[sguterogers]

Our family of 5 (three kids ages 7,5,4) plan to move to China ...Shenzhen, Shekou, Nanshan or other nearby area in Aug 08. It seems like most people have big buget companies that back them. Our manufacuring company is growing but not huge with offices in Baoan and Ningbo. We have been looking at Shekou mostly but now wonder if there are other alternatives since we heard Shekou crime is higher and it's pretty expensive. I need to have English language interacation as well as some adult interaction because I'm giving up my 15 year full time sales career. We have looked at Coastal Rose to live and QSI school in Shekou. Are there other Expat communities within Shenzhen?

[jeninchina]

You didn't indicate what your budget/allowance is, but here are some gardens and housing complexes with notes. I've listed them starting closest to the main campus of QSI in Shekou and radiating out. Most of these options have a great deal of English-speaking foreigners.
Jingshan Villas (mostly higher end villas, though some apartments are available for under RMB 20K/month. One member of the household must be a foreign passport holder to live in this garden)
Crystal Garden (lower rent villas, smaller than Jingshan but nice)
Sea Taste Garden (reasonable rent for Shekou)
Coastal Rose (large and popular, anything from tiny 2 bedroom apartments to five bedroom villas)
Mont Orchid (my favorite garden, but priced out of our family's reach)
Garden City (a bus or cab ride to Shekou proper, but walking distance to the QSI Early Childhood campus--reasonably priced and many great apartments. You can get a two or three bedroom here for under 10,000 RMB/ month and it would be fairly new)

Outside of these gardens and complexes, there are many other gardens that have some foreign residents, but much fewer than the Shekou gardens. Along Hou Hai Dadao, there are Hai Yue Hua Yuan and Wei Lan Hai An. We live in Wei Lan Hai An (Cote d'Azur) and we pay 1/3 Mont Orchid Rent and about 1/2 Coastal Rose rent for similar amenities (some actually better than coastal rose). My husband also works in Bao'an and our garden is very convenient to the expressway.

Beyond this area of Nanshan District, there are wonderful places to live in Overseas China Town. The high-rent gardens of this area are exquisite and I believe QSI has transportation to these areas. Portofino, Mangrove Bay, and Riviera are three that are wonderful. Bao'an is also accessible from these areas, too, without much difficulty.

The "high crime rate" of Shekou is mostly petty crime. Annoying and violating, certainly, but it is mostly limited to purse snatchers, pick-pockets, and bike theives. I know people, both local Chinese and foreign alike, that have had neckalces ripped off their necks near the Wal Mart. Theives also like to case places where foreigners are less on their guard, like the front gate of Jing Shan and Starbucks. It is still much safer than most American cities, though.

One thing you may want to do when you arrive, or even before, is contact the Shekou International Women's Club (Shekou Women's International Club). SWIC organizes a lot of activities from shopping trips to knitting classes. They can also help you meet people that live in the different neighborhoods, help you hire an ayi if you want one, find others who share your religious beliefs and services, etc.
SWIC has meet-and-greet coffees every Monday morning from 9 am until whenever at the Starbucks in Sea World (Hai Shan Shi Jie). They might suspend them in the summer, but you can email them at their website to get more information.

[wtbhotia]

checkout the housing in shenzhenparty.com website. range is from 2500 rmb to >15K per month, just depending on how big the flat u want and which new building its in. Shekou is great, been there loads of time, full of expats. it is more expensive then rest of shenzhen but thats the price u pay if u want to interact with other westerners.