Learn Chinese, Travel or Work in China
In this article, we will list several moving companies for sending your goods to Hong Kong (if you are moving there) or from Hong Kong (if you are planning to leave the country).
Also, via the form below you will be able to get up to 5 free quotes from trusted moving companies chosen by our moving service partner.
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Note: If you are only interested on getting a free quotation for a travel insurance, then we recommend World Nomads (click here to get your free quotation).
WeChat was launched by Tencent in 2011, one of China’s biggest IT companies. It initially started as a messaging app but has added many functions since and is now referred to as a “multi-purpose” app.
Being used by more than 1 billion people, it’s the third most downloaded application in the world, just behind Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. It’s kind of self-explanatory why this application deserves a spot on this list. [Read more…]
Sichuan cuisine is my favorite cuisine out of the eight ones of China not only because of my childhood but also because of the great taste and imagination. There is a famous description of Sichuan food: “one hundred dishes, one hundred flavors.”
Sichuan cuisine is featured by its unique cooking methods, adaption of spices and seasonings including fresh ones, pickled vegetables and dried goods. Now Sichuan dishes are enjoyed across the world. Today I’m going to introduce eight of the best dishes from Sichuan you can usually find in a real Sichuan style restaurant. [Read more…]
The price of flights varies in such a way that it often seems arbitrary. There are many studies that try to predict ticket price trends. Below, I detail some of the main conclusions of these studies, which will let you save money when purchasing plane tickets:
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August 8, seven in the morning.
The climate in Fushun is surreal: the heat is already crazy, the humidity through the roof. The sky is a patina halfway between gray and yellow; dust is everywhere. We’re ready for our day out. Destination: Benxi Shuidong, the most famous water caves of all Dongbei. One travels the Chinese way, with Chinese hours, Chinese travel companies, Chinese smells. And – naturally – Chinese harassment.
Waking up at dawn, I chugged a bag of milk (yes, here they’re sold in bags) and right away smoke a cigarette – Chinese as well. That most precious type of tobacco (to them), extremely heavy and smelly, is offered every three for two. The objective is quite clear in my mind: to shake the Calcutta inside my intestine to get me out of the house, and not in a Turkish-Chinese public. The objective soon achieved: twelve minutes on the can at home, half a kilo of jiaozi expelled and three flushes to get the toilet water clean.
Digression: I always wondered what the purpose of tap water is – in Fushun – it stinks like a horse. Even now I don’t have an answer. [Read more…]
Located in Zhejiang Province, southeast of the famous city of Nanjing, an ancient imperial city where even today you can admire its beauty and historic past, as well as the main city of Jiangsu Province (more specifically the eastern coast), Ningbo is one of the oldest cities in China and owns its fame mostly due to its port, which is among the most important and well-known.
In fact, after the First Opium War (1839-42), with a stipulation in the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842, it was listed among the five ports open to international commercial traffic. We also know that Ningbo has a history going back more than 2,000 years thanks to its frequent commercial exchanges along the Silk Road, which especially intensified during the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties.
According to recent statistics, the city of Ningbo stands out as 16th place on the national classification of the best economic cities list of 2018, and at the same time, it’s considered one of the 30 cities that have the highest rate of innovation and creativity.
“…it all started when the pig began to eat itself.”
An economic metaphor of modern China.
I was traveling in the remote mountains of Yunnan. That time by horse with a motor of flesh, bone and also sweat. I was together with a local guide and a family of modern nodmads.
This was in the Spring of 2007. In Lijiang I met Pana and Haydeh who with their two children wanted to take a trip to get them ready to go to Mongolia on horseback that very summer. Having experience traveling in Mongolia with horses I’ve bought, I offered to accompany them. It seemed to me as a great idea considering all those friends who transform having kids in to an excuse not to travel anymore. Yes, you can travel with a family and without a lot of money.
Certainly with two young kids the trip wouldn’t be the quickest. The newborn, named Nugaj like a Mongolian prince, screamed out his warrior roots and there were frequent breaks to nurse him and placate his discomfort. The other kid – a four year-old – became impatient: his horse was under the watchful control of the guide who got nervous because he couldn’t go as quickly as he had planned: it wasn’t good business for him especially with people who didn’t even speak Mandarin.
He was only there to get paid for the job and wanted to finish as soon as possible. So before leaving, another farmer joined the group so that, as the guard explained to us, he would help bring back the horses: all at his own expense. [Read more…]
Traveling the world not only allows you to get to know new places and people, but also objects you’ve never seen before. Anyone who’s been to China well knows that many things, even the most common ones, can be very different than what we’re used to. The same goes for a ton of objects that can’t be found anywhere but the Middle Kingdom.
With this article I hope to gather a few ideas about souvenirs you can buy in China. By reading it, you’ll have a few more choices the next time you need to bring some “little gifts” to your friends and family. If you have no intention of visiting China…you can think of something for someone who’s going to bring you, taking advantage of someone else’s trip!
If you don’t use DiDi you could have some problems in China. Sure you could always wave your hand at the side of the road and a taxi will still stop. But if it’s bad weather or rush hour, there’s no longer any hope of finding a taxi without this new app.
DiDi dache or DiDi chuxing (滴滴打车 or 滴滴出行) is the name of a cell phone app which makes it possible to contact both taxis and private cars with professional drivers.
In other words it’s like a local Uber. DiDi is not the only one on the market, but it’s certainly the most widespread and above all it has a convenient version in English.
There are two ways to use DiDi: [Read more…]
This article is a travel guide to Yunnan Province, in the South West of China. It was written by Harley Greenberg, who works with a local travel agency (WindhorseTour) in China.
Yunnan Province is famous for its diverse scenery and for being home of a third of all China’s ethnic minorities. It has lots to offer any traveler!
A trip to Yunnan province realistically takes at least one week. However, if you want to cover all the highlights I encourage you to spend twelve days or longer. [Read more…]
Vacations are the most eagerly awaited time of year for all, during which we can finally relax or change scenery even for just a few days. The first question we ask ourselves though is always the same: where should we go?
In recent years China has become a growingly popular tourist destination not just for solo travelers but also for families.
However when you decide to travel to China for vacation, you have to pay particular attention to the time period; by carefully choosing the dates you can attend very fascinating cultural celebrations or festivals from a historic point of view.
At the same time it’s possible to avoid the worst times to be a tourist in the country (if you choose wrong your vacation can turn into a real nightmare, with endless lines to buy tickets to tourist sites and hordes of people visiting the attractions along with you that won’t allow you to enjoy what you paid and waited in line for).
In this guide I’ll try to list the main Chinese holidays (there are, in fact, many other minor and strictly cultural ones that by now are almost completely lost, though no less interesting) and everything you need to know about them: anniversaries, legends, historical and cultural elements and some travel advice.
China is without a doubt a paradise for massage lovers, as you can find quality massages at very reasonable prices. However, this paradise can turn into a nightmare if you don’t choose the right place.
This essay, written by Ginés Olivares, is in my opinion a lively description of the types of situations you can find yourself in when trying to get a massage in China. Enjoy!
I have been a massage lover my whole life and have gotten them everywhere I have gone. I loved the massages I got in Hungary, in famous hot springs resorts across all of Europe, as well as in Central America and the pristine hotels in the hot springs region of Chile. Nobody can deny it: there exists a close relationship between hot springs and massage therapists.
After submitting your body to the so gratifying caress of hot springs, a massage from expert hands becomes a necessity, relaxing and removing tension and pain from the body. I need to be honest and I can’t forget the massages in Nordic countries, where the cold makes people turn to saunas and all of their additional features, but it seems like there doesn’t exist such a thing as a place that doesn’t offer a restorative pause for your body.
In Asia, Thai massage stands out, and for me was a unique experience, as at times I didn’t know if I was enjoying it or if they were massacring me, or the delicate massage of a geisha, a delight reserved for special occasions. However, in this story, I am going to recount my three experiences in China. [Read more…]
The province of Anhui 安徽 – abbreviated as Wǎn 皖 (a character used on car license plates for example) – located in eastern China halfway between the Yellow and Huai Rivers, is one of the three most prosperous provinces of the Chinese coast along with Jiangsu and Zhejiang, though it’s the poorest of the three.
The abbreviation Wǎn 皖 comes from the historic state in this province with the name, the State of Wan, actually; in fact, in Anhui there’s still the Wan River 皖江 and Mount Wan 皖山. [Read more…]
We receive and publish this interesting article written by Lavrentiy Klimov
China has become not just an economic, but also a Sports superpower. According to Daxue Consulting, China is a huge sport market. Some Chinese athletes like Yao Min (姚明), Li Na (李娜) o Lin Dan (林丹) are popular around the globe and represent different sports brands. Also, sports in China receive great support from the government.
According to the Telegraph, China wants to complete a transition from a big country to a strong nation in sports. The purpose is to have one third of population (or 435 million people) to do physical exercises by 2020. Obviously, it is a very ambitious purpose. But have you ever thought what sports do Chinese people like? Let’s have a closer look at most popular sports in China!
Table tennis once considered as a “cheap” sport with no need for spacious facilities, has been declared by Chairman Mao as a Chinese national sport. It is also a national pride: 6 gold medals were won at London Olympics (2012) and a total sweep was completed by Chinese national team in Rio de Janeiro (2016). In China you can see tables for ping-pong in university campuses, local parks and yards. This sport does not require expensive equipment or to be very athletic. Come to China and give it a try to play with locals!
Another national sport is Badminton (国球, guoqiu). It is one of the most favorite sports in China. People are playing badminton in the streets both in the cities and in the villages. Many locals play it before work, during their lunch time or in the evening. Chinese dominance on the international level is unprecedented. One of the reasons is the Chinese unique training system, and a huge pool of talents, who are willing to sacrifice a lot to become champions. [Read more…]
We’ve received and publish this article written by Olimpia Ciccotelli
Zhang Yueran 张悦然 is a contemporary author who in spite of her age (37 this year) can boast a literary career spanning over two decades. She was born in 1982 in Jinan 济南, capital of Shandong Province 山东.
Daughter of a college literary professor, she has a well stocked family library and her house is often frequented by writers, colleagues and her father’s friends. For this reason, since she was little she has been in contact with and absorbed national literature.
She started writing at the age of fourteen, publishing her first works in magazines like Shanghai wenxue 上海文学 (Shanghai Literature), Qingnian sixiangjia 青年思想家 (Young thinkers) and Renmin wenxue 人民文学 (Popular literature).
In 2001 she won first prize at the third edition of the young writers competition Xin Gainian (New Concept Writing) and, thanks to this visibility, her stories were gathered and published by the publishing house Zuojia Chubanshe.
Initially, the author considered writing just a pastime and decided to study computer science, thinking that it would give her a more well-paying career. At nineteen years old she got a government scholarship in Singapore and left China for a year. [Read more…]
Hong Kong is a melting pot of different cultures and has one of the most business friendly climates in the world. With skyscrapers standing tall, islands, low taxes and a well-functioning system, it’s not strange why many professionals and travelers go here.
Yet, before you embark on your journey to Hong Kong, it’s important that you know if and what type of visa you need. This article covers most of the information you need to know when applying for different visas in Hong Kong.
We’ve received and publish this article written by Alessandra Fratoni
If it’s your first time in Beijing and you’ve never heard of the Hutong, or are familiar with them but only from what you’ve heard, you need to take a pen and paper and write down which are the top 5 Hutong in Beijing that you can’t miss.
First of all we need to clarify what the Hutong are and where they came from.