Living in Suzhou Guide
Have you tried Suzhou’s famous cripsy duck ? Priced at only ¥30 per duck, be prepared to wait in line on weekends and special occasions.
The skin is crispy, yet not too oily and the meat is tender and not fatty, you can smell the fragrance of the store almost 30 meters away.
Expats can certainly expect to experience some degree of culture shock in China.
On first arrival to Suzhou, the human wave will probably shock you. Everywhere you go: public malls, tourist sites like Suzhou gardens, restaurants, railway stations, bus stations you will see nothing but waves and waves of people. Suzhou can be so crowded that you hardly have private space of your own once you are out of your hotel room or your apartment, special in Downtown areas like the Suzhou Shopping streets. Those moving to China may find some aspects of adjustment surprising novelties and others unexpected niceties. Either way, taking the necessary steps to prepare accordingly can alleviate some of the tension and the severity of culture shock.
Westerners are often the indiscreet focus of attention in restaurants or walking down streets. Unabated stares can grow uncomfortable and can become ostracising. There is also an obvious mark-up for products sold to foreigners which can further feelings of alienation and frustrate expats who otherwise try to be part of the community. Others can feel too much part of the community as enormous and dense crowds push and pack into public transportation or crowded sidewalks. Living in densely packed areas is often the largest cultural difference of life in China’s cities like Suzhou or Shanghai.
Another part of everyday life in China that requires some adjustment is the long queues associated with bureaucracy, from bank teller lines to waiting for hospital treatment.
When shopping, depending on the shop, it is customary to bargain for goods and the first offered price isn’t expected to be accepted. This isn’t the case in shopping malls that mirror the policies of western shopping centres.
The best way is to adjust yourself.. Keep in mind you are not in your home country. Be open for other cultures and behaviour. Find local friends talk open about it. Don’t only blame and compare with your life before.
What every foreigner must do within 24 hrs of arriving in Suzhou and living in a place other than a hotel is register with their local Police station and get form that is needed for renewing your visa, if you need to do so in China.
If you don’t do this you can occur a fine every day you don’t register. People staying in hotels do not need to worry as hotel staff will register for them after the check–in process has been completed. Once you are registered, you will have a white ‘temporary residence registration form’ that you should keep on file at home. It doesn’t happen often, but the police do have the right to knock on doors and ask foreigners to show their registration forms. Such ‘house calls’ are generally only made if your registration has expired because you left the country and then re-entered, or if you have extended your visa, and you have forgotten to go back to your local police station to renew it.
A ‘house call’ means that a police officer will ring your doorbell, usually in the evening between 6 and 9 pm, and will show his/her credentials and ask you to show your passport and registration form. If you have forgotten to register, you will be given a warning and told to go and register. However, repeat offenders may be fined. Note that every foreigner has to register, regardless of working and/or visa status. If you move house or apartment then you need to re-register at your new area’s police station.
BodyFit25 is Asia’s first EMS 3.0 sport studio located in Suzhou’s new shopping Mall “Harmony City” nearby Times Square. BodyFit25 works with the newest sport technology EMS 3.0 which afford to lose weight, build up muscles and/or relieve pain in an effective, healthy and time-saving way.
EMS means Electrical Muscles Stimulation and that means that we don’t work with weights but with impulses. Normally, our brain sends an impulse via the nerves to the muscle to contract the muscles. That’s how we walk, lift weights or do sports. Now, EMS simulates this impulse with our suit and the electrode on the leg and arm. Via our electrodes an impulse is sent to the nerves and muscles in our body. EMS 3.0 means that we can “tell” our nerves to contract the muscles (low frequency) , we can “tell” the muscles directly to contract (middle frequency) or we “speak” to both of them at the same time, which is also the meaning of EMS 3.0 (modulated middle frequency).
It is not at all dangerous for our body, the natural impulses that are sent from our brain to the muscles also consist of electricity – our impulse is absolutely equal to the natural one. Moreover, our machines are made in Germany, where they have been medically approved and declared safe.
EMS training 3.0 makes it possible to lose weight, relieve pain – for example lower back pain – and/or build up muscles and all this in just 20 minutes once or twice per week. The secret is the EMS itself:
With its impulses, the suit and the electrodes on arms and legs, we can reach up to 90% of all muscles in your body. Into a normal gym, you do lots of time-consuming work-outs for your arms, legs, shoulders and so on, but with our training, it’s all done in 20 minutes. Furthermore, our training is healthier and more efficient than normal sports training. You don’t need to lift any weights, which avoids hurting your joints. EMS is also cell-activating. This means that we put your cells in a state similar to their state just before the cell division. Nutrients and oxygen can be better absorbed and waste products are quickly removed. Thus, you are going to feel healthier.
Additionally, EMS trains the deeper muscles layer as well as your complete muscles corset; this is good for your posture and good to combat your back and joint problems.
We have suits, electrodes and our special underwear in all possible sizes. So everyone is welcome to try-out our EMS training 3.0 at BodyFit25. But there are still a few conditions to respect:
You are not allowed to train when you have tumours, fever, open wounds, a pacemaker or during pregnancy. When your doctor says, however, that you are allowed to do it, there are no problems.
EMS training 3.0 is a sports training – but a special one: innovative, healthy, efficient and time-saving!
Contact:
Carsten Richter
+86 185 5011 9803
[email protected]
Studio:
Shopping Mall “Harmony City”
3F, Shop 3270 BodyFit25
Passage between Sky and Forest area
269 WangDun Road
Suzhou SIP
www.BodyFit25.com
[email protected]
Facebook/Google+ / WeChat: BodyFit25
Moving to a new country is always an exciting feeling, no matter if you have decided to study abroad, you are searching for a new job or you have been offered one, moving to China suppose a Culture Shock for any Westerner and it might be even more challenging when is not an individual but the family unit who is moving abroad.
What is the Culture Shock ?
Culture shock is defined as the feeling of disorientation, insecurity, and anxiety one may feel in unfamiliar surroundings.
Most people who live in a foreign country for some time go through an adjustment period during which “Culture Shock” is experienced. Once culture shock is understood, its effects can be minimized dramatically.
Expatriates usually experience the following phases while adjusting to their new country:
Honeymoon phase
During the “Honeymoon Phase”, newly arrived expatriates are excited about their new surroundings and are eager to explore the new country. They are very positive about their relocation and the newness of the country.
Negotiation phase/Homesickness
Simple day-to-day tasks, such as taking transportation, shopping or attending school meetings, can become a real challenge in a different environment. This is sometimes exacerbated by language barriers.
Adjustment phase
Six to 12 months after arriving in the host country, expatriates usually begin to grow accustomed to their new home and know what to expect from their surroundings. Daily activities become routine and the customs of the host country are accepted as another way of living.
At this stage expatriates are able to communicate more freely with locals. The previously hostile country has now become a place from which expatriates can learn and enrich their lives. Once expatriates have reached this stage, the longer they remain in the host country, the more unique their experience will be.
Reverse culture shock
Reverse Culture Shock occurs when expatriates return to their home country after a long period away. As expatriates had to previously adjust to a new environment, returning home presents a similar challenge.
Some basic steps will help you to manage the stress and stop feeling as “a fish out of water”
1 Find new friends
Make and online search, read newspapers and local magazines and join an expatriate club in your city will help you get to know people in your new environment. Knowing people that have experienced the same as you will make you feel supported and understood plus you can learn how they dealt with it.
Wuxi International Club has been working to make Wuxi newcomers to feel at home for more than 10 years.
2 Be open minded
Withholding your judgment will allow you to be an objective observer and will facilitate the process of cross-cultural understanding.
Be open to accepting cultural differences and alternative ways of doing things. The unfamiliar may be frightening at first but in time you will find yourself taking these once-unfamiliar situations for granted.
3 Learn Chinese
Easier said than done, this will increase your communication skills and you will soon realize that Chinese people are happy to see that you at least trying.
Being able to communicate with the locals will minimize the stress of your move.
4 Routine
Establishing a routine like the time you meet your friends, you go to the gym or to your Chinese classes will give you a sense of stability plus will keep you busy.
5 Finally, don’t take it too seriously!
Don’t be too hard on yourself if proudly practicing your new words the locals laugh at you, you don’t know what to do in a social situation or the next in line in the local store seems extremely interested on your shopping.
If you laugh at yourself others will laugh with you.
Contact the Wuxi International Club:
Web: www.wuxiinternationalclub.org
Email: [email protected]
Learning Taichi, as one of prevailing sports now, is a profound part of Chinese culture, being the exercise favoured by both domestic and people abroad.
Rui Xing Club is the first official club to teach Taichi, and Mr. Liu Yuanyi, the teacher there, is very professional and famous worldwide. Mr. Liu Yuanyi, as the club’s founder and chief coach, presently takes the position of the vice chairman of Suzhou Martial Arts Association, the director of Chen Style Taichi Professional Committee affiliated to the Municipal Martial arts Association, the honoured Director of Hong Kong Chen style Hunyuan Taichia Boxing Association, and the speciality invited coach of Beijing.
Hunyuan Taichi Martial Arts Culture Center and Zhiqiang Martial Art House. He also is the favoured disciple of Mr. Feng Zhiqiang, who is the founder of Chen Style Mind Hynyuan Taichi Boxing.
Taichi consists of a number of sets, which are composed of a sequence of movements that are performed slowly, softly and gracefully, with smooth, even transitions between them.
The Hunyuan Taichi series not only has the basic movements and skills that are suitable for the old and the weaker to dispel disease and improve health, but also a variety of movement and exercise skills for busy people to strengthen health and to cultivate the mind.
The Ruixing Club was firstly set up in 2001 on Changwu Road, and two years ago they launched the branch club in Fangzhou Park SIP which has a really beautiful environment. They teach weekend classes from 9am to 11am in the morning.
Learning a set of Taichi churn is really cool, not only can you improve your physical condition, but also its a good way to communicate with others. If you are interested in learning Taichi, just take your action.
For a rock climbing beginner, the best and safest way to get started is to go to an indoor climbing gym. The “rock” walls at an indoor gym are not really made of rock at all, so its fairly safe. Suzhou Dushu Lake Climbing Gym provides such a place for climbing fans. It includes 350 sqm of boulder room and 10m high climbing wall.
Moreover there is especially designed campus board, which allows us to hold a full-scalewarm-up to minimise the risk of injury. The indoor climbing centre has received nearly 20,000 domestic and foreign fans of this sports from US, France, GB and Finland.
It has also hosted a series of competitions including a National Youth Climbing Competition and World Champion Match, which makes it the city’s centre for indoor rock climbing.
Their friendly coaches all have experience teaching different aged children, meanwhile, they also have the options of different climbing activities, including mountaineering, ice climbing, rook climbing, climbing competitions, etc..
All coaches have passed authenticated examinations on first aid.
They set up teenager and adult training courses, featuring different detailed courses, for example, adult training is available for an introductory course, basics course, middle course and senior course, while teenager training is available primary class, junior class A and junior class B. The general cost is around RMB1500 for 10 classes covering a period of two months.
Different courses have different prices and schedules, so if you are interested in it, just go there or call them to get more information. After having training classes, those who pass the examination will get a corresponding certificate.
Addresss: 2nd floor, Dushu Lake Sport Center, No.1 Cuiwei Street, SIP.
Tel: 0512-6260-3236
Cycling in Suzhou
Along the beautiful Jinji Lake, it’s not rare to see a few cyclists passing by like a gust of wind. Look at the professional suit and helmets, especially the cool fashionable bike with a unique style, you just can’t take your eyes off them!
In the fashion world, there is a cycle where many things of a certain vintage may return as a new trend. Cycling is a gold example. In the 80s, the bike was the main vehicle, as a replacement for walking, and China become known as the “kingdom of bicycles”. Nowadays, with the development of a sound transportation system and the ownership of cars, people don’t cycle as much. And the popularity of e-bike also reduces the number of cyclists. While time proves that cycling is part of a healthy low-carbon lifestyle, more and more people are tending to join the local clubs for cycling and to bring the original fun of cycling back.
Cycling for leisure in Suzhou.
In Suzhou, there are plenty of cycling clubs for all kinds of people, mostly office workers and students. Some of the members knew each other online while others met in the club. They may be in different industries, at different ages, come from different places, but there is one thing in common – they all love cycling. On weekends or in the evenings after work or study, everyone in the club usually receives a message containing the place and time for gathering. After examining the bike, getting a bottle full of water and wearing a helmet ,one rides to the appointed place. An exciting cycling journey waits. Of course, there is also someone who would like to ride his or her own. The cyclists call them “smuggling”. Normally, those people can choose their own routes, and ride wither fast or slow with more flexibility. However, group cycling is relatively safer, and along the way, cyclists can catch up a little chat, which makes cycling more casual, comfortable and interesting.
Cycling for Health in Suzhou.
Mr. Li is a member of the cycling club. He used to be more like most epode, working from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and had to work overtime sometimes, which left him little time for exercise but tiredness. One day, Li’s 5-year old daughter touched his belly and called him Santa Clause. He suddenly realised that he’d been too busy with work, while neglected his health. But after he was introduced to the cycling club, Li has felt much better after some strenuous cycling.
According to scientific research, cycling has several benefits for health:
1) For your heart: Cycling is associated with improved cardiovascular fitness, and a decrease in risk of coronary heart disease.
2) For your muscles: Riding a bike is great for toning and building your muscles, especially the lower half of the body – your calves, your thighs, and your rear end. It’s also a great low-impact mode of exercise for those with joint conditions or injuries to the legs or hips, which might keep them from being active.
3) For your waistline: You can burn a lot of calories while biking, especially when you cycle faster than a leisurely pace, and cycling can help to keep weight gain down, with the added benefit of ramping up your metabolism, even after the ride is over.
4) For your mental health: Riding a bike has been linked to improved mental health.
5) For your immune system: Cycling can strengthen your immune system, and could protect against certain kinds of cancers.
Cycling for Style in Suzhou.
When most people are showing off the cars they drive, the enthusiastic cyclists are competing with each other not just in speed. ‘Fully equipped’ is the premise of cycling. From head to toe, the helmet, sunglasses, jersey, gloves, shorts and a pair of cycling shoes are not only necessary for the concern of safety, but also showcase the unique styles of the cyclists in various patterns and designs.
But the most impressive one is no doubt the bike. The cyclists are crazy about how to select a bike and how to improve it. Even though a car is bought at a pretty expensive price, there’s always room for improvement. For the example, the weight of a bike can be reduced by changing the iron handlebars to carbon fibre ones, replacing the tires with narrower ones or changing the 12 speed derailleur to 18 speed derailleur. Of course, the changes cost a lot of money as well. But it can be a way of showing your personality and taste. As life is getting better, it’s not a bad idea to pick up a fashionable habit that is both health and fun.
Suzhou Regent International Preschool, was first established in August 1996, providing care and education for foreign preschoolers aged from 18 months to 6 years old, focusing on strengths and hands-on learning opportunities for individual growth.
Regent International Preschool adopts a small-class teaching mode, developing children’s abilities in each aspect, by offering creative activities of variety and interest. With the objective of making sure each child here is physically strong and mentally healthy, there are primarily interested in helping the children to lay a solid foundation for their future. Currently they have children from more than 11 countries and regions, including France, Japan, Denmark, etc.
Regent International Preschool offers a bilingual English / Mandarin program which includes an English Curriculum as follows:
– Play Based Curriculum
– Reading
– Math and Science
– Reading and Writing Comprehension
– Creative Expression
– Music and Movement
– Story Telling
– Computers
– Swimming
– Indoor & Outdoor Activities
– Reading Club
– Toy Club
And Mandarin Curriculum:
– Play Based Curriculum
– Reading
– Art & Craft
– Keyboard
– Computers
– Indoor & Outdoor Activities
– Reading Club
– Toy Club
The English teachers at Regent are Canadian trained Early Childhood Educators. In partnership with the George Brown College, Toronto Ontario, Canada, a national leader in the training of Early Childhood Educators.
The Mandarin teachers are graduates from the Suzhou College of early Childhood Education, which is highly regarded as the largest Early Childhood Education College in Jiangsu Province.
Regent International Preschool is reliable and experienced in the care and education of preschoolers.
Children come to school excited about learning and are curious about the world around them. Early childhood educators at Regent International Preschool strive to capitalise on the natural curiosity of children and set up an environment that directs the child’s curiosity into active learning situations.
Dragonfly is a new-age lifestyle brand and China’s leading chain of contemporary urban retreats, offering high quality massage and nail spa services to busy expatriates, weary of travellers, and sophisticated local customers. Each of the Dragonfly retreats is an oasis of peace and tranquility in the middle of the busy urban metropolis.
They feature a unique Asian decor, subtle lighting, tranquil music, wonderful fragrances and romantic ambience second to none.
Dragonfly offers four classic one-hour massage services (Chinese massage, Japanese shiatsu, Oriental Foot massage and soothing Aroma Oil massage) as well as a range of indulgent two-hour signature treatments and hedonistic three-hour VIP packages in the Crystal House. This winter, dragonfly also cares about your health preservation by offering Hot Stone Treatment Combined with special massage techniques and aromatic oils it stimulates the mind and brings the body into equilibrium. This particular therapy is meant to benefit the lymphatic system, detoxify the body and disintegrate muscle tension to bring about a feeling of total relaxation and well-being.
Tips from Dragonfly SPA.
1) Don’t go into the spa when you are too full or hungry, Don’t drink alcohol or exhaust yourself before the treatment. Have some snacks or drink red yea to refuel yourself with energy after the SPA treatment. It’s highly recommended that you spend 20 or 30 minutes in the designated restrooms before getting ready to leave.
2) Those suffering from heart diseases, asthma, high blood pressure as well as pregnant women should not do spa treatment.
3) For first timers or those who don’t feel well during the treatment, it is better to shorten the treatment by 10 or 15 minutes.