Books, Films & Music

Living in China you will inevitably watch the odd Chinese film and become slightly more familiar with the local music scene (unfortunately). Most people will also want to keep up with current films, books and music as well though. Depending what you are looking for this ranges from very easy to impossible.

Bookstores that sell English books are not terribly common however every Chinese city would have at least a handful of places that you will be able to buy English books in. They usually don’t have a whole lot of books on offer but you can certainly pick up some good items. They generally have quite a good selection of classics, from Shakespeare to Moby Dick you can find quite a lot of titles on sale. For newer books they fall down a little bit, whilst you will probably be able to find the Harry Potter and Twilight series, for other recent titles it is a bit of a lottery. Of course if you really like reading then I’d give you one bit of advice – get a Kindle.

Due to the thriving industry in pirated films, buying DVDs is slightly easier than books. In fairness there are fewer stores selling pirate DVDs than there used to be but it is still pretty easy to get hold of them. Because of the cap on the amount of foreign films shown in Chinese cinemas, unless you do opt for the pirate DVD option then there are a lot of new films that you just won’t be able to see. Probably the best thing about the DVDs are the price, usually about £1 equivalent, on the downside you very  much get what you pay for – after the second viewing (and sometimes before the first) they have a tendency to start skipping and freezing so perhaps don’t look to build your DVD library with these. I should mention as well that along with movies, TV series are also widely available and most big shows are on sale, though unfortunately the most common shows are vampire diaries and gossip girl – doesn’t speak highly of the Chinese viewing habits.

Music is basically a no-go. The biggest foreign artists here are Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Adele – as far as other artists go if it isn’t mainstream pop then they probably haven’t heard of it. There is of course a large music industry in China, though from my own experience the Chinese music industry is dominated by saccharine pop which I have little taste for. While you will meet people who are into their music, and may even find some independently run cafes with a good playlist on the go (generally owned by former art students) these cases are few and far between.

When it comes to keeping up with pop culture such as films, books and music China is very much a mixed bag. Essentially if Chinese people also have an interest in it then you’ll be fine, if not then you are really going to struggle. Foreign books are not terribly common nor is music that is not either a) Chinese or b) Mainstream pop. Foreign films and TV shows on the other hand are widely seen and enjoyed by many Chinese people and are far easier to get hold of. Of course if you want to really keep up with everything then my best piece of advice would be: get a kindle, get a subscription to Netflix and subscribe to Spotify.

 

 

Where to work in China?

This is a huge question for many people who have made the decision to come to China, but who have not yet decided on where. For people who have not had previous experience with China, they may not know much else about China other than Beijing and Shanghai. As such many people prefer to come out and teach in one of these two cities. Having been several times to both cities there is a lot to be said to their credit. For new people coming to China these cities are the biggest, most cosmopolitan and have the best access to western conveniences. As well as this there is also the general kudos some people attach to these cities, there does tend to be a leaning towards working in better-known places purely for the ability to tell family and friends. I have a lot of fondness for Beijing and Shanghai, however I think that when people decide on which cities they want to work in, they are not considering some of the things that they should be, and for me the benefits of working in a smaller city outweigh those of working in one of these metropolises.

“I don’t want to be working in the middle of nowhere!”

There is a feeling that cities outside of Beijing or Shanghai must be somewhat backward or in the middle of nowhere. This of course vastly underestimates the size of Chinese cities; wherever you are working it will likely be a large well-developed city with good transport links. To give an illustration of this, Wuhan is bigger than any city in Europe, has an extensive subway network, direct flights to a host of international destinations as well as being a central hub on the fast train network (four hour trains available to Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Guilin respectively).

What is great about living somewhere smaller is that the people are slightly less used to foreigners. A lot of people who have travelled will have inevitably run up against the industry of tour operators, beggars and rip-off merchants who prey on foreigners. People often ask me if they will be ripped off or targeted because they are a foreigner. In central areas in Shanghai or Beijing you are likely to come up against this kind of thing, as anywhere with a tourist industry is prone to this. In smaller cities that see slightly less international tourism this does not really happen, if anything it goes the other way around. When I walk past people distributing leaflets for example, they often don’t bother hassling me - as a foreigner they assume that I wouldn’t be able to read the leaflet anyway.

Another offshoot of being in a city that sees less foreigners is that far fewer people you run into are likely to speak English. While this can be troublesome to begin with, it forces you to engage with the language and pick up Chinese that much quicker, getting a more intimate knowledge of the culture as a handy offshoot. Yet this is not to say that you will be the only foreigner in the city – far from it. Most places do tend to have bars or areas that see higher concentrations of foreign people, and many people will go there to hang out with their friends. Because of the relatively small numbers of foreign people this does tend to lead to an inclusive and tight-knit feeling amongst the foreign community. The balance is the most important thing, when people come to China I think the best thing is getting to know the culture, yet you do also need a group of friends with whom you share a common language and culture – smaller cities are perfect for both of these.

It is true to say that wages tend to be higher in Beijing and Shanghai, however this does not necessarily give the whole picture. Wages are rising rapidly in smaller cities, and are now not far behind their larger counterparts. Importantly the cost of living is much lower in smaller cities, so even though wages may be slightly lower, you would probably end up saving more money per month anyway.

Beijing and Shanghai are really great cities, with a number of well-known tourist sites as well as western conveniences – so go there on holiday! For day-to-day life, smaller cities in my opinion are a much better option – go for it.

 

 

The Internet

Even though many people in the west are aware of the restrictions to the internet in China when it actually comes to going there it’s still a bit of a shock. The internet is heavily censored and the government works tirelessly to identify anyone who writes anything outspoken and remove their comments from the internet.  For foreigners spending time in China it doesn’t really make much difference to our day to day lives as the majority of the censorship is on Chinese sites however there are a number of more famous foreign websites that may have more of an impact when you’re in China.

For most of us the 3 main websites that are notably blocked are YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. China has their own versions of all of these sites widely used by everyone and that’s how the Chinese Government want it as views and opinions from outside China is not something they are keen for people to be seeing on a regular basis. However the growth of the internet has meant its becoming harder for the Chinese to prevent their citizens using alternative sites.

For many travelling to China this poses a welcome break from procrastinating and quite frankly wasting too much time looking through photos of people you don’t really care about. Even though Facebook is great for keeping in touch with friends after a few weeks I really enjoyed getting out of the habit of just logging onto it every time I turned on my computer. I was even more pleased with the endless notifications I had after 10 months on not looking at my Facebook profile…I had 13 and very few of them were directly to do with me.

Now for all you computer boffins out there I’m sure there are endless  free options to get around the amount of sites that are blocked unfortunately I am close to useless on computers and went for the safest, most well-known option of Astrill. By downloading Astrill for a small monthly fee you are able to access whichever websites you like. The server is redirected as if you are online in the UK or the U.S. meaning you can roam the internet freely and even watch BBC IPlayer or Netflix. One subscription allows you to use it on as many as 3 devices so I had Astrill on my phone, laptop and IPad, this would only put you back about £50 for the year so is well worth it if you’re planning on using those sites regularly.

In all honestly it’s not really a great problem when spending time in China if a few websites are blocked, some of our applicants have concerns about not being able to contact home freely but it’s simply not an issue. All email accounts will work in China as does Skype which are the 2 main methods our teachers use to keep in touch with loved ones back home.  

 

Strange Food

The Chinese couldn’t be more proud of their cuisine and rightly so, it is delicious and full of flavour and I thoroughly look forward to getting back to my favourite dishes every time I return to China. My friends and family back in England have asked me on several occasions if I have eaten anything strange or a bit weird during my time in China which from my experience some foreign teachers coming out to China initially have some concern over. There are a few things that are commonly eaten that aren’t exactly “normal” in the U.K but on the whole it’s mainly meat, fish and vegetables and you would have to be an extremely fussy eater to not find any local food you like to eat.

If anybody has seen the TV show “An Idiot Abroad” with Karl Pilkington there is a scene in Beijing when he visits a food market to find caterpillars and cockroaches being barbecued.  From my experience I would say that food such as this isn’t commonly eaten and is a bit of a novelty/tourist attraction with most Chinese people agreeing that these types of food are also disgusting. Having said that two of the most popular things to eat in Wuhan are Duck’s neck and Chicken’s feet which aren’t much better. Duck’s neck is fine I suppose, it’s a bit tough and there isn’t exactly a lot of meat but it tastes perfectly acceptable but as for Chicken’s feet I simply cannot understand the appeal. There is absolutely no meat on it and I cannot see how it’s comparable to a wing or bit of breast. Chinese people also proceed to spit the majority of it on the floor but they speak of a wonderful flavour that cannot be replicated in any other part of the Chicken…unless you like nibbling on toenails though I would give it a miss.

One extremely palatable surprise is Bullfrog, if you ever see them in the tanks in the supermarket they look revolting, I actually can’t even bring myself to go near them. I unknowingly ate bullfrog on a staff dinner during my first year and was a little shocked when somebody told me what I was eating but it’s become a local favourite of mine. I still can’t bring myself to buy a live one in Wal-Mart and take it home to prepare but I often order it in restaurants.

 

 

Without a doubt the most disgusting thing I have eaten in China is a type of egg know as Pi Dan 皮蛋. I have been told by my Chinese friends that it’s made by preserving eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months, depending on the method of processing. I have seen it done with duck, chicken and quail eggs all leaving equally awful results. The yolk changes a greyish colour while the egg white changes to a dark brown and it gives off a sulphur smell….It gets a right pong circulated the room.

 

Don’t let any of the above put you off because Chinese food is brilliant, my only criticism is there isn’t a lot of variety so you will find yourselves eating similar ingredients cooked in similar ways frequently but for value and flavour there isn’t anything in The UK that compares to it. You can eat out at very cheap prices and their attention to flavour isn’t compromised at all.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGTIs9fvkUA

 

Karl Pilkington in Beijing

Do I need a TEFL/TESOL or a degree to teach in China?

Many of our applicants ask us about the necessary qualifications to teach English in China as a full-time teacher and it’s a question that depends on a few variables. There is a lot written online on blogs and various schools/agencies will tell you different things so it can be a little confusing for somebody thinking about teaching in China. It can also vary from province to province what qualifications you do in fact need.

Graduates2china which is part of the registered UK company West-East connect is based in Hubei province the regulations are very clear about what’s required to work as a full-time teacher. Firstly all applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline and secondly the person must have a TEFL/TESOL certificate or 2 years work experience.

Now we are aware that there are other companies that may say differently and that there are plenty of teachers working in China without a bachelor’s degree however they may not necessarily be working legally as teachers in China and this is commonly seen and something we won’t involve ourselves in.

Often Chinese companies will not explain this fully to the teacher until they have arrived in the country and already begun to work. Only recently we spoke to an applicant who was looking to change jobs as he wasn’t given a Z-visa and is sometimes told to stay home by his school in case the police came in for checks. This is very common and means schools are free to abuse the contract and make changes at their own discretion and there is nobody the teacher can report them too for breach of contract because technically they aren’t working legally in China anyway which can leave teachers in a vulnerable position.

We strongly advise that nobody goes to teach in China unless they have the correct qualification and are working under visa (Z-working visa). If there is another company telling you that you don’t need it I can assure you they are lying for their own benefit. All full-time placements we make offer a working (Z) visa from the school you’ll be going to and your contract is directly with them.

Regulations for Shanghai

http://files.shafea.gov.cn/html/c03cab1b-b757-447c-96c9-5777eca7881c.htm

Regulations for Beijing

http://beijing.caiep.org/faq/content.php?id=14887

 

 

Unsung Heroes

Rainy Day Umbrella Sellers

It happens to everyone, you leave the house in the morning and the sun is shining, however by midday the skies have clouded over and a downpour starts. Unprepared for such inclement weather you have little choice but to carry on as you are and get drenched. This is a problem that is worse in Wuhan than some other places, because when it rains here it rains. In the UK you might be able to get away without an umbrella in a light drizzle however when the heavens truly open you really don’t want to be outside. What you see in Wuhan a lot is random vendors who will station themselves at crowded areas (Metro exits, bus stops etc.) selling cheap umbrellas for people caught unprepared. While this can be quite useful, it does raise the question – what do these people do when it isn’t raining? Do they have jobs that they abandon in a breathless hurry every time the sky clouds up to hit the streets with their wares? I like to think they spend their time poring over meteorological maps and population densities around the city plotting their next appearance in a far more sophisticated manner than anyone could have imagined.

Motorbike Men

Taxis are a fairly cheap and quick way of getting around, and there are huge numbers of them around the city. Having said that, depending where you are in the city and the time, it can be next to impossible to get a taxi. To fill this gap are random people in cars and on scooters who will offer to drive you to your destination for an agreed-upon fee. For some of the people in cars I assume that they are basically chancing it – perhaps they are on their way somewhere and see an opportunity to make some easy money. This is not the case with the scooter men though who are often found corralled in groups like a really scruffy, lame version of a biker club. Getting a scooter ride to your destination is invariably more expensive than a taxi, though depending on traffic it can be quicker. Having said that you really are taking your life in your hands, and on top of that I am not sure how legal it is…

Watch and Shoe men

In fairness this one is not confined to China, though probably my favourite thing is how specific it is. If you go to a busy outside shopping area (particularly Jianghan Lu) at some point you will probably be approached by shady-looking men trying to sell you watches and shoes. ‘Nice watch, nice shoes’ is pretty much the limit of their English, though just in case you were unclear what they were selling they generally bring accompanying pictures. As I said, my favourite thing is how specific it is – why shoes and watches as opposed to say – shoes and other items of clothing? Presumably they know the market better than me and when it comes to fake goods the true connoisseur knows that the real deals are to be had in the shoe and watch sections.

Huanying Guanglin!

Go into most large restaurants and stores and you will be met with a chorus of ‘Huanying Guanglin!’ (basically ‘Welcome’). Sometimes this will just be from the people who work there and happen to be close to the entrance, though lots of places will have people stationed at the entrance whose job it is to loudly welcome everyone into the premises (they also say it when you leave and welcome you to come next time). I can only assume that this is a way of creating jobs because I can’t really see any other reason – are there genuinely customers who feel treasured by being loudly shouted at every time they go into a store?

 

 

Rise of the Coffee Bean

When it comes to the drink of choice in China, tea with its long and storied history is the first thing one thinks of. Most restaurants will provide tea free of charge for you to drink with your meal, whilst people across the country can be seen carrying flasks on their person to be drunk during the workday. Teahouses are also very common, and often a sit-down and a taster session are required before settling on a leaf that you are happy with. Other than this though, teahouses do not really function as a place to spend an afternoon nor a place to have a chat with a friend. Like in many other countries, cafés very much fill this hole. The consumption of coffee in China has grown year on year which has had a knock-on effect on not only the choice of coffee available at supermarkets, but also the proliferation of cafés – both big-name corporations as well as independently run coffeehouses.

Similar to pretty much everywhere else in the world, Starbucks can now be found all over the country while Costa is also making some pretty big inroads, as well as other brands like Caffe bene and Lavazza. When I picture a Costa outlet in the UK I generally picture drab cafés on train platforms however what is common in China amongst all these chains is that they are quite upmarket. Unfortunately this is matched by the price, and what you will often find is that even when taking the currency into account, coffee at Costa and Starbucks is more expensive in China than it is in the UK or US. Presumably this is how they keep out the riff-raff though I pretty much consider myself amongst their number and wish the price wasn’t quite so prohibitive.

Apart from the bigger outlets, smaller independently-run cafés are also very common. These tend to be grouped in certain areas, frequently near universities. Unlike the more homogenous main brands (decorated in their pastel shades and replete with a pretentious jazz soundtrack) these smaller cafés are generally decorated by the owner and the décor reflects their individual taste and style. People generally like to be more artistic in their design and often there are some really interesting places to go. On the downside the coffee often doesn’t work out much cheaper than the chain stores, which I can only assume is a result of a country-wide conspiracy amongst coffee purveyors to drive up prices (as opposed to say – high import prices). As somewhat of a philistine when it comes to the fine art of coffee brewing and consumption (I usually drink granulated coffee at home) I am not really in a position to comment on the quality, however it seems pretty much fine to me.

As a final point, when the weather is disgustingly hot in the summer they do provide a much-needed haven of air-conditioning. As a final final point, public toilets in China are notoriously bad so if you are out and about and feel the call of nature do yourself a favour and find a Starbucks – bliss.

 

 

Mixing it with the locals

Much the same as anywhere, when you live in the same area for a little while you tend to get to know the cashiers/staff etc. who work at your local shops and restaurants. Whilst at home you may exchange small talk, if you can’t speak Chinese this goes out of the window a little bit when you come out here. Nevertheless you find that quite soon everyone near where you live knows you and you end up being familiar with quite a few people (typically not by name but more by descriptive epithets like ‘corner shop guy’ ‘fried rice woman’ or ‘security guard man’). As a helpful offshoot this does typically lead to better service, particularly if you tend to buy the same things from a given vendor. For example there is one person that I buy breakfast from regularly, always buying the local re gan mian noodles. Before I even enter the shop the woman has started making them. Of course this does mean that if I ever decide to order something else she just assumes I misspoke and makes re gan mian anyway. Along with this woman, one of my other favourite people near me is ‘fried dumpling lady’ who is always really friendly. Last year I was talking to her about my plans to go home for Christmas and in the same conversation mentioned that I liked the home-made pickle they put on the fried rice. No sooner had I mentioned that, than she promised to make me a big batch (for free) which I could take home to the UK for all my family to try. True to her word she did actually make a big bowl for me and I did end up bringing it back to England – it went down a storm.

Another of my favourite people is ‘water vendor woman’ who has a stand near the entrance to the Metro. I buy bottles of water from her daily on my way to work and she is without doubt one of the smiliest people I have ever met. I mentioned to her once that I had done some teaching which absolutely made her day, she thought it was such a great thing that she tried to give me the water for free that day. She is also convinced that I only drink one brand of water and even when her husband is working there she always reminds him which brand to give me (in truth it’s the only brand that I know the Chinese name which is why I asked for it..). Most apartment complexes will have security guards at the main entrance, most of which I recognise by now. With most of them I am very much on smiling and nodding terms with, but my favourite is definitely the guy who booms out a big ‘Hello!’ whenever I go past, accompanied by a massive grin. Another person I come across pretty often is ‘grizzled street cleaner man’ who speaks the thickest most unintelligible dialect which I have great trouble understanding. This does not mean we are not fast friends though and I’m always keen for a random conversation in the street with him. Definitely my favourite thing that he did whilst we were speaking was casually throwing his empty cigarette packet onto the floor after he’d smoked the last one – despite the fact that he was standing there with a broom and bag and that it was his job to pick up such litter.

Talk to anyone who lives here and they will have the same kind of daily interactions. One of the great things about spending time here is getting to know all sorts of people, even if the actual conversation you have with them may be limited. It is these interactions that really make you feel at home and very much part of a community.

 

 

Chinese hospitality

One of the best things about living in China is how welcoming and hospitable people can be. Don’t get me wrong, this is not to say that everyone you meet is best friend material, nor that plenty of people won’t piss you off (particularly on crowded public transport..). What I do mean though is how accommodating people can be when you make an effort to socialise and mix with them.

A perfect example of this happened to me a few weeks ago when I went to the cable company to pay my TV bill. Whilst in the queue I got talking to one of the women that worked there and ended up giving her my QQ number. Long story short I ended up being invited to her family’s house for home-made dumplings and now have a regular badminton match with her husband. That is not even the first time that I have been treated to home-made dumplings – a chance comment to my friend about liking dumplings evolved into me having new year’s dinner with his parents replete with dumplings that his mum had painstakingly made the night before! This kind of accommodating character is not unusual, and I think that for new people coming out to China the most important thing is that you not only open yourself up to it, but actively pursue it. When I first came to China I was sometimes uneasy if someone I didn’t really know asked for my phone number or QQ, but usually they are just being friendly and if you pursue it you often find yourself having experiences you otherwise wouldn’t have had whilst making some great friends along the way.

If I asked many of my friends at home for a lift to the airport I don’t think there would be too many volunteers, but this kind of thing is something that Chinese people will generally do for their friends. When my brothers visited Wuhan last year my Chinese friends were basically queuing up to help out and provide lifts if needed (which I was quite happy to accept). The notion of friendship is taken very seriously and making Chinese friends is a very enriching experience. Learning Chinese is definitely something worth doing though as it opens so many doors and allows you to communicate with people you otherwise wouldn’t. This is not to say however that it is an uncrossable hurdle, one of my English friends in his first year regularly played football with a group of 9 or 10 Chinese guys. After football they would all get hotpot together and have a big night, occasionally even going to a KTV. Of the Chinese men only 1 or 2 really spoke English, but I know that for my friend it didn’t stop him from having a great time with them and making some good friends (he ended up going to two of their weddings).

I do think that it is important to have other foreign friends. Having people that speak the same language and share the same background is a hugely important thing in a foreign country. Having said this, making friends from outside this circle; whether middle-aged women from the cable shop or a rowdy Chinese football team is absolutely worth it, not just because you will experience and do things you otherwise wouldn’t, but because you will enjoy your time in China that much more if you have some good friends to rely on.

 

The response in China to different backgrounds and sexuality

Obviously this is not the most comfortable topic to write about but we feel it’s important to make our applicants aware of some of the scenarios that may present themselves when spending a significant amount of time in China. The first point I’d like to make is that Chinese people on the whole are some of the most welcoming and accommodating people you could ever wish you to meet. The kindness and hospitality I have experienced is beyond what I could ever have imagined and has meant I have adopted China as a second home. There are so many variations between London and Wuhan but I feel just as comfortable in China as I do back home. I would go as far as to say there are I even prefer parts of the lifestyle in China and have become accustomed to and very much miss when I go home.

However within Chinese culture there is a small amount of ignorant behaviour which although rare can be astonishing at times and hard to ignore. Certain views of Chinese people aren’t malicious but due simply to lack of education. It is actually quite shocking what Chinese people don’t know about the rest of the world and although the media outside China concentrate on the positives of their education system such as huge successes in maths and science its worth pointing out that R.E and World history are also important to learn. The lack of these subjects in their education system means Chinese people often fail to look past stereotypes they have seen on TV…..An English gentlemen….a romantic Frenchman……and a beer drinking German is a little monotonous after a while. China is not a multi-cultural society so perhaps it’s a little unfair to compare Wuhan with a city as modern and liberal as London where I am from however our most valued person is our applicants and we feel it’s important everyone understands what you might experience whilst living in China.

With regards to sexuality we have had gay teachers that have come to teach in China with us in previous years who have asked us whether they should make their sexuality public knowledge. I have asked Chinese people in Wuhan on several occasions whether there is a large gay community in Wuhan, the response almost every time has been “No, there are none….we don’t have gays”….Of course they do and I have met a few gay Chinese people in Wuhan however they certainly keep it quite low profile and within their close groups of friends. There is actually one gay bar located along the river in Hankou although it isn’t particularly well known and is quite well hidden. My advice for gay teachers coming to China would be to keep it to yourself until you've made a solid friendship group, I would say it’s probably not wise to make it instantly known to your Chinese co-workers.

Race is another issue where there is a severe lack of education. I was in a taxi with a friend of mine who is South African, he is white and when the taxi driver asked where he was from he simply said….”But…..You aren’t black”….It’s hard to find a response for a comment like that. Another common thing to find is that unless you’re from one of the bigger nations in the world there is a good chance most Chinese people would have never heard of your country. Smaller European nations tend to not be known and Africa seems to just be clumped together as one continent. I have heard the odd derogatory mark made against black people too which is appalling but is a reality. They refuse to accept a Black British national as British and will always say they are African…even if Africa isn’t their background. It’s quite strange considering how many Chinese live in The U.S, Canada and Australia but is suppose that’s just how it is for now, hopefully this is something that will begin to change as China grows economically and inevitably becomes more multi-cultural.

Relationships

I taught an English lesson recently with relationships as the theme. One part of the lesson was on various personality traits and things that people might look for in a partner. Having lived in China for a little while now I had a fairly good idea of what would come up and I was not let down. Whilst I wouldn’t necessarily say that dating/marriage in the UK is perfect (the rate of divorce is enough to suggest that people do make mistakes) however one thing that is fairly common is that if you ask someone what is most important in a relationship they will probably say ‘love’ or some variant on this…this is an answer that tends to come up a little less in China. At this point I should say that the lesson I took was comprised solely of women, and this blog concerns women in China – I’ll save the man’s side of things for another day.

For many women I know, finding a man they love is very much secondary to finding a man who is a) dependable b) financially sound and c) of a good family background and social status. If that sounds like it is straight from the 1950s that’s because it is. I personally know many people who will readily admit they don’t love their husband, or even single people who assume that they will eventually marry someone they like but won’t necessarily love. A lot of this springs from the pressure to have a child and conform to the standard family model placed upon people by parents and society in general. Parents in China exert a far greater influence on their children’s life than in other countries (this does not stop when said child reaches their twenties..) which is partly why potential partner’s backgrounds are so important. Whether or not you love someone, more importantly do your parents approve of him, his job, his family and his social status. Being dependable and able to provide a stable income and familial life is often considered to be more important than whether couples love each other or indeed whether they are faithful. There is a strange unspoken thing where men cheating on their wives is not seen as that bad provided he keeps it quiet and it does not impact on how he provides for his family. I realise that this is a very broad statement and I would not want to comment on whether unfaithfulness is any higher in China than elsewhere. What I would say though is that it enjoys more tacit acceptance than anywhere else I have been.

 Many people I have met can be judgemental about things that perhaps would not be judged elsewhere. One of the women in the class I taught for example said that she would not want to marry a man whose parents were not still together. Initially I assumed that she meant a child of divorced parents which whilst I could not agree with, could at least see her reasons. It turned out however that she meant this in a more broad sense, for example if one of his parents had died then for her this would make him undesirable husband material. Upon closer questioning it was because she felt that anyone who was not raised in a conventional family unit would not grow up properly. I can only feel pity for the man who suffers a close family bereavement only to subsequently hear that this has also made him unattractive husband material… One thing that women can get judged on is being single from any age above 28. Most women are expected to be married by this point and the older they get without being married the more potential partners might assume that this is a result of some sort of deficiency on the part of the woman rather than something else e.g. she hadn’t yet met someone she wanted to marry or didn’t immediately want to settle down and have children.

Of course this is not to say that these attitudes are true of everyone, there are plenty of people who do not care about racing into having children in their mid-twenties and plenty of people who are looking for a soulmate rather than someone for whom a man who can satisfy the ‘provider’ role as a husband is quite enough. Yet it is also true to say that these people are still in the minority and whilst in the UK things might not be perfect I think I prefer our attitude to it than that which still holds sway for many people in China.

 

 

The Cinema

It took me three years to actually go but I’ve been to the cinema six times in the past few months and I’m bloody loving it. For people who have resided in China for a while and are keen on learning Chinese and taking lessons going to watch a Chinese movie can be a great way to learn, admittedly watching Chinese TV for free is a lot cheaper but you’re missing out on that cinema feel….the stale popcorn, Fanta with absolutely no fizz and Chinese people talking loudly on the phone in the middle of a movie.

As not much of a film buff my tastes don’t go much beyond a Christopher Nolan blockbusters but now I’ve dipped my toe into the world of Chinese and Hong Kong cinema there is no going back. I can safely say I have witnessed the worst acting imaginable whilst watching Chinese movies and they make the cast of Eastenders look like Oscar nominees, nevertheless it’s still a great way to learn.

I have been asked by various applicants the value of learning local dialects, each town or city has their own each dialect which differs greatly from standard Chinese. Of course there are similarities but it’s not just contrasting accents but often different words completely. Of course it’s useful to learn some local dialects especially as some of the older generations will only speak their local dialect, so conversing with shop owners for example can be difficult without any grasp of the dialect….but at the same time its relatively pointless in the grander scheme of things. If you are looking to learn Chinese to further your career or converse within business you’ll only ever need to use standard Chinese and eventually local dialects will die out. It’s best not to complicate things for yourself and focus on standard Chinese. Going to the cinema is great for this as the actors speak very slowly and clearly using standard Chinese, it can be good practise.

In terms of foreign films, there are usually a couple on at the cinema at any one time. Off the top of my head in the last year “The Hobbit”…”Skyfall”…”Gravity” have all been shown in Wuhan, both dubbed into Chinese and subtitled. The cinemas are really nicely furnished and the same as what you would expect in the U.K, Imax screens and 3D films are shown with the best thing being there are no adverts! The film always starts in accordance to whichever time is shown on the ticket, sitting through 20 minutes of adverts really bugs me. There are also no trailers which I find a little disappointing but maybe that’s just my preference and many of you would also be viewing that as a bonus. Staying in touch with movies from back home is not an issue and for anything that isn’t shown at the cinema you can buy on DVD from one of the many shops and street sellers…the legality of these DVDs is questionable may I add.

One thing you may find in some Hollywood films is that the Chinese will censor them and change the films ever so slightly as they don’t want anything to depict China in a bad light. If there is a movie where the villain is Chinese they will have that changed so the nationality of the villain is of another Asian country. In Skyfall for example there is a scene in Shanghai where Bond kills a Chinese guard to get into a high-rise building, in the Chinese version the guard being killed is completely removed from the film, I’m not really sure why. Films that depict sex or violence they will absolutely not be shown, also anything political would never successfully pass the Chinese censorship tests. The Chinese are very careful about what types of films they show and most of Chinese Cinema is based around trivial topics or Chinese history.

The hardest thing about the Cinema is dealing with the Chinese people sitting around you, there can be a lot of talking and disruption throughout a movie so best to try and find showings at more obscure times. Enjoy!!

 

 

Chinese TV

Often Chinese people will ask me about how they can improve their English, leaving me casting around for an better answer than ‘practice harder’. In general I tend to mumble something about trying to use English as much as possible and try to make some friends who they can speak English with regularly. I usually also mention that it might be worth watching some English TV shows as it may help their listening skills. Until recently though, this was advice that I had never employed personally in my Chinese studies, though in the last few weeks I have been watching more and more Chinese television to test out my own advice.

When flicking across TV channels it seems like the airwaves are dominated by costume dramas and low-budget sitcoms. There is one common thread however that links all Chinese shows – terrible acting. Whilst not a thespian myself, I feel quite certain that I can act better than most Chinese TV actors and remain convinced that fluency in Chinese is the only thing standing in the way of me taking the industry by storm. What you do see a lot is ridiculous over acting that only belongs in poor quality panto. One comedy show that is quite popular right now is Aiqing Gongyu (iPartment) which follows the lives of a small group of young people living in the same apartment building in Shanghai. On the plus side the production values are actually quite good, though on the downside it is not funny (a pretty big problem for a comedy) and is guilty of copying entire scenes from other shows (notably Friends from which some scenes have been copied word for word).

Similar to most other countries in the world, reality TV programming and in particular talent show contests command huge audiences. Equivalents of The Voice, Britain’s Got Talent and The X-Factor can all be found and follow much the same blueprint as those in the UK and the USA. One such show is Zhongguo Hao Gequ which is essentially the same as The Voice, however contestants are only allowed to sing songs that they wrote. I have to say it is actually quite good, with singers performing music from a fairly broad range of genres.

Another show that is pretty huge right now is Baba Qu Nar? which follows five celebrities as they travel to rural places in China with their children taking part in activities and challenges. This show regularly gets 75 million viewers per episode, though I am not really sure why. I think one of the key attractions of the show is finding out more about the celebrities and how they interact with their children, though as someone with no prior knowledge of the fathers in the show this is basically lost on me – I’m essentially just watching five random guys traveling with their children.

Almost all Chinese programming is accompanied with subtitles, so watching TV can be a good way of practicing both your listening as well as reading. As such when viewed as a learning resource it does have several benefits for Chinese learners – when viewed as a source of entertainment however it has less going for it.

 

 

Changes in Wuhan

With its key position in central China Wuhan is a key hub for both commercial as well as industrial transport. Marking the midpoint on the high-speed train between Beijing and Guangzhou with new lines now open to Guilin this makes Wuhan a convenient base for those wishing to travel around China. In terms of industry Wuhan has been termed the gateway to Western China, something particularly important to the planned development of Western China by the Chinese government. What all this means in real terms is that Wuhan is changing rapidly and well on its way to becoming a truly international city. These changes are taking place not only in the infrastructure of the city but also in culture, sport and education. Here I have mentioned three such changes that show how Wuhan is changing right now.

With the plans long ago submitted and finalised, the base has now been completed and in the last few weeks the first steel beams have been installed in what will be the Wuhan Greenland Center Tower. Construction is estimated to be completed in 2017 at which time it will stand as the fourth highest building in the world. At 636m that makes it more than double the height of The Shard (currently the tallest building in Europe).

As many city residents will tell you, Wuhan is a city of ‘firsts’ in China. It had the first bridge to cross the Yangtze river, the first tunnel going under the river and as of last year the first Metro line to go under the river. That line will soon be joined by the recently opened Line 4 which began operation at the end of December. Line 4 will eventually run all the way from Wuhan train station down to Zhuankou in Hanyang, though currently is only open as far as Yuemachang in Wuchang. However passengers can take the Metro between Wuhan train station, Wuchang train station and Hankou train station – greatly convenient for travellers getting in and out of the city. Now in Wuhan there are three Metro lines open with five more planned to open in the next 5 years with further suburban lines to follow. When fully completed the Wuhan Metro system will be one of the most extensive in the world.

In September of this year Wuhan will play host to a Women’s Tennis Association tournament with 7 of the top 10 female players expected to attend. The stadium is located in Guanggu (Optics Valley) and construction will be completed in the coming months. One player you can safely expect to be competing in the tournament will be the current world number four Li Na who is a local of the city.

 

 

 

Learning Chinese Characters

For people who learn Chinese outside of a formal course or degree, the choice of whether they learn characters with their initial studies is up to them. Many people have asked me whether they need to learn characters straight away, and the answer to this I think is dependent on your reasons for learning Chinese.

When I first came to China I took lessons throughout the year in Chinese as understanding what people were saying to me was somewhat of a priority. By the end of the year I was reasonably happy with my progress and could understand most day to day things I needed as well as being able to carry out simple conversation. Despite this I didn’t know a single Chinese character. For me at that time I wanted to focus on my oral and my listening, which to be quite honest is hard enough. For those people who may only be in China for one year and who are looking to learn functional Chinese during their stay then I would advise not bothering too much with characters and focusing on spoken Chinese.

For people who are serious about learning Chinese though, and who may wish to continue their studies beyond one year in China, learning characters is a must. Only when you have a proper understanding of Chinese characters and their myriad meanings can you really understand the language. It is generally accepted that a knowledge of 2500-3000 characters is entirely sufficient to read any written work you are likely to encounter. To those new to the language this is slightly misleading though, as whilst this might not seem like a massive mountain to climb, in reality if you do learn these commonly-used characters you still need to learn the tens of thousands of words that can be made with these characters.

As well as their importance in fully coming to grips with the Chinese language another aspect of learning characters that has made an impact on me is how fascinating they can be to study. One aspect of this is in the genesis of the characters themselves. Originating from pictograms thousands of years ago the forms of many characters today still bear a close relation to the meaning they carry. A common example of this is 木(mu) meaning tree or wood.  From there if we have two together we have the character林 (lin) meaning forest.  Finally three together gives us the character 森 (sen) also meaning forest, though generally in a more densely wooded sense.

Whilst not all characters still bear this same visual relation to their meaning, nonetheless when you learn more of their meanings it becomes easier to guess new words from their component characters. For example if you know that the character 电 (dian) means electricity and that 脑 (nao) means brain then it is not the greatest leap of imagination to guess that together电脑 means computer (literally ‘electric brain’). Another basic example would be the character 飞 (fei) meaning ‘to fly’ and 机 (ji) which amongst other things means machine. Thus together we have the word 飞机 aeroplane (‘flying machine’).

For the student who has begun to study Chinese, characters can seem hopelessly complex and nonsensical, and for those who only wish to be able to get by during their stay in China perhaps it is easier not to learn them. Yet for those people who are interested in seriously studying Chinese, the study of characters is not only a necessity but also an immensely rewarding endeavour.

 

 

Chinese qualifications

Prior to coming to China I had very little idea about Chinese language qualifications outside of those which you would obtain at university. Only after coming here did I hear people talk about the HSK, though I was never really sure what it was, what purpose it served or how you could get it. I have given a rough outline her of some of the basic information regarding the HSK for those who may be interested in taking it.

What

The HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) is a standardised test of Chinese language ability for non-native speakers, of which it is the only one recognised by the Chinese authorities. In recent years the format of the test has changed, and there are now 6 levels. These levels are usually put into three bands; basic (levels 1 and 2), intermediate (levels 3 and 4) and advanced (levels 5 and 6). Level 1 is described (by Wikipedia) as ‘Designed for learners who can understand and use some simple Chinese characters and sentences to communicate, and prepares them for continuing their Chinese studies.’ Whilst level 6 is ‘Designed for learners who can easily understand any information communicated in Chinese and are capable of smoothly expressing themselves in written or oral form.’ Above level 2 learners are required to have learned a number of Chinese characters, so for those who wish to reach the higher levels then a sound basis in Chinese characters is imperative. As can be seen in the two descriptions the levels represent a very broad spectrum, so even for absolute beginners there is something to aim for.

Why

In a most basic sense the HSK provides a good yardstick for Chinese learners to gauge their progress. For many people, having a goal is also an excellent motivation to work hard at their reading, writing and speaking. For students who achieve excellent marks in the HSK (usually levels 3 or 4) they may also be able to gain a scholarship for long or short term study at a Chinese university. For those who may wish to gain employment in a company in China, good marks in the HSK may be a prerequisite for the job. In this case most employers would expect the applicant to have achieved a level 4 in the HSK if not higher.

How

There are now test centres for the HSK around the globe, which has made it very convenient for people who wish to sit the exam. There are typically a few different times in the year when you can sit an exam for any given level, however this varies between different test centres so be sure to check with your local test centre in advance. In terms of signing up to take the HSK, registration typically needs to be completed no later than one month in advance and a fee of £60 (approx.) must also be paid in order to take the test. With regards to preparing for the HSK there are numerous online sources providing the official vocabulary list for each level as well as a number of practice tests for learners to take.

 

The HSK is administered by the Hanban institute, so for those wishing to find more information about the HSK, their website is http://english.hanban.org/

 

What to expect from teaching different age groups

One question that will be put to all of our applicants during their initial phone interview with me will be what ages do you feel most comfortable teaching? For some of our more experienced teachers who apply they probably will have a general idea based on their previous jobs. However if you’re one of our many teachers who have had no formal training or experience in a classroom it can be a little difficult to know which ages would suit you best. For this reason I have written a little bit about my experiences of teaching varying ages in China to hopefully assist our applicants in their decision. Unsurprisingly many schools will be attracted to applicants who display flexibility and are comfortable with all ages but there is no harm in telling us your initial preference before we put you forward for interviews.

Our associate schools range from kindergartens all the way up to Universities although it’s worth noting that many high schools (ages 15-18) tend not to hire foreign English teachers and rely on their Chinese staff to teach the syllabus. I have been asked previously which age group would be the most challenging to teach and truthfully there isn’t really a right answer that I can give as it will usually depend on the teacher’s attributes.  There are however different challenges and enjoyments posed by all ages in China. At a University for example often means that the teacher will have a lot more preparation to do for the classes and provide plenty of material so it can mean a lot more marking and work to do in the evenings away from school. However the upside is there is more opportunity to be friends with your students, play sport with them and even eat lunch/dinner together. The fact that all of my university students were so friendly meant that I settled into my job really well. Contrastingly teaching kindergarten will mean very little preparation as each class may mean only learning one or two knew words and practising them over and over again. It can be a little repetitive however creativity is an important aspect of working with the younger children as its vital not to lose their attention so thinking of a wide variety of games, using props and not being too worried about making a fool of yourself by singing songs can all contribute to an enjoyable classroom atmosphere. When teaching younger children, although you are not going to be friends with your students the structure of your schools and the fact you have co-teachers mean you will be able to become friends with your Chinese colleagues very easily and they’re always keen to show you around the city when you arrive.

As I have been in China for a while and have gained good experience with most age groups, I can honestly say I enjoyed elements of teaching them all. Like I mentioned previously if you are teaching the younger children you have definitely got to be prepared to sing songs and make a fool of yourself from time to time so if that doesn’t sound like something you’d like to do I’d suggest opting for the older children as there is no escaping the singing. One thing I would say about Chinese children compared with English children for example which is not in any way a criticism is that they don’t grow up as quickly as Children in England which although took some getting used to. When I used to teach 13-14 year olds they seemed young in terms of their hobbies and the way they behaved so if you want to get away from having to discipline your student’s universities would be a better option.  If you are working with younger age groups there can also be a problem with communication as the student’s English skills are understandably not that great, however your Chinese co-workers will always be on hand to help translate your ideas across to the students and many schools provide a co-teacher to be in the room with you to assist with your class which is a huge help. There is no escaping how cute and fun it is to be around Chinese children and even though I hated the singing I would always look back on my time teaching the youngest children as my favourite.

 

Duped into performing

Many schools will put on performances at various times of the year. Typically these performances come in the form of children singing, dancing or reciting speeches in English (exactly as dull as it sounds). On occasion however the school will try and jazz up the performance by introducing some foreign flavour, something that is invariably bad news for the English teachers. More than once I have been caught up in some kind of Halloween/New Year/Christmas performance both acting, dancing and singing. I should probably mention as well that not only am I terrible at all three but that I have a particular dislike for performing in front of crowds (something that tends to manifest in a beet-red face and nervous sweating). Despite these obvious flaws in my performing repertoire, again and again the school is quite happy for me to take part.
 

The easy route would be to politely decline to take part in the show, however this can be difficult for two reasons. The first is that often the school will not really have anyone else that fits the role (i.e. they want a foreign Father Christmas) which means that they can be quite insistent in asking you. Maintaining a firm line in the face of this can be difficult particularly as it makes you seem like a massive killjoy – after a while it is easier to just cave in. The other problem is that often you’re unaware of what you’re being asked; a polite request to help out with the students’ performance at lunch soon morphs into three months rehearsal for an all singing all dancing ensemble act to be performed in front of the school and an array of visiting teachers. This genuinely happened to me, only after the first couple of rehearsals did I realise the scope of the performance and my role in it – by that point I was already involved and couldn’t really back out.

Throughout numerous rehearsals I maintained the mantra that none of my friends or family would know and that my embarrassment would at least be confined to China. Of course though the school made posters that went up on their website, filmed the whole thing then distributed some quite professional looking dvds of the performance to the entire school – as well as all the other foreign teachers. Naturally everyone at home eventually caught wind of it – at least someone enjoyed the performance.

If this cloud does have a silver lining it is that I care less and less about making an absolute fool out of myself. All I need to do now is find out a way of monetising that and I’m golden.

 

 

Weddings

It sounds pretty mad but I’d say if you teach in China on a 10 month contract it’s a pretty safe bet you will attend at least one Chinese wedding. I managed 3 during my first year and in total have been to 6 compared with only 2 that I’ve attended in England. If you are working at a primary school it’s likely that most of your colleagues will be women between the ages of 25-35, if any of the them have boyfriends there will be plans to get married imminently and they usually invite everyone from work, it’s a great experience and certainly something you’ll remember.

My advice would be to ask around before you go because I embarrassingly wore a suit to the first wedding I went to, the only other person that was wearing a suit was the groom. The best man had a Brazilian football shirt on which gives you an idea of the dress code. It’s not a particularly formal occasion and usually begins in the morning with the groom going to the bride’s parents house to pick his soon to be wife up…literally that is. The tradition is to carry the bride to the car from her house without her feet touching the ground; there are usually fireworks and banger being set off throughout. In my apartment complex I once saw a very weedy guy struggling to carrying a pretty large bride however the Chinese are not ones to shy away from tradition so 3 men carried her down to the car, I’m sure she felt great. There seems to be some sort of handing over ceremony at the bride’s house where the groom must make a list of promises to his new parents in law to how he will take care of their daughter. This is usually turned into a humorous speech before the groom must perform various tasks set by the bride (usually singing or press ups) after all this the groom will give his in laws money. Then the bride is carried out to the car and they drive off to the ceremony, usually in the function room of a hotel or restaurant.

Not all Chinese weddings parties are particularly bothered by making it a private event as I have been to restaurants before just to have dinner and been sat at a table in the middle of a wedding . There was also a bus load of tourists there happy as Larry right smack in the middle of it talking loudly over the ceremony, not a hint of embarrassment.

The bride and groom usually employ somebody to film the journey from their house to the reception. The cameraman acrobatically hanging out of the car behind with his video camera whilst its moving…Wuhan isn’t exactly picturesque so imagine somebody filming you driving around the M25 and you get an idea to what the video might be like. Chinese people can be very cheesy when it comes to romance which is quite sweet and lovely compared to cynical view of many in England although I did go to one wedding which was opened by the groom singing a love song to the bride whilst walking down the aisle towards her, he cried from start to finish. Bit much.  After a short ceremony of around 30 minutes there is a dinner for all of the guests, which is great but then unfortunately that’s it. There’s no disco, party or anything like that. Once people have shovelled in their food their off home meaning the actual wedding lasts around 2 hours. It’s traditional to give the happy couple money in a red packet rather than a gift and if you’re going to a wedding of somebody who you know from work 100RMB would suffice which is around £10, maybe more for a better friend.

Well worth going!! Enjoy!!