Hi,

first of all thank you for this nice website, since without it Id be lost in translation whilst preparing for my semester abroad. I know these are your average questions,
Ive been looking at your classifieds to figure out prices to pay for an apartment unfortunately they are mostly out of date and thus Im not sure if the prices are still correct.
We will be two students looking for an apartment near the Tongji University (Yangpu District). I think 100 m² will be plenty, but the prices in the real estate section vary from 3000 rmb to 3000 USD.
Since were only there for 6 months, were willing to pay a little above average, but Id still like to know what that average is. - Feel free to make me an offer. (2 People, one smoker, your average party-going, twens, with a "liberal" , but existent, sense for cleaning schedules, and a high regard towards other people's property; 15.02.2009 - min 31.06.2009)

#Could someone please tell me an average price for 100 m² in the inner districts?
( Huangpu, Zhabei, Hongkou, Yangpu) - Or is it 3500 RMB for a short term lease?

# Anyone found a table tennis club, or is everyone still meeting up via the forums?
- I'm competitive but tend to be lazy, thus having strict training times several times a week would be a must. Please refrain from ads for lessons, as much as I appreciate the initiative.

# Is there a decent place to shop non-branded high-quality everyday garments like boxer-shorts, simple jeans and pants or shirts? - Ive seen the thread about cheap fakes, but since noone is paying me, I dont like being a living ad-board.

# What does it require to open up a bank account in China? - Im coming from Austria, and will be carrying Euros as well as receiving my allowance to an Austrian (European) Bank Account. I have maestro and visa. What would you propose? Should I get the money "in bulk" for the whole month in cash, or is there the possibilty of opening up an account with a 180 day visum? Do shops prefer euros or renmimbi? If the trend continues my euros will be losing 10% every two months...

Thanks a lot in advance,
also partial answers are very welcome,

Henning

Hi!
In a nutshell:
1. Yangpu, near Tongji you can find a decent place for 3000rmb a month. Try near chifeng lu, in an older building, lower floor. I fyou spend a bit of time house hunting you will find some for 2400/month
2. Wont have any trouble finding someone to play table tennis with
3. Abundant amount of shops, so no worries there
4. Only accept RMB in shops. To open a bank account just go in with your passport. Cost 10rmb last time (for the card). Any bank.
5. Not sure about currency exchanges etc.


Good luck!

thank you very much for your fast and concise reply!
Especially with opening an account being so easy, youve taken a great deal off my mind!

for 6 months you wont really need to open a chinese bank account. although its quite easy to do if you want to. you can just withdrawal money from your europe bank account at the ATM. of course you should find out which banks have a relationship with your bank otherwise the fees might get quite high. for example, i withdraw from by bank of america account via china construction bank and do not have to pay any fees due to their relationship.

thanks for the hint. I already read that in another reply of yours. Unfortunately by bank has no such agreement, and it would cost me 1.5 Euros plus 0,75% withdrawal fee. Transactions arent any better: 30 euros per transaction, thus I will open an account and transfer everything once a month.