So I brought my wife to the US about a year ago and it's been very hard having her adjust. We met and have been together in China for a few years before moving to the US. But now she adamantly wants to move back to China and I kinda get it...

We've been dealing with life in the US being:

• Not convenient.
• No feeling of safety.
• No feeling of warmth or 烟火气.
• Everything is expensive.
• Service sucks and is slow.

Basically all the things that other Chinese in the US have a hard timing adjusting too. Funny because I grew up with all this and I'm used to it. But it's been a reverse culture shock for me seeing it through her own eyes.

And it's the little, cute tangibles and intangibles that are pervasive everywhere in a Chinese city that is really non-existent in a typical US suburban town.

I'm also a second gen Chinese American (ABC) with family ties to HK and Taiwan. But she doesn't really get along well with these types of Chinese I grew up with. And it's really opened my eyes as to how different Chinese people can be whether they're from the mainland, HK, or Taiwan. The Chinese diaspora truly is diverse and complex. I took her to Chinatown a few times and she felt the local Chinatown folks (whom are mainly canto) just felt rude and impatient. Huge contrast to the friendliness of folks in the mainland.

She also hasn't found the "right" Chinese friends here either. To put it short, she just can't seem to find her people here despite their being tons of Chinese in the US. Also, most of the mainland Chinese, which are the types of Chinese she would find most solace in, our age live in the big cities which I really can't afford. Even if we look for the "cheaper" options in big cities it's just not safe, not convenient, nor the right environment for her. Makes you realize that even if you live in a very cheap apartment in China, you still don't need to worry about your safety and everything is still very accessible.

It also doesn't help seeing all the sh*tty news everyday of what goes on in the US. And unfortunately both media in China and the US enjoy sharing the negative stuff that happens in the US.

And then so, I've been reading up other reddit posts of this transition too and it's got me realizing that quality of life in China truly is better than that of the US. Like it seems it's alot harder for a Chinese to adjust in the US than for an American to adjust in China. It's made me almost sad and disappointed.

For full disclaimer, I'm ok with living in either country. Most likely we will move back very soon. But would love to hear if anyone had similar stories. Did you end up moving back to China and did it make your relationship happier? Or did you end up toughing it out in the US?

I'd like to purchase tickets through Trip.com app, but every time I try to pay using my CCB card, it gets rejected automatically. This is something I need to enable, apparently.

I KNOW there's a way to do this, as I found the screen once before... but I can't remember how to get there. Bank personnel were 0 help. Any ideas?

I’ve been offered a teaching job in Beijing, and the school wants me to enter on an L tourist visa, get my medical exam done there, and then apply for my work permit and work type residence permit without leaving China.

They say they’ve done this with other teachers and that the paperwork should take around 7 working days once my apostilled documents are ready. They also want me to start teaching before everything is finalized.

Is this actually a legitimate way to get a work permit in Beijing, or would I still need to leave China for a Z visa? Has anyone successfully done this recently? And if I start working before the paperwork is finished, what risks am I taking, especially if the school delays or never completes the process?

Hey everyone, I’m an American currently in Northeast China looking for an English teaching position that I can start ASAP.

I fucked up and told my current school during my medical exam that my labs might look a little funky because I’m a cancer survivor. I’m about seven years cancer-free now, fully recovered, and have a minimal risk of recurrence at this point. However, I also have low platelets related to a previous liver transplant, which was part of why I was worried about my bloodwork in the first place.

Anyway, about three hours after I disclosed my medical history, I got a text saying I was canned.

So now I’m in Northeast China, jobless, and trying to figure out my next move. The school has said they’ll still help me transfer my work visa once they finish the process and I find another job, so at least there’s that.

About me:

I’m an American citizen.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
I’ve completed my TEFL certificate.
I’m already in China and can interview immediately.
I’m open to teaching positions anywhere in China.
I have experience teaching chess to primary school students in the US.

Ideally, I’d like a job with housing provided, so I can just move in quickly as they are giving me a few weeks here before I need to leave. I’m flexible about location and open to different types English teaching positions.

If anyone knows of schools hiring ASAP, recruiters who might be able to help, or any leads at all, I’d really appreciate it. I’m hoping to find something quickly and get back on track.

Thanks, everyone. This whole situation has been pretty frustrating, and I’d be grateful for any help or advice!

Im an international student going to China for my undergrad, my eventual plan is going to Canada for my masters. I read that because beihang uni, Beijing uni, harbin institute, nanjing uni and northwestern polytechnical uni were affiliated with the Chinese military graduates from these universities more than often receive visa rejections from Canada/Usa, is that true?

Where can I get these flavoured cigarettes in Guangzhou? I tried a few supermarkets and they said they do not sell these and are likely a Beijing thing only. Or am I able to find these at the airport?

Might try taobao but it looks sketchy as hell

Just curious if anyone has any restaurant recommendations in Tianjin. Not necessarily just good food, but I'd be interested to know where I can find good authentic food representing the various cuisines of China. For example, is there an authentic Liaoning restaurant? Shanxi? Henan? etc etc

My parents will be visiting from the States in a few months. Step-mom is celiac (upset-stomach kind, not anaphylaxis.) From research, I have gathered the following:

• this is gonna be tough
• biggest contaminant risk is sauce thickeners
• most of the trip, thankfully, will be in areas that bode well for finding clearly-labelled GF food and restaurants (Shanghai and Beijing)
• allergen cards are a nice thought but can't be relied on

Tips/reccs/best practices/horror stories/etc. all welcome.

My mom sent me a surprise package from the USA, and its been MIA for 2 weeks.

I have a very large jewelry collection, most of which I left in the US when I moved to China. I haven't been back to the US since moving, but figured I would get it the next time I went back to visit. For my birthday, my mom sent me a package with all my jewelry through USPS. Didn't ask me, just did it. Tracking shows it arrived in China October 1st... and its just been sitting in customs, with no updates, for 2 weeks.

The thing is, that collection had a lot of gold, silver, precious stones, and heirlooms from my grandmother, great aunt and great grandmother. I can't get any updates about it from USPS, and my mother only had it insured for $200, when realistically its probably worth at least $3k, or more. What is the likelihood that I ever see my very valuable and sentimental collection of jewelry again?

140th China Import and Export Fair (the Canton Fair) in Guangzhou - a major international trade exhibition for sourcing Chinese products and meeting exporters, opens today, October 15, 2026, in Guangzhou, and runs through November 4.

Important for outsourcers, B2B, etc.

Beyond traditional manufacturing, this year's exhibition features service robots, smart wearables, AI translation devices, industrial automation, and intelligent manufacturing technologies.

Official site

How available are nicotine vapes?

My mother in law helped me ask CITIC and they told her I need 500k to 1m RMB in my account to get a credit card.

Is there another way? I cut my banking ties with my home country for tax / capital gains reasons and I’d like to use a get a new Mastercard.

I’m between HK and mainland and I need to spend lots of money per month for work which I mostly get reimbursed for, so I’d like to capitalize on the points.

Hello,

I'm going to Cambodia for 7 days and Vietnam for 15 days in November. I'm flying with Xiamen Airlines. The carry-on size limit is 50x40x20.

I was planning to bring a 40L carry-on backpack—either the Decathlon Forclaz Backpack or the Osprey Farview—but they're too thick, especially the Decathlon one.

Do you know if any of these bags will work, or do you have any other recommendations? Otherwise, I think I’ll have to check a bag...

Thanks for your help

Built a new PC all good so far except when I’m using my VPN to install things like Steam for example the Mbps on Astril will start off at 20-40 mbps per second and downloads fast then suddenly drops to less than 1.0mbps per second then it’ll switch off the install or update will get an error. Now it’s downloading exceptionally slow! Help now it’s showing this message!!!

I just downloaded Duolingo in China and soon figured out I can’t follow or be followed by anyone outside of China. But can you follow people within China? It looks like you need to put in their exact user name but even then the app doesn’t find anyone. Also I’m told there’s a button to see the feed of your friends achievements, but I can’t find it. Do you need friends before it appears? Or is the feed and following people just not a thing for mainland accounts?

Has China caught up to a better standard or best to do this procedure in Turkey?

Yoo, guys! Does anyone here have experience with Tsinghua University under Non-Degree undergraduate exchange? Please message me or comment in the chat. If someone has, I really need help with the course selection, since the course catalog is not published yet. I am saying this since I am in my application period. I will give more details privately!

Hello Everyone,

I'm 31 and would like to move to China for 1 year from Canada.

I've done some research on my own, but I need some help from people with recent experience.

I have a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science, and I've been working as a soccer coach for a few years now at the university varsity level, but also for development ages from 6-16 years old.

I've also been working as a substitute teacher in public schools for about a year now.

I've started my UEFA coaching licenses, and I'm a native English speaker; however, I don’t speak any Chinese.

I also have a 35kg Belgian Malinois, which I see is banned in most Chinese cities. I have the option to leave my dog with a family member (worst-case scenario)

I want to move because I see competitive salaries, and I've always wanted to live in China for a bit.

I plan to work as a gym teacher in an international school and, in the afternoons, find a job as a coach at a local soccer club.

I'm currently looking for jobs at eChinacities.com. Are there any alternatives to this website?

The pay I'm seeing for teachers ranges from 2.5k-5k USD per month. I'm looking for something closer to 4k USD and above.

Is this realistic? Any recommendations or advice from people in China or people who have done something similar are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I received a refund for a flight ticket into my Alipay account, but I can’t withdraw the money because I don’t have a Chinese bank card.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is there a legitimate way to transfer the balance to an international bank account or get the money refunded through another method?

I’m not based in China, so getting a Chinese bank card isn’t really an option for me.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Yesterday after playing badminton with some of my new friends we went out for dinner and drinks and I had trouble arranging a car for the next morning, and it was like an intercity 100 rmb on the green app 300 rmb on didi type car. He arranged one and this morning a very nice car comes to pick me up that I guarantee cost a bit of money. I am taking them to dinner on Saturday although he insists he treats me I'm planning on secretly getting the bill, but I don't know if I should send him a red packet on Whatsapp? He insisted on no repayment. He is also probably in his fourties and I am in my twenties if the age dynamic plays a role in the etiquette I should use.

Any insight appreciated, I hate being indebted to non banks but I don't want to seem transactional either.

Hi! I've been looking for a specific 3D printable mount for my GEPRC Vapor X5 drone, and I finally found exactly what I needed on MakerWorld China.

Unfortunately, I can't download it because the Chinese version requires an account, and I can't register without a Chinese phone number.

Would anyone with a MakerWorld China account be willing to download the STL or 3MF file for me?

I'd really appreciate the help. Thanks!

this is the link : https://makerworld.com.cn/zh/models/1742677-ge-pu-geprc-vapor-x-d5-wei-bu-tian-xian-zheng-he-z#profileId-1921182