Look no further than WIC! We have branches in Los Angeles,Johannesburg and Beijing and are growing year by year. Bustling cities and ancient culture make China an amazing location to live and work abroad.
Capital City
Beijing
Big Mac Cost Index
$2.74
Government Type
Socialist single party state
Population
1.357 billion
Official Language
Mandarin
Famous Brand
Huawei
National Sport
table tennis
Celebrities
Jacky Chan(“Rush Hour”)
Big Cities In China
Crash Course On China
Culture
Chinese culture is both traditional and modern. It’s easy to lose yourself in ancient temples or China’s expansive urban jungles. Most Chinese are predominately Han Chinese, but there are other large ethnic groups like Zhuang, Hui, Manchu, and Uyghur. You’ll find that there are a lot of similarities and differences not only between ethnic groups but also from community to community. With a population of over 1 billion, you’re bound to find a lot of variety!
The people in China are really friendly, but they may not speak that much English. Yet, you do not need to speak Mandarin to reach out to them. Most of the restaurant owners or shop vendors are street smart, so they can figure out what you need using broken English, insufficient Mandarin, and lots of hand gestures. Friendships have been built upon these communications, so don’t be afraid to get out there and try!
Food
With more than 5,000 years of practice, China has perfected the art of food. There are tons of styles of Chinese food, and there’s always something around the corner that’ll surprise you. From fried rice, to dim sum, to guotie (pot stickers), it’s easy to find new “go to” dishes to get you through the week.
Don’t worry though, because if you are craving something from home, it’s easy to find a foreign supermarket and plenty of Western restaurants, too. If cooking is your thing, there are also plenty of supermarkets that have Western ingredients.
Transportation
As an expat in China, transportation is like a big, synchronized dance where everyone else hears the music except for you. Public transportation options are plentiful, cheap, and clean. Everyone in China relies heavily on high speed trains, subways, buses and taxis, so these methods of getting around are often the best option.
Housing
Housing in China is modern and affordable. Most people tend to live in high-rise apartment complexes that are relatively accommodating. These communities usually have everything you need within walking distance. Supermarkets, convenient stores, gyms, and restaurants are easily accessible.
Domestic Traveling
In China, you’ll never get bored of the scenery. Mountains, high plateaus, and deserts dominate the landscape of Western China, whereas the east is abuzz with modern-day urban jungles.
From the Himalayas bordering India, Nepal, and Bhutan to the numerous rivers to the Gobi Desert that runs west to east along the border with Mongolia, China offers a wide range of adventure opportunities.
Weather
In a country as large as China, the weather can be vary greatly. No matter what you’re looking for, China can probably accommodate you.
Funny Fact about China
1. Super Cities
City planners in south China have laid out an ambitious plan to merge together the nine cities that lie around the Pearl River Delta.
The “Turn The Pearl River Delta Into One” scheme will create a 16,000 sq mile urban area that is 26 times larger geographically than Greater London, or twice the size of Wales.
The new mega-city will cover a large part of China’s manufacturing heartland, stretching from Guangzhou to Shenzhen and including Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Huizhou and Zhaoqing. Together, they account for nearly a tenth of the Chinese economy.
2. Time Zone
The time in China follows a single standard time offset of UTC+08:00, which is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, despite China spanning five geographical time zones. The official national standard time is called Beijing Time (Chinese: 北京时间) domestically and China Standard Time (CST) internationally.
The special administrative regions (SARs) maintain their own time authorities, with standards called Hong Kong Time (香港時間) and Macau Standard Time (澳門標準時間). There is no difference between Beijing time and the times in the SARs.
In addition, a second time standard is used in Xinjiang, two hours less than the Beijing Time (UTC+06:00), which is called Ürümqi Time (乌鲁木齐时间) or “Xinjiang Time” (新疆时间).
3. High Speed Railway
For rail transport in China generally, see Rail transport in China. For the high-speed rail service operated by China Railway, see China Railway High-speed (CRH).
High-speed rail (HSR) in China is the longest HSR system in the world extending to 29 of the country’s 33 provincial-level entities. The network consists of newly built passenger-dedicated lines (PDLs) and intercity lines along with upgraded mixed passenger and freight lines.The newly built PDLs without including intercity and upgraded passenger and freight lines currently account for 22,000 km (14,000 mi) of service routes, a length that is more than the rest of the world’s high-speed rail tracks combined. The addition of PDLs and other high speed lines is ongoing with the network of PDLs alone set to reach 38,000 km (24,000 mi) in 2025.
4. Hometown of Panda
Everybody loves the giant panda! With its black-white coat, the adorable fluffy animal is one of the most precious animals in the world. It is native to China, proudly called the ‘national treasure’. Apart from The Great Wall, Terra-Cotta Warriors, and Forbidden City, it has also become an important temptation to world-wide tourists.
As the most well-known celebrity of China, it appears in the logo of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), preeminently endorses the Olympics and many other international games held in China as a mascot, shows up as a versatile actor on the big screen, such as the Kung Fu Panda.
5. 56 Ethnic Groups
There are 56 officially labelled ethnic groups in China. In terms of numbers however, Han Chinese is by far the largest group.[3] Throughout history, many groups have merged into neighboring ethnicities or disappeared. At the same time, many within the Han identity have maintained distinct linguistic and regional cultural traditions. The term ZhonghuaMinzu has been used to describe the notion of Chinese nationalism in general.[citation needed] Much of the traditional identity within the community has to do with distinguishing the family name. They were located on the Yellow and Yangtze River. Those were its borders also.
Does China pique your interest? If so, contact WIC today to start your new career! We are looking for motivated applicants that are keen to educate children and make a positive impact.