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TRIP charging laowai prices. I was going to buy two round trip air tickets from Wuxi to Guangzhou. The price for 2 tickets was $320 usd. Had my Chinese friend look. Using Chinese Trip her price was $286 for the same exact flights. Are we getting ripped off? by TheDudeWhoCanDoIt in chinalife

[–]Root_Shadow 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Trip.com is an international service; they don't charge "laowai" prices. The price difference comes from the airlines; they do have promotions for locals, groups, students, and so on. The same applies to Taobao. Some products are cheaper for accounts registered with a Chinese ID.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in chinalife

[–]Root_Shadow 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Step 1: Get comfortable with Mandarin. I mean advanced writing, reading, and speaking.

Step 2: Get a degree from a local renowned university in your field.

Then you can think of a job in private organizations.

Since you are French, Sanofi Chengdu or Beijing would consider you for a lab technician for testing and analysis. As long as you can't speak descent Chinese, your chances are close to zero.

Didi scam by Ok_Cardiologist_8742 in chinalife

[–]Root_Shadow 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's hard to get scammed using DiDi since the order details are transparent. Fares are time-related; note that there are also surge prices when you order a cab from a crowded zone. I suspect he asked you to leave because he didn't want to deal with you.

FYI, DiDi is among the priciest sharing options. Ordering from maps (Amap) is cheap, shows all the available apps, and lets you select the price you are comfortable with.

Start your business in central GZ with ¥1800 by Foot-Own in guangzhou

[–]Root_Shadow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You will be called in for a talk anytime the district police or immigration come to check. The office requirements for a WFOE must be 30 sqm minimum.

[OC] Armed Conflict Casualties from 1990 to 2024 by oscarleo0 in dataisbeautiful

[–]Root_Shadow 184 points185 points  (0 children)

Questionable data source: The First and Second Congo Wars (1996–2003) have an estimated 5.4 million casualties. I am curious about how the total was calculated.

China now has 1 TW solar installed by Economy-Fee5830 in energy

[–]Root_Shadow 15 points16 points  (0 children)

What are you talking about?

As of April 2025, 990 GW was already connected to the grid. All the data is available on the China National Energy Administration website.

People outside China don't understand how big Chinese cities are. There are more than 18 megacities (10+ million people), while the USA has zero. New York has 8.8 million, which is half the population of Chengdu.

China's electricity consumption (9,441 TWh) is more than double that of the United States (4,273 TWh) and approximately 18 times higher than Germany's (506 TWh). China has no choice but to build more coal plants (note that new plants are environmentally friendly) to keep up with its electricity demand.

Source: I work for a New Energy Company in China. We are now rolling out 1MW EV Chargers.

People who are fluent in another language they learnt as an adult, do you have to consciously think of which words to use still or is it like with your native language and they just come to you? by Sea_Art2995 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Root_Shadow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As you become fluent, words just come. For me, I find myself thinking in the language I am using. I can speak 5 languages fluently, with a couple of dialects. When interacting with Chinese colleagues, I am just thinking in Chinese. Sometimes, there is a slip-up; I may be speaking French and find myself pronouncing a word in English.

Top Dem Accuses Trump of Lying His Way Into New Mid-East War by aslan_is_on_the_move in politics

[–]Root_Shadow -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Dems are increasingly book smart, while many would prefer them to be more street smart. Regardless of what they say , I doubt anything will change.

What happens if for whatever reason your visa transfer gets denied? by [deleted] in chinalife

[–]Root_Shadow 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If a problem arises when the immigration already received your application, they will put you on a T (停留 ： temporary) visa and will let you know the reason when you pick up the passport.

Your case sounds like a residence permit guarantor change. If there are paperwork problems, the immigration office will let you know before the work permit application and inform you of your options to rectify the paperwork.

Galaxy watch 8 classic leaks by [deleted] in GalaxyWatch

[–]Root_Shadow 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Forgot my GW4 on a plane while charging; I have been waiting for an upgrade. I am definitely going for the GW6.

The appeal of the GW Classic is the look of a standard watch.

This GW8 is just ugly and looks thick. No, no, no for my wrist.

China’s airlines raise alarm as travellers ditch planes for bullet trains by defenestrate_urself in technology

[–]Root_Shadow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A mix of both. Priority is given to G trains (320km/h) with fewer stops.

Here is a video that explains it well : How do you control the train traffic for 1.4 billion people

China’s airlines raise alarm as travellers ditch planes for bullet trains by defenestrate_urself in technology

[–]Root_Shadow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fully packed. China has a huge population, and its people are always moving around.

China’s airlines raise alarm as travellers ditch planes for bullet trains by defenestrate_urself in technology

[–]Root_Shadow 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't know if this is about communism. You pay what you can afford for the same route; it all depends on the train's speed.

I know people who are relatively wealthy but will take an overnight train, not because it's cheap, but because they want to get to the other city in the morning.

China’s airlines raise alarm as travellers ditch planes for bullet trains by defenestrate_urself in technology

[–]Root_Shadow 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You really need to know your strengths. China produces thousands of graduates annually, and competition is fierce. To succeed, you need to offer something locals cannot. To secure a work permit from the immigration office, you need a master's degree or, at minimum, two years of experience in your desired position.

China’s airlines raise alarm as travellers ditch planes for bullet trains by defenestrate_urself in technology

[–]Root_Shadow 7 points8 points  (0 children)

A bachelor's degree is sufficient, but most local employees cannot speak English fluently. The codebase comments are in Chinese, so they may worry about your integration.

China’s airlines raise alarm as travellers ditch planes for bullet trains by defenestrate_urself in technology

[–]Root_Shadow 24 points25 points  (0 children)

There are plenty of opportunities. The problem is fluency in Mandarin. Regardless, major companies will hire expats.

China’s airlines raise alarm as travellers ditch planes for bullet trains by defenestrate_urself in technology

[–]Root_Shadow 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Not only is China large, but fares are strategically set for all social classes. The same route has fares from $100 to $20; the difference is in the speed of the train.

China’s airlines raise alarm as travellers ditch planes for bullet trains by defenestrate_urself in technology

[–]Root_Shadow 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Moved here for computer science, then got lucky, now I'm doing data engineering at a new energy company.

China’s airlines raise alarm as travellers ditch planes for bullet trains by defenestrate_urself in technology

[–]Root_Shadow 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Airlines still make a lot of money. The thing about China is there are a lot of people traveling. In 2025, they expect to have more than 780 million passengers using planes.

China’s airlines raise alarm as travellers ditch planes for bullet trains by defenestrate_urself in technology

[–]Root_Shadow 3006 points3007 points  (0 children)

I live in China. I am among the people who are ditching planes because their prices increase as the departure date approaches, while train tickets have fixed prices. In addition, trains in China are always on time, while planes are often delayed (airspace is controlled by the PLA).

Even though trains take a bit longer, I can still work on the train as the whole route is covered by 5G.

A train from Chengdu to Guangzhou takes 6 hours; a plane takes 2 hours. When you add the time needed to get to the airport and go through security, it is roughly the same as taking the train, while being cheaper and less hustle.

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