CannedHam wrote: ↑April 7th, 2021, 12:22 pm
Yes I have. And which part of what I said is false?
Most of it, you can tell you have never lived in China, you don't know many Chinese people and don't know much about Chinese culture.
Do you really think Chinese housing prices are reasonable?
Housing and the prices of are unreasonable in most countries - in Australia, New Zealand and the UK - youngsters won't get on the housing ladder - it is as simple as that. This just isn't a China problem, this is a worldwide problem where no more land is being made but the global population keeps growing.
Even T3 city condos will often start at 1mil RMB where the average wage might be something like 3000 RMB/month.
Very few people earn only 3000 RMB a month - even in a tier 3 city.
Does this make any sense?
Not many people earn 3000 RMB a month and it certainly isn't the 'average' wage, so - it just isn't true what you're saying.
It's almost universally accepted that China's housing prices (for concrete boxes in the sky), are in the stratosphere. Rents are reasonable but in China the overwhelming mentality is that renting is for losers - China has something like a 90% home ownership rate. The only reason why many couples can afford a house is because 6 people are chipping in (couple + 4 parents).
90% of the Chinese population does not own their own home. Glad to have got that straight. The overwhelming mentality is that renting is something you do until you can afford your own home.
Do you really think public schools there are great?
Why? Are they great in America?
Home of the school shooting!
Year-round non-stop study from 7AM - 11PM which consists of mostly rote memorization... I've met 8th graders in China that couldn't tell you what continent Paris is on.
You can meet adults in America who couldn't point out the continent where Paris is situated - as is proven time and time again on many videos circulating around - thinking Australia is where Greenland is. What does that say about the US system?
50+ kids per class with angry teachers whose authority cannot be challenged. Cutthroat competition. International schools are on-par with a decent public school in the US except they cost $15-30k/year which is out of reach of 98% of Chinese.
I think the international schools are far better than 'decent' public schools in America - what do you think your chances of getting yo ass capped are in an international school in China?
Pollution is literally a quantitative measurement, it's not an opinion. The air in many large Chinese cities is notoriously bad. You cannot drink the tap water. I had to keep my windows shut, run the AC all day, and run an air purifier in the summer. Again, not sure what evidence you have that China's pollution is super low and somehow the rest of the world is wrong.
China is a country that manufactures things - so pollution is a problem - no argument there.
Low English use - go to a T3 city and literally everything will be in Chinese - road signs, menus. Hardly anyone but maybe university students will know any English.
So what? Do you expect everything not to be in Chinese in China? Well it is the same in Japan and South Korea - why should they be any better at languages than the average American and Brit - can you find people who speak great Chinese (unless they're Chinese themselves...) in the middle of Oklahoma - and you're wrong (again) on the point about road signs - road signs are in both Chinese and English (or at least pinyin) lots of menus have English translations - this shows your cluelessness - that you have only ever been a tourist.
Yes Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen are be exceptions. But even when I was in Guangzhou, it could be difficult at times to get around without knowing basic Mandarin - and even that wasn't enough as some people only spoke Cantonese.
You're in China - why should there be this high standard of English? I don't get your gripe with this? Do you expect this is France or Brazil? If you do then you're in for a sorry disappointment.
Does the same standard apply to the United States - the country where people whinge if they hear Spanish within earshot?
If you're looking to be a English teacher perpetual renter with no retirement plans, minimal savings, then sure, China is great.
I am an English teacher - why, what do you do for a living? I bet it's nothing I would want to do. If you have related qualifications like me, then you can save for retirement, buy property and make plans as you will be paid well like I am - I save over a thousand pounds a month every month, something not many people are capable of where I am from. 16 million people are 400 pounds away from being broke at any time in the UK and I know the figure is higher in America.
I'd love to live there again as a single guy with no obligations.
Except you never have lived there, you've been a tourist, that's all you have ever been.
If you're looking at raising kids and buying a house, going through the Chinese public school system, good f***ing luck. But my wife and I rather have our house and yard, US health insurance, 401k, social security + medicare when we're in my 60s.
China wouldn't be my first choice but nor would be America and as for the rest of it, I wouldn't want it - health insurance - the one thing that costs more the older you get and starts getting cancelled on you?
You think that is something worth bragging about? And when you are in your sixties, you will probably end up in Mexico alongside the other 1.2 million expat retirees who can't afford to retire in your country.