Working in China

Hey Peter,

I worked on an environmental story in China this past March. I never had any real problems w/ authorities (I was in a rural area) but we did have to dodge local Party officials a few times at the villages we visited.



I paid $125/day for a fixer who used to work for Time and could not have gotten anywhere without his help. I can pass along his info if you’d like, everything else (hotels, meals, etc) was cheap. Give me a call if you need more info.

Hi Peter,

Travel costs throughout China are fairly cheap to and travelling (both trains and buses) is very comfortable. Average hotels cost anything between $5 and $25 (always ask for a discount as you check in, they usually give good rebates).

A few tips: if you plan to go to areas which have been in the news recently (i.e. pollution riots) you are most likely to be quickly spotted by agents in plain cloth (if you don’t look Asian). As I guess you are not Chinese, they are unlikely to do much harm besides a thorough interview and kicking you out of the area (they might want your films or digital files though). 

Don’t stay in a hotel in a city which is hot: go to a nearby city and go to your location on day trips. Have a story ready if you get questionned.

And of course, travel on a tourist or business visa.

  

Hey Peter,
I have worked here for a few months and never had any problems. Travel costs are low, about $20-40 a day. Be really patient, humble, and smile all the time. I you have anymore question feel free to e-mail me.

Hi Peter,

China is inexpensive, transportation is cheap and convenient, and I have taken the bus to Northwest Jiangsu from Shanghai for 90rmb. I would definetly advise spending the time to find a good translator while you are here. This person will be invaluable for navigating your way through the culture and allow you to be a bit more undercover should you wish. He/she also will save you money on everything from room rates to phone cards. I don’t know if you need to hire one for $125/day but do recommend a professional if you are working with a sensative issue since any trouble you get into, it will be double for your Chinese partner. Gilles advice about avoiding “hot” places is critical and it is worth researching what has been written about areas in Jiangsu. Have your plausible sounding story ready, and at casual questioning, sounding stupid and ambiguous often works well for me. Other than that, China is awesome to travel and photograph in and most of the time I enjoy and incredible amount of anonymity, despite the fact that I do not look Chinese. Email me at: linziye@gmail.com when you know your arrival (I live in Shanghai) and we can meet to talk more. Good luck!!