whats going on with China

Hmm...Sounds like the all to familiar promises that politicians make ...perhaps the Chinese are taking lessons from their western counterparts ?

 

The Chinese Government are doing what they promised as I have witnesses this happen each year especially construction which has always been the case but now it’s shopping complexes and apartments popping up like mushrooms while demolishing the old buildings.
They are moving mountains where I live to reclaim coastal mud flats to build factories such as Shell Oil Company and other chemical industry.
The beach front I live is full steam ahead with upmarket apartments and hotels which before 7 years ago was baron land with a few people on the beach during summer, but now in the summer time on weekends it swarming with people spending money.
The atmosphere is relaxed with smiles and children laughing.
An example in New Zealand with the media which promotes fear of crime and negativity to sell their stories,
That does not happen in China as they are not bothered and get on with their lives although crime is just as bad or worse.
I showed the factory owners on my computer the NZ herald newspaper promoting mostly crime stories over and over and they shook their head and looked at it as propaganda fear mongering.

 

I surprised someone can live in China for 10yrs and not be aware of these cultural facts.

Chinese invented tall poppy - you never heard of Chinese kow tow either I surpose.

In Manchuria region I live, origins of Mandarin the cultural traditions are much stronger than in Cantonese regions. Men simply do not get married until they can afford an apartment.

This means the average marriage age for men is 32, females 29. After a young man completes his degree 20yrs he'll work ten yrs to save a deposit.

After 30 a women is less likely to find a partner.

My wife reads your posts & thinks your version of China is not the same one she grew up in.

 

Manchuria is sandwiched in-between Mongolia, North Korea and the Soviet Union with some maybe neighbouring Japanese culture introduced during the invasion of China.

With kow tow it’s a past tradition that I use in martial arts but only as a form of ancient tradition, in daily life it is history and possibly used at a traditional marriage or funeral.
I have used kow tow on many times by placing my fist in the palm of my hand bowing and the Chinese workers look at me if I am doing a Monty Python and laugh as I also do Jim Carry expressions as well.

I have never seen a suck up ganbai preformed since I first came to China 15 years ago and Chinese like to ganbei.
To purchase an apartment before marriage in China for most the population is out of the question when not that long ago inland where starving.
Common sense that states why is the millions of married couples renting apartments?
The legal age for marriage I think is 22 for men and 20 for women with the average age for females to give birth starts at 23 years old.
There is the one child policy but really if you want another child you pay a fine, I think is about $10.000 or in another case I am not sure how they get around this as one of the workers I knew who had no had no money and three daughters because he was trying to get a boy and was still trying.
That was 12 years ago.

 

You are very much out of touch or misinformed surggesting Manchuria is a region some how fitted betwen larger neighbours. Manchuria was the power centre of China, had the first cities and controlled all of China.

To suggest the region has some reminants of introduced Japanese culture I think illustrates your ignorance of China. The Manchurian people to this day loathe and detest Japan and all things Japanese with a passion for the war crimes committed upon these people. My inlaws lost family members and property to the Japanese and both my wife's parents personally remember as does the entire region every year 18th September in every city of this region sirens sound sirens to mark the Jap invasion

With regards gambei and rank, you obviously never attended a high level meeting with industrialists, govt corporate CEO and local governers and their followers.

Subserviance to rank is alive and well in China and lower ranks will/must acknowledge their superiors.

Are you sure you were actually in China???

 

China is a big place, and the different parts of it change over time. Comparing impressions of it might be like the old saw about the blind men and the elephant.



THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT, by John Godfrey Saxe

A HINDOO FABLE.

i.

IT was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

ii.

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me!—but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"

iii.

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried:"Ho!—what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 't is mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"

iv.

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:

"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"

v.

The Fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
"'T is clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

vi.

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

vii.

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"

viii.

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

 

I suggest you to check the map of China http://geography.howstuffworks.com/asia/geography-of-manchuria.htm and look for your self the Mongolia, Russia and North Korea boundaries that surround Manchuria
China have got over the Japanese’s war and moved on as the rest of the world also many Japanese’s companies are now the factories Chinese work for and I am sure as you say with industrialists, corporate CEO and local governors and their followers do the suck up gambei to Japanese officials as well.
You are talking about the rich and political where my feet are on the ground with the general workforce and their management who like to be treated on equal footing.

You say

Subserviance to rank is alive and well in China and lower ranks will/must acknowledge their superiors.


You sound like Fawlty Towers John Cleese

 

How long did each of you live in China?

 

Once again I think you can't have really read into the China as you claim. On a corporate level the PRC have encouraged Japanese investment in China, nothing comes between an asian and an opportunity for profit but the people of China have never moved on from the attrocities committed on Chinese peole since early 1930's.

Chinese still wait for an apology from the Japanese govt, why else do you think there is such a strong public reaction to the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands dispute.

 

BPL

How long did each of you live in China?



I first came to China to a city called Chongqing 15 years ago and have since spent at least 10 years in total working side by side the common workers and dealing with the factory owners designing and manufacturing mould tooling, lost wax investment castings including titanium castings, CNC and EDM including making fine fixtures and springs, heat treatments coatings, polishing, fabracting and welding aluminiumand other ideas.
Most this time has been in the Gaundong region although I had sent 2 years in the Shandong province in a city called Dongying near Qingdao.

 

Thank you sir, a joy to read, for that illuminating verse,
'Twas far nicer this response,
than other words - some may remark, as terse...

 

I was based in HK mid 80's working on projects in both HK and southern China then returned to Liaoning 3yrs ago, my wife was born in China.

On my return I worked with senior port managment on several major govt sponsored port vessels projects, built a fleet of govt service vessels and developed several mayor super yacht projects with corporate CEO and China's billionaires with Govt blessing, without it..not going to happen no matter how much money they have if it's in China using RMB.

I don't think time served is as relative to experiance as firstly what an expat is involved with and then how far they penetrate a country's culture and govt/commercial inner circles

 

(You are very much out of touch or misinformed surggesting Manchuria is a region some how fitted betwen larger neighbours.)

Why do you not know that Mongolia, Russia and North Korea boundaries surround Manchuria ?

 

Time served is definitely needed to understanding the Chinese culture of doing business which I have had 10 years solid working experience alongside the factory workers and factory owners.
Friendship is first, business second.
I trained Shoaling Kung fun in Shenzhen for some time which the instructor refused to take money and wanted friendship for payment even though he is famous and I am nobody.
To be polite and understanding and not to make the workers or management lose face is very important and tall popping is not acceptable...
Mistakes are common and have cost me dearly and do not blame anyone and simply start again and learn how the mistakes are made,
I have learnt to know the problems that will happen well before they do as most foreigners will state the difficulties in communications especially with translator’s misunderstandings.
I am fortunate my wife has learnt fluent Chinese language so we have good communications which is the most important of all.

 

Is this a question??

I speak mandarin, not brilliant but enough to hold a conversation so my connection is fully at Chinese level of communicating understanding.