A brief introduction

Christine wrote:

Hi Paul,

Welcome to expat.com!

Thank you for this introduction.

What do you like or dislike with Gansu? How is life there?

I am sure you will make lots of contacts here. Try to participate on other threads as well.

Christine
Expat.com team

Hi Chrstine,

Life in Gansu is fine. It's not a top-tier province but it has plenty of beautiful places to see and is great for hiking/trekking due to its mountainous terrain.

The food is very eclectic with traditional food from many other parts of China. It's most famous for its beef noodles and many Chinese citizens take short holidays here to sample the delights. There is a number of western food outlets too, both privately owned, and the usual food chains.

The people are generally friendly and agreeable but some behaviours are still a little rudimentary, examples being pushed out of the way to get on a bus and spitting; on a day-to-day basis, you'll be welcomed and treated with respect.

The downsides are that the infrastructure is still lacking in some areas. An example being the water supply being turned off for few days every few months for them to carry out essential repairs/other. Also during inclement weather don't be surprised to lose your electricity supply for a number of hours or even a whole day. The locals are conditioned to this so it's just another day for them.

I like being here as there is enough of the things that I'd get back home and there are a few other expats to meet up with from time to time.