Schools and Cities I would like to know about.

[Jollyjunklass]

Hi guys,

I don't know if you can help me out, but, here goes.

Shenzhen, something about the city.
Huaiyan Institute of Technology
Hangzhou Foreign Language School
Chengdu, the city or anything about the province of Sichuan.
Chain of schools called Kid Castle.

Thanks

[Mr Nobody]

Shenzen, crowded, a hassle, lots of westerners and western facilities, over polluted, very civilized, near HK. I have friends there, if you go. and, oh, yeah, nearly as expensive as shanghai.

[burlives]

millana said:

Hangzhou...

It may have been the heat, which was plentiful, which like, or the company, who was beautiful and didn't like the heat, but I had one of the best meals I've had in all of China right there in Hangzhou.

It was a lunch in a back alley restaurant -- a six table joint, bench seating and three steps down from the door onto the road. They cooked the same as everyone but did something less so they left in the freshness, for want of a better cliche. A good handful of chilli. Bowls of rice. And a chilled Xi Hu.

That's a nice beer.

I don't really know beer. All I can tell you is I remember Xi Hu pijiu as crisp, a tiny bit fruity, and with a not insubstantial kick.

And when I say fruity, I don't mean a curdling broth like a lot of Chinese beers. I probably mean something citrus, maybe a little bitter.

Anyway, I liked it.

[Mr Nobody]

Burl, I love the way you talk.

[burlives]

So it's good for a beer to be fruity?

That's the major difference I find between the small sampling of Aus beers I've done and the larger, oh, much larger, sampling of Chinese jiu. Chinese beer often seems to have a sweet something-or-other hanging on in the mouth, but it goes sour-sweet, aka "curdled", quickly. But, as memory makes things golden, Hangzhou West Lake beer don't.

It's always the first mouthful of rice that's the best, and washed down with the best part of the beer, the first pull, but paradoxically, the best part of a dish in a small restuarant is the last of it.

But what do I know. I always drink what the workers drink, cheap bijiu and local beer, usually warm. Which makes the conceit of a slim plastic cup all the more foolish. Show me a warm beer that'll fill a cup without foam and I'll give up drinking straight from the bottle wherever I go.

[Mr Nobody]

No shoot, Mr Sheerlluck, we need to get together. (There are Oz beers, but no good ones are available overseas)

(OH yeah, I meant this positively. It could have been interpreted otherwise)

[Raoul Duke]

Kids!

If you know anything about these or other cities, please start threads on them!

Please...?

[Jollyjunklass]

I would like to add one more city-Fuqing City, Fujiang Province.

[gengrant]

Shenzhen is where me and the fam will be parking ourselves in about a month...lots of people (wait, that's China)...

Lots of shopping, but not much culturally from what I've heard...

Quite a few foreigners (Shekou in Nanshan district, especially)

Good transportation

Close (as in about 1 hour) to Hong Kong...which is good if you need to make a quick exit!

here's a map:

[Newbs]

Milana I can ask a former teacher at Hangzhou Foreign Language School to get in touch with you if you like. In fact I know he reads Raoul's so he may be reading this right now.

Burl 20m from my office is a little shop that sells ice cold bottles of Xihu for 1.5kuai. Damn, that's a long way to walk.

[Raoul Duke]

Noobs, can you please start a Hangzhou thread for us? I haven't spent enough time there to talk intelligently about it.

Yeah, I know. I set up a straight line for you.

[Newbs]

No wucking forries, mate.

I've been planning it in my mind, but to get it from my mind to the keyboard can be a very tortoutous and hazardous road.

Newbs

[Jollyjunklass]

Sorry Newbs,

I just saw your post now, I keep forgetting this thread is here. They have got back to me twice, and I am still waiting to hear back from them. Give me a couple of days to see if it is going to go through, and if so, I would love to hear from your friend. I don't want to waste his time unless I hear more. Thank-you, I appreciate that.

[Newbs]

I haven't spent enough time there to talk intelligently about it.

Yeah, I know. I set up a straight line for you.

Yeah, I know and I didn't do it justice. I don't know what I was on at the time. Oh, wait a minute, I do know. It was alcohol.

Mate, if you're the brains and you can't talk intelligently what chance is there for us, the downtroden and exploited proletariat.

Little Johnnie's avowed policy is to dumb down the Australian electorate, otherwise how could he win the next election. In my case, little Johnny and alcohol are working hand in hand, and damn, they're winning.

I'll do my homework tonight, I promise, and something will be up there tomorrow. Maybe incoherent krape, like this, my 300th post, but it will be up there.

[Raoul Duke]

Talk intelligently about Hangzhou, smartass.

I've only had very brief stops there. I was drunk and disorderly and there was nothin' but pink lights everywhere I looked.

I'll do my homework tonight, I promise, and something will be up there tomorrow. Maybe incoherent krape, like this, my 300th post, but it will be up there.

That's the spirit. Don't feel bad about incoherent crap. If it wasn't for incoherent crap, there wouldn't be a Raoul's China Expat Saloon. None of us would even be in China in the first place.

Kids! Less wanking, more city information!

[Jollyjunklass]

Hey Newbs,

I just got a response from Hangzhou Foreign Language School. They want to go through with everything so if you could have your friend email me, or should I try to email him. What do you think, would he be comfortable with this? PM and let me know, if you are able to get in touch with him.

Thanx, Millana

I'd really like to know more about this city, too. I'm trying to make a few decisions. Also, do you know Kunshan City. Anyone which of these two are preferable in your opinion?

[Jollyjunklass]

BTW, I just read your post, you were drunk, lol, does this mean you may not have a friend at this school, and he may be an alcohol induced make believe friend, we all know how that goes. Let me know if you were serious, k.


Pink Lights?

[Raoul Duke]

I know a little about Kunshan. I think there's a new thread here...check it out!

It was ME that was drunk and blinded by the Lights. Noobs is a teetotaling saint who took a holy vow of chastity some 40 long, miserable years ago.

[Jollyjunklass]

Rauol,
Do you mean the industrial zone thread. Is that your talking about when you say the new thread. Does it have to do with Kunshan, uuuggghhh, I am wiped out.

[Raoul Duke]

You checked faster than I could type. Try again...

[Jollyjunklass]

LOL, found it, quit sending me on these goose chases with no sleep, I'm starting to think I'm losing it. Thanks for all the help, Rauol.

[Mr Nobody]

Raoul's been sweating over a hot keyboard again. Quick! Bartender get him a beer! Oh, that's right. Help yourself, mate, it is on Georges tab, he won't notice.

[Jollyjunklass]

Has anyone ever been to Ningbo, or know anything of it?

Thx Millana

[acjade]

Millana

Xi'an Siyuan is looking for teachers for the coming academic year. I'll be here for another twelve months. I gotta tell you though it's a bit of a lame duck of a uni in the sense it's a money making machine and the ESL staff are treated a little like shop front maniquins. Also it's a hassle being out of the city. A 16 hour shedule is 4,500RMB. There's extra work but the timetables get juggled around like you wouldn't believe. The FO guy is friendly and mostly wants to be helpful as is his new offsider but they KNOW nothing. EVER!
The good news is that the Dean of the English Dept. is on his way out. Thank the Goddess as he's a McKaying toad. An utter narcissist. 'So...right...probably sometimes it's necessary for me to break my promises' and that's on a good day.
He had a scam going pimping out the FT's as well as locking us in the grounds to write English texts so he could flog them to the freshmen.... etc. Whether or not his departure will make that much of a difference is hard to say.
Nevertheless Siyuan is a good place to start as they do everything in terms of work visa etc and the grounds are beautiful. Most of the kids aren't the ripest grapes on the vine but I've met some great kids and a handful of students with remarkable promise.

[Jollyjunklass]

Thanx AJ,

Hi, and nice to meet you. Appreciate the lead, i will check it out, besides there is this chick I know that lives there ;D, and she could use a buddy. We have to get ourselves a little bit of a manhunt going on. She's getting a little restless I fear.