Living in Wuhan - Site Map

Part 1 Coming to China : Employer & Government Formalities / Part 2 Getting Around / Part 3 Survival Shopping / Part 4 Where Can I Find It, and What Will It Cost? / Part 5 Eating Out in Wuhan / Part 6 Entertainment in Wuhan / Part 7 Making Contact / Part 8 Health / Part 9 Money and Banking Banking in Wuhan - Introduction / Part 10 The Law / Part 11 Universities and Other Post-Secondary Institutions in Wuhan / Part 12 Commercial Organizations employing expatriates in Wuhan / Part 13 Economic & Industrial Features of Wuhan / Part 14 The Physical Geography and Climate of Wuhan / Part 15 The History of Wuhan

Part 1 Coming to China : Employer & Government Formalities

Finding a Job / Applying for a Job / Medical Certificate / Qualifications and Salary Negotiating a Contract / Standards of Employer Provided Accommodation / Health Cover / Spouses and Children / Contract Starting Dates / Official Letter of Invitation / Visas / Booking an Airfare Excess / Baggage / Fare & Startup Expense Reimbursement / Getting an Employment Certificate and Foreigner Residence Permit ("Green Card") / Handling Delays / Evasions, Stuff-Ups, Low Standards, Language Confusion, etc. ... /

Part 2 Getting Around

Buses
Taxis
Three-Wheelers & Other Exotica Bicycles
Walking
Crossing the road without getting killed
Distances in Wuhan
Navigating & getting help when you are lost
Driving Yourself
Getting a Chinese Licence
Traveling to Other Parts of China
Booking Travel
Air Travel
Rail Travel
Boat Travel
Long-distance Bus Travel
Cycle Touring I
nternational Travel
Exit from China & Re-entry to China
Departure Routes from Wuhan

Part 3 Survival Shopping

Types of Retail Outlets Fruit, Vegetable & Meat Markets

Note on making unpeeled, raw fruit and vegetables safe to eat:

· a) wash well in running water;
b) half fill a plastic bag with water; put in a tablespoon of salt, shake well; add the fruit or vegetables to the bag, shake thoroughly; leave for at least half an hour; drain and eat or refrigerate.

Small Grocery & General Stores
Supermarkets - What you will and won't find in a supermarket
Department Stores
Small Clothing Shops
Small Special-Purpose Shops (Electrical, Hardware etc.)
Buying
The Miming Game - life without words
Fixed" Prices Bargaining - when, where and how Using a calculator to bargain with
Comparison Shopping
Guarantees
Faulty Goods

Part 4 Where Can I Find It, and What Will It Cost?

Maps of major shopping locations in the shopping districts of Wuhan's Wuchang area.

Luojia Mountain Computer Shops
Asia Trading Centre
Foreign Language Bookshop area
Simenkou area

Hankou
Hanyang

Typical Prices (1998 - 1999)
Department Store versus Small Shop Prices versus Market Prices "Back Door" Prices and "Discounts"
A Premium Price for Westerner Shoe & Clothing Sizes?
Sample Prices

Men's wear (price range)

slip-on shoes
lace-up shoes
runners
sandals .......................

Part 5 Eating Out in

Wuhan

Note on the Chinese cultural concept of restaurant cooking
Notes on the Wuhan restaurant scene

Styles of cooking
Favourite Wuhan dishes
Regional dishes from other parts of China
International dishes

"Cheap Eats" in Wuhan - restaurants that offer good cooking at extra cheap prices

- indexed by star rating (quality)
- indexed by location - indexed by typical menus
- indexed by price

Medium-priced restaurants in Wuhan
- restaurants that offer very good cooking in pleasant surroundings at reasonable prices (Y-- to Y--)
- indexed by star rating (quality)
- indexed by location
- indexed by typical menus
- indexed by price

Top-class restaurants in Wuhan
- restaurants that offer outstanding cooking and prestige surroundings at top prices (above Y-- )
- indexed by location
- indexed by typical menus
- indexed by price

Part 6 Entertainment in Wuhan

a) Print Media

English language newspapers and magazines
National newspapers
Wuhan newspapers
Magazines

b) Electronic media

Radio

local stations
short-wave

local stations
national transmissions
satellite & cable TV

The Internet

good sites for news on China
sites for English teachers etc.
sites for jobs in China
news lists for special interests

c) Music

notes on the local music scene
good music shops around town
where can I find out what's happening?
live venues for ...
popular music
jazz
Chinese classical
Western classical
Chinese opera etc.

d) Live Theatre

notes on live theatre in China
comedy
drama
acrobatic & dance troupes
circuses
other forms
how do I find out where it is happening?

e) Cinema

cultural attitudes to cinema in China - many Chinese I asked about the cinema expressed disinterest and distaste. Cinemas have not yet experienced the resurgence known to Western cities in the last decade or so. For older Chinese, cinema is often strongly associated with government propaganda, which they dislike. However, Hankou has at least one modern cinema complex which tends to feature imported blockbusters and has a certain social appeal to youth. [Thor]
location of major cinemas in Wuhan
specialist cinema (?) - e.g. foreign language films
video shops
how to buy or hire what is available

f) Letting your hair down

notes on Hotels and Bars in Wuhan
notes on Nightclubs and KTV Lounges in Wuhan
notes on Dance halls in Wuhan
other places of entertainment

g) Going out for pleasure in the daytime

good spots for a picnic in and around Wuhan
scenic places you should visit
interesting markets
river trips
commercial tours of Wuhan
maps & notes on some short walking tours around interesting parts of Wuhan
maps & notes on some good cycling tours around interesting parts of Wuhan

h) Making your own entertainment

visiting friends
where can you meet?
what should you bring for the host?
should you arrive early or late?
how long should you stay?
what is polite comment & what will offend?
what is it OK to talk about?
who pays in a restaurant etc.?

Part 7 Making Contact

Cultural ideas of friendship
What to expect of a Chinese friend
What a Chinese friend expects
Casual contacts "I want to practice English"
Common interests - a sport, music etc. ....
Making contacts on the Internet
Clubs and Associations in Wuhan
Clubs on university campuses Sporting clubs
Cultural clubs and associations
Other sorts of clubs

Part 8 Health

working out a balanced diet with unfamiliar foods
getting advice on local foods
basic medical self-help
buying medicine
Chinese medicine
well-intentioned advice from Chinese friends
Chinese cultural attitudes to illness
what do you pay for and what is free?
health insurance
local health clinics (e.g. on a campus)
dental care
eye care
doctors
Chinese doctor-patient relationships
getting a second medical opinion
specialists
Hospitals

Part 9 Money and Banking

Chinese Currency

Banking in Wuhan - Introduction

Banking - Fifty-Six Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Basic Retail Banking Services
Foreign Currency Accounts Held in China
Bank Drafts
Telegraphic Currency Transfers
Traveller's Cheques
Foreign Account Debit Cards
Foreign Account Credit Cards
Additional Banking Services

Part 10 The Law

Documents you must have
Your rights as a resident foreigner
Your obligations as a resident foreigner
Renewing your visa
Changing your work permit
Settling minor disputes
Traffic accidents
Encounters with various security officials
Disagreements with your employer
Other contract disputes and problems
Marrying a Chinese citizen
Commercial disputes

a). minor disputes (e.g. with shops, banks etc).
b) larger issues (e.g. contracts, joint ventures etc.)

Being a victim of crime
What to do if you are arrested
Basic philosophy and method of the Chinese legal system
Chinese legal help
When to notify your embassy

Part 11 Universities and Other Post-Secondary Institutions in Wuhan

[this list courtesy of Xinyang Shen at http://hong.commerce.ubc.ca/www/shen/Wuhan.html ]

China University of Geosciences
Huazhong Agricultural University (Overseas) -- (Alumni 1) -- (Alumni 2)
Central China Normal University
Huazhong University of Science & Technology -- (Alumni Association)
Hubei Medical University (Alumni)
Hubei College of Education
Hubei University
Jianghan Petroleum Institute
Tongji Medical University
University of Hydraulic Electric Engineering Located at Yichang
Wuhan Automobile Polytechnical University
Wuhan High Voltage Research Institute (Overseas)
Wuhan Institute of Medical Sciences*
Wuhan Institute of Military Economy Wuhan Law School (Overseas) Wuhan Transportation University Wuhan Technical University of Survey & Mapping Wuhan University -- (Overseas ) -- (Alumni 1) -- (Alumni 2)
Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electric Engineering
Zhongnan University of Finance and Economics
Wuhan University of Technology* -- (Overseas)

To find other Chinese universities ??

Part 12 Commercial Organizations employing expatriates in Wuhan

Name of Company
Address
Telephone Number
Fax Number
Contact Person:

Part 13. Economic & Industrial Features of Wuhan

Part 14. The Physical Geography and Climate of Wuhan

Part 15. The History of Wuhan

a) Origins: Xia and Shang Dynasty Periods (2205 to 1122 BC)

- first evidence of settlement around Wuhan area in the Shang period

b) Wuhan area in the Zhou Dynasty (1122 to 256 BC)

c) Wuhan area in the Qin Dynasty (221 to 206 BC)

d) Wuhan area in the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD)

- Hanyang became a busy port; walls built around Hanyang & Wuchang between the 1st & 3rd centuries AD.

e) Wuhan area in the Period of the Warring States (220 AD to 581 AD)

- The famous Yellow Crane Tower was first built in AD223; it has been rebuilt many times since

f) Wuhan area in the Siu Dynasty (581 to 618 AD)

g) Wuhan area in the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 AD)

h) Wuhan area in the FiveDynasties (907 to 960 AD)

i) Wuhan area in the Northern Song Dynasty (960 to 1127 AD)

j) Wuhan area in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 to 1179 AD)

k) Wuhan area in the Yuan Dynasty (1179 to 1368 AD)

l) Wuhan area in the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644 AD)

m) Wuhan area in the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911 AD)

- Giuyan Temple built in early Qing period - famous for its collection of Buddhist doctrine
- Hankou became one of China's top four trading towns about 300 years ago
- Foreign trading concessions in Hankou : British 1861; German 1895; Russian & French 1896; Japanese 1898
- China's first modern iron & steel works in Hanyang in 1891

n) Wuhan area in the early Republic Period (1911 to 1949 AD)

- Wuhan area was a centre of revolt against the Qing Dynasty in 1911
- Beijing to Wuhan railway in the 1920s led to rapid expansion

o) Wuhan area since 1949

- The three cities of Wuchang, Hanyang and Hankou were combined to form Wuhan in 1950
- China's first bridge across the Yangtze (Changjiang) River in 1957
- Metropolitan Wuhan's population has multiplied by about five times since 1950
- Wuhan's social and commercial development was seriously affected by the Cultural Revolution (1964-76)

- Wuchang has become the administrative and university centre;

- Hankou is the commercial centre;

- Hanyang has the Dong Feng car plant; an industry development zone, and numerous factories, but is relatively less prosperous than the other two cities.