Russian diaspora in Beijing. Russian children in a Chinese school. Complete high school

If you are Russian parents who, by the will of fate, moved with your children to China, you are seriously concerned about the issue of further education of your children in the Middle Kingdom. How to make the best choice, how to choose priorities, will children be able to adapt to a new cultural environment? There is not much information on the topic of cultural adaptation of children abroad, especially about China. Basically, these are forums and personal communication. In this article, I will try to analyze my personal experience and the experience of the parents around me, accumulated over 4 years in Guangzhou.

Where to study?

There are several ways to choose a full-time educational institution, depending on your finances. I would like to note that any education is a long-term process in terms of results, and what is more important here is how long you can provide the chosen school for your child.

So number 1 is international schools. The cost of training is above 100 thousand yuan per year. For this money you will get a high-status school, well equipped, with a good teaching staff. If you can pay for this school for at least 4-5 years, then this is an excellent choice. Sometimes cheaper schools have a religious component. Teaching is conducted in English and Mandarin. Of course, if I had the financial means, I would want my children to study in English (but probably not in China). Number 2 is a local Chinese public school. It is believed that a public school is better than a private one (the teacher's salary is higher), so such schools are overcrowded (60 people per class). Teaching in Mandarin and very, very strict discipline. The cost in Guangzhou is about 40-70 thousand yuan. Number 3 is a private Chinese school. The school is good for its cost, especially if it is not in the city center, but in the suburbs or on the border with another city, cheaper. The price per year (using the example of one of the schools located on the border of Guangzhou and Foshan) is about 15,000 yuan without boarding.

I would like to note that the system is very convenient, that in many schools there is a boarding school (school days or the entire semester), children are at school full day (7:30 - 16:30), the older they are, the longer. Also, if you want your child to do homework with a teacher at school, you can pay extra for this at school. The effectiveness of classes will depend on the diligence of your child, but he will not need to carry a briefcase home, and you will not need to devote time to helping children with homework. Also, sometimes the school offers a discount (for example, 50%) for the second child if you bring a certificate from the building administration of your “Garden” (residential complex or area) to which the school belongs that you bought an apartment there. You can also ask the school to issue you and your child a student visa. Sometimes they formalize, sometimes not, depending on whether the school has such experience. International schools will do this by default, but smaller schools may refuse if they have not had this experience before.

Personal experience.

I found the school by chance, it was in an area that suited me completely, and within walking distance from home, several Russian children were already studying there. My children moved here when they were 6 and 8 years old. The eldest had already studied at a Russian school for a year and a half and knew what school was. The younger one learned pinyin in a “preparatory class” at school in a year and a half, so it was much easier for him than the older one, who started 1st grade in the second half of the year. The first year I didn’t require them to do homework, I just made sure that they were in the mood to go to school, and tried to strengthen this spirit. I think this moment was more painful for me than for the children: my heart sank when I came to school throughout the year and watched from the classroom window as my boys sat in the back desks and were bored. Every day I heard: “We don’t understand anything,” “I don’t like China,” etc. I think the majority of children and parents go through this, but I believe that if not these complaints, then there would be similar ones in Russia : “I don’t like Ivanov”, “I don’t like Maryivanna”, etc. After a year of our stay, it was time to take stock of whether they had adapted to school or not, and maybe there was no point further... As was advised in one article, if after a year your child has not adapted, return him to his home school. But my advice is just to keep moving, pull yourself together and... hire a nanny who will sort everything out, or a teacher, and make it clear to the children that there are no options. And also stick to your chosen priorities.

Advantages and disadvantages.

A big plus, overshadowing the shortcomings of the education system, for me as a mother was the very presence of children in the Chinese environment: Chinese children do not carry iPads or money to school, theft or aggression is rare, there are no children who bring “bad pictures” to school and strive to enlighten less knowledgeable peers, you can be 100% calm about the content of Chinese TV, they won’t talk about violence and 16+ topics 24 hours a day, at school children are generally very friendly towards foreigners, no one swears. In these aspects, I am very pleased with our living environment, and I have something to compare with: in Russia, my children attended good educational institutions in the center of Moscow with an appropriate contingent. At the Chinese school, I was rarely called (and I am the mother of boys); parent meetings were held in order to demonstrate the class’s achievements for the year, and not once again to raise money. I will also emphasize the special attitude of the Chinese towards knowledge and teachers. The school as a whole is well organized, it is convenient for children to wear a sports uniform in the special colors of the school and with its emblem as a school uniform, teaching aids are also included in the cost of training, as well as the uniform.

Disadvantages: for unfinished homework you can get a ruler on your hands, and it’s quite painful. This is also common for rudeness and other offenses. But you can always come to a lesson and watch how it goes from behind the glass windows of the classroom. I hope your children will be diligent enough. However, it all depends on your teacher, how strict he is.

Result.

Overall, I think Chinese education is quite competitive. In what language you receive the basics of understanding mathematics, geography, geometry and other sciences, this is not so important to me, the main thing is that this understanding generally exists: the simplest things without which you cannot live. The Chinese language is difficult, yes, but when children go to school, they learn it gradually, and there is nothing unattainable about it. You need to constantly practice writing hieroglyphs, just like reading Chinese books. The process of assimilation itself is structured well, everything happens gradually, step by step, without unnecessary complications. It is also important for me that my son, who has problems with motor skills and concentration, like many modern children, is not bullied by anyone for his handwriting and inability to write accurately. Tests are easier to pass than in a Russian school - they are half tests, half assignments. I am glad that, in general, children do not have an aversion to acquiring knowledge, they love to be interested in everything new, they love reading books and watching educational programs, they can ride a bicycle to school and walk freely in safety in the vast territory of the town, just be happy children.

As a result in numbers, we have 87 points in Chinese. And this, I think, is good work that my children and teachers did.

In China, as in many other countries, school is divided into three stages.
1. Primary school.
2. High school.
3. Higher school.
Moreover, very often, each school is a separate institution, a separate building.

My son did not have to study in a Chinese or foreign school, but many children study with familiar families, so I tell you from their words what studying at school is like at the moment.

Literally back in 2005-6, a Russian child of 8-9 years old could easily be accepted into the 1st or 2nd grade of a Chinese school, and then immediately transferred through the grade, and he would integrate well into his studies. Then, around 2010 or 2011, at least here in Guangdong province, an order was issued that foreign children must study in foreign schools, and foreigners are not accepted into Chinese public schools. And school directors have already referred to this order when Russian parents tried to enroll their child in a regular Chinese school near their home.
Again, since local government is very strong, a lot is also left to the discretion of the directors; the directors of some Chinese schools still accepted foreigners.
Well, there is a difference between a foreigner and a foreigner. There are always children who were brought to China at 2-3 years old, who already went to Chinese kindergartens, why not take them, who know Chinese almost from birth?
Or, in general, children born here. But this is also a separate conversation, because these children can already be safely called native Chinese. :)
The child goes to school at 6 years old. Classes start at 8:30 and continue until 16:30. Lunch break from 12-00 to 14-00 or 14-30. Lunch in China is sacred, as I’ll tell you separately, and children are accustomed to this regime right from kindergarten and school. No, probably not. In Russia, all kindergartens also have lunch. Therefore, it should probably be said that in China, after kindergarten, the tradition of lunch is preserved at school, at universities, and at work.
Children at school have everything, just like we once did, all sections, swimming pools somewhere, various clubs, etc. That is, children, as a result, at 8-00 or from 8-30 in the morning, and until 16 -30 (high school students until 20-00 and later) - at school.
After school, from half past five to half past five, you can see schoolchildren on all the streets, they are going home. Some with their parents, some on their own, some picked up on bicycles, mopeds, some in cars. And in paid schools, in bilingual schools and in foreign schools, there are also buses that collect children around the city in the morning and deliver them in the evening (for a fee, of course).
In the evening, some children also have separate classes or sections, if their parents so desire. In general, you won’t see many children on the streets.
My son only started communicating with the first Chinese boys, a year older than him, about six months later.
So, Chinese children study, do homework, and go to various sections.
It is impossible to see a bunch of Chinese boys or girls hanging out on the street with a cigarette or a bottle of beer. Moreover, Chinese men smoke, in my opinion, all of them, but I don’t know where that transition occurs when boys don’t smoke anywhere and never, and then they grow up and everyone smokes. :))

According to the dates of the academic year.
In schools, as in higher educational institutions, there are 2 semesters.
Children study from September 1 to some January.
And then the second semester from some early March to the beginning of July (July 5-7).
Vacations are like that. From September 1st they start the first semester, and until October 1st, one month, then the October holidays in China on Independence Day are one week. From October 7-10 until mid-January they study somewhere - the first semester ends.
Vacations are more than a month, maybe a month and a half, maybe for the Chinese New Year.
Usually from March 3-5-7 - a new semester, or maybe even from the end of February. And until the beginning of July.
The dates from July 5-7 to September 1 are summer holidays, less than two months.
Many Russian mothers on the forums, when I got acquainted with all the information, scolded such a Chinese workload with studies. It’s like, there’s no rest for the kids at all.
Well, to each his own, apparently. But in China, there really are no strange 3 months in the summer completely separated from studies.
In the summer, by the way, children are given homework. One of the mothers once wrote that this is approximately one notebook of 96 sheets for writing. Or study for 3-4 hours every day. or rest for a month, and then study from morning until lunch. But, I think, here, too, each school has its own way.
According to the standard, there are 50 children in a class in Chinese schools.
Bilingual and foreign schools may have 30 people or less.
The uniform is the same in all schools. Sports. :))
That is, sports uniforms for girls and boys of various configurations, depending on the weather. T-shirts, shorts, pants, sports jackets for autumn and winter. They wear this uniform at sporting events too. And all day at school, and after school, many people run in it on the streets. I don’t know if 2 or 3 sets of interchangeable uniforms are needed for one child when wearing this, or more.
Chinese schools are also divided into their own, some are free and some are paid.
Prices.
1. Chinese schools.
In these schools, all teaching is done only in Chinese. For the most part, these are public schools.
For example, some acquaintances pay 8,000 yuan per semester (multiply by 5 on average), that is, 40,000 rubles for six months at a primary school, the school is attached to (or belongs to) Peking University. Per year - 80,000 rubles.
Other acquaintances taught the child for one year in some Chinese school, I don’t know which one, for 7,000 yuan per semester (35,000 rubles for six months = 70,000 rubles per year).
Moreover, they said that they also took the entrance exam (after the first year of study at a free Chinese school), they thought, well, they’ll come now, there won’t be enough people for that kind of money. Oga! There were about 1000 people who wanted to send their children to this school.
And regular Chinese schools are free. Just like we did in Soviet times. Textbooks are taken at school (you can buy them), uniforms - I don’t know, I know that many schools sell them everywhere, but whether or not they give out at least one set for free - I don’t know.
2. Bilinguals.
Bilingual schools.
A very common type of school in China, since China is now all obsessed with learning English, right from kindergarten.
Teaching in such schools is conducted in two languages ​​- Chinese and English.
By the way, this bilingual, which I gave a link to back in 2009, has become very popular over the last 2 years among Russians. Many people still write to me in personal thanks for the information about her, although I haven’t written on the Hemisphere forum for more than 3 years. It’s just that at one time one of the German women, on one of the English-language forums in Shenzhen, gave me a link to this school. At that time, she had three of her children of different ages studying there, and they were all happy. I just posted this link with the comments of this German woman on the forum. As it is, I myself have nothing to do with this school. But our friends are now teaching their children there.
Here the payment is already significant.
Compared to foreign schools, it is much cheaper, and compared to Chinese schools attached to something, it is much more expensive.
I’ll just give an example of friends, they have two children there. And there is some kind of discount for two children.
This means that for kindergarten (there is everything together, both kindergarten and school) they pay 12,000 yuan per semester (60,000 rubles for six months, 120,000 rubles per year).
For a son in primary school, 15,000 yuan for six months (75,000 rubles for six months, 150,000 rubles per year).
In total, for two children per year they pay 135,000 rubles per semester = 270,000 rubles per year. Plus there’s 2,000 yuan (10,000 rubles a year) for uniforms and textbooks.
Normal prices? :)))
This is both a kindergarten and an elementary school.
From grade 5, prices rise to approximately 25,000 yuan per semester (125,000 rubles), and then to 35,000 (175,000 rubles).
And these are the prices for education in the most common schools - bilingual (bilingual) schools, where foreigners mostly send their children, because it is in such schools that the child will speak and learn two languages ​​at once, both Chinese and English.
The kids really like it there. There are a lot of different events. It's very interesting in kindergarten.
About the composition of foreigners in such schools.
Literally, the conversation was just about what kind of foreigners there are, from what countries, and how many of them there are in relation to the Chinese themselves.
There are approximately 50% to 50% Chinese and foreigners in such a school.
Of the 50% of foreigners, approximately 40% are dark-haired foreigners (if you can call them that). These are Koreans, Indians, Brazilians, Colombians, etc.
And 10% are fair-haired foreigners (British, German, American).
In that regard, there are cool mixtures of different nations. For example, an Afro Chinese is an American. :) A sort of black, curly-haired boy with narrow Chinese eyes. At first my son told me that there was such a guy living in our area. And then I somehow saw him myself. :) Cool, of course.

In general, if you have that kind of money, your children will love it there.
But I also want to say about popularity. For example, the very school that I am writing to you about, at the time of 2010, had only one first grade each year with 30 people in the class. And only 2 Russian children studied there.
As of today, as of September 1, 2013, this school already has 5 first grades, with 30 (or a little less, I don’t remember) children in each grade.
You need to register there from February - March. Not everyone is being signed up now. Now, if your child was not in Chinese kindergarten at the beginning, and you just want to send him straight to 1st grade, they may not take him. Doesn’t know Chinese or English - sorry, he won’t study well, we won’t be able to give him anything. Goodbye. :))

3. Purely foreign schools.
There are two main known schools.
They contain the same amounts that I wrote above, only in dollars. :)
13,000 - 15,000 dollars per semester, plus deposit, discount if a year or 2 in advance. If I'm not mistaken, these prices include full board when the child studies there for 5 days. And on weekends he can come or come home.
But there are others that are cheaper, you just need to look. One of my friends has a son who has been studying in a foreign school since the first grade, I know the prices from his words.
They started paying for primary school from 23,000 yuan for six months (115,000 rubles for six months, 230,000 rubles per year).
Now for high school, I won’t say exactly, the figure is a little forgotten, in my opinion, he said that now it’s 35,000 yuan (175,000 rubles for six months, 350,000 rubles a year).
4. Kindergartens.
Well, I’ll tell you about kindergartens right away.
The average payment in kindergartens per month is 2,500 yuan (12,500 rubles).
There are kindergartens for 1700 yuan, some for 6000 yuan, and some for 9000 yuan...
Let me clarify once again - this is payment PER MONTH. Here for kindergartens - here per month, not per semester.
I once asked a friend who has a kindergarten in the courtyard of her house for 6,000 yuan a month (that’s 30,000 rubles a month), what kind of kindergarten is this, and what’s so special about it?
She says, so what? Such a small palace, 5-6 people in groups, for each group there is an English teacher, in fact, every child, as if under individual supervision, dust is blown off the children. :) Well, recently, while talking with someone somewhere, I found out that there are already kindergartens for 9,000 yuan a month.

As a rule, parents still enroll their children in a distance Russian school in order to be able to read, write, and study according to the Russian curriculum, so that the child does not become Chinese at all. :))

Do you think that with such payments, starting with kindergarten fees, will the Chinese in Shenzhen work for a cup of rice? :))
Do you still feel a slight contempt for “those Chinese”?
Do you still imagine them in the form of some uneducated peasant selling rags at the market?
It's funny for us to even hear about it.
Well, I hope that this post of mine will help guide those parents who are now planning to transport their children here.
So that it doesn’t happen later, like with us, or like others know, when we simply turned out to be not ready for the situations in schools here, or for payments of such a plan.
I personally thought, after reading all the forums on this topic, that I would come, send my child to some Chinese school, let him sit for the first year, stare out the window, whatever he understands will happen. No, they didn't take it.
Another friend of mine told me that when she was planning to come with her children to her working husband in Shenzhen, she read about foreign schools and thought how great it was, her children would study in foreign schools, it was so cool! After arriving and finding out the prices, I had to forget about these dreams. And also enroll children in distance school in Moscow.
And so now you will already know where, at what price, and why to send your child. I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time, but the absence of the Internet for a day, and being in Russia, where without the Internet I now have no work, gave me this opportunity. :)

At first XX century Russians fled to Harbin and Shanghai escaping from Civil War and Bolshevik rule. On the edge XXI century China has become a popular destination for labor migration: from white-collar workers to those working in the entertainment industry. Today at China there is a community of immigrants from the post-Soviet space who continue to live as a single Russian-speaking community, despite the difficult relations between the former Soviet republics. However, over the past two decades China has changed dramatically: a poor country where "laovaya"(foreigners) looked up from the bottom up, turned into a developed and expensive state.

It's sooner now Russia with its depreciated ruble, not China looks like a suitable place for downshifting, a country where you can happily spend the money earned at home.

Chinese salaries have become very attractive by Russian standards. However, the development trends in China are such that life there is becoming more difficult for foreigners. Lenta.ru looks into how the situation of Russians in China has changed, what worries our compatriots who moved there, and why Russia should be glad that they exist.

How many Russians are there in China?

There are no exact statistical data on the Russian diaspora in China. There is also no consensus on whether it is worth talking about the diaspora here. Delegates to the 10th “Conference of Russian compatriots living in China,” held in May this year in Beijing, agreed that this term is incorrect. Most migrants do not come to China forever, with a return to their homeland in mind, or, as one of the author’s interlocutors put it, “moving on to a normal country.” The majority retain their living space in Russia, are registered, and are actively interested in what is happening at home. At the same time, in China these same people buy apartments and send their children to schools. Perhaps, over time, such expats would have formed a full-fledged diaspora, if not for the legal peculiarities of the situation of foreigners in China. Obtaining Chinese citizenship without parents who are Chinese citizens is almost impossible. The maximum is a residence permit, work or permanent, in case of marriage with a Chinese. It is this category of migrants who are inclined to live in China “until old age.” The rest are sitting on their suitcases, without much confidence in the future.

Therefore, the rotation among expats is very high. Constantly moving from one city to another is a normal practice. Many live in China for no more than three or four years. Only a few can boast that they have worked here for 20 years or more. According to Mikhail Drozdov, chairman of the Russian Club in Shanghai, the “21 year” mark is critical. That’s exactly how long his longtime comrades in the Russian Club spent in the Middle Kingdom before leaving Shanghai for the countries of the European Union.

In addition, it should be noted that “our people in China” are such a hodgepodge of representatives of all ages, professions and nationalities. Here are also students who study in China (many of them do not connect their future with China). Here are Russian husbands and wives of Chinese citizens, who, as mentioned above, constitute a special category. The backbone of the community are those who can be called “yuppies” (young professionals), qualified specialists who have received language and regional studies training, engaged in logistics, purchasing and quality control of goods, working in the field of education, IT and consulting. Those who work in nightclubs practically do not overlap with them, and this is also a whole world, itself quite motley. Another feature of the community is its internationality. All immigrants from the former USSR have their own communities, but not only Russians join the “Russian Clubs”, which were actively created by expats themselves more than ten years ago. It’s paradoxical, but in a foreign land the “Soviet family of peoples” is still alive.

In general, adjusted for all these conventions, it turns out that there are now about 40 thousand people from the post-Soviet space in China, and more than half live in three cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. There are about 10 thousand people in Beijing, including an impressive diplomatic corps. In Shanghai - five to six thousand. Russians live where there is work. Therefore, many expats settled in Guangdong province, the so-called “workshop of the world” (up to seven to eight thousand people), in Urumqi, through which a significant part of the cargo flow to the CIS market goes, and until recently in Sanya, where Russian tourists came to the beaches . The indicators of the “Russian Atlantis,” as historians call Harbin, founded by Russians in their time, are much more modest. Apart from students from local universities, it turns out very little. The reason is that in Harbin, where there is not much export-oriented production and offices of international corporations, it is difficult to find a decent job.

There are even fewer Russians in cities located directly on the border with Russia. A person who does not know the realities of the border region can assume that this is where the centers of the “Russian world” are concentrated. The abundance of Russian-language signs and menus in Russian-language restaurants, it would seem, should confirm this guess. But in reality everything is completely different. Russian signs are needed for tourists and the Chinese themselves, who still value everything foreign. There is no work here, and besides going to restaurants and massage parlors, there is nothing to do. Several years ago, there was a story in the media about Russian pensioners moving for permanent residence to the border Hunchun, but now, after the fall of the ruble, the prospects for this unusual community are vague. Its representatives lived in China on Russian pensions, which in yuan terms have now been halved. In addition, pensioners are faced with the problem of medical and social services, which are much more expensive in China than in Russia. Selling an apartment you once bought “cheaply” is not so easy (in small towns there is a lot of housing under construction, so entire neighborhoods are empty), but there is no choice - you need to return home.

The end of a wonderful era

The attractiveness of life in China is reduced not only by the collapse of the ruble. The authorities are consistently tightening the screws. The visa regime has been tightened, for violation of which (for example, working with only a tourist or business visa) you will be fined a large sum, deported and denied entry into the country. It was established that without two years of experience in the specialty, employment is impossible. Working as a guide for tourists, as many Chinese do in Russia, is prohibited by law. Employment of foreigners is generally permitted only for managers and a separate category of “specialists”, which, for example, includes teachers, but not waiters or dancers. For the latter, there is a loophole in the law - a stay in China can be framed as a tour. But the majority, of course, work without official permits or work visas, which makes them easy prey for the police, who regularly receive “signals” from rival businessmen. Another problem may be the lack of registration at the place of residence. Registration is done at the police station in five minutes, but for a long time this was perceived as an unnecessary formality. Previously, you could live for years on a tourist visa and without registration. But about five years ago, the Chinese authorities made it clear that now not all foreigners are welcome, but only those who are necessary and useful, and the carefree life of the “laowai” is over.

Feeling insecure is a common trait among most expats in China. If you quit and don’t find a new job, you will have no legal grounds to live in the country. A visa may not be given, and without explanation (it is believed that the “risk group” includes unmarried girls, whom the Chinese authorities a priori suspect of engaging in prostitution). The owner of an apartment where an expat has lived for years may suddenly increase the rent. Some misunderstanding, blown out of proportion in the media, can result in an explosion of public discontent directed against foreigners. In short, unlike Russians who move, for example, to Canada and Australia permanently, “ours” in China view this country more as a place of work, rather than as a new homeland.

However, with work these days, not everything is so simple. Russian business is everywhere reducing the staff of representatives in China. Intermediaries are deprived of their usual income from purchasing Chinese goods for the CIS market. The category of freelancers, who from time to time work as translators for various delegations, is gradually dying out - the income from this activity is not enough to live on in modern China.

Rents are constantly rising. Renting a one- or two-room apartment in Beijing or Shanghai costs 1.5-2 thousand dollars per month. In the outback, prices are much lower, but decent work cannot be found there. You can completely forget about buying a home. A year ago, the stock market in China collapsed, and the middle class began to transfer savings into real estate, preferring large cities. In just one year, housing costs in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen (a city bordering Hong Kong) increased by 40 percent. The difference in prices on the overheated Chinese and sagging Russian markets is such that even those who intend to continue living in China are hastily selling their property in these cities in order to use the proceeds to purchase a couple of apartments within the Moscow Ring Road.

However, the main expense item is education. Educating a child at an international school in Shanghai will cost a minimum of 14 thousand, and an average of 20 thousand dollars a year. We are talking about primary classes, then it gets more expensive. The cost of studying at a Chinese language school for foreigners is less, but still amounts to thousands of dollars. If there are several children in a family, even the most wealthy professionals think about moving to Russia or Europe, where school education is free or costs absolutely ridiculous (by Chinese standards) money.

Another important expense is health insurance. Without it, treatment in a clinic that meets the requirements of foreigners can make a hole in any budget. But the cost of the insurance itself is 1-2.5 thousand dollars per year. For the budget of a family of several people, this is a serious amount.

Finally, the most noticeable problem is the state of the environment. Last December, Beijing authorities declared red, the highest level of environmental danger, for several days in a row. The concentration of harmful substances in the air reached 500 micrograms per cubic meter, while WHO considers a safe concentration of up to 25 micrograms. Smog, soot, the inability to breathe deeply on the street - realities familiar to anyone in China. Never before in history have so many people been exposed to air pollution for so long, so the health implications for both adults and younger generations are unclear. However, already now, deteriorating health due to environmental problems is one of the most frequently cited reasons for leaving China.

Abroad will help us

And yet, despite the fall of the ruble, the mass exodus of Russian customers from the Chinese market, rising prices and environmental disaster, Russians remain in China. The number of people leaving has increased significantly in the last two years, but there has not been a mass exodus.

The main reason for this is the inability to find work at home. In addition, the majority are confident that China is much safer than Russia. Many are not ready to give up the level of comfort to which they are accustomed in China. In large cities, expats enjoy extensive entertainment and leisure infrastructure that does not exist in their home cities. Some psychologically cannot sacrifice the feeling of euphoria that arose after moving from the Russian outback to 20 million Shanghai with its skyscrapers, restaurants and other benefits of civilization. Someone does not want to return to a country where it is customary to walk around with a sullen appearance, and rudeness is a common and often the only possible form of communication. Of course, then you quickly get used to it (tested on yourself), but the psychological shock that occurs in the first hours after returning home leads many to the desire to leave for China again as soon as possible.

Those who have finally decided to move to Russia do not hide: this is only possible if there is remote work, tied to the same China. In Russia itself, the knowledge and capabilities of people with many years of experience living in the PRC are not in demand. And the point is not only in the rudimentary state of Chinese studies expertise in Russian government agencies and business, but also in the fact that problems may arise during employment. A graduate of Peking University with a degree in Economics, fluent in Chinese and English, was not hired by the international department of the city administration because his diploma “does not correspond to the field of activity”: a diploma as a translator was needed. A candidate of sciences who received a degree from a leading Chinese university was refused consideration for a vacancy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to “staying abroad for too long.” The list of such collisions goes on. The bureaucracy is opposed to everything non-standard, and the Russian community in the PRC still appears to officials as something incomprehensible and dubious.

China will never become a full-fledged homeland for migrants from the former Union. At least for purely technical reasons. They will not be able to become Chinese citizens, joining the small and degenerating community of ethnic Russians who fled to China in the 1920s and received citizenship in the middle of the last century. Here they will always be strangers. But it is precisely in such conditions that they turn into a phenomenon capable of playing the first violin in the development of relations with China. The Russian community in China exists and will exist, despite the problems. This is a given that needs to be recognized and learned to benefit from. Expats have accumulated unique experience interacting with the Chinese. This is not just language proficiency, it is a comprehensive knowledge of all areas of regional studies, business ethics and ethnopsychology. In general, everything that the Russian state, business, science and expertise is so lacking today in order to finally move from words to deeds in cooperation with the PRC. The business and expert potential of our compatriots with experience of living in China must be used. How effective this can be is evidenced by the experience of the same Chinese, who actively used the knowledge and skills of emigrants when they began building their economic miracle three decades ago.

The development of Chinese territory by the Russian-speaking population has not lost its relevance for several centuries, in fact, just as the interest of the Chinese themselves in the nearby post-Soviet regions has not faded. The reasons that force CIS citizens to move to the Middle Kingdom are very different. This includes an element of exoticism, close economic contacts, and a cheaper market for goods and services. How Russians live in China and whether the move is worth the effort will be especially interesting to know for those who intend to change their area of ​​residence in the near future.

Features of life in China

The migration process to this country is quite difficult. The reason must be so compelling that local authorities are left with no doubts about the advisability of such an event. If it is an investment, then it should be at least 500 thousand US dollars, if it is a rare profession, then it should be no less than a nuclear chemist, and if it is a marriage, then it should last at least 5 years.

The first thing that attracts the Russian-speaking population is the low cost of industrial goods, housing, and food. But this is provided that you live in a modest apartment and buy clothes and food at the market. In any case, this is what Russian bloggers living in China recommend doing.

When moving to this part of the continent for permanent residence, you need to be prepared for a sharp change in your basic habits and lifestyle.

The first is food. The food here is tasty and original, but after a couple of weeks the emigrant begins to miss the traditional dishes of his native cuisine. The second is the densely populated area, and the third is a completely different attitude towards issues of hygiene and order.

As for the economic development of the Celestial Empire as a whole, many countries have long come to terms with the fact that China has overtaken them in matters, for example, of automotive production. Its own “Silicon Valley” operates quite productively here, and the export of goods today suggests that Chinese production provides all other regions of our planet.

Russian diaspora

The most numerous stage of Russian emigration to Chinese territory can be called the end of the 19th century, which included the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway. The peak of emigration coincided with the 20s of the 20th century. It was during this period that it reached its highest development, which gives historians the right to talk about the diasporas of Harbin and Beijing.

The subsequent events in Russia and the “Cultural Revolution” in China canceled out the efforts of several thousand migrants, and this phenomenon simply ceased to exist in Chinese society. It would be fair to say that today there is no Russian diaspora here as such. Life for Russians in China, scattered throughout the country, in terms of unity and cohesion is represented by only a few Russian-speaking communities.

As researchers note, compact settlements of immigrants from the former USSR can be found today:

• in the Xinjiang Uyghur region;
• In Shanghai;
• in Heilongjiang Province;
• in Argun Yuqi County (Inner Mongolia).

The areas where Russians live in Shanghai are characterized by weak attempts to create something like a Russian community. The “Russian Shanghai Club” and several Russian-language Internet resources operate here. In general, according to the same sociologists, at the moment about 15 thousand people from the CIS region officially live on Chinese territory.

The size of the Russian-speaking population is also influenced by a living example of how Russian pensioners live in China. The minimum benefit here, translated into, say, Russian currency, is 9,500 rubles (1,141 yuan or 168 US dollars). At the same time, a pension is due only if the citizen has worked his entire life in the civil service or at an industrial enterprise.

However, even this does not greatly influence the desire of Russian pensioners to move to Chinese territory, which is due to low prices for housing and utilities. In any case, it is quite difficult to say exactly how many Russians live in China in 2019, since statistics only provide official data.

The sphere of education for Russian migrants

The education system in China is in many ways similar to what migrants from the former Soviet republics are accustomed to in their country. It all starts with kindergartens, of which, by the way, there is a huge shortage here. This is followed by primary and secondary schools, and then the highest level of the educational process - university.

Schooling is compulsory, and all institutions are divided into two types - public and private.

You can get knowledge at a public school for free. This also applies to children of migrants.

At the middle stage, training is conducted in Chinese, but vocational schools and colleges in many cases switch to English. It is rare, but you can find institutions where there are teachers who speak Russian and can explain the subject.

A school in China for Russians will be a good reminder of the Soviet past, when mass exercises were held in the schoolyard, and students had quiet time during the day.

Higher educational institutions willingly accept Russian students. To do this, it is enough to provide the results of independent testing and pass the competition, which can reach 100 people for 1 place. The chances increase for those who already started learning Chinese in school.

Work for Russians

China for Russians who want to realize themselves professionally starts with a work visa. It is issued in your home state, and after crossing the border, you will receive a residence permit with the right to work within one month. And don’t even try to get a job here bypassing the migration requirements. Chinese laws are very harsh on violators. There can be two directions of labor realization:

• open your own business;
• get a job as an employee.

Competition in both cases will be quite high. The Russians most often target Beijing and Shanghai.

Features of working in Chinese companies

Don't forget that Chinese employers and the style of work itself are also different from what you are used to in your home country. To begin with, remember that the Chinese celebrate their New Year not together with the entire planet, but in the first quarter of the new 12-month period that has already begun for us. It is for this reason that the most hectic month here is January, and not December, like ours.

People also like to relax here for 10 days on holidays. Both because the holiday is revered so much, and because when it comes, workers accumulate days off that they have not taken off during the year.

As for any agreements, the Chinese are not inclined to follow them. Deliveries are always delayed, and if the best employee turns up, no one will even remember about you. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the culture of behavior in the East, which differs significantly from Western canons.

Wage

It’s very easy to earn the basic minimum to rent inexpensive housing and buy the necessary products and things. There are always enough vacancies for sellers, waiters and animators. A salary of 400-800 US dollars can be found for a couple of weeks.

But if you are interested in earning 1.5 thousand dollars, then you cannot do without a profession that is in demand. Russians can easily find work as a fashion designer, IT developer, shoe and clothing production technologist, teacher, and doctor. The main thing for successful employment in this country is having a higher education.

For comparison, we present the salary level in the table:

Doing business in Chinese

It is no secret that the Chinese goods market has long conquered the world, in particular the former Soviet republics, where not only original products are actively supplied, but also fakes of famous brands, sometimes of quite high quality. This is what makes many businessmen think about it.

Let us immediately stipulate that the development of a business project is a profitable event, although quite bureaucratic. There can be two options for doing business: registering a representative office of a foreign company or creating an enterprise with 100% foreign investment.

The first method is the fastest. Representative offices of foreign companies receive accreditation for 3 years, after which the owner is faced with a dilemma - to extend it for another 3 years, or to reorganize the business into the second option. It is important to remember here that representative offices in China are not allowed to operate for profit. They can conduct business in the field of networking, market research and the like. To make a profit from your work, you will have to organize a company in which 100% of the capital will be foreign.

It is difficult to say what is more important in the process of moving to this part of the planet – the opportunity to find inexpensive housing or a good job. In any case, something will have to be sacrificed. Prices for rented housing will increase in direct proportion to the size of the locality. But in a large city you can find well-paid work.

Many are betting on the areas where Russians live in China. Perhaps it would be more advisable to start looking for a suitable option with them.

As in other countries of the world, the more prestigious the area and the better the construction, the more expensive the accommodation will be.

For comparison, here are the prices for renting apartments in different cities:

Purchase of real estate

Of course, the most profitable option to settle in China is to buy your own home. Prices for it will also vary depending on the region of the country and the area of ​​the city where you choose. And here it is important to remember that when buying an apartment, you become the owner of exclusively square meters. The land on which the house stands will still belong to the state, since it cannot be sold.

In the process of drawing up a purchase and sale agreement, the land plot is leased to the owner for 50 years. It’s difficult to say what will happen after they expire. But these are the laws. As for the cost, the average figures for cities can be presented as follows:

And do not neglect the advice and reviews of those who have already visited this amazing country, or, moreover, settled in it for a long time. They, like no one else, will be able to tell you how Russians live in China. Make a discount only for the fact that everyone’s tastes, requests and needs are different.

How to move to China? Work in China and salaries: Video