Job Discussion Forums

[Walsh]

There's a friend of mine, an older guy who married a Chinese girl about 10 years younger than him and now her family is sort of pressuring her to shake him down for monthly support (for them) or she'll divorce him and he supposedly won't be able to retire in Haikou like he plans. What are his options if any? He gets a veteran's pension and does day trading aside from tutoring. He bought his Z visa from what I understand. Does a foreigner have to be married to a Chinese to retire here? He originally came and worked as a professor at Minzu for about five years but they fired him for answering questions about from the students about political topics. Another thought, what if you married a Chinese lady and she got sick and died, or killed in an accident? Would that stop a guy from remaining in China to retire?

[toteach]

It's my understanding that ALL foreign workers eventually "age out" of working in China, no matter if they're married to a local or not.

A previous colleague is married to a Chinese gal and has been working here for a bit more than 10 years. He reached age 62 this year and his employer of 3 years was unable to renew his Z-visa because of local laws (Jiangsu). He was forced to go back to Canada when his visa ran out. They're trying to sort it out now, but it's not looking good. He'll likely never be able to return to China on a worker's visa.

[Fergie]

[Alien abductee]

[asiannationmc]

[rogerwilco]

Retire in Haikou ?

If he has access to US$1000 a month there are much nicer places in Asia to retire.

[toteach]

[wangdaning]

It was brought up at some point in my marriage about paying for the inlaws (生活费 sheng huo fei). I know what it is, but it should be put on any male of their family in the younger generation, not on the spouse of their daughter (at least traditionally). Anyway, I was already sending lots of money home to help my own mother, which is more important to me. After a discussion where all of this came out, the inlaws said never mind. My point is, maybe they should try to work it out. There is some logic to how culture works here, sometimes you just have to bluntly point it out. I am my mother's son and I will support her, you married your daughter to my family and I will support her, and this is tradition.

Father inlaw, do you pay money to mother inlaws family?
No.
Why not?
They don't need it.
Do you need it?
No.
My mom needs it!
Oh.

All this aside I would help them if they needed it. They are her family. But monthly tributes is not my thing, and if it comes up again, well as I told her the first time, you can pay them with money from your own work.

Sadly, her father passed away, and I miss the guy. No money was asked of me. Seems we have settled that issue. Now, I have a son, so I don't think they will be asking for money. You never know though, her cousin is getting married and she asked me how big of a hongbao to give.

I have been avoiding at all costs the give you give me culture here. I give you for x and you give me for y. It makes sense, but I still can't stomach it for some reason. My mother inlaw gave use 10,000 Yuan, I told my wife not to take it. I am going to give it back to her as soon as I see her, I know it is a way of holding it over our heads, my wife does not see that.

[Fergie]

[asiannationmc]

[Markness]

If you get married and have successfully done so for what I believe is 3-5ish years, you can apply for your own PR. You can't legally work on it, but it will give you a way to stay in the mainland for a long time aka forever.

[talentedcrayon]