Popular lifestyle vlogger and content creator Ruchi, known to millions through her YouTube channel Ruchi in China, announced recently that she is permanently relocating to India after living in Shanghai for eight years.
The move comes as her six-year-old son, Ivan, faces significant barriers to entering the Chinese public school system due to the country’s strict residency and registration laws.
Ruchi, who documents her life as part of an Indian-Chinese family, confirmed she will be moving to Jaipur to live with her parents while her husband, Odin, remains in Shanghai to manage his business interests.
The primary catalyst for the relocation is the Hukou system, a Chinese household registration record that determines a family’s eligibility for social services, including education and healthcare.
In major cities like Shanghai, public school admission is largely restricted to families who own property in specific districts and hold local residency status.
Ruchi explained that despite their efforts to qualify, including paying taxes to establish tax residency, the lack of property ownership in the city ultimately blocked Ivan’s admission.
She highlighted the stark contrast between the educational landscapes of China and India for her audience of aspiring creators.
While Chinese public schools are free and highly regarded, the alternative for non-residents is expensive private international schools, which Ruchi noted can cost upwards of 25 lakh INR per year.
Ruchi expressed a preference for the Indian private education system, citing more manageable costs and a better balance between academics and extracurricular activities compared to the rigorous 12-hour school days typical for primary students in China.
The transition involves significant legal preparation, as Ruchi is currently assisting her husband with his application for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card.
An OCI card is a form of lifelong visa that allows foreign citizens of Indian origin or their spouses to live and work in India indefinitely, essentially acting as an Indian green card.
Ruchi has built a dedicated following of over 250K subscribers by providing a rare glimpse into the daily life of an Indian expat in China. Since starting her channel years ago, she has covered everything from cultural differences to the challenges of raising a bilingual child in a foreign land.
She admitted that the stress of managing home life without school support has hindered her ability to create content recently, but she plans to document her full journey from China to India in upcoming videos.
