LIVING 活着
Living: I will start here. Because this is exactly what you will be doing: Living. Depending on your income, this could be living it up or living scungily. However, most foreigners will find to some extent, that they are enjoying the privilege of a higher income than their average Chinese comrade; around 5 times higher. Ten, if you factor in what you just made being an extra on a TVC set in Beijing....
How? An apartment must be chosen. If you aren't looking to live alone, there is usually an expat website for every city, where you can choose from both Chinese and Expats to live with. Often you will also find a section for empty apartments. Not literally empty. A good landlord always provides the essentials (gas cooker, leftover fry pan, spoons, big knives, chopsticks, bed); although don't count on a toilet or a washing machine that works. In scungy living, a good ex-tenant has usually left behind bed sheets and a pillow. These websites will come under their city name, such as thebeijinger.com, wuhantime.com, redqd.com etc. If you can’t find them via a Baidu search (the Mainland equivalent for Google), the best thing to do is ask a Regular at a hostel, or check into the nearest bar sporting local Expats. The trick to these websites and bars (and there really should be a separate category for this) is not to get too caught up in them. Like every hostel they have regulars who bitch and moan, offers that amount to nothing, and creepy stalkers.[1]....
Prices?
The good news about China is that like most places with a large populace, if you look hard enough or sit on your hands for a while, you can find whatever you want. This is particularly true when it comes to pricing. As an expat in somewhere like Beijing, you will be told that anything under 2000元/月 (yuan per month) is going to be a dive and in some hole far out like Babaoshan and every place will always require a 4-6 month deposit. If you are a planner and like security like Miles, this will be true for you. Although you should never put down term on an 800元/月place, even in Qingdao. If you are willing to be labeled a Regular and hang ten in a hostel, it’s possible to find a place one minute from the subway for under 1500元and without the long term deposit. That way, when you do quit your teaching job and discover you can’t even afford that, you can bugger off with no losses.....
The Ugly
Cockroaches are what you really need to consider. Not about whether the place has them or not, since it is hard to tell and most will anyway. But what to consider while LIVING, is how to battle the buggers. Some are bigger than others. Some are so big it’s possible you could lose. The best solution is to buy cockroach spray for around 11元 or more and let them know. Don't try to be sneaky. Chinese cockroaches expect that- it is how they themselves operate. Rather, announce to them the night before that the next day they will all die. Then on the day, before you go out, SPRAY. Leave no window open and EXIT. When you return, open every window. Do not clean up your victory. Simply leave it as a warning to other intruders.....
