We'll be relocating to BJ in a few months, and are (rather late) thinking about what to take with us. We have a modest relocation package, and it may be within our budget to take our flat screen tv with us. We mostly watch dvds rather than tv, and initially at least, don't plan on getting cable, but we may do so later.

I looked at the tv set, and astonishingly, it does appear to support dual voltage (110-220V), so I don't think it will blow up. It should therefore be fine for dvds (need a new player, no big deal). However, if we decide to use it for watching tv aswell, will it work? If not, it might just be easier to get a new tv over there (how do costs compare with usa?).

What would FTers recommend?

thanks,

tb

a) There's an import duty for flatscreesn: 10 % duty (I think) plus 13 % VAT
There is also a restriction on how many DVDs you may bring, I think it is 200. Check with your shipping co.

b) For analogue TV, China uses PAL whereas the US standard is NTSC. As long as your TV supports PAL, you'll be fine.

c) If you're happy with a TLC - TV it will set you back 2,000 CNY and up, depending on size, of course. See, for example, www.suning.com

d) Most apartments in China are furnished; i.e. there are at least two or three TVs.

Why bring sand to the beach?

Analog TV broadcast in China uses PAL and digital broadcast uses (or will use) their own DMB-T/H. Both different from the US, and it's extremely unlikely you have a TV set in the US that accepts DMB-T/H. Of course, you can probably just use a set top box...

One observation: Our 15 year old TV seems to accept PAL signals (the DVD player set to output PAL) although the picture quality does suffer.

Don't bring your US TV! Avoid Customs issues, electrical issues, compatibility issues, breakage and insurance issues, etc.

As stated above, most apartments come with TV (1 or more), and many times they are flat screen--if old, negotiate with landlord to put in a new flat screen. Furthermore, most apartments geared to expats already are hooked with cable (for Chinese TV) and satellite (for limited foreign TV, emphasis on limited), which are included in the rent.

Sell the TV, board it with a friend or relative, or put it in storage. Focus on bringing only the things you really need and cannot easily find in China.

All good advice, and it looks like the tv will be more hassle than its worth. Since we'll be living in Haidian, I don't think apartments will be 'geared for expats' much -- most of our expat friends live out west in Chaoyang etc.

However, despite lack of perceived economy, given the shipping is being paid by employer, but we would need to buy a new tv, it would actually cost us money to buy a new set, however much it appears as good value. Speaking of which, what's a 'tlc' (a la Chinatrvl)?

On an sl. unrelated note, how easy is it to get an unfurnished apartment? We would much prefer that, since we're going to be in bj for a few years, and just would prefer to have our own furniture...and in addition, over time, even a modest cost saving would pay for the furniture purchases etc.

tb

Pretty easy. You just tell your landlord what stays/goes. Btw, I assume your comment about the bulk of your friends living on the west side of town was a typo?

If north america is the west, than why wouldn't the part of the city closest
to the "west", be considered the west. In fact its not, its the east.
A common misconception.

We're talking about Beijing, here. 95% of expats over age 25 live in the east.

I am refering to the designation of the hemispheres.
The eastern hemisphere is east of the western hemisphere, but the
eastern part of the eastern hemisphere is actually west of the western hemisphere.

While I hear you, nobody in BJ gives a rat's behind about that hemisphere stuff. If foreign investors had been permitted to touch the "west" during the late 80s, this city would be quite different. But, they weren't, so east (in spite of its inferior 风水) is better.

The same calculus applies to Shanghai. The Bund should be nicer than Jing'an, but it isn't (though things are changing fast).

I think it has more to do with the location of PEK. Development closer
to the escape hatch.

Same as Hongqiao in Shanghai. Expat communities developed based on closest proximity to
the airport.

TCL (and others) are Chinese brands and usually much cheaper than imported Korean or Japanese brands. If you have basic chinese skills, check out the chinese malls: http://www.gome.com.cn/tv.html or Suning TVs , makes it ease to comapre Chinese prices to US/EU.

It's rather uncommon to rent unfurnished apartments. Even the most basic come with some kind of furniture. The landlord will remove stuff for you though.
"Geared for expats", you'll certainly get decent "luxury furnished" apartments outside of Chaoyang. Whether the furniture isuits your (western/US/European) taste is another question. Check out http://rent.soufun.com/house-a00/ for rentals in Haidian, to get a feel what is on offer (rentlas only) for what price. Site is easy to navigate even if you don't read chinese.

Sorry, got my left and right mixed up -- meant east side.

Re: furnished/ unfurnished -- will there be a price differential for not having a furnished apartment? Some people say yes (should be cheaper) but others say that it might even be more expensive, since the landlord has to store the furniture (if it is furnished to begin with). Anyway, am sure we'll figure it out soon enough.

My chinese language skills are pretty woeful at the moment (i.e. only the very, very basic, and can read about 50 characters) -- hopefully will improve rapidly once we're living there.

thanks for the info: am sure will be leaning on FT expertise very much as we transition to this new and exciting phase in our lives!

tb