User profile: Xiefei

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Forums > Living in Kunming > electric grill?

A gas grill wouldn't produce any more smoke than an electric one. I've never had any problems. I'm not sure if they've got electric ones, but B&Q is worth checking out. It's a home supply and hardware store near the entrance to the Expo. In Chinese, it's called 百安居 (bai an ju)

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Forums > Living in Kunming > electric grill?

I would check B&Q. I'd also recommend considering a gas grill, which B&Q sells too. You can probably find someone in your neighborhood to deliver small tanks of gas for it.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Certificate of good conduct/no criminal record?

I take it you're applying for a labor permit. It's a new regulation that seems to be enforced in some, but not all Chinese cities.
If you have records of previous employment in China here, that will be enough. If you're applying to work at a big company with guanxi, a letter might do the trick.
The certificate is not for good conduct in China, but for a clean criminal record back home. The official procedure is to get the certificate from local officials in your home town, and have it notarized by the Chinese Embassy in London.
Basically they implemented the new regulation without putting much thought into how people would actually go about doing it.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Tea

All natural teas are healthy, and are alternatives to coffee. Coffee isn't actually that bad for you in moderation, as long as you don't load it with sugar and whipped cream a-la starbucks.
The genetic variations between teas are quite minimal. Most of the difference is in the processing. Try to stick to the high grade stuff, and make sure it was harvested recently (this year). In general, teas are lower in caffeine, but have other compounds with stimulating effect. They also tend to have lots of antioxidants as well as compounds found to detoxify the body. But in general, it's just good for you, while lots of beverages, such as corn syrup-based soft drinks, are probably bad.
Just try some teas out until you find a flavor you like.
I stay away from the new age herbal blends and the local flower teas, but I'm just a purist.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > health system in China

The best thing to do is to make sure you're covered at home (especially if you're American...). Most routine stuff in China won't end up costing much anyway. The insurance you should look for, usually an international thing, is evacuation insurance, which will pay for a med-evac in case of something really bad happening.

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The problem with providing convenient parking for everyone is that more people will choose to buy cars or drive into the city when they would have otherwise taken transit.

The standard fine for illegal parking is 150 RMB. Problem is, it's very poorly enforced. The streetside parking is also poorly managed. Those people are supposed to be keeping a lid on bad parking, but they will often direct drivers to double park, blocking the street, or even park on the sidewalks, so they can collect more money.

"Taking the trees away to recuperate." I didn't see them taking the trees from Xuefu Lu, but I've seen them removing them from other parts of town, and the workers were basically just chopping the trees to pieces.

Based on what we've seen for the other metro lines, Xuefu Lu is going to be a mess for years. All of the problems they have complained about: bedrock, difficulty managing traffic, etc, are going to hit them at Xuefu in spades. There are also, if my sources are correct, extensive bunkers down there from WWII, which were probably expanded (without maps) during the CR.

If they don't revert Yi Er Yi to two-way, that whole quadrant of the city is toast.

Are you sure the Hui don't top one million? I seem to remember hearing they were the largest or second largest minority group in the province

"as Kunming media outlets reveal the presence of dense basalt deposits in the path of multiple tunnels routinely hampered progress."

This has been known for years and years. In the early 2000s, people were holding this up as the reason why Kunming would never have a subway.

I'm guessing engineers brought it up in their time and cost projections, and the officials in charge ignored them. You don't start digging long tunnels underneath a city without taking a look at what the ground is made of.

Reviews

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Right next to my office, so I eat here pretty often. The place has a nice garden design with lots of outdoor seating for nice days.

A nice menu of Western food with solid brunch choices, fresh fruit juice mixes, and good salads. The burger is also very good.

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Excellent Thai food served in a beautiful art deco setting. The bar is also top notch, with great cocktails, whiskys and cigars.

When the weather is good, try to get a table on the rooftop garden, which offers views of the Bird and Flower market.

May be a little pricier than some of the other Thai restaurants in town.

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An exciting new gallery space built from an old factory warehouse in the Paoluda Creative Industry Park. Looking forward to seeing what they'll do with it.

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A great little place in the middle of a beautiful valley chock full of great climbing spots.

The beds and rooms are very comfortable, though the bathrooms are shared, and of the "eco" variety (a plus as far as I'm concerned).

The owners are very helpful about everything from info on climbing spots to trip planning and getting around the area.

Also, the place is dirt cheap. I wholeheartedly recommend it.