Improve wording of China digital nomads article per style guide

Apply systematic corrections: replace "on" with "je" when the author
speaks, remove intensifiers (très très, absolument, ultra), fix informal
register (galères → difficultés, dingue → déconcertante, lagger → ramer),
remove anglicisms (digitaux → numériques, startup → entrepreneuriale,
app → application, budget → économiques), fix grammar errors (mandiants,
sans de dépendances), split long sentences, add HappyCow link, and add
one reader challenge after the GFW conclusion.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

content/en/post/china-for-digital-nomads/index.md

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ tags:
 
 Southern China is not an obvious destination for digital nomads. When you think of digital nomadism, you imagine Bali, Lisbon, or Chiang Mai. Not Shenzhen, Guangzhou, or Huizhou. And yet, I spent three weeks exploring these three Chinese cities, one week in each, and it's an experience I won't soon forget!
 
-This article is obviously not a tourist guide, but rather an account of what it's really like to live and (try to) work in Southern China when you have the freedom to choose your workplace. With the struggles, the surprises, and especially that Great Firewall we'll be talking about.
+This article is obviously not a tourist guide, but rather an account of what it's really like to live and (try to) work in Southern China when you have the freedom to choose your workplace. With the difficulties, the surprises, and especially that Great Firewall I'll be talking about.
 
 <!-- more -->
 
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ This article is obviously not a tourist guide, but rather an account of what it'
 
 I deliberately chose to explore three different cities to get a more complete view of the region. Each has its own personality.
 
-**Shenzhen** (深圳) is the tech city par excellence. Bordering Hong Kong, from where I arrived, it's China's Silicon Valley. If you love futuristic skyscrapers and startup atmosphere, you'll love it. It's also the most expensive of the three, but still far from Western prices.
+**Shenzhen** (深圳) is the tech city par excellence. Bordering Hong Kong, from where I arrived, it's China's Silicon Valley. If you love futuristic skyscrapers and entrepreneurial atmosphere, you'll love it. It's also the most expensive of the three, but still far from Western prices.
 
-**Huizhou** (惠州) is the smallest and quietest. ~~Less~~Not touristy, more authentic. To see a less staged China, it's a good choice. However, almost no one speaks English there, and we got looks that were half-amazed to see Westerners, half-disappointed to see their country opening up to the world. A few dared to ask to be photographed with us: the hotel receptionists, and even passersby, young people, on the street.
+**Huizhou** (惠州) is the smallest and quietest. ~~Less~~Not touristy, more authentic. To see a less staged China, it's a good choice. Almost no one speaks English there. The looks we got oscillated between amazement at seeing Westerners and a hint of disappointment at seeing their country opening up to the world. A few dared to ask to be photographed with us: the hotel receptionists, and even passersby on the street.
 
 **Guangzhou** (广州), formerly Canton, is my favorite. Older than Shenzhen, it has kept its soul while being a massive metropolis. The markets, old neighborhoods, Buddhist temples alongside buildings... This is where I best felt the mix between tradition and modernity. For digital nomadism, it was also the most pleasant: good value for money, numerous cafés, and a real local life.
 
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Initially I was supposed to stay 1 month and visit an additional city, but the a
 
 ## Administrative Formalities and Arrival in Mainland China
 
-With a French passport, we're one of the few countries that can benefit from a visa exemption for stays of less than 30 days: no paperwork, it definitely makes you want to explore!
+With a French passport, French nationals are among the few to benefit from a visa exemption for stays of less than 30 days: no paperwork — quite an invitation to explore!
 
 I arrived via Hong Kong, on the high-speed train line that connects the city-state to Shenzhen.
 Like the Eurostar, Hong Kong station serves as a border zone, you pass through Hong Kong customs, then Chinese customs, in a maze of basements spanning 5 levels the size of a large city block (it's quite different from Gare du Nord!).
@@ -51,12 +51,12 @@ Before entering mainland China, it's better to be well equipped with mobile appl
 
 It's quite a surprise: **it's super easy for foreigners**.
 
-This apparently wasn't the case before, but today: you download the app, link your international bank card (Visa, Mastercard), and it works.
+This apparently wasn't the case before, but today: you download the application, link your international bank card (Visa, Mastercard), and it works.
 I did this in less than 5 minutes.
 
 Having Alipay or WeChat Pay is the difference between living normally and struggling with every transaction.
 
-Because in China, it's really rare to pay with cash.
+Because in China, it's rare to pay with cash.
 Everything is paid via QR code with Alipay or WeChat Pay.
 Restaurants, supermarkets, taxis, vending machines, street vendors, the few beggars... really EVERYTHING.
 
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ Concretely, it's quite magical:
 - many merchants have a scanner or QR code reader: you present the application in "Pay" mode, the merchant scans, 5 seconds later it's validated.
 - others are less equipped, but display their QR code: you switch Alipay to "scan" mode, scan the QR code, tell the merchant the amount to pay, and they receive a notification (often voice-only) of the amount paid.
 
-This second method may seem completely crazy, but it's far from rare.
+This second method may seem disconcerting, but it's far from rare.
 The downside is that you'll have to figure out what amount to enter, as you'll likely be told exclusively in Mandarin, with an amused look of "numbers are basic though"!
 
 
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ And again in Huizhou, a café owner shared her location with us so we would come
 The app also works as a payment method, but I didn't test it.
 
 
-The experience turns out to be really smooth: you pay in foreign currency, even for ridiculous amounts of 2 Yuan, you're immediately debited.
+The experience turns out to be smooth: you pay in foreign currency, even for paltry amounts of 2 Yuan, and you're immediately debited.
 Be careful though to have a bank card without fees so you don't end up paying more in fees than the transaction!
 
 Note however that identity validation will be necessary from a certain transaction amount (15000 CNY, which gives you time to see it coming).
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ Note however that identity validation will be necessary from a certain transacti
 
 ## Transportation
 
-The metro network in Shenzhen and Guangzhou is absolutely incredible: clean, air-conditioned, frequent (a train every 3-5 minutes), and ridiculously cheap.
+The metro network in Shenzhen and Guangzhou is remarkable: clean, air-conditioned, frequent (a train every 3-5 minutes), and ridiculously cheap.
 We're talking about 2 to 6 CNY (0.25 to 0.75€) for a trip, to be paid with Alipay. The price varies according to destination.
 You cross the city for less than a coffee.
 You receive an NFC token at the entrance which is collected at the exit: no need to buy an NFC card, nor to feel like an actor in deforestation.
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ It's very smooth, as long as you know how to navigate with your phone, because n
 Apple Maps is a great help because, at least in Huizhou, the app detects which bus you're taking and vibrates to tell you to get off.
 
 
-I also walked a lot, but be careful: cities are big, very very big. Distances are nothing like what we know.
+I also walked a lot, but be careful: cities are disproportionately large. Distances are nothing like what we know.
 We thought we were surrounded by vegetarian restaurants... yes, each more than an hour's walk away!
 
 Sidewalks are wide, but beware of electric scooters that ride everywhere, especially on sidewalks.
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ For this price, I had:
 - Air conditioning/heating
 - Decent wifi (5-10 Mbps without VPN, less stable with)
 
-Chinese hotels have quite a high quality standard, even in "budget" ranges like here.
+Chinese hotels have quite a high quality standard, even in "economy" ranges like here.
 
 Check-in requires your passport. The hotel will scan it and declare your presence to local police. This is normal, it's the law, as in other countries in the region.
 
@@ -201,13 +201,13 @@ That said, my traffic seemed to have been spotted, so to clarify.
 
 #### My Concrete Experience
 
-- **Week 1 (Shenzhen)**: The tunnel worked well at first, to a machine in Paris. Some slowdowns late in the day, which intensified as the week progressed, but overall OK. Video conferences possible, emails accessible. I thought "actually, it's manageable".
+- **Week 1 (Shenzhen)**: The tunnel worked well at first, to a machine in Paris. Some slowdowns late in the day, which intensified as the week progressed, but overall functional. Video conferences possible, emails accessible. I thought "actually, it's manageable".
 
-- **Week 2 (Huizhou)**: Arriving at the hotel, we found great speeds again. Then it started to seriously degrade. Navigation and video conferences started to lag. I switched to a server in Singapore, thinking to reduce latency. It did improve things a bit.
+- **Week 2 (Huizhou)**: Arriving at the hotel, we found great speeds again. Then it started to seriously degrade. Navigation and video conferences started to have significant latency. I switched to a server in Singapore, thinking to reduce latency. It did improve things a bit.
 
 - **Week 3 (Guangzhou)**: Hell. On arrival, as usual, it was OK, then quickly we found difficult conditions. Until the day before departure when really nothing worked properly anymore. The tunnel would disconnect every 2 minutes. Video conferences became very degraded then impossible. I spent more time trying to get my tunnel to work than working.
 
-In short, I'd say the GFW lets a lot of things happen but learns from behaviors that deviate from what would be expected: and of course an HTTP tunnel eventually shows.
+In short, the GFW lets a lot of things happen but learns from behaviors that deviate from what would be expected: and of course an HTTP tunnel eventually shows.
 
 Rather than blocking, it makes the experience so frustrating and irrational (why did it still work well in the morning!!!), that you're forced to give up.
 I tried changing IP, domain, software... nothing worked in the end.
@@ -230,7 +230,8 @@ Let's be clear: **Southern China is really not an easy destination for remote wo
 
 After three weeks, trying to find solutions, I was exhausted. Not because of the work itself, but because of the constant friction with the GFW.
 
-**The GFW is, by far, the biggest hassle of digital nomadism in China.**
+**The GFW is, by far, the main obstacle to digital nomadism in China.**
+Does that sound excessive? It isn't.
 Everything else is manageable. But that, no.
 
 
@@ -238,7 +239,7 @@ Everything else is manageable. But that, no.
 
 Paradoxically, when you're on non-blocked services, **Internet is excellent in China**.
 
-Bandwidth is huge. 4G/5G is ultra fast. Hotel wifi is stable and high-performing for Chinese sites. If you only had to use local services, you'd be in paradise.
+Bandwidth is huge. 4G/5G is fast. Hotel wifi is stable and high-performing for Chinese sites. If you only had to use local services, you'd be in paradise.
 
 Cafés? Many have wifi, but it's random: some ask for a **Chinese** phone number to connect.
 And anyway, with the GFW, it's complicated to work efficiently in a café.
@@ -249,7 +250,7 @@ And anyway, with the GFW, it's complicated to work efficiently in a café.
 Being vegetarian, it's an aspect that's sometimes tricky to manage while traveling.
 
 In China, there are many vegetarian restaurants: Buddhist restaurants, neighborhood canteens serving only vegetarian dishes, but also gourmet restaurants and some vegan fast-food in tourist areas.
-Unfortunately the well-known HappyCow app is not very up to date, and no longer seems to take contributions into account.
+Unfortunately the well-known [HappyCow](https://www.happycow.net) app is not very up to date, and no longer seems to take contributions into account.
 
 A search for the term 素食 (sùshí, vegetarian restaurant) reveals gems, after bumping into several closed restaurants (either permanently, but also because they simply no longer serve: Chinese seem to eat early, and at 7pm there's not much open anymore).
 
@@ -318,7 +319,7 @@ In the photo, you can see at the top the Type A and C combo, typical of Southeas
 
 Here's another aspect unique to China!
 
-Sure your interlocutors will see that you're clearly foreigners, but never will they imagine that you don't speak Chinese fluently like them!
+Certainly, your interlocutors will see that you're clearly foreigners, but never will they imagine that you don't speak Chinese fluently like them!
 Anyway, **very few people speak English in China**.
 
 The few young people who speak English speak it quite well, and really wanted to talk to us... to take photos with us!
@@ -332,7 +333,7 @@ The concept of the paper being explained to us via a translation app:
 
 
 And indeed in daily life, it's generally expected that you adapt, using a translation app or clear miming to communicate.
-But they are very very patient and with a benevolent kindness rarely seen.
+But they are remarkably patient and with a benevolent kindness rarely seen.
 
 
 Learn a few basic words in Mandarin:
@@ -394,7 +395,7 @@ It's a total immersion, sometimes uncomfortable, often frustrating (thanks GFW),
 
 **Yes, but rather for vacation.**
 
-If you're aware of the challenges, if you're technically prepared, without too heavy dependencies with the outside, and if you're looking for an original and cheap destination, then go for it.
+If you're aware of the challenges, if you're technically prepared, without too heavy a dependency on the outside, and if you're looking for an original and affordable destination, then go for it.
 
 Southern China is for those who want a real challenge and a real adventure.