Life in China

A park near Minzu Square in Nanning, China

I last updated this blog in June just before I was about to leave for my new job in China. I haven't posted again since then because work and the slow internet connection here have made it difficult. But I have survived my first semester of work at Guangxi University and now at last I have some time to catch up on things like blogging.

This post will be an overview of what life has been like in Nanning so far. It's been keeping me very busy so I haven't had much time for traveling, but I have done a few small trips which I will write about in the following posts.

China is the third country in Asia that I have worked in now, after three years in Japan and one year in South Korea. While it has many things in common with those two countries, it is a completely different experience. I am living in the city of Nanning in Guangxi, which is located in the south near the border with Vietnam. Nanning is considered a small city by Chinese standards, but in most other places it would be quite large. 

Nanning is a good example of the break-neck rapid development that China is capable of when it decides to invest resources in an area. Just ten years ago there wasn't much here beyond a small city surrounded by rice paddies, but since then the population has boomed and the downtown areas have filled in with fairly cosmopolitan malls, convention centers, parks and so on. It has a new subway system that just opened its second line, making travel around the city much, much easier than the previous bus or e-bike options.

Everywhere you look in Nanning, there are new buildings popping up

The climate here is sub-tropical, with heavy rainfall in late spring and early summer and it's insanely humid about half of the year. In the summer I found myself showering at least twice a day if not more. But fortunately my university-provided apartment came with brand new air conditioning, so there was some relief from the heat. And all the rain and humidity creates a beautiful green landscape, which is especially nice where I live on campus, surrounded by lakes and parks. The air quality is also significantly cleaner here than most other places in China.

One of the many lily ponds on campus

At the small park near Minzu Square

Food in Nanning is all about noodles, to the point where you can get tired of eating them, but they are pretty tasty. Rice noodles in broth similar to Vietnamese Pho are popular, as well as flat noodles made from flour served in either broth or stir-fried in peanut oil. Guangxi is home to the majority of China's ethnic minorities, so you can also find restaurants specializing in their food. One of the best is lemon duck, a hot pot full of duck meat cooked with large chunks of garlic, ginger and lemon juice that is amazing.

Eating at the canteen on campus

Lemon Duck, a Guangxi specialty

There is also a barbecue street near Chaoyang Square where you can find all kinds of street food from waffles with ice cream and fruit to scorpions on a stick (not nearly as gross as they sound - mostly just crunchy and spicy).

In front: larvae, in the back right: millipedes and scorpions

Look out for the pointy bits!

Culturally I find the people here really kind and friendly, and for the most part they are really interested in cultural exchange. My students have been really curious to know more about the U.S. and have also been excited to tell me about Chinese culture. It's been one of the best things about living here; my students have always been enthusiastic about sharing customs, folklore, superstitions, and anything really about Chinese culture. I feel like they are teaching me just as much as I teach them.

It's a challenge to get by here without Chinese, as there aren't many people in Guangxi who speak English well. That said, I have pretty limited Chinese still but I've been managing pretty well, and I've even been able to travel to some more rural areas without too much trouble. A dictionary on your phone is an absolute necessity though, since Chinese pronunciation is difficult and also varies a lot from place to place. The best dictionary is called Pleco, it's a free app that will work even without an internet connection and I use it nearly everyday.

Nanning is not as exciting as cities like Hong Kong or Shanghai, but I really like living here so far. The pace of life is very relaxed, I don't have to worry as much about pollution, and there are a lot of amazing places to travel to nearby - most of southeast Asia is a short plane ride away from Nanning.

The Longji Rice Terraces in Guangxi, about 5-6 hours away from Nanning