1. Hotels
2. Serviced Apartments
3. Gated Communities & Apartment Complexes

1. Hotels:

The easiest and most popular option for short-term housing are the large international hotels. Shenyang has several options for international hotel chains and there are several more under construction right now. All are well-located near restaurants and shopping, and are well-known by most taxi drivers. These have at least a few English-speaking staff (although you shouldn’t expect many workers to speak English. Or to speak it well. This is still China.)

When moving to China, most people start out at one of the hotels for a few weeks until they settle on long-term housing. Even if you’ve already picked out your future apartment (on a look-and-see visit, maybe), you’ll still likely want to arrange a hotel stay to give you time to get settled and set up house. Remember it will take a minimum of 5 weeks and could be up to 8-10 weeks for an air shipment to get through customs and be delivered.

The international hotels can also be a good option for long-term housing as well. They have full-size serviced apartments. Many singles and couples without children like this option because meals are easy and having a dedicated staff can be very helpful. Currently, the serviced hotel apartments are around 20,000 RMB per month which is slightly negotiable based on the services you choose.

Pros of hotel living:

• Housekeeping & Laundry Services
• In-house Fitness facilities (several have pools)
• In-house Restaurants & Room Service
• Breakfast Included (Some also include a VIP happy hour that supplies a light dinner as well.)
• Concierge & English-speaking staff can be helpful for translations and helping you around the city
• Fully furnished including linens & bedding

Cons of hotel living:

• Smaller square footage
• Most have small kitchens which can make it a little harder to cook your own meals.
• Less privacy
• Most expensive option
• Very little space & freedom for personalizing your home with furniture and decorations
• Revolving “neighbors” who come and go often

The most-popular international hotels in Shenyang are:
Sheraton
Crowne Plaza (There are two Crowne Plaza hotels in Shenyang. The one near Zhong Shan Park is the better location. It used to be known as the Intercontinental Hotel.)
Traders
Kempinski
Lexington Plaza Rich Gate

The Double-Tree by Hilton and a new Hyatt hotel are currently under construction as well.

2. Serviced Apartments:

Another very good option for both short- or long-term housing that has recently become available in Shenyang is the serviced apartment. It is sort of a combination of a hotel and apartment. The only one I’m currently aware of in Shenyang is Somerset Serviced Residences.

They are located at Taiyuan Jie which is a busy shopping street surrounded by restaurants and malls. Somerset is a building of fully furnished one, two, or three-bedroom apartments. It offers the convenience of a hotel, including maid service, breakfast, and a fantastic fitness facility with the space of an apartment. They do tend to be smaller than apartments at the gated communities but they do have a fully equipped (albeit small) kitchen and English-speaking staff. This is in a very crowded area of town which may not be appealing to those with children and sometimes makes it difficult to find a taxi (although the new Shenyang subway is only a short walk). They can be booked for a short stay by the night or you can arrange for a long-term lease. They are also in the neighborhood of 20,000 RMB per month.

3. Gated Community – Apartment Complex

The last option is a gated community. These are the most common for families and for expats who will be in Shenyang for a year or longer. I’ll give you a tour of our place and a list the most common complexes in another post.

What sort of questions do you have about the housing in China? If you’re already an expat here, where have you lived and what was your experience?

A friend discovered this little massage place just walking down the street one day and raved about it so I gave it a try a few days after she found it. That was over a year ago and I’ve been going religiously since then. Fortunately for me, it’s just across the main street and a very quick walk.

It’s on Wenan Rd. (The street just behind the Sheraton Hotel.) Take a right at the “Mushroom Girl” restaurant, just past the Jiujiang Hotel down the little walking street. It’s at the end of that row of buildings on the left.

It’s easy to spot from the English “Traditional Massage” on the outside. It’s simple and clean.

They offer all types of traditional Chinese health & medicine, but the most common services are:

1. Traditional Chinese Body Massage (80 RMB – 60 min) :: This is what I’ve always gotten. It’s a bit different than what you’d be used to if you’ve gotten a massage in the US where they use hot oil, soothing music in a dark room that are meant more for relaxation than anything else. (There is another Japanese chain that specializes more in this type of oil or hot stone massage.)

The “doctors” here are trained in Chinese medicine and health and when they massage, they intend on “putting you back together”, kind of like Humpty Dumpty. Knotted muscles are like the devil in this place and they work on you until they are gone. If you are extra tight, this can get a little painful, but if you can suffer through it (if you can’t, just say so and they’ll ease up.) you’ll feel great tomorrow. Just the kind of massage I love! Wear comfy clothes for this one because interestingly enough you leave your clothes on.

(This bed looks a little messy because I didn’t take the photo until after my massage. They put clean towels and sheets on each time you come in.)

I really love these beds where you can lay flat on your stomach. I want one in my house… I’m a stomach sleeper.

2. Foot Massage (45 RMB – 60 min) :: Tried this for the first time a week or so ago. I had one once before at a different place and really didn’t like it because they tend to hurt. I was pleasantly surprised with this one because it felt great and was quite relaxing, especially after all the walking in Beijing from the few days before.

3. Guansha or “Combing” (30 RMB) :: This is a traditional Chinese technique that involves rubbing a bone (I think), flat-looking, comb-with-no-teeth thing across your skin. He explained that it was often used when you feel sick with a cough or stomach-ache and it will make you feel better. I’ve never tried it myself.

4. Baguan aka. “Cupping” (30 RMB) :: Have you seen the new Karate Kid movie? The one where Will Smith’s kid moves to Beijing and then gets beat up? Well, the part where Jackie Chan uses the fire and the glass cup and sticks it to the boy’s arms… that’s cupping. (Minus rubbing fire all over his hands and the kid’s stomach, that was just in the movie.)

Supposedly, it uses the heat trapped in the cup to pull toxins from your body. I’ve never done it, except when Dr. Cao was explaining it for this post. Then he stuck one on the back of my shoulder to show me. It doesn’t hurt at all. Just feels like something is sucking on you really hard. And it leaves a big mean-looking hicky for a couple of days. I plan to try it again the next time I’m sick or need a pick me up. I have friends who swear by it.

5. Chinese Herb Therapy (120 RMB – 75 min) :: This is a type of sauna where the boiling water is filled with Chinese herbal medicine. You lay on a bed made of wooden slats with the steaming pots underneath. If I understood correctly, I think they have different combinations for insomnia, weight loss, and other ailments. The sauna lasts 15 minutes and then it’s followed by an hour massage. You can do just the sauna if you’d prefer for 40 RMB.

6. The Best Massage: (180RMB – 60 min) :: This is some combination of the above. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask which. I’ll try to remember to ask and update this the next time I stop by there.

**Most of these say 60 minutes. In my experience, they are usually longer than 60 minutes… sometimes up to two hours. (Actually, the day I got the foot massage we started chatting about this post among other things and I was there for nearly 3 hours. And then he kept apologizing for being so slow with my massage. I certainly wasn’t complaining.) Tell them if you are on a time constraint, or just do like me and enjoy the extra time. In the afternoons, they’ll often ask if you want to nap after your massage and there are often people napping in the other beds. They believe this is good for your health.

Dr. Cao and Dr. Mu have been there since the first time I visited. The “apprentices” have changed a couple of time since then but they are all quite good. (They are trained in massage, just look much younger and until recently I didn’t know their names so we’ve always called the youngest guy “the apprentice”.)

Dr. Mu is the senior doctor in the shop. I understand the word “doctor” is used loosely here as he has no medical degree in Western medicine but I will say, in my experience, he knows his stuff. In a lot of ways it’s similar to Chiropractics, except here they deal more with the body has a whole instead of just bones or just ligaments or just muscles.

I have a knee injury I’ve been nursing for years. Recently, I had on a brace that I got from a doctor in the US. He had done an MRI, said there was nothing torn, spouted off a couple of possible diagnoses but basically said he wasn’t sure what it was and I just needed physical therapy and/or steroid shots into my knee that may or may not work. um. No, thank you. And physical therapy wasn’t an option since I was heading back here to China.

Anyway, I had the brace on when I went for my massage because my knee had been bothering me. Wang Jian called Dr. Mu over take a look. He wiggled and rubbed in different places asking where it hurt. I can’t really explain what he did to it other it was like a combination of massage and chiropractics, but I walked out with it feeling much better. Since then, he checks on it whenever I go in. I won’t say he “fixed” it, but I will say I haven’t worn that brace much since then and it’s feeling better than it has in a long time.

Whether you “believe” in traditional Chinese medicine or not, this little place is great! They are so friendly. Da Wang Jian, aka. “the Apprentice” speaks English really well. Dr. Cao always has a smile and has been learning English as well. I can’t believe how much he’s learned in the year I’ve been going there. When I first started, he could only say hello! Now he can almost carry on a conversation. Dr. Mu doesn’t speak any English but he always says “hello” (when he isn’t taking his afternoon nap!).

I hope you’ll stop in and get a massage here sometime. I know they’d love to meet you and really, you can’t beat a $12 one hour massage!

Using landmarks in China can be very interesting.

We weren’t sure exactly where to find them, as usual. This is the one of the biggest struggles as an expat. At home, I know exactly where to go if I want to buy flowers (or lightbulbs, or shoe strings). Or if I don’t want to make a special trip to the nursery, I can just pick up a couple pots while I’m at the grocery store and kill 2 birds with 1 stone. You can’t really do that in China. The “superstores” and “one-stop-shops” aren’t the same. When you move to another country, it’s all those little things you have to relearn that you don’t really think about.

Now, I’d heard from a friend that there was a flower market near Nanhu Park. Unfortunately, that’s all I knew. And Nanhu Park is pretty big. Normally I’d take a bus over since it’s not too far, but in this case, we decided to take a cab.

First I told him to take us to the park, but then he wanted to know which gate. I really had no idea, but thankfully, I have just enough Chinese to explain that we wanted to buy flowers. He understood and drove us right to the place and even pointed the direction we should walk to get there. Having even limited communication skills really makes this life so much easier. I’m not even sure we’d have found it otherwise.

I seriously can’t believe how huge, and awesome, and green this place is! I don’t know about you, but early Spring plants just make me so happy! I miss my yard and my grass a lot, and this was a little dose of home.

They have nearly any type of plant you could want. Potted, blooming cherry blossom trees, roses, azaleas, and plenty of others that I’d never seen before. From huge trees to teeny tiny baby plants. Most of the small pots run about $1.50 and the trees, as low as $20 USD.

They even have fish to go with your flowers. The ones for decoration, not for dinner.

After we browsed and shopped all afternoon, we ended up having to call another friend to come rescue us. We had so much stuff. That’s one of the best parts of being an expat. Friendships take on a whole new level because you have to depend on each other so much. No one has family nearby, so we become family for each other.

And it was a good thing she was available to come help. I don’t know how we’d have gotten home otherwise!

My living room window looks so much more cozy with that touch of green, don’t ya think?

Hope the ayi isn’t too annoyed she has more plants to nurse back to life after my brown thumb destroys them.

At least, they’re honest!

I have had many reasons why I can’t couldn’t do it.

A book.

It’s just too… long.

Plus, I’m not a writer. I’m an artist. I just draw pretty pictures, remember?

Ok, I know I write this blog, but it isn’t the same. I don’t like “real” writing. Where I have to follow the rules and use complete sentences. And not use so many commas. (I like commas. A lot. And incomplete sentences.) In fact, you could probably use a lot of my posts in those elementary grammar lessons where you underline and circle the grammar corrections. They’d be covered in red. (However, most of the time they are purposefully incorrect. I do know how to write correctly, I just don’t like to. I’m a rebel like that.)

And I’m no expert. I’m just a country girl who happened to move around the world. I’m still learning how to “live in China” myself, how am I supposed to tell someone else how to do it?

And I’m not sure what kind of book to write. Sure, I know it would be about moving to China. But what then? Our life as expats? Why would anyone want to read about that? Plus, it’s been done lots of times before. A “how-to” book? Something funny? None of those things got me excited enough to make it happen.

But you know what does get me excited?

Helping people make this crazy transition from Western life to living in China. There are so many things to learn, so much that is over-whelming, so much unknown. I was there. Still am. In the beginning, I remember how much I searched and googled and yet, still felt so unprepared.

Obviously, I’m no expert, and I don’t know all the answers, but I love to share what I’ve learned. It’s become my favorite thing about this blog. Answering reader questions and emails. Trying to make this big scary move just a little bit easier for you. You aren’t alone. In fact, there are a lot of us here going through the same things. Plus, I’m a firstborn. I really just like giving advice and telling people what to do. (Just ask my siblings. I’m kinda bossy. And a “know-it-all”.)

And I learn something new every day. I’ve sort of made it my “mission” to know this city and enjoy my life here. And I want you to enjoy it too. Not just endure it, but enjoy it. I know not everyone will love Shenyang. I know it’s not the easiest place to live. But it has a lot to offer if you know where to look.

Maybe I don’t know ALL the answers, but if I can make it even a little easier for you when you move to Shenyang, then I’d like to do that.

And so, after tossing the idea around for over a year. I’ve finally decided to make it happen. An ebook.

“The Expat’s Guide to Shenyang” by Country Fried Egg Roll

I’m telling you this now so I can’t back out. Because I know, before this is finished, I will want to.

I’m also telling you because I need your help.

What do you think? Do we even need another “expat guide”? I know there are others, although I haven’t seen one specifically for Shenyang. My tentative plan at this point is to focus on moving to and living life in Shenyang. While some things will obviously overlap and could be useful for moving to other parts of China as well, we’ve only lived in Shenyang. I’m not sure where and how things would differ so I’m sticking to what I know.

(I also intend to keep the same tone and voice I use with this blog. Overuse of ellipses, parentheses, incomplete sentences and all. It’s just how I roll. If you’re looking for formal writing… well, you probably wouldn’t be here now, would you?)

My tentative “table of contents”. I expect this to change and morph a lot, but here’s where I’m starting.

1. The Official Stuff – Getting your documents in order
- Visas, Residence Permit, Embassies, Police Registration

2. Getting You & Your Stuff Here
- Arrival, Jetlag, Shipments, Customs, What to pack

3. We’re Not in Kansas Anymore – Cultural Differences
- Life, Business, Tipping, Calendars, Gifts, Weddings, Holidays

4. Need a new pad? – Housing
- Apartment complexes, Hotels, Furniture

5. Getting around town – Transportation
- Personal driver, taxis, buses, metro, getting a license

6. Ting bu dong - Learning Chinese… or not.
- Basic Mandarin phrases, classes, pinyin, translators, apps

7. Bringing the family – Spouses, kids, & pets
- School, ayi, vet

8. What’s there to do around here? – Recreation
- Things to do and see, in Winter & Summer.

9. Managing the Details
- Bills, mail, taxes, banking

10. Can you hear me now? – Communication
- Phones, internet, Skype, Google Voice, QQ/Renren

11. This ain’t your mama’s cooking – Restaurants
- Western restaurants, Restaurant recommendations, Places to eat, tipping

12. Somebody call a doctor – Health & Wellness
- International wing of Shenyang 2 hospital, Global Doctor, English speaking dentist,

13. Where’s the Walmart? – Grocery Shopping
- Import stores, local markets, where to buy what

14. Shop til you drop –
- Clothes, shoes, household goods, crafts & hobbies

15. Time to get away – Traveling outside of Shenyang
-Ctrip, Trains, Tripadvisor,

16. There’s more of us than you think! – Local resources
- International Club, List of international companies,

Am I missing something? We’ve been here for a year and a half now and so I’ve forgotten a lot of those early questions and concerns now that I’ve “figured it out” (or learned to do without). Things that I take for granted now may still be difficult for you.

If you’re going to move to China in the future, what do you need to know? What questions do you have?

Or if you’re new to Shenyang, what are you struggling to accomplish? What do you wish you’d known? What do you wish you’d packed? What do you need to buy or find?

Will you leave a comment below? Or email me? I’d love to have your input for this endeavor.

In case you hadn’t heard… there’s a HUGE Mother’s Day Special going on over at my Studio Z site. If you’re looking for an awesome gift idea to spoil your wife or mother, you might want to check it out. Deadline is May 1st for Gift Certificates and April 21 to get a drawing shipped for Mother’s Day.

This is a perfect example of what we’ve dubbed “pocketcam moments”… after the thousandth time I called and told my husband I needed one. (Seriously, it was on my Christmas list the first December after we moved here.) This kind of thing happens every day. I really should start posting “Random Daily Photos” because I have hundreds that you wouldn’t believe!

Instead of a pocket-cam, I got an iPhone. And now I’m really good at stealth photos. (Or sometimes, I don’t even bother with stealth.) All my friends here know to watch out if I’ve got my phone out. Even if I look like I’m texting, or listening to music.

I’m probably videoing. Or snapping photos.

I purposely keep my sound off so you can’t hear the camera sound. (BTW, does anyone know how to turn that off without putting your phone on silent? That would be really helpful.)

But sometimes the phone camera is just too slow.

I’m telling you… we need a Pocket-Cam!

Actually, in the taxi on the way to Ikea this very day we had a group of Chinese men yelling at us from the car next to us at a redlight. Two had their phones out snapping photos. I waved. All you need is a white face and light colored hair to have paparazzi in China.

And so, I don’t feel bad at all anymore for walking right up and snapping a photo when I see things like this.

At first glance this just looks like a nice couple enjoying some time together, right?

But back it up a little…

Yep, that’s an Ikea display. In the middle of the Shenyang Ikea Store.

I dubbed this photo… “Date night”. Looks cozy, huh? And cheap. Maybe we need to try this sometime.

On second thought, maybe not.

I think this fellow was trying out his tv watching pose. I still don’t know what he was looking at though.

And what do you do if you’re out shopping and nap time for your kid rolls around?

Find an empty bed, of course!

Looks like it was naptime for more than just the kids.

Finally, we decided if you can’t figure it out why they do the things they do, just join them!

Mmm. Comfy!

On another note… this was part of the “as-is” scratch & dent section.

How do you lose this item of clothing? Looks like somebody was having too much fun on date night.

I’m assuming no where else in the world has these.

You don’t teach a kid to swim by strangling him where you’re from… do you?