• @ttmrichter@lemmy.ml
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    12 years ago

    I went to China in 2001 “for a year or two”. In 2003 I returned to Canada for two months (a full summer). The next time I left China was for a one-month trip to Canada in 2016 to sort out some visa problems. I haven’t left since.

    Why?

    Because it’s an awesome place to live. The people are decent. The food is good. The culture and history are fascinating. The tech is super-advanced. My life improved dramatically with a move to China.

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
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      02 years ago

      I’m in Canada myself, and started thinking about moving to China last year. This has been on my mind for a little while, and pandemic handling was the last straw for me. I started learning Chinese recently, and hoping to start getting serious about making the move in a few years. It’s really great to hear encouraging stories from people who made the move already.

      • @ttmrichter@lemmy.ml
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        12 years ago

        Twenty years, no regrets. I occasionally miss things from “Back Home™” but not enough for me to go back.

        • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
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          12 years ago

          I’ve moved around a lot during my life, so I don’t really have any attachment to any one place that I’d call home at this point. I find the idea of moving to a completely different place with a different language and culture really exciting. Really breaks you out of your routine. :)

          Out of curiosity, what cities would you recommend looking at and how much Chinese do you have to know to get by. Also, would you know what the prospects for getting permanent residence are?

          • @ttmrichter@lemmy.ml
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            02 years ago

            Ditto. I’m a base brat. From earliest childhood memory to emancipation I lived in five different places across three countries. (Including infancy that would be seven places.) I have no “roots” that people talk about and never really stood still until, well, I came here. And even then I bounced around like mad for several years before finally settling down with family.

            Cities? Open up a travel guide. Make a list of the top ten cities they recommend. Then make a resolution to never go to those cities because they’re basically just tourist traps. :D

            It’s probably best, if you want a more “authentic” experience, to go to 2nd tier cities (like Wuhan, where I live). Make sure, however, that you go also to smaller so-called “county seats” (like Jiujiang: Jiujiang County, not Jiujiang City) because that’s where you get a lot more very localized flavour. (Even 2nd tier cities are somewhat of a melting pot culturally.) If you must go to the major, big name cities, my favourite, hands-down, is Chongqing. It’s an utterly gorgeous place and the food is the best I’ve tasted. If you’re interested in something more bucolic and quiet, there’s lots of nice “resort”-style cities tucked away here and there. Shangrao is the one of those I liked best. Stunning scenery, friendly people, decent prices.

            • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
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              02 years ago

              Thanks for the rundown. I really can’t wait to make the move. I do some hobby photography, and I’ve been dreaming about traveling around China to do that. Sounds like it’d be a real blast especially with the train network that connects the whole country now.

              • @ttmrichter@lemmy.ml
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                22 years ago

                I came to China in 2001 for “a year or two”.

                Since then my total accumulated time spent outside of China has amounted to three months and change.

                It’s … an experience.

                • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
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                  12 years ago

                  Really can’t wait to move, especially after having to live with the way the pandemic is being handled here in Canada. And thanks again for sharing your experience!