<p>i’m going to be living in beijing. how is the city there? on google images, everything looks good but i want to know the opinion of someone who’s actually been there not only as a tourist. are the people nice? is it polluted? is the shopping good? also is the quality of the houses good? </p>
<p>thanks.</p>
<p>It’s not as bad as you fear. I’ve been to Beijing many times and the transformation that the city has underwent since my first trip in 1997 is tremendous. It is, in all respects, a world class city on par with New York, Tokyo, and London. I think you will be pleasantly surprised when you deplane.</p>
<p>That being said, the pollution is horrid. There will be days in which you can’t see into the skies above you. But that is the case in any large city, and in China, especially.</p>
<p>As far as housing goes, you said your dad got transferred there, right? The company will usually provide housing in that case, and company housing is typically excellent. You’ll have all the amenities you’re used to at home, plus more.</p>
<p>Oh and shopping is amazing, but it’ll be significantly more expensive. Name brands have a huge markup in China. There is, however, a huge supply of knockoffs as well, which if you’re into that kind of thing, is unbelievable.</p>
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No, if you are enrolled in an international school you do not have to take the gaokao. Anyway, it’s in Chinese so I highly doubt you’ll understand it.</p>
<p>The Gao Kao is only for students enrolled in local institutions.</p>
<p>Regarding the SAT, since you’re likely to enroll in an international school, you will be able to take the SATs. Local students there are not able to take the SATs in mainland China because the government forbids them to do so. Hence, they have to travel overseas to take it. But you do not have it.</p>
<p>For the ACT, I have found the following instructions on the ACT website:
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<p>Out of curiosity, how much worse is Beijing pollution compared to Los Angeles pollution? I mean, SoCal is notoriously polluted, but I’ve heard horror stories about Beijing.</p>
<p>But other than pollution and the occasional creepy beggar, Beijing’s a great city.</p>
<p>It’s quite bad. Google image “Beijing Pollution” to get an idea. I love Los Angeles, and although it is polluted, Beijing is on a different level.</p>
<p>In Beijing ,the pollution is really awful ,but what I think is much worse is the frequent and sometimes agressive people on most corners that want you to buy a fake pocketbook or cheap watch .I suppose this is true in most third world countries ! The subways are prestine however ,and you never see graffitti . I felt very safe walking at night by myself .Crossing the streets is really terrifying as pedestrians do not have the right of way!! Try to cross in a crowd . I love the Octopus card that you can use on busses and subways ,as well as at most 7-11 type markets .You can add money to the card ,and then just tap the card on the bus ,and it deducts the right fare ,so you never need to get your wallet out in public .I spent a month living in China ,visiting my 2 sons ,one at University ,one who was working there.Good luck!</p>
<p>more questions:
<ol>
<li><p>i have spanish channels right now so i was wondering if they offered american channels there like the CW and Fox? </p></li>
<li><p>how are the international schools there?</p></li>
<li><p>do good quality things there tend to be more expensive or cheaper? like american clothing brands, electronics…</p></li>
<li><p>do the people look down on foreigners? because in world history, we learned that china was the central kingdom and everyone else is a barbarian so i’m not sure if anyone would make friends with me. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>sorry if i sound naive.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Don’t drive in China. People in China drive like madmen. I was riding in the car with my uncle once and he started backing up…on the FREEWAY…because he missed an exit. Yeah. Oh, and good cars (non-Chinese) are ridiculously expensive.</p></li>
<li><p>You’ll have some English channels, but not what you’re used to. They’ll be more “international” channels like CNN World and the such.</p></li>
<li><p>I couldn’t tell you, but I’d imagine that they’d be comparable to most competitive HSs in the US.</p></li>
<li><p>More expensive, by a pretty large margin. Unless you want to buy knockoffs, the same item in China will be simply more expensive.</p></li>
<li><p>People are going to love you, if only because they expect most foreigners to be loaded with cash. That being said, you will likely be ripped off and be charged higher prices than natives if you try haggling. It’s just because they know that you will be better off financially than the average Chinese person.</p></li>
</ol>
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<p>You don’t want to die. Choose public transportation.</p>
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<p>Not too much, especially if you look Asian.</p>
<p>Last year about this time, I told my family that we would be moving to Mexico (a lot worse than China, I think) because of this great work opportunity for me. My younger daughter was a sophomore in high school. She initially told me it was fine with her until she visited the city. It was not pretty and not very safe. </p>
<p>As an expat, we were given an option of 1) letting our kids go to a boarding school in the US, 2) paying for a private school at the host country. OP, you could ask your dad if it’s an option for you to go to a boarding school in the US. If your dad is going to keep your house (hence you would be a tax payer), could you continue to go to your current public school.</p>
<p>My daughter decided to move to Mexico with us. We enrolled her in an international school here. Classes are taught in English, but kids speak Spanish outside of class. Not going to lie, she cried the first 2 weeks of school. I took her back to the States a few times to help her with home sickness, each time she just got better and better. Now 4 months later, she loves it here. She made some great friends, both local and expats. We have great housing (she has her own suite), we have a maid who looks after her (no more cleaning her room or doing her own laundry), and a driver to take her where ever she wants to go. Another thing here is the drinking age is 18, not 21. They throw some great parties at clubs, not at someone’s basement.</p>
<p>When she applies to colleges next year, she will be read as an international (less competition). I think because of her international experience, she will be more competitive as an applicant. Because we are retaining our state residency (we are still paying taxes), she is able to compete for our state’s summer programs and other activities.</p>
<p>Our promise to our daughter was she would be going to a college in the US. This is just a temporary living arrangement for her, kind of like study abroad. She asked me if we would let her go to her old school junior prom. We told her if she could get a date :), we would buy her a dress and a plane ticket home. Guess what? She is not talking about it any more. She is more focused on her new school’s “Oscar Night,” “Fashion Night,” and their Prom.</p>
<p>My firm has a large expat community in China and HKG. They are very well taken care of. In general, their standard of living is usually higher overseas than in their home country. OP, I wouldn’t be surprised if you should be able to live very well.</p>
<p>Before you go, try to get SAT tutoring lined up. I engaged someone before we moved, and my daughter is doing all private tutoring via Skype. She also has a private college counselor to guide her.</p>
<p>Good luck. Please speak with your parents about all of yoru concerns. At the end of day, we really do want our kids to be happy.</p>
<p>You can get lots of answers on all the Beijing Expatriate websites .You will meet many foreigners in Beijing from families just like yours !! The cabs are really cheap- a 20 minute ride was under 3 dollars ! You will live near other foreign families ,as the foreigners don’t really mingle and live with Chinese citizens .I don’t speak any Chinese and I was ok with lots of pointing .Don’t try to buy a bus or train ticket because nobody speaks English .The best trained English speakers are at the hotels and airports .My son speaks fluent Chinese so I was very confident in most situations .Read "Culture Shock :Beijing "designed for people moving abroad .It will answer most of your questions .</p>
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<p>Regarding less competition, this is not true. The international students who apply are among the MOST competitive in the world. Think IPhO medallist, IChO medallist, etc. </p>
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Unless you are really experienced, and by really experienced meaning several years of experience, you should not drive. The last time I went to China, crossing the road was insane because some drivers don’t really regard the traffic lights and such.</p>
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Sorry, I think you’re outta luck there. Oh and one more thing, they banned Facebook although you can access it through other means.</p>
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I think they’re pretty good, probably equivalent to a good boarding school in the US.</p>
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<p>The International School of Beijing has a waiting list for its waiting list. </p>
<p>Honestly, I think it’s because you don’t know anything about the situation with international schools in China that you’re panicking. International schools (well, the major ones anyway) are easily as good as, or even better than, the majority of private schools in the US. The environment in these schools in China are probably going to be extremely similar to those in the US, but with a much more competitive aspect because this is East Asia after all. Most of the kids there go to US colleges, and some schools in particular have spectacular records. Calm down. Your experiences with China will probably make you x10000000 percent more interesting to colleges anyway, especially if you’ve never lived outside the States before.</p>
<p>“1. would driving be out of the question because i was really excited to get my permit”</p>
<p>-Trying to drive in Beijing, China is pretty insane. Also, I’m not sure if they will have the driver’s test in English. It’s a city, so public transportation is really the way to go. </p>
<p>“2. i have spanish channels right now so i was wondering if they offered american channels there like the CW and Fox?” </p>
<ul>
<li>There are not really many American channels since China censor’s many things. </li>
</ul>
<p>“3. how are the international schools there?”</p>
<ul>
<li>They are EXTREMELY competitive. Just as US schools offer AP classes, international schools also offer them. The difference is that competition is ingrained in the culture and you will find many students there that work incredibly hard.</li>
</ul>
<p>“4. do good quality things there tend to be more expensive or cheaper? like american clothing brands, electronics…”</p>
<p>-American brands are more expensive there. Everything else is much cheaper. Keep in mind that you’ll probably find non-American clothes that you’ll like. As far as electronics, I suggest you buy them in the US and bring it over. You should ALWAYS bargain for whatever it is that you’re buying. That’s really the fun part of shopping there =p</p>
<p>“5. do the people look down on foreigners?”</p>
<ul>
<li>They tend to think that white people are cool but are generally racists towards blacks, Hispanics, and Latinos. Because you speak English, Chinese kids there will want to be friends with you to practice English or to get your help with English. </li>
</ul>
<p>It does sound pretty bad to have to leave your friends. Moving is a difficult thing to do, especially when you’re in high school. Just remember that this is exactly what you do when you leave for college. You abandon all your h.s. friends and make new ones at a completely new place. This experience will actually make a great essay for college. The pollution there is pretty bad but it’s not just pollution as in garbage. Beijing is located close to Mongolia which really is just a giant desert. So the wind tends to carry sand/dirt to Beijing.</p>
<p>do you have to test into an international school? is getting in hard?</p>
<p>are you allowed to practice christianity in china?</p>
<p>if i got a medical degree there, would it be valid in the us?</p>
<p>how bad is the censorship there? </p>
<p>what are the teenagers like?</p>
<p>what’s the fashion scene like?</p>
<p>do they listen to american singers there? </p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>When you think your day is rough, just remember your parents aren’t making you move to china 
poor kid. good luck</p>
<p>Hi Limmering. We moved to Shanghai, China in July and my son started as a junior at the Shanghai American School. He’s having a good time there and really adjusted well. I know you’re leaving alot behind, and I know it stinks.
DRIVING
In Shanghai you can’t drive until you are 18, and as others have said you don’t want to. Taxis are cheap, and if your dad has a high paying job you will probably have a driver. My son takes a bus to school, but I have a driver when he’s not taking my husband to work and we also have him on weekends to take us around.
SAT
Most big international schools have the SAT given at their schools, so no worries there.
SCHOOL LIFE
Good international schools have lots of activities (clubs/sports). My sons school work is harder for sure, but not impossible. Classes are MUCH smaller and teachers are very accessible to him for anything he needs. You need to get started on the paperwork for school ASAP.
And by the way, the kids are just the same, maybe just a little more driven.
That’s all I have time for right now. Hopefully I’ll be able to add more later.</p>
<p>we’re moving to shanghai or beijing, most likely beijing.</p>
<p>can you tell me about the international schools? i’m really stressing over this. i know chinese kids are really smart, am i going to fall behind in international school? i read online that shanghai american school is one of the best ones; did your son have to test into it? i don’t want to go to a crappy international school. is the coursework hard for him? is the school day longer than in america? did he make friends easily? </p>
<p>thank you!</p>
<p>Don’t tell me you’re serious, haha. Despite what the media would like to have you believe, China is not communist any more. The government claims it to avoid a collapse similar to the Soviet Union, but what you have is essentially a market economy with a government that is simply a one-party republic.</p>
<p>As for the medical degree, yes a Chinese medical degree is perfectly valid here, as long as you get certified by the medical board. Although I would recommend that you come back to the United States for college (getting into ANY college in China is ridiculously difficult…try competing against 10x as many kids for less spots). Education is very cutthroat in China and it would be your best interest (as an American citizen) to return for your higher education. Most American universities are perceived as being better than their Chinese counterparts as well.</p>
<p>So yes, you can practice Christianity. A good number of Chinese people are Christians now. You will easily be able to find a Church to practice in. And the Censorship isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Unless you’re searching topics such as “Free Tibet” or “Taiwanese Independence,” you won’t notice a major change in your internet usage (and if you did want to, the firewall is easily circumvented).</p>
<p>And Chinese teenagers now are very similar to American teenagers…except that they speak Chinese. They eat fast food, spend their time texting each other, watch the NBA (well nobody actually watches the NBA here…), etc. American culture is huge. I know for a fact that Usher had a concert in Beijing last year.</p>
<p>I know it’s gotta be real hard on you, and I can only imagine what you might be going through. But it’s not nearly as bad as you imagine, so cheer up.</p>
<p>I’ve heard you can’t watch porn/pig videos in China.</p>