My first info on china

China sounds very exotic and daunting to many and why shouldn't it we know so little about the real China. We don't get to see much of the present China on TV and therefore, we end up imagining China as we have seen it in the Shaolin or Kungfu movies (further popularized by movies such as Mulan and Kungfu Panda)

I am not saying these movies are not portraying China correctly but, I merely want to share the other side of China. The side where people ride around the city in BMW's, Porsches, Mercedes and every other SUV available in the market.

I have been living in Guangzhou, China for over 2yrs now and I have realized I am doing much better here than I would have done anywhere else (considering the economy and job opportunities) At one point in time everyone used to say 'USA! A place where everybody can make money' and now you can still say the same just replace the USA with China.

Guangzhou is among one of the 5 largest cities. Everyone's heard of Beijing and Shanghai and many travelers give Guangzhou a miss but, being in Guangzhou has it's own charm. The city is very conveniently located between Macao and Hong Kong which are worlds apart from China. As a foreigner this is so cool for me because whenever I want a breather and I feel Chinese traditions are getting a little over whelming I can plan a quick getaway to either city.

In the past two years I have been picking up some Mandarin and it's useful but, these days more and more people are learning English. They realize the importance therefore, here there is plenty job for foreigners who can teach English even if they speak no Mandarin at all. Students can be as young as 18months and as old as 52 or more. Everybody wants to learn and understand the western culture and language making this one of the most viable trade for foreigners in China. One can expect to earn minimum of USD 15 per hour which is not bad at all. Of course, offers will differ according to situation, city, experience etc.....I am only giving an approximate amount.

The city itself has to offer a lot for foreigners these days. You can buy just about everything just like back home. They even have Sam's Club, Walmart, Metro etc....wines a little expensive but, then you can always source it from Hong Kong or Macao.

Living in China is not all perfect it does have it drawbacks for eg, it's tough to find a good steak or decent Italian food but, more western joints are coming up and foreigners don't have to depend on Macdonalds and KFC like most people think. Chinese food in itself is a very healthy alternative with meat, lots of vegetables noodles and array of food to choose from. I have tons of western friends living here and most of them love to eat Chinese as its healthy and inexpensive...

Guangzhou skyline on a cloudy day

I am writing this blog because i feel there isn't a lot of information out there for foreigners to read, learn, get informed and decide whether they want to travel, live, work or visit china. I intend to help get some information out there. i hope to put in some personal experience that would be helpful for all. Please read follow and  watch this blog for further information. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to comment or ask and I will try my best to answer it.