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| 11 |
Shanghai Hotel Guide - Part II Stephen Why would you want to stay at Home Inns? If you want a Budget Chain then Jin Jiang Inns is probably a good bet or Motel 168. But lots of good 3 star hotels to be had for similar prices. |
| 10 |
Accident in Shanghai Metro While the situation and accident are tragic, it brings to mind some of the major problems facing China at this point in time. While I don't want to minimise the impact that this young mans death will have on those close to him there is an oversight that should be thought about that there is a warning device in place that many people disregard. Its apparent from the consequences of this mans actions, that the double door design and implementation has limitations and needs further improvement in terms of occupational health and safety, however that being said there is one very audible and visual warning safety device and that is the buzzer which sounds for a good 5+ seconds before the doors close. Yet many (not all) people have total disregard for these safety devices. Even worse is there is often a total absence of any enforcement of rules. People in Chinese society seem to take whatever shortcuts they think they can get away with, and often there are few to no consequences to such behaviours. The problems that are taxing Chinas development, are societies lack of respect for the law with numerous instances of flouting of the law & regulations and therefore many tricks and shortcuts are taken at the expense of others. The way people drive, ride and use the roads, highways and footpaths is a prime example. The current observable increase in food scandals are examplkes which further supports the low morals and ethics of an increasing number of people here. IMO many actions and my many years in China have given me an understanding that Chinese people are very single minded and self centered bordering on being selfish. There is certainly truth in the Chinese idiom "he who gets his first pot of gold is the winner" Further issue is the low education level of the majority of people in China, especially in the rural areas and the mass exodus of these people to the cities seeking employment etc, and the resultant crisis the face when have to assimilate. Remember If the traffic light is red, then stop. It doesn't mean go if you want to... If your way is not clear it doesn't give you the right to mount the footpath or any other lane of your choosing without care and regard to other users... If there is a line waiting at a counter, it doesn't mean you should ignore others and walk straight to the front of the queue to be served... If the buzzer is warning you of an impending event, then take heed of it... have some respect for those around you, you are not the only living creature on the planet... If you're a pedistrian or a user of a footpath, roadway or even pedistrian thoroughfare, take heed and of all around you, anything can happen... |
| 9 |
Donghai Bridge The time it takes to drive between Ningbo-Shanghai is roughly 4-4.5 hrs if using the expressways. I ride my motorbike between the two cities often, but cannot use the expressways (motorcycles are forbidden, no matter how big the engine -this is China!) so it takes me around 5-6hrs o do the same journey. I just hope that when the new bridge HZ Bay bridge opens, they allow motorbikes to use it. Chinese government should really review the rules/regulations in regards to motorbikes especially large capacity ones -however essentially any motorcycle >250cc is illegal... though there is a small anomaly, which does allow bigger ikes to get licence plates. Anyway Chinese Government makes much more money from cars, trucks etc. so thats the priority for now... private car ownership. go greenhouse emissions!!! |
| 8 |
Big Circle Roads South of PVG? Hi. find your bolg and content an interesting read. i wonder if this lake is accessable to the public? does one need to pay an entrance fee? also does anyone have any ideas about what facilities there are at this lake? just one other question, if i was to ride there on one of my motorbikes, what is the main road in from the either the northern or southern directions? I live in Ningbo, but often ride one of my motorbikes (I own 2 motorbikes) around Zhejiang province exploring the many mountain ranges, and have made many trips north to Shanghai, but have never come across this Dishui Lake area, and I have explored most parts of both inner/outer Shanghai over the years. (I've lived in China 5yrs and was in SH for 2yrs). Not withstanding that maybe I have come close to the Lake area, but just didn't know it haha! Anyway if anyone can give me some directions, like some of the major roads, nearby suburbs/areas, or highways (not expressways as motorbikes are banned from using them in China) so I can plan a trip to take in this Lake area on my next Ningbo-Shanghai excursion. Xiexie D. |
| 7 |
Areas to Visit in Shanghai Aside from all the places mentioned there are also some sights outside of those. How about Wuxi, there one can go to a couple of the Buddhist temples, with large Buddhas. well worth the effort. Another place is 1000 island lake, think its Chinese name is Taihu. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. Now since you have 3 days free, it is also quite possible to do some other things with a little planning and scheduling that are a little further afield. How about going to Sanya, or Hainan? well worth it, for the carless roads in comparison to the contancerous roads of Shanghai, or head to one Guilin and Yanshuo. Maybe even do a trip to Huangshan (yellow mountain) or one of the other 4 famous mountains in China. Actually want to see some really hidden gems, then how about hitting the real parts of China... try www.backroadsofchina.com where one can embark on a serious excursion to one of many undiscovered villages -and no I don't work for them... If you'd like to see Hangzhou, then you will surely find something to capture your imagination, try the big lake area there. Actually there is so much to see, do and explore here, its part of the almost inescapable magics of China... |
| 6 |
Serious Ill caused by Serious Mistake i understand and know that this type of activity and event happens in china all too often, actually such circumstances occur more frequently than is reported, blogged or reported. i am a western medic working here in china for 4 years. i worked first in changzhou for one year then shanghai for approximately 2 years working in a foreign hospital (which by comparison to what i work with today is like paradice). i then was employed for a short time in the middle east on a short contract. when contract finished i came back to china and married my chinese (wife), and had intention to take up contract offer in middle east, but as circumstances and connections would have it, i ended up being offered a contract to work in a city in zhejiang province at a district level hospital (chinese) in a economic and trade development zone of the city, where i have been employed for the past 1 & 1/2 years. i'm well accustomed to the chinese way, in relation to culture, relationships, connections, guanxi and so on. i'm also really familiar and in unique position to see what goes on (as much as a laowai with limited putonghua can) behind the scenes in a chinese hospital and it is scary... the hospital i'm employed by is a level 2a district hospital, so it differs from the highest 3a level city hospital a bit i'm sure, however this hospital is under private ownership, not government which in china is very unique. the hospital still serves holders of the social medical insurance though, so there is still a large amount of government oversight and involvement. in terms of medical practice, well there are many things that need to be changed... none of which is easy. chinese people here have a lot to grapple with in the future. guanxi and connections/relationships plays such an important and inseperable part of how things are done, and this is in itself causes some (most) of the problems here -it sounds simple but it is far from it. it affects everything and everyone living and working here, and one way forward for china is less reliance or indeed use of connections or guanxi. me thinks that this is such an undeniable and inseperable part of the chinese culture and psyche, that to invoke this change is near on impossible anytime soon in the near future. people are offered positions and get favours, based on who they know, not what they know and this is a real downfall especially in relation to employment etc. many positions are held by complete incompetent individuals, and in my experience this is the norm. i work with many... notwithstanding the unfortunate and less than ethical medicine that was carried out as detailed in this blog, IMO china is changing but there are some major changes that need to happen if china really expects to make the great leap forward. education is the key, though i fear that social unrest still has a part to play in china's development and future. the huge gap between the middle/upper classes from those of the underclass is increasing exponentially, that no matter what initiatives the government or business takes, it will not have enough of a dramatic impact that reaches far enough. this discussion in this blog is but the tip of the "iceberg" -many more instances of imcompetence exist, it surrounds china like a deep prevailing mist which will hinder its navigation on the seas of time for many years to come. |
| 5 |
New Phone - Dopod D600 hey sounds like you both got a great deal that day :) i also in the market for another phone, or more importantly an all in one device... i need to be able to keep abreast of loads of medical information, ebooks and also be able to access interactive software on all things medical including medications, so i have to have some device that either supports palm or microsoft, as that whats most medical related companies/software runs on. i also ride a motorbike alot throughout China, and could do with something with GPS. my chinese is not so great so GPS would be welcome addition on my journeys, so an all in one is what i need. it's a shame that i need something with plam or microsoft as i really like the reviews of the new nokia N95 just released, which is a feature rich device, but uses symbian. pity symbian is not supported by the majority of medical related companies. anyway i been looking at either HP iPAQ hw6965 or a dopod p800w, the latter of which i been hunting down on taobao. as usual though there happens to a be slightly different dopod model for the mainland. its a p800 that come with everything the p800w has except the Wi-Fi. when i have dealt with the taobao dealers they list their phones as p800w, but in fact the are the p800, then the haggle begins for the real p800w, at a much higher price... anyway i'm looking forward to getting something light, feature packed, with all the bells and whistles... anyone using a p800w? care to share your view? any other ideas on a good feature rich device? |
| 4 |
Sensitivity to Numbers numbers do tell a story, though since they can be manipulated at will by others, they may not be a true reflection of the whole story... so take them at face value with a grain of salt... i certainly don't believe any numbers given to me here in China, as such numbers are all too easily manipulated and in my experiences of 3-4yrs here, usually are. |
| 3 |
Pudong Airport Maglev in Depth Wangjianshuo very good info and also loved the pics... you seem like a big fan of this very nice but hugely expensive transportation elephant. i refer to it as an elephant since it doesn't really integrate well with the main shanghai transportation system. pity. at a true cost 200million per km of track this was a real waste and missed opportunity to put a state of the art transportation system that complimented and integrated into the existing systems in a more user friendly way within Shanghai. 谢谢 Dennis |
| 2 |
Shutdown DefeatMessenger And FightPopups Spam The only hassle I get is you guys sending me your pop ups |
| 1 |
EndAds and BlockMessenger oh man, life saver...those damn ads were driving me INSANE!!!!! |