By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: Like to rent a country house with some land to grow vegges. Anyone try that before?
Yes, I lived in Fuk., Xinjiang in big 3-bedroom bottom floor apartment with some 5 x 10 m garden. Garden was also 2nd apartment's exit.
Bottom apartments in China don't have real value, because living on the bottom floor is 'face lost'. Chinese are also aware, they'll get all garbage from the apartments above thrown to their garden, what I find it slightly inconvenient.
I had big sign by my door bell written in characters: 'Please, don't throw garbage over the balcony!', buTT....to no avail.
So, I had to design 'lesson plan' for residents above me in my apartment building: 'I emptied full trash bag with loads of kitchen's organic waste in front of the entrance of 4 apartments above me.'
Then, my Contract came to an end, and I had to move. I wasn't able to 'review' my lesson.
Other bottom apartment owners all build roof over their garden, and plant veggies under the roof. I think, that's almost 'indoor grow' by Cali standards.
My bottom apartment neighbour was crafty Han man: 'He planted water melon in his garden, and then moved whole end-thing to my garden, so watermelon grew in my garden, which was empty at the time.'
Something similar happened in Sprat-telies
.
Maybe I'm wrong, just 'cause I'm not really into International Law.
royceH:
It's good to start off the day with a laugh. Thanks for that.
You have any plan to write a book or anything? Adventures of a Non in China...
icnif77:
No
, I'm really looking for (more) part-time job, so you'll be all able to enjoy 'e-tities'.
I can't write in English or probably any other language. Didn't u note complains I get here?
Ohh, you mean 'sketch a book and get a Native English editor for hard copy'?
If I'm honest, I can't stand myself in the mirror or water surface. How could I cope by being 'book' famous?
royceH:
Definitely no editorial intervention. Just do it...your way.
When I was a lot younger I read books written by Nino Cullota, an Italian who had just moved to Sydney. His English was pretty poor by Cambridge standards but his ability to communicate was terrific. I seem to recall he was a journalist in Italy, which may have helped him.
I think you could produce something similar. So as not to be accused of looking in the mirror just write it as someone else, no one will know it's you.
icnif77:
Cullota? He moved to Ozz, because he didn't want to change his family name. 'add-it': 'Nino Culotta, you misspell it. Did I tell you or what did I tell you (about why he fancied Ozz).'
Did you know 'culo' means 'arse' in Italo? He was probably famous in Rome for diff. thing.
I promise, I'll be serious following week
....I can't breathe.....
'add-it:' "the problem with anon famous is 'you know who you are'. How to stay modest, and other humble things? That's the biggest challenge at 'being famous', doesn't matter who knows about it, IMO.
Imagine, travelling around China with hard seat or standing ticket, while owning an oil well by Sino's house in Quebec in the same time."
Yes, I lived in Fuk., Xinjiang in big 3-bedroom bottom floor apartment with some 5 x 10 m garden. Garden was also 2nd apartment's exit.
Bottom apartments in China don't have real value, because living on the bottom floor is 'face lost'. Chinese are also aware, they'll get all garbage from the apartments above thrown to their garden, what I find it slightly inconvenient.
I had big sign by my door bell written in characters: 'Please, don't throw garbage over the balcony!', buTT....to no avail.
So, I had to design 'lesson plan' for residents above me in my apartment building: 'I emptied full trash bag with loads of kitchen's organic waste in front of the entrance of 4 apartments above me.'
Then, my Contract came to an end, and I had to move. I wasn't able to 'review' my lesson.
Other bottom apartment owners all build roof over their garden, and plant veggies under the roof. I think, that's almost 'indoor grow' by Cali standards.
My bottom apartment neighbour was crafty Han man: 'He planted water melon in his garden, and then moved whole end-thing to my garden, so watermelon grew in my garden, which was empty at the time.'
Something similar happened in Sprat-telies.
Maybe I'm wrong, just 'cause I'm not really into International Law.
royceH:
It's good to start off the day with a laugh. Thanks for that.
You have any plan to write a book or anything? Adventures of a Non in China...
icnif77:
No, I'm really looking for (more) part-time job, so you'll be all able to enjoy 'e-tities'.
I can't write in English or probably any other language. Didn't u note complains I get here?
Ohh, you mean 'sketch a book and get a Native English editor for hard copy'?
If I'm honest, I can't stand myself in the mirror or water surface. How could I cope by being 'book' famous?
royceH:
Definitely no editorial intervention. Just do it...your way.
When I was a lot younger I read books written by Nino Cullota, an Italian who had just moved to Sydney. His English was pretty poor by Cambridge standards but his ability to communicate was terrific. I seem to recall he was a journalist in Italy, which may have helped him.
I think you could produce something similar. So as not to be accused of looking in the mirror just write it as someone else, no one will know it's you.
icnif77:
Cullota? He moved to Ozz, because he didn't want to change his family name. 'add-it': 'Nino Culotta, you misspell it. Did I tell you or what did I tell you (about why he fancied Ozz).'
Did you know 'culo' means 'arse' in Italo? He was probably famous in Rome for diff. thing.
I promise, I'll be serious following week....I can't breathe.....
'add-it:' "the problem with anon famous is 'you know who you are'. How to stay modest, and other humble things? That's the biggest challenge at 'being famous', doesn't matter who knows about it, IMO.
Imagine, travelling around China with hard seat or standing ticket, while owning an oil well by Sino's house in Quebec in the same time."
I'm hoping to do that this year. A couple of problems. Most village houses don't have gardens attached. The houses are built close together and then all the growing land is used for crops.
The bigger problem is police registration. Us foreigners are supposed to live in gated apartment complexes for our "safety". I won't be looking into this again until maybe March as my wife and I have found a lovely village, on an island, with cheap annual rent. We're going to have another look around after CNY and also ask at the local police station about any rules about foreigners living there.
Main sure it can be done, just need to work out how.
royceH:
Good luck with that. Will you give work away, or do you plan to commute into the Big Smoke?
Hotwater:
Place I'm looking at is north of Zhuhai, 2 hours from GZ. If it comes off I'd stay in GZ Monday to Thursday night. That also depends on when our QC Manager is in the office as I can work from home when he's out visiting factories.
I'm planning on renting a house this year, there is a new development here in Foshan, very close from the downtown and biggest entertainment/shopping area where they are rebuilding an "old" city which is also used as a shopping/restaurants area:
http://dlimg.focus.cn/upload/photos/5293/Tn4RociC.jpg
http://imglf2.ph.126.net/BbXq_Qa8X1_YUFHPZ7QnYg==/6597289668983939405.jpg
And next to it they are just done building these houses:
http://src.house.sina.com.cn/imp/imp/deal/05/53/b/fc42b38b469520e233888d...
http://img4.cache.netease.com/house/2010/6/30/20100630080328d9af9.jpg
Yeah sure they are next to each other but they all have a small garden like this one:
http://img8.soufunimg.com/agents/2014_11/17/M01/00/8A/wKgEQVRp2zOIPsc6AA...
The houses have three floors, roughly 500sqm including walls. The "old" city area itself is rather busy but the houses area is a gated community so no one but residents can come in. Not sure whether I will grow veggies yet but it's a nice area anyway.
Hotwater:
Sounded really interesting reading this as I know the "old" restaurant/bar area in Foshan you are referring to. I then looked at the house photos, bloody ugly!
Nice size though, any idea on how much the monthly rent will be?
RandomGuy:
I saw both 8 and 12k per month in rental agencies, I suppose it depends on the provided furniture. Yeah ugly, but unless you build your own, virtually every houses in the Guo are ugly and have this tacky outlook. BTW the blue thingy on the rooftop are not there, they are numbers "block 1" etc... for the landlord to buy on plan.
Hotwater:
Those rental figures sound good for the size of those places. It is a nice area with plenty to do for socializing and great to get around on the metro. Driving around there isn't great though as I've found.
Glad to hear those blue things on the top of the models aren't real!
From what you've described of your lifestyle before you'll like it there.
royceH:
8 to 12k a month....holy shit! Is Foshan the most expensive place in China?
RandomGuy:
That's like nothing for a house of 500sqm (5000sqft) next to the downtown area, in Guangzhou or Shenzhen a similar house costs 80000 to 100000 per month, don't even ask for Beijing of Shanghai lol
royceH:
I see. Is it like a big country house? How many bedrooms? Bathrooms? Could be good if you had teenagers or in-laws who want/need their own space. And you were on a non-Chinese salary, such as the average salary of a country like Australia, which is >$70k these days.
i am finding country houses (old time) 15/20 min outside of Harbin for 6000 to 9000rmb a year.
They all have a small area for growing stuff, i am still looking for one with a half acer or so.
Hotwater:
The small island I'm looking at, with road access, is 10k-12k per year for a 2-storey village house. Be great to get out of a city apartment block.
well harbin is cheap. but you have to consider it is quite cold .and you cant farm regularly. try Chongming island near shanghai. you can buy the land and farm. also a good place for fish farming.
I live in a nice place in Dongguan with a big garden, Nice to sit out in and relax, rented it so my dogs would have a place to play. But growing stuff is pretty difficult as the soil is absolutely awful, grass even had trouble growing at the start.
icnif77:
If you're committed to growing, you can improve soil fairly quickly.
Find some cow or horse farm, and transport manure from there to your land. You need some 5-10cm thick layer over the farming soil.
Also, separate your house waste to organic and non-organic, and always toss organic waste on the soil.
If no rain for the long time, you should water the soil at least once per month.
I 'studied' that two years ago in Jianou, Fujian. Chinese made arable soil close to the river, where all soil is sandy. They build walls by the river to protect farm land from the flood.
Most 'non-treated' soil in the area looks like desert sand.
They also have cows everywhere.
I live in a nice place in Dongguan with a big garden, Nice to sit out in and relax, rented it so my dogs would have a place to play. But growing stuff is pretty difficult as the soil is absolutely awful, grass even had trouble growing at the start.
If you're in the countryside around Harbin you'll need a big heating plan. The temp is similar where I live and houses outside apartment blocks just burn coal to keep from freezing.
Hotwater seems to have the idea...somewhere near the water down in the semi-tropics.
I would like to so similar but not in China. Philippines sounds nice but wife not keen b/c she thinks they don't like Chinese.
I am in Acheng a town of 600,000. I dont really care to live there. I have a nice apartment in town (2400rmb for heat a yr). I do want enough land to grow stuff for the family. My father-in-law will stay there when we are growing things. Just need to find a place.
