User profile: CalMatt

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Trivia Night

The classic Kunming pub quiz is being revived this week! Here are the details:

Where: Chapter One (Wenlin Jie)
When: Wednesday 29 Oct. 8pm
Structure:
Organize a team of up to 4 members. No registration necessary, but if you don't have a team you're encouraged to come early and form one; also, if you arrive before 8 you can take advantage of Chapter One's happy hour.

There are four categories, each with 15 questions. The categories are as follows:

1. Geography
2. History
3. Science/Technology
4. Arts/Literature/Culture

Winning team will win a case of Beer Lao, plus earn the right to form the next quiz. On Thursday, we'll post the questions and answers for those of you who didn't attend.

Come out! It'll be fun, and you might even learn something.

- Matt

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Forums > Food & Drink > Chapter One - changes?

Hey Piers,
I'd say making the menu smaller and more interesting would be a major plus- maybe introduce something that isn't available elsewhere (shwarma maybe?)

Also, is beer on tap doable? It wouldn't have to be imported or fancy but it'd be nice as a change from everywhere else.

That's all I can think of

-Matt

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Forums > Living in Kunming > New To Kunming as of Feb 20ish 2008

Oyun Dege,

First, let me say that you've made a good choice: Kunming, in my opinion, is the best place to experience life as an expat in China. Teaching can be very rewarding, though everyone goes through some difficult patches, especially in the beginning.

Nightlife in Kunming isn't as hot as it is in Shanghai and Beijing, but it isn't bad for a mid-sized Chinese city. For pubs, cafes, and restaurants, the area surrounding Yunnan University and Yunnan Normal University have plenty of places to hang out and is popular among foreigners. The Kundu area has the bulk of Kunming's discos and clubs, while there are various other nightspots scattered throughout the city.

Things to bring? For starters, deodorant can be difficult to obtain at reasonable prices here. Imported electronic goods such as iPods and Sony computers are heavily taxed on the mainland, so it would be better to sort out these things prior to arriving. If your shoe size is larger than 44, make sure you bring enough to last for the duration of your stay. This also goes for clothing of all sorts if you are of even average height and size by Western standards. Otherwise, Kunming is pretty well-supplied with essential living items.

Hard cultural aspects? Too many to name, so my only advice is to keep an open mind, have a sense of humor (as well as a sense of adventure) and don't be afraid to dive in head-first.

Good luck, and see you around in the spring.

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Comments

I suppose I should have phrased my comment differently- what I meant was that while the Kunming shift change policy is annoying and probably somewhat less than ideal, it isn't completely illogical. When I was in Shanghai last month I asked a driver about the change and she told me they go one day on, one day off; so there's no real crunch time in the middle of a day.

Bucko,

Kunming's taxis are not even close to being the dirtiest in China, much less the world. Smaller cities across the country use vehicles that look like they've survived mortar attacks. Even in Chongqing, the cabs are so badly outfitted that ordinary speed bumps provide an uncomfortable experience for the passenger.

Actually, the taxi shift change, while annoying, makes sense because the period around 5pm-8pm is the busiest of the day. As a result, all taxi drivers want a piece of this time frame, explaining the need for the shift change.

Just as a point of clarification- the Prague Cafe in the north is now closed and will be until the 21st. Samoana, Wicker Basket, and Silver Spoon in Beichen will also remain closed through the holiday.

Hedgepig,

Not at all. My point is merely that with increased competition Yunnan may see a relative drop in demand for some of its agricultural products as imports from Southeast Asian countries rise. This is likely to lead to decreased revenue for Yunnan farmers, who still comprise a significant bulk of the provincial population.

My larger point is that free trade agreements as such create winners and losers and aren't uniformly positive developments.

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