Moving to Beijing with dog greater than 35 cm

Shinns

Member

Member since 18 November 2023

Shinns

18 November 2023 20:29:35

Shinns

18 November 2023 20:29:35

Hello everyone,

Myself and my partner have gotten job offers in Haidian in a school but we have a dog and a cat and had no idea of the height restrictions on dogs. I am wondering if it would be feasible to live outside of the 35cm restricted zones and commute to school and back or would it be too far? I would not be comfortable keeping the dog somewhere where it could at all possible be in danger by the authorities so unless the commute is possible we will give up the Beijing dream.

The school is located on Xingshikou Road Haidian District. I have no idea of the districts or distances or traffic so any insights are welcome. Thank you.

mrangry

Active member

Member since 13 December 2020

mrangry

19 November 2023 06:30:13

mrangry

19 November 2023 06:30:13

@Shinns

I live not far away from there (near SuZhouQiao). We do see large dogs from time to time, but it is unusual. I imagine you'd get away with it, but maybe you're right not to want to risk it.

Xingshikou Road isn't especially short and is 'radial', so it might depend on where the school is exactly, but my impression is that you could commute to anywhere on that road from outside Haidian. I'm not 100% sure what district is to the west of Haidian and if it is also subject to these rules, but if the rules don't apply, I think you could quite easily commute, if you pick your location with that in mind. There's no subway out that way (even line 12 opening next year won't help much), but the bus service is pretty good all around Beijing. Driving is an option too, I suppose, but driving in Beijing is 'different' and likely takes some getting used to.

Didi (like Uber) and taxis are also not out of the question, but are perhaps the more expensive option - ok while you find your feet.

I'm tempted to think "you'll be fine", but I am largely ignorant and am guessing a lot.

I don't know if there are any good places to let a dog loose for a good run, but they're surely more common on the outskirts.

I just found the following which suggests the rules apply within the 5th ring road, and you're only allowed one pet per address (does that apply to cats?), but it seems to have some good links for other people/orgs that surely know what they're talking about:

https://www.chinaexpatsociety.com/movin … t-to-china

Good luck

Shinns

Member

Member since 18 November 2023

Shinns

19 November 2023 08:27:52

Shinns

19 November 2023 08:27:52

Thank you so much for taking the time and sending the links. Very helpful 🙂

mrangry

Active member

Member since 13 December 2020

mrangry

19 November 2023 10:44:04

mrangry

19 November 2023 10:44:04

@Shinns You're welcome.

I mentioned this to my (Chinese) wife and she was (also) of the opinion that the dog size rule was 'inside the 5th RR'.

It seems like XingShiKou Rd joins runs east/west between the 4th and 5th RR, so I'd've thought that you should be able to find somewhere to live just outside the 5th RR, and be able to commute to work. Maybe ask an estate agent, or perhaps the school will help.

I forgot to mention that cycling is also a good option, as is getting a small scooter, though I'm not sure if you need any kind of licence for a scooter or not (it isn't long since they were all forced to have licence plates, but I doubt anyone needs a driving licence).

From this map with satellite imagery, it looks like there are some residential communities on the far west that might suit. It is right at the base of the foothills, though, so I guess that limits the number of places.

https://map.baidu.com/@12941004.6997011 … _EARTH_MAP

I guess the (military) airport is the reason why there's no subway heading that way, and why XingShiKou Rd has the wiggle in it.

It can be very lovely up that way at certain times of year, if you like a nice hike

mrangry

Active member

Member since 13 December 2020

mrangry

19 November 2023 10:58:15

mrangry

19 November 2023 10:58:15

@Shinns I should mention that I'm quite jealous that you can get a job teaching. I can't get a job doing that here, since I don't have a Bachelor's Degree. I only have a BTEC HND, which is only one less year of study than a BSc, and I graduated back in '88, so what difference would that make to anything these days? It seems kind of nonsensical to me that they have this restriction Still, I don't really have the temperament to teach, so perhaps it's a good thing - I'd imagine I'd be quite good at being some kind of 'assistant' though; marking homework, and perhaps some 'English Corner' - those types of things - which I've done before.

The rules were pretty lax when I first came to China and I was on a 'foreign expert' visa, but now they're quite strict about it so I can't do anything like that. They've even stopped after-hours teaching outside of the schools, unless it is some topic not related to school work, which is perhaps a way to combine 'English' with something fun, and likely a good informal way of getting experience of the language. It seems a waste of my 'skills' when I'm here anyway, right next to all these universities (some of them specialising in language).

My profession is in software, but it's also very difficult to find local work with that (too much competition, salaries are low, and not having any Chinese language skills is a problem), so I'm stuck doing nothing.

Make sure you start Chinese language lessons asap. It's possible to exist without, but it isn't a good idea - and I say that as someone who's lived in Beijing for 20 years without much more than minimum.

Anyway, such is life

Find more topics on the Beijing forum

Articles to help you in your expat project in Beijing