Category: Categories

How are the medical facilities and medical care in Dalian?

As of 2015, there currently is not an international hospital in Dalian. An international hospital is a hospital that operates according to modern standards of medicine. Its healthcare would be of much better quality than an average hospital. Also, the doctors usually use Western standards of medicine and are fluent in English. These hospitals while offering excellent service are often quite expensive. The closest international hospital is in Beijing though plans have been made for an international hospital to open up in Dalian.

The normal public hospitals in China are usually not up to the standards and quality that an international hospital would have though this would vary by the individual city and hospital that you go to. Hospitals outside of the major cities will probably have a much lower quality of healthcare. Some other things that make it hard for a foreigner to use a public hospital is that the staff usually only speaks minimal English, the hospital does not keep any kind of records (patients keep their own health records), patients have to provide all their own food, and the lines to see a doctor are often long. One of the benefits of the public hospitals is that they are usually very cheap.

Public Hospital In Dalian

What if I have to take medicine on a regular basis (i.e. insulin, etc.)?

You will always need to check before coming to China to see if the medicine that you are required to take is available for you to get on a regular and cost-effective basis in China. Your best option is to have a friend in China contact a local doctor to check on the medication you need. Do not trust the information you get online as it is not always updated or entirely accurate. Insulin is available as many people in China also suffer from diabetes.

What are the pros and cons of having a baby in China?

The advantages of having a baby in China is that you do not have to spend the time and expense to travel back to your home country for the delivery. The downside of having a baby in China is that you have to have the delivery in the middle of an entirely different culture. Chinese people definitely have different ideas and procedures for pregnancy and delivery than you would experience in your home country. This could lead to many frightening and extremely uncomfortable situations. Much of this tension is alleviated if you have the baby at an international hospital, but there still may be some things that will be strange or different.

When moving to Dalian, one of the first things that you will need to do is to find a place to live. This post gives you some information about what housing is like in Dalian, how to rent, and other information in regards to getting housing in Dalian.

What kind of house can I expect to live in?

In Dalian, you can expect to live in a high-rise apartment complex. Your building will probably be between 5 and 30 stories tall. You will probably have a parking garage in the basement and maybe a shared yard that everyone in the complex uses. This is the most common type of housing in Dalian. The size of your house will depend on the amount of money you are willing to spend, but it will be hard to find a house that is bigger than three bedrooms and two baths. If you want something bigger than this, you will probably have to rent adjoining apartments and connect them.

What will it cost me to set up my house in Dalian?

The cost of setting up your house will depend on how much remodeling work will need to be done and how nice of furniture and appliances you buy. It will be totally different from house to house and person to person. However, I looked online at the local Ikea store and also went to a local appliance store and gathered some prices of what I think each of the major appliances and furniture that you need will cost. These prices are estimates only, and I tried to base them off of items that are of average price. I did not try to get the cheapest price or the most expensive price. These prices are a non-precise estimate, but I hope they give you a better idea of what it will take to completely set up a new house in Dalian with all new furniture and appliances.

Bed  $550, Mattress $150, Chest of drawers $200, Wardrobe $600, 2 Bedside Tables $200, Dining Table Set $800, Sofa Set $800, Coffee Table $50, Cabinet and Media Storage $400, Water Heater $700, Stove Top and Hood $1100, Oven $1300, Microwave $200, Washer Drier Combo $1600, Fridge $600, Kitchen Cabinets $500, Kitchen Sink & Faucet $250, Bathroom Storage $100, 2nd Bedroom Single Bed $250, 2nd Bedroom Mattress $150, 2nd Bedroom Chest of Drawers $200, 2nd Bedroom Bedside Tables $200

All of these items together total: $10,900. This only includes major furniture and appliances. It does not include all of the little household items that you need.

What will it cost to live in a house instead of an apartment?

There is not really much of an opportunity if you live inside the city area of Dalian to live in a house. There are single family houses in the city, but all the ones that I have seen are reserved for government officials and leaders. They are the only ones allowed to live in these houses. There may be houses available in the city, I just haven`t found any. Once you get outside of the city and into the area that the city hasn`t completely expanded out to you will find some detached single family houses available. So, living in a house versus an apartment is more a question of is there a house available in the area of town you want to live in rather than how much more does it cost. Over 95% of the people in Dalian if not more will live in some style of apartment building.

Apartment Buildings In Dalian

What kind of electric current will my house have?

Your house will use 220-volt voltage. Many of your computers and phone chargers are compatible with both 220 and 110 voltages. However, many other electronics are not. If you plan to use 110-volt electronics, you will need to use a power converter. Below is a picture of the standard plugs that you will find in houses in Dalian. These plugs have two different styles of sockets. If your electronic`s plug is different from either of these two styles, then you will need to use a plug adapter.

How do I rent a place to live, What is the process of renting?

The first step to renting a house is to find the house that you want to rent. To do this, you can either look online or go to a local real estate office and look through the houses they have available. A website that shows houses for rent in Dalian is: 58.com. Here is a link for the local version of the website: 58.com 

Once you find the house that you want to buy, the next step is to agree to the terms, sign the contract, and pay the Landlord.

Finally, after getting all of the rental agreements worked out, you and your landlord need to make sure that you register that you are renting the house with the local government. They will provide you with a document that you will need for other kinds of paperwork and registration that you will do in the city.

What kind of contract do I have to sign?

Most rental contracts are for one year. Usually, always the total amount of the rent has to be paid up front. You can`t just pay it by the month. Also, the person renting is usually responsible for paying their own electric, water, cable, and internet bills.

What is the cost of a hotel to stay at until finding a house?

Usually, you can get a decent hotel for an average of between US$30-40 per night. Weekends and summertime always have somewhat higher prices. You can rent a room at a regular hotel, or you can find a room that is available for short-term rental in an apartment complex. This kind of room has the advantage that it often comes with a mini kitchen and washing machine.

When you think about moving to China with your family, you probably will have some questions relating to what life will be like for your family. This post is written to help answer some of those questions.

How safe is it in Dalian, Will my children be safe?

Living in China has the advantage that the country as a whole is a relatively safe place to live. There is usually no reason to worry about violent crime. Guns, gangs, and drugs are banned, and most people feel very safe about going out on the streets even late at night. Dalian is no exception and is a safe place to live.

China is a relatively safe place for your children to live. You should of course exercise caution and make sure your children are close to you when you are out in public places. There have been some reports on the news of children being stolen in China. However, this is something that is more of a fear for Chinese parents and is not something you have to really worry about if you exercise normal caution while out in public. There is more danger to be found with just living in a big city. Buses, cars, tall buildings, escalators, and lack of guardrails pose more of a threat to your children’s safety than anything else. You must be careful when you are out with your children to avoid accidents with these kinds of things. These are some of the dangers your children will face, but I would say on the whole that if you exercise normal caution there is little chance of something really bad happening. Dalian has a safe environment for your children to grow up in.

Can we have a pet for our children? Can we have a dog with us?

You can have a pet for your children! Many Chinese people have different kinds of pets and do not have any problem owning a pet. You must, of course, check with the Landlord of the place you rent to make sure that it is ok for you to own a pet in your specific rental situation.

It can be very inconvenient to have a pet in Dalian. You will be living inside the city, and most people will live in a multi-home apartment complex. This means that they do not have an individual yard that their pet can live in. If they have a pet, the pet will have to stay with them inside their small apartment. This is something you must consider when deciding whether to get a pet for your children in Dalian.

You can bring a dog or other pet with you from the United States. However, this is a complicated process that involves making sure you have the right vaccination certificate, health certificate, and meet other requirements. Also, your pet may be subject to a mandatory quarantine time of up to 30 days. You can find out more about the requirements to bring pets into China at http://www.pettravel.com/immigration/china.cfm

Who will my children play with?

Your children will be able to play with other Chinese boys and girls that are their age. It will be good for them to make friends with local kids, and Chinese parents are always very excited about their kids getting to play with a foreigner`s kids.   Playing with other Chinese children their age will also give your kids much help in learning Chinese.

What activities will my children be able to take part in?

Weekly Activities: Your kids can take part in local activities that are available for kids in Dalian. They can take part in dance classes, rollerblading, swimming, badminton, ping-pong and other activities and classes for kids.

Fun Day Trip Activities: In addition to regular weekly activities, you will also be able to take your kids to enjoy some cool places in Dalian. Some great places to take your kids to visit in Dalian would be: The Dalian Forest Zoo, Xinghai Square Amusement Park, Tiger Beach Ocean Park, or visit one of Dalian`s beaches to swim in the ocean.

DALIAN FOREST ZOO

XINGHAI SQUARE AMUSEMENT PARK

Where will my small children be while I am in language school?

You can hire a maid to watch your kids at your house while you and your wife attend language school. The easiest and most convenient option is to use a maid company. You will pay them a fee, and they will guarantee to get you a maid and allow you to try different maids until you can find the one that you like and want to use.

What school will my children go to in Dalian?

Your children can attend school in Dalian. Probably your best option will be to find a good private school for them to attend. They may be able to attend a Chinese public school, but the teaching quality will be lower and many Chinese public schools will not want foreigners to attend. Either way, public or private school you must pay for their schooling though the private school will probably be much more expensive.

The advantages of your children attending a local Chinese school is that they will get to learn the Chinese characters from a young age. This will allow them to grow up not only speaking, but also being able to read and to write in Chinese. If they do not learn the characters from a young age, it will be harder for them to go back and learn them later in life.

This post is written to help you get an idea about the amount of Christianity in Dalian. I hope this post is a help to you. I will answer some basic questions that will help you hopefully to better gauge what kind of influence Christianity has in Dalian, China.

How many churches are there in Dalian?

In China, a country controlled by the communist party which does not acknowledge the existence of God, it is nearly impossible to determine the amount of churches in a specific area. The reason is because most of the Christian churches in China are underground churches that are not registered with the government. They do not advertise publicly their location and existence but are only found out about through word of mouth. There is no way to keep a tally on exactly where and how many churches are located in Dalian, China. Most Christian people here know of the existence of a few other churches, but I doubt greatly that many people know where all the churches are in Dalian. However, despite this fact I did some research that will hopefully help you get a better idea of the amount of churches and the spiritual condition of people in Dalian. How many people regularly go to church in Dalian? To answer this question, we must first find out what percent of people are Christians in Dalian. To help find out an accurate percentage of Christians in Dalian, I did my own personal study. I asked a hundred different people that I met on the street if they were a Christian. Out of the hundred random people I asked five told me that they were a Christian. This would mean according to my poll that about 5% of people in Dalian believe in Christianity or some form of it. This number also agrees with a worldwide poll done by the Pew Forum group in 2010 that puts the percentage of Christians in China at 5.1%. The population of Dalian is a little less than 6.7 million people which means that there are about 335,000 people that claim to be Christians in Dalian. It is impossible to know what percentage of these people regularly attend churches, but for my numbers I am going to suppose that half of them are regular church attendees. If the average church has 100 people in attendance, this would mean that Dalian has 1,675 churches that would in some way identify themselves as Christian.

Open Churches: I am putting together a list of churches here that I have run across that openly advertise as a church in Dalian. I have found these churches either openly advertising online or with a sign in public view. There definitely are many more churches that could be added to this list, but these are the ones that I was able to find.

• Dalian Catholic Church: This church`s building is a historic building, but the church still has regular times of Mass each week. They have a website with pictures, contact, and directions. http://www.dlcatholic.org.cn
• Yù Guāng Street Church: This church is very visible right near the downtown area of Dalian. The church also has a place where you can buy Bibles in a room to the side of the church. Location Link

   Yù Guāng Street church

 Inside of Yù Guāng Street Church

• Bǎi Hé (Lily) Church: This three-self church has a big red cross on the outside. It has the biggest and most visible cross that I have seen in the city.  Location Link
• Zhù Fú (Blessings) Church: It is located on the Bin Hai West Road near the Xinghai Square.  Location Link
• Xīn Xīn (New, New) Church:  Location Link
• Chéng Ēn (Hold Grace) Church: Location Link
• Fēng Shōu (Abundant Harvest) Church: From the pictures this church looks huge. Location Link
• Xīng Gōng Street Chapel: Another very big church building. Location Link
• Yáo Jiā Church: Location Link
• Xī Ān Shān (Mount Zion) Church: Location Link
• Gān Jǐng Zǐ Gospel Church: Location Link
• Church Building Church: Location Link
• Gé Zhèn Bǎo Church: Location Link
• Yǐ Mǎ Nèi Lì (Emanuel) Church Location Link

Underground Churches: It is much harder to find out about underground house churches though there are many of them. You will generally only find out about these churches through word of mouth. I personally through word of mouth have heard of eleven different house churches. I am sure there are hundreds more, but from the friends I know these are all that I have heard of. There are also a few international churches that exist in Dalian. These churches are real churches, but they only are allowed to let foreign passport holders in to worship at their churches.

What missionaries are working in the city, what boards are they from, and what types of ministries do they have?

There are many people in Dalian doing missionary type of work. Very few people are actually planting churches. Many of them work as English teachers and witness to their students during non-class hours. Others will have some sort of business that they do in Dalian and will try to use their free time to assist churches or evangelize locals. The majority of missionary work done in Dalian is not church planting focused.

What national missionaries are working in the city?

There are many national Chinese pastors that are leading house churches throughout the city of Dalian. I have not heard of any national Chinese missionaries in Dalian. A missionary meaning someone that raises funds from outside sources with the intent of planting churches. When using the term this way, I do not know of any national missionaries, but there are churches in Dalian that are pastored by national pastors.

Are there Christian bookstores and Christian radio or television stations available in Dalian?

Christian Bookstores: I know of one Christian bookstore in Dalian. There are probably others. This store is called Proverbs book store, and it has a relationship with a nearby government church. Inside the store, you can buy Bibles, popular Christian books in Chinese, as well as Christian-themed trinkets and souvenirs.

 Proverbs Christian Bookstore

 Proverbs Christian Bookstore

In addition to physical bookstores, you can buy an abundance of Christian literature online. You can order Bibles and have them shipped directly to your house as well as other Christian books. Probably the best place to buy stuff online in China is at Taobao.com

Christian Radio: There is no public live streaming Christian radio station in Dalian. Nor would you be able to legally start one. However, there are Christian radio stations that use the internet to spread the Gospel. Most of these kind of stations will use apps on smartphones to allow people to listen to their messages. The radio could have a live feed or just be a stockpile of new audio programs that you can select from to listen to. Also, most online Christian radio stations from overseas can also be accessed in China. There is an abundance of audio resources available. It is just a matter of finding which ones you like that are helpful. It can be hard to find a program that you are looking for.

Christian TV: There are no public Christian TV stations in Dalian. The government does not allow someone to create their own Christian TV station or any other TV station for that matter because all the TV stations in China are government run and censored. There is, however, a website online called: Fuyin.tv (Gospel.TV) This website has an abundance of Christian videos including Christian movies, sermons, conferences, etc. You can watch these videos online or download them to watch later. It is not an online streaming TV station, but it does have an abundance of video resources. You can access the site at fuyin.tv

Screen shot of fuyin.tv home page

What other kinds of ministries are in Dalian?

College ministry groups such as YWAM and Campus Crusade will do college campus ministry in Dalian. They will often have groups come for short periods of time to try to meet college students and share with them about Christ.

What is the history of missions in China?

Christian missions in China has a very exciting and unsettled history. There seems to be a pattern that always repeats itself. Missionaries come and gain access to China. They experience some success and growth. Then the government steps in and stands against foreign missionaries and usually forces them all to leave. Usually after a few years China will again open up, and missionaries will be allowed back in. This pattern keeps repeating itself throughout Chinese history. Robert Morrison was the first Protestant missionary to China. He arrived in China in the year 1907. He and other missionaries that followed him slowly gained an entrance into China. Christianity began to spread. In the 1850`s Hudson Taylor arrived in China. He had much success and was able to start the China Inland Mission, which along with other mission`s agencies was able to reach many people in China for Christ. Missionary activities came to a sudden halt in 1900 with the Boxer rebellion. Foreigners in China during this war were targeted, and many were killed. In fact, 230 western missionaries had their lives taken. After the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, China again opened back up to missionaries. For nearly two decades missionaries were able to operate freely and experienced much success. However, the 1919 May 4th resulted in the start of increased opposition against missionaries. This was only increased with the advent of the Chinese Civil War and the Japanese invasion in WW2. Finally after the Communist takeover in 1949 missionaries were again forced to leave China. Many of them were harassed and persecuted. For nearly three decades, China remained completely closed to missionaries and outside influence. However, since the 1970s China has slowly been opening up to more and more outside trade and influence. This has allowed missionaries to slowly return back to China though they still are not allowed to work openly in China.

What is the church history of China?

The first form of Christianity to enter China was the Nestorian Church, which first entered China in 635AD. It lasted for not much longer than 250 years. However, Nestorian Christians returned in the 1200`s but were again extinct by 1368. The Roman Catholic church first came to China in the 1200`s. It slowly grew from there and despite much conflict with the different forms of Chinese government continued to remain in China, and by 1949 there were approximately 4 million Roman Catholics in China. However, the Roman Catholic church has struggled to coexist with the Chinese communist government. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes the authority of the pope while the communist government does not recognize any outside authority. Therefore, the Catholic Church is split with some Catholics following a government-controlled Catholic Church and others choosing to function illegally recognizing the authority of the pope over the Communist government. Today there are about 9 million people in China that are Catholic. Protestant churches were started after the coming of Robert Morrison to China in 1807. Most Protestant denominations started churches in China. Also in the 1st half of the 20th century different Chinese denominations were started such as The True Jesus Church and The Jesus Family. Shortly after the communist take over in 1949, all evangelical churches were required to register with the government`s three-self church movement. A movement they created to try to bring Christian churches under their control. Many churches registered with the three self-movement and many others went underground and continued assembling without the government`s permission. Today there is still this divide among evangelical churches. Many churches in China are registered with the three-self church, but many more operate without the government`s permission.

What will you need to know to live comfortably and safely in China?

When doing ministry in China, you must realize that you do run some risk. It is not a huge risk, but there is a possibility of losing your permission to live in the country. However, you do not need to live in fear because doing ministry is worth the risk that you take.

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  Resources used in this article:

• http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/
• Book Jesus In Beijing by David Aikman
• Book A New History of Christianity In China by Daniel H Bays
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_East_in_China
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicism_in_China#Yuan_.281271.E2.80.931368.29_Dynasty
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-Self_Patriotic_Movement

If you are getting ready to move or come visit China and Dalian, you probably are very excited about all the amazing things that you will get to do and experience. In the midst of the excitement, though, there are still some of the less exciting, everyday things that you need to think about. This post helps ask some of the mundane questions and gives you some tips about different miscellaneous things that you will need to do in preparation for coming. I hope it can be a help to you.

How will I get my money, banking, etc.?

You can easily withdraw money at a local ATM. Most ATMs will allow you to use your American bank`s debit card to withdraw money in the local Chinese RMB currency. Depending on your account type and what ATM you use there may be a small ATM fee as well as a percentage that your American bank charges to do a currency conversion. ATMs are located everywhere in Dalian and most of the time you can access them twenty-four hours a day.

You can also get a local bank account and debit card. You must bring your passport with you to the bank and have a local Chinese address. Not every bank will do an account for a foreigner so you must find a bank that will. ICBC and China Construction Bank both issue accounts for foreigners. The card you receive when opening an account is the only card that is issued for that bank account. The card number on the debit card will be the same number as your account number. You set a six digit password for the account, and you use that password whenever you use the card. You can deposit money into this account via a local ATM and use the card throughout China.

One of the advantages of getting a Chinese bank card is that you can link it to the wallet feature in the WeChat app. By using the card through WeChat, you can pay your phone bill, send money to someone, buy movie tickets, order a taxi, and in some cities even pay your utilities. All this can be done from your phone using your local bank card.

Wechat wallet

What preparations can we make before leaving for the field?

Depending on your situation, purpose, and length of your stay in China there will be a multitude of things that you will need to do before moving to China. You probably will have a hard time thinking of everything needed. In this section I will name some things you may need to do before coming to China.

Physical Exams-If you are moving to China for a long period of time it would probably be wise to go ahead and have a doctor do a physical for you. If you have a medical condition that must be treated in the United States, you would want to find out about it before moving all the way to China.

Vaccinations-If you or your kids have any vaccinations due, it is best that you get them before coming to China. High-quality vaccinations, like we have in the United States, are not available in China unless they are imported in. The Chinese vaccinations have a higher risk of ill side effects. You can get the imported vaccinations in Beijing and perhaps at other international hospitals in China. However, it is best to save the time and expense and get as many of your vaccinations done as possible before moving to China.

WeChat-You should download WeChat before coming to China and go ahead and add as contacts the people you will be seeing or visiting when you get to China. If you don`t download it before you come, you will have trouble getting it set up until you get a Chinese phone number. Having it already downloaded allows you to message people using WiFi as soon as you land. You don`t have to wait to get your phone set up.

VPN-It is a good idea to have a VPN set up and working on your computer and phone before coming to China. That way as soon as you land you will be able to access the websites you need that are blocked in China. You will not have to wait to get one set up.

Documents– It is probably a good idea to get an international drivers license in the United States before coming to China. Although it is not recognized in China, it will be useful for you to have in case of traveling to nearby countries.

If you plan to change to a different visa from a tourist or other visa while in China, you will need to get a copy of your marriage license and your kid`s birth certificates certified by the Chinese Embassy in the United States. This will need to be done before coming to China.

Banking-It is best to carry an international credit card that is in both you and your spouse`s name that can be used while traveling internationally. This will be helpful in a case of a long plane delay or other travel emergency. It is a good idea to have two checking accounts set up that you can use to withdraw funds from while living here. This way in case you lose the bank card to one of the accounts, you are still able to access your money using the other checking account. Also, before leaving make sure to notify your bank and credit card companies that you will be traveling. This way they don’t lock your card for seeing a “suspicious Chinese transaction” when you use it.

There are probably many more things needed in preparation for coming to China than the few things I named here. However, I hope this will give you some help getting a start on figuring out what preparation you need to do before coming here.

Do I need a will? Why?

If you do not have very many assets in China, then there really is no reason to have a separate will in China. The purpose of a will is to disperse your assets to people you name once you die. If you have minimal assets in China there is no reason to have a separate will as it is likely that the cost and trouble of getting an official Chinese last will and testament will not be justified for just a few small assets.

However, If you do have several large assets in China, it would be beneficial to look into getting a Chinese last will and testament in addition to your valid US will. The reason is that a US will while valid in the US it may not be considered valid in China. It may not be written according to the standards of Chinese laws, Chinese laws may require your estate to be divided differently than you spell out on your will , and lastly a US will is written in English. Your estate would maybe have to pay for a costly official translation of it into Chinese for it to be deemed valid. For these reasons if you own considerable assets in China, I would look into writing up an official Chinese will.

How do you do laundry and dry-cleaning in the country?

Washers

Washing machines are readily available in Dalian. There are all sorts of sizes and styles. Many people use a washing machine to wash their clothes and then hang them up to dry on a rack in their apartment or on a balcony. This seems to be the most common way that people do their laundry.

Picture of Washing machines for sale at a local appliance store

Dryers

Drying machines are also available for sale but are not as readily available as the washing machines. I walked into an appliance store to look at the machines they had for sale. About 90% of the machines were washing machines it seemed like, and only a few were dryers. This doesn`t mean that you can`t get a dryer. If you want one, you can easily get one. You can custom order a dryer or find one that you like at a store. They just aren`t used near as much as washing machines by the local Dalian people. Probably because most people can`t afford them.

picture of a dryer for sale at a local appliance store

Dry cleaning

Dry cleaning is readily available in Dalian. There are many small dry-cleaning places scattered around the city at convenient locations. They even offer to pick up and drop off your clothes for you if you live close enough. I attached a photo of the price list of a local dry cleaners for reference. The prices seem fairly reasonable. Your average piece of clothing will cost about 3$ based on an exchange rate of 6 to 1. While living here, if you need your clothes dry cleaned you will be able to get them done without any problem.

Dry CLEANING PRICE LIST

lOCAL DRY-CLEANERS

Can we drink the water?-Do they have water purification?

The water in Dalian is not safe to drink straight from the tap. I have asked ten different local Chinese people about the water, and none of them have told me that the water is safe to drink from the tap. Even the local people know that the water is not very safe. Many of them said that if I boil the water then it would be safe to drink. However, I have also been told by some of the foreigners that live here that even boiled the water would still contain heavy metals or strong chemicals. These could cause health problems long term if someone continually drinks the tap water. I would say the safest thing to do would be to stay away from drinking the tap water altogether. There is an abundance of bottled water for sale that is safe to drink. You can buy bottled water in regular bottles at the store, or you can buy a water dispenser and have the big blue bottles of water delivered to your house.

There are water purification systems for sale. Online you can browse a multitude of different kinds and systems that you can buy and install. These systems probably help make the water significantly safer, but I still don`t think they would remove all the bad things in the water. I think the safest thing to do in Dalian is to buy bottled purified water that is safe to drink.

Picture of different water filtering systems for sale online

What kind of clothing can I buy in “Country”? Do they have my size?

Clothing

All kinds of clothing and styles are available for purchase in the many different malls and stores around the city. You will find little clothing stores scattered everywhere. You will have no difficulty in finding clothes that you can buy. The question is will they have the style you like and will your size be available.

Chinese people are generally smaller than people in America. Therefore, the big sizes of clothes and shoes needed by some Americans will not be readily available in China.

According to extensive research done in 2008 by  Alvanon, the global size and fit expert here is a list of the average sizes of Chinese people compared with Americans.

— Average Chinese Female Height 5’4″; Weight 125 Pounds; Chest 31″; Waist 28″; Low Hip 35″

— Average U.S. Female Height 5’4″; Weight 155 Pounds; Chest 37″; Waist 34″; Low Hip 42″

— Average Chinese Male Height 5’8″; Weight 145 Pounds; Chest 35″; Waist 31″; Low Hip 36″

— Average U.S. Male Height 5’9″; Weight 191 Pounds; Chest 41; Waist 37; Low Hip 41″

As you can tell from these statistics, Americans generally weigh a lot more than Chinese people and need much larger sizes. People that are above average American weight will probably have trouble finding clothes that fit or at least will have a limited selection. If this is your case, then you may want to consider bringing over all or the majority of your clothes from the states.

For pants size, if you wear a larger size than a large for men (Waist 36-38) and a size 10 for women (Waist 30-32) then you will have a hard time finding your size. It may be available in some places, but you will have to look hard and will not have as much of a selection.

For the shirt size, the largest I have seen is a double XXL for men and an XL for women. It is definitely hard or maybe impossible to find a bigger size than these, and I am not sure that the selection would be very good even at these sizes.

Shoes

Most shoes that you find for sale at a local shoe store will have the size in millimeters printed on the shoe. See photo below:

This shoe`s size is 280mm or 28.0centimeters

Sometimes stores that sell imported shoes or a store at a nice mall will also tell you the size in a scale similar to the one used in Europe. Also even if the shoe does not have this size printed on them, the storekeepers will know what the approximate European size is. If you tell them your European shoe size, they will be able to find you a shoe that fits very quickly. The following charts are helpful in comparing the sizes. Take out the decimal point in the centimeter section to know the shoe size in millimeters.

   

Mens and Womens Shoe Size Comparison Charts

The men`s shoe in the picture above is 28.0 centimeters which according to the chart makes it about a size 44 European and a size 11 US. These charts are helpful, but it is best also to try the shoe on to make sure it is the right size. China doesn`t have as large of shoe sizes available as the US. In most stores, the largest shoe size will be an 11US (44Eu) for men and an 8.5US (39Eu) for women. If you wear shoes larger than this, it will probably be best to bring shoes with you when you move here.

Gap Store

A great resource for foreigners in buying clothes is the GAP store located in the Pavilion mall in Dalian. This store has a good selection of clothes that are similar to the clothes you would find in the GAP stores in the United States. Also, even the sizes are printed the same way as you would find in the States.

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Resources used in writing this article:

• http://wills.about.com/od/fiveessentialdocuments/qt/foreignwills.htm
• http://www.alvanon.com/news/CHINASCAN.pdf
• Shoe Size Comparison Charts Used From http://www.zappos.com/c/shoe-size-conversion

China is a huge country and has a very big land area. Depending on what city you come to in China will have a big impact on your perceptions of China. Imagine the difference in your perception about the USA if you came to Los Angeles, CA versus Upstate, NY. China has the same dynamic. Coming to Dalian, China is going to be very different than coming to another city say in the south of China. In this post, I want to give you some basic information specifically about Dalian so that you can have a better idea about what this area of China is like.

What is the climate of Dalian like?

Dalian has a fairly mild climate. Dalian, China is about as far north as Washington D.C. in the United States. The winters are cold but bearable, and the summers are warm but not too hot. Generally in the winter the average high will be about 37°F and the low will be about 23°F.  In the summer, the average high will be about 84°F and the low will be about 71°F.  Another factor that is involved in Dalian weather is the wind. Because Dalian is right on the ocean and on a peninsula, there is often a lot of wind. The wind will make the weather in the winter seem even colder, but when it blows during the warmer months it can make the hot weather more pleasant. Dalian usually has low amounts of precipitation.  It averages only 24in. of precipitation annually.  Most days will be sunny without rain though many days, especially in the summer, will have fog roll in off the ocean.

What crops does Dalian produce?

Cherries: Dalian is known for its cherry trees. Japan occupied Dalian for much of its history and during their occupation they planted many cherry trees in the area around the city. During the spring when the cherry trees bloom they light up the landscape with pink and white flowers. In late May and June, the cherries get ripe. You will find vendors selling them all around the city. You also can drive just a little way out of the town and pick cherries yourself at a local orchard. I would say that cherries are by far Dalian`s most famous crop!

CHERRY TREE IN FULL BLOOM OUTSIDE OF DALIAN

ORCHARD FULL OF RIPE CHERRIES IN DALIAN

CHERRIES RIPE ON THE TREE

Apples: A surprising fact that you may not know is that China is the world`s largest grower of apples. In fact, they grow over twelve times the amount of apples as the United States, which is the world`s second largest grower. Dalian is located in the Liaoning province in the north part of China which along with the other nearby provinces grow tons and tons of apples. There are apple orchards located around Dalian and apples are one of the major crops of this region.

map of apple production around the world/Location of area around dalian circled in red

Apples from a local orchard near Dalian

Seaweed: Seaweed is a popular food in many Asian countries including China. Dalian is located on the ocean shore, and seaweed is a very popular food here as well as in other Chinese cities. Many people harvest seaweed and sell it locally in Dalian. Dalian also has many aqua-farms where seaweed and other kinds of seafood are raised and exported to other Asian countries. Dalian is a big player in the seaweed industry in China. In fact according to a book on China`s foreign trade policy Dalian accounted for 90% of the countries seaweed exports to Japan.

seaweed

Other Fruits and Vegetables: Dalian farmers are not limited to just growing the crops mentioned above. Many other crops such as corn, pears, and other common fruits and vegetable are grown around Dalian.

pears from an orchard near dalian

corn from a farm near dalian

What types of roads does Dalian have?

Expressways: Dalian is not isolated from other major Chinese cities. You can drive from Dalian on expressways to get to other major cities in China. Probably the most famous expressway that is used for travel from Dalian is the Shenyang–Dalian Expressway connecting Dalian with Shenyang. This road is currently eight lanes wide, 400 kilometers wide and is a toll road.

Roads Inside The City: Dalian has all different sizes of roads. All the roads I have seen since living in Dalian have been paved roads. There are many narrow roads but also many roads that have several lanes. I have seen roads as wide as ten lanes. Most of the roads seem to be in fairly good condition. There are several traffic lights in the city, but not as many as you might expect to see with so many roads going so many different places. Round about circles are used in place of traffic lights at many intersections.

Wide road in Dalian

LOCAL FOUR LANE ROAD

Traffic Round About Circle

Traffic: The roads inside of Dalian are full of cars and often have lots of congestion. You can always count on there being traffic during rush hour. Some interesting features that add to the congestion of the roads is the fact that people often park in the right lane of the roads clogging up that lane for travel. Also, Dalian has several bus routes and buses are always going everywhere, switching lanes, and making it hard sometimes for traffic to get around them. Adding to this, pedestrians regularly cross the road in front of the cars forcing the cars to slow down or stop for them. It may sound like this is a nightmare, and sometimes it is. Generally, though, despite all these different factors the traffic will move at a slow but fairly steady pace.

BUSES FILLING THE ROAD

PEOPLE RUNNING IN FRONT OF THE CARS

Parking: Finding a place to park is often a challenge when going places in Dalian. There is often parking available in the paved areas in front of buildings though these areas many times look more like a sidewalk than a parking lot. Most malls and other big buildings will have an underground parking garage sometimes going down two or more stories. These are convenient to use. It is hard to find legal parking outside of these two different areas (at least somewhere close to where you are trying to go). You should count on paying for parking at most places in Dalian. There are not just big, open parking lots available for you to use for free. Parking is often a pain that you just have to deal with here.

PARKING GARAGE IN DALIAN

cars parked in open area in front of building

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Resources used in writing this article:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalian#Climate
• http://www.wunderground.com/history
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_apple_production

• Photo Credit “Appleoutput” by AndrewMT – Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons”

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Dalian
• China’s Foreign Trade Policy: The New Constituencies Routledge Contemporary China Series Editor Ka Zen Published 2007

 

How will you stay connected to people in Dalian? How will you be able to talk with your friends that you make in Dalian as well as friends back in the United States? This post informs you of some of the ways that you will be able to communicate in Dalian, China.

How will you be able to communicate with the States?

Thankfully, it is easy to communicate back with the United States from China. There are several different ways you can talk for free.  Here are a few ways I have found:

• Apple Devices: If the person you are trying to contact in the States has an Apple device then you can message them for free using imessage. You can also do free video and audio calls via Facetime.  You don`t even have to have a local Chinese phone number here. You can just talk anytime that you have WiFi
• WeChat: Currently in China, nearly everyone seems to have WeChat. It seems to be the favorite social networking platform that people use.  But you can also use this app to talk back to people in the States. If someone you want to talk to in the States has a smartphone, they can download the WeChat app and add you as a friend. Once they add you, you can make free video and voice calls as well as send free audio and text messages.
• Google Voice: If you use a VPN, you can choose to locate your IP address in the United States allowing you to make free calls inside the States. You just select to make a call through your Gmail account, and you can call landlines and cell phones in the US for free.  This is helpful when you need to call a business or customer service center in the United States.

How will we you get your mail?

Mail comes in different ways depending on what kind of mail it is and how it was sent. Here are three of the most common ways that you will receive your mail in Dalian.

Hand delivered: Whenever you order anything online here you will include your phone number along with the address. Many packages are hand delivered to you meaning the delivery company will call you before they deliver the package and will find out when you will be home so that they can bring your package by. You can tell them a convenient time or ask them to leave it with the guard or someone else you trust in your building. You don`t have to worry about checking for the package somewhere. They will notify you before they deliver it.

Put into a Community Mailbox: Most apartment complexes and residential buildings have a community mailbox center that packages are sent to.  It usually looks something like this:

The delivery company will text you a code. You will enter the code on the delivery box computer touch screen. If it is correct one of the mailboxes will pop open, and you will be able to get your package.

Mail put on your door: Lots of adds and sometimes your utility bills will often be taped onto your door or stuffed into the door frame. It is not uncommon to come home and find some sort of paper stuck on your door. A lot of restaurants and businesses advertise by putting flyers on your door.

What Kind of Communication Services Are Available: (internet, cell phones, radios, etc.)?

Cell Phones: There are only three different kinds of cell phone carriers in China. They are China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. All three carriers provide calling, SMS, and data plans so you will be able to communicate normally here just like you would in the United States.

4G service: All three carriers offer 4G service, but the different carriers offer different kinds of 4G services. China Mobile offers TDD-LTE 4G and China Unicom and China Telecom offer FDD-LTE 4G. Many phones purchased outside of China may not be compatible with the TDD-LTE 4G offered by China Mobile. Therefore what kind of phone you have may determine which carrier you decide to use.

Foreigners getting a Chinese SIM card and purchasing a calling/data plan will be required to bring their passport with them to the phone store. They government requires you to enter data from your passport when your phone is set up so that they can have a name to trace the phone number back to.

Internet: Broadband internet is available to set up in most buildings. Some older apartment buildings may not be set up to provide internet, so you should probably check before moving into a new place. Unless your place is extremely outdated,  you will be able to get a router and internet service set up to provide WIFI for your apartment room. No matter how good of quality internet you purchase, the internet here in Dalian is usually fairly slow. Most of the time, it will be fast enough for you to get normal work done but it`s speed will not amaze you.

China blocks some websites that we use in commonly in the United States. Google, Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, and Dropbox are some of the main sites that are blocked. To test if a site is blocked you can go to http://www.blockedinchina.net    On this website you can enter a web address and see if it is blocked in China. Most foreigners will use a VPN to access the blocked sites that they like to use. A VPN allows them to access the Internet of different countries around the world where these websites are not blocked. It is a good idea to get a VPN set up before you leave for China. There are many different kinds available and they all have different costs. A VPN I have used that I have found to be pretty good is Express VPN. You can find out more information about it at www.expressvpn.com

Radio: Radio is not extremely popular in Dalian. Some people still listen to it mainly in their cars, but since nearly everyone has a smartphone most people listen to media, music, and news through apps on their phone. A great many people do not drive a car so what they listen to on their commute to work using public transportation will always be through their smartphone.

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Some info in this article obtained from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_industry_in_China