Editor’s note: This translated article tells the story of Jonas. A Californian who moved to Fuzhou 10 years ago and never looked back. He and some friends started up the website www.fuzhouexpat.com to let the expatriate community in Fuzhou have somewhere to share stories and highlight the fun that can be had. Jonas’ other hobby: noodles. Like Fuzhou, he just can’t get enough of them and in fact ate only noodles for eight months to buy his Fuzhou dream house.
“I have lived here for all 10 years. Despite going to other cities to travel, I always return to Fuzhou. In my eyes, Fuzhou is a very balanced city. It is not too large or too small and between the East and West. To me, it is a very comfortable place.” Jonas is an American who has lived in Fuzhou for ten years. He loves Fuzhou, Mawei district, and most of all, he loves the noodles served in Sanfangqixiang hutong.
Fuhou’s winding Hutongs
Source: jerryluo0520
Noodles for 8 Months
In 2006 Jonas decided that Fuzhou was clearly his home and that he wanted to buy a house there. So, in order to save money, he ate only noodles for eight months. The noodles were very simple: plain flat noodles with meat, and somehow he didn’t get bored of them. After eight months he was able to combine the money he had saved with his noodle diet with some previous savings and buy a house. Luckily for Jonas he bough his house back then as he admitted now, “When foreigners buy a house they need to pay cash in full upfront. I could not afford to do that now.”
Even after eating only there for eight months, Jonas still likes to hang around Sanfangqixiang hutong in Fuzhou and enjoys the winding narrow alleys. He even still loves the noodles!
“In the past, the noodles were only 1 RMB. Now the noodles cost 3 RMB!” Jonas told reporters.
Sharing his Love for Fuzhou
Seven months ago, Jonas had a sudden burst of inspiration. Why not build a website about Fuzhou for foreigners? Everyone could use it to share pictures of Fuzhou's scenery, give food recommendations and find friends.
“In order to go to the mountains you have to take many buses. Fuzhou is a place with very good food but not much to do for fun. For those from Fuzhou, this is not a big problem, but for foreigners it can often prove difficult,” said Jonas.
So, with a few friends, he started up the English language website, www.fuzhouexpat.com. The site is updated daily and includes area recommendations and translated stories from Chinese newspapers.
Jonas' profile on the website reads:
From: California, U.S.A.
Keywoods: Noodles, Mawei, Sanfangqixiang, built English website in Fuzhou for foreigners, has lived in Fuzhou for 10 years.
“In the past, when foreigners came to Fuzhou, it was difficult for them to get to know the city. My website makes it easier. I am able to share what I've learned in my many years of experience in Fuzhou with everyone. We can make friends on the website and comment on different attractions and food that the area has to offer. I have found there they are many more foreigners in Fuzhou than I ever expected.”
In the 10 years Jonas has lived in China he has traveled to almost every famous city in the country, but he could never give up living in Fuzhou. He lives there now with his wife, a Fuzhou native of course.
Source: news.sohu.com
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Keywords: ate only noodles for 8 months to buy Fuzhou dream house Living in Fuzhou; fuzhouexpat.com; expatriate community in Fuzhou
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Eating noodles in your favourite restaurant isn't exactly the best way to save money. I'm no chef, but even my home-cooked noodles are palatable for me. I don't think his eating habits are any indication of saving money. Nice story, if a bit manufacured.
Feb 19, 2014 15:21 Report Abuse
Eating noodles for 8 months might save you, what? Around 20000 RMB?
Feb 16, 2014 20:34 Report Abuse
i did similar as a student so i could afford alcohol and rent.
Feb 13, 2014 21:02 Report Abuse
This article leaves many questions and depending on the answers, the fact that he ate noodles for 8 months may not be as impressive as to how he was able to put enough cash up for the dream house. For example, and I am sure he would not be willing to divulge this information as this is private, what was his maximum monthly household income? The mention of this website of his, does he earn advertising money from it or classifieds revenue and if he does, he probably gets a fair profit from it after techies and server expenses. How about his visa? Obviously, we can conclude that he did not arrive with enough money to buy both his dreamhouse and be able to eat in a fairly luxurious way, thus he likely was collecting income of some sort in China, especially since he wasn't able to put down on a house right away. In a city like Fuzhou, not top tier but also decent, probably saw his monthly salary run from 5000 to start (about 10 years ago),up to about 10000 5 years ago, to 15000+ at present, more in larger cities. These are estimates based on China as a whole, if he was working in China in education or hospitality, for example. With the visa difficulties of recent years, he probably would be restricted to education or speciality work that only foreigners could do, or business. I only guess this because he came to China without any set plan, according to the fact that he settled in Fuzhou because he decided it was nice there, meaning he didn't just step into a high paying job. If his website was his main source of income, it is understandable why he only ate noodles for 8 months, while it took time to improve his finances and website reputation. The cost of buying property in China has gone up by at least 50%, or doubled or tripled, depending on location. Also not mentioned, was the cost of the house itself, per square meter, at the time he bought it which was pre Olympics era according to the article. If it was 2000RMB per square meter and he was earning, 6000-8000RMB back in 2006, he could save up for about 3 squares per month and that's only 24 squares. Most cities now, it would be a dream to find property at such a price, even as far back as 2006-2007. Simply eating noodles for 8 months straight, is not as impressive as buying the house period, especially if it is his "dream house". Simply put, there are just not enough facts to impress me of either feat. Anyone can love noodles enough to eat them everyday, most Chinese friends of mine do exactly this. Anyone can own a house if they have the right circumstances financially, at the right time.
Feb 13, 2014 19:15 Report Abuse
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