| 12 |
Happy Birthday to Goudaner (2nd Year) Jian Shuo, In two years, how many kilometres have you driven in Goudaner? I am just interested in comparing your driving habits to those of North American drivers. In California, most people drive 10,000 - 15,000 miles (16,000 - 24,000 km) each year. thanks, Mike |
| 11 |
MagLev May Extend to Hangzhou - Confirmed I heard on the news (U.S. NPR) that there is also a proposal to build a maglev train from Shanghai to Beijing. The 800 mile journey would take five hours. |
| 10 |
Why Fudan University Only Accept Cash I never had any trouble cashing traveler's cheques (American Express U.S. currency) at Bank of China branches, in any city. Some small branches do not take them, but they will direct you to the nearest branch that will. There should be no problem in Shanghai. |
| 9 |
Xiangyang Marketing will be Shutdown? Most likely, the sellers of fake goods will just move to a new location, or find a different way to sell, so will the shutdown be effective? |
| 8 |
BBC's Interview If a reporter's purpose is to get a quote on censorship, she should state that when asking for the interview. To disguise the purpose as a general discussion of the conference is dishonest. A recent episode of "This American Life" on the U.S. NPR (National Public Radio) explored the theme of people being asked to be interviewed or join a discussion panel under false pretenses. They only learn once the cameras and microphones are on what the true topic will be. WJS: When you are requested for the interview, you should not be too polite to ask directly: "Is the purpose of this interview to discuss censorship?" After that, if the report is isolated to censorship, you can be certain your trust has been exploited. |
| 7 |
Back from Beijing Trip The problem of short trips for airport taxis is not confined to Beijing and Shanghai. My hometown of Calgary, Canada has struggled for years to solve the problem. Just like in Beijing, a Calgary taxi driver may wait in a queue for 4 hours to get a fare. The trip could cost anywhere from $5 to $50, depending on the destination. A trip to downtown (most business trips) is around $25, but there is also a "business park" that is a $5 ride away. There have been cases where the driver refuses to take the passenger if the distance is too short, or demanded that the passenger pay extra. The city has attempted a few solutions: a) "Flat rate" (of $25) for the trip, regardless of distance. b) Give the airport franchise to one company. Any company can drop off, but only one can pick up. The idea is that the one company can manage their drivers better, so the queuing time is reduced. Each of these solutions was abandoned, and rather quickly, for various reasons (unfairness, complaints from consumers, etc). In the end, it is back to the process where any cab can queue for passengers, and take the risk getting a short trip. As long as queuing for 4 hours for an average of $25 is worthwhile, the drivers will do it. |
| 6 |
How to Win Free Cross China Travel? By travelling "backpacker-style", she can easily reduce her budget to 1/3 of $10,000, and probably have a more interesting trip, too. Do they sell the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide guidebooks in China? One of these books is a good starting point for modestly priced travel. |
| 5 |
Tea House vs Coffee Shop The Motley Fool has an interesting article on Starbucks in China: http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2005/mft05060913.htm Starbucks expects China to be its second biggest market, after North America. It is making strategic deals to gain marketshare. However, it may face competition from McDonalds "McCafe"! Time will tell if tea houses will be able to compete with the coffee onslaught. Personally, I like both Cafe Lattes and Chinese green tea, at different times for different reasons. |
| 4 |
No Baggars Premitted on Metro? In Los Angeles, I see many people who operate a begging "business". Many have their "spot" at a traffic light. I see the same beggars at the same spots, everyday, for many years. In these cases, begging has become their "job". They are not begging for relief from a temporary hardship, they are operating a business. Similarly, I lived for a while in Cork, Ireland. I discovered that a family was operating a begging business. The mother would station her three children at different locations, and travel around to supervise them. While the children looked shabby, the mother wore a brand new track suit. It looked like she was quite prosperous. If begging is a successful business, it will continue, and expand. Other people will see the success of begging, and take up that job as well. If begging is a failure, then it will stop. To truly help a person in need, here is a solution: do not give a beggar money. Instead, offer to buy him some food to eat, or give him clothing. If the beggar is genuine, he will accept the offer. If not, he will say, "Can't you just give me some money." A begging child should be taken to authorities, who can put the child in a better situation than begging for criminals. If parents or gangsters are successful using children to beg, more and more children will be exploited. Refusing to give cash, and offering food instead, will stop begging businesses and gang-controlled begging. It will help the truly destitute. |
| 3 |
Yes. I Expect the Flight Delay Chengdu airport is very nice and modern. I like the open and bright feeling it has. The airline workers are also very nice and helpful, there. I remember that I had forgotten to put my pocket knife (a Leatherman, similar to a Swiss Army Knife) into my checked luggage. It was still in my pocket when I entered the security line! I thought, "I will lose my nice, expensive ($55) knife. I will have to find a replacement." (I had 10 more weeks of travel ahead, and the Leatherman is a useful tool.) Rather than try to hide it and sneak it through the security check, I showed it to them and said, "I know I cannot take this on the airplane." A very nice young woman from the airline took it, found my pack in the luggage processing, and put the knife inside. I don't think an airport in another country would do that. In the U.S., at best, there may be a postal service at the airport, and I could mail the knife home. Otherwise, it is confiscated by the security check. |
| 2 |
Top Two Differences in China As foreigner traveling in China, you will often give the taxi drivers a big "tip", even though you won't know it. Outside of the large cities, the taxis do not have meters. You negotiate the price before you start the trip. As a foreigner, you have little idea how much to pay, so you will always end up paying far more than a local person would. Even if you think you've made a good bargain, you are still paying extra. The taxi drivers also get a "commission" from hotels when they bring a tourist to the hotel. Some drivers are very aggressive about taking you to a hotel that pays them, instead of the hotel you ask for. In Hangzhou I had a taxi take me to the wrong hotel. I then showed him the key to the room in the hotel I was already staying at. (I had my pack with me, so he assumed I had just arrived.) |
| 1 |
Top Two Differences in China In the U.S. it has become "mandatory" that you give a tip at restaurants, regardless of the quality of the service. You might vary the amount of the tip, but you always leave something. At this point, the "tip" has become a "tax", and the server does not do anything special to merit the tip. There is no difference between a "no tipping" and an "always tip" policy: neither encourages the server to perform a better job. However, if the service is truly terrible, you should leave one penny as the tip, to show your opinion. If you leave no tip, the server might simply conclude that you forgot to leave a tip. |