Forums > Living in Kunming > who thinks we chat is for business use I remember many years ago when computers became available to common folks. Everyone jumped on the MSN bandwagon because they gave you free email service. Then came Yahoo that offered Instant Messages. So stupid people did free advertising for the rich profit making yahoo and they invited others to join yahoo. In years to follow, this process repeated many times. We have all been asked to join this or join that but amazingly, no one offered a system that can talk to other systems. In time, people had their information posted on several systems because one did not connect with another (MSN, Yahoo, Facebook, etc).
Here in China it was all about QQ. My students would tell me how their password got stolen and I never understood what that meant until I met a chinese techy guy who showed me how he can go in and steal their passwords. I made the move to QQ when yahoo was no longer allowed in China a few years back.
Now its wechat! Went to greenery cafe and they no longer gave us a menu because they told us to go to wechat and order. We insisted and got a menu. When it came time to pay the bill the waitress looked at us like we were crazy when we handed her cash - she told us to pay on wechat. Most people use a wechat number not their telephone number so when they give us their contact info they always use wechat which is useless to a person who does not want to use this crap.
In a few years, it will be a new sytem in place and everyone will make the transition again. For us old timers who have done this crap time and time again, we can see the big picture and no longer fall for this crap.
It is all about profits, that is the reality of the present. So when I see companies that offer many things for FREE, it is clear there is an agenda. The agenda is to get as many people hooked on this as possible. Went to the movie theater last month. Tickets were 80 Yuan but with wechat it was only 30. That is a huge difference and people will get wechat to save 50 yuan per ticket. No agenda there.
In the west, most people have seen how credit cards ruin lives and families. Here in China this beast is just beginning to manifest. I see more and more examples of young people up to their necks in debt because they use credit cards every day to buy junk or a single yogurt at Walmart.
Forums > Study > KCEL a profit-making school Went to KCEL (Dong Feng) the other day. What impressed me most was the very big poster on the wall that had the PSB regulations in both Chinese and English warning students that they can NOT work with a student visa. I think this is very important and all students should be aware of this as soon as they begin classes.
Side note: I think GK staff should regulate (control) all advertisements on GK (classifieds) when it comes to English schools seeking english teachers. As a requirement to put an ad here, the school should provide GK with the authority granted to them by PSB to hire foreigners.
I see many ads for english teachers here and some very clearly state they they can give you a working visa while others do not or are seeking part time work which will certainly not be able to provide a working visa.
The institutions that can not provide a visa are clearly advertising to hire illegal workers.
Forums > Travel Yunnan > Police certificate of no criminal records www.gokunming.com/en/forums/thread/12365/police_clearance - Contact this person and ask him how he completed this process. Read the thread as there is some good information provided.
Forums > Travel Yunnan > Torch Festival - Huo Ba Jie www.gokunming.com/en/blog/item/342/torch_festival_time_in_dali
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I find the smaller events are much more enjoyable. The big Torch festival in Chuxiong (Yi) is very crowded.
I prefer the smaller events in Dali (Bai). I especially like to see the community participate in making the giant torch and all the surrounding ceremonies that are included in preparation the days prior to the event. Best one yet has been in Zhou Cheng near Dali Old Town.
Check internet for different dates for this event. This is a minority festival, not a national festival. It is also a lunar calendar festival so look for the solar equivalent this upcoming week. Fun to watch if you have not participated in one before. Still Fun even if you have seen many of them like me - Hehe! Best to go to different places to see how each is similar and different.
Do not go to the Minority Village near Dianchi Lake - ends up costing you and arm and a leg for a totally fake and overcrowded environment. Best to find a small village - Bai and Yi Torch Festivals are very different so best to try a different one every year.
Weishan, Yunnan: Birthplace of an ancient kingdom
发布者Weishan has got to be one of the most original places left in Yunnan. Not commercialized and people are kind and not out for money.
Jianchuan was also the same but now that the highway runs right through it has already changed. Same for Shaxi and Shuang Lang in Dali.
Visit Weishan while you can. Great place to go and just hang out and relax, Wei Bao Shan is 11 km away. I like it because you can see all the temples by walking in a circle without having to backtrack. Much better than Shi Bao Shan in JianChuan, Dali.
Lugu Lake airport officially opens for business
发布者The new airport is roughly 25 kilometers south of the lakeshore - Those nasty taxi drivers are sure going to make a killing. Of course, they will NOT use the meter.
Yunnan border zone slated to cost 200 billion yuan
发布者The train sure does sound like a good idea - In that time, a branch railway along the recently opened Kunming-Hekou line will be extended 500 kilometers south to the border town of Mohan (磨憨) in Mengla County. When finished, the railway will pass from Yuxi through Pu'er, Jinghong and Mohan
Yunnan ramps up shale gas production
发布者en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yibin
Sichuan's Changning County (长宁县) is located in Yibin at the confluence of the Min and Yangtze Rivers.
Fracking comes to Southwest China
发布者Unfortunately, the map provided with the locations of fracking is very small and I can not make out the names of the locations. However, one can see that they are in the SE of Sichuan.
I will take some time later to make out the exact locations and provide the names of the prefectures and counties they are located in.
For those who are not aware, this is the juncture of the Min and Yangtze Rivers. Above Yibin, the Yangtze is also known as the Jinsha River. Below Yibin, the Yangtze is known in Chinese as the Chang Jiang or "Long River."