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I will be traveling to China to work on a consulting contract, training Chinese workers on US made CNC machining centers. China is a new destination for me. I have read all the usual "don't drink the water" warnings. Will be in Xinyu, Jiangxi Province. Please educate me if you have had a similar work assignment or foreign worker experience in China.
Thanks!
Last edited by OldReliable; 07-26-2009 at 09:18 PM..
China is great, but its very different from the States or Europe, and your in for a great/sometimes frustrating experience. You will get very frustrated when it comes to training the works. They will yes you to death, and many times will not be very honest with you, but you'll be surprised that they will pick up using a CNC lathe machine rather quickly.
The biggest thing is, once you leave China, they will go back to working the machine the way they want to. Not taking care of tools, hammering and banging the machine to get it "fixed".
Chinese people for the most part will treat you like gold. However, many times they will not be that honest with you, esp the people in your office/company. They will smile and be friendly to you, but always keep in mind that these people don't make that much money, and they would do just about anything to make a buck.....esp out in Jiangxi province.
Its not just Xinyu or Jiangxi province, I'm talking all of China. I've been living in China for the past 8 years. Where your going, its very rural with many factories as well. Its not nice and developed like Shanghai.
You'll work, maybe they will have a restaurant that has some western food like hamburgers or pizza (which will be Chinese pizza/hamburgers, not like at home) in Xinyu that your company people will take you to, but don't expect a great night life.
Bring snacks with you from home...........A lot.........and hopefully there will be a KFC or McDonald's in Xinyu that you can take a break from all the Chinese food.......
Thanks Jake, I am sure it will be an interesting experience. According to our contact there is a Chinese machinist who speaks English that I will be working with primarily. I am not a "night life" person and will stay close to the hotel and work.
The company people will take you out to lunch and dinner often......and there will be nights where they will want to drink a lot, esp at dinner. Just go with the flow, and when they drink, you should also.........If they toast you, you should drink. The best thing to do is watch them. However they eat, you do the same. Also, practice using your chopsticks.
I'm sorry, but most Chinese food you will probably not like. Its nothing like the Chinese food in the States. The best thing to do is eat the simple dishes.......Veggies, chicken and pork.........I also like tofu, but you might not......
Also, I hope you like rice.........that's a good filler when they servie food you might not like...........Try everything though..........you might only be in China once.....
Also, ask them to take you to buy DVD's. There super cheap, and its something to watch at night in your hotel room...........
That's great advise. Thanks. Anyone else is welcome to chime in, but it's time to hit the sack here in the Rocky Mountains, so I will check back in 9 hrs or so.
I'm working in Shanghai and although we are probably at different stages in life an have different ideas of "fun" I think a couple general suggestions should be made to any American or Westerner coming here. First of all, there is a certain comfort level available in Shanghai. From multitudes of international restaurants to just seeing Laowai faces around. Being in Xinyu, although I've never been, you will get much more of the real China experience.
Most importantly: Get out and see some of the rest of China! You will probably be worn down by the routine in Xinyu and the city itself is pretty small by Chinese standards. For natural beauty go North to Anhui Province and take a weekend enjoying Huangshan (Yellow Mountains). If you are unaware of this then google it and you'll see what I mean. Since your there for only a short time I'd recommend going to either Hong Kong or Shanghai given their close proximity. If you are REALLY craving the comforts of civilization then go to Hong Kong.
Learn as much about locals customs as you can before-hand. It's easy to be put off by older women elbowing past you to get on a bus or people cutting you in line but for them this is perfectly normal.
Research scams before you go over. I don't want to tell you to automatically be suspicious of people but anyone being "too" friendly probably wants your money and will have varying levels of desperation to get it.
Go to KTV with your coworkers or any Chinese friends you make.
Lastly, be careful. China is a very safe country and its cities are night and day compared to equivalent sized cities in America. However, from reading things online you may hear of foreigners getting away with all sorts of things (mainly alcohol-induced lol). Many of these occurences are in places like Shanghai though, and what may elicit only a frown here in Shanghai may receive a violent response in a provincial city.
I don't know much about Jiangxi cuisine but you must try the Shanghai specialty Xiao Long Bao, Peking duck, Cantonese Dim Sim, and Taiwanese-style milk bubble tea if you can. Don't be afraid to eat the occasional chicken throat or pork knuckle.
decafdave, what is KTV? I speak zero chinese and so will be sticking close to any escort personel that the company provides. I don't drink or party, so no worries there. I just want to go, make some money and get back home with as little fuss as possible.
I have heard that tipping is taboo except in major cities. Is this true?
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