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Moving from HK to Shenzhen to learn Mandarin, looking for flatmates

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  1. #1

    Moving from HK to Shenzhen to learn Mandarin, looking for flatmates

    Hi all,

    I live in HK but working at home. Thinking of moving to Shenzhen / Nanshan district and live with 2-3 flatmates for at least 6 months in order to improve my Mandarin skills.

    Do you know of any platform of forum in Shenzhen for finding flatmates?
    Ideally they speak 90% Mandarin and 10% English...

    Thank you


  2. #2

  3. #3

    I am a HK local and I know people living in different districts of Shenzhen, I have been to all districts of Shenzhen.

    I find Nanshan extremely dull and boring. Being a bit far away from the city centre.

    Most people in Shenzhen speak 90% Mandarin and 10% English, and they usually share flats with "lao xiang" only. "Lao Xiang" means people coming from the same city or county.

    Last edited by technoihk1; 07-02-2016 at 01:49 PM.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    May 2011
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    Tin Shui Wai
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    Are there more job opportunities in technology in Nanshan District, Shenzhen than Yuen Long District, New Territories?

    Last edited by Michael Tsang; 09-02-2016 at 04:53 PM.

  5. #5

    Join Date
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    South of Sweden
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    Like any other language, you will need to formally learn the basics of Mandarin/ Putonghua, so best enroll in a course to understand and learn basic grammar, tones etc. Shenzhen speak mainly Putonghua, but also Cantonese and a small amount of English. Maybe it is better if you move to a larger city like Shanghai or Xian, Beijing ( where locals claim that they speak perfect English, or Chinglish but know nothing about Western customs/ behaviour.)

    I used to travel up to Shenzhen often, and the Putonghua is quite rough compared to larger cities with more western influence. Maybe that could be your starting point. I was in Harbin this time last year, and the Mandarin/ Putonghua is unbelievably rough compared with large cities with some western influence. Only speaking from personal experience . Good luck, and stay positive, like learning any new lingo, you will make mistakes. But keep a sense of humour among those who don't.