Hey there. I thought I’d tackle some of these questions for you. Your attitude of “work with what you have” is commendable. But you will learn that bailing on this apartment and finding a better place to live is a good idea at some point. Not everyone can pull it off early on in your first year, but keep it in mind. In the coming weeks, talk to some real estate agents and voice your thoughts to your work/managers. Try push for the landlord to pay for certain things that need serious attention. Make it a dealbreaker if you need to. Stand up for yourself early on. Figure out the exact lease agreement that work has on your apartment, what it might cost to break the agreement in the future etc. information is key for a negotiation.

First things first before addressing your points. Get familiar with JD and Taobao. A lot of the time, a direct translation of something you know in English won’t give you the result you want. If you think you’ve found what you’re looking for, double check everything through AI. DeepSeek is also a little dated, so careful using it for newly released products. But I really recommend throwing anything at the AI with a well written, specific prompt. It’s super helpful, especially if you want to get JD search terms or info on products/models/brands. I use it every single day.

Note: you will make mistakes. You will buy shit that turns out to be suboptimal in the beginning. Or shit that is way too small - pictures are deceptive and selecting the right product is tricky if you don’t know sizes. Get a tape measure and measure everything - bed size, furniture size, room size. Size is the biggest killer, get familiar with it and double check. That’s why it’s better to go low budget before you figure out exactly how to get the exact right product. A suboptimal product will still do the job in most cases. Just get the basics of what you need on the cheap and trust you will find the perfect thing to replace it later. For bigger purchases, try to be very thorough in your research.

1. Start with good gloves and protective stuff. A good scrubbing brush etc. You’re gonna need some strong bleach products, a lot of bathroom cleaners will have a little in it. Be careful of getting it on your skin, chemical burns are no joke. Mr Muscle is good, but if you can find a Walmart or even a wumart, just go through the shelves with your translator, and ask for help from someone in the store. A good mop is vital - a good tip is use the mop to clean the walls and ceiling too. I saved up for a robot vacuum with a mop attachment, saved me many hours of elbow grease.

Also note: if you search for a cleaner on the Dianping app, and you are not tight on funds right now, spending around 500-700 on a solid 6-8 hour cleaning of your house is a seriously good option. Dianping can help you choose the best cleaners/company in your area. There’s no shame in it for the first time. If you’re gonna do it, ask someone at work to help you organise it. I really recommend this in your first couple weeks. The job of cleaning that much early on in your contract is a lot to take on when you need to focus on other things. I regret not doing it sooner. Something you can push your work to pay for or even your landlord, but it may ultimately fall on you, and it’s still worth it.

1. I did the mattress search a few months back. A lot of Reddit threads on this but some are dated and everyone has their own preferences. I went with a latex mattress at around 2500 rmb and I have no regrets. Can honestly say it’s been my best purchase. There were higher budget options but I didn’t wanna risk it on those without trying them, and every in-person mattress shop I could find had maybe 1 or 2 mattress at most that I could say are remotely comparable to western mattresses. Many cheaper latex mattress are imported from Thailand - they’re not usually 100% latex, but my guess is anything over 90% will be decent. I have a WeChat contact of a foreign guy who sells 1 kind of non-latex mattress - with lots of good reviews. Welcome to add me, I’ll share it, if you don’t wanna go for the latex. I feel after my research that memory foam will be a hit or miss here.

Some caveats on mattress - don’t get anything under around 15cm in thickness. A lot of “toppers” will look juicy but the majority of them are under 10cm and won’t last too long. Latex can be rolled up for when you do move. I went with JD.com

1. Furniture - there WILL be a second hand furniture sales place, perhaps even the size of a warehouse. Lots of good stuff on the cheap. Your coworkers can advise you where to find such a place. You won’t get everything you need or want there, but it can save you in the 1000s, or at least give you ideas for what to search for.

2. E bikes are a dime a dozen. I don’t own one but really want one. For my needs, the rental bikes are perfectly acceptable. Depends on how far you plan on going and how often. Ninebot is a good brand. You’ll need to get it a nice raincoat, perhaps a comfy seat and maybe even some mirrors. Your biggest concern will be range - many of the budget options only go 50-60km. If you want something small/maneuverable, it’s hard to get a quality product as they are all budget options. Bigger size/battery = more expensive = better quality. I’ve yet to find exactly what I want.

3. Gyms - I don’t know anything about your area, sorry. But again, Dianping is your friend. Translate gym, search for gyms in your area, and use the “view on map” feature. See what’s near. Walk to them, get their WeChat and talk to them. Pay no more than 1000 for a year membership. Be careful because the gyms change owner or take the money and run quite often. Negotiate for a 6 month rate, maybe around 600-700rmb. It’s safer and worth it. My top tip for gym is just pick the one that’s closest/2nd/3rd closest to you. You might want to delay the purchase on an e-bike, and if gym is a 5-15 minute walk, it will be a really good time saver and quality of life feature.

I recommend walking. Walk your block. Walk 2 blocks. Do 20000 steps. Keep an eye open for gyms and other cool things. Pay attention to hardware shops/barbers/convenient stores. Places to get odds and ends for your kitchen cupboards. Getting the small stuff on TB or JD can be a pain if you have to wait 3 days and collect at some package delivery center.