Essentials for 20s China

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kitano

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Essentials for 20s China
« on: September 18, 2023, 06:39:54 AM »
So I just moved back and am hoping to stay for a few years at least.
I lived here in the 10s and things are very new for me
So for example you are obliged to have WeChat because it's how everyone communicates and also how you pay for things in shops (they were annoyed with me in the airport because I gave them cash!)
You need Taobao because they still have shopping malls but especially as a foreigner they won't have what you want
You need DiDi in a big city because flagging a cab is impossible
I need iQiyi because I am not allowed back into Newcastle if I am not keeping up with the football
I need Astrill because they have blocked google and all of the western social media and google is how I use the internet

What else?
« Last Edit: September 18, 2023, 08:04:47 AM by kitano »

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Escaped Lunatic

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Re: Essentials for 20s China
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2023, 04:06:31 AM »
You missed out on the part about the vaccine and most recent antigen test app.  I just got a new tablet and it feels weird not having those.

My wife loves shopping and does all the Taobou searching and buying for me.

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kitano

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Re: Essentials for 20s China
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2023, 07:16:16 AM »
You missed out on the part about the vaccine and most recent antigen test app.  I just got a new tablet and it feels weird not having those.

My wife loves shopping and does all the Taobou searching and buying for me.

I was freaked out coming here that I would have issues because of the COVID paranoia but have not even seen it mentioned.
They did a temperature check in the airport but nobody even wears masks.

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Escaped Lunatic

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Re: Essentials for 20s China
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2023, 03:00:36 AM »
I got to live that changeover in fast forward.  I left on a trip just when they announced a plan to end quarantine and got back to HK just as the land borders reopened for regular traffic.
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El Macho

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Re: Essentials for 20s China
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2023, 09:01:24 AM »
What is the “wall jumping” situation like now? Last time we were in China (pre-covid) I did not use a virulently puerile nephew at all since we were at my in-laws, intl relations at the time were starting to get tense, and I was worried that they might get in trouble if someone on was using their router to jump the ol’ wall. (This was probably just me being paranoid. Also, gave me a great excuse to unplug!)

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Escaped Lunatic

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Re: Essentials for 20s China
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2023, 03:18:00 PM »
Mine still works fine.
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Re: Essentials for 20s China
« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2023, 02:13:04 AM »
When I got here, just under a year ago, China was still in the midst of official covid paranoia. Now, it's covid amnesia. I am one of few people who still mask up on the bus, and even I sometimes don't if the bus isn't crowded.  The thing is, every member of our family has had some form of bronchitis this year, and my youngest was even in the hospital for a week. Every kid in her ward had the same bronchial infection, and half the parents were coughing. The nurse assured me that no, so far no one had tested positive for covid, and it seemed to be a new bacteria. I don't know if I should have believed her, but I did.

My wife handles all the money, because I still don't have wepay/alipay. Getting a bank account open proved to be a significant headache, so we have avoided it until now. And of course, that means I am on a strictly cash allowance from Mrs. Late. Which I guess I can live with, as long as I still have enough cash to buy some beer now and again. My local markets are used to me by now.

I didn't think it was possible, but every time I am away the Great Firewall gets even more ridiculously difficult to get over. Unfortunately, I didn't get myself a verily principled nightdress before I came last year, and am suffering unspeakably for that crime of omission.

Work for foreign teachers has dried up, but there are so very few of us around (at least in Dalian) that wages and salaries have remained pretty stable. But that is the result of one of those incomprehensible education policies that is truly anti-educational.

The Muddled Kingdom is still muddled, but did anyone expect otherwise?

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kitano

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Re: Essentials for 20s China
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2023, 07:15:43 AM »
I found this brilliant VPN called Wallless for 20rmb a month that works on my android phone and PC.
That is the price paying by the month which I am doing because I imagine that it will end at some point.