Possible move to Shenzhen?

Shenzhen is safe, actually very safe. If safety is your only concern you can put your mind at ease.

I worked in Shenzhen for half a year and I can give you some insights about it. The cost of living in Shenzhen is way way below what's in Sydney and you can have fun without blowing your checks.

It's easy to find friends in Shenzhen as there are expats from all over the world. People use an App called WeChat to communicate so it's a good idea to install one on your phone.

One thing I hate most is the internet censorship: no access to Facebook, Youtube, Google ... unless you have a VPN, which is also becoming increasingly unreliable due to government's restrictions. This is a deal breaker for me as I'm working in IT field.

Well, I'm going back to Sydney this March or April. I hope the information above helps. 

Hey welcome to Shenzhen. Shenzhen is a very nice city in China and great city to live in. I am sure you will love it. Any place in the world can be dangerous if you are unlucky. Still remember the recent terrorist attacks in Sydney and Paris?
I come back to Shenezhen after I spent 8 years in Sydney and I have noticed that Shenzhen has changed a lot. It's now very modernized and civilized. There are still a lot to be improved but I am happy it is getting better and unlike most of other metro areas in China, which are severely polluted and somewhat uninhabitable, the air quality in Shenzhen is still good. Most people in Shenzhen are immigrants and people are usually friendly. You will certainly have a good time if you come to work in Shenzhen. Futian and Nanshan are the suburbs that most expats live and work in. You can contact me when you come.

Thanks very very much that is helpful. I would be moving for a role that requires social media so the blocks won't apply to me. Safety was a concern of mine and also the air pollution. How bad is that? great to hear the city is safe!

No worries. I'm glad that you got that job. So Shenzhen will be your first post overseas?
Air quality is good in summer; there are some smoggy days in the winter; but overall it's okay.

Actually no I lived in London for 7 years and been back in Sydney for almost a year.

ALook wrote:

Thanks very very much that is helpful. I would be moving for a role that requires social media so the blocks won't apply to me. Safety was a concern of mine and also the air pollution. How bad is that? great to hear the city is safe!

the city is densely populated so where you live affects how you live. You wouldn't like to live in inconvenient blocks otherwise commuting is a big problem. Chinese government is not good at managing the crowd. With regards to air pollution I would rate it at 7/10 if Sydney is a 10/10, but Shanghai would be 5/10 and Beijing is even worse. Would love to meet some Australians in Shenzhen. Have a nice trip.

So the air is similar to HK's?

Thanks for all the info its very helpful. I went in thinking the city would be awful but having had responses from quite a few ppl that are positive.