Forums > Living in Kunming > Chinese tourist in Paris I don't think France has sold its soul for Chinese money, and whether it has opened its doors to immigration or not has nothing to do with Chinese tour groups, which are not groups of immigrants. Seems spitting on the floor by mainland Chinese tourists is already on the radar, however.
I doubt if many Chinese have immigrated to Paris, or that those who have are the ones spitting on the floor.
I have a friend who is a Chinese tourguide and has taken groups to Paris, who affirms that there is very little interest in French culture among them and that little if any is provided by the tourguides. The main thing seems to be shopping.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Chinese tourist in Paris Group tourism strikes me as only slightly more educational than the average tv show, and usually a good bit less than a BBC documentary (or - my God! - a whole book!) Just another consumer item, promoted by the consciously or unconsciously cynical for profit.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Chinese tourist in Paris I don't like it either.
Especially seems disgusting among people from cultures where it is considered disgusting.
Forums > Food & Drink > Foreign takeout delivery service @ Geezer: Elliott is in Shanghai importing wine.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Leaving China ...only ordinary problems, the main one being the incredible boredom and phoniness (it is this I find 'grueling') of commercial air flights and their plastic atmosphere when it lasts more than about 1&1/2 hours (airports are very similar), and less than 1&1/2 hours they're both unnecessary and ecologically damaging. Felt the same 40 years ago. Doubt if I'd like Michael's problem described above either, but for me that's not the main thing.
When I leave China it's on the surface, unless I'm crossing large bodies of water. Looking for inexpensive (as it should be but isn't anymore - costs the shipping company virtually nothing beyond meals) passenger-carrying freighters.
Report: Ancient Yunnan rock art at risk
发布者Two thousand yuan. Huh.
Provincial authorities get serious about poverty
发布者Interesting article. My thought is that money might well work this way, but that perhaps a god way to handle the situation is to make such gifts dependent on the recipients' keeping their kids in school - after all, the kids don't deserve to be hampered by their unequal starts in life just because their parents do this or that with the money. Such an approach has been tried, on a very small scale and with small amounts of money, in Yunnan, and has been successful in keeping the kids in school.
Provincial authorities get serious about poverty
发布者@ Haali: I mean I don't necessarily buy the "and deserve to".
Provincial authorities get serious about poverty
发布者@ Haali: I'm suspicious of official money-handling in the name of the poor as well, but I think maybe you misunderstand the problems that the poor have in handling money in an exploitative society, and their unfamiliarity in doing so - so I don't buy "and deserve to". Seems to me that education is something that, if someone gets it, it can't be taken away or lost in unequal competition with those who have more in terms of cash, ownership or power.
Friction of terrain: Cycling through Zomia (part IV)
发布者@ Peter: US ordinance lying around in Southeast Asia - reminds me of an old Tom Lehrer song from around 1962:
'"Ven za rockets go up who cares where they come down,
That's not my department,"' says Wernher Von Braun.