Living in Suzhou - General Info

[sciteach]

Hi All,

Next school year, I'll be moving to a new school in Suzhou (industrial park) and I'm just after any general comments about living here if anyone knows anything?

I'm not too interested in what people think about the school, as I've had quite a bit of feedback from this school from people I know personally which is always positive.

On pollution - I'm aware what I'll be up against as I've lived in cities which are quite polluted (including one city where I did not know I could see mountains from my apartment until a Typhoon came and blew away the pollution!!).

As such - I'm just interested in what it's like to live in as a city. Any general info on rents, quality of housing etc would be much appreciated.

On a positive note - I'm looking forward to travelling on weekends once again (let's just say my current post is a little remote)....

[bludgeoned again]

You will need to learn some Chinese. You will get stared at. I know it's only a couple hours from Shanghai but it's far enough that you will feel a big difference in the sophistication and worldliness of the local people. Rents are less than Shanghai. If you want to save money live like a local. Go to local markets not City Shop. If you are concerned about food safety then go to City shop, and pay extra for it. The more Chinese you know the better your experience will be.

[sciteach]

Thanks for the heads up. I've already lived in Taiwan in the past (not Taipei) so I'm aware of the 'staring' - albeit probably not as bad as what I may have in Suzhou. I don't really speak Chinese, but speak a few key words which should make my life easier.

I'm not really moving to my new school for the money (which is good), but more for the career opportunities.

Do you have any basic idea how much an average western 1 or 2 bedroom apartment may cost per month. I'm just trying to work out if my housing allowance will cover a nice place or if I'll need to dip into my normal wage....

[PsyGuy]

Id agree that its very provincial, but it sounds like your use to the culture and the lifestyle.I liked there the little time I spent, friendly people, cute girls (who dont know they are cute), theres one pub in the city that the expats hang out at. Generally living on the economy is much cheaper, but there are some imports youll have to go to Shanghai for. Housing will cost you about about 3000¥ for a 1LDK or about 5000¥ for a 3LDK.

[sciteach]

Thanks for the info. Well - it looks as though I can easily afford a 3 LDK (It's strange I know it's 3 BR, Lounge Dining Kitchen straght away) - but I don't want something so big as it's just more to clean - even with an ayi...

I guess another way of looking at it is another machine with a HEFA filter to clean the air....

[PsyGuy]

@sciteach

Living room, not Lounge. At least one machine/filter.

[IAMBOG]

In the UK living room and lounge are often used interchangeably, unless possible, you live in an enormous house, which few of us do.

Here's a way to avoid expensive air filters. We have five running in our apartment and change the filters about every five weeks. http://www.smartairfilters.com/en.html

[PsyGuy]

@IAMBOG

China isnt the UK, using lounge would just confuse a property agent.

[sciteach]

In my home country (not the UK) - a living room or lounge is the same thing. If we are have a discussion about the correct terminology for lounge or living room - it makes us understand how challenging learning English as a second or third language can be....

[PsyGuy]

@sciteach

Living room is what the property agents in China use. Language acquisition can be difficult.