General Information for teachers working at Shanxi Normal University

1. Visa. The teacher should show the letter of invitation (agreement or contract) to the representative body of the Chinese Government (embassy, consult, or other authorized organ) in your country so that a visa can be obtained.
2. Necessary items for teaching. The teacher should consider and prepare in advance what he/she may wish to bring, as: tapes, videos dictionaries and other reference books, teaching materials, and background information on the literature, culture, and history of their own countries. Visual aid equipment is available in the department.
3. Clothing. The choice of clothes depends on the climate and the heating facilities in the living accommodations provided. In short, you need summer, fall, and winter attire (When its hot, it’s hot; and when it’s cold it’s cold!).  Your apartment is heated, but only from the 15th of November to the 15th of March; in the summer it’s rather hot and in the winter it is rather cold. The annual average temperature is 12.2 C; in summer the highest temperature is 37 C, and in winter the lowest temperature is around 13 C.  It ‘s advisable to wait and buy a good, heavy or down, coat when you get here, as they are just too bulky and heavy to pack. (See suggestions from former teachers and the section on climate.)
4. Medicines. The University will arrange all necessary treatment at any hospitals in the area, and we will do our best to provide the best possible care, the University has its own clinic, and in Linfen City there are other hospitals and clinics available. There are supermarkets and pharmacies, which sell both Western and Chinese medicine. It is advisable to use Chinese medicine, as there are fewer side-effects. You should bring supplies of any medicines you commonly use and need. If you have special prescription needs you may need to make an appointment at a foreign hospital in Beijing for that prescription.
5. Air ticket. The teacher is free to arrange his/her own travel and ticketing, providing he/she notifies the FAO well in advance. If the ticket will be provided by the University, it will be by CAAC, and the teacher will be informed of when to go to the nearest CAAC office to pick up the ticket. The University will pay those, who make their own way, the cost of single economic class ticket by the shortest route in RMB (cash) when they get to the University (one-half at the end of each semester). See the appendix for more information on foreign airlines in China.
6. Documents needed.
   Resume and any other relevant documents, in English, should be submitted with your application.

1. Copy of academic and graduation certificates
2. Copy of certificate of employment from the current place of work
3. A letter of recommendation from the place of work or academic department
4. Recent certificate of health from a certified doctor or hospital (the University website has a downloadable Health Form)

Suggestions From Former Teachers

Clothing

There is a little opportunity or need to dress up. Exercise clothes, sweat shirts, slacks and work clothes are adequate.; although, it should be noted that Chinese students and professors normally dress-up (white shirts/ties and even “heels”) for classes! Synthetic clothing is recommended because it dries more quickly.  Long thermal-underwear (available locally and inexpensive!) is often needed, as some classrooms lack adequate heat. An all-purpose jacket is more useful than a coat. You will also need good walking shoes and sneakers. If you need size 9 (women)-size 10 (men) in shoes, or larger; respectively, you should purchase these at home.  It is dificult to find these in China.  It is also difficult to find “large size” clothing.  Chinese sizes are approximately 1/2 size different than western clothing.  If you wear XL in North America, you will wear XXL in China.  It is very difficult to find things larger than XL in most stores.  Walmart in Taiyuan carries some larger clothes.  It is also possible for clothes to be tailored.  Thick cotton 'sports' socks must be purchased in large cities (Beijing, Shanghai).

You can find a wide assortement of very affordable larger sized clothes and shoes at Silk-Street (actually a five story building) in eastern Seoul on Subway line 1.

Hygienic Products

• Medication as required (most OTC products are available).  There is something called "Black & White" which is the equivalent of Sudafed/Actafed.  There is a less effective version of something like Halls called "Golden."  Bring a bag of Halls if you think you might need it.

• Name brand female hygienic products are widely available.

• If you have a favorite brand of toothpaste that is not Colgate, you will want to bring a couple of tubes.  You probably won't find your brand here.

• They sell electric razors here, but they are rather expensive as a percentage of your salary.  If you have one you might want to bring it (be sure it runs on 220 volts).  Disposable blade razors are available (Mach3), but relatively expensive.  Gillette Vector is a reliable, inexpensive brand that can be purchased most places.

• Athletes foot medicine and related products cannot be purchased in China.

• Ibuprofen cannot be purchased in China.

• Tums chewable ant-acid cannot be purchased in China.

• Halls cough drops cannot be purchased in all places in China.

• There are only one or two brands of 'antiperspirant' available and they are hard to find. It might be a good idea to buy a couple sticks-enought to last you the year.

• Quality eclectic toothbrushes (and refills for Oral-B electric brushes) can be purchased in big cities (at Carefour or Walmart supermarkets).  If you bring your Oral-B electric brush be aware that the voltage might not take 220.  China uses 220.  Large cities will sell Oral-B brushes that take the proper voltage for around 100 RMB.

Food and Kitchen Articles (care package items)

• Yeast, but not baking soda, is readily available

• Favorite spices (oregano, and basil, and some other herbs are nearly impossible to find in China); but whole nutmeg, and others, are abundant, and inexpensive!

• Powdered-milk (local dried milk has a higher sugar and fat content). Normal milk cannot be purchases in China. They have boxed (no refrigerated) radiated milk in the stores. A very high percentage of Asians are lactose intolerant to so do not expect this situation to change anytime soon.

• Wide variety of vegetables, eggs, tofu, bakery items are readily available. Vegetables in China are quite inexpensive. 

• Pork, mutton and chicken are readily available.  Beef is available in a couple of stores, but getting a certain cut of meat is a challenge.   Asking for ground beef is easily accomplished ( by pointing at the grinder and gesturing with beef in hand, if you don't know how to ask)

• While coffee makers are becoming more available, ground (or not ground) coffee is not yet readily available (except in large cities at Carefours [a French supermarket chain], Walmarts or Starbucks).  It might be wise to find a friend back home willing to send the occasional care package with a bag of coffee, or perhaps join some sort of a coffee club that ships internationally.  Get someone to give it to you as a gift if at all possible.)

Miscellaneous

• Novels, magazines, & books add weight to your baggage but give you something to read. Amazon ships to China but it is not cheap. Lage bookstores in Beijing or Shanghai will have a small seleciton of novels and classics, but they will be expensive compared to your salary.

• 'Special' batteries for a camera might be purchased before coming (most are available; e.g., watch batteries are just pennies each!!)

• Voltage is 220 so you may need an adaptor. The power converters are tedious.  Most newer computer laptops and PCs today take 110-240, but check yours if you intend to bring it.  The plug outlets are a combination of the typical two prong plug and an exotic three prong slanted plug.  Adapters are available here relatively cheaply.   

• Sometimes it is much, much cheaper to mail boxes/packages to China than to pay the airlines fee for extra weight.

The MAIN street names [see Foreign Affairs Office for maps of Lin Fen (literally, “Bank of the Fen” river) for pinyin names, as well as City Bus routes/numbers].  There is also a map on the website.

Grocery Stores: One of the two largest (Milky Way) is located on, or close, to the north-south “Bei Cai Sheng Road” just out the south gate.  The other chain (Wongef with four locations) can be reached easily by taxi (or a bit of a walk).

When in Beijing, or while visiting other large cities, you may want to purchase ground coffee, not normally available in Linfen; but instant coffee, coffee mate, milk, oleo, and yogurt, a type of sliced cheese and Canola are.

Sample Draft Contract

WELCOME TO Shanxi Normal University

Ⅰ. Work assignment
16 hours/week
Guide students to master a higher level of communication, giving proper instruction about necessary background information.
Ⅱ. The period of service will be from the   day of    , 20     to the      day of      ,  20     .
Ⅲ. The duties of Party B
1. Party B shall observe Party A’s work system and regulations concerning teaching administration.
2. Part B shall observe the direction and arrangement of the Foreign Affairs Office and Foreign Languages School in Party A concerning teaching affairs.
3. Party B shall receive the supervision and evaluation from relevant departments in Party A. Party B shall see to it that over 70% of the students in Party A are satisfied with Party B’s work.
4. Party B shall attend teaching research seminars and other activities（about five to six times a year）conducted by Foreign Languages School.
5. Party B shall be under the administration of Foreign Affairs Office in Party A. Party B shall inform the Foreign Affairs Office when going out of the town, including on holidays and off days, asking for leave and changing the teaching schedule.
Ⅳ. The treatment of Party B
1. Monetary salary is 5000 RMB/month. The salary will be paid monthly with RMB from the day of starting work to the expiration of the contract. In case the time is shorter than a whole month, the payment shall be counted by day. The daily wage shall be 1/30 of the monthly salary (the same with February). Extra pay for extra work is RMB 70 Yuan for one period. No more than 70% of the salary can be changed into foreign currencies monthly. The employed party shall pay the personal income tax in accord with the Personal Income Tax Law of The People’s Republic of China.
2. Party B will have Chinese traditional holidays. Party B will enjoy a paid vacation of a month (if the vacation is more or less than 30 days, the payment is a full-month’s salary) on the basis of a one-year contract. According to Party A’s teaching plan, if there is no class for Party B to teach in July, Party A will not pay Party B salary.
3. Party A will guarantee the fundamental living conditions for the employed party in China: lodging with furniture, bedding, telephone, television, refrigerator, toilet, heating and cooling facilities. (The lodging provided to the party whose employment term is longer than half a year or one semester shall be equipped with a kitchen.)
4. Reimbursement of RMB 5000 Yuan for a one-way economy ticket on signature of one semester contract at the end of the semester; Reimbursement of RMB10000 Yuan for a round-trip economy ticket on signature of one-year contract at the end of the school year.
5.  Party A will pay Party B RMB 1,500 Yuan for traveling on signature of a six-month contract, and RMB 3,000 Yuan on signature of one-year contract.
6. Party A will buy health insurance and accident insurance for party B.
7. Except the wages, traveling allowance, insurance and part of certain traveling expenses that Party A will pay, Party B will pay for other expenses like telephone bill, medical care, physical examination, traveling expenses, fees to get the residence permit and foreign expert certificate and to get a visa, cost of accompniant’s living.

Ⅴ.  Sick leave or leave for absence:
1. Party B will need a certificate from the doctor of the designated hospital to ask for a sick leave. The salary of Party B will be deducted on the basis of the period. In case the leaves exceed 30 days (within one year or one academic year contract), the host institution has the right to terminate the contract.
2. Party B will need the approval from Party A to ask for a leave of absence, and Party A will deduct Party B’s salary on the basis of period. Total days of leave of absence can not exceed 10 on the basis of a one-year contract.
3. Periods of leaves can be made up in later time by mutual negotiation.
Ⅵ.  The probation period of the contract:
The probation period of the employed party shall be 60 days. In the probation period, if the host institution finds out that the employed party is unfit for the assignment specified in the contract for reasons of health or professional ability, it has the right to terminate the contract.
Ⅶ.  Others:
1.Without Party A’s consent, Party B shall not render service elsewhere or hold concurrently any post unrelated to the work agreed on with Party A. Should party B not observe this regulation, party A has the right to refuse payment of party B’s air-ticket.
2. Should party B have visitors who intend to stay in his/her apartment for one or more nights, party B is required to help them register at the Foreign Affairs Office.
3. Party B is asked not to keep pets in the apartment. The apartment is not suitable for animals. Dogs, for example, may make a lot of noise disturbing neighbors, or cause property damage.

Confirmation and change of every term of the appendix of the contract must be stipulated in written form through negotiation between the two parties. Any oral agreement will be regarded as invalid.
This contract will be terminated automatically after Part B completes his/her teaching arrangements and leaves the school.

This appendix is signed in duplicate in Chinese and English, both texts being equally authentic and having equal validity of the contract and comprising an integral part of the contract.

Signature of Party A        Signature of Party B

Date:                            Date:

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TRAVEL

•       Linfen Bus Schedule
•       Train Schedule Search http://www.huoche.com.cn/
•       chineseculture.about.com
•       www.travelchinaguide.com
•       Airplane Reservations flychina.com

Making International Calls

Chinese Customs and Traditions

Addressing People

The common form of addressing people among ordinary Chinese is nowadays it is Xiansheng, which means Mr., or Xiaojie, for a younger female)

As a gesture of familiarity or respect between colleagues, the word “lao” (old) or “xiao” (little or young), may be placed before the surname regardless of gender; e.g., “Lao Wang”, “Xiao Zhang”. It is considered disrespectful for people to directly address their elders by their given name.

Professional Titles

Professional titles are often placed after the surname as a form of address, especially “laoshi” (teacher), “Jingli” (manager), etc.. Students will often refer to their teachers as “Wang Laoshi” (Teacher Wang), “Li Laoshi” (Teacher Li), and so on, instead of using the titles Mr., Mrs. or Miss.

Chinese Greetings

Nodding and shaking hands are usual greetings when meeting and parting, and the spoken greeting is “Ni hao.” (Hello.), or “Ni hao ma?” (How are you?); and at parting, “Zai jian.” (Goodbye.).  A handshake also expresses gratitude, congratulations and encouragement. In some areas of the country, especially the mountainous areas, the traditional greeting of clasping both fists together in front of the chest can still be seen.

Handshaking is the accepted greeting. Chinese usually shake hands very lightly instead of taking the hand firmly and forcefully pumping it, and in China a handshake may last as long as 10 seconds. Maybe you should wait for the Chinese to extend a hand first, since not everyone uses this gesture. In China the most useful form of greeting is a nod or slight bow. Upon meeting someone, Chinese lower their eyes slightly as a sign of respect. Staring into the eyes of a Chinese might make them uncomfortable.

Saving or Losing Face

Face-being respected by one’s peers–is very important to the Chinese. They are enormously sensitive to maintaining face in everything they do. Saying or doing anything that causes someone to lose face can instantly destroy a relationship and any business that might result from it. Never insult or openly criticize someone in front of others. Don’t make fun of a Chinese, even if only as a joke. Do not treat someone as a person of lowly rank if their position in the company is high. A person’s face is also their company’s face. The relationship you develop with a person represents your relationship with his entire company. Gifts are important, expressing friendship and symbolizing hopes for success. But expensive gifts can cause personal embarrassment and political or social awkwardness. For wrapped gifts, gold or red are appropriate colors. White and black are colors of mourning.

Have you eaten?

As with any country eating out is a very special time. Sharing a meal and really build some strong bonds. You might use this Chinese Food Menu & Shopping Guide (DOC) when youa re out.

However, in China the greating Ni Chir Fanle Ma? (Have you eaten) is a common way to say hello.

Upon meeting someone you know, the Chinese may ask you “Have you eaten yet?” or “Where are you going?” These questions are to be taken literally; although, they do have an element of greeting in them. When starting a conversation, the Chinese may ask questions that seem very rude to a Westerner, such as inquiries about the marital status, age, salary and so on. A brief explanation that such questions are not polite in one’s own society will suffice, instead of an answer.

Public kissing or embracing are considered rude and somewhat offensive in China, and should be avoided.  Holding hands is even questionable behavior in public. This has been the norm but it is changing. Much behavior by foreigners is excused, however according to Chinese culture, trend-setting by foreigners is generally frowned upon.

Traditional Chinese Festivals

Spring Festival

The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important festival in China, and it dates back some two thousand years.

DuiLian (pictured on the left and right) are often used to adorn doors during SprinFestival, with one going on either side of the main door to a home. For whatever reason many people often leave them up all year round.

It marks the first day of the lunar year, and it is the time when families gettogether and reunite if they are separated.The date of the festival varies from year to year, according to the lunar calendar, but it usually falls in late January or early February in the Gregorian calendar.  However, the rule is simple: it always falls on the Second New Moon (dark of the moon) after the Winter Solstice (~ Dec. 22).

 On the lunar New Year’s Eve, the sound of firecrackers is heard throughout the night, signifying “doing away with the old and making the way for the new.” It is an old custom for people to stay up late, or all night. Nowadays in the cities most people stay up late watching TV;  “Chun jie lian huan wn hui”, a program which is very important to the people of China, or playing cards, or preparing food for the next day.

The Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is held fifteen days after the lunar New Year (on the First Full Moon). It is a tradition to hang decorative lanterns in public places and to eat yuanxiao, a kind of glutinous rice-flour ball with a sweet or savory filling.

Linfen's Lantern Festival is represented by large, complicated 'lanterns' which are more like glow-in-the-dark sculptures akin to parade floats (non-moving). They can be viewed in Gulou Square.

Tomb-Sweeping Day

The festival is for remembering relatives that have passed away. Basically, people go to do tidying up of the families graves. The Qing Ming Festival, is on the fifth of the twenty-four solar terms, according to the traditional Chinese calendar. The solar terms are defined according to the position of the sun in the zodiac. The festival takes place on the fourth or fifth day of the fourth month of the Gregorian calendar, and on this day people usually go to tidy up, or “sweep” the graves of the departed friends and relatives and revolutionary martyrs.

The Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival, or Duan Wu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. It developed from appeasing the river dragon gods into a popular festival commemorating the suicide of Qu Yuan, a poet in the Warring States Period (475 B.C. – 221 B.C.),  who could no longer bear the moral degeneration of his state. On the fifth day of the fifth day in the lunar calendar, dragon boats are raced in water to commemorate those who tried to save the poet, and as an offering to the river gods. There are other variations to the traditional story. The Dragon Boat Race has now become a popular sport in China, and at abroad where ever there is a Chinese community. People usually eat Zongzi (gluitenous rice concoction and a dates, raisins or peanuts, wrapped in a kind of a scneted reed leaves and tied by twine to be cooked).

The Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-autumn Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, the middle of autumn in the traditional Chinese calendar. In China it is called “Zhong qiu jie” It takes place at harvest time on the night of the full moon, which symbolizes unity. Moon cakes are eaten on this auspicious day. Moon cakes are round cakes filled with dried fruit (like fruit-cake citron or sweet, mashed beans…), and they symbolize the perfect roundness of the moon at the time of the festival. According to Chinese tradition, no matter how far away you are working, you should come home and join your family for the festival.

Train Schedule Arriving at

and Leaving from Linfen City

Train No.—Dir.

From…To…

Depart

Arrival

Arr/Dept

Train No.

From…To…

Departure

Arrival

Time/Linfen

Chinese Currency

The People’s Bank of China was founded in 1948, and was the first issuance of Renminbi (People’s Currency), the currency of China. The symbol for Renminbi is “¥”, which is derived from the first letter of the romaniced spelling for the word “Yuan”, the principal unit in the currency.

Mao Zedong 毛澤東 portrait is adorned on on denomination of bills 1 RMB or larger.

The currency uses decimal system. The Yuan (“kuai” on the street) is divided into 100 fen; 10 fen equal 1 jiao (mao on the street). The face values of notes are: 100 yuan, 50 yuan, 20 yuan, 10 yuan, 5 yuan, 2 yuan and 1 yuan; 5 jiao, 2 jiao and 1 jiao; 5 fen, 2 fen and 1 fen; there are also coins for 1 yuan, 5 jiao, 1 jiao, 5 fen, 2 fen and 1 fen. At writing about 8.1 Yuan equals one US dollar.

Interestingly, Chinese count money with their hands differently than is done in the west. Also, packs of 'practice-counting' monopoly-like money can be purchased in stores.