108 CultureShock! China
had snatched up every Cars figurine in the United States and
held them for ransom, you could easily find a complete set
in a small shop next to a massage parlor in Suzhou.
One caution to buying children’s toys in China are potential
safety and IPR risks. Be careful when buying local toys as
some Chinese toymakers ignore global safety standards. Any
Game Boy with a price too good to be true probably isn’t the
real thing. Fake equipment and games are rife through the
market. You run the risk of them being confiscated when
travelling home for holiday or repatriating.
IKEA has an extensive children’s sections and are a good
source of furniture, colourful storage units, block toys, art
supplies and such. Sports equipment is available at Carrefour
or Decathalon stores throughout China.HEALTH CARE IN CHINA
One of the biggest concerns of people moving to China is
the level of health care accessible should they become ill
or seriously injured. Major cities like Beijing, Shanghai and
Guangzhou now have modern medical facilities, with well-
educated doctors using modern equipment. Regulatory
changes have opened the field for private medicine and
dental care in China. Local hospitals have imported more
medical equipment, and some specialty clinics in the larger
cities have care equal to their counterparts elsewhere in
the world.Medical Clinics, Hospitals and Emergency Service
There are three types of medical facilities that are available in
China. The first is a foreign-managed facility with expatriate
and local physicians. The second is local hospitals that have
special units for foreigners and VIPs. The third is a standard
local hospital. Some standard local hospitals have specialties.
For example, most cities have hospitals solely dedicated to
the care of children.Foreign-managed Hospitals
Foreign-managed facilities adhere to global standards, offering
medical care that is on par with what would be offered in a