Though some of the information is bound to be inaccurate or invalid, I think the whole idea of wikipedia and the internet as a whole is that each individual must make his or her own decisions about what to believe. The problem with arbitrarily blocking access to information is that it ignores this ability that is inherent in all intelligent people. Also, the CCP might take issue with what's written about the Long March or the May 4 movement, but so do many young Chinese. When these objectionable sites are blocked, these people are stripped of not just the information, but their ability to counter it with their own opinions and views. I think that much of the anger shown by young Chinese intellectuals during this year's torch fiasco stemmed from the feeling that they have no voice in the international debate about China, and that no one in the West listens to them, assuming that they are all blind victims of propaganda. I think that the filtering of information is highly detrimental to the cultural and political development of the country. But of course, that is the point, isn't it?
Jeff
User profile: Xiefei
- RegisteredMay 27, 2008
- RegionChina
- VerifiedYes
- RegisteredMay 27, 2008
Forum posts
Matty,
Blackberry works in China, but only as a bundle package. It's pretty easy to get a SIM card that has internet service, but GPS is tougher. If you want to use the specific blackberry service, you might want to wait until you get here.
Palms and other smartphones are for sale, unlocked in Kunming.
It is possible. Go to the airport and ask at the information desk. They can direct you to the quarantine/control center that can issue you the shots and certificate you'll need to show customs in the US. My cousin did it and it works.
Good luck.
I'm a pretty heavy smoker, but I'd keep coming to Sal's if it went smoke free anyway. It doesn't take a whole lot of effort to walk out to the raised part in the front, and a lot of the smokers seem to hang out there anyway.
The food is good enough and enough of the clientele are non-smokers that I think Sal's could pull it off no problem.
The only thing that would "alienate" the smokers would be going smoke free with a vengeance, i.e. banning it on the outside bar as well as inside.
Classifieds
No results found.
Comments
Reviews
Cloud 18 Restaurant and Bar
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.
The Park (Closed as of January 2019)
When I first visited the Park soon after it opened, I realized that I hadn't set foot inside Green Lake Park in a few years. It's a beautiful place, but I simply did not enjoy All the noise and crowds that had come to define it after admission became free (down from a whopping 2 kuai, IIRC).
But James built a nice, quiet place in a beautiful old courtyard there, and I came to spend a lot of time there.
James and co built a really good menu, a very comfortable place and an unrivalled whisky list, the perfect recipe for a community hang-out, or even a quiet place to sip coffee and read in the sun during the day.
Thanks, James and everyone else at the Park, for making such a great place. We will all miss it, and look forward to seeing whatever it is you do next.
Gallery Art Hub - GAH
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.
Stone Drum House
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.
O'Reilly's Irish Pub (Green Lake)
I heard they revamped the burgers so I went there for one last night. Had the blue cheese burger. Total mess, cheese and carmelized onions dripping all over the place. It was awesome.
Recipe: Laonai Yangyu - "Grandma's potatoes"
Posted byGreat stuff. Keep it coming.
Here are a few suggestions/requests for future cooking posts:
- su hongdou (crispy red beans n kale)
- kao qiezi (roast eggplant, shaokao style)
- erkuai ji (chicken w/ erkuai)
Report: Kunming court to handle crimes against the environment
Posted byIt's great to see, after all these years of talk, that environmental policy might be starting to grow some teeth.
I've also read that a lot of Beijingers and city govt leaders are looking at how they can keep up the environmental improvements they made during the Olympics. Some good came out of those games after all.
Journalists discuss the Olympic impact on China
Posted byProbably the wrong post for this, but congrats for another Danwei award!
Jeff
Old Kunming: Beimen Jie and the tortoise tail
Posted byThere is actually one last segment of the wall still intact. It stretches along the back of the restaurants in wenhua xiang that abut the Yunda foreign students dorm. The wall can be seen from some of those dorm rooms, and was visible from the street a few years ago when many of those restaurants were rebuilt.
Class of 1902 - Kunming's Wubei Xuetang
Posted byGood stuff. Too many people keep trying to tell me that this building is the old French legation. I've even seen it written in the guide books