Practicalities for teaching in China

Health Care

The standard of health care in China is extremely varied. Hospitals in the major cities are often on a par with Western levels and most doctors speak English. In the more rural conurbations, doctors and nursing staff tend to speak less English so it's worth taking a Chinese friend to help translate. Treatments and prescriptions are usually distributed at hospitals as opposed to private clinics and surgeries.

Food

Chinese cuisine is world-renowned, with preparation and serving elevated to art form status amongst a nation famed for their extravagant tastes! Peking duck, Shanghai pork bun and Cantonese dim sum are some of the better known delicacies hailing from Chinese Chu fang (cooking rooms). Less known but equally delicious dishes include Zhou (rice porridge topped off with chicken, beef or pork), thousand year old eggs (pungent duck eggs that have been preserved in ash and salt for one-hundred days) and Gobi Manchurian (cauliflower fritters doused in a spicy sweet and sour sauce).

Travelling in China

China has more than 1.352 million km of highway making even the smallest towns and villages easily accessible by road. Long distance soft-sleeper and soft-seat buses are comfortable although often slow. Travelling by train is an inexpensive and efficient alternative with high speed rail networks linking the major urban hubs. Domestic air-travel in China is relatively cheap with a range of budget options available.