In many aspects, life as an expat in China is like anywhere else: eating, shopping, going out and chatting with other people.
Alfons Mairhofer, Area Sales Manager Asia at A&T Wiener Neudorf / Austria shares the experiences he has made as an expat in China:
To accept the challenge, or rather opportunity, to temporarily relocate to Shanghai/China with my responsibilities as Area Sales Manager for Far Eastern clients was a rather easy decision to make. Starting from early family influences, continuing with a university education in a multinational and -cultural environment, I have always been excited to also experience the “how things are done” elsewhere in the world first hand.
While the main purpose of my relocation was of course work related, and most of the days were spent travelling around Asia, there was still some free time and weekends left to explore and experience Shanghai and its surroundings.
Unfortunately I cannot return at the moment because of the worldwide travel restrictions due to Covid-19. Like many people I hope for a quick return to normality - until then my memories help me to suppress my wanderlust.
Allow me to rush through the actual previous chapter of visa regulations and immigration to not kill the mood in the first part already. Neutrally speaking, the processes for migrating and changing places of living are still created rather difficult and exhausting in many countries of the world. Enough research and patience increase the chances of a successful Visa application though, which is also valid for China.
Like most other things in the PRC, this is also an aspect changing and evolving fast towards digitalization. A very positive example is the online registration form that recently went online. Since every foreigner has to register his arrival on Chinese soil within 24 hours, I can now save a trip to the local police station after each of my returns and can fill out the form much more conveniently on the subway or in the taxi from the Airport to my apartment.
The search for my “Headquarter” in Shanghai turned out to be a little more time consuming than I initially planned, mostly because of me being spoiled by Vienna’s high standards of living for relatively reasonable rent prices. But luckily information and available offers are quite easily accessible (also in English) through different webpages, vast amounts of social media groups, and of course classic estate agents. Eventually I have decided to go with an apartment offered by the latter, as they helped me immensely with the upcoming paperwork and also provide very valuable after-sales services, e.g. hiring a handyman in the case of necessary repairs.
Now I find myself in a cozy, recently renovated, attic apartment at South Shaanxi Road in French Concession, a district of quite distinct character in Shanghai, where peaceful one lane alley roads, lined by low level buildings of historic architecture weave a dense net, and – every now and then – are crossed by busy four+ lane roads sided by glaring, glass fronted, high rise buildings and shopping malls.
Old-fashioned cash lovers like me can withdraw Renminbi (people’s currency) from an ATM located on almost every corner around the city. While you might think it’s a good idea to always have a little spare cash in your pockets, it’s an even better idea to get your electronic payment account up and ready on your phone as soon as possible. Once you have managed to do so (with the use of magic or help of local friends ideally) you’ll gain access to sheer unlimited numbers of services, besides the most popular and widely accepted form of payment. Seriously, I haven’t found a single person, shop, or other institution that would not accept either one of the big service providers AliPay or WeChatPay, while my credit card is turned down on every second occasion and even cash was rejected in some cases (or you have to tip the change cause of the absence of bills or coins).
While it is still a tricky story to permanently activate the full range of electronic payment services without a local debit/credit card, there have been providers recently offering short term solutions that can be used with a good range of foreign cards.
Yes, I have experienced people not able to pay a few bucks for a taxi. You’ll never know when your phone battery dies.
Alfons MairhoferArea Sales Manager AsiaAviation & Transportation, Wr. Neudorf / Austria
After his studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Upper Austria with a focus on medical engineering, Alfons completed the Master of Arts in Business for Global Sales & Marketing. Alfons studied abroad for a term in Seoul and did several internships in Austria. In private Alfons is very sportive and enjoys hiking, skiing and climbing. Since he is 6 years old he plays several instruments such as piano, saxophone and flute. Alfons has been working as Area Sales Manager for Asia at ISOVOLTA in Wiener Neudorf / Austria since 2015. |