Expat Story: Mauritian Girl in Hangzhou

ABOUT

Catherine is from Mauritius, a popular tourist and honeymoon island nation in the middle of the Indian Ocean. She grew up multilingual: English, French and Mauritian creole. She left her country in 2015 to study abroad after receiving a scholarship from an international university having a campus in Suzhou, China. It was a dual degree program basically a UK degree in China at Xian Jiaotong – Liverpool University in Suzhou. She graduated with a BA hons communication studies in 2018. She has been an ESL teacher in Hangzhou for 4 years.

Moving to Hangzhou

How did you first become interested in Hangzhou?

fter I graduated, I decided to do a CELTA certification at the British council to skyrocket my chances of getting hired as an English teacher. It was tough to find a job as most times I got rejected or looked down upon because of my passport. I spent 6 months job hunting, sometimes applying for more than 50 jobs per day. It was disheartening and exhausting, but ironically when I told myself that I’m trying for the last time, this is when I finally got something. I found my recruiter on FaceBook and sent him a message. The next day, I had a job offer and a list of documents to gather for the visa application. I couldn’t believe it at first.

How did you find an apartment?

Luckily, my contract included housing and a bill allowance for water, electricity and internet. I didn’t have to hunt for an apartment which was a HUGE relief.

How did you get set up?

As I had a previous China experience and still had my previous bank account, I fortunately knew how things work here and what I needed to do to have myself settled.

Medical insurance was provided by my employer. It was mentioned in my contract. Usually most employers provide medical insurance to expats.

How did you immigrate to China?

The visa rules in China are pretty much the same for all foreigners. In general, there isn’t really any difference. It really depends on why you’ll be staying in China. I was lucky to benefit from flexible policies when I got this job and got a legit working visa with the right job title.

What did you bring with you?

I knew I could buy whatever I needed in China. I only brought a few belongings, some medicines, food products typical to home and more shoes since it’s a real hassle for me to find my size here as most women here have small feet.

What should people consider before moving to Hangzhou?

Before moving to Hangzhou, consider where you’ll be in the city. The closer you live to downtown, the more expensive your rent will be. Also consider any public transport facilities nearby as Hangzhou is a big city and you can spend a lot of time traveling from one part of the city to the other. Thankfully, the metro system has tremendously improved since and covers many parts of the city.

What is Hangzhou famous for?

Hangzhou is famous for West Lake and Longjing tea. West lake is the main attraction of the city. It’s a lake in the middle of the city with many tourist attractions each having their own story surrounding it. Longjing tea, also known as the West lake Dragon Well is a type of green tea which is cultivated in the hilly parts around the lake. It’s one of the most popular types of green tea in China.

Living in HANGZHOU

Do you need to know Chinese to live in Hangzhou?

I speak, read and type Chinese to some extent. I took Chinese level 1 in university, then learnt on my own and from my surroundings. When I came to Hangzhou, I took Chinese classes at a private institution.

What do you like doing in Hangzhou?

I love walking around West lake or when the weather’s not too hot or cold, I love biking around the lake. I also love the tea fields and sometimes head to different parts to explore around.

Is it better to live in Shanghai or Hangzhou?

Well, I’ve been to Shanghai a lot of times and also love it there, but I’m not sure if I’d like living there. It’s mostly a concrete jungle with a massive number of people. Public transport there can be really overwhelming, not to mention the traffic jams at rush hour, but nevertheless, Shanghai is a vibrant city with so many things to see and do. I just love how Hangzhou is the perfect mix of greenery and urbanization. If you want a break from your apartment and familiar surroundings and don’t want to venture too far, Hangzhou has a lot of nice hotels and homestays tucked in the greenery surrounding the lake or in the mountains a few hours away from the city.

What are you favorite places in China?

I love Suzhou and Sanya. I lived in Suzhou for 3 years and loved the city. There’s a lot of history and culture there, especially in the old district. The architecture reflects old China which makes it very interesting and different from the modern parts. The city is also known as The Venice of the East with its water towns and canals and is also popular for its beautiful gardens with Chinese-style landscape, part of the UNESCO heritage. Suzhou made me fall in love with water towns. I love them. Meanwhile, Sanya is known as “The Hawaii of China”. To be frank, as an islander, I can get very critical of other islands and beaches especially here, where some can be man-made, but a spontaneous trip there changed my mind. Sanya strangely felt like a piece of home away from home for me. The beautiful beaches, the sand, the blue sea, the tropical flowers and atmosphere reminded me a lot of Mauritius!

When's the best time to visit Hangzhou?

The best time to visit Hangzhou is during Autumn and late Spring. The weather is usually more stable at these times and feels comfortable. Summer here feels like hell while Winter freezes you to the bone. Hangzhou is quite humid, which makes it worse in Summer and Winter.

What are some underrated places in Hangzhou?

Some underrated places in Hangzhou are The Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu and Xiang Lake. I went to the ruins two years ago during Autumn and Holy moly! This is such a picturesque place! This attraction is quite recent as they discovered the ruins just some years ago and since have been occasionally promoting it. I love Xianghu! Most people flock to West Lake, but Xiang Lake is also gorgeous, way less crowded, surrounded by greenery and has a more relaxed atmosphere.

Do you feel safe in Hangzhou?

I never felt unsafe as a woman in Hangzhou. China in general is a very safe country. I never had any incidents wherever I’ve been. Nevertheless, I’m still conscious of basic personal safety here and avoid unnecessary attention.

What are you favorite restaurants in Hangzhou?

If you want to taste local Hangzhou food, I highly recommend Grandma’s home and Green Tea restaurants. Both are chains and have several restaurants in the city.

Final Thoughts

Was it easy making friends and meeting people; did you mainly socialize with other expats?

I found it harder to make friends here. There are some expat events like day trips, networking events and other activities organized in town, but unless you hang out at bars and clubs where foreigners tend to flock, it can be a challenge to meet other people. What I did at first was asking my recruiter to introduce me to the new ones in my area. Sometimes you have to be creative and proactive if you want to meet people and make friends.

What are you the most proud of?

I’m quite proud of knowing a lot of places in town, sometimes even more than locals. A local friend was so surprised that I knew so much about the city. I’m the friend spilling all the recs to others, because I’ve been to a lot of places in town. I’m also proud of having had one of my pictures part of a photography exhibition in town last year.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? ARE YOU WORKING ON ANYTHING PARTICULAR?

I’ve had 4 years in Hangzhou full of ups and downs. I’m grateful for all the opportunities I had and all the people I met, but I feel like my time there is coming to an end. It’s time for new challenges! It’s time for a new adventure.

I’m currently working on my next career path mainly focusing on digital media. I love writing, photography and creating travel content for my own social media. I’m currently stashing the knowledge and refining my skills to work as a VA or potentially work remotely in content creation. I’m also working on starting my own blog, hopefully as soon as possible!

Thanks Catherine for sharing your experience living in China as a student and as a professional! It’s interesting to see how you worked really hard to change your life for the better. I hope you can thrive just as much in your new adventure as well!

All the photos in this article belong to her.
Her IG : Here