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From Italy to Mongolia in a Fiat Panda

April 25, 2019 by Sapore di Cina 3 Comments

From Italy to MongoliaThe heroine of this adventure.

Today we republish this old, great interview!

Pietro contacted me a couple of weeks ago because he’s playing with the idea of moving to China. In one of the emails that we exchanged he told me that last year he traveled from Italy to Mongolia by Fiat Panda.

Wait, wait…

…in Mongolia with a Panda?

I got curious and asked him some more questions. He even wrote a short book about its adventure (you can download the pdf of the book here but is only in Italian).

This interview is the result of our discussion (don’t blame Pietro for the English, I translated from Italian both my question and his answers). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Travel in China

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How to Teach English in China as a Non-Native Speaker – An Interview With Luca

April 19, 2019 by Sapore di Cina 22 Comments

teach english in china for no native speakers

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Today we’re interviewing Luca Stanga, who has a rather interesting story to tell us since he teaches English in China on a work visa, which shows that such an objective is not impossible for those who aren’t born into an English-speaking country so long as they have the right skills!

Luca, what work do you do in China and when did you get there?

I work at an English private school for children in Xi’an. The school is a franchise run by the company Education First. I work in the afternoons and on weekends since in the mornings the students attend public school. My work can be subdivided into three areas: lesson planning, teaching and extra activities to promote the institute.

Planning lessons takes time and imagination, but supplementary material is provided and you can always ask for advice from colleagues or the director of studies. There are about 12 to 14 students in a class, and in my case, the ages vary between 3 and 10 years old. Since the students are so young, each class is assigned a Chinese national teacher who gives support.

I’ve been working here for six months and am very happy with the professional experience that I’m developing, also thanks to the fact both the director and vice-director are professionals in their field and know their trade well. My contract expires in September but I’m thinking about signing on for another year because there are many elements of this company that I consider to be positive.

How did you find this job, and what is your educational background? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Interviews, Work in China Tagged With: Work in China

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

November 22, 2018 by Sapore di Cina Leave a Comment

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…]

Filed Under: Interviews, Work in China Tagged With: Work in China

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Teaching Physical Education in Shenzhen, China: Interview with Claudio Piani

April 20, 2018 by Sapore di Cina 2 Comments

Teaching physical education in Shenzhen, China

Today we’ll interview Claudio Piani, who teaches physical education in the city of Shenzhen. You can follow Claudio’s adventures on his blog, Piani per la Cina (?).

If you’re interested in finding a job in China as a teacher (not just for physical education) I think you’ll find this interview extremely interesting!

Finding work in China as a teacher

Claudio, first of all thanks for agreeing to respond to my questions. Let’s get started right away: what gave you the idea to move to and work in China?

Hello to all the readers of “Taste of China” and thank you Furio for this motivating interview. I came up with the idea of moving to China to work about two years ago for various reasons. In 2014 I resigned from my job as a sporting operator in Milan to take an overland trip through Asia and Oceania.

The “pilgrimage” unexpectedly lasted for more than two years, in which I had the good fortune to cross China twice, first from north to south (Autumn 2014) and then from West to East (Summer 2016), causing me to fall in love with it.

It was actually during this period that I got the idea to move there to work, supported in part by the Chinese passion for basketball, the sport I taught in Italy.

How did you find a job? Did you use a specific website? An agency? Personal contacts? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Interviews, Work in China Tagged With: Work in China

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Expat Psychology: Interview with Paula

January 18, 2016 by Sapore di Cina Leave a Comment

expat  phycology

In today’s interview, we chat with Paula Vexlir, a clinical psychologist and founder of the website ExpatPsi, an online platform for psychological support and information for Spanish-speaking expats.

What is ExpatPsi?

Hi Paula, thank you for accepting to do this interview. Can you explain to our readers a bit about what  ExpatPsi is and the services you offer?

Thank you for inviting me. ExpatPsi was the result of many years of work helping expats and immigrants. I am a clinical psychologist and around 2002, I started to specialize in this field. I started to notice issues that repeated and faced with the lack of literature on the subject, I began research to evaluate the differences in the immigration of Spanish speakers.

ExpatPsi has three important aspects. One is its online psychology sessions so that people living outside of their country of origin can access a space in their native language with someone who understands their specific problem well. The second is a blog on which I share information, tools, theories, etc. with the end goal of helping through preventative care. Last of all, this year I also started to create courses and books to be able to help more people.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Interviews, Live in China Tagged With: Travel in China

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Start a business in China: Interview with Wei Hsu of INS Global Consulting

November 2, 2015 by Sapore di Cina 1 Comment

start a business in china

Today we interview Wei Hsu, Managing Director of INS Global Consulting, a Shanghai-based firm that helps foreign companies and individuals to develop their business in China, handle Visa procedures, payroll management, recruitment and much more.

In this interview, we’ll focus on what you need to know in order to start a business in China.

Wei, first of all, thank you for accepting this interview. If you want to operate in China, you need a legal entity. What is the difference between the most common types of legal entities in China, Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise (WFOE), Joint-Venture (JV) and Representative Office (RO)?

A WFOE can be owned by foreign parties or offshore companies. It is an independent legal structure that offers a control of operations and a physical presence. You are the sole investor of the company so costs are not shared with your Chinese partner like in a JV. However, as an owner, you are able to choose a business strategy and are responsible for the processing of sales, the local logistics and management of staff.

There is also an important fact to take into consideration: it is not possible to set up a WFOE in every sector. The Foreign Investment Catalogue provided by the Chinese Government lists all restricted sectors as well as those for which investment is encouraged, prohibited or simply permitted.

A JV can exist in two forms: the Equity Joint Venture (EJV) where profits are proportionate to each partner‘s shares and the Cooperative Joint Venture (CJV) where profits are allocated according to the terms of the venture contract. A JV is usually considered with a local company having a complementary commercial and technical know-how. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business in Asia, Interviews Tagged With: Business with China, Work in China

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Living in rural ethnic China: Interview with Gaetan of Traval Cathay

July 16, 2015 by Sapore di Cina Leave a Comment

inthestreetsoflushiIn the streets of Lushi

Today we’ll discuss with Gaetan Green, the founder of Travel Cathay, a website dedicated to the off-the-beaten path places in China. If you’re interested on travel tips, history and traditions of Chinese remote areas, I advice you to check Gaetan’s website!

Gaetan, first of all thank for accepting to talk with me. When and why you ended up in China?

Thank you for having me on Sapore di Cina.

Well, I ended up in China during my first trip around the world in 2001. After traveling for three months through the country, I decided to come back for more. Once back home, I decided to study Chinese at university and then moved to Chongqing to deepen my knowledge of language in 2003. I lived in China on and off since then. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Interviews, Travel around China Tagged With: Travel in China, Yunnan

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Life on Nanchang Lu, Shanghai – Interview with Fiona Reilly

November 24, 2014 by Sapore di Cina Leave a Comment

Interview with Fiona Reilly

Today I’ve the honor to interview Fiona, the soul of Life on Nanchang Lu, the place where you shall go if you want to learn more about food – especially street food, – in Shanghai.

Food

Fiona, you define yourself as a Foodie, Writer, Photographer and Expert dumpling taster. I want to start with the most important question: What is, in your opinion, the best dumpling’s fanguanr of Shanghai?

I have a soft spot for The Humble Room at 601 Nanchang Lu. Now it’s opposite the bright and shiny IAPM Mall so it looks even more humble, but it has some of the very tastiest (and cheapest) xiaolongbao in the city.

In your series about Shanghai Street Food, you list 36 different kind of street foods. Let’s say I’m in Shanghai only for a day and my goal is to learn as much as I can about the topic. Where should I go and what would you suggest me to taste?

The great thing about street food is that you can begin your education at any time of day! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Asian Food, Interviews Tagged With: Shanghai, Travel in China

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Living in Xinjiang: Interview with Josh, founder of FarWestChina

July 21, 2014 by Sapore di Cina Leave a Comment

Farwest China

Today we’re going to talk with Josh Summers, the founder of Far West China, as far as I know the best website dedicated to Xinjiang, one of less known and most beautiful provinces of China.

Josh, thank you for accepting to answer to some questions for SDC. You arrived in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, in 2006. How did you end up there?

My pleasure! I’m honored to chat. Our arrival in Xinjiang back in 2006 is a long story that can be summed up in pretty much one word: “accident”. Seriously, who in their right mind travels halfway across the world to a place they can barely find on a map, much less properly pronounce? People who don’t know what they’re getting into, that’s who.

That’s not even the craziest part. Once we arrived in Urumqi in 2006 we only stayed there for two days. Our ultimate destination was Karamay, an even smaller and more remote town about four hours deep in the desert. We did it party out of a sense of adventure but mostly because a trusted friend convinced us it was a good idea. Ha! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Interviews, Travel around China Tagged With: Work in China, Xinjiang

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Enter the Mantis: Interview with Will, a traditional kung fu practitioner

June 16, 2014 by Cristiano Mei 2 Comments

traditional kungfu in China

My name is Cristiano and I’ve been living and working in China for ten years. In my spare time I love writing and outdoor exercise (PM 2.5 permitting).

I met Will Wain-Williams three years ago, and we immediately became friends. Will is a vigorous martial artist, as well as a tea expert. One of our favorite pastime was spending long hours sipping Chinese tea while discussing about travels or, sometimes, bitching about China.

Will runs Monkey Steals Peach, a website full of information on China, where he talks about his experience with traditional kung fu and his passion for Chinese tea.

Today, in this first article I publish for SDC, I’ll interview him. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Asian Society & History, Interviews Tagged With: Travel in China

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Discovering Taiwan: Interview with Teresa

April 7, 2014 by Sapore di Cina Leave a Comment

Live in Taipei

Today we discuss with Teresa Pisanò who, after living for five years in Shanghai, in 2011 moved to Taipei, where she still lives.

Teresa, you told me that you studied at the Department of Oriental Language and Culture of University of Venice, which I believe is the most prestigious department in Italy, when it comes down to Oriental languages. I know it because I receive many inquires from students of Chinese language that would like to move to China but don’t know how to realize their dream. When did you arrive to China and, most important, how were you able to arrive to China and stay here five years?

The first time I went to China was in 2001. I was doing an internship at Beijing Languages and Culture University and, during that period, I spent some days in Shanghai. I liked Shanghai so much that in 2004 I decided to go back with my husband, that at the time was my boyfriend. We arrived without a job, without a place where to stay and without a return ticket. I guess we were lucky because in a few time we were able to make new friends, find an apartment and even a job. Personally I’ve worked in a architectural firm and, later, as a language teacher. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Interviews, Taiwan ROC Tagged With: Shanghai, Taipei, Taiwan ROC

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Interview to Marta, who is 16 years old and is studying in a Chinese high-school

December 10, 2012 by Sapore di Cina 7 Comments

study in a chinese highschoolAt the Chinese Great Wall (Marta is on the right side, in the foreground).

Anatomy of an interview

At the end of November I received the following email:

Hey,

I’m Marta, I’m almost seventeen and this year I live in Nanjing, I study in a Chinese high-school, I have a Chinese mom and sister (I mean, they host me at their house), I live the life and follow the rules of a traditional Chinese adolescent.

When I arrived here I thought that I knew everything about China. But after only a week I understood how wrong I was.

So I began to read a lot, till I also found your blog. Now I’m trying to open myself to all these new experiences and forget what I knew about China from Italy.

My answer was quite predictable: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Interviews, Live in China Tagged With: Travel in China

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