Expat Life
How to get a QQ account in English
QQ, for those that don't know, is China's most popular IM software. Usage is so widespread that among the younger generation you're near as likely to get someone's QQ # as you are their mobile number.
For expats in China and wishing to make friends with local Chinese, having a QQ account is a must. Though Western-based IMs are also popular, with Windows Live Messenger quickly grabbing ground from Tencents QQ, using the Chinese-made product will win you lots of points with your new found friends.
Watching English TV in China (Online) for free
Advice and methods on how to watch English-language entertainment and TV programs while living in China.
Guide to Chinese Internet & Phones
Though images of rice paddies being tended to by sun-weathered farmers and their oxen might still creep to mind with the mention of 'China', rest assured technology has very definitely arrived in the Middle Kingdom. With the exception of the most remote villages of China's vast rural areas, mobile phones and the Internet are everywhere.
China leads the world with more than 600 million cell phone users, and 400 thousand plus people with Internet access of some sort. What's more, access to both mobile networks and the Internet are cheap and easy. We like cheap and easy.
Getting Around Chinese Cities
One of the cheapest, most exhilarating forms of entertainment in the People's Republic has to be the country's local transportation. For a single yuan you can synthesis what it is to be canned fish with a trip on the city bus, and for only a handful more you can gain a new respect for life as a cabbie reenacts scenes from Bullitt while casually questioning you about what country you're from and how much your salary is.
The major forms of local transportation in China are busses, taxis, motorcycle taxis, and mini taxis. In the larger cities, this is supplemented with modern light-rails and subway systems. What follows is a brief description of each.
A Guide to Chinese Alcohol
The cause of and solution to many of the problems faced while in China, the various alcohols found on tap in the Middle Kingdom are as abundant as they are varied. From China's staple baijiu, to the widely-available domestic brand beers and wines, there is no shortage of firewater to either complement or replace a meal with.
Note: By no means does Lost Laowai endorse excessive drinking; live it - perhaps, endorse it - no.
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