Visiting or living in another country is always a difficult experience. From greetings to where to put the toilet paper (or even where to get the toilet paper), food shopping to apartment hunting there’s a wealth of information that we’d like to know NOW.

Now there’s a way. Send us an email with your question and if we choose your question our resident experts will answer it for you. Drop us a line at cs@eChinacities.com. Don’t worry, help is on the way.

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Questions:

1-5    6-10    11-15     16-20    21-25 

26.Who and what are the women with the red arm bands I see at bus stops and intersections?
27.What do I say when I want people to get out of my way, for example when I’m getting off the subway?
28. Do people in China still use abacuses?
29.Do I have to register at the local police station every time I enter and leave the country?
30.How can I get English language channels other than CCTV 9?

 

Who and what are the women with the red arm bands I see at bus stops and intersections?

 

The women with the red armbands are traffic wardens (交通协管员 | jiāotōngxié gu?nyuán). Some of them are volunteers and some are part-time workers. They work at busy bus stops and crowded intersections during peak hours. They have the noble but unenviable task of enforcing queuing and orderly crossing of the street.

What do I say when I want people to get out of my way, for example when I’m getting off the subway?

 

If you’re getting off the bus or subway you can say xia che. Xia che (下车 | xià chē)means getting off the bus and you can announce it and make your move or put some questioning inflection on it and adding ma at the end. People will normally respond by letting you pass or nodding their ‘yes’, in which case you’ll have to wait for them.

Chinese people do not say ‘excuse me’ or duibuqi (对不起 | duìbùq?) when they’re trying to squeeze through, like English speakers do. Instead, say lao jia (劳驾 | láojià).

The sheer numbers of people on public transport are going to mean a little pushing is inevitable but try to be gentle about it. If you shove someone too hard you can always apologize by saying duibuqi.

Do people in China still use abacuses?

 

Not very often, sometimes in the rural areas but almost never in the cities. Children still learn how to use the suan pai (算盘 | suàn pán) in school but because there’s no need to use one most adult Chinese are quite rusty.

Do I have to register at the local police station every time I enter and leave the country?

 

Yes and no. Once you get your residency permit and can leave and enter the country without getting a new visa you don’t have to register when you leave the country. When you return, however, you must register within 24 hours or risk paying a fine and having a lot of hassle when you go to renew your visa.

How can I get English language channels other than CCTV 9?

 

You’re going to probably want to buy a satellite dish. They are not legal but they are very common. Check our classifieds for numbers of installation services. You will have to select a package – different packages have different kinds of channels – and they will come install your satellite dish. Most packages start around 2000 or 3000 yuan and are good for a year.

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