Back home, office group chats were where announcements went to die. Then we started working here, and the group chat turned out to be the office itself — read it, and you’re in the meeting; skip it, and you might as well be absent. TL;DR — the 30-second version: Reply shōudào (“received”) to any manager…
Working from home in China sounds fine until your neighbor’s renovation starts at 8 a.m. sharp and a drill eats through the wall behind your desk. That is when we started paying for a desk somewhere else — and found that coworking here has its own set of unwritten rules. TL;DR — the 30-second version:…
Your payslip lands in your inbox every month, a PDF with more rows than you asked for. After years of opening these in Shenzhen and Zhuhai, we can scan one in about thirty seconds – and you should too, because two lines on it get mis-priced more often than you would think. TL;DR: the 30-second…
The first thing handed across a Chinese meeting table is usually not a contract — it’s a business card, coming at you with two hands, edges first, name side up. How you take it sets the tone for the rest of the meeting. TL;DR: 30-Second Version Receive the card with both hands and actually read…
TL;DR — the 30-second version: Year-end in a Chinese company runs on three clocks. Bonuses land in the last two weeks before Spring Festival (February 6, 2027), not December. The tax app’s annual settlement window runs March 1 to June 30, 2027 — where refunds and top-ups happen. Leaving? 30 days’ written notice is the…
Your Chinese company is registered, the license is framed on the wall, and you type “open corporate bank account” into a search bar, only to land in thirty forum threads that all finish the same way: just go to the bank. Fine. Here is what “just go to the bank” looks like in 2026, in…
TL;DR — the 30-second version Every Western interview skill you own still works here. What gets you hired is different, though, and it starts before you walk in: a phone screen on WeChat, printed resumes, and a self-introduction you have rehearsed until it is boring. Laws worth memorizing — your labor contract must be signed…
TL;DR (30-second version) Changing jobs in China does not mean leaving the country and starting over. In most cases the sequence is: new employer applies for a new Work Permit, you cancel or transfer the old one, and you adjust your Residence Permit within the legal window — usually within 10 days of the change….
