scramson

I have been offered a position in Zhuhai and would like to know if there are any Western Expat experiences to share. I will be looking at a 3 year min transfer so need some good advice.

What is the standard of living like?
What is the best area to live?
What social activities/clubs are there for Westerners?
What are Schools and child care clubs like?


Thanks

ex reg

I can't help with the details.

But when I was working in HK we had a subcontract with a pre cast concrete factory in Zhuhai run by a British guy and a lot of the staff were British.
They all lived in Macau and used to travel back and forth each day across the river by boat and never went through immigration, who maybe turned a blind eye.

But when we used to visit we went through the official or nearly official channel which was a small hut on the river bank: Zhuhai has a proper immigration facility between it and Macau.

Anyway this secondary customs post was well I don't know how to put this but they accepted bribes or maybe demanded things even if you had the proper papers etc.
Especially from young women coming down from up river in China.

We could see things happening from a distance but the young women were ushered into the hut one at a time and 15 minutes later they would emerge pulling down their jerseys etc and adjusting their clothing. I don't think they had any choice if they wanted to pass customs. Don't think the 'R' word was involved but other stuff.

Now comes the ethical bit. Why didn't we say anything. I've always wondered myself and aren't happy with the answer. But there you go it happens I suppose in many places.

Zhuhai was a bit wild west in those days certainly the bars and restaurants we visited but even then it seemed to have all the stuff required, supermarkets, shops, malls, hotels, etc etc.
English wasn't often spoken mind.

Desert Dweller

I've been across to Zhuhai to visit a big boatbuilder over there and found it a pretty interesting place. It is a garden city and has a very nice waterfront area and nice municipal beaches.
It is still pretty wild-west when you consider how close it is to Macau and Hong Kong but better than some of the other places in China you could end up in!
Ex-reg, i think things have changed quite a bit on the border, though a lot of people do live in Zhuhai and commute into macau as property prices and sizes are better. You can get a pass which lets you flit across easily.
Again, I can't offer you any specifics but I think you could get a fairly decent standard of living though I would be concerned about schooling.