how to live cheaply without hotels?

[civic94]

after a year of learning mandarin, right now i have enough money, enough mandarin to survive in china. I'm still single so i might as well do this before i don't have the time.

in a month and a half i'm planning to visit china for about 6 months. I will deal with visa's and plane tickets next week, on top of quitting my job, selling my car, etc.

my plan for 6 months is to visit beijing, shanghai, chengdu, gunagzhou, shenzhen, HK, wuhan, changsha, nanjing, hangzhou. if i do the hotel route my savings will suffer and i would have to cut back of other stuff.

are there real estate companies there that rent out places (temporary housing) for 2- 3 weeks only? all i need is a studio. I wouldnt mind having my own room with shared kitchen and bathroom, as long as its not a dodgy place.

thanks.

[msittig]

Couchsurfing, Craigslist, staying at smaller hotels in the big cities (smaller cities will be cheaper, and their small hotels won't take foreigners [EDIT -- this may not be true, see posts below]). I don't have direct experience with short-term rentals, but it's not something I've ever heard of being common; I live in Shanghai so I'm not sure if that's true elsewhere.

Also, I urge to look closely into the visa situation. It's not easy to stay in China legally for six months without getting a job or becoming a student.

[WestTexas]

Hostels. 50 yuan/night or less.

Also, how good is your Chinese? In smaller and more out-of-the-way areas, can stay in small hotels for less than 100 a night. Sometimes less than 50. You have to know what they look like, though.

Another tip, looking at your itinerary: Why not get off the beaten track a bit? Also, just skip Shenzhen. There is no reason to go there as a tourist, and it's the most expensive city I've been to in China.

[WestTexas]

staying at smaller hotels in the big cities (smaller cities will be cheaper, and their small hotels won't take foreigners).

Actually I've had the opposite experience. I find that certain big cities (Shenyang and Lanzhou) are VERY strict about this rule while most small cities are OK with it.

I have stayed in small hotels that are not licensed for foreigners in: Xining, Wulanhaote, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Xiamen, Changchun, Aershan, Harbin, Jinghong, and probably a few others that I am forgetting. The only small town that didn't seem cool with foreigners staying wherever was Tongren in Qinghai province.

[alain-patrick rigaud]

Yes that is correct many small hotels will not take foreigners. They claim that the passport numbers are to long you must have a Chinese ID. Fortunately for Me My two months stay in China was with my Chinese girl friend. We had to go to at least three hotels until we found one that would accept me at a higher price of course. Also being alone and lawai you will pay more for everything. Case in point. I asked my girl friend why don't you ask someone what bus to take? She said" they will laughfing at me Im with a foreigner why take the bus"? You are a foreigners and that automatically puts you in a higher price range. A solution book your hotels in the USA with discount web sites. Or get a girl friend quickly She will help you. Alain-Patrick Rigaud

[civic94]

is it very hard to find a hostel in big cities such as BJ, SH,GZ? and if i just ask a local about "宿舍" most of them will know of one right?

Yes that is correct many small hotels will not take foreigners. They claim that the passport numbers are to long you must have a Chinese ID. Fortunately for Me My two months stay in China was with my Chinese girl friend. We had to go to at least three hotels until we found one that would accept me at a higher price of course. Also being alone and lawai you will pay more for everything. Case in point. I asked my girl friend why don't you ask someone what bus to take? She said" they will laughfing at me Im with a foreigner why take the bus"? You are a foreigners and that automatically puts you in a higher price range. A solution book your hotels in the USA with discount web sites. Or get a girl friend quickly She will help you. Alain-Patrick Rigaud

it sucks that some places that dont take people with US passports, but then again the higher price thing, i think its good that i am 100% Chinese in blood.

[imron]

is it very hard to find a hostel in big cities such as BJ, SH,GZ? and if i just ask a local about "宿舍" most of them will know of one right?

Would you expect a random person in the city you live to be able to tell the location of a cheap hostel if you asked them? I know I couldn't do that with any reliability in the city I live in, and I imagine the same will be true of the vast majority of people living in Chinese cities. Google will be a far safer bet.

In any event, 宿舍 is probably not the word you are looking for - this usually refers to things like university dorms.

but then again the higher price thing, i think its good that i am 100% Chinese in blood.

100% Chinese blood gets you nothing in terms of being treated like a local unless your behaviour, speech patterns and mannerisms are also the same as a local Chinese. If not, you will stand out just as much as other foreigners. In fact you may even be treated worse than 'foreign looking' foreigners because they will be seen as learning about Chinese language and culture and mistakes will be forgiven. People of Chinese descent on the other hand are often judged on how much they've 'forgotten' their heritage, which is a much harsher yardstick.

[abcdefg]

OP, if you are traveling with a friend, which I think you talked about doing in earlier posts, you could consider renting a serviced apartment. These are often units in an apartment building that have not sold yet, so someone furnishes them cheaply and lets them out by the week or month. The ones I've used cost about 200 Yuan a night, and I found them through E-Long and C-Trip.

Another time a local friend helped me locate one on the internet through a Chinese website, but I don't remember the details.

For example, here are three in Chengdu:

http://hotel.elong.n...engdu/32301188/

http://hotel.elong.n...engdu/42301032/

http://hotel.elong.n...engdu/02301628/

The advantage of serviced apartments is that they generally have some limited cooking facilities, though I can't tell for sure about these.

[civic94]

OP, if you are traveling with a friend, which I think you talked about doing in earlier posts, you could consider renting a serviced apartment. These are often units in an apartment building that have not sold yet, so someone furnishes them cheaply and lets them out by the week or month. The ones I've used cost about 200 Yuan a night, and I found them through E-Long and C-Trip.

Another time a Chinese friend helped me locate one on the internet through a Chinese website, but I don't remember the details.

For example, here are a couple of them in Chengdu:

http://hotel.elong.n...engdu/32301188/

http://hotel.elong.n...engdu/42301032/

The advantage of serviced apartments is that they generally have some cooking facilities, though it doesn't look like these two in Chengdu offer that.

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cool. thanks. I was going to travel with a friend, but something came up and he has to postpone the trip until december, but for me I cant wait, saved enough money, and my mandarin is at around 1000 words, so i think im good to go. he will meet me at whichever city i will be in when he is ready.

[imron]

The ones I've used cost about 200 Yuan a night

It's worth noting though that this is above the average cost of a standard twin room in mid-level hotels. As you mentioned there are other advantages to a serviced apartment, but it's not a particularly cheap alternative compared to hotels.

For reference, a dorm bed (with shared bathroom facilities) in Beijing's City Central Hostel goes for 60 yuan a night. That's going to be far less comfortable than staying in a serviced apartment, but it's comfortable enough and also significantly cheaper. I guess it just depends on the tradeoffs you are willing to make.

Ultimately though it comes down to what the OP considers to be expensive and what he has in mind as an average daily budget for all costs. Using terms like 'cheap' and 'expensive' are relative and what is considered expensive in China might be considered cheap by US standards.

[tysond]

You could also consider homestays with Chinese families. Food, lodging, Chinese practice, cultural immersion.

[civic94]

It's worth noting though that this is above the average cost of a standard twin room in mid-level hotels. As you mentioned there are other advantages to a serviced apartment, but it's not a particularly cheap alternative compared to hotels.

For reference, a dorm bed (with shared bathroom facilities) in Beijing's City Central Hostel goes for 60 yuan a night. That's going to be far less comfortable than staying in a serviced apartment, but it's comfortable enough and also significantly cheaper. I guess it just depends on the tradeoffs you are willing to make.

Ultimately though it comes down to what the OP considers to be expensive and what he has in mind as an average daily budget for all costs. Using terms like 'cheap' and 'expensive' are relative and what is considered expensive in China might be considered cheap by US standards.

does this hostel in Beijing always have vacancy? 60 yuan/10 usd a night is very good, and i would consider that "cheap". well i guess what i consider "minimum requirements" would just be a room to myself, and at least 10 foot by 10 foot, no roaches, and of course, no shady business roommates (such as someone selling their body for money). for something like sharing a room, i wouldn't mind doing it for a couple days.

[imron]

does this hostel in Beijing always have vacancy?

No. It is very popular because it is in a good location, and relatively cheap/clean. However if you turn up early in the morning, or book a few days in advance you should have no trouble getting a room there unless it's during one of the national holidays. Also note, 60 yuan a night is for a bed in a dorm. Private twin bed rooms (with shared bathroom facilities) go for 160 yuan a night, or rooms with private bathroom in the 250-350 price range - though at that price you'd probably be better off going to a nicer hotel.

[heifeng]

If you want CHEAP & shared facilities...(not necessarily inclusive of COOKING, but you can bring your own instant noodles & there is usually some hot water available), the word for you: 地下室. You can be in the center of the city and rent a space the size of a twin sized bed in the basement of a housing complex (examples & google photo search). Just provide your own padlock and there is probably just a cash up front no lease month by month verbal rental situation...or night by night if there are vacancies.

You are ABC correct? they may not question your language that much & assume you are from 外地 & not ask for too much documentation.

Many (um...actually most) people I knew who had come to Beijing to work from other places in China lived 'below ground'. Just NEVER leave your valuables there (well, don't bring any) & carry your passport at all times. But underground units are basically everywhere!

Note: They can be pretty dodgy (& will vary from building to building).....but if you want to see the big cities, or at least Beijing, from a somewhat similar perspective of someone who comes to the city to work then you can check one out, not necessarily stay there if you find it too shady...

[civic94]

Many (um...actually most) people I knew who had come to Beijing to work from other places in China lived 'below ground'. Just NEVER leave your valuables there (well, don't bring any) & carry your passport at all times. But underground units are basically everywhere!

i thought that was illegal, such as people who are forigners/have other passports has to call the police and the police would come to the hotel and check your stuff and then ok it. at least thats what i learned from watching youtube about this.

[ChTTay]

Hostel dorms or couchsurfing.

Even in Beijing you can get a decent dorm bed (8 bed dorm) for 30 RMB. I found this to be a fairly standard price outside of the big cities for a dorm bed also. Sometimes it can even be 25 for a 4 bed dorm.

If you want so cheap it's free then look into couchsurfing. Sometimes this can be inconvenient though, depending on where the person lives (can be far from the centre, in residential areas) and they may not give you a key so you just have to wait for them to be home before you can get it.

[abcdefg]

#14 -- That's a great "outside the box" idea from @Heifeng. I had a friend in Beijing who showed me her cold, damp basement flat and offered to help me find a similar one. But, being a soft, luxury-loving western capitalist, i wasn't tough enough to take her up on the offer.

If one spent half a year traveling through China and living in several large cities exclusively 地下 like that, it might well provide the raw material for an interesting book or movie.

The photos in your first link are striking.

[heifeng]

I've stayed overnight as a guest in several 地下 units in Beijing somewhere in 五道口，牡丹园, 小营 & somewhere else I don't remember north of the 5th ring rd but no one ever said anything about me staying there...if anything in the underground units people tend "NOT to take notice of things". It was always interesting & really cold in the winter...so stock up on 二锅头 or 蒙古口杯 if you like and definitely at least one (or a few) army style wool blanket if you ever want to give it a try civic94 (or reconsider abcdefg ). Also the beds are generally more like planks of wood...not actual mattresses (yep, not very soft haha). Of course take my suggestion(s) at your own risk.

The pictures are pretty similar to the basements levels I saw in Beijing. If anything that lavatory area seems nicer & more private. I don't remember full height walls most of the time.

[abcdefg]

My friend in Beijing who lived in a tiny 地下室 showed me that her shoes and textbooks had green mold growing on them. That, plus the cold, dissuaded me, and I pursued more expensive but more comfortable accommodation options.

[skylee]

My friend in Beijing who lived in a tiny 地下室 showed me that her shoes and textbooks had green mold growing on them.

This is not uncommon at all and it does not happen just to people living in underground units. I live in a high-rise (but not that high by HK standard) and my shoes have mold growing on them too. This is difficult to avoid when you live in a humid environment.