Forums > Living in Kunming > General Visa advice The situation is not unique. I have been in China for several years, here with a Chinese wife. I arrived in Kunming from my old city on an 'L' visa, it was December and I had not been working due to the academic year starting in Oct. I have just changed to a 'Z'. I have also had 'F' visas.
The 'Z' visa is often used as leverage by Chinese employers. But you don't have to play their silly games.
If you work for a state school they are less likely to do this as they know it is hard to recruit teachers they like (better the devil you know).
If you work for an English training centre, some will fiddle with the pennies, but if they kids like you they are reluctant to let you go, but they will still try to leverage.
If you do decide to leave, as long as you find a new job and get a new contract and 'Z' visa before the old one expires, no problem. This can be renewed in Kunming.
If you can't find a new job in time then transferring to an 'L' family is easy, but the pain in the butt is that you will have to go to Hong Kong if you get a new 'Z' visa.
In short 'Z' to 'Z' visa is easy and can be done locally. 'Z' to 'L' is easy and can be done locally. But 'other' to 'Z' requires a trip to HK (or other country outside mainland PRC.
You don't need to mess around with an 'F' visa which is what most agents will offer, and which is technically illegal to use for employment.
Forums > Food & Drink > where to buy good red wine PS I used to drink a lot of Yunnan Hong
Forums > Food & Drink > where to buy good red wine I have had some nice Chinese wine given to me. But I would not pay the 150-250rmb price myself.
There was also a recent scandal about Yunnan Hong. This wine is made from old world grapes imported about 200 years ago. Some growers were adding industrial alcohol to boost alcohol content. Having said that some European growers were guilty of this in the 70s, and again in the 80s.
I am not a fine wine connoisseur, but I would rather pay <50 RMB for an imported gulping wine that tastes OK than some of the local wine of a similar price. I once had a bottle of Changhyu for 60 RMB that I found undrinkable, and I will drink almost anything.
Forums > Living in Kunming > English Corner I avoid English corners as I have found they consist of (as described above) lots of Chinese, a few foreigners, and lots of introductions. I can see why some people only go once every few months as I find them exhausting.
If the English corner has a theme for the evening they work much better. But as most people don't organise anything, and others could not organise there way out of a paper bag, the default conversation starts with "Nice to meet you, where are you from...?"
Additionally, English corner is not really a good place to practice your Chinese. They are not really meant for that.
Sorry if this sounds negative, but that is why I don't participate.
My reason for posting?
Perhaps this information may help those who run English corners to avoid this major pitfall.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Legal weapons. The advice from most police forces is to just give an armed person what they want.
The original post did mention abduction however, I am not sure many people would just give up a child, or themselves.
Snapshot: A trip to the world's tallest bridge
发布者Some of those villages might still be quite isolated, as the connections to the highway might still be hard to reach.
$17 billion Chongqing-Kunming railway nears completion
发布者The train won't suffer fog or China Eastern delay disease either.
Spring City's tallest skyscraper nears completion
发布者Tier ones, in the downtown/CBD areas will always be a good bet, but not so good in the suburbs unless serviced by or soon to be serviced by, Metro/subway lines.
Lower tier cities also have potential. Henan, Zhengzhou has boomed. Due to the city being named as an expanding rail hub for the Belt and Road initiative. Also, anywhere not yet serviced by a metro line. There is still room in this latter category in Kunming, but there is a need to be fast as the metro line as planned should be completed by next August.
I would also avoid buying new. Some of the more upmarket villas in SW Kunming are very poorly built, many are apartments and villas are overpriced and people are fighting to buy the more affordable.
Buying second hand may be less of an investment opportunity, unless a new metro line is going through. However, you can see quality or other issues more clearly and find out the reputation of buildings and management, you can buy already decorated (ready to occupy), there will be fewer unknowns.
Mid-Autumn Festival, China's harvest celebration
发布者Translation is perhaps a better word than adaptation. There are over 40 translations of the poem listed here www.google.com/[...]
Mid-Autumn Festival, China's harvest celebration
发布者The story of Li Bai always reminds me of:
The Little Fete
by J.C. Cooper
I take a bottle of wine and I go to drink it among the flowers.
We are always three -
counting my shadow and my friend the shimmering moon.
Happily the moon knows nothing of drinking,
and my shadow is never thirsty.
When I sing, the moon listens to me in silence.
When I dance, my shadow dances too.
After all festivities the guests must depart;
This sadness I do not know.
When I go home,
the moon goes with me and my shadow follows me.