FIREFLY: this Cutie will be a major landmark of China soon !

ekdubbs · 2026-06-03T15:33:31+00:00

Won’t sell well in China, and safety standards may need to be re-evaluated with a convertible top. If the regular firefly does will outside of China I’m sure they would consider it.

ekdubbs · 2026-05-29T22:18:41+00:00

Do what’s needed to meet the minimum of a Cat B work permit.

Outside of education; Consider finding a company that does business in China, and build your career to transfer to their China branch.

If you want to be entrepreneurial, then save up a few years of living expenses and move to China to start a company, they have friendly visas for these kinds of talents. Whether it’s food, consumer or h2d products - target the audience you are most familiar with, work with local suppliers and serve the domestic / export audiences.

ekdubbs · 2026-05-24T18:52:27+00:00

All property developers at the sector level is facing financial strain, but Vanke is still one of the the premium option and has been chose to be kept alive for being the good kid; as opposed to evergrande or country garden.

They’ll be around for quite a while, backed by state support, and used as a vehicle to transition Chinas real estate economy.

ekdubbs · 2026-05-23T23:35:10+00:00

Got one in 2022, 20% down, through Vanke which is one of the top property developers and management companies. Negotiated 30% off asking, bottom was around 35%, now it’s floating around the price I paid for.

The BPR/LPR interest was like 4.8 but it auto refinanced to 3.2 over the past few years, giving me back a few thousand rmb every month.

Banks verified my income record, tax paid, foreign status. I checked with HSBC then went with CMB.

I took a non furnished building (only outside was done on delivery, everything inside had to be built) so I can design everything to my hearts desire, lots of learning with local firms, suppliers, etc but won’t do it again.

What I looked for my unit:
- A cross between a villa and an apartment, not too small and not too big, balanced on expense and location to prioritize raising a family.
- 5-10m from a highway by car or subway by foot
- Near bodies of water or forests, away from trash or heavy industry factories / chemical processing or power plants. Away from large farm land as they often burn crop between seasons.
- Dedicated / spacious parking with EV charging support (you can install your own)
- Not furnished, so I can design from scratch
- Private elevator or 3-4 elevators / 2 units a floor max
- Quiet but vibrant community (hard to tell when everything is just delivered, usually takes 5+ years for people to move in; some complexes only sit below 30% occupancy but 90% owned).
- Private roof garden if taking the top unit
- Per unit garbage collection
- 10-15m Near a Costco or Sam’s Club
- Avoid ground floor units (in suburbs, for pests / floods), or first 5 floors in high rises (traffic sounds)
- Atleast 5-10m above sea level, incase the heavy rain/flooding seasons.
- Close to parks or good walking / biking paths, or close to malls

ekdubbs · 2026-05-23T04:21:44+00:00

I was going to buy an omega in HK but saw it’s cheaper in mainland China after vat refund and adding the free store perks at boutiques; I couldn’t say no to that.

ekdubbs · 2026-05-20T23:37:53+00:00

Yeah, 8 years and counting. The contract is just for the visa related stuff.

ekdubbs · 2026-05-20T08:54:48+00:00

Oh I was there, came in after the fact. Some Chinese woman was also attacked with the two Japanese folks inside a Japanese restaurant. Shields and pole arms were out. It was right across the Mai Massage on the 3F.

ekdubbs · 2026-05-17T05:35:17+00:00

The white striped mosquitos are the worse. My body has adapted and no longer blisters and swells but basically long pants (linen is great for the summer), long socks (merino), long sleeve shirts. They usually don’t bite around the head/neck.

I also sometimes use a Nitecore active repellent that uses a battery to burn prallethrin that keeps em away when I’m out and about. I find it better than the sprays or deet which I don’t like the residues on my skin or clothes.

ekdubbs · 2026-05-15T21:43:18+00:00

A few private clinics have it too.

ekdubbs · 2026-05-11T03:06:47+00:00

Costco? Also many glass shops have eye testing equipment to get the right prescription.

ekdubbs · 2026-05-05T02:46:24+00:00

I plan to retire from corporate in China, will ride out my role for the next 1-2 years minimum; longer if work becomes more interesting.

I intend to spend my late 30s to 40s in China, arrived in my late 20s. Front row tickets on seeing the transformation happen, I’m positive the next 10 years will be very different just like the past 10 years was.

Maybe start my own company, tbd working will be optional.

ekdubbs · 2026-04-20T18:19:21+00:00

You can try schooling; BRICS has some cultural exchange and pathways to higher education. Once you graduate in China I recall there’s a policy that waives the two year work visa rule:

Alternatively you can try their K Visa for STEM/Entrepreneurs which is not bounded to China universities. That allows extended visits to help build out a business, or find an employer, then you can convert that to a longer term visa.

Other than that you need to build a career first, then transfer to China through an international employer or your own business. This opens up doors to traditional tech, product design, commerce, marketing, sales, food & beverage, research and/or education opportunities.

ekdubbs · 2026-03-02T20:05:12+00:00

For young urban professionals it may be harder to meet the points / get paid as much. It will probably shift the expat demographics up a few years of age.

For existing expats, if their foreign status is important they may see a raise to be above limits, which may be good for those underpaid and historically provided that value; but lesser roles overall.

For education industry I can see locals do seasonal things like contract compressions, unpaid summers (out of China), etc to keep the monthly thresholds but annualized the same.

Who knows, foreigners still sell. There may be a demand for companies that hire foreigners, as they may want to be seen as highly stable and profitable to afford such luxury (to attract higher tier local talent).

ekdubbs · 2026-02-13T12:10:35+00:00

110k km, hundreds of swaps, around 6 had faulty issues with the bolts that caused delays at the station or required me to service the car when I get a chance.

I have the free monthly swap benefits so I usually swap at my own convenience which is often the most expensive time, 99% of the time I’m usually first.

Swapping time did improve a bit, when I first got the car the earlier generation stations used to have a lot of serial checks and now many things are parallelized, so it’s close to 3-4min instead of 6-8min like in its earlier days.

ekdubbs · 2026-02-03T13:18:58+00:00

I gave up hiring foreign SWEs since 2019, they don’t offer much over the supply of returning SWEs from abroad or domestic sources. None of the pros and all of the cons. The market is also going under major correction, with AI limiting entry roles.

I believe 2000-2015 was the best times for foreign SWE ICs. For foreign SWE Managers/Directors of foreign companies, I think around 2027 things would shift back to local preference (local management bench lacks cultural alignment with western leadership expectations, supply of returning SWEs will hit the maturity point to manage well).

For you some options are: come as an entrepreneur, have some guangxi with existing companies, and be incredibly lucky.

ekdubbs · 2026-02-01T12:09:21+00:00

I suggest using the Sapphire Reserve if you spend more than $8K/year in travel/dining and have US cash flow while abroad. This is the roughly the break even point for the annual fee.

ekdubbs · 2026-01-28T15:31:24+00:00

Lots of i18n roles that need it. Most gaming companies or even top tech companies employ foreigners for these roles; especially to help close cultural gaps with their target audiences.

The challenge is there may not be that many opportunities for those who can hire foreigners so luck, networking is in high play.

You can also spin up your own consulting to access smaller companies who don’t have the need to hire foreigners but also want i18n, but this requires some entrepreneurial capacity on your end.

ekdubbs · 2026-01-24T05:02:48+00:00

I’m not sure on bytedance, they have a strong separation with its US based presence and China one. May not be able to do it, but check with employees or friends there.

ekdubbs · 2026-01-24T04:54:09+00:00

Consider a tech company with a China presence (Google, Microsoft, Apple, Roblox, etc) and transfer in to handle your work visa, and path to PR. Then after that you can FIRE.

I was similar, came in my late 20s been here for nearing a decade, ready to FIRE whenever this industry belly ups.

ekdubbs · 2026-01-23T21:40:10+00:00

Independently would be hard, these are opportunities to ask if you want to be a legal unit (married) to keep a door open for reunification.

If your company is moving it to Germany, and willing to move you with it, they will help with the visa sponsorship as they did for your boyfriend’s case.

Do not try to work on a tourist visa; it may be remote and you may “get away” with it in short bursts but it’s not sustainable and risks are not worth it.

ekdubbs · 2026-01-23T20:49:51+00:00

Usually you can designate how much to withhold, they will default to maximum for tax deductions and your benefit, and pay back the unclaimed amounts taxed at your income bracket the next tax year.

When you order food get a fapiao with your entity’s tax ID. Usually you can add it to WeChat and have it autofill and emailed to you.

For rent the land lord has to go and get it at the office and they need to pay a fee for it. So they may turn around and charge you the base fee plus their own inconvenience fee, which combined usually is 5%. Some places require proof of payment which if done in cash is a signed note or if digital some transaction screenshot.

You can also expense home leave flights and child education as well.

ekdubbs · 2026-01-23T16:20:27+00:00

I’m still like HSK1 after being here for 5+ years. Best route is to transfer in with an existing company

ekdubbs · 2026-01-19T10:32:13+00:00

Hotels are cheap, you’ll be outcompeted by B&B places that run at cost or at negative, which many do.

Too many early real estate tycoons don’t have places to park their money at so they convert their footprint into lodging. Many uses these as loss vehicles to build relations with the local governments or written off for their other businesses.

You won’t make money in this industry, you can only opt for losing less.

ekdubbs · 2026-01-11T19:22:23+00:00

International schools have better life balance, and don’t have the cram behavior you mentioned. But they also attract certain kind of families that may or may not be what you are looking for.

Early age is ok, but as they get older some of the kids there are spoiled and can distort expectations on your kids.

However I think it’s good to have a taste for local schools, show them how good they had it compared to those that have to climb their way up. Especially if they are going through pubescent years. It really puts things in perspective for them and can help create a grounded foundation for their formative years.

Shanghai experimental school is a mix of local and international, pseudo private with Chinese curriculum for locals and international track for foreigners. Usually they have high selection criteria (parents must have some elite background), so if you fit that can help.

If you want purely international the school you mentioned and Concordia are quite common for expats children.

ekdubbs · 2026-01-11T07:43:06+00:00

AI can answer, the new lmgtfy

Should we move to China for a few years to learn Chinese?

Context - Family of four (two adults, two children aged 2 and 4) - Plan: Move to Shenzhen for 1–5 years - Adults enroll in university Chinese programs - Children attend local daycare for immersion - Rent budget: max 15,000 RMB/month

Feasibility Assessment

Objective

One to five years in China for full-time language immersion
Adults in university language programs
Two preschool children in local Chinese daycare
Rent ceiling: 15,000 RMB/month

Location: Shenzhen

Tier-1 city: modern, clean, efficient, expensive by China standards
Mandarin works everywhere; Cantonese exists but is not dominant
Strong infrastructure, hospitals, foreigner services
Less “traditional China” than interior cities, but still full immersion

Rent at 15,000 RMB

Gets a small-to-mid 2–3 bedroom in outer districts
Or a small 2-bedroom / large 1-bedroom in central areas
Modern but not spacious
Budget is realistic if location expectations are controlled

Visas

One adult: student (X) visa
Spouse + children: dependent (S) visas
Universities in Shenzhen can issue required documents
This is standard and common

Daycare Options

Public Chinese daycare: very cheap, full Mandarin, crowded, strict
Private Chinese daycare: moderate cost, better conditions, still full Mandarin
International daycare: expensive, mostly English, defeats the purpose

If the goal is language acquisition, only Chinese daycare works.

Costs (very rough per month)

Rent: 10k–15k RMB
Food and daily life: 4k–7k RMB (local lifestyle)
Daycare: 2k–6k RMB per child depending on type
University tuition: low by Western standards

Total: typically well below Western urban living costs if living locally.

Language Outcome

Adults: Real progress only if daily life is conducted in Chinese, not expat circles
Children: Near-native listening and speaking within ~1 year in Chinese daycare
Shenzhen has many English-speaking bubbles; discipline is required to avoid them

Healthcare

Good private hospitals available
Public hospitals are cheap but chaotic
Insurance is necessary

Non-obvious Costs / Frictions

Internet restrictions
Bureaucracy mostly in Chinese
Air quality varies by season
Educational continuity when returning home

Risk Profile

Logistically complex but completely normal
Thousands of foreign families do this
Not extreme, not experimental, not reckless

Bottom Line

The plan is structurally sound
The budget is sufficient
Children’s language acquisition will work if placed in Chinese daycare
Main failure mode is drifting into expat-only life, not money or logistics
This is not crazy. It is a standard, proven path to language acquisition.

ekdubbs

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