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| 9 |
Register with PSB During Olympics? yeah,... This isn't about "obeying existing laws." They've changed visa regulations in a way that makes it very difficult for foreigners to come here... at the time of an event that was supposed to be all about China "opening up." For every story I've heard of someone caught working illegally on a tourist visa (only one story, second hand, of an English teacher), I've heard dozens of first hand stories of honest people being sent home do to inability to secure a visa that before the olympics would have been no problem. For example, I know people studying Chinese here this semester, people planning on continuing to study next semester, who have to go all the way back to their home countries, just for the month of August, because they can't get permission to stay. This would have been no issue in the past. Some of these people will not be able to study next semester, because they can't afford to fly home and back, and still have money left to live and study here next semester. The Olympics aren't bringing foreigners to China, The Olympics are removing foreigners from China. and, ... for people traveling, it's not feasible to register with the police at every little hotel you stay at. When I had an apartment in China, I (and everyone I knew) had to register with the police. It seemed excessive (some might say ridiculous), but I could deal with it. It did mean that my landlord had to come with me to the police station, which meant I was severely restricted in terms of what apartments were available to me (sort of a tax on foreigners in a sense). If the police are feeling lazy on the day you go to the police station, they say "oh, the person that has to sign stuff isn't here today, come back tomorrow." When you come back the next day, the same person you talked to the day before is feeling a bit more motivated and signs your paperwork. Both times require sitting around the police station waiting for at least a few hours (if not all day). When actually traveling around, this isn't feasible. If I'm only staying in a hotel for a couple of nights, I can't honestly be expected to spend one of my two days in a city sitting around a police station, nor can the owner of a tiny little guest house with 1-2 rooms be expected to come hang out with me at the police station all day. ... and I'm certainly not about to spend hundreds of dollars per day to stay in some place that *might* help a bit with paperwork. So the laws are ignored. That's just how life is in China. That's how things are anywhere. Ridiculous impossible rules aren't obeyed. I assume that if I'm only staying in a place for a short period of time, no one will notice. If they do, then I don't know what happens. Maybe they'll be understanding. Sometimes they are. Chinese laws, often because of their absurdity, tend to be flexible. I knew someone who wanted to visit Tibet. I know it's restricted, but lots of foreigners visit Tibet. The official policy is that you just need to apply for a permit. I know people who've gone. There are foreigners in Tibet right now. A foreign reporter even went to Tibet. The officials have been through the permit process a thousand times, right? Should be a no-brainer, right? This guy I met goes to apply for the permit. "no, you need a plane ticket first." This seems bad. What if he buys a plane ticket, and then doesn't get the permit?? I mean, sure, an *application* is a chance you take. Losing an application fee is no big deal. but buying a plane ticket that's dependent on a permit you might not get, a bit sketchy. OK.. it's China... grin and bear it, right? just go ahead, close your eyes, cross your fingers, buy the ticket. That's just how it works here, right? OK, so he goes to the airport. "one ticket to lhasa, tibet." "can I see your permit?" "umm..... I don't have a permit. They told me I need the plane ticket first." "sorry, we can't sell you a ticket unless you have a permit." So he goes back and forth about a dozen times between the two offices before someone finally budges. This takes about 5 days. If both the airline, and the permit office actually followed the rules laid down to them, ... it would not be possible for anyone to ever go to Tibet. You need a ticket to get a permit, and you need a permit to get a ticket. Someone in one of these two offices had to be "flexible." If Chinese laws obeyed the basic rules of logic, then maybe individual people would adhere to them. |
| 7 |
Street Markets in Shanghai today is Thursday, it is fine. i would like to visit this place, can you tell me where is the place, thanks! PS: by the way, where are you live in? |
| 6 |
Reasons of Bad Traffic in Shanghai I know you guys in China can't read this online, but you access it through a proxy... Milan police in Chinatown clash By David Willey Italian riot police have broken up a violent protest in Milan's Chinatown by scores of Chinese immigrants. About 10 police officers were injured and a similar number of Chinese people received hospital treatment. The trouble began when a Chinese woman was fined for illegally transporting goods in a private vehicle. More than 100 Chinese shopkeepers and members of their families, many waving the national flag, massed in the street claiming racial discrimination. During the unrest, which lasted until nightfall, a car was overturned and the police carried out a baton charge. The woman was arrested and later admitted to hospital. The Chinese immigrant community in Italy has grown very rapidly during the past 10 years. Normally, they keep a very low profile and cause little trouble to the authorities. According to official statistics, there are about 114,000 Chinese currently living in Italy, but the true figure is probably double this number because of widespread illegal immigration. In Milan alone, the resident Chinese population has more than doubled to about 12,000 in about 10 years. Other cities with a large Chinese community include the capital, Rome, and Prato, in Tuscany, where Chinese workers are employed in the textile dyeing industry. In Rome and Milan wholesale distributors of goods made in China occupy entire quarters of the two cities. It was the noise and traffic caused by these businesses which sparked off the rioting in Milan. |
| 5 |
Jiading is Not As Far as I Thought ha,ha ,i live in JinShan district. it is spent 45 minutes from MeiLong. i hope it will build subway. |
| 4 |
Muzimei's Sex Blog Brought Trouble I think you got some spam comments here... |
| 3 |
Flying to SFO omg, enough bellevue ... get a frickin life as for xyzah, living in Shanghai is not expensive. Then again it depends where you live in Shanghai. Living in the center and other certain areas are more expensive than living in the "out-skirts." Have fun in California Jianshuo, I'm from the San Franciso bay area and can't wait to visit Shanghai soon! |
| 2 |
Server Down and Up I am working to resolve connectivity issues between China and US locations and have determined that what is causing these intermittent issues is actually Traffic Shaping policies by the ISP provider that connects China to the rest of the world. If I identify a relaible co-loc that works well globally, I will let all know... Anonymous. |
| 1 |
U.S. Paused All Visa Application in China Take a look at the chaos after May 17th (when the walk-in procedure kicked in) at the three forerunning consulates, and you will see how stupid it is to say 54RMB is too expensive, and realize it's nothing but an excuse. Think about it, the average person who applies for a US visa will need to prove that they have a large sum of money in a Chinese bank to sponsor their trip/study anyway, so 54 is NO BIG DEAL, especially compared to the two scenarios now happening to the poor Chinese applicants: either you have to wait at the consulate overnight to make sure you are admitted because everyday thousands of people flock to the consulate, or you will (or others will) pay hundreds more for a "spot" from the "ticket vendors". Which one is more expensive, 54 or as high as 400?! Why doesn't the bureau crack down on the ticket vendors so people can play fair? This is sooo excuse! Nobody cares. What's more, there is an abundance of information (in both English and Chinese) online so nobody will be foolish enough to actually call in to ask for a long-winded critical piece of information! I am sad to read about the accounts of visa situations these days. This is a step-back no matter how you look at it. |