Life in Nanning, the Green City of China by Graham

I am an Englishman who decided to take early retirement and settle in China . Although I had a very good job, I had become disillusioned with my life in England and the opportunity arose to move to fresh pastures and burn all of my bridges. My late wife was born in Malaysia but her parents were originally from China and so I had visited China several times.

The first time I came to the city of Nanning was especially to meet a lady with whom I had talked on the Internet, and I stayed for two weeks. The second visit was one month later and I threw away the return coupon of my air ticket and never went back! Three weeks later I married the lady and we rented a modern apartment in Nanning. Now, I am not suggesting this is the right course of action for everyone, but I have no regrets. After 9 months, we moved to another apartment on the same complex and agreed to buy it. Buying new property in China is quite straightforward. Chinese Law does not prevent foreigners from buying property but the land is always leasehold and you are granted the right to use it, usually for 70 years from the construction date. Renting an apartment is also very easy and quickly arranged. Most properties in the city are in apartment blocks. The newer developments are built as condominiums with communal features like swimming pools, landscaped gardens, basketball and tennis courts, restaurants, shops, clubs and gymnasiums. We often play ten pin bowls, cool off in the pool and then drink cold beer and have a bite to eat under the palm trees, all without leaving our estate. What could be better?

So what is it really like to be a foreigner living in the People's Republic of China? I feel privileged to be here. The people are wonderful. The cost of living is very low and my standard of living is high. I dine out with Western and Chinese friends at restaurants and cafes almost every day, something which I could not afford to do when I was in England. The local cuisine can be strange at first, but you soon adapt to it and find the things you like. The same goes for chopsticks: learn how to use them or be prepared to carry your own knife and fork with you. There is a tremendous variety of food and fruits, especially in the tropical areas like Guangxi. Nanning is the capital city of Guangxi and is safe, modern and clean.

I have visited many places in China and been welcomed in all of them. There is a great internal transport system making it is easy to get around. Most places are connected by a frequent service of modern long distance coaches. The trains run on time and it is worth paying the little extra for the soft seater class. Don't underestimate the size of China: it is almost forty times as big as the UK and 25% bigger than Australia. So it saves a lot of time if you fly between some of the cities. Even Guangxi is almost the same size as the UK.

China is a beautiful country in which to go sight-seeing. It stretches from the winter wonderland of the North to the sun-drenched Tropics in the South. There are mountains, lakes, rivers, caves, deserts, tropical forests, silver beaches, azure seas, green hills, just about everything in one country. To the best of my knowledge there are no restrictions specifically aimed at foreigners travelling as tourists inside the country.

So how do you get here from the UK? The one thing you must obtain before leaving the UK is a visa. There are no non-stop flights from the UK to Nanning, and I have found the best routes are either through the northern cities of Shanghai or Beijing , or via the southern cities of Guangzhou or Hong Kong . China Eastern airlines have a regular service from Heathrow to Shanghai and then onwards to Nanning, but this involves a change of airport in Shanghai and usually a one night lay over. This can be a great way of breaking your journey. They often sell heavily discounted tickets through the on-line agents such as www.airlinenetwork.co.uk and www.dial-a-flight.com.

Do you need to speak the language? I know very little Chinese, certainly not enough to converse, and yet I manage to get by. But how I wish I spoke fluently as I miss so much. If you get stuck, try asking the school children, some of them speak English very well and it is their culture to respect and try and help an older person. At least buy a phrasebook or a pocket translator. Make sure it has the words in Pinyin and Mandarin characters. I use the Lonely Planet Mandarin Phrasebook which costs about five pounds and can be purchased at most airport bookshops.

If you are thinking of coming to Nanning and need any help, drop me an e-mail. And when you get here, call me, I'll be happy to meet you and share a cold beer in the sun.