These sour grapes have long been fermented into Napa Valley sweet dessert wine.
As @Napoleon (the Little Corporal of Zimbabwe) declared on his high horse, "this isn't demolition one-upsmanship."
Granted I wholeheartedly agree with your last sentence, are you really going to compare Cuihui with the heart of the Dragon, let alone apartment v.s. land - of which the present value could eat up the upper bulk of 俊园 across from OP's former residence?
For what it's worth, please give my regards to your Chinese wife's Beijing classmate for her/his time ;)
Before CPC rule, as insinuated ad nauseam and ad infinitum... apparently you didn't go back far enough.
For fear of China's deep learning algorithms running on Quantum architecture in five years - retroactively biting me in the arse, I'll refrain from disclosing specifics.
What you and @Napoleon failed to understand, whereas @JanJal partially did, and @Geezer more so albeit sugarcoated a Disney version of history, was the the question of when. Persistently asking "where" our dispute land was the wrong question.
The "founding father" I was referring to predated the one aforementioned in your soliloquy... as was the status quo institution of law governing soil sovereignty, before the Imperial Japanese Army came knocking.
To your point of impermanence in ownership... civil wars or foreign invasion/occupation may likewise shatter America's "illusion" of true land ownership in a blink of an eye...
say, cannabis infused Californians hypothetically overthrew Trump 'Merica in a treasonous coup d'état, seizing all Trump Tower land deeds. The former First Family can try and sue the new, interim Cali regime to no avail. Vice versa in a parallel, alternate universe where the Confederates defeated the Union of the North.
Perhaps the Native American Indians, whom the early western colonists drove into near extinction got it right - the land was not something to be divided up, sold or owned by any one person... as @aienew alluded to.
China isn't like most places. With the highest rural-urban migration the world has seen, the Mainland's pronounced income inequalities among its citizens are visibly magnified via the internet-breaking WeChat revolution...
it's one thing to see The Kardashians partying from Bora Bora to Ibiza, another to see your rival siblings, coworkers, and/or best friends there without you.
Good points all around. The reason why I brought up China's heavily skewed income gap is because it's human nature to compare oneself relative to others.
For example, if say, your monthly salary was only 3,000rmb, but all your friends & acquaintances in your Wechat friend circle earned half that amount in addition to divorcing & being laid off, you may be content with your current situation.
On the contrary, if your income was 6,000rmb, but everyone on Wechat are constantly sharing photos of lavish family vacations aboard w/children, buying luxury sedans and villas. while you're stuck living alone riding Ofos, your happiness scale may perhaps tip the other direction.
Beyond "civil liberties and democracy," my point is that the vast majority of disgruntled Chinese rural-to-urban migrants (who've missed the wave of rising upper middle income class) are experiencing similar standard of living discrepancies in inner cities. All more conspicuous in the age of social media and selfies where mostly the good are boasted while the bad are not revealed. This illusion of relativity takes a toll on one's perceived happiness.
On an international level of comparison, China is ranked 79 on the World Happiness Report 2017 for the UN high meeting. Trailing countries like Serbia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Kosovo. Despite China's relative higher GDP, the income gap between the rich and poor is ocean's apart.
Recent trends show that more Chinese rural migrant workers, who came to the cities for opportunities, are now heading back home. It's difficult to be happy when you're barely scraping by, which is why if you're economically able, pack some gratuity red envelope for your apartment cleaning lady this coming Lunar New Year. I'll give mine 100 yuan. At the very least shine them a smile from time to time to show your appreciation.
China hands out happy city awards, Kunming sad
Posted by@dolphin
China isn't like most places. With the highest rural-urban migration the world has seen, the Mainland's pronounced income inequalities among its citizens are visibly magnified via the internet-breaking WeChat revolution...
it's one thing to see The Kardashians partying from Bora Bora to Ibiza, another to see your rival siblings, coworkers, and/or best friends there without you.
China hands out happy city awards, Kunming sad
Posted by@JanJal
Good points all around. The reason why I brought up China's heavily skewed income gap is because it's human nature to compare oneself relative to others.
For example, if say, your monthly salary was only 3,000rmb, but all your friends & acquaintances in your Wechat friend circle earned half that amount in addition to divorcing & being laid off, you may be content with your current situation.
On the contrary, if your income was 6,000rmb, but everyone on Wechat are constantly sharing photos of lavish family vacations aboard w/children, buying luxury sedans and villas. while you're stuck living alone riding Ofos, your happiness scale may perhaps tip the other direction.
Beyond "civil liberties and democracy," my point is that the vast majority of disgruntled Chinese rural-to-urban migrants (who've missed the wave of rising upper middle income class) are experiencing similar standard of living discrepancies in inner cities. All more conspicuous in the age of social media and selfies where mostly the good are boasted while the bad are not revealed. This illusion of relativity takes a toll on one's perceived happiness.
China hands out happy city awards, Kunming sad
Posted by@JanJal
On an international level of comparison, China is ranked 79 on the World Happiness Report 2017 for the UN high meeting. Trailing countries like Serbia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Kosovo. Despite China's relative higher GDP, the income gap between the rich and poor is ocean's apart.
Recent trends show that more Chinese rural migrant workers, who came to the cities for opportunities, are now heading back home. It's difficult to be happy when you're barely scraping by, which is why if you're economically able, pack some gratuity red envelope for your apartment cleaning lady this coming Lunar New Year. I'll give mine 100 yuan. At the very least shine them a smile from time to time to show your appreciation.
Bye-bye for now Kunming narrow gauge railway
Posted byAgreed, these local tidbits are a blessing.
Tengchong: Southwest China's gateway to undiscovered natural beauty
Posted byCool new layout,! Good reporting PS.
Probably one of the most famous and natural hot springs in China is here. Well worth a visit.