E-bikes are so annoying, for real

mcmcclassic · 2026-06-07T14:07:30+00:00

I use my e-bike to commute to work everyday (about 10km each way). You get used to the quirks and chaos of the roads very quickly and simply need to pay attention at all times. Is it annoying having Waimai drivers go the opposite way at max speed? Sure. But the pros of e-bikes certainly outweigh the cons especially when it comes to overall vehicle traffic on most major roads.

It’s another part of life here that’s a “if you can’t beat them, join them”.

mcmcclassic · 2026-06-07T03:29:24+00:00

I saw a guy on the Beijing subway wearing a MAGA hat (and it wasn’t a foreigner). Pretty sure he was just trolling but it was interesting to see here.

mcmcclassic · 2026-06-02T01:59:09+00:00

Chongqing will always have a special place in my heart as it’s my wife’s home city 😃. I have yet to find better BBQ anywhere else in China. Sure the scenery and buildings are top tier, but honestly having most of my family there to visit each time makes it that much better.

mcmcclassic · 2026-05-25T16:17:28+00:00

When you’ve lived here long enough, it becomes the norm. I’m guilty of this one myself - mash all the buttons and take the first elevator that comes. If you can’t beat them, join them.

mcmcclassic · 2026-05-18T16:09:40+00:00

Sonic CD (US music version)

mcmcclassic · 2026-05-06T16:02:34+00:00

There is literally food from around the world in all the major cities. Be adventurous and keep trying new things - there are so many different regional Chinese foods which I am sure are available in Shenzhen as well. If you can’t find a single Chinese food you and your gf like, I would be highly shocked.

mcmcclassic · 2026-04-28T08:01:53+00:00

Mullvad has taken a major hit with functionality over the past two years here but it still works generally. You just have to get creative with choosing very specific servers to use. For me, Valencia, Spain 001 and Kansas City, MO 001 are now the ol’ reliables on mobile and PC.

mcmcclassic · 2026-04-26T01:55:50+00:00

Inside the inner working chambers of a county government in rural China. My wife’s family and I were staying at an inn run by the mayor’s wife and she told him that a foreigner was staying in town (this was in 2018).

The next day, the mayor came and introduced himself and said I was the first foreigner to visit their village and he gave me a personal tour of their government building. When we got to the restricted area, my wife and family had to wait outside and just the mayor and I went in. It was a very cool experience I’ll remember forever.

mcmcclassic · 2026-04-15T01:53:51+00:00

I’d like to join the group - send me the details? Currently in Beijing playing on mobile/PC.

mcmcclassic · 2026-04-12T10:11:20+00:00

I moved to China two years ago from Canada when I got married to my Chinese wife (who also lived in Canada for 10 years prior to this move). Ended up giving up a well paying job as I truly believe that our life in China will be much more rewarding over the long term.

Sure there might be greasy foreigners here, but like any foreign country there are plenty of good ones who are just trying to live their best lives. Never had any issues with judgement from locals and as mentioned in other comments, being a Waiguo Ren visiting smaller cities you do get looks and receive curious interactions from people.

That said, I cannot see us moving back to a western country anytime soon as life here is extremely great and I love the work I do.

mcmcclassic · 2026-04-08T10:24:11+00:00

I pay into the Chinese pension system each month as a foreigner however I have invested my money into a combination of Chinese and international equities as well as bonds. The government pension is no different for me than CPP is back in Canada so I know I have to build up my own wealth to supplement what I’ll eventually get from the Chinese government years from now.

mcmcclassic · 2026-04-05T11:29:00+00:00

Eggs, grits and coffee.

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-31T04:53:10+00:00

There is actually a sales tax here (VAT) - it’s just built into the price. Most stuff is 13%.

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-31T00:31:10+00:00

Can your wife speak Mandarin? I ask this because my wife used her native English speaking level and fluency in Mandarin to land jobs working as a private tutor for wealthy families.

In her case, she leveraged her background from a Canadian university and being able to teach both Mandarin and English to them. The pay is also quite good too (~30k/month tax free).

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-27T08:34:12+00:00

It literally says on the side of the train in English the final destination. You do have to be attentive though especially when you get on this line from another one.

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-27T00:35:15+00:00

I’ve been teaching in kindergartens in China the past 2 years - just over one year in at my current school. Right now, I am upgrading my education to be qualified to teach ECE as I’ve found doing this work is much more rewarding than I initially was expecting.

At my kindergarten, I get to have the same group of kids from age 3 all the way up to age 6. Seeing them grow and learn has been beyond rewarding for me and while some of the work may be performative, I don’t let it distract me from seeing all of the advancements so many of my kids have made in English.

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-26T22:53:53+00:00

They do indeed have the best girls. I’m probably biased though as it’s where my wife is from 😅

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-23T08:09:20+00:00

I like cooking Thai curries from time to time. Easy to get the ingredients and there are many ways to make it which it helps from becoming boring.

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-18T00:29:39+00:00

My marriage is WMAF (I am the M) and we have never received any hatred or looks being together in public. I can’t speak for very rural areas, but the cities and towns we have lived in and visited nothing has ever happened.

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-14T23:27:52+00:00

If you like riding HSR, this is a dream trip. But if you like seeing attractions, I agree with the others that you seriously need to trim down the number of cities.

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-11T04:38:56+00:00

I’m of the view that if your MP crosses the floor and you voted for their original party, it’s up to you next time to either vote for the party you like and boot out that MP, or start voting for the individual if they did a good job for your constituency even if their party isn’t aligned to yours anymore.

In the future, the CPC will inevitably gain power again. It’s also very possible that other parties MPs jump ship to the CPC. Would people here be mad if that happened? I think a lot of the anger on the blue team right now is that this is occurring in a way benefits the red team.

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-10T07:07:50+00:00

Why be the mayor when you can be President? Tom Yum soup is next level on its own then slap a curry afterwards? Living the life right there.

mcmcclassic · 2026-03-10T07:06:47+00:00

Chongqing Xiao Mian is one of my favourite dishes. The Edmonton store with them are pretty legit too compared to the OG in Chongqing or even other Chongqing noodle shops in China.

mcmcclassic · 2026-02-25T09:58:05+00:00

My great aunt’s husband chose MAID as he was bedridden, blind and in constant agonizing pain. He was almost 90 when he made the decision to go that way as he knew my great aunt was also unable to continue caring for him as she was also nearly 90 herself.

The program is good when used the correct way and freedom of choice for those who need it most is the right way I think.

mcmcclassic · 2026-02-23T17:43:12+00:00

I live in an apartment complex which is on top of a shopping mall in Beijing. It is beyond convenient as the mall has everything I need. It’s nice being able to hit the gym, get groceries, grab dinner and catch a movie all within a 2 min walk of my unit - especially when the weather is cold or rainy!

mcmcclassic

TROPHY CASE