2
City guide: Wuxi
General Industry and Economy
Wuxi is an old city in southern Jiangsu The GDP reached 0.8 trillion Yuan, which
province, and has a rich history. resulted in a GDP per capita of 124,000
Wuxi became a center of the textile Yuan. The annual growth was 9%.
industry in China and was one of the four Currently Wuxi is designated as Wuxi was ranked
most important rice markets nationwide. an investment grade city, and has two
The city even became the leading silk- large industrial parks devoted to new
as “Taihu Pearl”
producing county in Jiangsu, outranking industries. While being the current and “Little
Suzhou, the traditional center. In the late manufacturing centers on textiles, there
19th century, Wuxi was also the regional are projects to move to electric Shanghai”
center for the waterborne transport of motor manufacturing and MRP software
grain and a major commercial center. development. Wuxi is the solar
During the period between 1900 and technology hub in China as two major
1940, Wuxi was considered one of the photovoltaic companies are based in the
most important counties in China. In Cao city.
Yu's well-known drama "Thunderstorm",
Wuxi was mentioned several times with a
comment "Wuxi is a good place". After the Bars and Clubs
People's Republic of China was
established in 1949, Wuxi continued to The main area for nightlife is undoubtedly
grow in importance, with the establishment 1912 Bar Street which lies next to the
of more textile production and both light canal. Here you will find a variety of pubs
and heavy industry. This city was and clubs.
considered the second most important city
in Jiangsu Province after the For a more expat-orientated drinking Taihu Lake is
environment, there are a number of
capital Nanjing. However, its
places in Wuxi which should suit your
Wuxi’s name
developmental model has been criticized
due to the environmental decrease it has needs. Nanchang Jie Street, and Yang card
caused. New strategies are now under Chun Xiang, generally busy with expats,
consideration to ensure its sustainable each selling imported beers often with
development. special offers.
Shopping Places of Interest
As is the case in much of the The Turtle-Head Peninsula Scenic Spot
developing cities of China, Wuxi offers (Right) is an ideal place for natural
shoppers plenty of choice due to the enjoyment, vacation and leisure as it has
ever-growing list of large malls. Center a rich natural environment. The resort at
66, LIVAT (owned by IKEA), Wanda the Zhongdu Hill, surrounded by water
Plaza and Suning Shopping Plaza all with green trees and beautiful scenery,
offer a wide-range of domestic and was listed one of the first sanatoriums as
international stores and restaurants early as in the 1950’s by the State
inside. Council. Since it has been renovated in
recent years, it is now a good place for Transport
As a very cosmopolitan city by vacation, health care and business travel
Chinese standards, there is plenty of with a new and professional physical Wuxi City is served by the Shuofang
choice if you require your favorite examination center, sub-health domestic airport. Passengers can take
imported goods from foreign consulting center and conference center. a plane to Wuxi from many major cities
supermarkets. Carrefours are doted The lake offers a perfect scenery for in China.
around the city, with most having an waterfront dinners, boat feast of lake
entire section dedicated to imports foods, night cruise on the Taihu Lake, Airports in cities nearby are Hongqiao
from all over the world. In addition, local speciality shops and recreational and Pudong International airports in
German chain Metro is very prominent facilities which meet your various needs Shanghai City and Lukou International
in the city and has a huge of dining, shopping, entertainment and airport of Nanjing City.
hypermarket located near the airport. health [Link] sightseeing train, high-
Further stores which feature foreign speed luxury yacht and seven-sail fishing
Wuxi is on the Shanghai-Beijing
goods are Merry Season and the boat of the ancient style give you great
railway track and has frequent
English-orientated Tasty Life. enjoyment while touring the hills, water
services. There are trains to Beijing,
and gardens.
Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing and
Located in the Maji Mountain area, the
Hangzhou. The Wuxi Railway Station
Lingshan Grand Buddha, together with
is located in the north of Wuxi City. It is
the historic Xiangfu Temple, is one of the
1337 km from Beijing, and 126 km
most renowned tourist attractions in
from Shanghai. As an important
Wuxi. The Xiangfu Buddhism temple is
railway hub in East China, Wuxi station
more than a thousand-year old. More
serves over 150 trains every day.
than 80 meters high, the statue is a
bronze Sakyamuni standing Buddha and
In terms of city transportation, Wuxi
was built at the end of 1996.
has a sound public bus network.
Sightseeing buses depart from the
Dining railway stations taking you to almost all
the major tourist sights. The
People in Wuxi, similar as Shanghai, sightseeing bus is very useful and
tend to eat a lot of sweet food. Famous convenient for you to tour around the
dishes include Fried Spare Ribs, city.
Steamed Buns, and Yangtze River food.
If you are looking down the street food The taxi fare in Wuxi is 8 yuan for the
route in Wuxi, there are many local first three kilometers, after that 1.8
dishes scattered around Nanchan yuan for each additional kilometer.
Temple and Chong’an Temple.
Meanwhile, Western cuisine is covered
Parking
Parking spaces can be very limited in Wuxi and
there is hardly any free parking available downtown.
In the centre of the city, hotels and other large
building complexes are good places to find a
parking spot. Spaces are priced at usually around 3
Yuan per hour; however, you can often get
discounts for long-term stays. If you wish to rent
your own parking spot, you will be looking at paying
roughly 500 Yuan a month.
Pets
You are usually only allowed to bring one pet with
you to China per adult passport. If you are planning Part of Lingshan Buddha (above)
on taking your pet with you, you will need to ensure
you have all relevant health and vaccination Voltage
certificates in order. In addition, you will need to
In China, the voltage is 220-240V. Standard Type A, common
provide your Chinese residential details. Once your
Type I and Type C plugs can be used in this outlet. If you have
pet arrives, it will have to be placed in between 15-
appliances requiring 110V, you will easily find step-down
30 days of quarantine in order to be checked upon.
voltage converters.
Whether or not you can keep your pet in your
house/apartment is up to your landlord – therefore it
Schools
is essential to ask their permission prior to your
There are a few international schools in Wuxi. These include
arrival. The new regulation since 2012 says big
International School of Wuxi (ISW), which implements the
dogs are not allowed in the city, and the definition of
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB). Eton
big is in excess of 1 meter tall. Thus, you need to
House International School, and Taihu International School are
ask for the permission from the local police as well
other places you can educate your child as an expat, also
if you think your dog is big.
offering the IB programme.
PSB
Doctor
Upon arrival in China, you will also need to register
Wuxi has been a pioneer in China when it comes to
yourself with your local public security bureau
establishing English-speaking medical practices. United Family
(usually a police station), to ensure the Chinese
Hospital has a branch in Wuxi, where all staff speak English. It
authorities know that you are living here legally.
enjoys a high reputation for its cleanliness and service.
People’s Hospital International Division provides high quality
Garbage Disposal
care for expatriates, which is owned by government. Other
Garbage will be disposed of in the relevant
hospitals have English-speaking staff of course, but are not
containers as provided by your building. Even for
specially catered for foreigners.
bigger garbage or recyclables, these can also be
left at the same garbage site and maintenance will
take care of it. Mailing
When sending post from Wuxi abroad, you will need to go to
the local post office. If you are not fluent in Mandarin, it’s better
Wuxi emergency numbers Caption describing
to go the big postpicture
officeoratgraphic.
Xian Qian Xi Jie as the staff at that
Fire department: 119
branch can speak English. Alternatively, you may wish to call a
Police: 110
Ambulance: 120 delivery company to come and pick up your post for you. DHL,
Traffic Accident: 122 FedEx, and UPS all have offices in Wuxi – however the cost is
normally higher than China Post.
Internet Domestic Help
If you are worried about internet accessibility – fear not, At the moment, Maxxelli Wuxi does not provide
VPNs are very accessible. Internet services are commonly services for finding ayi for the client. However, we
provided by your landlord, and if this is the case the cost do not mind asking around for you. Normally, you
will be included in your rent. If you wish to obtain a faster can find a good ayi for a decent price through
service, this can be done by contacting your Maxxelli another ayi who works for expats.
consultant.
Banking
Consider opening a Chinese bank account.
Opening one in China can be complicated if the
The Center 66 (below) is bank employs no English speakers. Therefore,
again, a translator would be recommended. This
one of Wuxi’s main article will provide a more detailed, step-by-step
guide in opening a Chinese bank account.
shopping hubs
Telecommunication
It is recommended to buy a local SIM card if your
phone isn’t locked to other networks. If your phone
is locked and you want to buy a Chinese one, there
are tons of stores selling inexpensive phones
everywhere. There are two main mobile phone
operators in China: China Mobile and China
Unicom. China Unicom is popular these days due
to their good promotions and faster 3G connection.
For further information on
living and working in China,
please check out the Maxxelli
Blog.
Tenant Lease Information
Below are the common issues and misconceptions throughout China. Maxxelli will attempt to alleviate any
stresses felt from these items, and have tools and systems to ensure efficiency, but the items listed may vary
greatly and are important to understand. Please be sure to ask your Maxxelli Consultant for any further
explanations.
Property Representation Satellite
Open Market –Unlike many Western Foreign Satellite TV is non-government sponsored
Countries, landlords in China are free to list for residential use in China. The available systems
their property with as many agents as they are pirated, unstable, and need constant upgrading
wish. This means Maxxelli has access to to keep up with efforts to block piracy via
nearly any property available, regardless of technological advances. Even if your property has a
whether or not it’s listed in our database satellite or your landlord agrees to install one,
currently. please be prepared to maintain the costs of this unit
personally. Should your property not have one and
you wish to have one installed, we can provide the
Rental Rates
necessary contacts.
Local agencies list Net rental prices which do
not include tax or compound management
Online Housing Sources
fees. Maxxelli will always list the Gross Rental
There are numerous online housing sources
price. Your Property Schedule will list clearly
available. It is important to remember that the
what’s included in the Gross Rental!
majority of what is seen online is either fake, out of
*Note: If your company is paying rent,
date, or local agents searching for new leads and
the rental must usually include taxes and
doing a “bait and switch.” If you do find something
management fees*.
online of course do not hesitate to send it to your
“Management Fees” as mentioned by
Maxxelli representative, but please remember there
our Consultants are compound
is an very high chance that this property is falsely
management fees (condo fees) and
advertised.
are not a Maxxelli management fee.
Requests for Property Alterations Customer Service
Properties in China usually come fully At move-in, we’ll show you how to use appliances
decorated and furnished. Negotiating for and check the condition of the property with you, as
changes is possible, but it is entirely well as show you around the compound, introduce
dependent on the situation and is likely to you to the management office, and show you where
cause an increase in rental. Not all landlords to pay bills. Following the move-in you will be
are willing to renovate or move/add furniture assigned one Customer Service Agent for the length
and inexpensive storage options are not of your lease.
readily available. Even something as simple
as hanging a painting on the wall may require
landlord permission.
Maxxelli Relocation Products
At Maxxelli we strive to be the best in the industry and are always searching for ways to innovate in order to
better serve our clients throughout our entire network. Below are two products that have evolved over the
years to support the expat community. These were created with the sole purpose of making your life in China
more efficient
Taxi-Book Maxxelli-Blog
[Link] [Link]
Originally Taxi-Book was launched as a All of the information in the above City Guide
printed address book, but Taxi-Book has can be found in detail on the Maxxelli-Blog. If
now evolved to an App with speaking and you do not find what you are looking for, please
GPS technology. Developed with our let your Maxxelli Consultant know – We will
partners Yocoy, the App is now available in create a blog article matching your needs
over 30 cities