Menu
Expat.com

The best services to use when moving to China

Post new topic

Priscilla

Hello everyone,

What were the biggest hurdles you faced when moving to China? Were there any services available that helped?

Which services helped you most upon your arrival in China? Were there any that helped you adapt and integrate in your new home?

Are there any services that you wished were available when you moved to China?

Did you find the price of the different services available reasonable? Were there any that were overpriced, to your mind?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Priscilla

NidiaNel

Biggest hurdle was banking! But thanks to wechat and alipay... But getting there was a journey. Sending money home was another headache, especially if you have accounts still to pay monthly.

cbono90

First thing to do before moving to China is getting Wechat set up on your phone (app available on all app phone stores as well as desktops); then secondly ensure your phone is unblocked, if not, use cellphoneunblocker.net (I believe, you can google it), but if you don't unblock before, it will take time to do it wirelessly though the Internet, otherwise going to a Chinese unblocker will mess with your phones settings (similar to jailbreaking an iPod) and not allow for a undo which compromises your phone forever more.

Number 2-banking in China, hopefully you are set up with BOC (Bank of China), you can download the App and Alipay and Taobao, your bank account can be attached to your wechat as well. This allows you to make safe and reliable electronic transactions as well as be aware of your finances. Alipay, is a mini banking app but with limited access to your bank account information, mainly just for transactional purposes. It does afford you the luxury though of paying your phone, water, electricity and gas all online! Wechat pay can similarly do some of those things as well, both are widely accepted at stores meaning you don't need to carry cash with you all the time as well.
Taobao is a great app to have if you are a shopaholic and like having leverage when bargaining at a market.
Finally, you are getting closer to light, becoming more and more adept with tech lifestyle in China, you may be ready for it, Didi Taxi. First time living in China, can't speak Mandarin, don't bother with it? Well, learn where are you, where am I and I am going, etc, you will be fine. It's an all Chinese app, after two uses you will get an idea of how it works, pretty standard but again, all in Chinese! Have a friend run through it with you first.
Uber used to work until Didi bought them out.
If you know no one, you may want to have an agent show you apartments, you are paying a little more and of course you don't know the going rent rate, but if resources are limited and you haven't found any forums with assistance offered, contact an agent at an apartment complex managaement building and they will help.
Personally if you are moving to Liaoning, you can contact me, 13164532916 and I can try to help you out, I have friends here and there; as well as friends of friends who may be able to assist, if not, the very least I can do is show you a list of 3-4 options based on location and price.
Other than tht, take advantage of laundry and dry cleaning places when you are busy or need suits cleaned.
Take advantage of tailored suits.
Take advantage of electronic market techs.
Get a gym membership

Articles to help you in your expat project in China

  • Customs regulations in China
    Customs regulations in China

    Before zipping up your suitcase and heading to the airport, make sure that what you have in it can be legally ...

  • Accommodation in Dalian
    Accommodation in Dalian

    Dalian is the biggest city in Liaoning province. The city is home to over six million people, many of which are ...

  • Accommodation in Chongqing
    Accommodation in Chongqing

    Chongqing is an important city in southwest China. It is home to over 30 million people and is considered to be ...

  • Accommodation in Tianjin
    Accommodation in Tianjin

    Tianjin is a first-tier coastal city in northern China and a busy and crowded metropolis with over 15 million ...

  • Dating in China
    Dating in China

    Meeting new people in a foreign country can seem overwhelming at first. But you shouldn't let fear stand in ...

  • Accommodation in Xiamen
    Accommodation in Xiamen

    Xiamen, located in Fujian Province in China, is one of southern China's most picturesque coastal cities and ...

  • Buying property in Shanghai
    Buying property in Shanghai

    Shanghai has continually appeared close to the top of the list of cities with the most expensive real estate in ...

  • Finding work in Shanghai
    Finding work in Shanghai

    Shanghai frequently tops the list of the most desirable destinations for expats in China — in no small part ...

All of China's guide articles