How to move to China and work from there: personal experience

Thanks to the Internet, combining work with travel has become a lifestyle for a huge number of people. All you have to do is organize yourself and your work, and choose a place to go. Earlier we talked about, and today we want to share the experience of the entrepreneur and traveler Dima Kovpak in another equally well-known country. So, let's go to China!

Hello, Dima Kovpak is with you and here is one of my convictions:

Knowing the path and walking it are not the same

More than a year ago, I wrote one simple wish in my notebook - to travel around Europe by car for 3 months. From January 1 to March 15, 2014 my wife and I toured Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary. And already in April 2014, having invited 2 outstanding people with us, we once again flew to China in search of adventure and new ideas for business. I will share with you my thoughts on living and working in China and how to make it a reality.

To find out more about what I am doing, read my blog www.dimakovpak.com, watch Youtube and be sure to add to your friends on social media. networks.

Why China

Why not? Ask yourself what you know about China. Of course, those who watched "Karate Kid" with Jackie Chan may no longer go to China, everything was shown there:) It was a joke, because, in fact, China is much more, and I will tell you how to live and work in China, moving from province to province.

So, the north and south of China are very different: in dialect, cuisine, appearance of the Chinese. Traveling around China, you can see fluffy pandas (like in Panda Kung Fu), the Tibetan Plateau, the Great Wall of China, gardens and temples of the sun, shaggy mountains, rivers under the mountains, age-old trees, concrete jungles, the most expensive hotels, food with a thousand flavors, Hong Kong at night and more.

From the size of an airport in any major city, China is impressive. While the whole world is playing in a crisis, China is showing everyone its scale, how you can live and how to live well. The Chinese have created a domestic market with over 600 million consumers and are now independent of the world's unrest.

What time of year to go

I went to Guangzhou (South China) in October and April and the temperature was around 30 degrees. Visited Tibet in July - from 17 to 27 degrees. Sichuan province and the south in general are very hot, but the humidity makes it possible to live and wander in wonderful places even in summer. Beijing is in the north and it's hot as hell in August. There is not even heating in Beijing, since it is warm there until December, and winter is short - literally 2 months.

Organizational matters

Air travel

You can fly, this is the main thing:) I flew with Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines and Emirates airlines in the directions: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong. The prices are usually the cheapest at the time of the trip, and it is about $ 1,000 per person in both directions. Prices can vary greatly from travel time and how far in advance you buy your tickets.

Flights across China are not cheap. Beijing - Lhasa (Tibet) - 800 dollars, Lhasa - Chengdu - 500 dollars, Shanghai - Guangzhou - 300 dollars, Beijing - Guangzhou - from about 200 dollars. You can also travel around the country by train. For example, a regular train ticket from Hong Kong to Guangzhou costs 150 yuan (about $ 25), from Chengdu to Gui Ling a reserved seat will cost $ 100.

Where to buy tickets

I use Expedia most often, but there are many other services for finding flights as well. Train tickets can be bought locally. I recommend not ordering any kind of transfers via the Internet. It is much easier to ride local taxis on the meter. For example, I once paid for an online transfer from a hotel in Guangzhou to the train station for $ 30, but in fact it cost $ 4 in a taxi. Transfer in Guangzhou from the hotel to the airport for 6 people cost 400 RMB (about $ 67).

Visa

I only apply for a visa through agencies. The cost of a monthly tourist visa is $ 180 per person. In Hong Kong, citizens of Ukraine and Russia are allowed a 14-day stay without a visa. More information about visas can be obtained or at.

Insurance

I am sure 100% is needed for any traveler to protect themselves from stress and unnecessary waste on medications. The cost of insurance for a month is $ 70. The medicine itself in China is different from ours, since it is not aimed at treating diseases, but at supporting the body, which itself fights against the disease. There is one story on this score - Mao Zedong gathered all the martial arts masters and said: "I cannot provide hospitals for the whole of China, but I need a healthy and strong nation." In response, health-improving gymnastics was invented. It is common to see hundreds of people practicing Tai Dzu in the parks.

Medical training

Many argue that there can be acclimatization, but I had it only once, and one day the temperature was 38, 6. I am posting photos of medicines for acclimatization on herbs.

In any case, you need to take antibiotics with you, as Chinese medicines work differently. As I just mentioned, Chinese pills work slowly, as if helping the body to cope with the disease itself.

Which region to go to

Beijing

It is easy to fly to Beijing any time of the year, staying from $ 40 in a small hotel near Tiananmen Square and a huge park nearby, dedicated to the Temple of Heaven. Nearby is the Pearl Market, where it is always interesting to delve into in search of electronics, jewelry, bags, etc. Bargaining is appropriate - divide all prices by at least 4.

Another option is to settle in the area of the Yabaolu Wholesale Quarter. There are thousands of stores targeting wholesale buyers from the CIS. I once lived in a 4-star Ritan international hotel right in the Jitan shopping mall. It was interesting to combine shopping, work and life. The internet was fast enough for webcasting. The rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city. The price at the hotel counter is $ 180 a night with breakfast. The area is full of Russian restaurants with familiar food.

While in Beijing, it is worth seeing the Great Wall of China, the Emperor's Palace, the Temple of Heaven (Thin Than), taking the subway, walking through the wholesale markets. I was safe everywhere.

South of the country

When traveling in China, you should definitely live in the south of China, this will greatly change your overall impression of the country. You can live in a small city with a population of one million Gui Ling or surrounded by shaggy mountains - the city of Yang Shuo. Everywhere in southern China it is humid, warm and full of juicy mangoes. A huge number of routes begin from there. You can visit the caves and rivers under the mountains, climb a waterfall, swim on the river, visit tea plantations and buy the best pu-erh in the world. And after lunch, for example, work in a hotel. Time with Kiev differs by 5 hours, with Moscow - by 4, so you have a head start. Accommodation prices in Gui Ling are lower than in Beijing. You can live in decent hotels from $ 50. I am sure you can find it cheaper.

Sichuan province

It is worth going to live for a while in Sichuan province, in the city of Chengdu. Huge metropolis with skyscrapers. You can live in a hotel in the center from $ 70 with breakfast and Wi-Fi. The food here is quite spicy due to the excessive humidity. It is worth seeing the reserve with pandas (Panda - Xiong Mao, literally bear-cat in Chinese). By the way, this is one of the few places on earth where you can see pandas live. Another must-see is the park with the tomb of Jughelyan, the outstanding hero of China, usually depicted with the Halberd. In general, it is worth considering Chengdu as a temporary place due to the high humidity and lack of direct sunlight.

Guangzhou is an industrial city. I would call it an exhibition plant. I do not recommend to live in this city for a long time and to stay. The sun and stars do not appear in the sky, as smog hangs over the city. For all the beauty of the parks and the modernity of many areas, especially the central ones, there are no birds in the city.

Hong Kong

Mandatory travel point. I recommend everyone to live there for a while. Feel the full nightlife, street discos, the roar of Ferrari and Lamborghini on the streets of the city, etc. Life can be expensive and very expensive:)

Central hotels are a combination of miniature and sadism over guests, but tolerant. There is fast internet, Youtube, Facebook. The city strongly motivates to live and create. An ideal place to find the most unusual acquaintances in the field of financial tycoons, startups and other unrecognized geniuses. There are many beautiful women of Asian-European style. Everyone speaks English, which is great after mainland China.

Search for accommodation

I used Booking, Expedia and Chinese friends, which in the end was always more profitable and cheaper. So look for friends in China. If you are going to stay in one place for a long time, you can rent an apartment. For example, in Guangzhou, my friends rent an apartment in the center, right next to the 4 Seasons Hotel. Cost - $ 1,500 for 2 rooms in a large residential complex with a swimming pool, gym, courts and a closed area. The apartment is spacious, but the renovation is simple. I am sure that, having set a goal, you can find housing of any format.

Nutrition

The main difference in nutrition in different parts of China is related to the spiciness of the dishes. From insanely spicy to completely normal. I recommend eating at local Chinese restaurants and even eateries from our point of view. European restaurants are often guilty of food quality and prices are very high. In Hong Kong, breakfast for 10 people in a European restaurant cost about $ 300, but you could have a snack at local Chinese eateries for $ 70 for the same company. On the mainland, a full table of food for 10 people in a decent restaurant cost 400 - 600 yuan (up to $ 100). The main rule is the following - if the restaurant is full of Chinese, then it is delicious there. Prices can vary a lot, but food is cheap in China.

Since I mainly traveled in a large company, we always ordered many different dishes on the table. This is where the food tradition is slightly different from ours. You do not order a portion for yourself, but you take many different dishes on the table. For example, the most delicious ones are egg with tomato, squid in sweet and sour sauce, baozi (steamed dumplings), wood mushrooms, fried rice, pork in sweet and sour sauce (Tkhen Tsuan Miracle), all kinds of vegetables with sauces.

There are several trusted chain restaurants around the country with Muslim cuisine. Highly recommend the noodles they make by hand in front of you.

Tea is usually served at the table as soon as we have water. Nobody drinks coffee. It can be found either in a hotel or in European restaurants. I recommend visiting local tea shops in any city in China and trying their tea. Often you will go out shopping, but it's worth it.

Prices

$ 100 is approximately 615 yuan. The price of a can of cola is 3 yuan, a plate of rice is 5 yuan, a taxi is 4 yuan per 1 km, copies of branded dresses are 150 - 300 yuan, normal hotels with Wi-Fi are from 250 yuan, the subway is 2 yuan, country - from 150 yuan. Card with local number and 400 minutes - 200 RMB ($ 25).

In total, a month of living in China will cost you if you live in hotels (approximately in dollars):

Expenditure item	Hong Kong	Beijing	Gui Ling	Sichuan province
Accommodation	3000	1500	1000	1500
Nutrition	600-1500	200-900	150-600	200-900
Transport	300	200	200	200
mobile connection	50	30	30	30
Total	3950-4850	1930-2630	1380-1830	1930-2630

Air flight - $ 1000, insurance - $ 70.

The minimum travel period is a month. You can stay longer if you wish.

As you can see, prices differ greatly from city and region, and if Hong Kong is too expensive for you, you can safely choose another place and go to Hong Kong for the weekend.

Important details

In China, there are three values that are difficult to understand for a person with a Slavic soul - China comes first among the Chinese, then the Chinese people, then the family. For the Chinese, the most important thing is work. The psychology of the whole country is connected with this conviction.
In China, access to Facebook and Youtube is limited (except Hong Kong). And also there are difficulties with high-speed Internet, even in big cities and expensive hotels. This fact needs to be given special attention when choosing a place to live.
In China, you shouldn't drive, but rather use public transport and taxis. The Chinese driving style is completely different. One of the vivid memories is a trip with one madman, during which we were driving only in the opposite direction. Imagine, he skips a turn, stops on the highway in the extreme lane and starts looking for a way out on the navigator, and the stream of cars bypasses him in a storm. And so everyone drives in China.
No English is spoken in China (except Hong Kong). To explain yourself somehow, you need to either buy a pocket translator, or make yourself Russian-speaking friends, or hire an interpreter, preferably from the CIS. Many Chinese translators understand Russian very poorly.

Regardless of which region and for what period you go to China, this country will not leave you indifferent.

I will go to China again soon, so see you somewhere there:)

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