mrangry
English expat in China
Forum posts
54
Contacts
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About me
English
Speaks English
Registration: 13 December 2020
Email services blocked by China's Great Wall? Gmail, hotmail. etc. by CaliRay
I'm often asked what email services work in China that don't require a VPN to access. I don't know of any VPNs that can be downloaded while in China. Any information about this is appreciated.
@CaliRay Well, that's the same for email or any chat, iinm - ie you need to actually know people to get their email address or wechat id. Have you tried to search for groups that discuss things of interest to you? If you find something, then you can ... Read More
Email services blocked by China's Great Wall? Gmail, hotmail. etc. by CaliRay
I'm often asked what email services work in China that don't require a VPN to access. I don't know of any VPNs that can be downloaded while in China. Any information about this is appreciated.
@CaliRay Yeah, email really isn't a thing in China any more - they've moved on to modern tech, like WeChat, and laugh at the mention of email, for personal use anyway. Email is still something for work, especially when dealing with foreigners, but ... Read More
Email services blocked by China's Great Wall? Gmail, hotmail. etc. by CaliRay
I'm often asked what email services work in China that don't require a VPN to access. I don't know of any VPNs that can be downloaded while in China. Any information about this is appreciated.
I use fastmail and haven't ever had any problem, anywhere. Google don't provide internet services worldwide so always best to avoid them if you travel. I don't know what happened to Yahoo - they used to be popular in China, but seemed to be caught ... Read More
Is China now blocking LinkedIn? by MohawkJoe
The past couple weeks I have received email notices that there are employers who are interested in me but LinkedIn is not functional. Anyone know what this is?
@sergefaure IINM, Bing has always worked just fine in mainland China. IINM, Microsoft tend to respect the laws of the land where their products are used so you can rely on them more - unlike (eg) Google who's products don't work everywhere. Read More
Is China now blocking LinkedIn? by MohawkJoe
The past couple weeks I have received email notices that there are employers who are interested in me but LinkedIn is not functional. Anyone know what this is?
Microsoft now provides a separate LinkedIn service for the Chinese mainland, due to Microsoft taking the service in a new 'social media' direction and not wanting to follow applicable Chinese laws. Read More
Beijing Basketball by yoshi1299
Hi y'all!Does anybody know a good place where my daughter (14) could play basketball? As far as I know, most places are near the airport but I would like more input if possible. Beijing Falcons seemed like a good idea at first, but I see only boys, ...
@yoshi1299I presume you mean the 'capital' airport, but anyway...as it happened, I was idly wondering around our local mall just yesterday and I noticed a store/shop that had been adapted into a place especially for basketball. It was full of little ... Read More
Alipay or WeChat by ismaelariola026
Which App is best to use in Shanghai, Alipay or WeChat? No idea of what form of payment shall we use when landing in mainland China. I researched that cash is not widely accepted there.
Caveat: I'm in Beijing, not Shanghai.IMO, you'll end up using both, but I'd start with Alipay (it's a bit more 'focused' on buying things, and not so much 'social').IINM, you can just add a visa card and you can just pay for things with a qr code. I ... Read More
Japanese teacher by Tikaf
Hi all, The name says it all. Do please contact me if you know a good Japanese teacher or school in BJ.
Presumably you mean a Japanese *language* teacher/school. Read More
Moving to Beijing with dog greater than 35 cm by Shinns
Hello everyone,Myself and my partner have gotten job offers in Haidian in a school but we have a dog and a cat and had no idea of the height restrictions on dogs. I am wondering if it would be feasible to live outside of the 35cm restricted zones ...
@Shinns I should mention that I'm quite jealous that you can get a job teaching. I can't get a job doing that here, since I don't have a Bachelor's Degree. I only have a BTEC HND, which is only one less year of study than a BSc, and I graduated back ... Read More
Moving to Beijing with dog greater than 35 cm by Shinns
Hello everyone,Myself and my partner have gotten job offers in Haidian in a school but we have a dog and a cat and had no idea of the height restrictions on dogs. I am wondering if it would be feasible to live outside of the 35cm restricted zones ...
@Shinns You're welcome.I mentioned this to my (Chinese) wife and she was (also) of the opinion that the dog size rule was 'inside the 5th RR'.It seems like XingShiKou Rd joins runs east/west between the 4th and 5th RR, so I'd've thought that you ... Read More
Moving to Beijing with dog greater than 35 cm by Shinns
Hello everyone,Myself and my partner have gotten job offers in Haidian in a school but we have a dog and a cat and had no idea of the height restrictions on dogs. I am wondering if it would be feasible to live outside of the 35cm restricted zones ...
@ShinnsI live not far away from there (near SuZhouQiao). We do see large dogs from time to time, but it is unusual. I imagine you'd get away with it, but maybe you're right not to want to risk it.Xingshikou Road isn't especially short and is ... Read More
The importance of local language in China by Cheryl
Hey everyone, As an expat, language questions often arise due to the need to communicate effectively in a new country. We鈥檙e curious to read your experiences with learning and using the local language in China. Here are some questions to get ...
> What is the local language spoken in China? Did you learn and use it? How difficult was it to learn?I'm in Beijing and have lived here for almost 20 years (off and on). I know very minimal Mandarin. I cannot have anything that approaches a ... Read More
what VPN I can download while in China by paul1rickly
My name is Michael I'm a 65-year-old Australian. Please I would like to know what VPN I can download while in China and use (not a VPN that I can download while outside China before coming in) I have a friend who needs to access his bank app in ...
I switched to Astrill, and it is notably better than ExpressVPN, imo - even when ExpressVPN was actually working.IINM, they have an obfuscated url for a page for people in China, so perhaps you can find that and send it to your friend. Read More
Work Visa with no degree by Mngedo
Dear all, I am sure this question has been commonly asked and i have probably read everything that is on the Internet. However mystery is still not solved. Basically my current company would like to send me to the office in Shanghai. I was in the ...
I'm still curious. I'm not specifically interested in teaching or working as a teacher (the original post didn't mention teaching), and I'm already in China (though not on a work visa).I wonder how it turned out for @mngedo...did you make it? If so, ... Read More
what VPN I can download while in China by paul1rickly
My name is Michael I'm a 65-year-old Australian. Please I would like to know what VPN I can download while in China and use (not a VPN that I can download while outside China before coming in) I have a friend who needs to access his bank app in ...
FWIW, ExpressVPN is largely not working for me as of the past month or so. They gave me a free month's subscription because of that. Previously, it has worked most of the time, with some 'outage' during political events.I don't know how well the ... Read More
what VPN I can download while in China by paul1rickly
My name is Michael I'm a 65-year-old Australian. Please I would like to know what VPN I can download while in China and use (not a VPN that I can download while outside China before coming in) I have a friend who needs to access his bank app in ...
ExpressVPN have download links that work inside mainland China, but they don't show them on their web site, and they change them from time to time too so there's no point in me telling you.It's unusual for a Bank app to not work, though I've seen ... Read More
Work Visa with no degree by Mngedo
Dear all, I am sure this question has been commonly asked and i have probably read everything that is on the Internet. However mystery is still not solved. Basically my current company would like to send me to the office in Shanghai. I was in the ...
@Dillonb but have enough points for an "expert visa"That statement is interesting to me...I also don't have a BA/BS (though I do have a 'higher education' qualification), but have been a 'foreign expert' previously and worked 'at a school'...since ... Read More
Beijing United Family insurance for Briton by mrangry
Hi, I wonder if any Britons in Beijing have any recommendations for health insurance that BJUFH will directly claim from? Max.
@mrangry Does anyone have any specific experience with health insurance in Beijing? There seem to be quite a few options, so feel a bit lost. Read More
VPN not working by mimi84843
HEY guys im in shanghai at the moemnt moves from Australia . I have downloaded my VPN ASTRILL and Nord as well as surfshark just in case but for some reason non of them are working not sure if you guys are having same issues as i need to access my ...
@Prakon聽Nordvpn...it cannot be used in mainland ChinaReally? It doesn't work at all in China?ExpressVPN is a bit 'hit and miss' in my experience. Very few server options work at all, and sometimes none of them work (due to some political events ... Read More
How difficult is it to travel out of China and come back? by chora
I am planning to go back home to the UK on 30th June 2022 for two weeks. My work visa is expiring on 18th August 2022. Do you think I will be able to make it back to China before my visa expires and have time to apply for a new work visa ...
@BeijingBob聽It seems like Lufthansa from Frankfurt fly directly to Beijing...but I wasn't able to find any seat with them. Also, the airport has 'china specific' test facility (ie one place for both test, but they use different labs, as per ... Read More
How difficult is it to travel out of China and come back? by chora
I am planning to go back home to the UK on 30th June 2022 for two weeks. My work visa is expiring on 18th August 2022. Do you think I will be able to make it back to China before my visa expires and have time to apply for a new work visa ...
@BeijingBob聽Ah, if you 'relocated', then perhaps that means means your 'origin' changes too. It seems pretty clear from the Chinese embassy web sites that you only need to do 4, no matter how many 'transit' airports you go through.You didn't ... Read More
How difficult is it to travel out of China and come back? by chora
I am planning to go back home to the UK on 30th June 2022 for two weeks. My work visa is expiring on 18th August 2022. Do you think I will be able to make it back to China before my visa expires and have time to apply for a new work visa ...
One comment from my attempts.The customer support for Hainan Airlines was excellent - they even called me back a couple of times (from China to the UK). Similarly for Air China (issues with my Phoenix account with them).I did have to call China to ... Read More
How difficult is it to travel out of China and come back? by chora
I am planning to go back home to the UK on 30th June 2022 for two weeks. My work visa is expiring on 18th August 2022. Do you think I will be able to make it back to China before my visa expires and have time to apply for a new work visa ...
@BeijingBob聽It sounds like you're having the nightmare that scared me off even trying.Re the double 2x RT-PCR tests; if you're not a UK citizen, perhaps the rules are different for you...not sure. Read More
How difficult is it to travel out of China and come back? by chora
I am planning to go back home to the UK on 30th June 2022 for two weeks. My work visa is expiring on 18th August 2022. Do you think I will be able to make it back to China before my visa expires and have time to apply for a new work visa ...
@mrangry聽Oh you asked me about the visas. 聽I am American so no need visas for travel in EU - @BeijingBobInterestingly, it seems that UK citizens also do not need a visa for the EU...for the typical short period (was it 90 days?)...so I'm ... Read More
How difficult is it to travel out of China and come back? by chora
I am planning to go back home to the UK on 30th June 2022 for two weeks. My work visa is expiring on 18th August 2022. Do you think I will be able to make it back to China before my visa expires and have time to apply for a new work visa ...
@mrangry聽...you must do all the testing in EVERY country you stop at even if it was supposed to be a quick transit聽I'm not sure that's accurate, though it might be[1].My understanding is that it needs to be in your origin country, and the ... Read More
How difficult is it to travel out of China and come back? by chora
I am planning to go back home to the UK on 30th June 2022 for two weeks. My work visa is expiring on 18th August 2022. Do you think I will be able to make it back to China before my visa expires and have time to apply for a new work visa ...
I've come to the conclusion that it is still a bad idea to leave China, if you intend of returning any time soon.Still, it seems like Lufthansa have flights from Frankfurt to Beijing, although all seem to be full.Hainan airlines seem to have most ... Read More
Travellers returning to China by chora
Has anyone entered China recently ? I would highly appreciate if you could share your experience.聽
@AlinaBMY聽I have also read things that make me think that the PCR tests need to be done in the location of departure of the flight that flies into China, which isn't necessarily the origin - and can't be for the UK since the UK has no direct ... Read More
How difficult is it to travel out of China and come back? by chora
I am planning to go back home to the UK on 30th June 2022 for two weeks. My work visa is expiring on 18th August 2022. Do you think I will be able to make it back to China before my visa expires and have time to apply for a new work visa ...
@BeijingBob聽What airlines were you flying with? Did you need to get a visa for Italy for you lay-over? Did you have someone to help you with it all, or did you do it yourself?oh...and the price? I'm finding any options to be horrendously ... Read More
Anyone tried Wise (previously TransferWise) transfers to WeChat? by mrangry
Wise recently added the ability to send money to someone's WeChat account.It seems really useful and I wonder if anyone's tried this. I think my WeChat account is one that is 'outside China', so is not a 'WeiXin' account?What about other ways to ...
@acoop聽Interesting. What is a 'full account' wrt Wise?I'm surprised about your claim that transfering from a mainstream bank is cheaper than Wise - that's kind of the whole point in Wise, is it not? Read More
How difficult is it to travel out of China and come back? by chora
I am planning to go back home to the UK on 30th June 2022 for two weeks. My work visa is expiring on 18th August 2022. Do you think I will be able to make it back to China before my visa expires and have time to apply for a new work visa ...
@mrangry聽https://www.cmlink.com/uk/They offer the same service from many countries: https://www.cmlink.com/brand/index.htmlIIRC, they used to offer it to people from the US too, but, lol, the US government stopped that...which is kind of ironic ... Read More
How difficult is it to travel out of China and come back? by chora
I am planning to go back home to the UK on 30th June 2022 for two weeks. My work visa is expiring on 18th August 2022. Do you think I will be able to make it back to China before my visa expires and have time to apply for a new work visa ...
Things seem to be opening up somewhat.I came back to the UK in March because of family problems, and am only now about to start to try getting back. I flew PEK -> HGH -> DOH -> LHR, all booked through Qatar Airways. It wasn't especially ... Read More
Anyone tried Wise (previously TransferWise) transfers to WeChat? by mrangry
Wise recently added the ability to send money to someone's WeChat account.It seems really useful and I wonder if anyone's tried this. I think my WeChat account is one that is 'outside China', so is not a 'WeiXin' account?What about other ways to ...
Directly? What do you mean? Just use their UnionPay bank card? It seems like you can only send to WeiXin users who have linked a UnionPay card to their account anyway, so perhaps that makes sense to skip the intermediary."Who can I send CNY to?For ... Read More
Anyone tried Wise (previously TransferWise) transfers to WeChat?
Wise recently added the ability to send money to someone's WeChat account.It seems really useful and I wonder if anyone's tried this. I think my WeChat account is one that is 'outside China', so is not a 'WeiXin' account?What about other ways to ... Read More
VPN not working by mimi84843
HEY guys im in shanghai at the moemnt moves from Australia . I have downloaded my VPN ASTRILL and Nord as well as surfshark just in case but for some reason non of them are working not sure if you guys are having same issues as i need to access my ...
If you still have a Canadian address, try this: https://www.cmlink.com/ca/ Read More
How to be happy as an expat in China by Cheryl
Hi everyone, Being happy is surely our common goal, whether we are living in China as an expat or somewhere else. We would love to know your tips and tricks to be fully fulfilled and happy as an expat in your host country. New environment may ...
> We integrated as it is what families do. Honestly, I don't think I have "integrated", not in ant significant way anyway. It's how I prefer it, and I think my wife prefers it too. Read More
How to be happy as an expat in China by Cheryl
Hi everyone, Being happy is surely our common goal, whether we are living in China as an expat or somewhere else. We would love to know your tips and tricks to be fully fulfilled and happy as an expat in your host country. New environment may ...
IMO, the most significant thing is to remember you're a guest - even if you live here (in China). This has been a challenge for me. When I first arrived in China in 2002, I had an attitude that things should be how they are in the UK. For ... Read More
VPN not working by mimi84843
HEY guys im in shanghai at the moemnt moves from Australia . I have downloaded my VPN ASTRILL and Nord as well as surfshark just in case but for some reason non of them are working not sure if you guys are having same issues as i need to access my ...
The contents of the traffic cannot be easily determined (but who knows how powerful their computers are), but they can tell a lot just from the patterns. Simply the fact that so much traffic is going to a single server is a tell-tale sign, and then ... Read More
Is it hard for foreign teachers to travel to China now? by shinyrayn76
Hi guys, I have a question. Whenever I see job openings in China, it is always stated as 'Must be currently in China" as one of the requirements. Is it true that entering China as a foreign teacher is very difficult now? I have a job ...
I am currently in China, but I don't have a bachelor's degree (or above) so am not allowed to work as a teacher....like it would make any difference at all if I had spent one extra year in higher education back in the late '80s... IMO, ... Read More
Switching from student visa to work visa by Lao3wai4
Hi folks, I'm a British expat living in Beijing, I'm studying Chinese online through a university so I have a student resident permission until September. Instead of continuing my study I'd prefer to start working for an international ...
I'm a Briton too, living in Beijing. I don't have a Bachelor's degree (though I do have higher education [BTEC HND], but the Chinese don't seem to recognise it), so I can't do any teaching, it seems. When I first came here, some ... Read More
Covid-19 vaccine by JoeSZ
I was told the Chinese Government and USA Government are going to allow travel between the countries starting possibly in May. Does anyone know where I could get the vaccine. I hold a USA passport.
In Beijing, you could get one at the Beijing United Family Hospital (seemingly for free), or you could register with your community management and they'll arrange for you to have one at the local vaccination centre (usually a sports centre or ... Read More
REAL Fish and Chips in Beijing? by mrangry
There used to be some half decent fish and chips shops in Beijing, but now I'm struggling to find any fish and chips at all....tried one in a restaurant in Sunlitan but it was awful, as was what they served in The Cheesecake Factory in Wan Fu ...
Well, I tried Fish Friday at The Local last Friday. It wasn't bad, for sure. Not as good as I remember the dedicated chippy there used to be in Beijing (Fish Nation?), but worth the journey (it's on the other side of town). It was all a ... Read More
REAL Fish and Chips in Beijing? by mrangry
There used to be some half decent fish and chips shops in Beijing, but now I'm struggling to find any fish and chips at all....tried one in a restaurant in Sunlitan but it was awful, as was what they served in The Cheesecake Factory in Wan Fu ...
No malt vinegar? 馃槩 What kind of fish (or was that already mentioned)? Read More
REAL Fish and Chips in Beijing? by mrangry
There used to be some half decent fish and chips shops in Beijing, but now I'm struggling to find any fish and chips at all....tried one in a restaurant in Sunlitan but it was awful, as was what they served in The Cheesecake Factory in Wan Fu ...
Harrod's menu had changed and fortunately I called beforehand...'fish & chips' is no long on the menu. We decided to risk trying a place at some random mall, a few blocks south of the zoo. It was quite nice to look at, with a UK ... Read More
REAL Fish and Chips in Beijing? by mrangry
There used to be some half decent fish and chips shops in Beijing, but now I'm struggling to find any fish and chips at all....tried one in a restaurant in Sunlitan but it was awful, as was what they served in The Cheesecake Factory in Wan Fu ...
The British House has changed its menu and Fish&chips are not on it. Very sad. Read More
REAL Fish and Chips in Beijing? by mrangry
There used to be some half decent fish and chips shops in Beijing, but now I'm struggling to find any fish and chips at all....tried one in a restaurant in Sunlitan but it was awful, as was what they served in The Cheesecake Factory in Wan Fu ...
This one? http://www.beijing-local.com/content/specials/fish-friday That doesn't look much like fish & chips to me - for a start, there's no chips, and it's on a plate not paper/box. Perhaps that isn't their 'fish & ... Read More
REAL Fish and Chips in Beijing?
There used to be some half decent fish and chips shops in Beijing, but now I'm struggling to find any fish and chips at all....tried one in a restaurant in Sunlitan but it was awful, as was what they served in The Cheesecake Factory in Wan Fu ... Read More
VPN and Singaporeans ? by kltan4
Hello everyone ! I would be going to Zhu Hai soon to teach in a local Uni. I have two questions. (a) May I know if there are any Singaporeans living in that area or travelling there soon? I would love to connect with you all. (b) Also, I would ...
Well, that useful information...I'll not bother with any other one then, and probably just give up on ExpressVPN. Yeah, I agree that it does work some of the time, and some of that time it works really well (ie fast), but it the number of ... Read More
VPN and Singaporeans ? by kltan4
Hello everyone ! I would be going to Zhu Hai soon to teach in a local Uni. I have two questions. (a) May I know if there are any Singaporeans living in that area or travelling there soon? I would love to connect with you all. (b) Also, I would ...
FWIW, I get very mixed results from ExpressVPN. I had Astrill recommended to me, but I've not tried it. TBH, I think I might not bother renewing ExpressVPN - it's just too frustrating. Having said that, there are reasonably long periods of ... Read More
VPN blocked? by OmyGod
Troublesome for me if VPN is blocked. I may not move to Beijing because I need to execute orders to my banks in the US.
VPN isn't always blocked - it usually works just fine, but it sometimes doesn't. For example, it was working just fine yesterday and has been working for several weeks; but it isn't today. For the service I use, it usually takes them a ... Read More