Sapore di Cina

Learn Chinese, Travel or Work in China

Working as a Classical Dance Teacher in China – An Interview with Gessica

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Today we’re interviewing Gessica Cipriano, a classical dance teacher in Jishou, a city located in Hunan Province.

If you’d like to learn more about Gessica and her adventures in China, take a look at her YouTube channel.

Working in a Chinese university

Gessica, first of all thanks for agreeing to answer my questions. Many people ask us how to find a job in China, so let’s start there. How did you get them to take you on as a classical dance teacher at a Chinese university?

Since 2015 I traveled throughout the United States and a little bit in Germany to learn what type of work opportunities can be found abroad in my field, and I dreamed a lot about these two possible destinations. I never actually thought of China and knew nothing about it.

In Spring of 2017, the university’s own international office saw my professional profile online and contacted me about the classical dance teacher position that was open, asking me if I was interested in applying.

Originally I didn’t think I’d want to consider the offer, because even though I’m inclined to traveling and moving around, I never considered Asia, other than a far off fantasy of Japan, but only as a tourist.

However I believe that China literally “called” me in some inexplicable metaphysical way, because, despite my rational side’s unwillingness to accept the idea, my subconscious began suddenly experiencing sleepless nights, almost unwitting daydreams and fantasies about this far off and mysterious world.

So, during yet another sleepless night, I started looking online for more information about this University, in Jishou in Hunan Province. There wasn’t much information available, but despite that I decided to start the application process. [Read more…]

Traveling to Ha Long Bay, an Earthly Paradise (Under Touristic Assault)

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Traveling to Ha Long Bay

In these articles I will bring you to discover Ha Long Bay, one of the 7 wonders of the natural world!

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. Known for its emerald waters reflecting millions of limestone rocks and islets that shoot up from the water, the bay recreates an almost surreal and mythical scene.

Many of these rocky formations are islands where nature provides a true spectacle: jungle, caves and vast marine and animal biodiversity.

How to get to Ha Long Bay?

The bay is located in the northeast of Vietnam, in the Gulf of Tonkin, off of the provincial capital of Ha Long, a few kilometers from the Chinese border.

To visit the bay you can stay in Ha Long City or get there from Hanoi.

From Hanoi

Hanoi is located 165 kilometers from the bay and in 4 hours you should get to your destination. There are various ways for getting from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay; for sure the most comfortable way is by bus, which you can also book directly at your hotel, or the minibus, a comfortable option that comes right to your accommodations.

You could also opt for a private car and driver. This last option is certainly not as cheap compared to the previous choices. [Read more…]

Capital Requirements for Establishing a WFOE in China

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Capital Requirements for Establishing a WFOE in China

This article describes the WFOE capital requirements involved when setting-up a Wholly Foreign Owned Entity in China.

Capital Requirements for a WFOE – Index

  1. What is the current WFOE capital requirements regulation?
  2. How to inject capital into a WFOE?
  3. What is the capital requirement time frame?
  4. How to change a WFOE’s capital level?
  5. How to calculate a WFOE’s capital requirements?
  6. How to modify a WFOE’s capital requirements?
  7. Author info: FDI China
  8. Get a free quotation for starting your WFOE in China

What is the current WFOE capital requirement regulation in China?

Chinese government reconsidered the WFOE capital requirements in China, which had been hardly restricted. A quick overview of the relevant changes can be found in this article. [Read more…]

How to Study Chinese in Shanghai

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study chinese shanghaiFudan University

Before you begin

Are you thinking about studying Mandarin in Shanghai but you aren’t quite sure whether it is the right city for you or not?

Conversely, are you already living in Shanghai and would like to start taking Chinese classes but you don’t know what school to choose?

In this article you’ll find:

  • The pros and cons of studying Chinese in Shanghai
  • The best universities for studying Chinese in Shanghai
  • A short list of private schools for studying Chinese in Shanghai

P.s. If you’re interested in a more general overview of studying Chinese in China, such as the difference between studying Mandarin at a university or a private school, click here.

Study Chinese in Shanghai – Index

  1. The cons of studying Mandarin in Shanghai
  2. The pros of studying Mandarin in Shanghai
  3. Private Schools in Shanghai
  4. Universities for studying Chinese in Shanghai

[Read more…]

Enrollment Procedures for the Chinese Exams HSK, HSKK, BTC and YCT

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Chinese exams registration procedure

The first step for enrolling in all exams: Create an account on www.chinesetest.cn

The first thing you have to do is go to the site www.chinesetest.cn; if you’ve never studied Chinese, look at the highest point on the top right of the page and you’ll see a listing of all available languages (简体中文 | English | 日本語 | 한국어 | Français | Русский | Español), from which you can choose the language that works best for you. For explanations, I will use the command terms in Chinese.

Once you’ve chosen your language, you must create an account by clicking on the blue rectangle with the writing 注册 (registration, see the photo at the beginning of this article).

You’ll then see a form 用户注册 (user registration, see the figure below) to fill out. The writing in parentheses in the middle (以下带*表示必填项) indicates that everything that has an asterisk (*) must be filled out. [Read more…]

6 Reasons to Not Use a Free VPN Service

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free VPN

During the past years, I have written several articles on VPNs and one of the most common things people ask me is:

I found this free VPN. What do you think of it?

So, this article is especially dedicated to those people. In it, I expose 6 reasons why you should avoid using a free VPN:

You can click here to read our comparative review of the VPNs that we currently recommend.
[Read more…]

Where to Study Chinese in Beijing – Best Private Schools and Universities

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Study Chinese in BeijingPeking University (Beida)

Before you begin

If you are planning to study Mandarin Chinese in China, you probably thought about coming to Beijing. The goal of this article is to help you to understand whether Beijing is the right destination for you or not. You’ll find out:

  • The pros and cons of studying Chinese in Beijing.
  • The best universities for studying Chinese in Beijing.
  • A short list of well-known agencies and private schools for studying Chinese in Beijing (under construction).

If you’re interested in a more general overview, you can read Studying Chinese in China: What’s the best choice for you?

Study Chinese in Beijing – Index

  1. The pros of studying Mandarin Chinese in Beijing
  2. The cons of studying Mandarin Chinese in Beijing
  3. Private Schools in Beijing
  4. Universities for studying Chinese in Beijing
  5. Find a school and move to Beijing with the help of an agency

[Read more…]

Review of TunnelBear – The Best Free VPN for China

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review tunnelbear VPN

TunnelBear is without a doubt one of the best free VPNs on the market. It’s a secure VPN with a clear privacy policy that doesn’t put ads or malware on your devices (which is very common among other free VPNs).

However, if you want a VPN with good performance in China or to get around geographic restrictions (for example, to watch Netflix), we recommend that you choose one of the premium VPNs that we recommend in this article on the best VPNs for China (updated monthly).

Features

Encryption protocols: OpenVPN, IPSec/IKEv2

Simultaneous connections: 5 connections

Server count and location: Servers in 20 countries

Server changes: Unlimited

[Read more…]

A visit to the Unit 731 Museum in Harbin

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Harbin Museum Unit 731

It’s about ten in the morning when we leave our hotel in the center of Harbin and we quickly hurry towards the closest bus stop looking for bus number 338 which, according to the tourist map taken from a hotel near the station the night before should bring us to the Unit 731 Museum.

“If we’re lucky it will pass right by here” – I think – while little by little along with my wife Yan, we cross the street and check an information board that immediately dashes my hopes.

We look around for someone who can give us directions and the most trustworthy person we find seems to be a young man with headphones and an iPhone who I presume was listening to music.

I go up to him and in my broken Chinese I ask if he knows the closest stop on our bus route. He doesn’t know but is very helpful, and after a quick check on his cell phone he completely ignores me and gives my wife directions.

“It’s about 20 minutes from here” – Yan explains to me in English (we speak English among ourselves for more complex matters and Chinese for simpler ones) – “but once we reach a certain intersection we’ll have to ask someone.”

“Great!” – I think while we walk in the way we were directed. [Read more…]

Study Chinese in China in a Private School or University – The Guide

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Study Chinese in China

Before you begin

This article is a general overview of the different options that you have for studying Mandarin Chinese in China. I’ll discuss the pros and cons of every option and suggest the one that best suits you according to your level, expectations, occupation and budget.

P.S.: If you’re interested on studying in a specific city, click here to find the list of cities that we have already published a specific guide.

Study Chinese in China – Index

  1. Study Chinese in a private school
  2. What private cchools do you recommend?
  3. Study Chinese at the university
  4. Do an internship in China
  5. Get a private Chinese tutor
  6. Guides to study Chinese in the main Chinese cities
  7. Frequently asked questions

[Read more…]

Karaoke (or KTV) in China Singing or Sex Club?

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KTV in China

I wrote this short story in 2011. It was firstly published in another website, but the website closed down last year, so we decided to republish the story here on SDC, as we think it’s still interesting, and relevant!

A nice encounter

Muse Club, Shanghai, almost one a.m.

I’m more bored than ever and I decide to contact a girl from Anhui province that I met two days ago on the pedestrian bridge at the intersection between Yan An Road and Xi Zang Road. I send her a text message:

“我在Muse, 你干什么?” (I’m at Muse, what are you doing?)

She answers:

“我在KTV工作.你们几个人?” (I’m working at the karaoke. How many of you?)

“我一个人，你要来吗?”　(I’m alone, wanna come?)

“和你聊天跳舞，你给我钱吗?” (If I talk and dance with you, will you pay me?)

“Oh shit, another prostitute!” I think while I give up and order a Carlsberg. [Read more…]

How to Book a Hotel (or Hostel) in China

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hotels china

How to Book a Hotel (or Hostel) in China – Index

  1. What online portal do you have to use to book a hotel in China?
  2. How to get a hotel booking valid for the visa application process?
  3. What type of hotel should I choose?
  4. Internet connection in Chinese hotels
  5. Where to book your hotel
  6. Are Chinese hotels safe?
  7. The best hotels in the top Chinese cities
  8. The best hotels in other popular Chinese cities
  9. The best hotels for your Transsiberian trip
  10. Frequently asked questions

Before you begin

The purpose of this guide is to show you how and where to book a hotel in China. If you’re interested on booking a hotel in a specific Chinese city, you can head directly to our hotel reviews.

Before going on, you need to be aware of these points:

  • Chinese hotels must register all of their customers with the police station. So, you will always have to show your passport when you arrive at the hotel.
  • Not all hotels in China have a license to lodge foreigners. Because of this, I recommend that you make a reservation in advance and avoid having to try several hotels before you find one that you can stay at.
  • In order to obtain a tourist visa for China, remember that you’ll need an invoice of the hotel/hotels with the full name of all the people that will stay at the hotel and need a visa as well (unless you have a letter of invitation). Below, in this article, we explain how to get this document.

[Read more…]

Tibet Tours and Everest Base Camp Tours – Tips and Agencies

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Tour in Tibet

Tours to Tibet and the Everest Base Camp – Index

  1. What documents you need to visit Tibet
  2. What kind of agency you should choose in order to travel to Tibet
  3. The differences between a private and a group tour
  4. The best time period to visit Tibet
  5. The most popular Tibet tours and how many days you’ll need
  6. How to minimize altitude sickness
  7. Frequently asked questions
  8. Need a travel agency? Ask a free quotation

Before you begin

I took a Tibet tour in 2010, so most of what you’ll read on this page comes from personal experience. First of all, though I started my article on Beijing Tours explaining in which cases you should take a tour and in which cases you shouldn’t take a tour to Beijing, when it comes to Tibet, things are different. Why?

Because nowadays if you want to visit Tibet, you need a “Tibet Entry Permit” and only a licensed travel agency can provide you with it. Also, you aren’t allowed to travel by yourself in Tibet: you need a travel guide. Therefore, the only way to legally travel to Tibet is to join a tour with a licensed travel agency.

If you’ve already decided to book a Tibet tour but you aren’t sure what travel agency to choose, we can suggest a reliable agency to you Click here to contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

[Read more…]

Traveling to the Autonomous County of Tujia and Miao of Youyang, near Chongqing

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Traveling to Youyang

Located to the southeast of the Municipality of Chongqing, the most extensive and populated of the four Chinese municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing), the autonomous county of Tujia and Miao of Youyang (酉阳土家族苗族自治县) is the largest county of the Municipality.

Called Youzhou in ancient times, Youyang represents a real cultural cradle for the 18 ethnic minorities that live there. Among these, the most consistent is the Tujia ethnic minority (whose history might go back to the Ba people who occupied the area of the modern province of Chongqing about 2,500 years ago), followed then by the Miao, Han, Hui, and other ethnic minorities.

Without a doubt the crown jewel of this county is Taohuayuan, 桃花源, or “The peach blossom spring”, a scenic area that got the highest rating of 5A (AAAAA).

How to get to Youyang

There are two main ways to get to Youyang, both starting from Chongqing: the first is to take the train from the north station of Chongqing (Chongqing Beizhan, 重庆北站) and the second is to take a bus from the west station in Chongqing (Chongqing Xizhan Qichezhan, 重庆西站汽车站). [Read more…]

Crossing the Border of China and Vietnam on Foot (Hekou – Lao Cai)

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Crossing the border of China and Vietnam on foot

In this article I’ll tell of how you can get to the Vietnamese city of Lao Cai on foot, crossing the border at the Chinese city of Hekou, focusing on my personal experience and my feelings on the day I crossed. I hope that by reading this article you’ll want to travel slowly and lose yourself in the magic of the borders!

Who knows what shape borders will take over time, whether they will increase or disappear to allow people to get around without too many problems. I always imagine them to be impervious and silent places, where the sound of the wind and some stationary soldier accompanies the rivers and mountains, and where you can meet intrepid travelers.

But my imagination was for the most part influenced by the ancient prose of explorers and travelers who passed through these areas.

Then my imagination met reality, and the rivers and mountains took the form of runways and dusty desks, the sound of the wind became a speaker that reminds you to take your passport out and stay in line. And it’s like this that the majority of us see borders in airports, never having crossed a border by land. [Read more…]

How to Choose Your Travel Insurance for China (and why you need it)

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health insurance in china

Note: If you are only interested on getting a free quotation for a travel agency, then we recommend World Nomads (click here to get your free quotation).

Travel Insurance for China – Index

  1. Why do I need an health insurance when I travel to China?
  2. Hospitals in China
  3. Privacy at the hospital in China
  4. What insurance do we recommend?
  5. What should a good insurance cover?
  6. What should I do when I need medical assistance?
  7. Frequently asked questions

When I decided to go to China for the first time, finding an affordable and comprehensive health insurance was one of my first concerns, as I knew that, while in my country I was covered by the welfare system, in China I was on my own. This also applies for short-term travelers: unless you have international insurance, you won’t be covered while traveling around Asia.

Why do I need an health insurance when I travel to China?

Health insurance isn’t compulsory when you travel, so you can still go to Asia without any insurance and hope to never get sick, have an accident, lose your luggage or having your flight canceled by a storm.

However I won’t do it myself. It’s too risky. Especially when you consider that a good travel insurance only costs you a couple of USD per day.

Chinese hospitals are business oriented and they won’t help you unless you can pay cash in advance or they can verify that you’re covered by an adequate medical insurance.

I repeat, if you can’t pay nobody will help you. Also, the international hospitals in China (where doctors and nurses can speak English) are often more expensive than hospitals in the U.S.

I’ve heard plenty of horror stories of western tourists or expats that were left to die or lose a foot in an Asian hospital because, after being a victim of an accident or bad food poisoning, they didn’t have insurance or enough cash to pay for the emergency treatments they needed. Can you afford to pay 5,000 or 10,000 USD cash? [Read more…]

International Moving Companies for China

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Moving Companies for China

In this article we will explain how to choose a moving company for sending your goods to Asia (if you are moving there) or from Asia (if you are planning to leave Asia soon).

P.s. Click here to get up to 5 free quotes from trusted moving companies chosen by our moving service partner.

International Moving Companies for China – Index

  1. How to find an honest moving company
  2. How much do international moving services to – and from – China cost?
  3. What are relocation services?
  4. How do a relocation agency differs from a moving company?
  5. Get up to 5 free quotes from trusted removal companies

How to find an honest moving company

Since China is a difficult destination that is nonetheless getting more and more attractive to professionals every day, the demand for this type of services has grown quite a bit. Because of this, in the past years, there are a lot of moving companies that target “China expats”, many of which are of doubtful quality or even fraudulent.

There is no sure way to know if a company is professional or not. Personally, I would suggest the following: [Read more…]

The Meaning of Colors in China

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The meaning of colors in China

In both tradition and everyday life in China, each color has specific sensations and messages associated with it, as happens in every culture; at times there are rather “literal” and universal meanings, other times they’re exclusive to the charming and “strange” (for us) Chinese culture.

Three colors are particularly interesting: red, which could be considered the Chinese national color, and the pairing of black and white, which makes one of the most well-known symbols in Chinese cultures, the Dao.

What meaning do these (and other colors) have for the Chinese? We’ll try to understand it by means of the language – with proverbs and expressions as well as common and rarer more poetic uses.

Red: Luck, business, weddings

Red, almost always written with the character 红 (hóng), and even rarely with 赤 (chì) and 朱 (zhū), is a color that’s particularly dear to the Chinese and is mainly tied to good things and holidays: for the rest of us, we too have our “red days” on the calendar… an expression born from the color that differentiates holidays from “normal” ones. [Read more…]

Traveling Along the Mekong Delta in Vietnam

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Traveling along the Mekong Delta

The eleventh longest river in the world, and one of the longest in all of Asia, the Mekong is certainly the most important in ex Indochina. The famous river starts in Tibet and, after crossing more than 4,000 kilometers through six countries – China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, it empties into the South China Sea.

The Mekong is called “Cuu Long Ciang” by the Vietnamese, or the “River of the Nine Dragons”, a definition of the eight estuaries of its delta. After doing some reading, I discovered that the number eight is an unlucky number in Vietnam, and for this reason a dragon was added to its definition.

The dragon, a mythological creature that’s revered in Vietnam, symbolizes size and strength; in this area the watercourses are an important source of life, both for transporting merchandise of all types and for agriculture. For this reason the river is likened to a dragon. [Read more…]