Moving to Beijing

[tintin]

Hey guys,

As you can see, pretty new here. Basically, I got a really last minute job offer so I am moving to Beijing just after New Year. That is to say, western New Year.

Anyway, just wondering for some pointers really. Big yays and big no's?

Also, the company I am about to work for, are a chinese company, not some english company branch out there.

So I would be guessing I should probably bring some kind of gift? Its a small architectural firm, so would you say a decent bottle of whisky or something they could "share in the office as a celebration" or something would be fine? Not really sure to be honest?

I don't even drink myself so that will be good when they ask me to join in.

Also, I am vegan, and I am obviously expecting my first few weeks there to be kind of awkward on the food front for me. Specially the whole eating everything your given thing? But, just wondering, how it is likely to be for me on the whole? Obviously vegetarian isnt anything new to China, so im hoping not so bad? Im just gonna have to suffer a few things I don't know are there and get on with it.

Anyway, all in all, HELLO, this is a really big rush they have put on me, and my Visa is still actually processing. So hopefully I do actually make it there, and possibly this forum make my transition a lil easier.

Thanks in advance guys!

Tin-Tin

p.s - if in the wrong place in the forum, my bad and major sorry.

pps - im gonna contact the embassy anyway, but, im on an internship and im not actually sure what my exact exit date is ognna be, will the chinese authorities insist I have a return/exit flight booked? 'cause that could pose both costly and awkward for me.

[roddy]

Being vegan can be tricky - the vegans I know tend to either downgrade themselves to vegetarians for the period of their stays in China, or adopt an 'ah, a bit of egg won't hurt' attitude. I think in Beijing most places are more or less used to people asking for no meat, but veganism is still a bit out there.

[imron]

Obviously vegetarian isnt anything new to China

It might not be new, but it's certainly a foreign concept to many. Don't be suprised to ask for "no meat", and be assured completely that the dish doesn't contain any meat, only to find it has fish, shrimps or sometimes even chicken or beef. In Chinese, people will sometimes take meat to commonly refer to pork only, so they will quite confidently tell you it has no 'meat', because it doesn't have pork. You might also get sprinkles of mince on various dishes (because it's only a little bit of meat, and when you said 'no meat' surely you didn't mean absolutely no meat because then the dish wouldn't have the right flavour etc etc).

Things might be better in larger cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but if you eat out, be prepared to spend a lot of time explaining to wait-staff in precise detail exactly what you mean by not eating meat. Being vegan will be even harder.

[amandagmu]

Hey there Tin Tin! We should stay in contact. :-) I'm an almost-vegan living in Beijing for the next year or so. Actually, I've met a big group of vegetarians and vegans since I've arrived, and we often go out to eat once every week or two. Additionally, you should join couchsurfing.org because there's a veg group under the Beijing main group, and it's a big mix of people including at least 50-60% local Chinese people (some of whom are not really vegetarian but come along for the adventure and to meet people - most of the foreigners really are vegetarians).

Roddy is right, btw, about vegans in Beijing, and you're right too about the politeness factor. Most vegans have adopted the "a bit of egg won't hurt" because avoiding ji dan is nearly impossible. I went to a self-proclaimed vegan restaurant a month ago with some vegan/vegetarian friends and at least 2-3 of the main dishes we ordered came with egg! We decided not to fuss and just eat the dish, largely because few of us believe that wasting food is a good solution. I also had a lunch with some prominent professors once which could have been awkward, but at the beginning of the meal before we even opened the menus I made a strong point of telling them I am a vegetarian. I haven't discovered a direct word for vegan that translates well, so I either say strict vegetarian or in this case remained polite by adding "I love Chinese vegetarian food". They then asked if tofu and fish was OK, to which I felt I should be polite and say "yes, ok" since I knew this might be problematic. I ate one bite of fish to be polite. The rest of the dishes, aside from the jiao zi / dumplings were vegan, so I didn't have too much trouble there. When a professor from the U.S. treated me to lunch recently (someone who I am much more comfortable with), I simply suggested we head to a vegetarian buffet that I knew was 95% vegan food. If you'd like, I could introduce you to some of these places when you move to Beijing, just pm me. I've started to record some of it on my blog as well: http://vegrunnerberlinbeijing.wordpress.com/ :-)

[amandagmu]

@imron - I think you're right about the situation in Beijing and Shanghai. I had a vegetarian friend in Dalian in 2006 (before I was vegetarian myself) and finding food for him was a pain in the arse. Since I live near the Lama temple in Beijing now, it's less difficult because several restaurants around there seem quite used to vegetarians (most of whom are Buddhists I guess). Also, I think vegetarianism has become a new (albeit, not yet that popular) trend in Beijing, as have projects like Green Drinks and Greening the Beige, both of which tend to attract a vegetarian/vegan crowd.

[tintin]

Hey!, thanks roddy, imron and amanda!

Much appreciated, I think I was half already expecting to just "get on by" until I work out how to deal with it all, specially the not speaking chinese part, wont be making it any easier, but I will try to learn seeing as I will be living there for 6months minumum. By my reckoning I will be living in and around the Chaoyang area, because that is where the office is I think, northstar new era plaza?

@amandagmu - thanks! I will try n contact you once I have made the required post level to do it! =] I also see you like running? I am not a MASSIVE runner myself, but I used to jog every day, cycle n do sports etc, so, I may ask to come join a run? And try not to hold you guys back, It may take some acclimatization.

Anyway, thanks, I think I used to have a couchsurfing page cos I was about to embark on a cycling trip around the world before I got this job offer.

Hope you guys have all had a good christmas out there!

And thanks again =]