THE PEACE CORPS WELCOMES YOU TO

C H I N A

a p e a c e c o r p s p u b l i c a t i o n 

f o r n e w v o l u n t e e r s

JUNE 2013 CCD
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A WELCOME LETTER

Congratulations on your invitation to join Peace Corps/China. By 

becoming part of the Peace Corps, you are joining 200,000 

Americans who have served throughout the world since Peace 

Corps was started in 1961. In China, you are joining almost 800 

Peace Corps Volunteers who have served here since 1993.

China, with one of the oldest continuous civilizations on Earth, 

faces huge challenges based on the sheer number of people. With 

1.3 billion people, it has nearly 20 percent of the world’s 

population, of which over 200 million are children of primary and 

middle school age—about two-thirds of the total population of the 

United States. Because of a shortage of 500,000 English teachers, 

China Invited the Peace Corps to work with colleges and technical 

training institutions to prepare future English teachers and others 

who will need English in their careers. In urban areas, China has 

almost reached its goal of providing nine years of schooling for 

every child, but there is still a gap in the rural areas, where 

approximately 50 percent of the population lives.

In addition to English teaching, the Peace Corps has two other 

equally important goals. The first of these is for the Chinese 

people to get to know you as a person who lives and works with 

them and who lives a lifestyle that is consistent with theirs. 

Because of the respected position of teachers, this means you will 

need to dress conservatively and live on campus in the same 

apartment buildings where your Chinese colleagues live. The 

second of these goals is to learn as much as you can from your 

experiences so you can help explain China and its people to your 

community and family back home. The ability to speak Chinese is 

vital to achieving these two objectives. The Peace Corps will 

provide you with intense language emersion during your preservice training; you will also receive resources to continue your 

language study at your site.
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You are about to embark on what will be one of the most unique 

and rewarding experiences of your life. Every part of you will be 

called upon as you come to live and work in a complex, 

sophisticated, and often opaque society. You will be called upon 

to stretch yourself in ways you cannot imagine. Even though you 

will leave the Peace Corps some day, your Peace Corps 

experience will never leave you.

Again, congratulations. I want to thank you for your commitment 

to come to serve in China. Through your English teaching, your 

living style, and your ability to speak Chinese, you can go a long 

way toward promoting greater understanding in an anxious world. 

I hope this Welcome Book will begin to answer some of your 

questions.

I look forward to meeting you.

Bonnie Thie

Country Director
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CONTENTS

Map of China

A Welcome Letter 1

Core Expectations for Peace Corps Volunteers 6

Peace Corps China History and Programs 7

History of the Peace Corps in China 7

Country Overview: China at a Glance 9

History 9

Government, Politics, and Foreign Relations 17

Economy 18

People and Culture 21

Resources for Further Information 22

Living Conditions and Volunteer Lifestyle 28

Communications 28

Housing and Site Location 29

Living Allowance and Money Management 30

Food and Diet 30

Transportation 31

Geography and Climate 31

Social Activities 32

Professionalism, Dress, and Behavior 32
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Personal Safety 34

Rewards and Frustrations 35

Peace Corps Training 37

Overview of Pre-Service Training 37

Technical Training 38

Language Training 39

Cross-Cultural Training 39

Health Training 40

Safety Training 40

Additional Trainings during Volunteer Service 40

Your Health Care and Safety in China 42

Health Issues in China 42

Helping You Stay Healthy 43

Maintaining Your Health 43

Women’s Health Information 45

Your Peace Corps Medical Kit 46

Before You Leave: A Medical Checklist 47

Safety and Security—Our Partnership 49

Factors that Contribute to Volunteer Risk 50

Summary Strategies to Reduce Risk 51

Support from Staff 52

Security Issues in China 53

Preparing for the Unexpected: Safety Training

and Volunteer Support in China 54

Diversity and Cross-Cultural Issues 55
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Overview of Diversity in China 57

What Might a Volunteer Face? 57

Possible Issues for Female Volunteers 57

Possible Issues for Volunteers of Color 58

Possible Issues for Senior Volunteers 59

Possible Issues for Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual Volunteers 62

Possible Religious Issues for Volunteers 63

Possible Issues for Volunteers with Disabilities 64

Frequently Asked Questions 65

Welcome Letters from China Volunteers 70

Packing List 75

Pre-departure Checklist 77

Contacting Peace Corps Headquarters 80
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CORE EXPECTATIONS

FOR PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS

In working toward fulfilling the Peace Corps Mission of 

promoting world peace and friendship, as a trainee and 

Volunteer, you are expected to:

1. Prepare your personal and professional life to 

make a commitment to serve abroad for a full term 

of 27 months

2. Commit to improving the quality of life of the 

people with whom you live and work; and, in 

doing so, share your skills, adapt them, and learn 

new skills as needed

3. Serve where the Peace Corps asks you to go, 

under conditions of hardship, if necessary, and 

with the flexibility needed for effective service

4. Recognize that your successful and sustainable 

development work is based on the local trust and 

confidence you build by living in, and respectfully 

integrating yourself into, your host community 

and culture

5. Recognize that you are responsible 24 hours a day, 

7 days a week for your personal conduct and 

professional performance

6. Engage with host country partners in a spirit of 

cooperation, mutual learning, and respect

7. Work within the rules and regulations of the Peace 

Corps and the local and national laws of the 

country where you serve

8. Exercise judgment and personal responsibility to 

protect your health, safety, and well-being and that 

of others
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9. Recognize that you will be perceived, in your host 

country and community, as a representative of the 

people, cultures, values, and traditions of the 

United States of America

10. Represent responsively the people, cultures, 

values, and traditions of your host country and 

community to people in the United States both 

during and following your service

PEACE CORPS/CHINA

HISTORY AND PROGRAMS

History of the Peace Corps in China

In March 1988, the Chinese foreign minister and then-Secretary of 

State George Shultz agreed in principle to place Peace Corps 

Volunteers in China. A year later, an exchange of letters signed by 

the U.S. ambassador and the secretary general of the China 

Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) and 

the Peace Corps opened the way to establish a Peace Corps post in 

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.

In June 1989, the first group of trainees for Peace Corps/China 

began training in the United States. However, following the 

Tiananmen Square incident, the training was canceled; the China 

program was temporarily suspended and the trainees were offered 

assignments in other countries.

The first group of 18 Peace Corps/China Volunteers arrived for 

training in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in June 1993. Following 

training in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), 

Chinese language, and cross-cultural issues, the 18 trainees were 

sworn-in as Volunteers in August. They were posted to Sichuan 

Province, which at that time included the municipality of 

Chongqing. This group was viewed by the Chinese as a two-year 

experiment to determine whether Peace Corps was appropriate for 
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China. Those Volunteers completed their service and returned to 

the United States on schedule in the summer of 1995 as the second 

group arrived in Chengdu. The Peace Corps country agreement 

was signed on June 29, 1998.

In 1999, the Peace Corps program began in Guizhou province, 

followed by Gansu province in 2000. When the Municipality of 

Chongqing was created in 1997 a fourth political jurisdiction was 

added to the Volunteer assignment area list. From April 2003 until 

July 2004, the Peace Corps suspended the program due to the 

severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. From the 

start of the program in 1993 through September 2012, there have 

been 779 Peace Corps Volunteers in China. As of December 2011, 

there were 161 Peace Corps Volunteers serving in-country.

Since the Peace Corps began work in China in 1993 through 

today, TEFL has been the main program. From 2000 until 2006, 

the Peace Corps also had an environmental education program. 

Today there is a Green English curriculum available for use by 

TEFL Volunteers.

At the national level, the Peace Corps works with the China 

Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), 

which is affiliated with the Ministry of Education. CEAIE is the 

largest government-operated nongovernmental organization for 

international educational exchange in China. Founded in 1981, 

CEAIE has a mission of promoting Chinese educational 

development and enhancing understanding and friendship between 

Chinese and international educational communities through 

international exchange and cooperation. Since its establishment, it 

has developed cooperative linkages with more than 200 

educational organizations and institutions in approximately 50 

countries and regions. Under the National Outline for Medium and 

Long Term Educational Reform and Development (2010-2020), 

CEAIE helps China meet its goals to "accelerate educational 

reform and development through further opening-up and 

promoting internationalization of education."
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COUNTRY OVERVIEW: 

CHINA AT A GLANCE

History

China has one of the oldest continuous civilizations, with records 

dating back about 3,500 years. Successive dynasties developed a 

system of bureaucratic control that gave the agrarian-based 

Chinese an advantage over neighboring nomadic and hill cultures. 

Chinese civilization was further strengthened by the development 

of a Confucian state ideology and a common written language that 

bridged the gaps among the country's many local languages and 

dialects. Whenever China was conquered by nomadic tribes, as it 

was by the Mongols in the 13th century, the conquerors would 

adopt the ways of the underlying civilization and staff the 

bureaucracy with local Chinese.

The last imperial dynasty was established in 1644, when the 

Manchus overthrew the Ming dynasty and established the Qing 

(Ch'ing) dynasty with Beijing as its capital. At great expense in 

blood and treasure, the Manchus over the next half century gained 

control of many border areas, including Xinjiang, Yunnan, Tibet, 

Mongolia, and Taiwan. The success of the early Qing period was 

based on the combination of Manchu martial prowess and 

traditional Chinese bureaucratic skills.

During the 19th century, Qing control weakened and prosperity 

diminished. China suffered massive social strife, economic 

stagnation, explosive population growth, and Western mercantile 

influence. The Taiping and Nian rebellions, along with a separatist 

movement in Xinjiang, drained Chinese resources and almost 

toppled the dynasty. Britain's desire to continue its illegal opium 

trade with China collided with imperial edicts prohibiting the 

drug, and the so-called First Opium War erupted in 1840. After 

China lost the war, Britain and other Western powers, including 

the United States, occupied "concessions" and gained special 

commercial privileges. Hong Kong was ceded to Britain in 1842 

under the Treaty of Nanking, and in 1898, when the opium wars 

finally ended, Britain received a 99-year lease of the new 
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territories, significantly expanding the size of the Hong Kong 

colony.

Early 20th Century China. Frustrated by the Qing court's 

resistance to reform, young officials, military officers, and 

students—inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Sun Yat-sen—

began to advocate the overthrow of the Qing dynasty and creation 

of a republic. A revolutionary military uprising on October 10, 

1911, led to the abdication of the last Qing monarch. As part of a 

compromise to overthrow the dynasty without a civil war, the 

revolutionaries and reformers allowed high Qing officials to retain 

prominent positions in the new republic. One of these figures, 

General Yuan Shikai, was chosen as the republic's first president. 

Before his death in 1916, Yuan unsuccessfully attempted to name 

himself emperor. His death left the republican government all but 

shattered, ushering in the era of the "warlords," during which 

China was ruled and ravaged by shifting coalitions of competing 

provincial military leaders.

In the 1920s, Sun Yat-sen established a revolutionary base in 

south China and set out to unite the fragmented nation. With 

Soviet assistance, he organized the Guomindang (or "Nationalist 

People's Party") and entered into an alliance with the fledgling 

Chinese Communist Party (CCP). After Sun's death in 1925, one 

of his protégés, Chiang Kai-shek, seized control of the 

Guomindang and succeeded in bringing most of south and central 

China under its rule. In 1927, Chiang turned on the CCP and 

executed many of its leaders. The remnants fled into the 

mountains of eastern China. In 1934, driven out of their mountain 

bases, the CCP's forces embarked on a "Long March" across some 

of China's most desolate terrain to the northwestern province of 

Shaanxi, where they established a guerrilla base at Yan'an.

During the "Long March," the communists reorganized under a 

new leader, Mao Zedong. The bitter struggle between the 

Guomindang and the CCP continued openly or clandestinely 

through the Japanese invasion (1931-1945), even though the two 

parties nominally formed a united front to oppose the Japanese 

invaders in 1937. The war between the two parties resumed after 
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the Japanese defeat in 1945. By 1949, the CCP occupied most of 

the country.

Chiang Kai-shek fled with the remnants of his government and 

military forces to Taiwan, where he proclaimed Taipei to be 

China's "provisional capital" and vowed to re-conquer the Chinese 

mainland. Taiwan still calls itself the "Republic of China."

The People's Republic of China. In Beijing, on October 1, 1949, 

Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of 

China (PRC). The new government assumed control of a people 

exhausted by two generations of war and social conflict, and an 

economy ravaged by high inflation and disrupted transportation 

links. A new political and economic order modeled on the Soviet 

example was quickly installed.

In the early 1950s, China undertook a massive economic and 

social reconstruction program. The new leaders gained popular 

support by curbing inflation, restoring the economy, and 

rebuilding many war-damaged industrial plants. The CCP's 

authority reached into almost every aspect of Chinese life. Party 

control was assured by large, politically loyal security and military 

forces; a government apparatus responsive to party direction; and 

the placement of party members into leadership positions in labor, 

women's, and other mass organizations.

The "Great Leap Forward" and the Sino-Soviet Split. In 1958, 

Mao broke with the Soviet model and announced a new economic 

program, the "Great Leap Forward," aimed at rapidly increasing 

industrial and agricultural production. Giant cooperatives 

(communes) were formed and "backyard factories" dotted the 

Chinese landscape. The results were disastrous. Normal market 

mechanisms were disrupted, agricultural production fell behind, 

and China's people exhausted themselves producing what turned 

out to be shoddy, unmarketable goods. Within a year, starvation 

appeared even in fertile agricultural areas. From 1960 to 1961, the 

combination of poor planning during the “Great Leap Forward” 

and bad weather resulted in one of the deadliest famines in human 

history.
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The already strained Sino-Soviet relationship deteriorated sharply 

in 1959, when the Soviets started to restrict the flow of scientific 

and technological information to China. The dispute escalated, 

and the Soviets withdrew all of their personnel from China in 

August 1960. In 1960, the Soviets and the Chinese began to have 

disputes openly in international forums.

The Cultural Revolution. In the early 1960s, State President Liu 

Shaoqi and his protégé, Party General Secretary Deng Xiaoping, 

took over direction of the party and adopted pragmatic economic 

policies at odds with Mao's revolutionary vision. Dissatisfied with 

China's new direction and his own reduced authority, Party 

Chairman Mao launched a massive political attack on Liu, Deng,

and other pragmatists in the spring of 1966. The new movement, 

the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution," was unprecedented in 

communist history. For the first time, a section of the Chinese 

communist leadership sought to rally popular opposition against 

another leadership group. China was set on a course of political 

and social anarchy that lasted the better part of a decade.

In the early stages of the Cultural Revolution, Mao and his 

"closest comrade in arms," National Defense Minister Lin Biao, 

charged Liu, Deng, and other top party leaders with dragging 

China back toward capitalism. Radical youth organizations, called 

Red Guards, attacked party and state organizations at all levels, 

seeking out leaders who would not adhere to their principles. In 

reaction to this turmoil, some local People's Liberation Army 

(PLA) commanders and other officials maneuvered to outwardly 

back Mao and the radicals while actually taking steps to rein in 

local radical activity. Gradually, Red Guard and other radical 

activity subsided, and the Chinese political situation stabilized 

along complex factional lines. The leadership conflict came to a 

head in September 1971, when Party Vice Chairman and Defense 

Minister Lin Biao reportedly tried to stage a coup against Mao; 

Lin Biao allegedly later died in a plane crash in Mongolia.

In the aftermath of the Lin Biao incident, many officials criticized 

and dismissed from 1966 to 1969 were reinstated. Chief among 

these was Deng Xiaoping, who re-emerged in 1973 and was 
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confirmed in 1975 in the concurrent posts of Politburo Standing 

Committee member, PLA chief of staff, and vice premier.

The ideological struggle between more pragmatic, veteran party 

officials and the radicals re-emerged with a vengeance in late 

1975. Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, and three close Cultural Revolution 

associates (later dubbed the "Gang of Four") launched a media 

campaign against Deng. In January 1976, Premier Zhou Enlai, a 

popular political figure, died of cancer. 

On April 5, Beijing citizens staged a spontaneous demonstration 

in Tiananmen Square in Zhou's memory, with strong political 

overtones of support for Deng. Authorities forcibly suppressed the 

demonstration. Deng was blamed for the disorder and stripped of 

all official positions, although he retained his party membership.

The Post-Mao Era. Mao's death in September 1976 removed a 

towering figure from Chinese politics and set off a scramble for 

succession. Former Minister of Public Security Hua Guofeng was 

quickly confirmed as party chairman and premier. A month after 

Mao's death, Hua, backed by the PLA, arrested Jiang Qing and 

other members of the "Gang of Four." After extensive 

deliberations, the Chinese Communist Party leadership reinstated 

Deng Xiaoping to all of his previous posts at the 11th Party 

Congress in August 1977. Deng then led the effort to place 

government control in the hands of veteran party officials opposed 

to the radical excesses of the previous two decades.

The new, pragmatic leadership emphasized economic 

development and renounced mass political movements. At the 

pivotal December 1978 Third Plenum (of the 11th Party Congress 

Central Committee), the leadership adopted economic reform 

policies aimed at expanding rural income and incentives, 

encouraging experiments in enterprise autonomy, reducing central 

planning, and attracting foreign direct investment into China. The 

plenum also decided to accelerate the pace of legal reform, 

culminating in the passage of several new legal codes by the 

National People's Congress in June 1979.

After 1979, the Chinese leadership moved toward more pragmatic 

positions in almost all fields. The party encouraged artists, writers, 
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and journalists to adopt more critical approaches, although open 

attacks on party authority were not permitted. In late 1980, Mao's 

Cultural Revolution was officially proclaimed a catastrophe. Hua 

Guofeng, a protégé of Mao, was replaced as premier in 1980 by 

reformist Sichuan Party Chief Zhao Ziyang and as party general 

secretary in 1981 by even more reformist Communist Youth 

League Chairman Hu Yaobang.

Reform policies brought great improvements in the standard of 

living, especially for urban workers and for farmers who took 

advantage of opportunities to diversify crops and establish village 

industries. Literature and the arts blossomed, and Chinese 

intellectuals established extensive links with scholars in other 

countries.

At the same time, however, political dissent, as well as social 

problems such as inflation, urban migration, and prostitution,

emerged. Although students and intellectuals urged greater 

reforms, some party elders increasingly questioned the pace and 

the ultimate goals of the reform program. In December 1986, 

student demonstrators, taking advantage of the loosening political 

atmosphere, staged protests against the slow pace of reform, 

confirming party elders' fear that the current reform program was 

leading to social instability. Hu Yaobang, a protégé of Deng and a 

leading advocate of reform, was blamed for the protests and 

forced to resign as CCP general secretary in January 1987. 

Premier Zhao Ziyang was made general secretary and Li Peng, 

former vice premier and minister of electric power and water 

conservancy, was made premier.

1989 Student Movement and Tiananmen Square. After Zhao 

became the party general secretary, the economic and political 

reforms he had championed came under increasing attack. His 

proposal in May 1988 to accelerate price reform led to widespread 

popular complaints about rampant inflation and gave opponents of 

rapid reform the opening to call for greater centralization of 

economic controls and stricter prohibitions against Western 

influence. This precipitated a political debate, which grew more 

heated through the winter of 1988-1989.
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The death of Hu Yaobang on April 15, 1989, coupled with 

growing economic hardship caused by high inflation, provided the 

backdrop for a large-scale protest movement by students, 

intellectuals, and other parts of a disaffected urban population. 

University students and other citizens camped out in Beijing's 

Tiananmen Square to mourn Hu's death and to protest against 

those who would slow reform. Their protests, which grew despite 

government efforts to contain them, called for an end to official 

corruption and for defense of freedoms guaranteed by the Chinese 

constitution. Protests also spread to many other cities, including 

Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou. Martial law was declared on 

May 20, 1989. Late on June 3 and early on the morning of June 4, 

military units were brought into Beijing. They used armed force to 

clear demonstrators from the streets.

Following June 4, economic reform slowed until given new 

impetus by Deng Xiaoping's dramatic visit to southern China in 

early 1992. Deng's renewed push for a market-oriented economy 

received official sanction at the 14th Party Congress later in the 

year as a number of younger, reform-minded leaders began their 

rise to top positions. Deng and his supporters argued that 

managing the economy in a way that increased living standards 

should be China's primary policy objective, even if "capitalist" 

measures were adopted. Subsequent to the visit, the Communist 

Party Politburo publicly issued an endorsement of Deng's policies 

of economic openness. Though not completely eschewing political 

reform, China has consistently placed overwhelming priority on 

the opening of its economy.

Third Generation of Leaders. Deng's health deteriorated in the 

years prior to his death in 1997. During that time, President Jiang 

Zemin and other members of his generation gradually assumed 

control of the day-to-day functions of government. This "third 

generation" leadership governed collectively with President Jiang 

at the center. In March 1998, Jiang was re-elected president during 

the Ninth National People's Congress. Premier Li Peng was 

constitutionally required to step down from that post. He was 

elected to the chairmanship of the National People's Congress. 

Zhu Rongji was selected to replace Li as premier.
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Fourth Generation of Leaders. In November 2002, the 16th 

Communist Party Congress elected Hu Jintao, who was 

designated by Deng Xiaoping as the "core" of the fourth 

generation leaders, as the new general secretary. A new Politburo 

and Politburo Standing Committee was also elected in November.

In March 2003, General Secretary Hu Jintao was elected president 

at the 10th National People's Congress. Jiang Zemin retained the 

chairmanship of the Central Military Commission. At the Fourth 

Party Plenum in September 2004, Jiang Zemin retired from the 

Central Military Commission, passing the chairmanship and 

control of the People's Liberation Army to President Hu Jintao.

China has committed to economic reform and opening to the 

outside world. The Chinese leadership has identified reform of 

state industries and the establishment of a social safety network as 

government priorities. Government strategies for achieving these 

goals include large-scale privatization of unprofitable state-owned 

enterprises and development of a pension system for workers. The 

leadership also downsized the government bureaucracy.

The Next Five Years. Over the next five years China's 

development pace accelerated. To investors and firms, especially 

following China’s accession to the World Trade Organization 

(WTO) in 2001, China represented a vast market and a low-cost 

base for export-oriented production. Educationally, China 

continued forging ahead as partnerships and exchanges with 

foreign universities have helped create new research opportunities 

for its students. During the 2008 Summer Olympics, China as host 

showcased to the world its development gains of the previous two 

decades. International coverage of the relief efforts following a 

major earthquake in Sichuan province in May 2008 displayed the 

nation's willingness to make some internal events more 

transparent to the world. The new leadership is committed to 

generating greater economic development in the interior and 

providing more services to those who do not live in China’s 

coastal areas, goals that form the core of President Hu’s concepts 

of a "harmonious society" and "spiritual civilization," as well as 

"scientific development."
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Government

Chinese Communist Party. The more than 70-million member 

CCP, authoritarian in structure and ideology, continues to 

dominate government. Nevertheless, China's population, 

geographical vastness, and social diversity temper attempts to rule 

by decree from Beijing. Central leaders must increasingly build 

consensus for new policies among party members, local and 

regional leaders, influential non-party members, and the 

population at large.

In periods of greater openness, the influence of people and 

organizations outside the formal party structure has tended to 

increase, particularly in the economic realm. This phenomenon is 

most apparent today in the rapidly developing coastal region. 

Nevertheless, in all important government, economic, and cultural 

institutions in China, party committees work to see that party and 

state policy guidance is followed and that non-party members do 

not create autonomous organizations that could challenge party 

rule. Party control is tightest in government offices and in urban 

economic, industrial, and cultural settings; it is considerably 

looser in the rural and smaller urban areas, where the majority of 

the people live.

Theoretically, the party's highest body is the Party Congress, 

which is supposed to meet at least once every five years. The 

primary organs of power in the Communist Party include:

• The Politburo Standing Committee, which currently 

consists of nine members

• The Politburo, consisting of 24 full members, including 

the members of the Politburo Standing Committee

• The Secretariat, the principal administrative mechanism 

of the CCP, headed by the general secretary

• The Central Military Commission

• The Discipline Inspection Commission, which is charged 

with rooting out corruption and malfeasance among party 

cadres
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Economy

Economic Reform. Since 1979, China has reformed and opened 

its economy. The Chinese leadership has adopted a more 

pragmatic perspective on many political and socioeconomic 

problems, and has reduced the role of ideology in economic 

policy. China’s ongoing economic transformation has had a 

profound impact not only on China, but on the world. The marketoriented reforms China has implemented over the past three 

decades have unleashed individual initiative and entrepreneurship. 

The result has been the largest reduction of poverty and one of the 

fastest increases in income levels ever seen. Today, after average 

annual economic growth of about 10 percent for the past 30 years, 

China has the second largest GDP in the world. 

In the 1980s, China tried to combine central planning with

market-oriented reforms to increase productivity, living standards, 

and technological quality without exacerbating inflation, 

unemployment, and budget deficits. China pursued agricultural 

reforms, dismantling the commune system and introducing a 

household-based system that provided peasants greater decisionmaking in agricultural activities. The government also encouraged 

nonagricultural activities such as village enterprises in rural areas, 

and promoted more self-management for state-owned enterprises, 

increased competition in the marketplace, and facilitated direct 

contact between Chinese and foreign trading enterprises. 

China also relied more heavily upon foreign financing and 

imports. These reforms led to average annual rates of growth of 10 

percent in agricultural and industrial output. Rural per capita real 

income doubled. China became self-sufficient in grain production 

and rural industries accounted for 23 percent of agricultural 

output, helping absorb surplus labor in the countryside. The 

variety of light industrial and consumer goods increased. 

Reforms began in the fiscal, financial, banking, price-setting, and 

labor systems. By the late 1980s, however, the economy had 

become overheated with increasing rates of inflation. At the end of 

1988, in reaction to a surge of inflation caused by accelerated 

price reforms, the leadership introduced an austerity program.
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China's economy regained momentum in the early 1990s. During 

a visit to southern China in early 1992, China's paramount leader 

at the time, Deng Xiaoping, made a series of political 

pronouncements designed to reinvigorate the process of economic 

reform. The 14th Party Congress later backed Deng's renewed 

push for market reforms, stating that China's key task in the 1990s 

was to create a "socialist market economy." The 10-year 

development plan for the 1990s stressed continuity in the political 

system with bolder reform of the economic system.

China’s economy grew at an average rate of 10 percent per year 

during the period 1990-2004, the highest growth rate in the world. 

China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 10 percent in 2003, 

and even faster, 10.1 percent, in 2004, and 9.9 percent in 2005, 

despite attempts by the government to cool the economy. China’s 

total trade in 2005 surpassed $1.4 trillion, making China the 

world’s third-largest trading nation after the U.S. and Germany. 

Such high growth was necessary for China to generate the 15 

million jobs needed annually—roughly the population of Ecuador 

or Cambodia—for new entrants into the job market. 

By 2011 China's GDP overtook Japan's and India's to rank second 

after the USA. Nevertheless, serious imbalances exist behind the 

spectacular trade performance, high investment flows, and high 

GDP growth. High numbers of nonperforming loans weigh down 

the state-run banking system. Inefficient state-owned enterprises 

(SOEs) are still a drag on growth, despite announced efforts to 

sell, merge, or close the vast majority of SOEs.

Social and economic indicators have improved since reforms were 

launched, but rising inequality is evident between the more highly 

developed coastal provinces and the less developed, poorer inland 

regions. According to World Bank estimates, more than 152 

million people in China in 2003—mostly in rural areas of the 

lagging inland provinces—still lived in poverty, living on less 

than $1 a day by U.S. standards. 

According to U.N. estimates, In 2011 about 300 million continued 

to live below the U.N. poverty line of $2 per day.
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Following the Chinese Communist Party’s Third Plenum, held in 

October 2003, Chinese legislators unveiled several proposed 

amendments to the state constitution. One of the most significant 

was a proposal to provide protection for private property rights. 

Legislators also indicated there would be a new emphasis on 

certain aspects of overall government economic policy, including 

efforts to reduce unemployment (now in the 8 percent to 10 

percent range in urban areas), to rebalance income distribution 

between urban and rural regions, and to maintain economic 

growth while protecting the environment and improving social 

equity. The National People’s Congress approved the amendments 

when it met in March 2004. 

The Fifth Plenum in October 2005 approved the 11th Five-Year 

Economic Program, aimed at building a "harmonious society" 

through more balanced wealth distribution and improved 

education, medical care, and social security.

In 2009 President Obama and President Hu Jintao established the 

U.S.-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue to discuss a range of 

bilateral, regional, and global political, strategic, security, and 

economic issues between both countries. From 2009-2011 there 

have been three meetings. In 2009 there was a pledge to maintain 

forceful stimulus measures to help each country’s individual 

economies and the global economy emerge from the international 

financial crisis. Both countries also pledged measures to promote 

a more balanced pattern of growth in their economies and strong 

and sustainable global growth once a recovery was fully in place.

At the 2010 meeting, China was the third largest and fastest 

growing major economy and was the third largest export 

destination for U.S. goods and services. Discussions were held 

about creating new opportunities for U.S. workers and firms, 

promoting a strong recovery and more balanced growth of the 

global economy by promoting more home-grown, consumptionled growth in China and working together to reduce fossil fuel 

subsidies. 

At the 2011 meeting, according to Secretary Geithner, "the three 

key objectives on the U.S. side were to encourage the ongoing 

transformation of the Chinese economy away from its export-
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

21

dependent growth model of the past to a more balanced growth 

strategy led by domestic demand; to encourage China to level the 

competitive playing field between U.S. and Chinese companies, 

both in China and around the world; and to strengthen our 

engagement with China on financial reform issues in both 

countries. 

China outlined in its Five-Year Plan a comprehensive set of 

reforms, again, to shift its growth strategy away from one relying 

on exports to “domestic demand.” 

Although China needs economic growth to spur its development, 

there are increasing concerns about the negative impacts on 

resources and the environment. Another concern that is being 

addressed by President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, is the 

wide income gap between urban and rural areas. By some 

estimates, more than 40 million farmers have been displaced from 

their land for economic development, contributing to thousands of 

demonstrations annually. For much of the population, living 

standards have greatly improved, but rural areas remain poor.

People and Culture

Chinese culture is unique not only from the perspective of

Western countries, but also from the perspective of other Asian 

countries. During the course of its long history, China has created 

its own language (including calligraphy), instruments and music, 

painting, philosophy, religion, medicine, architecture, and 

cooking. Despite these cultural differences, Peace Corps 

Volunteers continually report that one of the most positive aspects 

of their service in China is experiencing the warmth and 

friendliness of the Chinese people.
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RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Following is a list of websites for additional information about the 

Peace Corps and China and to connect you to returned Volunteers 

and other invitees. Please keep in mind that although we try to 

make sure all these links are active and current, we cannot 

guarantee it. If you do not have access to the Internet, visit your 

local library. Libraries offer free Internet usage and often let you 

print information to take home.

A note of caution: As you surf the Internet, be aware that you may 

find bulletin boards and chat rooms in which people are free to 

express opinions about the Peace Corps based on their own 

experience, including comments by those who were unhappy with 

their choice to serve in the Peace Corps. These opinions are not 

those of the Peace Corps or the U.S. government, and we hope 

you will keep in mind that no two people experience their service 

in the same way.

General Information About China

www.countrywatch.com/ 

On this site, you can learn anything from what time it is in the 

Beijing to how to convert from the dollar to the Yuan. Just click 

on China and go from there.

www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations

Visit this site for general travel advice about almost any country in 

the world.

www.state.gov

The State Department’s website issues background notes 

periodically about countries around the world. Find China and 

learn more about its social and political history. You can also go 

to the site’s international travel section to check on conditions that 

may affect your safety.
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www.psr.keele.ac.uk/official.htm

This includes links to all the official sites for governments 

worldwide.

www.geography.about.com/library/maps/blindex.htm

This online world atlas includes maps and geographical 

information, and each country page contains links to other sites, 

such as the Library of Congress, that contain comprehensive 

historical, social, and political background.

www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/info.asp 

This United Nations site allows you to search for statistical 

information for member states of the U.N.

www.worldinformation.com

This site provides an additional source of current and historical 

information about countries around the world.

Connect With Returned Volunteers

and Other Invitees

www.rpcv.org

This is the site of the National Peace Corps Association, made up 

of returned Volunteers. On this site you can find links to all the 

Web pages of the “Friends of” groups for most countries of 

service, comprised of former Volunteers who served in those 

countries. There are also regional groups that frequently get 

together for social events and local volunteer activities.

www.PeaceCorpsWorldwide.org

This site is hosted by a group of returned Volunteer writers. It is a 

monthly online publication of essays and Volunteer accounts of 

their Peace Corps service.
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

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Online Articles/Current News Sites About China

www.chineseculture.about.com

This site offers general information on China and a news section 

that is updated daily.

www1.chinadaily.com.cn/news/index.html

This online news site, published in both English and Chinese, 

includes links to several English language newspapers in China.

http://search.asia.com/China

This site features a little of everything about China and a good list 

of links to other China-related sites.

www.scmp.com

This is the site of the South China Morning Post, one of Hong 

Kong’s English language newspapers.

www.feer.com

This is the site of the Far Eastern Economic Review.

http://globalnytimes.com

This is the site of the International Herald Tribune: The Global 

Edition of the New York Times. 

International Development Sites 

About China

www.chinadevelopmentbrief.org

This website of an independent publication established in 1996 to 

report on aid to China highlights the work of international and 

Chinese nongovernmental organizations.

www.china-un.org/eng

This is the website of China’s mission to the United Nations.
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www.adb.org/china

This is the China section of the Asian Development Bank, a 

multilateral development finance institution dedicated to reducing 

poverty in Asia and the Pacific.

Recommended Books

1. Gittings, John. The Changing Face of China: From Mao to 

Market. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

2. Hu Wenzhong. Encountering the Chinese: A Guide for 

Americans. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, 1999.

3. Jang Chung. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China. New 

York: Anchor Books, 1992.

4. Salzman, Mark. Iron and Silk. New York: Vintage Books, 

1987.

5. Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. New 

York: W.W. Norton, 2001.

6. Hessler, Peter. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze. New 

York: Harper Perennial, 2001.

7. Hessler, Peter. Oracle Bones. New York: Harper Perennial, 

2007

8. Hessler, Peter. Country Driving. Harper, 2011.

9. Wong, Jan. Red China Blues. New York: Anchor Books, 

1997.

10. Chang, Leslie. Factory Girls. Spiegel & Grau, 2009.

11. Levy, Michael. Chinese Kosher. Holt, 2011.

12. Shirk, Susan. China, Fragile Super Power. Oxford 

University Press, 2008.

13. Watts, Jonathan. When a Billion Chinese Jump. Scribner, 

2010.
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

26

14. Meyer, Michael. The Last Days of Old Beijing. Walker and 

Company, 2009.

15. Gifford, Rob. China Road. New York: Random House, 

2007. 

Books about the History of the Peace Corps

1. Hoffman, Elizabeth Cobbs. All You Need is Love: The Peace 

Corps and the Spirit of the 1960s. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard 

University Press, 2000.

2. Rice, Gerald T. The Bold Experiment: JFK’s Peace Corps. Notre 

Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1985.

3. Stossel, Scott. Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver.

Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2004.

4. Meisler, Stanley. When the World Calls: The Inside Story of the 

Peace Corps and its First 50 Years. Boston, Mass.: Beacon Press, 

2011.

Books on the Volunteer Experience

1. Dirlam, Sharon. Beyond Siberia: Two Years in a Forgotten Place. 

Santa Barbara, Calif.: McSeas Books, 2004.

2. Casebolt, Marjorie DeMoss. Margarita: A Guatemalan Peace 

Corps Experience. Gig Harbor, Wash.: Red Apple Publishing, 

2000.

3. Erdman, Sarah. Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the 

Heart of an African Village. New York, N.Y.: Picador, 2003.

4. Hessler, Peter. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze. New 

York, N.Y.: Perennial, 2001.

5. Kennedy, Geraldine ed. From the Center of the Earth: Stories out 

of the Peace Corps. Santa Monica, Calif.: Clover Park Press, 

1991.
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

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6. Thompsen, Moritz. Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle. 

Seattle, Wash.: University of Washington Press, 1997 (reprint).
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

28

LIVING CONDITIONS AND 

VOLUNTEER LIFESTYLE 

Communications

Mail

Mail takes a minimum of 10 days to arrive in China from the 

United States. Some mail may not arrive (fortunately, this is rare) 

or may arrive after having been opened. Advise your family and 

friends to number their letters and to include “Airmail” on their 

envelopes.

Your address for the first two months (i.e., during pre-service 

training) will be:

“Your Name”

U.S.-China Friendship Volunteers

Sichuan University – Mail Box 278

No. 29 Wang Jiang Road

Chengdu, Sichuan 610064

China (PRC)

You should limit the number of packages sent to the above 

address during pre-service training. Do not have packages sent 

that will be difficult for you to move to your site or expensive for 

you to mail within China. Wait until you know what your 

permanent site address will be and then have your packages sent 

directly there. Trainees will be responsible for picking up their 

own packages at the PC office. Packages received during training 

will not be forwarded to your permanent site.

Telephones 

Communicating by telephone in China is relatively easy and 

inexpensive. Each Volunteer must have a telephone, either a landline in his/her apartment or a cell phone, and the basic cost for a 

phone line is included in the monthly living allowance. Longdistance telephone service is generally good, with connections 

available to most parts of the world without major delays. If you 

are calling from outside a major city, it may take longer for access 
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29

to an open line. Overseas operators speak and understand basic 

English and should have little difficulty placing a call. AT&T, 

MCI, and Sprint direct-dial operators can be reached from 

Chengdu and from many other sites by dialing a local number. 

Domestic direct-dial long-distance calls are also very easy. Calls 

to China can be placed inexpensively using calling cards, often for 

about 2 cents a minute. Most Volunteers also use local cards that 

are widely available and cost about 10 cents a minute. Many 

Volunteers use Skype or other VOIP options to make and receive 

calls from inside and outside China.

Computer, Internet, and Email Access 

All Peace Corps/China Volunteers will have access to email and 

the Internet, although connections can be weak or sporadic. 

Although some Volunteers will have access from home, others use 

department offices or Internet cafes near their school's campus. It 

is the responsibility of the Volunteer to set up and pay for any 

Internet service. Funds are provided in the living allowance for 

limited Internet usage. If you decide to bring a computer or any 

other expensive electronic equipment, we strongly recommend 

you purchase personal property insurance.

Housing and Site Location

Volunteer sites in China are located from within Chengdu, where 

the Peace Corps office is located, to up to 1,200 kilometers (744 

miles) away. Many Volunteers live on the campus of the 

college/university to which they are assigned and the school 

provides housing. All sites have hot water heaters for showering. 

However, in the winter, there is an occasional water shortage 

when water may not be available for hours at a time. Electricity is 

fairly constant, but power failures do occur, especially in winter. 

Volunteers live in local faculty housing or in apartments. These 

residences have a living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and 

sometimes a study.
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Living Allowance and Money Management

All Volunteers will receive a living allowance that is designed to 

allow them to live modestly by the standards of the people they 

serve, yet not in a manner that would endanger their health or 

safety. The current monthly living allowance is 1,410 Yuan 

(equivalent to about $220). The allowance is intended to cover the 

purchase of food, replacement clothing, local entertainment and 

travel, phone line connection, and other incidental expenses. 

You also receive the equivalent of $24 per month for leave 

allowance, which is paid on the same schedule as the living 

allowance. You will be separately reimbursed for official travel 

(Peace Corps conferences, medical checkups, etc.). As a Peace 

Corps Volunteer, you are not allowed to accept any other paying 

positions during your term, nor can you accept bonus payments or 

expensive gifts from schools or other amounts from individuals or 

institutions. Any secondary projects, such as tutoring or giving 

lectures, must be done without compensation.

If you need to receive money from the U.S. while in China, a debit 

card tied to a U.S. account is the easiest way. Amounts can be 

deposited into the account in the U.S. and you can then withdraw 

the funds directly in local currency at your site. Credit cards are 

rarely accepted in most parts of China, but can be of use for travel 

while on leave.

Food and Diet

Chinese food varies greatly from the Cantonese-style food that is 

typically found in major cities in the United States. Sichuan, 

Chongqing, and Guizhou dishes are much spicier and may take 

some getting used to, though mild dishes are also available. Gansu 

dishes are milder.

The staple in Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou is rice. Pork is 

also served at almost every meal. Although vegetables abound, 

eating in restaurants can be difficult for vegetarians because meat 

is often mixed in with dishes featuring tofu or vegetables. The 

staple in Gansu is noodles, and beef and mutton are the major 

meats. Sichuan and Chongqing dishes also tend to be oily. 
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Cooking your own food is cheaper and healthier than eating in 

restaurants. Every Volunteer in China has access to a kitchen with 

a refrigerator and a stovetop.

Transportation

Daily travel in many parts of China, including many, but not all, 

of the areas where Volunteers serve, is often by bicycle. Although 

Peace Corps/China does not provide bicycles, many Volunteers 

use them as their regular means of transportation. The Peace 

Corps requires each Volunteer to wear a bicycle helmet and will 

issue one if needed. You are not allowed to drive any motorized 

vehicle during your service in China or when you travel to other 

countries where there is a Peace Corps program. You are not 

allowed to ride on the back of motorcycles or other motorized 

vehicles.

Buses and minibuses are also a common form of transportation, 

and bus service is available within and among all cities and small 

towns. Bus transportation, due to the poor condition of some 

roads, lack of regular vehicle maintenance, and schedule changes, 

is not always reliable, so contingency planning is important. Taxi 

service via cars is available in every city.

Long-distance travel occurs by air or by train. Although there is 

regular air service to most cities in China, official travel is almost 

always by train. Train service is reliable and there are sleeper car 

options for overnight trips.

Geography and Climate

China is subject to extremes in weather, from bitterly cold to 

unbearably hot. All Volunteer sites are cold in the winter, and 

several weeks of sustained temperatures in the 25- to 38-degree 

Fahrenheit range can be uncomfortable for Americans used to 

central heating. Although some heat is provided, rooms will be 

cooler than some people prefer. Also, Chinese generally believe 

that artificial heat and closed-in areas are unhealthy. Be prepared 

to wear several layers of clothing, especially when away from 

your residence (including when you are teaching because

classrooms are unheated). Summers in western China, on the other 
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hand, can be hot and humid, with temperatures reaching into the 

90s for many days. Most Volunteers’ apartments have air 

conditioners and some classrooms have electric fans, but the heat 

can be challenging for some people.

Social Activities

The Chinese are generally friendly and pleasant people, but it is 

sometimes difficult for foreigners to integrate into Chinese 

society. Until fairly recently, social contact between Chinese and 

most foreigners was limited to business relationships. Despite the 

increased opportunities for interaction, because of markedly 

different expectations about friendship roles, it can be challenging 

to become friends with a Chinese person in a way that Americans 

typically define friendship. Intimate relationships between 

Chinese and foreigners, depending on the nature of the 

relationship, the location, and the parties involved, can be 

sensitive and potentially controversial. 

Life in western China is generally much slower than life in the

United States. Current Volunteers recommend taking the initiative 

in joining activities outside of work, such as learning Chinese 

calligraphy, kung fu, mah-jongg, or the board game Go (weiqi); 

joining a sports club; or inviting friends and colleagues to go out 

for karaoke. Your Volunteer experience will be much richer and 

fulfilling if you readily look for cultural-sharing opportunities at 

your site.

Professionalism, Dress, and Behavior

Great importance is likely to be attached to neatness and proper 

dress, particularly in professional fields. Volunteers should dress 

suitably both on and off the job and respect host country and 

community attitudes toward personal appearance. Based on 

accepted norms for teachers in China, Peace Corps/China has 

adopted a dress and appearance code for Volunteers, which is 

required during pre-service training, teaching time, office hours, 

important social activities, and while visiting the Peace Corps 

office in Chengdu. When participating in athletic activities, you 

are encouraged to wear modest sports clothes.
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33

Appropriate dress includes collared shirts (not T-shirts) and pants 

for men (short-sleeve shirts are recommended for summer); 

blouses, knee-length skirts, dresses, or dress slacks for women; 

and sturdy sandals or closed shoes (not rubber thongs). To meet 

Chinese expectations, teachers must dress conservatively. No hats 

should be worn during sessions or while teaching; no earrings for 

men and only one earring in each lobe for women; no body 

piercings for men or women; and any tattoos must be kept covered 

at all times. Male teachers are expected to have neat hair. Thus, 

short haircuts that are neat and well-kept are required.

Short shorts, revealing or tight clothing, military-style clothing, 

spaghetti straps, or flip-flops should not be worn. Walking shorts 

(knee length) or culottes, clean jeans and T-shirts, and sandals are 

acceptable casual dress.

Use of Alcohol

Peace Corps/China has a policy regarding the use of alcohol by 

Volunteers and staff. That policy requires moderation in 

consumption and holds Volunteers and staff responsible for 

behavior that could harm the reputation of the Peace Corps, 

disrespect local cultural traditions, or compromise the personal 

health and safety of Volunteers or staff. Should you have personal 

concerns about the issue of alcohol use and your interest in being 

assigned as a Volunteer to China, please feel free to discuss this 

with your recruiter, the China country desk officer, or a Peace 

Corps medical staff member.

Websites and Blogs

Volunteers and trainees who create their own websites, or post 

information to websites that have been created and maintained by 

others, should be reminded that (unless password-protected) any 

information posted on the Internet can probably be accessed by 

the general public, even if that is not intended. They are 

responsible for discussing the content in advance with the country 

director to ensure that the material is suitable and complies with 

general guidelines, as well as any country-specific guidance. 

Volunteers and trainees are responsible for ensuring that their IT 

use meets Peace Corps general guidelines.
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Photographs

Volunteers are required to take extreme care in taking, or avoid 

taking, photographs of what are clearly or could be perceived as 

sensitive areas, including, but not limited to, military installations, 

government buildings, police stations, airports, and airplanes. 

If you are unsure, it is safer to refrain from taking the photograph.

Personal Safety

More detailed information about the Peace Corps’ approach to 

safety is contained in the “Health Care and Safety” chapter, but it 

is an important issue and cannot be overemphasized. As stated in 

the Volunteer Handbook, becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer 

entails certain safety risks. Living and traveling in an unfamiliar 

environment (oftentimes alone), having a limited understanding of 

local language and culture, and being perceived as well-off are 

some of the factors that can put a Volunteer at risk. Many 

Volunteers experience varying degrees of unwanted attention and 

harassment. Petty thefts and burglaries are not uncommon, and 

incidents of physical and sexual assault do occur, although most 

China Volunteers complete their two years of service without 

incident. The Peace Corps has established procedures and policies 

designed to help you reduce your risks and enhance your safety 

and security. These procedures and policies, in addition to safety 

training, will be provided once you arrive in China. Using these 

tools, you are expected to take responsibility for your safety and 

well-being.

Each staff member at the Peace Corps is committed to providing 

Volunteers with the support they need to successfully meet the 

challenges they will face to have a safe, healthy, and productive 

service. We encourage Volunteers and families to look at our 

safety and security information on the Peace Corps website at 

www.peacecorps.gov/safety.

Information on these pages gives messages on Volunteer health 

and Volunteer safety. There is a section titled “Safety and Security 

—Our Partnership.” Among topics addressed are the risks of 
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

35

serving as a Volunteer, posts’ safety support systems, and 

emergency planning and communications.

Rewards and Frustrations

Serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer may be the most rewarding 

thing you do in your life, and living in China is likely to be an 

extraordinary experience. But many Westerners find that they 

have to adjust to living in China, and that day-to-day life here 

presents some challenges.

Not feeling accepted by Chinese is a common experience. Staring, 

name-calling (e.g., waiguoren or laowai), and seemingly impolite 

shouts of “Hello!” followed by giggling are all things you may 

face on a daily basis. This is by no means considered acceptable 

behavior by most Chinese, but at times it may seem that way. 

Although staring is unnerving to most Americans, it is not meant 

to be offensive. In China, it is OK to stare intensely at anything or 

anyone. This can be a source of frustration and even friction as 

you begin to feel more integrated into Chinese culture. You may 

always stand out in a crowd, so you will have little of the 

anonymity you might enjoy in other places where you are 

unknown. You might be asked very personal questions (e.g., about 

your age, weight, or income) by Chinese, but that is a way for 

them to show a friendly interest in you. The American desire for 

privacy is not always understood and, therefore, not often 

honored. At some campuses, officials have keys to on-campus 

housing and may feel free to enter your apartment to check on 

things while you are out.

Casual dating is not common and is discouraged. High school 

students are forbidden to have a boyfriend or girlfriend, and 

relationships between college students are everyone’s business. 

Serious dating is noticed because of the general lack of privacy. 

Because gaining a bad reputation in China can destroy a young 

woman's relationship with her family, a Westerner who wants to 

date a Chinese must realize that such dating is a delicate matter for 

the Chinese person involved.

Volunteers may become frustrated with aspects of Chinese cities, 

such as a seeming lack of traffic regulations, restrooms, and other 
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

36

public facilities that do not meet expected standards of cleanliness, 

and a general lack of building and equipment maintenance.
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

37

PEACE CORPS TRAINING

Overview of Pre-Service Training

Your first weeks in-country will be an intense period of transition. 

It may be your first time outside of the United States. Regardless 

of your background and experience, you will be making a leap of 

faith and putting yourself in the hands of several individuals 

whose job is to prepare you for Peace Corps service. During preservice training, all trainees live with host families. Many 

individuals find this experience to be the best part of their training. 

Host families provide invaluable lessons in cross-cultural and 

language areas that Peace Corps staff cannot begin to teach. Some 

Volunteers remain close to their host families throughout their 

service and spend some Chinese holidays and vacations with 

them.

Pre-service training is designed to provide you with the tools 

necessary to operate independently and effectively as a Peace 

Corps Volunteer in China. You will participate in a structured 

learning situation that is center-based with a host family 

component. You will be required to attend all training sessions, 

learn and demonstrate proficiency in the language, and observe 

cultural mores. Your progress will be assessed by others, but you 

will also be asked to take responsibility for your own learning and 

to gradually decrease your reliance on the Peace Corps training 

and office staff. You will be encouraged to assess your own 

progress, as well as your commitment to serving in Peace 

Corps/China for the next two years.

Pre-service training consists of language instruction; cross-cultural 

orientation; job-specific technical training; orientation to China’s 

institutional processes; health, medical, and safety orientation; and 

orientation to Peace Corps policies. The particular design of the 

training depends on the size and makeup of your group. PST will 

not give you everything it takes to be a successful Peace Corps 

Volunteer. Volunteer service is a process and requires continual 

learning and application of what is learned. Even though preservice training is a good foundation, what you bring in terms of 

knowledge, skills, experience, and motivation, combined with 
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

38

what you acquire during PST, will determine the quality of your 

experience as a Volunteer.

Technical Training

Technical training will prepare you to work in China by building 

on the skills you already have and helping you develop new skills 

in a manner appropriate to the needs of the country. The Peace 

Corps staff, Chinese experts, and current Volunteers will conduct 

the training program. Training places great emphasis on learning 

how to transfer the skills you have to the community in which you 

will serve as a Volunteer. 

Technical training will include sessions on the general economic 

and political environment in China and strategies for working 

within such a framework. You will review your technical sector’s 

goals and will meet with the Chinese agencies and organizations 

that invited the Peace Corps to assist them. You will be supported 

and evaluated throughout the training to build the confidence and 

skills you need to undertake your project activities and be a 

productive member of your community.

TEFL Training

Technical training, which will be teaching English as a foreign 

language (TEFL), will prepare you to work in China by building 

on the skills you already have and by helping you to develop new 

skills in a manner appropriate to the needs and issues of the 

country. The Peace Corps staff and current Volunteers will 

conduct this component of the training program, which places 

great emphasis on learning how to become an effective TEFL 

teacher in a Chinese classroom setting. The core of technical 

training is a model school practicum with Chinese students. 

Former Volunteers have said this is the hardest yet most 

rewarding experience of technical training.

You will be supported by experienced Chinese trainers, current 

Volunteers, and Peace Corps staff throughout the training to build 

the confidence and skills you will need to undertake your work as 

a TEFL teacher and be a productive member of your community.
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

39

Language Training

As a Peace Corps Volunteer, you will find that language skills are 

key to personal and professional satisfaction during your service. 

These skills are critical to your job performance, they help you 

integrate into your community, and they can ease your personal 

adaptation to the new surroundings. Therefore, language training 

is at the heart of the training program. You must successfully meet 

minimum language requirements to complete training and become 

a Volunteer. Chinese language instructors teach formal language 

classes five days a week in small groups of four to five people.

Your language training will incorporate a community-based 

approach. In addition to classroom time, you will be given 

assignments to work on outside of the classroom and with your 

host family. The goal is to get you to a point of basic social 

communication skills so you can practice and develop language 

skills further once you are at your site. Prior to being sworn in as a 

Volunteer, you will work on strategies to continue language 

studies during your service.

You will be provided guidelines on how to effectively design, 

implement, and monitor an individualized learning program, as 

well as how to identify a suitable tutor and negotiate a reasonable 

rate during your two years of service. This policy attempts to 

provide the maximum possible flexibility to Volunteers to 

determine how to best meet their language needs.

Cross-Cultural Training

As part of your pre-service training, you will live with a Chinese

host family. This experience is designed to ease your transition to 

life at your site. Families go through an orientation conducted by 

Peace Corps staff to explain the purpose of pre-service training 

and to assist them in helping you adapt to living in China. Many 

Volunteers form strong and lasting friendships with their host 

families.

Cross-cultural and community development training will help you 

improve your communication skills and understand your role as a 
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

40

facilitator of development. You will be exposed to topics such as 

community mobilization, conflict resolution, gender and 

development, non-formal and adult education strategies, and 

political structures.

Health Training

During pre-service training, you will be given basic medical 

training and information. You will be expected to practice 

preventive health care and to take responsibility for your own 

health by adhering to all medical policies. Trainees are required to 

attend all medical sessions. The topics include preventive health 

measures and minor and major medical issues that you might 

encounter while in China. Nutrition, mental health, setting up a 

safe living compound, and how to avoid HIV/AIDS and other 

sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are also covered.

Safety Training

During the safety training sessions, you will learn how to adopt a 

lifestyle that reduces your risks at home, at work, and during your 

travels. You will also learn appropriate, effective strategies for 

coping with unwanted attention and about your individual 

responsibility for promoting safety throughout your service.

There will be extensive training in the Peace Corps/China 

emergency action plan to familiarize you with procedures during 

any emergency.

Additional Trainings during Volunteer Service

In its commitment to institutionalize quality training, the Peace 

Corps has implemented a training system that provides Volunteers 

with continual opportunities to examine their commitment to 

Peace Corps service while increasing their technical and crosscultural skills. During service, there are usually three training 

events. The titles and objectives for those trainings are as follows: 

• In-service training: Provides an opportunity for Volunteers to 

upgrade their technical, language, and project development 
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41

skills while sharing their experiences and reaffirming their 

commitment after having served for three to six months.

• Midterm conference (done in conjunction with technical 

sector in-service): Assists Volunteers in reviewing their first 

year, reassessing their personal and project objectives, and 

planning for their second year of service.

• Close-of-service conference: Prepares Volunteers for the 

future after Peace Corps service and reviews their respective 

projects and personal experiences. 

The number, length, and design of these trainings are adapted to 

country-specific needs and conditions. The key to the training 

system is that training events are integrated and interrelated, from 

the pre-departure orientation through the end of your service, and 

are planned, implemented, and evaluated cooperatively by the 

training staff, Peace Corps staff, and Volunteers.
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42

YOUR HEALTH CARE AND

SAFETY IN CHINA

The Peace Corps’ highest priority is maintaining the good health 

and safety of every Volunteer. Peace Corps medical programs 

emphasize the preventive, rather than the curative, approach to 

disease. The Peace Corps in China maintains a clinic with a fulltime medical officer, who takes care of Volunteers’ primary health

care needs. Additional medical services, such as testing and basic 

treatment, are also available in China at local hospitals. If you 

become seriously ill, you will be transported either to an 

American-standard medical facility in the region or to the United 

States.

Health Issues in China

Living abroad can be a significant life-changing experience and 

requires taking care of both physical and mental health. The Peace 

Corps/China preventive health care program includes 

immunizations for hepatitis A and B, rabies, Japanese 

encephalitis, typhoid, influenza, meningitis, diphtheria and 

tetanus, polio, and mumps, measles, and rubella. If you have had 

any of these immunizations, please bring documentation from the 

providers who administered the vaccines. Without such 

documentation, the Peace Corps must give you the vaccines again 

to ensure that you are properly immunized. These immunizations 

are not optional.

Avian influenza is endemic among the fowl population of 

Southeast Asia and south and southwestern China. Although there 

have been no confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission of 

avian influenza, the World Health Organization (WHO) believes 

the spread of infection could evolve suddenly to include humanto-human transmission. WHO is monitoring the situation very 

closely in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Egypt where most cases have 

occurred to-date. Peace Corps/China and other Peace Corps 

programs in Asia provide Tamiflu as a precaution. You should 

avoid contact with any types of birds, including chickens, ducks, 

and pigeons, to minimize risk of exposure to avian influenza. You 
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

43

should avoid all poultry farms, contact with animals in live food 

markets, and any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with 

feces from poultry or other animals. Peace Corps headquarters 

will continue to monitor avian influenza and will keep the post 

advised.

Helping You Stay Healthy

The Peace Corps will provide you with all the necessary 

inoculations, medications, and information to stay healthy. Upon 

your arrival in China, you will receive a medical handbook. At the 

end of training, you will receive a medical kit with supplies to take 

care of mild illnesses and first aid needs. The contents of the kit 

are listed later in this chapter. 

During pre-service training, you will have access to basic medical 

supplies through the medical officer. However, you will be 

responsible for your own supply of prescription drugs and any 

other specific medical supplies you require, as the Peace Corps 

will not order these items during training. Please bring a threemonth supply of any prescription drugs you use, since they may 

not be available here and it may take several months for shipments 

to arrive.

You will have physicals at midservice and at the end of your 

service. If you develop a serious medical problem during your 

service, the medical officer in China will consult with the Office 

of Medical Services in Washington, D.C. If it is determined that 

your condition cannot be treated in China, you may be sent out of 

the country for further evaluation and care.

Maintaining Your Health

As a Volunteer, you must accept considerable responsibility for 

your own health. Proper precautions will significantly reduce your 

risk of serious illness or injury. The adage “An ounce of 

prevention ...” becomes extremely important in areas where 

diagnostic and treatment facilities are not up to the standards of 
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

44

the United States. The most important of your responsibilities in 

China is to take the following preventive measures:

Stress. Successful strategies for stress management include 

exercise, writing, listening to or playing music, talking to peers, 

and reading.

Respiratory infections. Viral upper respiratory infections (the 

common cold) often occur. To prevent them, you are encouraged 

to get enough sleep, maintain good eating habits, not smoke, get a 

moderate amount of exercise, practice stress management, and 

wash your hands frequently. Also, do not share a dish (using 

chopsticks) with someone who has a cold.

Diarrhea. Many diseases that afflict Volunteers worldwide are 

entirely preventable if proper food and water precautions are 

taken. Your medical officer will discuss specific standards for 

water and food preparation in China during pre-service training. It 

is also important to pay close attention to the sanitary conditions 

of restaurants, wash your hands frequently, and carry potable 

water with you at all times.

Air Pollution. China has many of the world’s most polluted cities 

and it is likely your site will be in such a city. It is important to be 

honest with the Peace Corps about any history you may have of 

asthma, reactive airway disease, or other respiratory conditions 

that could be affected by high levels of air pollution.

Dental problems. The best way to avoid broken fillings, receding 

gums, and other dental problems is to maintain a regular regimen 

of brushing and flossing correctly. Always check rice that you eat 

or prepare for foreign bodies such as small pebbles.

Many illnesses that afflict Volunteers worldwide are entirely 

preventable if proper food and water precautions are taken. These 

illnesses include food poisoning, parasitic infections, hepatitis A, 

dysentery, Guinea worms, tapeworms, and typhoid fever. Your 

medical officer will discuss specific standards for water and food 

preparation in China during pre-service training.
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45

Abstinence is the only certain choice for preventing infection with 

HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. You are taking risks 

if you choose to be sexually active. To lessen risk, use a condom 

every time you have sex. Whether your partner is a host country 

citizen, a fellow Volunteer, or anyone else, do not assume this 

person is free of HIV/AIDS or other STDs. You will receive more 

information from the medical officer about this important issue.

Volunteers are expected to adhere to an effective means of birth 

control to prevent an unplanned pregnancy. Your medical officer 

can help you decide on the most appropriate method to suit your 

individual needs. Contraceptive methods are available without 

charge from the medical officer. 

It is critical to your health that you promptly report to the medical 

office or other designated facility for scheduled immunizations, 

and that you let the medical officer know immediately of 

significant illnesses and injuries.

Women’s Health Information

Pregnancy is treated in the same manner as other Volunteer health 

conditions that require medical attention but also have 

programmatic ramifications. The Peace Corps is responsible for 

determining the medical risk and the availability of appropriate 

medical care if the Volunteer remains in-country. Given the 

circumstances under which Volunteers live and work in Peace 

Corps countries, it is rare that the Peace Corps’ medical and 

programmatic standards for continued service during pregnancy 

can be met. 

If feminine hygiene products are not available for you to purchase 

on the local market, the Peace Corps medical officer in China will 

provide them. If you require a specific product, please bring a 

three-month supply with you.
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46

Your Peace Corps Medical Kit

The Peace Corps medical officer will provide you with a kit that 

contains basic items necessary to prevent and treat illnesses that 

may occur during service. Kit items can be periodically restocked 

at the medical office.

Medical Kit Contents

Ace bandages

Adhesive tape

American Red Cross First Aid & Safety Handbook

Antacid tablets (Tums)

Antibiotic ointment (Bacitracin/Neomycin/Polymycin B)

Antiseptic antimicrobial skin cleaner (Hibiclens)

Band-Aids

Butterfly closures

Calamine lotion

Cepacol lozenges

Condoms

Dental floss

Diphenhydramine HCL 25 mg (Benadryl)

Insect repellent stick (Cutter’s)

Iodine tablets (for water purification)

Lip balm (Chapstick)

Oral rehydration salts

Oral thermometer (Fahrenheit)

Pseudoephedrine HCL 30 mg (Sudafed)

Robitussin-DM lozenges (for cough)

Scissors

Sterile gauze pads

Tetrahydrozaline eyedrops (Visine)

Tinactin (antifungal cream)
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

47

Tweezers

Before You Leave: A Medical Checklist

If there has been any change in your health—physical, mental, or 

dental—since you submitted your examination reports to the 

Peace Corps, you must immediately notify the Office of Medical 

Services. Failure to disclose new illnesses, injuries, allergies, or 

pregnancy can endanger your health and may jeopardize your 

eligibility to serve. 

If your dental exam was done more than a year ago, or if your 

physical exam is more than two years old, contact the Office of

Medical Services to find out whether you need to update your 

records. If your dentist or Peace Corps dental consultant has 

recommended that you undergo dental treatment or repair, you 

must complete that work and make sure your dentist sends 

requested confirmation reports or X-rays to the Office of Medical 

Services.

If you wish to avoid having duplicate vaccinations, contact your 

physician’s office to obtain a copy of your immunization record 

and bring it to your pre-departure orientation. If you have any 

immunizations prior to Peace Corps service, the Peace Corps 

cannot reimburse you for the cost. The Peace Corps will provide 

all the immunizations necessary for your overseas assignment, 

either at your pre-departure orientation or shortly after you arrive 

in China. You do not need to begin taking malaria medication 

prior to departure.

Bring a three-month supply of any prescription or over-thecounter medication you use on a regular basis, including birth 

control pills. Although the Peace Corps cannot reimburse you for 

this three-month supply, it will order refills during your service. 

While awaiting shipment—which can take several months—you 

will be dependent on your own medication supply. The Peace 

Corps will not pay for herbal or nonprescribed medications, such 
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

48

as St. John’s wort, glucosamine, selenium, or antioxidant 

supplements.

You are encouraged to bring copies of medical prescriptions 

signed by your physician. This is not a requirement, but they 

might come in handy if you are questioned in transit about 

carrying a three-month supply of prescription drugs.

If you wear eyeglasses, bring two pairs with you—a pair and a 

spare. If a pair breaks, the Peace Corps will replace them, using 

the information your doctor in the United States provided on the 

eyeglasses form during your examination. The Peace Corps 

discourages you from using contact lenses during your service to 

reduce your risk of developing a serious infection or other eye 

disease. Most Peace Corps countries do not have appropriate 

water and sanitation to support eye care with the use of contact 

lenses. The Peace Corps will not supply or replace contact lenses 

or associated solutions unless an ophthalmologist has 

recommended their use for a specific medical condition and the 

Peace Corps’ Office of Medical Services has given approval.

If you are eligible for Medicare, are over 50 years of age, or have 

a health condition that may restrict your future participation in 

health care plans, you may wish to consult an insurance specialist 

about unique coverage needs before your departure. The Peace 

Corps will provide all necessary health care from the time you 

leave for your pre-departure orientation until you complete your 

service. When you finish, you will be entitled to the post-service 

health care benefits described in the Peace Corps Volunteer 

Handbook. You may wish to consider keeping an existing health 

plan in effect during your service if you think age or pre-existing 

conditions might prevent you from re-enrolling in your current 

plan when you return home.
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

49

Safety and Security—Our Partnership

Serving as a Volunteer overseas entails certain safety and security 

risks. Living and traveling in an unfamiliar environment, a limited 

understanding of the local language and culture, and the 

perception of being a wealthy American are some of the factors 

that can put a Volunteer at risk. Property theft and burglaries are 

not uncommon. Incidents of physical and sexual assault do occur, 

although almost all Volunteers complete their two years of service 

without serious personal safety problems.

Beyond knowing that Peace Corps approaches safety and security 

as a partnership with you, it might be helpful to see how this 

partnership works. Peace Corps has policies, procedures, and 

training in place to promote your safety. We depend on you to 

follow those policies and to put into practice what you have 

learned. An example of how this works in practice—in this case to 

help manage the risk of burglary—is:

 Peace Corps assesses the security environment where 

you will live and work

 Peace Corps inspects the house where you will live 

according to established security criteria

 Peace Corp provides you with resources to take 

measures such as installing new locks

 Peace Corps ensures you are welcomed by host country 

authorities in your new community

 Peace Corps responds to security concerns that you 

raise

 You lock your doors and windows

 You adopt a lifestyle appropriate to the community 

where you live

 You get to know neighbors

 You decide if purchasing personal articles insurance is 

appropriate for you

 You don’t change residences before being authorized 

by Peace Corps
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

50

 You communicate concerns that you have to Peace 

Corps staff

This Welcome Book contains sections on: Living Conditions and 

Volunteer Lifestyle; Peace Corps Training; and Your Health Care 

and Safety that all include important safety and security 

information to help you understand this partnership. The Peace 

Corps makes every effort to give Volunteers the tools they need to 

function in the safest way possible, because working to maximize 

the safety and security of Volunteers is our highest priority. Not 

only do we provide you with training and tools to prepare for the 

unexpected, but we teach you to identify, reduce, and manage the 

risks you may encounter.

Factors that Contribute to Volunteer Risk 

There are several factors that can heighten a Volunteer’s risk, 

many of which are within the Volunteer’s control. By far the most 

common crime that Volunteers experience is theft. Thefts often 

occur when Volunteers are away from their sites, in crowded 

locations (such as markets or on public transportation), and when

leaving items unattended.

Before you depart for China there are several measures you can 

take to reduce your risk: 

• Leave valuable objects in U.S.

• Leave copies of important documents and account numbers 

with someone you trust in the U.S.

• Purchase a hidden money pouch or "dummy" wallet as a 

decoy

• Purchase personal articles insurance

After you arrive in China, you will receive more detailed 

information about common crimes, factors that contribute to 
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

51

Volunteer risk, and local strategies to reduce that risk. For 

example, Volunteers in China learn to:

• Choose safe routes and times for travel, and travel with 

someone trusted by the community whenever possible

• Make sure one’s personal appearance is respectful of local 

customs

• Avoid high-crime areas

• Know the local language to get help in an emergency

• Make friends with local people who are respected in the 

community 

• Limit alcohol consumption

As you can see from this list, you must be willing to work hard 

and adapt your lifestyle to minimize the potential for being a 

target for crime. As with anywhere in the world, crime does exist 

in China. You can reduce your risk by avoiding situations that 

place you at risk and by taking precautions. Crime at the village or 

town level is less frequent than in the large cities; people know 

each other and generally are less likely to steal from their 

neighbors. Tourist attractions in large towns are favorite worksites 

for pickpockets.

The following are other security concerns in China of which you 

should be aware:

Most pick pocketing has occurred while Volunteers were traveling 

or shopping near their sites. Prevention requires extreme vigilance 

when on public transportation and Volunteers should utilize an 

inside money pouch or money belt. Theft from Volunteer lodgings 

has occurred, but is uncommon. Making sure your windows are 

secure and always locking your door is usually sufficient to 

protect against such theft. It is not wise to display expensive 

items, such as computers, cameras, or CD players, when you have 

visitors.
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52

While whistles and exclamations may be fairly common on the 

street, this behavior can be reduced if you dress conservatively, 

abide by local cultural norms, and respond according to the 

training you will receive. 

Staying Safe: Don’t Be a Target for Crime

You must be prepared to take on a large degree of responsibility 

for your own safety. You can make yourself less of a target, 

ensure that your home is secure, and develop relationships in your 

community that will make you an unlikely victim of crime. While 

the factors that contribute to your risk in China may be different, 

in many ways you can do what you would do if you moved to a 

new city anywhere: Be cautious, check things out, ask questions, 

learn about your neighborhood, know where the more risky 

locations are, use common sense, and be aware. You can reduce 

your vulnerability to crime by integrating into your community, 

learning the local language, acting responsibly, and abiding by 

Peace Corps policies and procedures. Serving safely and 

effectively in China will require that you accept some restrictions 

on your current lifestyle.

Support from Staff

If a trainee or Volunteer is the victim of a safety incident, Peace 

Corps staff is prepared to provide support. All Peace Corps posts 

have procedures in place to respond to incidents of crime 

committed against Volunteers. The first priority for all posts in the 

aftermath of an incident is to ensure the Volunteer is safe and 

receiving medical treatment as needed. After assuring the safety of 

the Volunteer, Peace Corps staff response may include reassessing 

the Volunteer’s worksite and housing arrangements and making 

any adjustments, as needed. In some cases, the nature of the 

incident may necessitate a site or housing transfer. Peace Corps 

staff will also assist Volunteers with preserving their rights to 

pursue legal sanctions against the perpetrators of the crime. It is 

very important that Volunteers report incidents as they occur, not 

only to protect their peer Volunteers, but also to preserve the 

future right to prosecute. Should Volunteers decide later in the 
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

53

process that they want to proceed with the prosecution of their 

assailant; this option may no longer exist if the evidence of the 

event has not been preserved at the time of the incident. 

Crime Data for China

Crime data and statistics for China, which are updated 

yearly, are available at the following link: 

http://www.peacecorps.gov/countrydata/china 

Please take the time to review this important information.

Few Peace Corps Volunteers are victims of serious crimes and 

crimes that do occur overseas are investigated and prosecuted 

by local authorities through the local courts system. If you are 

the victim of a crime, you will decide if you wish to pursue 

prosecution. If you decide to prosecute, the Peace Corps will be 

there to assist you. One of our tasks is to ensure you are fully 

informed of your options and understand how the local legal 

process works. The Peace Corps will help you ensure your 

rights are protected to the fullest extent possible under the laws 

of the country.

If you are the victim of a serious crime, you will learn how to 

get to a safe location as quickly as possible and contact your 

Peace Corps office. It’s important that you notify Peace Corps 

staff as soon as you can so the Peace Corps can provide you 

with the help you need.

Volunteer Safety Support in China

The Peace Corps’ approach to safety is a five-pronged plan to help 

you stay safe during your service and includes the following: 

information sharing, Volunteer training, site selection criteria, a 

detailed emergency action plan, and protocols for addressing 

safety and security incidents. China’s in-country safety program is 

outlined below.
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54

The Peace Corps/China office will keep you informed of any 

issues that may impact Volunteer safety through information 

sharing. Regular updates will be provided in Volunteer 

newsletters and in memorandums from the country director. In the 

event of a critical situation or emergency, you will be contacted 

through the emergency communication network. An important 

component of the capacity of Peace Corps to keep you informed is 

your buy-in to the partnership concept with the Peace Corps staff. 

It is expected that you will do your part in ensuring that Peace 

Corps staff members are kept apprised of your movements incountry so they are able to inform you.

Volunteer training will include sessions on specific safety and 

security issues in China. This training will prepare you to adopt a 

culturally appropriate lifestyle and exercise judgment that 

promotes safety and reduces risk in your home, at work, and while 

traveling. Safety training is offered throughout service and is 

integrated into the language, cross-cultural aspects, health, and 

other components of training. You will be expected to 

successfully complete all training competencies in a variety of 

areas, including safety and security, as a condition of service.

Certain site selection criteria are used to determine safe housing 

for Volunteers before their arrival. The Peace Corps staff works 

closely with host communities and counterpart agencies to help 

prepare them for a Volunteer’s arrival and to establish 

expectations of their respective roles in supporting the Volunteer. 

Each site is inspected before the Volunteer’s arrival to ensure 

placement in appropriate, safe, and secure housing and worksites.

Site selection is based, in part, on any relevant site history; access 

to medical, banking, postal, and other essential services; 

availability of communications, transportation, and markets; 

different housing options and living arrangements; and other 

Volunteer support needs.

You will also learn about Peace Corps/China’s detailed 

emergency action plan, which is implemented in the event of 
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

55

civil or political unrest or a natural disaster. When you arrive at 

your site, you will complete and submit a site locator form with 

your address, contact information, and a map to your house. If 

there is a security threat, you will gather with other Volunteers in 

China at predetermined locations until the situation is resolved or 

the Peace Corps decides to evacuate.

Finally, in order for the Peace Corps to be fully responsive to the 

needs of Volunteers, it is imperative that Volunteers immediately 

report any security incident to the Peace Corps office. The Peace 

Corps has established protocols for addressing safety and 

security incidents in a timely and appropriate manner, and it 

collects and evaluates safety and security data to track trends and 

develop strategies to minimize risks to future Volunteers.

DIVERSITY AND 

CROSS-CULTURAL ISSUES

In fulfilling its mandate to share the face of America with host 

countries, the Peace Corps is making special efforts to assure that 

all of America’s richness is reflected in the Volunteer corps. More 

Americans of color are serving in today’s Peace Corps than at any 

time in recent history. Differences in race, ethnic background, age, 

religion, and sexual orientation are expected and welcomed among 

our Volunteers. Part of the Peace Corps’ mission is to help dispel 

any notion that Americans are all of one origin or race and to 

establish that each of us is as thoroughly American as the other 

despite our many differences. 

Our diversity helps us accomplish that goal. In other ways, 

however, it poses challenges. In China, as in other Peace Corps 

host countries, Volunteers’ behavior, lifestyle, background, and 

beliefs are judged in a cultural context very different from their 

own. Certain personal perspectives or characteristics commonly 

accepted in the United States may be quite uncommon, 

unacceptable, or even repressed in China.
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56

Outside of the largest east coast cities, residents of rural 

communities have had relatively little direct exposure to other 

cultures, races, religions, and lifestyles. What people view as 

typical American behavior or norms may be a misconception, 

such as the belief that all Americans are rich and have blond hair 

and blue eyes. The people of China are justly known for their 

generous hospitality to foreigners; however, members of the 

community in which you will live may display a range of 

reactions to cultural differences that you present.

To ease the transition and adapt to life in China, you may need to 

make some temporary, yet fundamental compromises in how you 

present yourself as an American and as an individual. For 

example, female trainees and Volunteers may not be able to 

exercise the independence available to them in the United States; 

political discussions need to be handled with great care; and some 

of your personal beliefs may best remain undisclosed. You will 

need to develop techniques and personal strategies for coping with 

these and other limitations. The Peace Corps staff will lead 

diversity and sensitivity discussions during pre-service training 

and will be on call to provide support, but the challenge ultimately 

will be your own. 

Overview of Diversity in China

The Peace Corps staff in China recognizes the adjustment issues 

that come with diversity and will endeavor to provide support and 

guidance. During pre-service training, several sessions will be 

held to discuss diversity and coping mechanisms. We look 

forward to having male and female Volunteers from a variety of 

races, ethnic groups, ages, religions, and sexual orientations, and 

hope that you will become part of a diverse group of Americans 

who take pride in supporting one another and demonstrating the 

richness of American culture.

What Might a Volunteer Face?

Possible Issues for Female Volunteers
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57

Some female Volunteers in China have experienced “body image” 

issues relative to the Chinese cultural definition of ideal feminine 

beauty. Few Western women are small or thin enough to achieve 

that narrow ideal, which may be frustrating for some Volunteers, 

as is the possibility that their attractiveness may be defined by this 

standard. Additionally, despite the outward appearance that 

women are equal to men in China, women still struggle to be 

considered and treated as true equals in the workplace.

Volunteer Comment

“While people’s attitudes toward gender roles are changing, 

traditional views still prevail. The differential gender treatment 

can be frustrating, especially because you view yourself as equal 

in your relationships but some Chinese do not. For example, a 

man may be assumed to be the better teacher (and asked to teach 

more classes), be asked to participate more in sports, be invited to 

more social gatherings, be asked for his opinion more often, and 

receive equal credit for projects or activities a woman did by 

herself.”

Possible Issues for Volunteers of Color 

It is difficult to generalize about how Chinese may perceive 

Volunteers of color. Americans of Asian descent will have a very 

different experience than those of African descent, who will have 

a very different experience than those of Hispanic descent. Still, 

some Volunteers of color may be evaluated as less professionally 

competent than white Volunteers and may not be perceived as 

being North American. Asian Americans may be identified more 

by their cultural heritage than by their American citizenship. 

Current or historical Chinese relations with other Asian countries, 

such as Korea or Japan, may have an impact on how AsianAmerican Volunteers are perceived. Additionally, Asian 

Americans may have to deal with people's higher expectations of 

their language-learning ability or cross-cultural adaptability.

A Volunteer of color may be the only minority trainee or 

Volunteer in his or her group or may be working and living with 

individuals with no experience or understanding of their 

background.
PEACE CORPS | CHINA WELCOME BOOK | 

58

Volunteer Comments

“As an Asian American, I find my experiences of living in China 

to be quite different from those of many Peace Corps Volunteers. 

For instance, when I walk out in the streets, I do not get stared at 

or called laowai (foreigner). Actually, many of the people in my 

community think I am one of them. Because I am Chinese, they 

feel closer to me and, thus, it is much easier for me to make 

friends. The question of whether or not I can use chopsticks is 

rarely asked. Moreover, I am quite familiar with Chinese culture, 

and I also have prior knowledge of Mandarin. These advantages 

have allowed me to further understand the Chinese part of myself. 

Every day that I am in China, I realize how Chinese I am in some 

ways and how American I am in others. This has had a profound 

affect on my search for the Chinese-American identity that I have 

been struggling with.”

“Living in China, I do have my ups and downs. Being away from 

home for such a long time was one major obstacle I had to 

overcome. Even though I still miss my family and friends, I 

realize that the Peace Corps staff and the Volunteers are a great 

support group. Even though I had prior knowledge of Mandarin, I 

was still not able to communicate with locals because the people 

here speak their own dialect, Sichuanese. They may understand 

me when I speak standard Mandarin, but when they respond, I 

look at them with a confused face because I have no idea what 

they are talking about. Sometimes I even get mad because the 

local dialect is spoken so harshly, like they are yelling at me. After 

being here for almost six months, I am becoming more familiar 

with the Sichuan dialect, and I regard their loud voices as their 

normal speaking tone.

"The greatest part about being Chinese American in China is my 

ability to share my own unique culture with my students and my 

peers. They are extremely interested in me—my ability to speak 

English as well as Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), my life in 

America, and my Chinese-American culture. It feels great to be 

able to share that part of me with them. It is also very fulfilling to 

know that I am opening their eyes and allowing them to see that 

not all Americans are blond with blue eyes—that America is, in 

fact, very diverse.”
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Possible Issues for Senior Volunteers

The Chinese people pay great respect to age. As a senior 

Volunteer, you may not experience some of the issues that 

younger Volunteers face because of the appreciation for seniors in 

Chinese culture. However, senior Volunteers may not receive 

adequate personal support from younger Volunteers and may feel 

inclined not to participate fully in order to “give the young folks 

their turn.” Additionally, senior Volunteers may be more reluctant 

to share personal, sexual, or health concerns with other 

Volunteers.

If learning Chinese is difficult for senior Volunteers, they are 

encouraged to develop an effective individual approach to 

language learning in and after PST.

Volunteer Comments

“One of the biggest issues I faced as a senior Volunteer came 

early during pre-service training. I had just sold my car and home, 

had closed my business, and, like everyone, was taking on the 

challenge of becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer. But I was doing 

it at a different point in my life than most of the people in my 

group. I have to admit there were times when I just longed to talk 

to someone with some miles on them, if you know what I mean.

“Another big issue for me was my difficulty with learning the 

language. I had never learned another language before. I was the 

slowest in the group and often felt stupid. My ancient brain just 

struggled to learn and retain enough for daily survival tasks, and 

that was hard. I was accustomed to thinking of myself as a 

competent businesswoman with a pretty good brain, but now I felt

so inadequate and embarrassed in front of my younger classmates. 

Of course, they never made fun of me, but I worried that I would 

be seen as that old woman who can't seem to get even the simplest 

language phrases. I was my own worst enemy with this. During 

this experience, it would have been nice to talk with another older 

person who might also be struggling so that we could both laugh 

about how our brains just blank out and give us those senior 

moments.
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“Now that I’m at my site, I find my biggest lesson is in learning to 

be dependent. I have lived alone since I was 24 and prided myself 

in being able to take care of myself. Now I must ask for help 

almost daily as I try to communicate and be OK with accepting it 

when it's offered. That's a big adjustment for me. So if you have 

become accustomed to functioning quite competently in the 

United States as an independent person, it could be hard to allow 

yourself to be dependent. I'm still uncomfortable with it, but I'm 

working on it. Of course, I've also gotten myself a Chinese 

language tutor who is willing to patiently spend two hours twice a 

week with me.

“But don't let what I have said here stop you from coming. I'm 

delighted that I am here in China to offer my life experience and 

continue to live and learn. By the way, China values age and that's 

a neat feeling. For the first time in my life, people now frequently 

carry things for me, and I've yet to have to stand on a crowded 

bus. I've discovered that people really do want to help and are 

really happy to give. So now I'm practicing learning how to 

graciously receive and just say 'Xie Xie (thank you).'

“There is some truth to the belief in China that age confers 

wisdom. I have found myself often consulted by teachers and 

students while the younger Volunteers are ignored. One good 

aspect of this is that the teachers are more willing to be your 

friends in a social sense because they see you as a peer, not a 

younger, inexperienced person. I can also get away with more 

joking and kidding than a ‘junior’ Volunteer.

“Another consideration is that senior Volunteers constitute a small 

portion of the total number of Volunteers, so having a senior 

Volunteer as a friend may be difficult. The question of loneliness 

must be faced, and you must consider what coping skills you have 

in this area.”

“In my first 31/2 months in China, one thing often deflated my 

self-esteem—the Chinese cultural trait of respect for the elderly. I 

was continually confronted by Chinese insisting that I take their 

seat on the bus, that they carry my packages or books, or that I be 

careful getting into and out of a car or stepping off the curb or 

down a step. I am a lively, agile 73-year-old retired infantry 
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61

airborne soldier and PE teacher, and I have had some comical and 

stimulating encounters by refusing to adhere to this particular 

Chinese custom. Many times, I will retaliate by offering a seat on 

the bus to a female Chinese. That stumps them.

“Other than that, I have had no problems as a senior Volunteer and 

am enjoying and looking forward to whatever they throw at me 

here in this vast sea of people, half of whom seem to be always 

cooking food and the other half of whom seem to be eating food.”

Possible Issues for Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual 

Volunteers

Generally speaking, the Chinese culture does not accept or 

understand homosexuality or bisexuality and can be extremely 

prejudicial. Gay Volunteers grapple with the question of whether 

they can confide in host country friends, but usually do not. There 

may or may not be sufficient support for a homosexual or bisexual 

lifestyle within Peace Corps/China. Gay Volunteers might serve 

for two years without meeting another gay Volunteer or staff 

member. Lesbians will have to deal with constant questions about 

boyfriends, marriage, and sex (as do all women). 

Most Volunteers are posted in cities that are less open than the 

large cities along the coast of China. Relationships with 

homosexual host country nationals can happen, but as with all 

cross-cultural relationships, they are not likely to be easy. AIDS 

has only recently become an issue in the local news and is terribly 

misunderstood as a disease widely contagious among homosexual 

or bisexual people.

Volunteer Comment

“For me, the intolerance in China is most difficult to handle at the 

personal level. I can accept that it is inappropriate for me to follow 

up the inevitable ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ question with ‘No, 
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but I do have a girlfriend!’ I can accept that it is not my place in 

the community to ‘take on’ traditional Chinese values and replace 

them with my own. What is much more difficult for me to accept, 

however, is that I cannot share a significant part of my life with a 

trusted host country national friend. When my friend pours her 

heart out to me about her love life, I can't relate to what she says 

with experiences of my own. When she promises to set me up 

with a Chinese boyfriend, I cannot explain that I am already quite 

happy with my girlfriend, thank you. The decision not to share 

your sexuality with close friends can greatly contribute to the 

loneliness and feelings of misunderstanding that already come 

with adapting to a new culture.”

Possible Religious Issues for Volunteers

Although there are some churches in China, all of the services are 

in Chinese. Peace Corps Volunteers in China are free to practice 

their religion but not to proselytize to the Chinese, as it is against 

Chinese law and Peace Corps policy. Previous Volunteers have 

advised active believers to bring their own holy books and 

religious readings and to be prepared to worship alone. Most 

members of the Chinese younger generation (under 50) are nonbelievers, and you should not be surprised if the students tell you 

that all religions are superstition and they want no part of it. 

Conversely, do not be surprised if you are asked curious questions 

by students regarding the religious significance of major holidays 

or questions about the Bible. 

Although all religions suffered enormous setbacks during the 

Cultural Revolution, the majority of believers are Buddhists. 

There is a Muslim minority (the largest minority in China), mostly 

in northwest China, and Sichuan does have a number of Islamic 

mosques.

Volunteer Comment

“A while back, three of my best students came to me during my 

office hours and asked me about the difference between religion 

and superstition. It's tough to explain, I said. One person's religion 
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is another person's superstition. They told me that all superstitions 

were outlawed in China because in the past people had been 

exploited and abused as a result of superstitious beliefs. ‘Many 

people,’ one student said, ‘would go to a faith healer and get 

medicine for a sick relative. The healer would just take a bowl of 

water and say words into the bowl. Words have energy, they 

believed, and the energy in the healer’s words turned the water 

into medicine. They paid a lot of money for this, and a lot of sick 

people died because they didn't get the care they needed. That’s 

why superstition is not allowed in China.'

“Many of Christianity’s most sacred tenets do seem silly and 

irrational to an outside observer. If your Christian faith means a 

lot to you, you may very well be extremely offended if you ever 

discuss the topic with your students. Most of them have been 

raised with the idea that religion is a superstition, and it's hard for 

them to get past that. As with so many things about living in 

Sichuan, a healthy sense of perspective and a good dose of 

patience are priceless in helping you deal with situations like 

these.”

Possible Issues for Volunteers with

Disabilities

As part of the medical clearance process, the Peace Corps Office 

of Medical Services determined that you were physically and 

emotionally capable, with or without reasonable accommodations, 

to perform a full tour of Volunteer service in China without 

unreasonable risk of harm to yourself or interruption of service. 

The Peace Corps/China staff will work with disabled Volunteers 

to make reasonable accommodations for them in training, housing, 

jobsites, or other areas to enable them to serve safely and 

effectively. 

As a disabled Volunteer in China, you may face a special set of 

challenges. In China, as in other parts of the world, some people 

hold prejudicial attitudes about individuals with disabilities and 

may discriminate against them. Very little support exists within 

Chinese culture for anyone with disabilities, and Volunteers with 
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64

non-visible disabilities may encounter a lack of understanding, 

and therefore support, concerning their disability.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

How much luggage am I allowed to bring to 

China?

Most airlines have baggage size and weight limits and assess 

charges for transport of baggage that exceeds those limits. The 

Peace Corps has its own size and weight limits and will not pay 

the cost of transport for baggage that exceeds these limits. The 

Peace Corps’ allowance is two checked pieces of luggage with 

combined dimensions of both pieces not to exceed 107 inches 

(length + width + height) and a carry-on bag with dimensions of 

no more than 45 inches. Checked baggage should not exceed 100 

pounds total with a maximum weight of 50 pounds for any one 

bag.

Peace Corps Volunteers are not allowed to take pets, weapons, 

explosives, radio transmitters (shortwave radios are permitted), 

automobiles, or motorcycles to their overseas assignments. Do not 

pack flammable materials or liquids such as lighter fluid, cleaning 

solvents, hair spray, or aerosol containers. This is an important 

safety precaution.

What is the electric current in China?

China’s residential electric system is 220 volts, 50 hertz. 

Appliances and electronic equipment manufactured for the U.S. 

market are usually rated for 100 to 120 volts and 60 Hz. To use 

this equipment in China, you must have a step-down transformer 

(a device that lowers the incoming voltage of 220 to 240 volts to 

110 to 120 volts). Most computers will run on both 110 and 220. 

Plug adapters are available in China.

How much money should I bring?

Volunteers are expected to live at the same level as the people in 

their community. You will be given a settling-in allowance and a 

monthly living allowance, which should cover your expenses. 

Volunteers often wish to bring additional money for vacation 

travel to other countries. Credit cards and traveler’s checks are 
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66

preferable to cash. If you choose to bring extra money, bring the 

amount that will suit your own travel plans and needs.

The easiest way to access funds from the U.S. while in China is 

through an ATM card tied to a checking or savings account. 

Although credit cards and traveler’s checks can be used easily in 

some countries where you may travel for vacation, they are not 

widely accepted in China other than at major hotels in larger 

cities. It is also good idea to maintain your checking account in the 

United States and to bring your checkbook.

When can I take vacation and have people visit 

me?

Each Volunteer accrues two vacation days per month of service 

(excluding training). Leave may not be taken during training, the 

first three months of service, or the last three months of service, 

except in conjunction with an authorized emergency leave. Family 

and friends are welcome to visit you after pre-service training and 

the first three months of service as long as their stay does not 

interfere with your work. Extended stays at your site are not 

encouraged and may require permission from your country 

director. The Peace Corps is not able to provide your visitors with 

visa, medical, or travel assistance. 

Will my belongings be covered by insurance?

The Peace Corps does not provide insurance coverage for personal 

effects; Volunteers are ultimately responsible for the safekeeping 

of their personal belongings. However, you can purchase personal 

property insurance before you leave. If you wish, you may contact 

your own insurance company; additionally, insurance application 

forms will be provided, and we encourage you to consider them 

carefully. Volunteers should not ship or take valuable items 

overseas. Jewelry, watches, radios, cameras, and expensive 

appliances are subject to loss, theft, and breakage, and in many 

places, satisfactory maintenance and repair services are not 

available. 
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Do I need an international driver’s license?

Volunteers in China do not need an international driver’s license 

because they are prohibited from operating privately owned 

motorized vehicles. Most urban travel is by bus or taxi. Rural 

travel ranges from buses and minibuses to trucks, bicycles, and 

lots of walking. On very rare occasions, a Volunteer may be asked 

to drive a sponsor’s vehicle, but this can occur only with prior 

written permission from the country director. Should this occur, 

the Volunteer may obtain a local driver’s license. A U.S. driver’s 

license will facilitate the process, so bring it with you just in case.

What should I bring as gifts for China

friends and my host family?

This is not a requirement. A token of friendship is sufficient. 

Some gift suggestions include knickknacks for the house; pictures, 

books, or calendars of American scenes; souvenirs from your area; 

hard candies that will not melt or spoil; or photos to give away.

Where will my site assignment be when I finish 

training and how isolated will I be?

Peace Corps trainees are not assigned to individual sites until after 

they have completed pre-service training. This gives Peace Corps 

staff the opportunity to assess each trainee’s technical and 

language skills prior to assigning sites, in addition to finalizing 

site selections with their ministry counterparts. If feasible, you 

may have the opportunity to provide input on your site 

preferences, including geographical location, distance from other 

Volunteers, and living conditions. However, keep in mind that 

many factors influence the site selection process and that the 

Peace Corps cannot guarantee placement where you would ideally 

like to be. Most Volunteers live in small towns or in rural villages 

and are usually within one hour from another Volunteer. Some 

sites require a 10- to 12-hour drive from the capital. There is at 

least one Volunteer based in each of the regional capitals and 

about five to eight Volunteers in the capital city.
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How can my family contact me in an emergency?

The Peace Corps’ Office of Special Services provides assistance 

in handling emergencies affecting trainees and Volunteers or their 

families. Before leaving the United States, instruct your family to 

notify the Office of Special Services immediately if an emergency 

arises, such as a serious illness or death of a family member. 

During normal business hours, the number for the Office of 

Special Services is 800.424.8580; select option 2, then extension 

1470. After normal business hours and on weekends and holidays, 

the Special Services duty officer can be reached at the above 

number. For non-emergency questions, your family can get 

information from your country desk staff at the Peace Corps by 

calling 800.424.8580.

Can I call home from China? 

Long-distance telephone service is generally good, with 

connections available to most parts of the world without major 

delays. If you are calling from outside a major city, it may take 

longer to get a line. Overseas operators speak and understand 

basic English and should have little difficulty placing a call. 

AT&T, MCI, and Sprint direct-dial operators can be reached from 

Chengdu and from many other sites by dialing a local number.

Should I bring a cellular phone with me?

A cell phone purchased in the U.S. may work in China if it is a 

triband GSM (including 900/1800 MHz), accepts SIM cards, and 

can be unlocked to replace SIM cards as well as to change 

applications. Therefore, it is not practical to bring a cell phone

from the United States. Many Volunteers choose to purchase one 

locally, and relatively inexpensive basic models are available. 

Peace Corps/China does not provide funds for the purchase or 

service contracts of personal cell phones, so those interested in a 

cell phone should plan on covering those costs. Peace 

Corps/China does, however, include in its living allowance the 

basic cost of maintaining a telephone connection, either for a 

landline or a cell phone.
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Will there be email and Internet access? 

Should I bring my computer?

All Peace Corps/China Volunteers will have access to email and 

the Internet, although connections can be weak or sporadic. 

Although some Volunteers will have access from home, others use 

department offices or Internet cafes near their school's campus. It 

is the responsibility of the Volunteer to set up and pay for any 

home Internet service. Funds are provided in the living allowance 

for limited Internet usage.
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WELCOME LETTERS FROM

CHINA VOLUNTEERS

As a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in China, I realize that my 

experience is very different from the image most people have of 

the typical Peace Corps placement. It definitely diverges from the 

“mud hut” image that is often associated with being a Volunteer. I 

am living in Chongqing, which is now one of the largest cities in 

China. I am teaching at a large university with opportunities to 

interact with both students and staff. I live in a modern apartment 

and enjoy the basic comforts afforded by the developing 

infrastructure. But this relative comfort does not reduce the 

importance of the work or the value of our efforts. I am teaching 

English, but on deeper level, I am developing relationships with 

my students that will affect their view of the world and America. 

Many of my students have never had an opportunity to talk to or 

get to know someone from outside of China. 

Teaching at our university keeps us quite busy. My wife and I 

each teach six or more classes per week with preparation time and 

office hours filling our week. We are often asked to attend 

activities of the Foreign Language Club, to judge speech contests 

and debates, or offer a lecture at the weekly foreign teacher lecture 

series. On Thursday nights we have English Corner, which is an 

opportunity for students from all departments of the university to 

gather and practice their English. We enjoy this chance to meet 

students from other majors and hear their opinions and ideas. In 

addition to these activities, I have been working with the foreign 

language department to develop an online course management 

system for our classes. My wife Kate has a women's group that 

meets weekly and teaches some classes at a local primary school.

Even with our busy schedule, we are able to have some time for 

exploring our neighborhood and our city. We live in an area that 

has many hiking trails and old step roads. We love walking on the 

step roads, visiting the tea houses, and seeing the striking contrast 

of the old ways to the daily changing city with its constant 

construction and towering buildings. It is an amazing time to be in 
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China and a unique opportunity to work here as a Peace Corps 

Volunteer.

— John Granger, China 15 Volunteer, Chongqing

As a retired U.S. teacher of 30 years, my decision to apply for the 

Peace Corps was based on my love of teaching and my desire to 

travel to countries I had taught my students about during my 

teaching career. As a Peace Corps Volunteer I have taught 

university freshmen, sophomores, and juniors pronunciation, oral 

English, and listening and speaking. The students I teach are eager 

to improve their English skills and learn about life in America. In 

return they have taught me about their family lives and struggles 

they have gone through to get accepted to the university. 

At the university there are many opportunities to be involved with 

students and help them with their English. I have office hours each 

week, attend English corner, judge speaking contests, and 

occasionally eat lunch or dinner with my students.

As a secondary project I teach two hours at the primary school

each week. I have also started a volunteer program at the 

university where my college students sign up and come and help 

me at the primary school. This gives them the opportunity to see 

what it is like to be an English teacher in a primary school.

Because our experience has been so rewarding, my husband and I 

have decided to extend our service for a third year here in China. 

I think that you also will enjoy the opportunity to experience the 

culture and get to know many wonderful people.

— Kate Burrus, China 15 Volunteer, Chongqing

My experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in China has been 

more rewarding than I could have ever dreamed. Teaching in a 

city of 15 million people is anything but the “classic” Peace Corps 

experience, but the speed with which everything is developing and 

changing makes this one of the most exciting places to be! While 
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here, I have witnessed first-hand the delicate balance of embracing 

the future and all of its thrill, while maintaining reverence and 

space for the cultural traditions that have made China into this 

great mystery of a country. 

I live in one of the largest cities that Volunteers serve in; however,

even “small” cities can have over 300,000 people. So, when it 

comes to building relationships it is important to be creative about 

how you define community. Your students, Chinese colleagues, 

neighbors, and local restaurants and hangouts will become your 

community. You will learn to value the smiles and “hellos” you 

receive from your favorite fruit and vegetable sellers, and you will 

learn how to make yourself available to people in culturally 

appropriate ways. You will find the community in China will be 

different than what you are used to at home, but the more 

intentional and accessible you are, the more rewarding your time 

here will be.

As a foreign teacher in China, you receive instant credibility from 

your students and colleagues because you are the “English 

Expert.” This allows you to become more than just a teacher. You 

have the ability to teach not only English skills, but critical 

thinking and life skills that have the potential to have a great 

impact on the lives of your students. Teaching is a door into the 

lives of your students, who will automatically love you because 

you are a foreigner, but will respect and learn from you as you 

invite them to become a part of your life.

Many times when people decide to apply for Peace Corps it is 

because they think they have something to offer (an important part 

of Peace Corps). What is equally important to remember, 

however, is that you also have something to learn. Come to China 

as a sponge–porous enough to soak up as much as you can, and 

willing to spill your heart out.

— Chelsea Clarke, China 16 Volunteer, Sichuan

After being a Volunteer in Peace Corps/China for four years, I 

have had an adventure journeying through the wonder and 
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73

excitement of a new culture, enjoying the food, sights, and sounds

of China and going from being a tourist to turning China into my 

home. 

When you first arrive, training will be intense as you learn to 

navigate through language barriers and cultural differences. I 

remember my host mother showing me which direction to point 

toward when using a squat toilet. Having only taught math and 

science in Africa, I had never been taught how to teach English 

and the many hours in TEFL sessions prepared me for the Chinese 

classroom and education system. After 10 weeks of training, PC 

sent me to Gansu, a brown, dry, less developed province. I rode a 

16-hour sleeper train and then a six-hour bus ride to a “rural” site. 

The population was huge at 300,000 and even though the city was 

only 10-by-5 blocks, it still felt somehow like a big city with tons 

of people in the streets, a public transportation system, a KFC 

around the corner, and Chinese pizza available at the western 

restaurant. A quick 15-minute bike ride and I would be in 

farmland.

Where will you live for the next two years? China. Yes, but China 

is huge and each site is unique. Will you be sent to dry Gansu, 

spicy Sichuan, metropolitan Chongqing, or green Guizhou? Most 

Volunteers work at colleges and universities and live in nice flats 

with many amenities. I have lived in both Gansu and Chengdu,

where I had a full bed, a washing machine, a western toilet, a 

heater, AC, a computer, and Internet. In Gansu I had a 10-minute 

commute to my campus and in Chengdu I had a 45-minute bus 

commute to teach. 

What will you teach? I taught college-level speaking, listening, 

Western culture, English songs, literature, a movie class, and 

writing, but it wasn’t the subjects that made my life memorable, it 

was the students. Through daily interactions outside of the 

classroom, I learned to see China through my students’ eyes. 

Meeting at an English Resource and Community Center, attending 

knitting club, participating in a women’s group, and cooking 

Chinese food with students, we used English to learn about each 

other. Many of my students were first generation college students, 

children of farmers, teachers, government employees, and migrant 
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74

workers. Not only was I learning from them, they were also 

having their eyes opened to new ideas and to the diversity of 

Americans.

As a Chinese American who identifies with the LGBT 

community, there were unique challenges. When I first walked 

into a classroom, students were initially disappointed that they 

weren’t getting an American teacher. Local people couldn’t 

understand why my Chinese was so poor. My Caucasian sitemates 

would get frustrated when no one would listen to them because 

the locals would turn to me thinking that I was their translator. 

After being free to love whomever I wanted and to be able to 

freely talk about LGBT issues, I had to return to the closet because 

the community wasn’t accepting. People are afraid of being fired 

because they are gay and many of my closest Chinese friends 

think being gay is wrong.

In China we learn that we don’t have much control over anything 

so the best attitude is to be flexible, to bend our ideas, and to 

accept things we don’t understand, creating peace through 

friendships. You will have good days and bad days, frustrations 

and joys. You will impact your Chinese community and they will 

impact you as you grow as an individual. Welcome to China, a 

journey of great learning.

 

— Jennifer Popham, Ph.D., China 14 Volunteer Gansu and 

Sichuan
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PACKING LIST

This list has been compiled by Volunteers serving in China and is 

based on their experience. Use it as an informal guide in making 

your own list, bearing in mind that each experience is individual. 

There is no perfect list! You obviously cannot bring everything on 

the list, so consider those items that make the most sense to you 

personally and professionally. You can always have things sent to 

you later. As you decide what to bring, keep in mind that you have 

an 100-pound weight limit on baggage. And remember, you can 

get almost everything you need in China.

General Clothing

• Variety of socks (SmartWool, athletic, dress)

• Plenty of good-quality underwear and bras

• Two or three pairs of khakis and two/three pairs of 

comfortable pants for leisure and travel (with belts)

• Three to four business casual shirts (men should be clean 

shaven and wear collars and women should be modest 

showing no cleavage)

• One dressy outfit (a sports coat and a tie for men, a 

dress/skirt for women)

• A good raincoat (a light raincoat, since it rains more in the 

summer, but some PCVs prefer to use Chinese umbrellas)

• Two pairs of long underwear (two different weights)

• Winter coat, gloves, hat, and scarf (all can be bought/made 

in-country but not at all sites)

• Two to three heavy sweaters

• Two or three long-sleeved shirts for layering

• Shorts for sports/leisure

• Two to four casual shirts for travel/leisure (spandex is great 

since your clothes will stretch out)

• One or two easy-care skirts (not too short, at least kneelength)

• One or two short-sleeved or sleeveless dresses (no spaghetti 

straps) for summer

• One or two (no spaghetti straps) tank tops for summer

• Modest bathing suit
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Shoes

Note: Shoes are available in China, but only in smaller sizes (up to 

size 8 for women and up to size 9 for men). In addition, having at 

least one pair of waterproof shoes is a necessity for rain.

• One pair of sneakers (brand names are available 

locally, but not at American prices)

• One pair of dress shoes (sturdy, comfortable, warm 

for winter)

• One pair of sturdy sandals (leather is recommended) 

to wear in the warm season

• One pair of "casual" shoes

Personal Hygiene and Toiletry Items 

• Deodorant (spray and aerosol can be found, but stick/gel 

is difficult)

• A three-month supply of any prescription drugs you take 

(to have while the medical office orders your medication)

• Contact lens solutions (available locally; note that the 

Peace Corps does not recommend wearing contact lenses, 

but most Volunteers who choose to, have been able to 

wear them. You should still bring two pairs of glasses)

• Any makeup, facial soaps, or lotions you use (most local 

products have whitening bleach in them); tampons (hard 

to find in-country)

• Razor and replacement blades

Miscellaneous

• Most cooking supplies are available in-country, including 

eating and cooking utensils.

• A French press and coffee grounds (can be bought in 

Chengdu and at other sites)

• Measuring cups (If you love to bake and want to buy a 

toaster oven in Chengdu—or maybe a former Volunteer 

left you one—you might need some supplies!)
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PRE-DEPARTURE CHECKLIST

The following list consists of suggestions for you to consider as 

you prepare to live outside the United States for two years. Not all 

items will be relevant to everyone, and the list does not include 

everything you should make arrangements for.

Family

• Notify family that they can call the Peace Corps’ Office of 

Special Services at any time if there is a critical illness or 

death of a family member (24-hour telephone number: 

800.424.8580, extension 1470).

• Give the Peace Corps’ On the Home Front handbook to 

family and friends.

Passport/Travel

• Forward to the Peace Corps travel office all paperwork for the 

Peace Corps passport and visas.

• Verify that your luggage meets the size and weight limits for 

international travel.

• Obtain a personal passport if you plan to travel after your 

service ends. (Your Peace Corps passport will expire three 

months after you finish your service, so if you plan to travel 

longer, you will need a regular passport.)

Medical/Health

• Complete any needed dental and medical work.

• If you wear glasses, bring two pairs.

• Arrange to bring a three-month supply of all medications 

(including birth control pills) you are currently taking.
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Insurance

• Make arrangements to maintain life insurance coverage.

• Arrange to maintain supplemental health coverage while you 

are away. (Even though the Peace Corps is responsible for 

your health care during Peace Corps service overseas, it is 

advisable for people who have pre-existing conditions to 

arrange for the continuation of their supplemental health 

coverage. If there is a lapse in coverage, it is often difficult 

and expensive to be reinstated.)

• Arrange to continue Medicare coverage if applicable.

Personal Papers

• Bring a copy of your certificate of marriage or divorce.

Voting

• Register to vote in the state of your home of record. (Many 

state universities consider voting and payment of state taxes 

as evidence of residence in that state.)

• Obtain a voter registration card and take it with you overseas.

• Arrange to have an absentee ballot forwarded to you overseas. 

Personal Effects

• Purchase personal property insurance to extend from the time 

you leave your home for service overseas until the time you 

complete your service and return to the United States.

Financial Management

• Keep a bank account in your name in the U.S. 

• Obtain student loan deferment forms from the lender or loan 

service.
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• Execute a Power of Attorney for the management of your 

property and business.

• Arrange for deductions from your readjustment allowance to 

pay alimony, child support, and other debts through the Office 

of Volunteer Financial Operations at 800.424.8580, extension 

1770.

• Place all important papers—mortgages, deeds, stocks, and 

bonds—in a safe deposit box or with an attorney or other 

caretaker.
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CONTACTING PEACE CORPS 

HEADQUARTERS

This list of numbers will help connect you with the appropriate 

office at Peace Corps headquarters to answer various questions. 

You can use the toll-free number and extension or dial directly 

using the local numbers provided. Be sure to leave the toll-free

number and extensions with your family so they can contact 

you in the event of an emergency.

Peace Corps Headquarters

Toll-free Number: 1.800.424.8580, Press 2, then 

Ext. # (see below)

Peace Corps’ Mailing Address: Peace Corps

Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps 

Headquarters

1111 20th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20526

For Direct/

Questions Toll-free Local

About: Staff Extension Number

Responding to Office of 

an Invitation Placement

EMA

Region Ext. 1856 202.692.1856

Programming or China Desk Ext. 2416 202.692.2416

Country Information
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For Direct/

Questions Toll-free Local

About: Staff Extension Number

Plane Tickets, Travel Officer Ext. 1170 202.692.1170 

Passports, (SATO Travel)

Visas, or Other 

Travel Matters

Legal Clearance Office of Ext. 1840 202.692.1840

Placement

Medical Clearance Screening Nurse Ext. 1500 202.692.1500

and Forms Processing 

(including dental) 

Medical Handled by a 

Reimbursements Subcontractor 1.800.818.8772

Loan Deferments, Volunteer Ext. 1770 202.692.1770

Taxes, Readjustment Financial

Allowance Withdrawals, Operations

Power of Attorney

Staging (Pre-departure Office of Staging Ext. 1865 202.692.1865

Orientation) and 

Reporting Instructions

Note: You will receive 

comprehensive information 

(hotel and flight arrangements) three to five weeks

before departure. This information is not available 

sooner.

Family Emergencies Office of Special Ext. 1470 202.692.1470

(to get information to Services 9–5 EST

a Volunteer overseas)