your contact information.

Any questions or advice on health insurance in China? Leave a comment below.