More books for you to learn more about China:

The Last Days of Old Beijing

Good book, and I haven’t finished all of it yet. I’ll write a review and post it on LibraryThing later.

A bit of description from Amazon:

A fascinating, intimate portrait of Beijing through the lens of its oldest neighborhood, facing destruction as the city, and China, relentlessly modernizes.

Soon we will be able to say about old Beijing that what emperors, warlords, Japanese invaders, and Communist planners couldn’t eradicate, the market economy has. Nobody has been more aware of this than Michael Meyer. A long-time resident, Meyer has, for the past two years, lived as no other Westerner—in a shared courtyard home in Beijing’s oldest neighborhood, Dazhalan, on one of its famed hutong (lanes). There he volunteers to teach English at the local grade school and immerses himself in the community, recording with affection the life stories of the Widow, who shares his courtyard; coteacher Miss Zhu and student Little Liu; and the migrants Recycler Wang and Soldier Liu; among the many others who, despite great differences in age and profession, make up the fabric of this unique neighborhood.

All the Tea in China

A decent business book, similar to one of my all time favourite Chinese memoirs Mr. China. It’s not a memorable as Mr. China, and the writings are much drier and less consistent. It’s a specific focus on the manufacturing industry and a story on the great US outsourcing machine. He does give excellent advice on when NOT to outsource to China, which should be heeded by all.

And before I forget, I’ll post my review for

Mr. China:

Now, this is how a memoir should be written, especially on a subject like China. He was charmed by the mystery of China, and moved there on a whim and a prayer. (Actually I felt that his Madam Butterfly reference is fairly correct, because that’s almost how China is. )

He moved to Beijing around 1988/89, and tried to learn Mandarin in a Chinese University. He ate cabbage Beijing style, and watched the slow transition of a country’s rise from communist country to that of a quasi captialist one. As Clissold has said in the book, the Chinese are captialists in heart.

In less than 20 years, China has risen from a super poor country to a quasi economical super power. The burning passion from every Chinese to escape poverty, crime, governmental control, and their attempts at building a brighter future for themselves are all presentd here in this book.

This isn’t a sucess story. In fact, this is a story about failures, but the more he “failed”, the more he learned about China in a more fundamental way. The last chapter is especially touching. He decided to travel 1000 kms on his bike through some of the poorest regions of Northern China. And how he felt when he went to Pudon in Shanghai. In his own words, “I felt like I’ve been inside for too long, and when I came out, the sunlight was blinding me.”

His parting wisdom is important to all that players effecting China – China will be China, and it will do things on its own pace, in its own way. You can’t hope that China will change on your behalf, because it won’t. All those people that said that China will eventually see light of reason and play the way everyone plays, well.., read this book.

HIGHLY recommend it!

Smoking in China

Smokers, rejoice, you can smoke just about “everywhere” in China, with the exception of a few public spaces, malls, museums, parks, foreign owned stores/chains, historically sensitive areas, etc.

For those that smoke:

Don’t be an Arse. There are millions of places you can smoke, so don’t pretend you can’t read/understand Chinese ( I think the anti-smoking logo is quite easy to recognize ) and just lights it up anywhere you please. If you are one of those guys that I saw lighting up in the middle of the Starbucks in the Oriental Plaza, I’ll do just what I did, embarrass the heck out of you by asking the waitress to bring a cup of water and dunk your cigs into it. If you are that guy? Be glad that I only yelled at the top of my lungs that you can’t smoke in here. And I didn’t ask her to splash the water on you. Foreigners like you make us expats look bad.

For those that don’t smoke:

I am afraid that you are a bit out of luck. You probably have to stick to the foreign owned places or places catering to foreigners to escape from the smog. Starbucks, Macdonalds, and KFC are probably the only easy to find sanctuaries in China at the moment. You can always duck into a mall if it gets really bad. Clubbers be ware – most clubs/bars/pubs in China allow smoking. Most 4 stars + Chinese owned hotels have nonsmoking floors. As for the budget conscious motels and hostels, you throw the dice and pray that one of the staff speaks English.

Be Warned: Complaining loudly (about smoking) in English in Chinese restaurants (most common) or any other Chinese owned places that don’t cater to the foreigners/tourists is pointless if not foolhardy. You have to understand, their mainstream clientèle is the Chinese public, and since a lot of Chinese people smoke, that’s not going to change any time soon. Whining about it won’t do you any good, just leave and find another place to eat.

What Kind of Clothes should you pack for China?

Well, it depends where you are going! You wouldn’t pack the same clothes for both New York and Hawaii, right? It’s the same in China. China isn’t a monolithic country and it’s huge, so it has a lot of different weather patterns depending on where you are headed.

I know this will be simplistic, but it’s probably easier if you don’t know Beijing from Nanjing yet.

In General:

It depends on where, how long and what you are going to do here. Most of the time, I’ll recommend a good pair of foot gear.

A pair of walking boots/shoes/sports shoes is probably a must just to get you around. Most Chinese roads don’t last long considering the amount of people walking/driving on it.

Don’t bring high heels unless you have a VERY specific reason for it. I don’t know how many broken heels and ankles I have seen around just because it’s dark and there was a pot hole where her foot was.

Sandals…, well, expect them to break. And most of them don’t have enough foot support for Chinese roads that contain a lot of uneven surfaces. If you must look good/comfy, make sure you can get a ride to and from wherever you are going.

If you are near sighted/or have vision problems, and you are used to wearing contacts, go back to your eye doctor/glasses place and pick out a pair of glasses. Wearing contacts for too long under such pollution can be bad for your eyes. Bring a pair of glasses for some relief.

As for when and where:

Northern China -

Expect extreme weather patterns. The extreme north never gets hot enough to warrant full summer gear. Pack warm, especially if you need to stay over during the winter times.

If you are staying in Beijing, pack really warm clothes for the winters and really cool clothes for summer time. Beijing is kinda unique because it has desert weather. I would recommend a North Face type coat/jacket, cashmere sweaters and scarfs for winter times. It can get really bone chilling cold if you aren’t prepared, and it has really fast and dry winds. If you are staying over during the summer times, pack summer gear but make sure you aren’t overly exposed to the sun. Pack one or two light jackets and pants that will block out stuff like sand just in case.

Most Northern Chinese households have some form of heaters, but they may or may not have ACs, so, double check before you get here(what season and where you are staying).

Southern China -

It can get pretty humid and hot depending on where you are( still, if you are the sensitive type, never forget lotion). If you are the type to sweat a lot, and you are coming in summer, you might want to pack extra deodorant and some emergency clothes just in case you can’t do laundry. Most places can have the ACs on full blast, so remember to bring a light jacket even if you are coming during the summer. You definitely need something to block off bugs if you are wearing shorts, hot pants, short skirts, and etc.

As for winter times, pack for wet and cold weathers. Most places tend NOT to have any heaters(or they are turned on very late say, Dec. ) because it’s not “supposed” to get that cold. Learn to layer your clothes so you can take off whatever you need according to room or outside temperature. A long, water proof coat and a nice pair of boots can be nice to have.

Again, these are just general advice, so you need to adapt them to where/when you are going.

What to pack for Beijing Olympics?

Summer in Beijing is going to be HOT and DRY.

It can get up to 40 – 50 degree Celsius during summer time in Beijing.

Pack light clothes, and bust out all your summer gear. But don’t forget to pack one decent jacket, and one long pants in case the desert wind picks up and brought some sand along with the Olympic Games.

Besides the basic lotion and sun block that I have already mentioned, here are a few more things:

1. Bug Spray and Ointment. If you don’t want to buy local, bring your own. I don’t care how high you live, you are going to get some mosquitoes flying around somewhere in Beijing during the summer.

2. Money Pack. Some people find this convenient, while some don’t. The 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing is THE biggest event for China for the last 30 years (besides WTO and Nixon). You can bet every thief and scammer will try their damn hardest to get into town to do some damage. A few friends of mine used a money pack that they can hide inside their clothes when they visited Beijing last time, and I thought it was a great idea. This is a personal issue, because it might be uncomfortable.

3. Flash Light. You never know. Something might go out. I am sure the power plants are checked and double checked, but what about the power lines? How old are they and how much can they handle in the Olympics?

4. A personal defence device. You never know. This is especially true for ladies. A small pepper spray or a device that emits loud bangs/lights/noises can help in a pinch.

5. Eye drops. No need to explain this.

Chinese Visa problems:

Courtesy or WSJ:

Linky

This is a sort of update on the Visa section. You may or may not have trouble getting a visa. If you need to stay long term, you don’t really need multiple entries anyway. I’ll stick to my original advice, stay away from consular offices and go with a certified travel agency. It’s possible to save yourself a lot of paper work and headache.

Feel free to ask any questions if you got any concerns.

—-

Edited to Add:

This is important, if you need to work or study, I don’t recommend the travel visa. If you are coming here for long term for -

1. Study: Get a student visa. It’s not that bad. Applying to a formal Chinese university might take more time and money, but you won’t get harassed once you get here. I personally know a few school official that won’t mind the extra paper work to properly “invite” you over.

2. Work: This is a gray area. It depends on what you are hired to do. If you are hired by a big company/university, it’s quite probable that most of the paper work are already done for you to get a proper work visa(you just have to pay tax). But if you are coming here without any proper plans except to maybe just get hired as an English teacher, it’ll be somewhat difficult to get one without going through some hoops. If that is the case, then you might want to try the business visa.

As for the crack down, going through consular offices will just makes it easier for them to track you. It’s up to you on what you want to do.

Some might be worried about this:

My face is more important than my people’s well being

But if you are really staying long term, wait out the Olympics. Chinese would eventually understand that visa restrictions(because of the complaint from the Chinese companies/people themselves) would actually hinder Chinese economy, investment to China, and continue to erode any foreign support or trust from any foreigners that are already choosing to live and work in China. Sooner or later, they need to learn that they don’t live alone in the world, and they can’t survive (let’s forget about economics for a second. China does not product enough food to support itself, not counting coal, oil and any other necessities that it needs to keep itself running.) without others.

As for residency permits, that’s entirely up to you. This is how I look at it, the more the Chinese government knows about you, the easier they can do something to you. On the other hand, you will be hard pressed for answers if you are found out. Of course, if you married a Chinese or work for big companies or universities, this is completely pointless to you.

Good luck in the path you take.

Books for you to Learn more about China:

Sorry for the delay, but my grandmother is visiting, so I’ve been kinda busy.  I’ve also been debating on whether or not to go more acidic for this blog, since I know bursting quite a few bubbles already.

Anyway, if you want to learn more about China, here are a few books I’ve found to be “Personally” useful. This isn’t meant as a commercial or advertisements for these books at all, buy them at your own judgment.

Mr. China

Excellent book, I would recommend it even if you goal isn’t to do business in China. Old China hands like him paved the way for us newer expats.

Asian Godfathers

This is not Directly linked to China, but this should give all the potential investors and business owners a quick cold shower before they rush to the next gold rush/big wave.

Beijing at your Door

Old book by Chinese info standards, but a decent guide to start you off with. There are some outdated information, but this should give you a heads up about Beijing and life in China.

There are quite a lot of books you can read about China, but very few honest or decent ones. After scanning quite a few of them on my trips home to Vancouver, I’ve come to realize that most of them are just hype machines written by this business “guru” and that China “expert”.

I’ll be very careful about some of these books, especially the investing ones. Most of the Chinese companies don’t really understand the concept of Fiduciary. Actually, I don’t think this idea exist in the Chinese language or culture per-se until western common law ideas were introduced. You can NOT get any accurate information about anything involving a company unless you are an insider, so you can guess who actually makes money here. And Chinese companies simply DO NOT BELIEVE they own you Anything(including information) just because you happen to be an investor(minority or majority). If you or your fund managers aren’t willing to put in the FACE time required dig through/drill info from the company(homework), don’t bother, you might just as well go buy a dream weaver, because you’ll get better dreams that way( and lose less sleep).

There are 2 more books that I am reluctant to post, because they are more political or less informative. And one of them might get you in trouble because it talks about a No. 1 Chinese fugitive. So let me brew on that one.

Have fun reading.

What to pack for a trip to China?

Sorry for the delay, minor family problems kept me from writing.

I can’t believe I had forgotten this section, seeing how important this is.

1. Lotion. No matter where you are in China, it can be quite dry even if there is a lot of water around. An expat friend of mine who used to work in Hangzhou, one of the few cities in China with lots of fresh water and a half decent weather complained that the place is too dry. Bring a really big bottle of your favourite lotion.

A. Don’t forget Sunblock, SP30.

2. Medications. There is absolutely no guarantee that China has/sells the medication you need to function, especially newer drugs (psychotropic drugs are especially rare) that hasn’t lost their rights license, and Chinese companies can’t rip it off yet. The pharmaceutical industry in China is one of the worst industries that is constantly plagued by scandals and corruptions. (In fact, the Chinese equivalent of Head of FDA was executed last year for corruption charges) Unless you know the doctor really, really well, there is no telling what snake oil he/she is bribed to sell you. I’d also recommend you to memorize the active ingredients of some of the most common(therefore available) meds that you are used to taking, because none of the brands that you are familiar with are actually sold in Chinese pharmacies. Please don’t forget to bring your prescriptions.

A. Common meds that you should pack, just in case. Ibuprofen or Motrin/Advil. Alka-Seltzer. Tums. Meds for the common flu and cold symptoms, especially ones for coughing. Meds that help you sleep and meds to help diarrhea symptoms.

3. Deodorant. This is VERY Important. I have not been able to buy ANY deodorant in China at all. Suffice to say that most Chinese people don’t use it and probably don’t have the need. Some of my expat friends have been known to ration these fresh scented blessed sticks of gold. I’ve been called at early mornings for deodorant emergencies. Bring your OWN. And if you are planning to stay a long time, lots of it.

Athletes! Remember your country’s image, bring one for the team!!

4. Shaving Razors/Shavers. This is somewhat related to the topic above. Let me put this to you straight, a lot of Chinese people don’t need to shave, so except for the really expensive electric shavers in the malls, all they sell in supermarkets are disposables. You might get lucky at see a few surplus razors on sale in a few places. Therefore, if you have a favourite type of knife, say fusion or venus, bring your own.

5. High End Electronics. Laptops/Notebook Computers in particular. The selection, quality and price isn’t the same as home. It’s MORE Expensive. You heard that right. Even though China makes everything from soap to houses, it still can’t make/assemble some of the high end electronics with required quality requirements and price. Don’t expect to buy cheap and GOOD electronics in China. If you can tolerate Chinese standards, buy what you need here. If not, bring your own.

Mini story: A Dell with the same setup is more expensive in China than the US.

6. Sizes. This will get a little personal. Please don’t be offended. Ladies, if you are/have bigger than a D cup, taller than 185cms, bigger jean size than say 35, and a shoe size bigger than 10? Choose your wardrobe VERY wisely. Most stores won’t carry/stock those sizes. There is just not enough demand. Northern China is probably better than Southern China is this regard since they are taller/bigger here. Gentlemen, don’t feel left out. If you are/have taller than 195cm, jeans size bigger than say 42, a shoe size bigger than 12 and/or a broad chest/shoulder? You are probably in the same boat. And please remember, China doesn’t use US sizes, it uses mostly an ad hoc size system that combines European and Chinese. Try everything on!

Bra is a big issue for quite a few female expats. Lingerie shopping isn’t exactly sophisticated in China due to governmental regulation of its advertising and sales. You won’t find Victoria Secret or La Senza in China. You can always try the more expensive international malls that are catered to the foreigners for your luck for any of the clothes that you lack. Otherwise, you’ll have to do HK shopping runs like a lot of expats.

If you are an discerning shoppers with a Chinese sized body, you’ll love the clothing shopping in China. The selection is quite varied, and if you know how to find them, you’ll be able to find some awesome clothes for the fractions of the price you pay back home. Provided that you know what you are doing.

7. A phrase book or an electronic dictionary has been proven useful for certain people. This is entirely up to you. Most of the time, you probably won’t find what you are looking for at the time when you most need it. Something (like an electronic dictionary/translator) that will sound out the words might help more/be better, provided it doesn’t become a crutch that hinders your Chinese learning.

8. Some gifts that represent your home country or culture. Something a little cultural, a little unique to your homeland provided it’s legal to enter the customs is always nice to have on hand no matter who you meet.

Beijing Part 1:

Alright, here we go! I won’t bore you with the usual boring details about the city that you can find on wiki or lonely planet. Beijing has been a city for roughly 2500 years, but it wasn’t anything special before the Mongols or Kublai Khan because the center of power has always been in the center of China such has Chang An or Loa Yang.

Beijing didn’t really become Beijing with the infamous Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven until the Ming Dynasty or around 1400. The Manchus that overthrew the Mings decided to not to mess with a good thing when they see it, and we have the Beijing today.

Now with the cliff notes version about the background of the City out of the way, let’s focus on what you need to know when and if you want to visit the place. Most of the places of interest that you want to visit are left by the 3 Dynasties I mentioned I above. But the most important thing is to get your bearings. You need to know where you are before you know where you are going, right?

Here is an easy reference, imagine Beijing as a giant castle with 5 walls and you’ll get the picture. But now imagine the walls have been demolished and replaced with giant free ways and you’ll get it right. These freeways are what we called Ring Roads. First Ring Road, Second Ring Road, etc. They go from inside out, just like a castle would.

Most things of interest(like shopping districts) are focused on old gates of the walls that enters or leaves the city (which makes a lot of sense if you think about it) . Most of the Tourist attractions that you want to see are within the Second Ring Road. If you can get a place within that square, getting around is easy and you can probably see most of what you want to see.

Don’t expect the Chinese maps you buy on the news stands to make sense, even if it’s labeled with English. They are littered with Pingying names for places, and can be down right out of date.

Confusing map

Here is a “interactive” (it doesn’t work, typical when you deal with official Chinese government stuff) map from the official Beijing Olympics website. It’s useless because it doesn’t have enough relevant labels, but it should give you a basic idea about the 5 ring roads.

Official Map

Beijing has 8 urban districts, but most of the time, you don’t really need to know more than 3 or 4. Here they are in order of importance (to a visitor):

Xicheng District (西城区: Xīchéng Qū)

Chaoyang District (朝阳区: Cháoyáng Qū)

Haidian District (海淀区: Hǎidiàn Qū)

Dongcheng District (东城区: Dōngchéng Qū)

Xuanwu District (宣武区: Xuānwǔ Qū)

Shijingshan District (石景山区: Shíjǐngshān Qū)

Fengtai District (丰台区: Fēngtái Qū)

The links are courtesy of answers.com, since I was too lazy to type them out and if you wanted to know more, you can check it out there.

There are a few neighborhoods that is probably a must for most visitors. I’ll deal with the main attractions later. Here we go:

• Wangfujing 王府井
• Xidan 西单
• Yayuncun 亚运村
• Zhongguancun 中关村
• Guomao 国贸
• Wudaokou 五道口

Wangfujing is the quintessential shopping district in Beijing for the 25-45 and middle to upper class. If your image of China is still from the Cold War, go here. Oriental Plaza and the New World mall here pretty much covers all the second tier brand shops with a few first tier brands mixed in between. Chinese pop stars shops here, but it’s unlikely any will be recognized by any non-Chinese. There is also the only official government sectioned street stall food street here. Take pictures of the scorpions, sea horses, and silk cocoons here, while the braver souls can try the food to their large intestine’s dismay. It can be reached by Subway. It has the best foreign language book store in Beijing. Food here(that ain’t served from a street stall) aren’t bad. There are more, but I’ll get to it later.

Xidan is the second quintessential shopping district in Beijing, but this is for the young and not so rich type (14-24, counting allowance money type). If you want to oogle young girls of any kind in Beijing, go here. It also has the biggest book malls in town. They have a lot of English Text books for cheap. (35.00RMB for one, anyone?) This place covers all the second to third tier western brands plus all the funky but horribly expensive/crappy in terms of price and quality Chinese brands. There are no real food here, since it’s all filled by food courts and chained restaurants. Be warned, this place gets VERY busy during weekends. It is a subway station name, just get off when they tell you to.

Yayuncun or Asian Games Village, soon to be Olympics Games Village. This is where the bird nest and the giant fish bowl is. Traffic used to suck until they finished the subway line 5. I lived here for 2 1/2 years, and I’ll post the pictures of the changes of this place later. There aren’t a lot of attraction here for visitors, even though the real estate surrounding this whole area has gone bananas ever since they decided to put the bird nest here. Don’t bother getting a place here if you are here for the games. Most of the venues are spread all over town. Note: As far as I know, there is only one Starbucks near the stadium, and it’s at the 5th street Mall, which is 15 mins drive with no traffic and 30 mins walk.

Chongguancun or the Beijing “silicon Valley”. This is where all the high tech companies and the big electronic malls are. Come here to look if you like, make sure you bargain hard for the prices. There is no easy way to reach this place, and that has been a point of contention for quite a lot of workers here. As you can imagine, the rent is expensive around here.

Guomao or the International Trade Center. This is the old standby. All old/veteran China hands/expats got their start here at 80s, because this was the only place to stay and apply for a business license address. China World Hotel was where most international delegation stayed along with the western journalists. 30-65 and Rich is the audience here. All the top tier brands are here. Gucci, Prada, LV, and etc. Expect the snob from both sides. It also has an ice rink that is closest to town. It is directly connected to a subway station. There are a few interesting places to go outside the giant complex, but that’s another section. A lot of decent restaurants here, and with the price to match. This is also close to the old embassy compounds.

Wudaokou will probably be the new Wanfujing + Xidan. It’s college town, with quite a few big internet companies as anchors. There are lots of young and hip things/people here. Koreans have a huge influence in this neighborhood. The food is decent and cheap (student price). You can see a lot of expats working and studying here. If you are studying Chinese in Beijing, this is where you are most likely to be. The rent here is Atrocious. Expect funky and lots of people trying to practice their English with you. Crowded. It is accessible with a Skytrain station.

I hope you enjoyed that as well as it has proven helpful to you.