Hello everyone,

I was recently offered a job at a montessori style kindergarten in Suzhou that I am very keen on accepting. The city looks stunning, I haven't found anything bad about the school online, I adore teaching kindergarten as is, and the school actually suits my teaching philosphies since it is play-based montessori education, and the pay seems decent, though I don't actually know if i'm right about that. (20K+3K housing?). To reiterate reddit, I LIKE kindergarten. This isn't a shitty offer to me because I like teaching kindergarten.

I was hoping to know about more about the two possible locations that the school could send me to- too early to know exactly which I'd be placed at since I'd not be coming until march- one is the Industrial Disctrict, and the other is in the Wujiang district. From what I've read, both seem like good areas, and have a lot of potential for meeting foreigners.

No delivery close to city center , gusu, SIP , Xiangcheng.

A lot of the questions here come from people who are about to visit Suzhou, or who live here and have a trip abroad coming up. Getting mobile data sorted before you land usually comes up somewhere in there, along with roaming charges and whether to hunt for a local SIM at the airport.

One option is a travel eSIM. You buy a data plan online, install it on your phone, and you don't have to swap a physical SIM card.

Jisr eSIM is one of these services. It sells travel eSIM data plans and advertises coverage for 200+ destinations, instant activation, and plans it describes as affordable. Its site doesn't list a price, so you'd have to look there. You can find it at https://Jisresim.com

Before buying any eSIM, check that your phone supports eSIM, and check the provider's own coverage list for the place you're going. Don't assume it works everywhere.

For people who've arrived in Suzhou or left from here recently: what did you use for data on the trip, and is there anything you wish you'd known before setting it up?

Disclosure: I'm posting this on behalf of the Jisresim.com team.

If you're choosing a VPN in Suzhou, the first question is whether it works on the connection you actually use—not how long its feature list is.

VPN Safe has a free 24-hour trial with no payment needed: https://vpnsafe.net. That lets you test your own network before paying, but it isn't a guarantee of working in China.

It uses WireGuard by default, offers OpenVPN, and has a Stealth mode meant for networks that block VPNs. It has no connection logs and uses RAM-only servers. Locations include Tokyo and Singapore among 57 cities in 39 countries.

One account covers six devices. Apps include Windows, Android and iPhone, with a kill switch and split tunnelling. After the trial, pricing is £5 a month, £24 for six months or £36 a year.

For people using VPNs in Suzhou, what would you check during a 24-hour trial before deciding whether to pay?

Disclosure: I'm posting this on behalf of the VPN Safe team.

Hello! I’m an engineer works in Houston, here in Suzhou for business trip for 2-3 months. Would love to meet some new people while I’m here! Is there any WeChat group or any community I could find here? We could just go sight seeing, explore good food, or just grab a coffee and chat! Don’t want to spend all my time staying in the hotel and work lol

Hey people, I'm looking into applying to a control science and engineering masters at ZJU/SJTU (english taught). I have not yet messaged a supervisor but I know who I want to contact, I just need to refine some of my github projects (I hope it's not too late to contact supervisors?). I very much so admire the advancements in technology that ZJU/SJTU achieves, but some of the online reviews worry me. People say that the learning experience for an international student in China is not so good as professors don't teach that well, is there any truth in this nowadays? Does the university offer good english taught classes and environments? I understand it's China and things are supposed to be in Chinese, but is the experience actually world class? Thank you very much so for helping me!

Me again. Does anyone have recs for affordable tcm places that do cosmetic/facials?

Are there spas for women to go to when they’re on their period? I know a few in Shanghai. Any recs appreciated :-)

I’ve heard that in your first year you are guaranteed accommodations. But when I look at XJTLU’s website, I only see the HET (Higher education town) residences. Are the guaranteed accommodations just meaning you automatically get placed randomly in one of those residences? Or is there direct on campus residences that you get placed into? If so - where do I find what they look like? I can’t find anything on their website, which makes me think you just randomly get placed in the HET ones. Except most of them are year long contracts and I am only there for a term (4 months) for exchange. Can anyone help explain the exchange accommodations?

Hi folks! 👋

Anyone living in Suzhou and interested in exploring the city a little more?

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the osmanthus blossoms! 🌼 If you'd like to go for a walk, explore some hiking trails, or simply discover more of Suzhou together, feel free to DM me.

I'm also open to co-organizing community-based offline activities with like-minded people. If you're interested in building a local community and bringing people together, I'd love to hear from you!

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Hey everyone!

I'm a Chinese university student studying at XJTLU in Suzhou.

I'd love to meet more international friends, practice my English, and learn about different cultures!

I've been living in Suzhou for a while, so I'm pretty familiar with the city. If you're new here or planning to visit, I'd be happy to share some local food recommendations, interesting places, and tips about life in China.

I'm also down to grab coffee, try some authentic Chinese food, or just hang out and chat!

Feel free to comment or DM me if you're interested. Would love to make some new friends here!

I’m 21 and moving to China for my first teaching job. I’ve got two kindergarten offers and can’t decide.
Nanjing is 23k a month, 8–5 Monday to Friday, with 15 days annual leave. Suzhou is 24k before tax including housing allowance, 7:40–4:30, with 3 weeks winter vacation at full pay and 7 weeks summer at half pay.
I’m mainly looking to have fun, meet people my age, go out on weekends, and explore China while saving some money. Nanjing seems better for nightlife and meeting people, but being able to visit Shanghai regularly from Suzhou sounds pretty appealing too.
I’m also considering doing a year in Nanjing and then moving to another city, probably Chengdu, whereas I’d likely stay in Suzhou for two years.
Which would you pick? Is Nanjing actually that much more fun, or does being close to Shanghai make Suzhou worth it?

Anyone with personal experience visiting Suzhou as an African? Best hotels to stay?

Any places you had bad experiences with?

I'm an international who mainly speaks english and regrettably I hold no foreign license, I wanted to ask if anyone got a Chinese driving licence from scratch and if they know any instructors that can manage with english

First of all, this post is only for XJTLU students and staff (apologies for posting in this subreddit).

I think everyone has seen that famous Tsinghua confession account on Insta. The drama there is sooo good lmao, and I think we should have one for our school too. I personally lack experience in running a social account and have a rather small circle within the uni, so I propose that another person handle it. Or is there already an existing account or channel that I'm not aware of??? I just wanna hear the drama(i mean who doesn't lol)

Does anybody know where can I buy Chinese Brand Road Bikes? And some Cycling related stuff preferrably near Hilton Suzhou?

Best if you could give the address. Thank you!

I‘m just someone who likes exploring the city, meeting people from all over and practicing my English.😀 I can share a few stories and give you a local’s perspective.But I live in Suzhou ,near Shanghai.honestly, there’s a lot I don‘t know, I’m exploring the city right alongside you.

For beginner level, 2-4pm, can rent rackets

Hi! I’m considering applying to XJTLU (international business with a language major) and wanted to ask how competitive the admissions process is.

I graduated with a US high school diploma and a 4.00 GPA. I also have three AP exams, all with scores of 4, and a 1340 SAT, which I’m currently working on improving. I was also wondering how important extracurricular activities are in the application process, and how realistic it would be to receive a scholarship with my academic profile.

I’m also a little unsure about my diploma. I completed most of my education in regular in-person schools, mainly in Poland, and spent one year at a high school in the US. I then finished my final year online from Poland and received a regular US high school diploma. Some universities in South Korea told me they would not accept a diploma if the final part of high school was completed online, so I’m wondering whether this could be an issue at XJTLU as well.

I’d really appreciate any insight from people who know the admissions process or have applied with a similar background!

Hi guys! I’m Chinese Canadian, previously lived in LA, Vancouver, NY, Berlin and Florence, and recently moved to Shanghai. I travel to Suzhou every week for work and am absolutely new here 😂
Looking for recommendations for Pilates, HIIT or BEAT81-ish circuit classes! I stay near Suzhou Museum West Hall (literally don’t even know what district I’m in 😅), so if anyone lives nearby and has anyyyy gym recommendations, please let me know! Thanks! ☺️
P.S. Also looking for international groups for local events and meetups ❤️

Can anyone tell me what are the requirements for an international student to study at XJTLU. I wanna do a business administration bachelors. What documents and stuff would I need? Is IELTS and CSCA required? Also is BTEC level 3 diploma accepted?

Looking for a Roommate at Zhejiang Normal University (Jinhua) 🇨🇳

Hi everyone! I’m an incoming international student at Zhejiang Normal University (ZJNU) and I’ll be arriving in Jinhua next week.

I’m looking for 1–3 roommates GIRL for Guiyuan Dormitory. It’s a newer dorm, with 4 people per room.

A little about me:

• International student from Indonesia

• I’m hoping to find roommates from other Asian countries (not Indonesia)

• Clean and respectful of shared spaces

• Usually pretty quiet, especially when studying

• I’m okay with hanging out and getting to know each other, but I also respect personal space

• I’d love to have roommates who are open to occasionally cooking/eating together or exploring Jinhua!

If you’re also looking for roommates at ZJNU and interested in sharing a Guiyuan room, feel free to DM me! We can introduce ourselves and see if we’d be a good fit :)

Preferably looking for other international/Asian students, but everyone is welcome to message me.

Heyy! I’m a 21-year-old Korean exchange student currently studying in Suzhou. I’d love to join some WeChat groups for international students/expats, especially for parties, drinks and meeting new people! Could you add me? :)