Job Discussion Forums

joe · Mod Team Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Posts: 50 Location: Elsewhere

Hello,

I am looking to rent an apartment in Chengdu, Sichuan province. I do not want to teach at all, I am self employed and I do all my work via the Internet. Thus I can "work from home", living in China.

Also, I want to become a student of Chinese in Chengdu.

Anyone have any info on how I would go about doing this? What are the proper visas? (Student visa?) Are foreigners allowed to rent locally?

Joe

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

The best advice to you is that you are not supposed to be renting a flat or a house in the interior of China.
If you are not a resident you must stay at designated places that accommodate travellers - hotels, guesthouses etc.

If you are looking for advice more agreeable with your intentions you are getting it from crooks.
The police routinely raid homes of suspects. In the case of a foreign national they will fine and deport him or her.

You can negoitate a long-term tenant deal with some hotels, even with a guesthouse within a school campus.

phillipl · Joined: 21 Jun 2003 Posts: 24

Hi Jo

I have been living and working in Chengdu for 16 months and have rented an apartment for 10 of those months.

I'm from Sydney and know many other Australians also renting, not to mention Canadians, Americans, Germans, Poles, English and Irish also renting. There are many real estate agents to visit, or you can knock on gates; get a legal lease from the landlord and get on with whatever you are doing! It really is very simple!

If you don't know, Chengdu is known as the LEASURE capital of China, nothing is a problem here!

More info - please write!

PHILLIP

joe · Mod Team Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Posts: 50 Location: Elsewhere

Hi Phillip,

Is this legal? What kind of visa do you have? What kind of lease do you have, and what is your rent? How much choice is there in finding a place.

I've been to Chengdu twice, and last time I was there (January 2003) I saw them building some really beautiful brand new apartment buildings downtown. (Do you know Computer Street? I'd like to live somewhere near there -- that's also pretty close the US Embassy)

Basically, I'm looking for as much info as possible about your situation, and what you feel I can do. Are you currently working in China?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Joe

joe · Mod Team Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Posts: 50 Location: Elsewhere

Roger,

Do you have any information about the cost estimate of a long-term stay in a hotel or guest house? Also, Internet access is essential to me. Other than that, a neat and clean place of modest size will do fine. I've stayed in 4 and 5 star hotels in Chengdu, and I've stayed in a tiny room on-campus at a middle school in Shuangliu -- I haven't seen much in between, but that is where I'd like to end up.

joe · Mod Team Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Posts: 50 Location: Elsewhere

I haven't heard from anyone in a follow up to this... any more information would be wholeheartedly appreciated.