Preparing to Live and Work in China

In order to get some idea of how it will be living and working in China, I've read two books which have provided some interesting insights from different perspectives.

Andrew Williamson's Living and Working in China [Oxford: How To Books Ltd, 2005] is based on his experience as a business person in China. His chapter titles give an idea of the breadth of material covered: The Living and Working Experience, Safekeeping, Epidemiology, Healthcare, Accommodation, Domestic Staff, Keeping Dogs, Climate and Clothing, Communications, Transport, Work Practices and Expat Life. He lived in Beijing while posted to China.

Peter Hessler in River Town: Two Years on the Yantze [New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001] writes of his two-year experience ten years ago in Fulong, a Yantze River town, as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer teaching English literature in a university. During his teaching experience, he and a fellow Peace Corps volunteer were about the only westerners in Fulong. He details his experiences within the university setting and in his daily excursions into the community, providing insights into the social and political environment of modern China.