China..........things to know about living there

[Alan Medic]

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?

[sjsl]

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!

[Help-Ma-Boab]

Meds, was in China last year for work, used my Bank of Scotland card visa/debit no bother. I hadn't let them know before hand and had no problems. I'm going again in august but will let them know this time. No excessive charges I got for my trip.

[keekybreeks]

bank of china have branch in chinatown for retail stuff - maybe have a chat- they do tons of stuff for chinese students coming to uk...

[se22cat]

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.

[speedbird]

Google China UnionPay. Most Chinese I know use this card and foreigners can use it to fund their work and education in China. Could be wrong, so check it out....

[Hawley]

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!

[Alan Medic]

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.