, Zhongshan City – My Experience Living in a Prefecture-Level City, SDE Seadragon Education

Moving To Zhongshan City

When I applied to teach English in China, I was given the option of teaching in Shenzhen or Zhongshan, and I chose Zhongshan. While I am sure that Shenzhen is a great city to live in, I do not regret my decision to live in Zhongshan at all.
There are few things in life that are both as exciting and terrifying as moving to another country. Not only are you moving to a new place, but you are also opening yourself up to a culture that you are not familiar with.
 
One of the things that makes the biggest difference during this transition process is where you live.
“Any time that I was feeling homesick, I could just take a walk in one of the parks and feel like I had a bit of home here in China.”

One of my favorite things about Zhongshan is that there are multiple reminders of home. One thing that I was happy to notice about Zhongshan when I first came to China was the abundance of parks in the surrounding area.

It might seem silly that parks are so important to me, but they had a big impact on my move. I had spent four years living in the mountains while I attended college back in America and I had grown accustomed to being surrounded by nature.

“Between the parks and Starbucks, there is plenty to make me feel like I am home.”

While I had plenty of access to the parks of Zhongshan, I also had access to a lot of malls. There are so many malls in Zhongshan that I could easily go to three different malls within the span of an afternoon. I have never needed to shop that much, but it is nice to have the option.

The best part is that many of these malls had stores and restaurants that I had back home. That meant that I did not have to give up Starbucks like I had feared.

“The noise and the crowds were the two things that people warned me about the most when they heard that I was moving to Shenzhen. I was pleasantly surprised when my plans changed” 

One might wonder why I choose to stay in Zhongshan when I could easily move to Shenzhen. After all, Shenzhen has even more Starbucks stores. While it is true that Shenzhen has all of the things I listed above, it also has large and noisy crowds.
The noise and the crowds were the two things that people warned me about the most when they heard that I was moving to Shenzhen.

“I can easily take a day trip to Shenzhen, along with other major cities, due to how close Zhongshan is to them.”

I was pleasantly surprised when my plans changed, and I found out that Zhongshan did not have those issues. There are some things that Shenzhen has that Zhongshan does not, but I have found that I do not really miss those things.

With that being said, I can easily take a day trip to Shenzhen, along with other major cities, due to how close Zhongshan is to them. It is not unusual for me to spend a weekend in Hong Kong or Guangzhou if I feel like shaking up my routine.

 

“Last February I took a pricey vacation to Japan, and it barely put a dent in the amount of money I had saved.”

Another thing that is so great about living in Zhongshan is that it is very easy to save money here. I do not even have to make sacrifices to save money. I eat out quite a bit, and the most expensive thing that I buy typically ends up being a Starbucks drink.


The fact that I can save money at all while I continue to fuel my caffeine addiction is mind-boggling. Moving to Zhongshan has allowed me to live more comfortably than I thought was even possible. I still have to put in the effort to use my money wisely, but that really is not that hard to do.

“Zhongshan is a beautiful place that feels like home despite being on the other side of the world.”

In the end, I could not be happier with how things have turned out for me.  I have traveled and done more than I thought I ever would. The opportunities that I have here have opened up a new world of possibilities for me.


This adventure has been nothing less than a rollercoaster. There have been many ups and downs, but it has been the best ride of my life.
I can honestly say that I love living in Zhongshan.

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