# Help! Is moving to Beijing with a baby advisable?



## ofnofixedaddress

Hello!

My husband has been made a very short deadline offer for Beijing. That is, we have to make this decision right away!

I am very conflicted because, while I enjoy the thought of moving to China (wow!), I have read horror stories about the air quality and pollution in Beijing. We have a 3 month-old baby and obviously her health and well-being are priority. 
Does anyone have any 'real' advice? I am reading so many different opinions, but somehow haven't yet been able to picture what the reality might be like. 
Is it hazardous or generally safe? Does the smog and weather make going out (walks, the park, etc.) impossible a lot of the time? 
Bottomine, with some occasional discomfort in adapting to the weather, would you say it is alright and safe to move to Beijing with a little baby?

Thanks for any insights and opinions!


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## muppetmoo

Hi there,

I'm not sure if my advice is actually going to be of some use to you but I will share what I know anyway. I have only been to Beijing twice for short visits but I can tell you that the pollution is pretty bad. The sky always looks dull and gloomy resulting from the pollution. Although you should expect higher pollution here as it is a big city with a large (and I mean large!) population. I wouldn't necessarily let this affect your decision so much as there is pollution everywhere especially in the larger cities.

The main advice that I was planning on giving you is that raising a child in China is very different to the way I know in England. It is difficult to get nappies as Chinese don't use nappies they were trousers with holes in them so the child's rear is always on show (literally), they let their children go to the bathroom anywhere they want. I've seen children pee next to our table whilst eating, pee in the middle of a supermarket, have a poo on the street. I personally find all of this very disturbing and is possibly one of the few things I cannot accept about Chinese culture. I guess as you would be in Beijing then getting nappies would be easier. Oh also my husband says that baby clothes are a lot more expensive here compared to the UK. 

Furthermore, I have found that there isn't much availed for children to do. In England there are local playgrounds, theme parks, gardens, fields, etc. I have seen one child's playground since being here, and have not seen any entertainment for young children, with the exception of cinemas. However, as Beijing is more up to date with modern culture around the world (I don't like saying Westernised as china should be china, not to be compared with western countries all the time), then there may be more available. 

I've recently be learning about kindergartens in China and have learnt that children here don't start school until 6/7 so often go to kindergartens from the age of 1.5 years up to 6/7 years old. Kindergartens, I'm told, are very big, usually having a minimum of 300 students. It also sounds to me that they are like mini schools where the children have lessons including math, Chinese and some even doing English. The kindergartens are for all day, (in UK it tends to be something like 9-3) here they are 8-6. 

I'm aware you have a lot of factors to take into consideration but I would advise to take this opportunity. It really is an amazing experience and if your child learns to speak both English and Chinese then they have a huge advantage for the future. I strongly believe that Chinese will become as widely spoken as English in the future due to their fast economic growth, etc. I am married to a Chinese citizen and when we have children I will ensure they can speak both languages fluently. 

Just because China may not have the facilities we are used to in England does not been that raising a child here is a bad idea. It is safe, friendly and gives you the opportunity to interact with your child rather than drop them at the park to entertain themselves whilst you talk to your friend. ( I'm not actually referring to you, I'm implying people in general). 

This is all my own opinions formed from what I have seen and heard during my residence here. I hope it is of some use to you.


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## muppetmoo

ofnofixedaddress said:


> Hello!
> 
> My husband has been made a very short deadline offer for Beijing. That is, we have to make this decision right away!
> 
> I am very conflicted because, while I enjoy the thought of moving to China (wow!), I have read horror stories about the air quality and pollution in Beijing. We have a 3 month-old baby and obviously her health and well-being are priority.
> Does anyone have any 'real' advice? I am reading so many different opinions, but somehow haven't yet been able to picture what the reality might be like.
> Is it hazardous or generally safe? Does the smog and weather make going out (walks, the park, etc.) impossible a lot of the time?
> Bottomine, with some occasional discomfort in adapting to the weather, would you say it is alright and safe to move to Beijing with a little baby?
> 
> Thanks for any insights and opinions!


I've just re-read your post and may not have answered your questions as such.

Just think the Chinese raise their children in Beijing conditions without severe health problems occurring. There are plenty of beautiful places to go for walks. The weather and smog doesn't stop the people here going about their daily lives so shouldn't cause you any problems either. The weather may take some getting used to depending on what you are used to. I've found the hot summers difficult to get used to, but once you pass that it's not a problem. 

The hazards here are the same as any city around e world --> busy roads and lots of people. The people here are really friendly and kind, I feel so welcomed here. Chinese people will help you settle in and assist in wherever they can.


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## ofnofixedaddress

Thank you, muppetmoo, for taking the time to reply! The whole thing stalled for a while and since yesterday, suddenly regained momentum - now we have to respond in 2 days to this. I'm trying to get my head around it, as it's just such a big decision!

And yes, even knowing that it has problems like any other big city, I still feel really apprehensive about the pollution issue :-/


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## greenpath

*No problem*

Many expats are raising their babies in Beijing, and none of them has ever develop any problem due to the pollution. If you have proper health insurance, you have even better medical service than you have at home country. That's well-know expat hospitals.

You can choose to live near the Chaoyang Park, the largest park in China. Or to live in the suburb villas. People also use air purifiers in their houses. It's no problem at all. It will all come down to the question: do you benefit from the job opportunity in Beijing?

Good luck!


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## ColinF

If it helps my son is 15 months old. He was born here in Beijing and neither my wife or I though to leave Beijing because of the pregnancy, birth or child-rearing.

As an aside - make sure you have very good medical insurance - the western hospitals here are very very expensive. We, for historic reasons, use Beijing United Family Hospital but the each time we go there I need to rob a bank. 

I suggest you check some of the newer Western hospitals and compare prices and service levels. There are now more cost-effective options.


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## luluwannabeinchina

Hi all, I know this thread is old, but I'm hoping to get help.

Me and My husband are contemplating the same move with our 9month baby, we are fairly flexible people and aren't all together new to travel with various members of our families spread out globally. We currently reside in South Africa and live a fairly comfortable life.

The big snag or worry is that we are not Caucasians, we are black. I have a few friends that have made the move and haven't heard of any real bad experiences from them, to the contrary they are loving it and rate there's a huge peace of mind in moving to china, but they are not a family, they went as individuals, and the general parent worries we deal with aren't really in their frame of reference. 

I guess my question is twofold. first, as black South African's moving as a family, do we really have much hope in getting an assignment that side. we are both fully qualified individuals, myself a marketer by profession, with my postgraduate degree, but have mentored and taught for a few years while in varsity as a tutor and my husband a fully qualified primary school teacher. I have heard about prejudice and racism towards dark skinned teachers in the interview process but my friends didn't seem to encounter such problems, outside of what they call general black curiosity. From your experience and engagements, is this black skin not worthy of teaching English phenomenon still prevalent in china? 

This leads to my second question. Me and my hubby can manage a fair amount of racist ignorance, but we obviously do not want our baby bullied and ill-treated in any way, shape or form, do you think this is something we should be seriously concerned about. It concerns me now, but again I have no real understanding of it and what I get from the net is the same story around people just being extremely curious and Unknowing about the existence of blacks as a people all together, in which case you cannot really get mad at someone for staring of poking ( although i would imagine it to get really frustating) 

This is not a comment intended for any racists or purists who believe equal opportunity for all races isn't an option in our society. I would appreciate constructive honest feedback from people with real intention to help, whether it be with bad news or good. I have very little patience for people who choose to use these forums to hammer on about their beliefs around a separated world. 

Thanks all, looking forward to some fruitful advise


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## jeep1077

luluwannabeinchina, I live in Hunan, China, away from all the large foreigner populations. I can tell you that in Hunan there is just curiosity towards people with dark skin without any maliciousness. That being said, looking Caucasian is a big selling point for schools. The schools rely on parents who are willing to fork out big bucks to have a foreigner teach their child. The parents have a Caucasian image in their heads when they think foreigner. So if you are Asian or Black you are not fitting their imagined foreigner profile. 

You mentioned being qualified. Being qualified doesn't mean anything in China. Having said that, you can still get a job here because demand for teachers is high. I have friends here who are black and have a black child. They love it here. Their boy is the cutest kid and all the local Chinese love him. I don't think he receives any negative treatment because of the color of his skin. He does get a lot of attention because of it, though. It is all positive.


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