My Chongqing: November 2012

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Moving to Chongqing, China Information Guide (from the US/Canada) - Curricular Activities/Other Tips

Author - Debbie Brown

Disclaimer: This information is put together to help others moving to Chongqing. This document is a compilation of information gathered from other expats based on their experiences. It by no means is intended to be the gospel but to provide some background information to hopefully make your transition smoother. Chongqing is a rapidly changing city so this document is a living document that may need to be updated as Chongqing and China grow and change. Please forward any updates, recommendations and/or corrections to Deborah Brown, grosseilebrown2@aol.com.

Organized Extra-Curricular Activities

If interested in participating in any of the following activities just contact the appropriate contact listed for specifics.

o Chongqing International Football Club (CQIFC)

Adult soccer

Contact: Todd Kearney 186-2335-0054; tkearne2@ford.com

Website: cqifc.com

o Chongqing International Football Club Juniors (CQIFC Juniors)

Youth Soccer (ages 5-13)

Contact: Evan Forrester 138-8338-0984; forresterevan@hotmail.com

o Premier International Soccer Academy (PISA)

Youth Soccer (ages 5-17)

Contact: Evan Forrester 138-8338-0984; forresterevan@hotmail.com

Website: cqpisa.com

o Chongqing Adult Volleyball

Contact: Liberty Blunier 186-2330-9011; blib2@hotmail.com

Other Helpful Tips:

Water Quality: Majority of expats purchase bottle water for drinking and cooking. When setting up your water bottle water service some providers may require you to pre-pay for 50, 100 or 150 bottles upfront and give you tickets you use when the bottles are delivered. May be beneficial if you have your driver or Ayi help you procure your water.

You can also consider buying an extra water filter to pre-filter the water for cooking and other domestic use.

Moving to Chongqing, China Information Guide (from the US/Canada) - Travel

Author - Debbie Brown

TRAVEL

You are on you own to book your trips once relocated to Chongqing. Flights and hotels book up fast especially around the China National Holidays. It is wise to book your trips at least 4 months in advance to get the destinations, hotels and flights you want. In addition, on National Chinese Holidays many locals use this opportunity to travel and sightsee within China, so traffic and tourist attractions are typically very packed.

When booking trips there are several options, book online via Expedia, Travelocity or the like, book through C-trip or using a local travel agency. Know that the majority of the Chinese airlines will not accept US credit cards so typically you will need to either have a Chinese friend book it on their credit card and pay them back, go through a local travel agency and pay in cash or with you China Construction Debit Card, or book via C-trip, Expedia and the like. Most travel agencies accept US credit cards but they charge an extra 4% fee.

For those that plan to travel abroad in the Southeast countries, it is good to have some American cash on hand. In certain Southeast countries, RMB may not be directly converted at the airport but American dollar can be.

Recommended Local Travel Agencies:

o Holiday Tours located at the Harbor Plaza Hotel on the 3^rd floor in Jiefanbei. This travel agency does have English speaking staff. Email: holidaytourhp@hotmail.com or phone: 133 2028 6928

Moving to Chongqing, China Information Guide (from the US/Canada) - Banking

Author - Debbie Brown

BANKING:

During your pre-trip you will likely open an account in Chongqing. FCO HR recommended China Construction Bank, but you have the option to select the Chinese bank of your choice. The real estate company hired during your pre-assignment should be able to help you open the account. Generally most expats set it up at China Construction Bank due to the large number of ATMs and locations, the affiliation with Bank of America.

When you set up your account it is very important to make sure the Bank has your correct name and spelling. You will need to have this if you want to transfer monies between your US account and your China account. For instance if the China Construction Bank opens your account and your paperwork states you name is “JohnFred Smith” , when you conduct a wire transfer you need to make sure you enter the name exactly as the bank has (not “John Fred Smith) otherwise they will reject the transfer and you will be out the transfer fees. Or you may have to sign an affidavit to confirm that you are the proper person as did Jim Lenson. (Example: In my situation, I don't usually transfer money from Canada to China, but one lesson I learned is to make sure your home bank uses the exact name as the one the China bank has on file i.e. your full passport name. I had an issue once, and had to sign an affidavit at the China Construction Bank to confirm that I was the same person i.e. Jim Lenson vs. James Ronald Lenson showing on my passport before they deposited the money into my Chinese bank account)

o Money Transfers - It not that simple but with a little patience you shouldn't have any problems.

Money transfers from home to China are much simpler than the other way around.

You will need:

§ Name the China account was set up under

§ China bank address

§ China bank institution number

§ China bank swift code number

Money transfers from China to back home are a little more difficult but not impossible, as the Chinese like to regulate money leaving the country. As I said it's a little more of a process and you need a little more patience.

When completing the money transfer application form at a China bank, you will also need several documents:

o Passport

o Labor contract

o Income certificate

o Copy of a monthly China income tax statement

o Name the account was set up under

o Bank address, bank institution number and bank swift code number for both your home and China banks

These documents are intended to show the source of the money in your China bank account, and that you have paid your appropriate taxes before being allowed to transfer the money out of the country

FCO HR (Kevin Dai) will be able to help provide items 2 & 3. Make sure you always keep the original Labor contract and Income certificate, and the China bank can make copies each time you are making a money transfer out of China. A copy of Item 4 can be retrieved from the CFMA Finance department each time you want to make a money transfer out of China.

In addition, an account will only be given one Debit Card, so if you think you may need to have two cards one for you and one for your spouse. You will have to open up two separate accounts and transfer/deposit money into the second account.

Bank of America and Construction Bank are partners. Therefore, you can transfer money from your Bank of America account in the US via Construction Bank's ATM machine without any fees. There is a $2000 RMB limit per 24 hours that you can withdraw from your NA/US Bank of America account (or any foreign bank account) via a China Construction ATM. Tip: You can open multiple Bank of America accounts with debit cards for both couples to overcome this constraint.

o Credit Cards…..Chinese Credit Cards???? Does anyone know if and how an Expat can get a China Construction or other Chines credit card for in country transactions?

Capitol One is one credit card that does not charge its own foreign transaction fee.

Moving to Chongqing, China Information Guide (from the US/Canada) - Super Market

Author - Debbie Brown

Your relocation provider should be able to help with recommendations, as well as other Expats you get to know once in Chongqing. But here is a list of some essential places you may need for staples.

o Metro – Similar to a Sam’s Club. Metro carries many household goods and western/international foods. You can generally get very good meats and frozen food selections as well.

o Ole’ – Ole’ is an upscale store that carries many western/international foods, some similar to Metro and some unique foods that Metro doesn’t offer. Groceries typically more expensive than Metro. One located in Jiangbei district and another in Jiefangbei District)

o Walmart/CBest/Lotus/YH – Carries house goods, cleaning supplies, and groceries similar to US, except groceries cater more to the local Chinese Market. Few or no international foods.

o B&Q and JanMart – Carries household repair items similar to Home Depot.

Note: There are many foods you can get here in Chongqing to make many of the dishes you love. You may have to improvise or start from scratch, but generally most of the ingredients can be found. (Sometimes it takes a little work because the grocery items are in Chinese, but with some effort you can find them.) If you are a foodie and like to cook, I highly recommend you bring your favorite spices in case they are not available here (e.g. poppy seeds, allspice, etc...). In addition I would recommend you bring some baking supplies (e.g. vanilla, baking powder, cream of tartar, etc…). Other items I have personally not found here in Chongqing are Artichoke Hearts, Hearts of Palm and Mandarin Oranges, puddings to name a few.

Moving to Chongqing, China Information Guide (from the US/Canada) - Veterinarians /Groomers

Author - Debbie Brown

o Veterinarians /Groomers: Pets, especially dogs, are prevalent in Chongqing. There are many veterinarians and groomers in Chongqing.

He Mei Pet Hospital (Dr. Louise) in Longhu comes recommended. Dr. Louise was trained in Germany and can speak English. She is also willing to try and special order foods/goods upon request. In addition she has a groomer in her office that was trained in Hong Kong.

Address: No. 79 LongHua Road, Yubei (near Lotus in Longhu) Telephone: 133 5034 0889 (Doctor does speak English) Email: chengyu751108@163.com

Moving to Chongqing, China Information Guide (from the US/Canada) - Dentists/Orthodontists

Author - Debbie Brown

o Dentists/Orthodontists

Chongqing has trained Dentist and Orthodontist’s that can address any dental emergencies or carry on you children’s orthodontic treatments. The Global Doctors office can help you assess how best to precede, so during your pre-trip visit make sure you discuss options with the Doctor.

Dentist: The following are dentist that other expats have utilized, facilities are clean and dentist is professional.

· Jin Shan VIP hospital,

· (Name??? )foreign dentist in the Ferrari building in Longhu

· Western (or West) Dental. There is one in Longhu

Orthodontist: The following is an Orthodontist that other expats have utilized, facilities are clean and the orthodontist is professional.

· The Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University (Dr. Fan Xiaoping), Address: 426 Songshibei Rd, Yubei District Telephone: 023-88860161 (Direct line to Doctor, he does speak a little English)

Moving to Chongqing, China Information Guide (from the US/Canada) - Medical

Author - Debbie Brown

· Medical

During your pre-trip you will have the opportunity to meet with the Global Doctor, here in Chongqing to discuss and understand the medical care services here in Chongqing. When you meet with the Global Doctor you need to make sure you discuss what prescriptions and over the counter medications you take. The Global Doctor will be able to tell you if you can get your medicines here in Chongqing or if you will need to make special arrangements.

Generally speaking the medicines (prescriptions and over the counter) available here are not the same quality as what you would receive in the states so it is highly recommended that you bring a 6 months’ supply so you have what you need on hand until you can determine what is available here versus what you will need to bring with you from the NA/US.

Cigna/Your HealthCare provider sometimes will give you special authorizations to procure additional medications given you are coming to China. It might take documentation/authorization from the company.

Moving to Chongqing, China Information Guide (from the US/Canada) - Communications

Author - Debbie Brown

· Staying in Touch

· Skype

· Face Time

· Vonage (http://www.vonage.com/)

Tip: If you experience a drop in quality of voice call within 10 minutes, change your account setting: Feature -> Bandwidth Saver. Select the lowest baud rate you can still talk normally. This will allow longer conversation without having to re-establish connection.

· Magic Jack ( http://www.magicjack.com/plus-v05/)

· Google Voice - Allows you to port your US cell phone numbers to Google Voice. The fee was $20 per number. Allowing you to send/receive text messages and receive voicemails from our friends in the US for free. You can also link the account to a VOIP number such as Magic Jack. http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html

· Cell Phones:

· There are many different levels of service available, Local calling plans (within City), China plans and International calling plans (within China) and International Calling plans (that let you use your China mobile phone outside of China). If you want International calling capabilities you have to ask for it and be specific on which international plan you want. International calling plans require a little more money upfront depending on which one you choose. You have to prepay for your service at store fronts or via cell phone kiosks. They do not bill you like in NA/US.

· Most popular Mobile providers for Expats are:

o China Mobile – More readily available locations to make deposits on your phones

o China Unicom – Has 3 G internet with more data plans

o China Telecom

· Tips:

o Best 3G? China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom? (Response from Internet Blog) Generally speaking only China Unicom has nationwide roaming at no extra cost and works with international 3G handsets. China Telecom is CDMA/EVDO 3G (almost dog slow), China Mobile has a special 3G won’t work with ANY handsets other than their own. Data is generally roaming free. All depends on your needs and package.

o For Blackberry cellphone user, the only service provider offered BIS (Blackberry Internet Service) is China Unicom. China Mobile and China Telecom did not support BIS. Even you have your Blackberry cellphone unlocked in North America; you have to get RIM (Research In Motion) in China to unlock again for you before the cell phone can work exactly like in North America.

Moving to Chongqing, China Information Guide (from the US/Canada) - Entertainment

Author - Debbie Brown

· Entertainment

· Satellite TV – Satallite TV is available in China, but providers and Channel offerings are somewhat limited. Relocation Company should be able to tell you what is available.

For those that need HD and American-based programs, DISH satellite is available. The cost is significantly higher than other options, around 6-7K RMB for the first time. By adding a hard drive to the DISH receiver via USB, you can have full DVR capability. This is very useful to record games/shows that you cannot watch in real time.

· Slingbox - A Slingbox makes it easy to watch and control your NA home TV from virtually anywhere, anytime on your laptop, tablet, smartphone or connected device. This will allow you to watch local US channels you can’t access from China. Slingbox devices can be purchased at Best Buy or Online. Basically you need the box, cable/Satellite and internet to set it up while you are in the US, then you can watch streamed video here in China via your laptop or Tablet. For more info visit this website. ( http://www.slingbox.com/go/slingbox). Note: The Steaming video here in Chongqing tends to spool due to the slower internet speed available here in Chongqing. The degree of spooling is very dependent on internet usage/time a day.

· Other Streaming Video Options include:

www.cokeandpopcorn.com/

www.crackle.com/

· DVDs… DVDs can be purchased in China very cheaply, but you will need to make sure you have a DVD player that can play the DVDs procured in China. Not all NA DVD players will play the China produced DVDs. If you bringing any DVD movies make sure you have a North American DVD player because the system is different (NTSC in North American versus PAL in China). There are some DVD players available in China that can accommodate both NA DVDs and China DVDs, but you need to confirm before your purchase one. Best to take both types of DVDs with you shopping and request them to play both to confirm the player you purchase will accommodate both.

· Other Devices/Equipment

· For any big piece of equipment like a treadmill for example, it is good to know the service support available in Chongqing area. Many NA products cannot be readily serviced in China due to warranty coverage, lack of technical expertise and/or device has region/NA specific software and/or hardware. Need to contact the manufacturer to understand serviceability of devices and equipment here in Chongqing, China.

Moving to Chongqing, China Information Guide (from the US/Canada) - Internet

Author - Debbie Brown

· Internet

· Not all sights are available so it may be worthwhile to purchase a router in the USA with a built in VPN so that you can access sites like (you tube, Facebook, twitter, Netflix, etc…) or you can purchase VPN software for each computer/Apple device individually if you don’t have a built in VPN on your router (s). ( Note: Some devices do not have the capability to connect to a VPN directly, e.g. PS3, Wii or Xbox, for these devices you will need a router with a built in VPN.)

· There are many VPN providers for more info here is a link that rates the various VPN service providers: http://www.bestvpnservice.com/ .

I have tried both ExpressVPN and Hidemyass VPN, and prefer ExpressVPN due to ease of use and reliable connectivity. I am sure there are many others that would provide you with the services you need.

· If you are bringing your own router from North America know that the software will be in English and likely a Chinese technician will not be able to help you with the setup unless they speak English. (Note: You many need to configure the router differently than what you used in the NA due to requirements of your local Chinese ISP (Internet Service Provider).)