laotou has a good point.
Dealing with Chinese officials rule number 1.
If you can't get what you want, try asking a different question, or the same question differently.
e.g.
With my Chinese wife at the train station to make a journey. The ticket counter said there were not more seats on any train that day. Shock horror! We could not get home. Then I asked my wife to enquire about 'soft seats'. Yes they had soft seats on all trains that day.
Don't worry if they say 'Impossible'. 'Impossible' does not mean 'no'.
However, 'difficult' often does mean 'no'.
A bit of confusion here because you used the term 'private schools'.
Now is perhaps a bad of year to be looking. Most of the public sector schools/colleges and private sector schools (not language training centres) are now thinking about recruiting for September. Because of the academic year most have contracted staff running until June.
You may need to consider working at training centres, at least until Sept.
Some of the universities and colleges also have 'spin offs' that may recruit on an ad-hoc basis. For the next semester (in two weeks). I have also recently come to Kunming and was lucky, as I am replacing a Chinese teacher who have been promoted to set up a new 'school' within the college, and even this is only part time.
Part-time is the other route. Working part-time is a good option. You can work for several employers at the same time. The rates of pay are higher, and you have the power to say 'no'. You also get to check out the culture in several institutions, before you decide for next year. The downside is that PT work won't get you a visa.
I can't give you any answers, as I am new to Kunming. But one thing I would add, is that you find out about specific campuses as well. There is one well know school with about 30 campuses.
The culture in each campus can be different. I once worked for an international company (not a franchise) and the local director was openly hostile to foreign teachers. She even espoused her disdain. She said that we were all a waste of time and refused to process any 'Z' visa. She said that the company was not a visa service for expats.
In another place the admin/sales manager was a real piece of goods, who would raise customer expectations to overly high levels, just to get her commission. But when the teacher fails to deliver the unreal, who gets blamed?
In both the above cases, it was individuals at the campus level that were the problem
You can buy the same, or better, stuff in the regular markets. If you are buying leather goods, Yunnan produces some great leather goods that are of original design and high quality for much less.
In fact a lot of the fake brands are no longer available. The fake logos are similar but not the same. The the prices are still over the top.
I found tomb sweeping to be a nice family day out. A branch, or several branches, of the family will visit the tomb and pay respects to the ancestors.
The tomb is cleared of weeds. Firecrackers. There is a small offering of food, wine, money (fake) etc. and some kowtowing. After that it becomes a family picnic, with my family.
All in all a pleasant time out. Not morbid, and very social.
Some of the old double deckers already have a few tables up top, but I doubt these will be put into new busses. Buses are hugely overcrowded at peak times, anything that potentially reduces bums on seats would not be considered. Anything mobile, like flip down aircraft seat type tables, would soon be broken.
Baisha village has developed a lot in the last 8 years or so, but is still peaceful. The Naxi art museum was very informative and well run. We visited last year and there were even a couple of guest houses and a brew pub.
If the Dongba Kingdom is the place with totem poles (look modern), forget it. It is a privately owned tourist attraction with a 280rmb entrance fee. I walked passed, and from what I could see it appears to be not much more than a glorified visitor centre.
Shuhe has changed and is no longer as quiet as it used to be. However, entrance is now free. In addition you can walk along the dirt road (no cars allowed) from Shuhe to Baisha village. It is a much shorter distance than driving.
A reasonable choice of lumber that has improved over time. Fancy hardwoods like walnut, and mahogany are in abundance. There are some plywood and rubber-wood boards available. There are also some kiln dried imported softwoods and merbao available. Some of the lumber is very green, so look for the kiln dried if you need stable timbers.
Echo everything said by others.
Breakfast great and the serve from 8am. Most other places say 9am and they still are not ready.
Sandwiches are cheap 22-32, and really packed full of filling. We got some sandwiches for a day out, the only mistake I made was ordering two, as this was too much. These are seriously good sangars, and they are wrapped in alu foil.
In fairness to Metro, they are a wholesalers, and not really a supermarket. Hence the need for a card, which can be got around.
They have improved in the year I have been away. They now carry a more consistent range of imported foodstuffs and they also seem to have sorted out the mported milk supply.
They have a wider range of electrical appliances now, there is a coice of more than one toast. There is also a better range of seasonal non foods, like clothes, shoes, garden furniture and camping gear.
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Tomb Sweeping Festival in China
Posted byI found tomb sweeping to be a nice family day out. A branch, or several branches, of the family will visit the tomb and pay respects to the ancestors.
The tomb is cleared of weeds. Firecrackers. There is a small offering of food, wine, money (fake) etc. and some kowtowing. After that it becomes a family picnic, with my family.
All in all a pleasant time out. Not morbid, and very social.
Shangri-la still looking to bounce back after horrific fire
Posted bySadly, I am almost certain that people saying this know it to be false and are saying it to promote tourism in their own towns.
Kunming buses installing wi-fi services
Posted bySome of the old double deckers already have a few tables up top, but I doubt these will be put into new busses. Buses are hugely overcrowded at peak times, anything that potentially reduces bums on seats would not be considered. Anything mobile, like flip down aircraft seat type tables, would soon be broken.
Monkey mayhem descends on downtown Kunming
Posted byI saw this in K6 yesterday. That monkey was not happy.
Exploring Lijiang's countryside: A day-trip to Baisha
Posted byBaisha village has developed a lot in the last 8 years or so, but is still peaceful. The Naxi art museum was very informative and well run. We visited last year and there were even a couple of guest houses and a brew pub.
If the Dongba Kingdom is the place with totem poles (look modern), forget it. It is a privately owned tourist attraction with a 280rmb entrance fee. I walked passed, and from what I could see it appears to be not much more than a glorified visitor centre.
Shuhe has changed and is no longer as quiet as it used to be. However, entrance is now free. In addition you can walk along the dirt road (no cars allowed) from Shuhe to Baisha village. It is a much shorter distance than driving.