Greetings are the first step to connecting with people. In Chinese, they are simple, polite, and easy to learn. Here are the most common ones you’ll hear every day. 👋 Common Greetings 你好 (Nǐ hǎo) — Hello (most common, polite for most situations) 早上好 (Zǎoshang hǎo) — Good morning 下午好 (Xiàwǔ hǎo) — Good afternoon 晚上好 (Wǎnshàng hǎo) — Good...

The Shanghai Public Security Bureau (PSB) has rolled out new measures to make it easier for foreigners to attend and do business during the China International Import Expo (CIIE). These updates improve visa access, registration, and mobility around the event. 1. Electronic Port Visa System For the first time, Shanghai has introduced an electronic port visa system for foreign exhibitors and...

Most Africans arrive in China and start off in survival mode. Finding a place to sleep. Figuring out visas. Taking whatever small job comes first. Trying to understand a system that moves faster than anything they’ve seen before. It’s a normal beginning — but it shouldn’t be a permanent lifestyle. The turning point comes when you shift from surviving day-to-day to...

In China, jobs are not always found on websites—they’re found through people. Foreigners who succeed here actively build networks. This means attending industry meetups, connecting with alumni, joining professional WeChat groups, and even showing up to local community events. One connection could open a door that online applications never will.

Aside from essential apps like WeChat, Alipay, Didi, Maps, etc., one of the other apps that I use most often here is Dianping, especially for looking up restaurants and bars. It's a great way to find new places, check opening times and addresses, book tables and get some banging discounts.  Almost every restaurant or bar is guaranteed to have at least one kind of deal or discount....