Best cities for retirement in China

HELLO!!
If you ask me about China- and retirement-- I would have different thoughts of where to retire compared to younger people.
BUT SHENZHEN city offers the best value and weather. You can easily live well and pay rent and EVERYTHING on 5000RMB per month if you chose your area well. For example- ONE ROOM apartments near the airport START at 1350RMB per month...  and food is cheaper away from the tourist & expat locations.
Plus you have a great link to the Hong Kong beaches & shopping.
If you want VERY CHEAP retirement then YUNNAN is your best bet!
ALSO-- you could look at Guangzhou? I do not like the unfriendly attitudes and everyone is obsessed with money-- but one year I did find an apartment for 500RMB a month with utilities!  OF COURSE it was near the airport!
Shanghai is nice and I would like to try it- but it is very expensive like Hong Kong.....
BUT hey--  there are 56 distinct cultures here so you must decide WHAT INTERESTs you the most!

Why would anyone choose China as a retirement destination?

Even the small cities are very crowded, it is not that cheap to live here (although you can live here for a lot less than the US), plus there are many other areas in Asia that provide a very nice retirement environment such as the Philippines, Malaysia or Thailand.

The only real plus to retirement in China is the cheap, high quality, health care.  Other than that, I don't see why anyone would chose China as an expat retirement destination.

Furthermore, I don't even know how you would get a residence permit to retire here.  Although the Chinese government now issues green cards, they are very hard to get.  I believe there are only 2,000 issued per year.  A working permit allows you to stay here for two years at a time.  I do not know that China allows expats to live here as a retiree, at least I have never heard of it!

The green card was introduced in 2004. In the decade that followed, just 7,356 people were granted permanent residence－a mere 1.2 percent of the estimated 600,000 expats living in the country during that period－according to the Annual Report on Chinese International Migration published in 2015 by the Center for China and Globalization, a think tank in Beijing.
SO YOUR WILD GUESS of 2000 per year is off.
By your negative attitude I would "ASSUME" you are not Chinese. And "MY" question would be- WHY wouldn't someone want to retire here?  I have lived and worked in many countries of the world; and yes, western Canada will always be my first choice- but there is certainly nothing wrong with China. YOU ONLY TALKED about retiring in a CITY??? A city is the same no matter WHAT COUNTRY YOU GO TO! There are SO MANY beautiful rural areas that you have obviously never been to.
ABOUT VISAS: There are numerous ways to remain here. I am basically retired- AS ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHER EXPATS HERE- - and I have a 9 year visa that was cheap to get. Also- you can get FAMILY visas if you are married to a Chinese- etc. etc... And if you are investing into China or highly skilled you can try for a green card.
And did I read your post correctly where-in you stated that the only plus to retiring in China is the cheap high quality healthcare? REALLY? You are joking right? Can't stop laughing so I won't comment on that ----
I have always agreed with the Australian Prime Minister when he said on TV: "IF YOU DO NOT LIKE OUR POLICIES AND OUR COUNTRY AND OUR RELIGION--- THEN GET OUT!"
China is a beautiful country full of diversity- from Inner Mongolia to the Hong Kong beaches. There are 56 distinct cultures here. The landscape varies greatly as you travel through. China is SAFER to live in that MOST WESTERN CITIES that I lived in. And MOST PEOPLE I MET are super nice & kind!
SOMETHING for everyone here.....
So I certainly would not discourage anyone from living here.
MY MY BEST ADVICE IS--- come here for 5 months and see if you like it and can handle the culture shock "FIRST"- - before you think about moving here.
ALSO---   you can come here as a VOLUNTEER to get a taste of China! CHEAP VISIT!

I retired here. I live in Zhuahi. I am married on a ten year Q2. I am very happy.

Everyday, I walk along the beach, and most nights I sleep with the windows open and get that cool ocean breeze.

I eat very well, and the medical care here is first rate.

China is a huge nation with something for everyone...except the close minded, ignorant.

I fell in love with the food, the people, and the lifestyle. China is a very traditional Chinese conservative nation. They have declared war on SJW, progressives, and radical Muslims. Which is why you can pretty much live a more or less "free" life without all the rules, laws, and PC expectations that you would find out West. It's very refreshing.

Is it perfect? No.

But it's good enough, and people, good enough is good enough.

Hi,

If you want retire cities in China you need to have certain big money cause those metropolitan or suburban are fast pace living style and materialistic. Better choose other countries in South East Asia.

Cant see how you can discount China as a retirement destination, especially a city like Shanghai, very cosmopolitan, very vibrant and I know one prominent travel writer has described it as the Manhatten of the east. Love the area around peoples square and of course the "bund", but I really cant afford to live there just yet.
China is just such an amazing country, the long history and the chinese devotion to art and literature is mind boggling. A cultural as well as a culinary feast can be had in most chinese cities.
However, getting back to the topic, which of the many cities is most desirable to the retiree, I liked Xiamen and Zhongshan but mostly Shanghai and Shenzhen was too much of a rat race. Hopefully there are some more ex-pats on this site who have travelled the length and breadth of China who can give us a better insight.

I have lived in a few of China's cities- including the Biggest- Chongqing.
MY OPINION is that BY FAR- Shenzhen is No. 1----
WHY- because it is a NEW CITY and full of adventurous people from all over china and the world!

Hi, just cant see how you come to the conclusion that Shenzhen is number 1 for retirees, for young men and women who want a fast paced lifestyle sure, but not for retirees,

I have lived in China many years- and I would agree that CHONGQING and GUANGZHOU are fast paced & for the young--  but not Shenzhen.
Shenzhen is a city comfortable in it's own skin AND not trying to be something it is not- as Guangzhou is. I am 67 years old-- and I would retire here in a second- but not just in some random area. To discover Shenzhen - THE REAL Shenzhen- you need to explore (as I do in every city) the areas where the EXPATS and TOURISTS do not frequent.
It may sound hypocritical of me to say this- but I think the expats here are giving the city - and foreigners in general- a bad rep.......
I look at some of the STRUNG-OUT, dirty, loud, ass-grabbing, drunk FAT PIG foreigners I see here and I think to myself- WOWSERS- what must the Chinese & the Chinese Police think of us.
If it was up to me I would deport them in a second---
And there are hundreds of online blogs that share my sentiment.....
SAD but this is reality.....

Thanks for that heads up, my chinese wife (from Wuhan) and I lived in Shenzhen for 2 months 2018 in Fuyong, it was outrageously expensive in the way of rent for the apartment we got, and you couldnt eat out in these areas the fast food always gave me the runs.
I always found getting good rental properties in China very difficult mainly because the estate agents just lie through their back teeth, what was advertised just turned out to be a lead in property to suck you in. So, if you want a nice rental property you have to pay at least 10,000 rmb a month. Whats your thoughts.

I LIVE in FUYONG. I have a NEW 2 room apartment with air con- Elevator and washing machine & bed. One bedroom- one living room- one small curtained off SMALL kitchen- and one toilet with door and hot water shower. I was in a hurry when I came here and did not look around- so I am paying More than I should- which is 1980RMB rent and all the other fees & utilities and AIR CON use- ETC---   TOTALS between 2200 and 2450 Per Month. FOOD here is cheap and usually does not cost me more that 22 to 38RMB. A short 30 minute metro ride away is the best food in Shenzhen at MIX-C mall beside the BULLET SHAPED BUILDING; and WAGGAS restaurant is near as well.... SEA WORLD has great food as well. I love salads and HEALTH FOOD so I search for the best.
For 10,000 a month as you say- I could stay at ANY AREA in SHENZHEN- even 5 star hotels. Sounds like you have ONLY looked at the EXPAT TRAPS----
REGARDS RETIREMENT- why on earth would you pick Fuyong? I am only here because it is an industrial area and I need to find manufacturers.
My rent is high- as there are one room NEW apartments for 1300RMB per month-- and the other day I saw a sign that said 950---- but no air con--  AND I LOVE AIR CON!
IF you are okay with living near an airport- RENHE in Guangzhou has apartments for 650 a month. I had one rented for when I attended the Canton Fair after I moved to CHENZHOU for 2 years--- and cheaper ones if you want to go rural----
When I lived in Chongquing it was even cheaper-----

Hi Krissttovv, you obviously know Shenzhen well, your english is very good are you British or American, I am Australian.
Yes, Fuyong was noisy because it was near the airport, but the apartment my wife and I stayed in was right next to the Vienna Hotel, 50 meters from the subway and I was wrong about the rent it was 2800 rmb month, quite good, but apartment was basic, suitable more to young people, and you are right, you cant live in Shenzhen in the summer without Air-Con.
I really want to live in Shanghai for about a year when I retire, but my wife doesnt really want to go back to China, she can really only go back for a month at a time.
I think one of the biggest problems in China is finding good rental properties, how do you suggest I go about doing this, please let me know.

HI THERE!
I am SAXON (UK ancestry) CANADIAN- and I write curriculum for Baby Care and Early Childhood Education. I am here in China trying to get approval for this new curriculum so we can change education worldwide----

SHANGHAI is my second choice city and Hong Kong is my third. But Shanghai is very different from Shenzhen. It is very USA Dominated and has a lot of expats. If you like that VIBE then that is the city for you. I chose Shenzhen because it is very cosmopolitan - - as is Shanghai - - but in a different way. BECAUSE it is a totally new city (40 years old) there are people here from ALL OVER China. So it does not have that unfriendly vibe like Guangzhou or Chongqing. The Chongqing natives do not even like CHINESE PEOPLE from other provinces- never mind foreigners!

But why does your wife not want to stay in China?  I had a Chinese wife years ago- but sadly- she was only after my money and a UK passport---- but I am sure your wife is not the same...

HI Krisstov---what you say about Shanghai being U.S. dominated is startling to say the least. I always had the impression that Korea, Japan and now it appears China are coming under the influence of the American empire. I think even Australia has far too much influence from the U.S. but considering old age is catching up with me I am trying to get the most out of life and not worry about those sorts of things. Canadians always give me the impression that they dont like the Yanks pushing them around, but thats easier said than done.
Its a pity you had that experience with your ex-chinese wife, I can assure you my wife is like what I suppose most of us westerners used to know as a traditional wife and we get along very well, I am sure it is due to that aspect.
I hope we can exchange ideas my friend, hope to speak to you again some time.

YES-- Shanghai ALWAYS has been the AMERICAN city- and Hong Kong always has been the British city.
And yes- Trump telling our Canada GOV. to arrest the Huawei CEO Lady REALLY PISSED off Canadians. Especially when China stopped buying Canola and put a lot of people out of business. TRUMP went too far this time and big business is going to hit back---
THE REVOLUTION is coming!
HEY- glad to hear you got one of the good ones- (Wife) !!

Interesting thread you all.

Shenzhen is great, but for the younger crowd. I bought at house in Nanshan in 2004 and now it's worth millions. But when I lived there, I lived downtown Louhu right next to the stock exchange and Grand Theater. My rent was high. Too high.

If you want to be in the center of all the factories go to Danguang, like I did. I lived in Tangxia there. It's an industrial area, but really cheap. Dirty. White sky. Cockroaches everywhere. Yikes! What you do for money, and opportunity...

Retirement destinations differ from family destinations. Which differ from upworldly mobile professionals and where they would want to live.

Shanghai... well... I go there to deal with customers, and to visit some family. Other than that, it's way too much like the USA for my tastes. Way too much. For goodness sakes. The Starbucks in Shanghai is even more expensive than the ones in NYC!

Now, overall I cannot say about individual areas outside of where I lived. I am pretty happy here, and the expat rule is "if you found paradise... you keep it to yourself".

There are those that post on expat.com that suggest a lot of negative things about China. Sure. There are good and bad things about everywhere you go. Me, I love China, but I do miss cheese. I do miss over-easy eggs, and let me tell you... You do NOT make toast by putting the bread in a microwave to heat it up!!!!

Home is where your heart is. Here I have a great family and a strong network of friends. We all need that. We need people, connections and friends to share a meal and a drink with. We need to bond, and to connect with others.

What's the ideal destination? One that you have people that you can call your extended family. That's what.

yes agree Vannrox and also Krissttovvv, there is no easy, one size fits all answer when it comes to retirement issues. Other people dont really matter to my wife and I, we love each others company, I for one have always hated the old Aussie idea that your buddy was your mate. My wife will always be my mate, and the people we have met together in China have never become our friends.
Its funny the American guys we met in Xiamen who owned a bar seemed very humble and down to earth, I always wondered if they were there because they were escaping their past, and I am always amazed that a lot of the Chinese people seemed so lucid and rational,  professional and humble also.
I suppose these are the things you discover when you venture out into foreign lands, still like the idea of having a property in Shanghai and my lovely wife often shows me what is available in the outer areas, quite cheap but semi-rural.  I dont know whether Shanghai being essentially an ex-pat American city is a plus or a minus, if American liberalism has rubbed off on the locals then I think its a good thing, if its imperialism then I dont want to live there.

Great post VANNROX--- I agree...
And Yes- home is where the heart is......

Certainly give Hong Kong a try---
If you pick your area right- A Lot Cheaper than Shanghai...  People are VERY Friendly- More speak English and the UNCROWDED and CLEAN Hong Kong beaches are great....
There are some more remote beaches in HK and you can rent whole houses VERY REASONABLE....
I would retire there but I am still working on this new Kindergarten and Education system full time so I need to be in China.....
But I do walk along the ocean every weekend from HouHai to Sea World- very beautiful and great food at both ends!

Hi Krissttovv,
Still cant get my head around this idea that Shanghai is an American dominated city, maybe its from the aspect of the dominant english speaking foreign culture in Shanghai is American, but I do not see how that would effect other english speaking foreigners living there. My wife and I would be mainly mixing with the locals as we did in Shenzhen.
My impression of Chinese people is that most of them are humble, most of them are tolerant since there are so many people in China if you dont learn to get along you will die. My wife believes why chinese people are polite to foreigners is because they fear foreigners wield greater economic power than them and will sue them if they do something wrong, personally I think this is another chinese superstition and there are many of those.
The traffic on the streets is one of the things a foreigner needs to come to grips with, I quickly became aware you had to walk in a straight line on the sidewalk or you could easily be severely injured by those speeding silent electric bikes coming up behind you. The subways were crowded but good, but you need to be prepared to stand for most of your journeys, if you dont like that I found catching a bus more relaxing but it will take you at least twice as long to get where you want to go.
I like your description of Hong Kong, but I notice the index for cost of living in cities around the world classifies Hong Kong as the MOST expensive city in the world.
I dont think my wife and I will be back in China for another 3 years, thats when I plan to retire and she will have her Aussie passport, but then she will need to give up her chinese citizenship, I dont like that idea, but you did say there was a 9 year visa that can be had, I presume you only need to purchase property in China to get that or run a busness there is that correct ?

NO--  mine is a 9 year standard tourist visa-  which I got because they put it on sale cheap JUST FOR CANADIANS. but in 3 years the rules may all be changed as they seem to modify them once a year?

HK was the most expensive city- but now Shanghai is no.1 and Tokyo is no.2 and HK is no. 3
BUT AS I SAID- you MUST search the right areas. KOWLOON- a stone's throw across the harbor from HONG KONG CITY- is drastically cheaper....   And the HK New Territories are cheaper yet....  People say Shenzhen is too expensive- but I am living here very cheaply---

The Shanghai International Settlement (Chinese: 上海公共租界; pinyin: Shànghǎi Gōnggòng Zūjiè; Shanghainese: Zånhae Konkun Tsyga) originated from the 1863 merger of the British and American enclaves in Shanghai, in which parts of the Qing Empire would hold extraterritorially under the terms of a series of Unequal Treaties until 1941.

The settlements were established following the defeat of the Qing army by the British in the First Opium War (1839–1842). Under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking, the five treaty ports including Shanghai were opened to foreign merchants, overturning the monopoly then held by the southern port of Canton (Guangzhou) under the Canton System. The British also established a base on Hong Kong under an extensive lease. American and French involvement followed closely on the heels of the British and their enclaves were established north and south, respectively, of the British area.

Unlike the colonies of Hong Kong and Macau, where Great Britain and Portugal enjoyed full sovereignty in perpetuity, the foreign concessions in China remained under Chinese sovereignty. In 1854, the three countries created the Shanghai Municipal Council to serve all their interests, but, in 1862, the French concession dropped out of the arrangement. The following year the British and American settlements formally united to create the Shanghai International Settlement. As more foreign powers entered into treaty relations with China, their nationals also became part of the administration of the settlement, but it always remained a predominantly British affair until the growth of Japan's involvement in the late 1930s.                                                                                                                                                                                 IT WAS THE AMERICANS WHO MAINLY RAN and settled SHANGHAI- and the BRITISH fully ran Hong Kong and the PORTUGESE ran Macau----  so THAT is why Shanghai has such a US influence and thinking. It can annoy people not used to the US culture!

Krissttovvv---very erudite and informative, but can you answer my veiled question regarding living in Shanghai my Canadian friend. How will an Australian like me be effected by Shanghai being a predominantly American enclave, to me its neither here nor there especially since one of my main interests will be to build on my rudimentary, limited grasp of Mandarin.

YOU ASKED so I am happy to answer.
I have lived and worked in many countries of the world.
I CAN tell you that I have had to ADAPT quickly to many different cultures and country attitudes.

Keep in mind that YOU are the foreigner- NOT YOUR WIFE.
I do not think you will have any trouble from the Chinese population- OTHER than the fact that most OLD SCHOOL Chinese AND YOUNG MEN dislike foreigners coming in and TAKING THEIR WOMEN.
Since you already told me you hate the E-Bikes on the sidewalks-   so I know that certain cultural habits piss you off.
E-BIKES on sidewalks is my NUMBER ONE HATE here in Shenzhen; WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSEDLY BANNED.
FIRSTLY- they are illegal. You cannot put 2 ADULTS on any scooter- but I have seen 5. I have actual scars from being hit at least twice a month even though I am good at dodging them.  Scooter accidents happen on the average of 4 per hour here. I am currently drafting a complaint to the police as to WHY they do nothing. There are many other annoyances but I have to live with them otherwise they would get rid of me from here.
IF you are not prepared to ignore these-- and any others you have- then DO NOT retire in China, as they will eat away at you and directly affect your relationship with your CHINESE WIFE. You are the foreigner---  not your wife. Her instinctive loyalties lie first with her CHINESE family and secondly to her culture. YOU come third and YOUR CULTURE comes fourth. Sorry- but that is how they are wired.

NOW- about Shanghai again. AMERICANS are loud and annoying and they piss off most of the world no matter where they travel.... AMERICANS "THINK" they are better than any other cultural race... AND THEY DO NOT LIKE Aussies who they still look upon as the cultural rejects and criminals from the "THEN" - upperclass British. You seem like a real nice guy-- so I am sure that it will be the expats themselves that will annoy you most...

I have the thickest skin of anyone- and I am here on a mission. YES- I would love to retire in China but I would choose YUNNAN for full and REMOTE; PEACEFUL retirement. 
But the BC mountains is still my first choice.

BUT TO EACH HIS OWN. I am single so I do not answer to anyone. But you are married to a Chinese and as such-  YOU NEED to consider HER desires and HER HAPPINESS before your own.
I used to be a family counsellor years ago. Trust me on these points-
You can take the woman out of China.
BUT YOU CAN NEVER TAKE CHINA OUT OF THE WOMAN.......

Hi Krissttovv,
Yes, I agree with to a certain degree, but it is not as black and white as you make out. My Chinese wife despises her family because they abused her, and she shows more love and devotion to me than any Australian girl I have ever met. I am also a realist, I never offer more than I can give, whomever my wife is whether Chinese or Australian or martian, if we drift apart because I cant give her what she wants then that is what is meant to be.
As for the Americans, I am unperturbed by their impression of Australians, there will always be a top dog and they have that position until someone else comes along, you must remember as a Canadian you have a land border with them, so its easy to see why Canada/ U.S. relationships are sometimes strained Australians on the other hand  are seperated from North America by thousands of miles of ocean.

You are also 100% right. I have published numerous papers on abuse. I to, was abused by my father for years. No Need to explain to me about the abuse of female children in China.
No one can really suggest where YOU should retire. For me- as a teacher- everything "IS" black and white.
BUT BEST OF LUCK TO YOU BOTH! Maybe we will meet some day.