Martin Li, Yin Ran

    martin.mouse@163.com

    MORE than 81 percent of the 1,596 expats who responded to a survey conducted by Shenzhen’s foreign affairs office said they were satisfied with the living environment of the city.

    The expat respondents described Shenzhen as a city with a beautiful environment, well-developed public facilities, modern conveniences and friendly residents.

    However, there are some not-so-expat-friendly drawbacks to living in the city.

    Some expats complained that it is complicated and time-consuming to apply for certain necessary documents. Applicants have to visit different departments at different locations, and the departments don’t seem to share enough relevant information.

    In addition, most doctors can’t speak English, which is inconvenient for expat patients who often have to wait to see a doctor until they can find a Chinese friend to accompany them as a translator.

    Besides the language barrier, American Joyanne Garvey said the biggest thing that bothers her is poor sanitation.

    “Many hospitals don’t provide toilet paper or soap in the bathrooms, and jars that contain patients’ urine for medical tests are not capped,” said Garvey.

    Some expats said that local hospitals should cooperate with international insurance companies.

    Education is another area where expats hoped to see improvement in Shenzhen.

    Most international schools are located in Nanshan District. There are very few international schools in the other districts or new areas. Expats would like to see more high-quality international schools throughout Shenzhen.

    In addition, some expats said the city government should organize more cultural, sports and entertainment activities that cater to expats.