Livable China, an 'enjoyable' life

[JohnB]

Due to unforeseen events very recently, there is a distinct probability I will be moving to China sometime soon; likely, within the next calender year. There are the few members here who reside somewhere within China and it seems to me that most of these guys really enjoy their stay. There also are a few members that have had lengthy stays there for whatever reason that presented..most being their wives had immigration problems. 
What I am trying to do is pick your brains for anything of value that presents good living in China.

My wife is from Fushun in Liaoning Province. Fushun is not exactly what I would call Shangri- La.  I have been other places much nicer...maybe all other places in China are much nicer. The thing is Jing is from Fushun & our China family lives there.
I like Shenyang, the provincial capital adjacent to Fushun. I understand Dalian to the south is beautiful. Jing mentions that place as very nice. There is always Beijing. I like. The thing is the Winters are not friendly. Cold & dirty air. Summers, hot & humid. Zhuhai looks very nice. Willy is near. Says Zhuhai a bit more expensive. All things concerned, Zhuhai maybe worth it. Jing has inlaws in Kunming. I Understand very nice...eternal Spring & clean air. Shenzhen? Guangzhou... Garry & Brett have been beating that place. Not one place fits all good things.

There is mention of many different cities. The pluses & minuses. I want to pick your brains on what experiences you may have had that determined your decision  on where to live in China or what friendly thoughts you have on some city that interests you.

All in all, I look forward to read what the members have to say about the different cities in China.

[Neil]

My favorite city, the one I would live in if I really could, is Lijiang, Yunnan Province.  There is a decent foreign population, lots of tourism, and the air is the cleanest I've experienced.  It can get cool in the winter, and hot in the summer, similar to the part of Canada that I live in now.  The people there were wonderful, and there is plenty of forests and parks nearby. 

Kunming was nice, but was a massive city.  It seemed a bit too large for me.  We really only passed through Kunming though, so I can't say for sure. 

[Robertt S]

I am partial to Qingdao for obvious reasons, but the weather is tolerable, the air is clean, and the food is good!

Here is more info.   http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shandong/

[brett]

Guangzhou drives me crazy some times. On the other times we have a great airport, great public transport infrastructure and it's easier to buy foreign foods here. There are also plenty of jobs. And it's a tourist's dream as there's so much crazy stuff to see. Mind you, nobody ever seems to come here on holiday. The only tourists I've seen are those looking for the train to HK.

To have a really good standard of living here I guess you need to have an income of around $1200 a month. Once you've been here a while you can find all kinds of ways of living more cheaply.

I've slashed my expenditure by cooking virtually all my meals at home. I hate most Cantonese food - I just wasn't brought up to suck the meat off bones and eat bits of tree. Now I cook a lot of Italian stuff as it's about the easiest to buy ingredients for. Hubei food is good but I can't eat spicy stuff every day.

Housing is the main cost but I'm impressed with the size of the average Chinese apartment here in Gz.

A lot of stuff isn't that cheap here. Food might be cheap but it's often low quality. Most of my vegetables seem to go off in a day, and my Chinese made shoes fell apart after 6 days.

Don't neglect the Chinese weather. I went to Shanghai in January and it was so cold! It wasn't even below freezing but the dry air made it feel much colder than the UK. Even here in Gz right now it's actually not that warm considering it's now May.

Beijing's air and weather are both bad plus you've got to put up with people spitting on buses and elsewhere.

I heard Zhuhai is nice but a little boring. Still, the new high speed train to Guangzhou and beyond is nice.

If you don't need to work downtown there are some nice out of town developments in Guangzhou. I had a look round one - there was a steam garden and a heck of a lot of marble.

Oh well, drop by if you're ever in Guangzhou!

[Willy The Londoner]

What we have to realise is that John B is not far off my age and I doubt if he is looking for a lively night life.  Working will not be a need for him.  I think he is heading into that time where a quiet married life is more important

The north of china is too cold in Winter for people of my age! Westerners are not prone to sit watching the TV at night wearing three sweaters, an outdoor coat and a woolly hat and using the remote with gloves on is a no no!  For that reason alone I would recommend coming south.  My father in law loves to spend the winter down south and he only lives half way up the country.

I can only talk about Guangdong Province.  Guangzhou and Shenzhen has too much traffic. 

Zhuhai has banned motor cycles and that is a plus but prices for home both buying and renting are more expensive in Zhuhai than Zhongshan  but both of these places are cheaper than Guangzhou or Shenzhen.
However there is no heavy industry in these two place and both have clearer air. Zhuhai has a sea front and both have ferries that go direct to Hong Kong Airport where you get a greater choice of flights to anywhere in the world.  Macuau is a bus ride away so you have a mini vegas on the doorstep almost.

I would recommend if you come here then you try to make it down south.

Willy

[JohnB]

Hey Willy--
This moment, I have Zhuhai in mind. Jing says Zhuhai is beautiful, so it must be acceptable to her.
She likes humidity...I have visions of monsoon. I guess wet is wet.
I think it was on TripAdvisor, I understand some places in Zhuhai are difficult getting to or leaving,
especially late at night. You have time in Zhuhai. Just for the eh of it, are there the more desirable
places within Zhuhai than others? Curious. I suppose we will just stay at a hotel, stick our toes in the water,
look & feel. Squat toilets are a no- go.
Is your Zhongshan much different than Zhuhai?

[Willy The Londoner]

Zhongshan and Zhuhai enjoy the same temps as each other. The monsoons are few and far between but you always know when one is approaching as you get Hong Kong TV in both places and they issue weather warnings as Hong Hong has a lot of islands.  HK TV is in English on two channels.
In the winter months the temp is never very cold and there is never even the threat of the very hint of a snow fleck here. Last year was so nice we never put our small electric heater on once, nor sat indoors with our outdoor coats on!

 The only different is that Zhuhai has a sea front and a stroll down Lovers Road is a must. But the sea front is  away from the main city.  Zhongshan is a bit more inland, about 15 minutes by car and is on the Pearl River Delta and it has other rivers walks in the main part of the city which are easy to get to.

Zhuhai does not allow motorcyles in the city but the electronic bikes on the footpaths are a menace. 

The biggest plus is that in Zhongshan the prices of home either buying or renting are about half the price of those in Zhuhai.
From Zhuhai you can walk into Macau, the new gambling centre of the world, . But there again it is only 28 rmb by bus from Zhongshan.

Having lived in Zhuhai (which they describe as the most beautiful city in China) for a while then having visited Zhongshan a few times I settled on Zhongshan.  Even the fast train service is easier to get to from where I am rather than the one in Zhuhai.  Even a short walk are long walks in Zhhai as it spreads about so much.  Zhongshan is a city still being built.

As in all cities the older parts are a bit less desirable but in both I never felt in anyway apprehensive or  that I could run into trouble at night walking alone.

Many places no longer have the squat toilets and I am sure if you rented a place the owner would not be concerned if you changed the squat to a sit on version. That is job that costs so little and gives us foreigners much comfort.

It depends where you stay. Some hotels in Zhuihai are far away from city centres and you cannot get the feel of places. In Zhongshan they are closer to the city centres and shops etc. 

If you are under 68 you could always get a drivers licence by passing the theory test as in Zhuhai you need a car as everything seems to be far apart.  Cars are cheap to run and buyhere and our new one cost 93800 rmb.   In Zhongshan taxis are cheaper and places are closer together and the private hire drivers are plentyful here and a car is not a necessity. if it is for occasional trips.

The other beauty of these places is that they are close to Hong Kong and that means those in later years of life can access quality medical care very easily and also can get back to their home countries with ease.

And of course there is one other plus to Zhongshan!

I live here.


Willy
If you get over here and I still have my drivers licence then, we can go drive around both places.

[shaun]

Gee Willy.  Maybe you should sell homes there or become the spokesman for convincing middle aged men to come there.  It makes me think I would like to retire there.

But then it may not be a good thing for us to live in the same Willage with my love for your least favorite country even if we celebrate your birthday in 4 days. 

[Willy The Londoner]

Gee Willy.  Maybe you should sell homes there or become the spokesman for convincing middle aged men to come there.  It makes me think I would like to retire there.

But then it may not be a good thing for us to live in the same Willage with my love for your least favorite country even if we celebrate your birthday in 4 days. 

I could not sell a bottle of water to a man in the desert so selling homes will be a no no.  The truth is that I just love the part of China I am in and the people who live here. This is the smallest of the new cities having been a fishing village not so long ago so the whole city is built on immigration from more Northern Provinces.

When I arrive here those years ago I found it was so peaceful and relaxing to the way of life I had grown up with. 

Probably no other on here was born during the WW2, I was born right in the middle of it. I knew little about the war but following it I certainly can recall the years of osterity that followed it together with seeing the results of the regular bombing that London took. When you never knew where the next meal was coming from. Then we were into the Korean war and as the time for my possible conscription into the army approached, that war was over and conscription ended. In the ensuing years many other things came along that jolted the life of many. Many other minor wars and conflicts followed. Then we went through the regular bombings in UK but women and children were being killed alongside men going about their day to day business. That ended after many many years then cam the new islamic causes that brought the USA 11th Sept. and the London bombings returned. Targeting everyday people.
Living in London the country changed to one where many people would not venture out of there home in the late afternoon let alone at night time where crime on the streets flourished and people stayed at home to protect what they had there.

Before coming here I weighed up the pro's and con's before making the move. It is now one that I wished I had taken many years before.

I have a relaxing life, I have no fear that whatever time I go out that I will return home safely to a home that has not been broken into or vandalised in any way.

In short I have two loves here, the love of China and the love of my wife. I hope that whatever time I have left on this earth that I can have both for the rest of my life. 

This life will certainly not suit everyone but where I am located i have everything I need and now and everything I may need in the future is just a short trip away in Hong Kong.

Willy

[fivetrout]

On women's profiles...the gals always speak of a simple harmonious life of which they seek. That is becoming harder and harder in the U.S.

[IrishGuy65]

On women's profiles...the gals always speak of a simple harmonious life of which they seek. That is becoming harder and harder in the U.S.

Why is that?

[fivetrout]

Socials issues, economy, politics, regulations, deceit, etc. I think maybe Willy has some valid points and perspectives.

[IrishGuy65]

Outside influences don't create or deny a harmonious existence.  They can affect your life, but in the home, away from all those influences, only those within that home can affect whether life is harmonious or not.  The home is the sanctuary from all those things you speak of, and should be harmonious.

Think about it

[shaun]

What should be and what is are two different things.  One must strive to find a mate that will help to bring a harmonious home.  That is why most of us are looking in China.  That and the women are beautiful. 

[Willy The Londoner]

On women's profiles...the gals always speak of a simple harmonious life of which they seek. That is becoming harder and harder in the U.S.

Why is that?

Do not forget that words do not translate exactly. When they speak of a simple harmonious life.  That just refers to a Happy life together.  No if's, no but's, no westernised baloney. Just a Happy life together.

Westerners tried to read into things in a Western way, digesting every word every full stop and then analysing them.  Remember any English they have learned could be from various sources and each could give them different definations of what they want to say. 

Even those who speak perfect English, as does my Chinese Teacher, sometimes have as much difficulty in understanding some English words or phrase. as someone who were born with English as their first language.
Willy