Moving to China is a great step. Maxxelli is there to support expats with taking this step. In this article, we elaborate on your preparation to move to China. We will discuss how you can get prepared before moving, how to find a suitable apartment, the challenges of setting up a good rental contract in China and we will provide you with some general tips to make the transition to your life in China smooth and pleasant.
Before you move: Needs assessment and pre-trip
If you are coming to China as an expat, it is a huge advantage if you can be assisted by a destination service provider, such as Maxxelli. One of the first things you have to do when you work with a destination service provider is making a needs assessment. A needs assessment is a list with all your wishes for your new home in China. This list should go beyond the number of bedrooms and the size of the apartment. Basic items which can’t be missing in your needs assessment are a description of all rooms of your ideal apartment, a description of the neighbourhood you prefer and the distance to your workplace and other amenities like an international school for your children. For a good match you also have to share some more personal information. Describe your family composition if you take your family to China and for example it is very useful information if you are planning to take your dog to China. We will check your wishes and will tell you whether we think your ideal home in your new city is realistic. And even if all items are realistic, the combination might be hard to find. So never expect to find a 100% match. In general, keep in mind that a 80% match with the list you made is very reasonable. Therefore, it is recommended to make two lists; a ‘Have to has’ list and a ‘Would be nice’ list.
Many corporates who send expats to China give their employees the chance to have a pre-trip. Usually this is a 5-day trip to the city you will call your home during your contract in China. We provide such trips and aim to give you a clear image of your new living environment. We will take you to properties which match your needs assessment and if desirable to international schools or other facilities in the city. Make sure you prepare a list of questions, for us, but especially for the people in places like international schools or international health clinics we will visit. We advise to take your time preparing this list of questions at home. Besides from that, you must make sure you come to China with an open mind. China is China and whether you are from Europe, North America or wherever in the world, you will see things you are not used to see. The end goal of the pre-trip is that you know what to expect and feel confident moving to China. And of course, we aim to find a suitable apartment for you. Or at least we want to make sure that you have seen that there are some nice options.
Finding your new home
Like argued before, a pre-trip will be useful for finding a suitable place to live. And if you get the chance to do a pre-trip, take a lot of pictures of the apartments we visit with you. In five days you will get a lot of impressions and you cannot remember the details. Some people would like to search for an apartment online instead. Online information is valuable, but can never replace the physical visits to different apartments. Besides from some online advertised apartments being fake, often online displayed apartments in China are not actually available anymore. This is inevitable, because in the Chinese housing market apartments are usually listed by multiple agents. Landlords generally won’t contact all those agents when the apartment is rented. Furthermore, prices mentioned online are usually net prices and don’t include taxes. And of course, you have to see the apartment yourself before deciding to move there. Especially because in China you will have to pay some extra attention to some issues.
For example, as westerner you might want to try the beds yourself. Chinese beds and mattresses are usually a lot harder than beds people prefer in the West. Therefore, you might also want to make sure with the landlord whether it is possible to buy a new mattress and get rid of the old one. Another point of attention is the heating system. Usually in China, cities north of the Yangtze river have central heating, while cities south of the Yangtze only have air-conditioning which can blow some hot air. So especially in the south, pay a lot of attention to the present heating system and the possibility to replace it. Another issue is a clothes dryer. Whereas washing machines are very common in China, Chinese people usually dry their clothes by hanging them outside the window or on the balcony. Thus, you might want to make sure the apartment has a suitable place for placing a dryer. Kitchens might also slightly differ from what you are used to. For example, ovens and dishwashing machines are not common in China. So if you want to use such appliances, make sure there is a suitable place in the kitchen to install those. Furthermore, the quality of double glass windows is not always very high in China. Therefore, it is advisable to check whether the windows keep street noise outside. The search for a suitable apartment might be a little different in China and that’s why guidance in finding the best living space for you, might be necessary.
When working with a Chinese agent instead, some problems might occur. The Chinese image of western design turns out to be quite different from what most westerners consider western. Apart from that, Chinese agents assume some things are normal, we know are important to mention to non-Chinese.
Searching online might be an interesting first orientation. It gives you an idea about what kind of apartments are available and you can get to know the different neighbourhoods. But to find an apartment that really meets your expectations you have to take a look yourself and receive advice from westerners with local knowledge and experience.
The importance of a comprehensive contract
After a suitable place to live has been found, the next trouble will be setting up a contract. On average a rental contract covers only two pages. If we come to a contract with a landlord, it usually takes a lot more than that. This will avoid a lot of trouble in the future. The contract should exactly state the responsibilities of the landlord and the responsibilities of the tenant. Who has to fix or replace broken appliances and furniture? Who has to fix internet problems? If you don’t want to get into an argument with your landlord or bump into a lot of unforeseen costs, a rental contract must be comprehensive. It seems like a lot of trouble, but a good contract can save you a lot more trouble during your time in China. Not only the responsibilities, but also the furniture list must be very detailed. When your double door fridge breaks down, you don’t want your landlord to replace it with a small single door fridge. Or when your 5 years old tumble dryer with a capacity of 6 kg breaks down in your first month, you don’t want a 3 kg tumble dryer instead. In short, you want your contract to be complete and clear. And even if your landlord is responsible for all maintenance, you might want to do some simple things yourself. If you call your landlord for every light bulb that needs to be replaced, perhaps after some time he won’t hurry to help you out anymore. Besides, if you take care of small things yourself, they might be fixed quicker and without the trouble of explaining the problem to the landlord.
Tips for moving to China
Apart from the advice given in the text above, below we stated 10 tips to make moving to China more smoothly and convenient.
1. Get in touch with the expat community. Even before moving to China you can connect to foreigners living in your new city via expat websites and forums. It is nice to get to know some people, but it is also very useful to ask specific questions. Does the city have some nice places for children to play? How is the ambiance in some different neighbourhoods? Is it possible to go on with your hobbies? Probably expats already living in the city are more than willing to answer such questions.
2. As mentioned before, we advise to take a lot of pictures of the apartments you visit during your pre-trip, but also take a lot of pictures of the city. For example, take pictures of the shelves in the supermarket so later you can check which products are difficult to get.
3. Always be aware of people who try to abuse that your new in China, but realize that you are not always getting ripped off. Probably you get less luxury for the rent you pay compared to the luxury in your home country. Most expats go for the top 10% apartments in China, so a price has to be paid for that. Some people feel like they are getting ripped off, because online prices are lower, but as mentioned before, online you only find net prices.
4. You don’t need to bring too much to China, although it is still considered a developing country you can get almost anything in China. Our experience is that people who receive their sea shipment more often think “why did I think I would need all this stuff”, then “yay, finally got my stuff”. It is most important that you put those things in your sea shipment that will make you feel at home. Also consider that most expats move from a whole house to an apartment with limited space.
5. Put some effort in understanding Chinese history and culture. If you know the basics about Chinese history, you will have an easier time understanding the difference between the Chinese older generation and younger generation. Also, if you have some basic knowledge about Chinese culture, it will definitely help you to overcome certain frustrations.
6. Try to get some basic Chinese language skills. It takes time, but if you get the chance to master some basic Chinese language skills before you move, it will be a lot easier to adapt to life in China. Although it is getting better, most Chinese don’t speak a lot of English. Besides from helping you with communication, some basic Chinese will teach you a lot about Chinese culture.
7. While you’re in China try not to compare China to your home country. On many aspects, your home country will be a better place to live than China, but if you live in China focus on China’s qualities rather than thinking about the good things in your home country.
8. Although you are not constantly comparing China to your home country, you might get home sick at some point. If so, do something you can only do in China. Go to enjoy the diverse Chinese cuisine, you have never found in Chinese restaurants in your home country or if you are based in Chengdu, go to visit the pandas. After that you will realize how great it is to live in this country.
9. Take your time to explore China. Try to see the real China, by visiting places around the city you live in. Don’t view China through 5-star lenses, but go out to see the countryside and to encounter the real Chinese culture. Don’t just plan vacations outside China, but try to travel around in the country you live in. It will help you to understand China.
10. Realize that China is a huge and diverse country and base your expectations on the city you go to. If you are moving to Wuhan, don’t expect to find the same facilities as in Shanghai. If you are moving to a second tier city expect to encounter more challenges and less choice for apartments, schools or expat communities than when you move to a first tier city. If there is no expat football community or no Canadian community in your city, try to create one! If you want such a community, there is a large possibility more people are looking for it.
Moving to China can take you a lot of energy and can sometimes be frustrating. We hope with the tips above you will find yourself capable of overcoming the challenges and enjoy the step to this wonderful country.
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