Perception of safety is one of the important factors when assessing a city. As a city with 80,000 foreign residents, is Guangzhou safe in the eyes of expats?
We recently interviewed four foreigners who have been living in Guangzhou for a long time. They shared their views on public security in the city and also give suggestions.
The British Chinese Calligraphy Lover: Guangzhou, safe and friendly
Simon Haywood is from the United Kingdom and now a university teacher in Guangzhou, as well as an editor for Newsgd.com. Living in Guangzhou for three and a half years, Simon has gradually become familiar with this historic yet dynamic city.
Simon holding a Chinese calligraphy workshop, to share his passion
When asked his score of the overall security condition in Guangzhou, Simon did not hesitate to answer: 90-100 points.
“Perhaps I’ve been fortunate. Recalling the past three and a half years in Guangzhou, I’ve never encountered things as serious as theft or robbery. I remember once when walking down the street, a man came up and tapped my shoulder, saying: ‘Hey, your rucksack is open.’ and then left. I wouldn’t have realized my bag was open unless he told me, and perhaps I might have lost my passport or wallet. There are so many enthusiastic people in Guangzhou, I feel very welcome here.”
Living in Guangzhou for many years, Simon also deeply understands that there are many differences between China and UK.
“Living in China is very safe, and I am neither afraid of losing anything nor worrying about being attacked by drunkards or embroiled in a fight. In some cities in the UK, I would be more worried about going out in the middle of night and avoid the kind of alleys I always walk through here.” Simon said.
Palestinian “Guangzhou Hand”: China is the safest country in the world
The people who know Malek would all say he is an authentic “Guangzhou Hand”. For him, Guangzhou, a city he has lived in for 14 years, has already become his second hometown. Malek who was born in Palestine, has long been engaged in the import and export trade in Guangzhou. Malek stated that China is the safest country in the world.
In Malek’s eyes, Guangzhou has seen better and better development across many different areas. According to Malek, for the first few years he lived in Guangzhou, the taxi service was not very reliable or safe.
“It was difficult for us to distinguish whether a taxi was legal or not.”
However, in recent years, the management of taxis in Guangzhou has improved considerably. He has begun to also use some apps to call taxis as he thinks it’s a good way to further avoid being cheated, with prices agreed upfront. Malek hopes that the taxi service in Guangzhou will continue to be improved.
Qiao Alang: Guangzhou is friendly and inclusive
Qiao Alang, from Kazakhstan, has lived in Guangzhou for 12 years. He is studying for a doctorate at a university in the city.
Qiao Alang being interviewed
Qiao expressed his satisfaction at living in Guangzhou. He reckons Guangzhou to be a friendly and inclusive city, and believes it will only get better. Compared with the high number of violent crimes in some other cities and other countries, Guangzhou remains a good level of public security. In recent years, the notion of ‘harmony’ has come to the fore in Chinese culture, so more violent conflict tends to be avoided. Although of course the city still sees petty crimes committed, Qiao thinks it is nothing out of the ordinary, because conflict can never be completely avoided in any place with such a large community.
An American teacher in Guangzhou: transport needs improvement
Hasson comes from Illinois, United States and has lived in China for ten years. He now works as a university teacher in Guangzhou. He has witnessed the enormous development and changes Guangzhou has experiences over the past decade.
Hasson mentioned that Guangzhou could still improve its traffic management. He has noticed some vehicles still go against the flow of traffic. “So sometimes you really do not know which is the correct way to go!” Hasson said, “And you always have to be careful of the bicycles and motorbikes driving in the opposite direction to the traffic”.
Hasson also suggested that the service hour of Guangzhou Metro should be extended to midnight.
Author | MeitongYe, Zijie He, YuHong , Zhongyou Lu, Tian Tian, Xinyi Tao
Editor | Wing, Simon Haywood, Keane
