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Golden apple has many branches, and they are known as a good kindergarten. There are only one or two branches accepting foreign kids, one is the branch close to the Masters appartment building along Renmin South road. Perhaps you should look on the Chengdufamilyliving group (https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/chengdufamilyliving/info) and look for a person called gina c (blonde_cdn). I think she is an American Golden Apple teacher and she may be willing to help you out with more info on the school and on how to negotiate with them. One thing I’d want to know is whether there are any other foreign teachers at the Baoli branch. I’d also ask if there is a sports club or other social club on the Poly grounds or in the neighborhood, and whether you’d be entitled to membership there. If there is any foreigners living in that area that’s where you’d meet them. I’d personally not have a problem to work/live in a suburb. In that area there are relatively many green parks and since you’re on the outskirts of the city I guess it would be not too difficult to take a bicycle and make some nice trips to the north of town. Also since you’re close to the third ring it means you will be out of town in notime if you like to go to places further out. If you like a vibrant night-life and want to go clubbing several times a week, I guess you would prefer other areas in town.
Perhaps you should start a new thread asking for opinions of (former) Golden Apple staff, because they will not know you’re asking with this post title?
In the north there are also the botanical gardens and the Poly 198 park, both very nice green spaces to spend some time. Actually, is Baoli not the posh neighborhood bordering on the Poly198 park (in chinese called Baoli gongyuan)? That would fit with the Golden Apple kindergarten which is among the more expensive ones here. Don’t worry, if you want to go to downtown for some fun it will take you about 40 mins.
actually, not all Chinese buddhists are vegetarians, that’s exactly the problem if you are a vegetarian in China. And vegan is not the same as vegetarian. There are several vegetarian restaurants in and around the buddhist temples.
Ole supermarket sells some (pricey) products you may like. Yogurt sold in supermarkets is always loaded with sugar (or sugar replacements), I did not find any plain natural yogurt there. The only option I found is to buy Yak Yogurt from Farmdelivery. This yogurt is handmade in the Tibetan region, and is really just yogurt without any additives. Very yummy! Email them at [email protected] and they will send you an order form. They also sell all kinds of other products so may have more stuff you like. Also check out the blog http://www.market2meal.com/ for good ideas on where to buy products. There is another thread on this forum about organic farms that sell their vegetables either on the farm or as home delivery. Soy milk should be easy to find I guess. Unlike the comments above, I would not only stick to things you know, but start trying out the local grains and products such as the many varieties of tofu, millet and sorghum as well, healthy and available easily. Also, don’t be too stressed about food quality, it’s true there are many food scandals in China but it’s also true that most products are perfectly ok. Looking at how my vegetarian friends have difficulties eating out, I think being vegan would seriously limit your options for eating in (local) restaurants. I don’t think the concept is understood at all.
I guess there are not that many gymnastics centers in Chengdu. I’d start to search at the local police station or community center near Chengdu Gymnasium (on Renmin South road) or near the Youth Amateur Sports School 成都市少年儿童业余体育学校 which is the gymnastics school in Chengdu, it is located here 青羊区草堂路街道草堂东路150号. Perhaps the names are not rare, but the combination of names would be already less common? I know that there are also some commercial offices offering people searching in China in adoption cases, but I don’t know of a specific Chengdu one. Good luck!
Hello!
Pollution, like smoking, is a long-term killer not a short-term hazard. Unless you are suffering from asthma or related lung problems don’t worry about it if you are only here for a few weeks. We live here and wear masks as a habit when aqi gets above 150, though the kids refuse to do so. If you do decide on a mask, it only makes sense to use one that completely seals off any air flows other than through the mask. Respro and Totobobo are the only ones that are almost able to do that. Any other mask including surgical, hobby, dust, etc. are useless.Have fun!
Hi, I asked your pollution question once when talking to a specialist on pollution and agriculture. He said it is a very complex matter. Pollution is in the air and water, but can also enter the plant depending on the type of pollution, the type of plant, the growth rates, etc. And then it depends which part of the plant you eat. There is no simple answer there I think. In any case, if you grow your own, you can manage the amount of pesticides and fertilizer.
In Egypt I learned for the first time that ‘organic’ does not necessarily mean no pesticides, it just means that the norms are stricter. On the other hand, we visited the Hygeia farm once and looked at their veggies and bought some, and there were so many bugs (butterflies, ladybugs, caterpillars eating the corn, etc.) on and around the plants that I suspected not much pesticide is used there. But then again I don’t know if all the produce they sell comes from that same place. I guess the main thing is whether there is an independent agency that sets standards and checks companies before they can call themselves ‘organic’. I don’t know whether there is anything like that here.
I have been at both farms. The Hygeia farm is a real farm, which happens to be open to visitors. You can see how they grow their products, pick your own vegetables, and even adopt a goat, but it is not a place oriented at visitors. In the area of Hygeia, there are a lot of restaurants if you want to make a day trip out of it. The Sunyuki location I visited is one of several of their sites. Two Sunyuki sites are ready for receiving visitors, the one I visited (near Qingchen shan) and one closer to the highway to Dujiangyan. The two sites open to visitors have products growing (and some animals) but they do not focus on quantity but rather on the ‘outdoor’ experience: see how things grow, be outdoors, etc. They also have several large farm sites around Chengdu where they grow most of the produce, which may possibly also be visited but are not equipped for visitors (as in providing lunch and activities).Their website shows the general locations of those sites.
On this map https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=znAMkI9YZP60.kiHB6ykXsvUo&msa=0 you can find their locations, and also the location of a place called Xinjin Idyllic organic farm, which I have not visited myself.
On this page https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/chengdukidsoutdoors/files/Destinations/ you can find information about all three of them.
Have fun exploring!
Thanks! Sorry for my tone, I did not intend to be unkind. I just meet so many people who tell me to go to ´some place over there´ to find things, without being specific, and it is so difficult to find places and things if you don´t read chinese. Thanks for your information!
There are many ‘organic’ farms in Chengdu, the most famous being Sunyuki http://www.sunyuki.com/. South of Chengdu there is Hygeia farm http://www.hygeiafarm.com/. Both do home delivery of produce, and you can also visit the farm and buy their produce on site. At two of Sunyuki’s sites, you can also have lunch and participate in activities (booking required). There are several others but I don’t know their names. If you want to farm your own plot you might be able to arrange that with Hygeia, I think I’ve heard about that.
What kind of products do you accept and/or sell? And are you in touch with any organizations that would accept things you cannot sell?
More info about where to find products is always welcome, but please be more specific than the unhelpful ‘a store in the fish market area’. Where is that area, and which store is it?
If you are at work the whole day, perhaps better register your work address in taobao; the delivery guys come during daytime. Also, many couriers will not call but send you an sms.
Hi Squirrel, talking to Brian does not immediately mean you have to do business with him? In any case, he knows a lot about the place, speaks the local dialect fluently, and knows a lot of good local contacts. Have fun, and let us know how your trip went. We may be interested to go one time too.
Talk to Brian at http://www.adventure-access.com/ he knows a lot about those areas and how best to enjoy them!
Ok, I’ve found this http://www.cometochengdu.com/index.php?app=eventcalendar
Tazishan lantern festival 16 feb – 15 March
Jinsha lantern festival 17 feb – 8 March
Wuhouci temple fair 16 feb – 5 MarchSeems that there are things to do. But it will be crowded I guess
