(Originally written September 10, 2022)
For the last few years I’ve made a point to sit down and write an article going through some of changes, big and small, that I see happening in Beijing and around China. These articles have been from the point of an observer and not a news junkie who would rather catch on a comment or sentence in an article to confirm their belief rather than see what’s going on with their own eyes. That is in large part why these posts have been mainly Beijing-centric. Due to current circumstances within the country, I’m afraid once again this will be the case this year.
What happened to 5G?
It was a big push years ago and received a lot of attention during the US Presidential election when Huawei got smacked by the US government. Since then, however, even here in China, there doesn’t seem to be as much of a push towards 5G.
I’ve been told that companies are saying it’s 5G but it’s really not much of a speed improvement from 4G, especially within the cities, so there’s no real point in upgrading. There are special offers for 5G data packages, but for the price increase from 4G and amount of data you’d get, it doesn’t make much sense to buy into these offers.
Electric and Self-Driving Vehicles
One of the biggest pushes I’ve seen by far is the move towards electric vehicles. However, many of these vehicles aren’t just electric, they can drive themselves, a feature that US-based Tesla has made a standard feature of these types of vehicles. A few years ago it was Nio, XPeng and BYD, now there are many other entrants into the market.
Electric bikes are still pretty prominent, and rather dangerous since you can neither hear them approach very well nor do the drivers make it known they are approaching.
I’ve also seen a few more people using the handleless electric scooters (the things that are like a shorter version of the Segway), but these are by no means a regular use. Unless for short distances, why would you want to stand and have to regulate your body positioning for a longer period of time?
Fewer Lamborghinis and Nice Cars
This observation may be influenced by a few things: first, I hardly leave my neighbourhood, though I know it hosts a few of these types of cars; second, the big push for working from home may have meant that the people who used to drive these cars are either holing up in their nice apartments or… left the city; third, many large companies have been under scrutiny for a variety of reasons (just read the headlines to get a sense) and so the show-offish-ness of these cars may be tempered for now. Finally, since I now work from home, I almost expected to see more of these vehicles ripping around the neighbourhood. However, that has not been the case.
Often when I hear what I think is a Lambo (signalled by their loud engines) turns out to be a Porsche. Don’t ask me how they do it, I’m not car buff, but that’s what is written on the backside of the vehicle.
Overall, there are fewer nice cars (Mercedes, BMWs), even fewer Jaguars or Bentleys, and only the rare Rolls Royce.
Shopping Prices
I haven’t noticed too much of an increase here but I’m told things have gone up in price. There are a few things I don’t buy as often as I used (namely, maple syrup or IPAs) nor do I go out as much as I used to, but that may be more a factor of the potential of getting flagged as a “close contact” and then being asked to lock down and self-quarantine. So I stay home and shop at the international market down the street.
First, there is a noticeable difference between the prices at the international store compared to the local store. April Gourmet’s vs Jingkelong, which might not surprise anyone. Why don’t I shop at the cheaper place? Because I’ve noticed that the fruits and vegetables that I buy at the cheaper place don’t last as long as those I get from the international market.
Second, I buy a lot of the same stuff and for any treats or sweets I usually look in the discount bin. My big thing this year has been to buy the Betty Crocker ready-to-make boxed whatevers which are usually on sale for buy one get one.
- Milk – 8.90 RMB (Australian import, on sale… but it’s always on sale)
- Chinese Yogurt – 13.90 RMB
- Qingdao Beer (330ml / 500ml)
- Vegetables – haven’t seen much change
- Fruit – Blueberries come into sale and go on sale for 9.90 per 20g, regularly they’re 20-25 RMB
- JingA Pilsner – 11.90 (on sale)
- Water – 5L = 10 RMB for Nongfu or C’est Bon / 12L = 23-25 RMB for Nongfu, 25 for C’est Bon
- Rye Bread – 12.80 RMB
- Starbucks Grande – 31 RMB, Venti 33 RMB (espresso-based)
- Tims Large Fresh Coffee – 18 RMB, X-Large 21
Rent
Still at 6800 RMB this year with the exchange rate still fluctuating between 4.90 and 5.21. (Currently at 1 CAD = 0.7829 USD and 5.279 RMB). It doesn’t look like it will go up for this next contract either.
Pay
We did receive a slight pay raise this year, but this comes five years after I started the job. The ESL industry is not known for its pay scales like other industries. Rather, what usually happens is that if you don’t like the money you usually go find another job. That has happened quite a bit this year as people have opted to leave China entirely after being here for years. Few are moving into new industries opting to instead continue on in the ESL industry but in a place where they can find extra employment should they need it and the costs of living are substantially cheaper compared to Beijing.
With the work from home push over the last few years, several people who used to live in other cities were forced to move to larger centres such as Beijing, which noticeably increased their cost of living.
Further, as several people hit that “old age” of 60, they were forced to move away from Beijing as companies here and in Guangzhou don’t often sponsor visas or work permits for people older than 60. As a result, they either had to move to Shanghai or Chongqing, find another method for obtaining a visa, or attain a permanent residence card which is like the green card in the US. I’m not sure of the equivalent in Canada.
Bills
Water is still cheap, I think I pay 50 RMB per month, maybe.
Phone hasn’t changed at all, but I’m on a pay as you go for 12 GB of mobile data per month. I don’t know how often I top up since I work from home so much that I just use my apartment WIFI, but my monthly bill is 50 RMB, or $10 CAD.
Apartment internet runs about 100-150 RMB per month.
Electricity I don’t know because someone put a large chunk of cash on it (I don’t think it was me) so I literally haven’t paid that in a very long time.
Hot water is also billed every six months but if you don’t pay it it’s not like it gets cut off. Further, with the damage deposit given to the landlord, any outstanding bills would be paid before the money is returned.
Very Little Travel
I’ve seen and heard news about travel numbers and, somehow, there are currently 80,000 tourists stuck in Sanya because of the COVID outbreak there. I don’t know who’s travelling but it’s not people I know. No one is travelling for leisure as it seems to be difficult to determine whether or not they’ll be let back into the city.
NATs Every 48 or 72 Hours
The only reason I go for a NAT is so I can enter April Gourmet, the international supermarket. If they didn’t ask, I’d probably go once a week in case I wanted to get into a Starbucks or shopping mall for some reason.
Conclusion
Country is still locked down and doesn’t look to be changing any time soon. Working from home has made some things easier but has also prevented me from really seeing what’s going on elsewhere.