The U.S. media and government loves to paint China as an egregious suppressor of human rights that is home to sweatshop factories, copyright violators, and gross polluters; a country that is dangerous to American interests. The real China, then, was a big surprise when I visited it in 2002. The country is beautiful, cities are modern, people are peace-loving and welcoming — and one is free to criticize the government as long as you aren’t talking about overthrowing the commies.
Upon arriving in China, two things were immediately apparent regarding traffic: pedestrians do not have the right of way, and the drivers drive like lunatics! Regardless, one afternoon I rented a bicycle and embarked on a 30-mile exploration journey in Beijing. Continue reading »
Our last day in Beijing was a “free day,” meaning that we were allowed to do whatever we wanted. A number of us in the tour group decided to go on a optional tour of the Hutong area, visit an elementary school and visit/talk with a Mr. Wu to get some insight as to how the Chinese live. We also went to a tea house where people in my tour group kept insisting that the woman serving us tea was trying to flirt with me. I doubted that. :)
&title=Cars in China "Elegant Volkswagen Passats were surprisingly ubiquitous in China. (Photo from the official vw.com site.)")
The mass populace of the people still rely on bicycles or feet, but the roads of China are nevertheless filled with cars. Most of them are thoroughly modern, with a decidedly European flair.
Ubiquitous are Volkswagens, including Golfs, Santanas (known as the Fox in the U.S.), Polos, Boras (Jettas), and especially the new Passats. I’ve never seen so many Passats in my life! These vehicles appear the same as they do in Western countries but cost almost twice as much as they do in the U.S–e.g. US$40k for a Passat vs. $20k–which make them not the people’s car but rather vehicles for wealthy businessmen. Continue reading »
This is a list of some of the more unusual sightings from our China ‘02 trip. It made the trip the all more interesting and, at times, funny! Continue reading »
The most important thing for travellers to know, of course, is not to drink any tap water in China. Even the tap water from 5-star hotels need to be boiled (and, often, in rooms there will be a water-boiler). Sometimes in a hotel there will be a sticker saying “this water is safe for drinking”, but this is not quite so… it’s only safe for Chinese people whose stomachs are already accustomed to the types of bacteria in that water. So always drink bottled water, such as those of the Wahaha and Robust brands. Don’t trust other brands, esp. those sold by random people on the streets–reputedly, many of them will just fill bottles with tap water and sell them to make a quick buck. Continue reading »
