Retiring in China?

[ken88]

How many of you would like to retire in China? Why? Or why not?

 

Actually I am more interested in retiring in China than my wife does.

 

she is not even here yet. But she wants to experience the much talked about "American Dream" !

 

Ken88

[Sebastian]

I would rather retire in Sydney, NSW (anywhere) or New Zealand. If we need to get to the Mainland for family visits, it's a quick trip into the CAN airport. If I want my chinese relatives to visit us or stay with us, visas for THEM are much easier than visas to the USA.

 

as to why - it's NOW almost as multilingual as Singapore, and I can find my favorite Chinese Foods there. Housing is cheap, I can get nice flat in city and have co-op ownership on organic farm/ranch in the countryside at same time.

 

 

Australia has the best of both worlds from Chinese Speaking Countries and English Speaking Countries.

 

I would not retire in China. Guangxi is one thing I can handle, but I cannot handle paying bribes for expediting. (Reasonable additional fees, sure). Bribes won't change by the time I'm ready to retire. I lived in Guangzhou for 18 months this century, I loved the house we had, but hated the business environment.

 

There is also concept of the protection of intellectual property. It's too easy to buy illegal copies of everything in China, and I dont wish to live in a country that supports this type of product redistribution.

 

With all that said, if I couldn't settle in Australia, then I'd settle in Malaysia, either Jahore Bahru or Kuala Lumpur. Similar architecture for flats and houses, with a largish Chinese population, and a chance to have a partnership in a farm.

Edited July 2, 2008 by Darnell (see edit history)

[pbatt]

I would like to retire in China or Vietnam. I like Guiyang area.Or Vung Tao in Vietnam.

New Zealand would be cool also. I taught for a year in Singapore, it was ok but getting very expensive to live there.

 

Everyone likes to experience the american dream but I have two friends form China that have been here two years and are ready to go back to China, they dislike it here.

To each his own.

 

My reasons are I love it over there and I could be happy there, my children think father is crazy, but they just want me happy also.

 

I think the reasons will be as varied as the answers to why or why not as so many things are individual tastes

[IllinoisDave]

Whenever I'm in China the urge to retire there is strong. I love most everything about it when I'm there. But ya know that old joke about other people's kids? The best thing about having 'em around is that they go home eventually. I wonder if there isn't a little bit of that going on when I'm in China. I enjoy the hell out of it while I'm there, but in the back of my mind I know I'll be going home soon.

 

That's not to say I wouldn't want to retire there. It's just that once I've been back here for awhile, the negatives of living there become a little clearer. But then, so do the negatives of living here. So I just can't say right now one way or another. Besides,I've got 20+ years before I retire. A whole lot can happen in both countries between now and then.

 

I'll check back in about 2030.

[tsap seui]

I don't think I will ever retire. To stay young I need to be busy.

 

To be with my wife I HAVE to go live in China. I don't look at it as a bad deal. Yes, there is all the bribery, but my woman is 44 and she has only lived in the one city so she understands who gets paid, or what official to take out to eat, drink, sing, and pay off to get whatever done that you want. It's just a way of life....like filling out forms, kissin' ass, and crossin' yer fingers is here.

 

I am a blue collar entrepreneural type and america is changing very quickly, with the largest changes coming down the pike as people concentrate on using their money to heat their homes, put gas in the car to make it to work, afford to buy food, etc. So for me, I just look at living in China as a break from making peoples dreams come true with their houses and using other talents that have been forced onto the back burner in my head for a long, long time.

 

I look forward to teaching baseball to my son and his friends, having the freedom to write, slow down a little and get more than a passing wiff of the roses, travel some, and maybe even teach english in China...if I feel like it. For a few years I flew all over american, New Zealand, and Australia and taught classes in another industry I was in and it was great to teach and see the "lights" come on when the students started to absorb what you were teaching.

 

Life is only what you make of it. I only want to make what of it WITH MY FAMILY....and if that means I get to eat some of the best food in the world everday, live in a land of beautiful women with tiny hineys,

and take ol' Wang Chung or Won Hung Low out to eat, drink, sing and grease their palm every now and again...then sign me up...just let me be WITH MY FAMILY...without all the farcical paperwork!! Paperwork is for wipin' asses.

 

Retire? Naw, I got me a hot woman that needs plenty of takin' care of, and a young son to help grow into manhood.

 

tsap seui

[tonado]

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...tiring+in+China

[Guest Mike and Lily]

Personally, I think retiring in China is a fine idea as long as you are in good health. But if you are dependent on the health care system, there is absolutely no place like the good ol' USA!

[Jay & Ping]

We talk about it often. Ping hasn't been here so she has no perspective. I think she will do very well here. We visited Zhongshan for a few days after GUZ. I liked it very much. The weather was great and being close to the ocean is a plus. I joke with her that when the time comes she will be the one that doesn't want to go back.

Retirement is a ways off. I'll make many more trips. Plenty of research is needed. New Zealand is an interesting option I had not yet considered. Very similar to California in lifestyle.

 

First things first - get the girls here!

[GZBILL]

There is also concept of the protection of intellectual property. It's too easy to buy illegal copies of everything in China, and I dont wish to live in a country that supports this type of product redistribution.

 

With all that said, if I couldn't settle in Australia, then I'd settle in Malaysia, either Jahore Bahru or Kuala Lumpur.

 

Then you'd better forget about Malaysia, too? They're running neck in neck with China to be the counterfeit capital of the world.

[GZBILL]

Personally, I think retiring in China is a fine idea as long as you are in good health. But if you are dependent on the health care system, there is absolutely no place like the good ol' USA!

 

Huh? You must have free health insurance and have never heard of an HMO.

 

There are many countries that have far better health care systems than the States.

Edited July 3, 2008 by GZBILL (see edit history)

[tsap seui]

Australia and New Zealand are among the top 5 of the best places in the world to retire to.

 

If you are considering either one of them then google immigration to New Zealand, or Australia, and have a good read on the laws for retiring.

 

From 2001-2003 I entertained the thought of immigrating and working in either of those countries. Even had businessmen in both countries who would gladly sponsor me and they had friends in immigration who would help push my case through the red tape.

 

In early 2001 I made an offer on a house in Maleny, Queensland, Australia for $254,000 and teh seller agreed. We knew we were going against Australian law as to foreigners buying a house in Oz, but, we hired a solicitor in Caloundra who said he had gotten 8 other Yanks through the process and he felt maybe we would be number 9. Opps, some feller in Cambera, last name of Nixon, wrote in large red letters, on our third petition. "This petiton is denied. DO NOT apply again."

 

Okay, within 6 months I was again down under and was driving around Maleny and saw a different realtors sign in the yard. Pulled over and called them and ....the house was being offered for $650,000...SIX MONTHS AFTER OUR offer was agreed upon.

 

My point. Aussie and Kiwi real estate went through 15 or 20 years of stagnant appreciation and back in 2001 and 2002 everything doubled and even tripled in a VERY short time.

 

It is very easy to google real estate prices in either country and do your homework, and to find their laws for retirement.

 

I will tell you, it's not too cheap to live there. It's unworldly beautiful in either country, but it is no longer cheap. Heck, when I was traveling around there the exchange rate was around 1usd=2aus and more for Kiwi dollars. My mates called me the Half Priced Aussie.

 

Take a look at the dollars exchange rate now.

 

As I recall, in OZ the retirement law was you needed an outside (Oz) yearly, income of around $50,000 and you needed to re-apply for your retirement permit every 2 or 3 years.

 

They are both the most awesome countries in the world..but...they ain't no banana republics.

 

Have fun looking it up Darnell, I'll be interested to hear what you find buddy. I've printed off those 40 some pages of info a couple of times.

 

tsap seui

[Guest Mike and Lily]

Personally, I think retiring in China is a fine idea as long as you are in good health. But if you are dependent on the health care system, there is absolutely no place like the good ol' USA!

 

Huh? You must have fee health insurance and have never heard of an HMO.

 

There are many countries that have far better health care systems than the States.

 

For simple problems, maybe I would rather have them treated in other countries, but China is NOT one of them, at least not yet.

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

Personally, I think retiring in China is a fine idea as long as you are in good health. But if you are dependent on the health care system, there is absolutely no place like the good ol' USA!

 

Huh? You must have fee health insurance and have never heard of an HMO.

 

There are many countries that have far better health care systems than the States.

 

For simple problems, maybe I would rather have them treated in other countries, but China is NOT one of them, at least not yet.

 

 

While the US has great health care available to many, it is not available to all. There is no easy answer to it. If you have a good job with benefits in the US, then you still likely pay a weekly premium for heath care coverage. China now offers an international plan at most work places that is good anywhere in the world, including the US. Treatment and facilities are different here; different requires research and a realization that healthcare in China is not heavily regulated; especially when compared to the US. Regulation can help the ill-advised, but often fails to provide better.

[rogerluli]

We will be out of the US for China in exactly 5 years this month. And it will be FULL RETIREMENT... Neither of us wants to have to work for money ever again. After much back and forth about where to go we have pretty much decided for sure to keep our new place in Qionghai, Hainan and make that our permanent home. It is the two top floors, 11 & 12, of a new building in a very nice, large development. I have gone on and on about the 60 m2 rooftop terrace where you will find me most of the time... B) We expect to live there much of the year except for deep summer. We also will have a place in Laopo's Hunan hometown but want to travel widely in China and all of Southeast Asia...Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, etc all look interesting...Having no time restarints will allow us to travel slowly and really suck-in a culture not just race through the tourist traps...As to the weather I know some people prefer the 4 season thingie...I have had it up to here... with winter...I yearn for the tropical breezes of Hainan...Friends were just there in late May and said it was so hot...I checked the weather and it was just like always about 88 for a high and 76 for a low...The problem with being a tourist is that people run around all day long...People on Hainan take a 2 hour break every day from about 11 to 1 to avoid the hottest, sunniest part of the day...You know the old saying "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun."...And I think the tropical climate offers another subtle advantage...You do not feel the press of time when the weather is nearly the same all the time...For me it makes time slow down...

 

Since this is already a very long post for me I might just as well make it even longer and talk about a couple of other issues...

 

YUNNAN...is a very, very special place. we bought a house there in Yuxi in '06 but due to a variety of reasons we decided that Hainan was a slightly better overall choice for us. In Yunnan I would hate to be tied down to one place because there is so much to see all over...So it seemed that for our time there just staying on the road and spending a month here and a month there was a better option. It is quite easy and cheap to rent a furnished house for a month at a time anywhere in China except Hong Kong (oh wait that isn't China is it??? )

 

VISAS...Laopo will be becoming a USC when she is eligible so we will have visa issues in staying in China. We think they are fairly easily dealt with by leaving China periodically which we want to do anyway. If there are drastic changes in visa regs that make it impossible to stay for extended periods then we would probably sell the Hainan house and only keep the Hunan place in China and buy in a friendlier SE Asia environment like Thailand which has a very open visa polcy for retirees. Vietnam does not have a program like that yet but I understand that visas are easily renewable indefinitely...

 

HEALTH CARE...If either of us had a serious health issue we might rethink this all and stay in the US... Thankfully we don't...

 

See y'all on the other side...

[Maxal]

I think I will end up in some other country when I do retire. But I also would like to be able to consult for the locals with introductions or other business practices, etc.

 

It will depend on the cost of living of the country, their visa laws, the way of life and if we could just be happy there.

 

I know I am not thinking of that for another 20 years or so and a lot can change in the world in that time. Guess I am just not making plans yet, other than putting money in the retirement fund every week.

 

I visited Ecuador earlier this year and it was actually rather nice. Some great beaches, very inexpensive, US Dollar is the currency, welcoming to Americans and not a real long plane flight to the old USofA.

 

Would it be an option, maybe and so would NZ, Aussie land, China, Thailand, Tortola, who knows. It will depend on my SO and me at the time.

 

Who knows the way are economy s going we maybe the Low Cost Country for retirement in 10 ~ 20 years.