I am a native Chinese who just graduated with a degree in computer science. Right now, I am living in Guilin, a wonderful place for cycling. If you have any questions about China, feel free to ask. I will do my best to help.
ADD:
I didn’t expect everyone to be so interested. I will do my best to answer. However, as I mentioned, I have just graduated and in terms of life experience, I’m just a kid. There are many areas of knowledge that I have never heard of, so I can’t provide an answer. I apologize to everyone.
Once again, I apologize. Many questions raised by friends are interesting, but they also require more time for me to think and provide suitable answers. Therefore, I am unable to reply immediately to many questions from friends.
Final：
Thank you all for your questions over this period. I have tried my best to answer some of them, but there are still many questions beyond my capability. I apologize to those friends. I might not continue answering this thread from now on. I wish you all a happy life.
What is football like there? I don’t mean in terms of loads of people watching foreign or Chinese top flight sides, I mean people playing in parks / on the street / in local or work teams.
You’re quite intelligent judging from your replies and silence. Good English too. Where did you do your computer science undergraduate and what is your specialisation.
Guilin is a nice city, visited there before. Also did typical tourist stuff in nearby Yangshuo and Longji. Hope to visit again.
Lived in Suzhou and Shanghai for quite some years, but left before COVID, although still frequent China since then.
I only think they have become really tourist-unfriendly in recent years, as they reject foreigners at some hotels, need your passport/ID for everything (it’s insane and very cumbersome), even for buying a metro ticket in some cities. I speak the language quite well, and it was a pain to get around… imagine tourists who are coming for the first time. I hope China will improve and become less restrictive
Im Chinese but i was adopted to a Scandinavian country during the one child policy. Everytime i see something related to Chinese Culture, myths, places and people i get the feeling i am a woman of no country. I would love to visit but im scared to ve looked down upon for being a bit chubby and outside the beauty standard and i dont speak Mandarin nor Cantonese. Are my fears wildy out of place?
A) are there any table manners westerners should be aware of?
B) I often see a lack of what we would call courtesy in mutual interactions. E.g. when queueing. Or people do not stand up and offer elders a seat in busses, etc. Is this due to the fact that there are just too many people or does it have roots in history /philosophy?
How do the locals in China view ABCs who visit China without knowing any English? Is it easy to order food in China in restaurants? I want to get in touch with my roots but am ashamed that I don’t know much Mandarin.
I think why people are so interested it’s because this subreddit is not about China and Chinese culture more about Chinese politics and I have joined this sub to understand current day Chinese life
I’m curious, since graduation how long have you looked for a job? How are your classmates doing? How do the wages you’re seeing compare to US software development jobs?
I’m planning to study Mandarin in Shanghai for a semester and I’m looking for recommendations for intensive language programs. I’m particularly interested in programs with a strong business focus.
I’ve been considering SISU, SNMandarin and others. Does anyone have experience with them or other schools they’d recommend?
I’m also interested in advice on:
Finding suitable accommodation (e.g., co-living spaces, apartments)
Cost of living in Shanghai
Best areas to live for language students
Tips for navigating the city and culture
Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
thank you mate