Specifics-wise, I heard a very bad first hand (mother's) story recently about what was reportedly "the best", Yunnan University Hospital. (Disclaimer: I am not sure exactly which hospital this is, for I haven't been there) For instance, they had no idea at all about pain management options, basic nutrition, etc.
We flew to Thailand instead (last year) where there are many options. Not counting hotel and travel/visa expenses, we paid 100,000THB (18,000CNY) for a modern/clean/international hospital to do a Cesarean birth (including pre-birth tests and consultations, 3-4 days in a private hospital room, good food, etc.) While this may sound expensive it's really not compared to private hospitals in China and is light years ahead of them. Unfortunately, you can only fly a few months before the birth and thus need to take 3+ months off work (not possible for everyone).
By multiple reports (and my personal hospital experiences here for non-birth cases over 15 years) the amount of bullshit you have to go through in Chinese hospitals is ridiculous. Let's face it: giving birth is stressful enough. Unless your Chinese part of the family insists on doing it locally and you have the patience to go through with that I would strongly recommend considering Thailand.
We have used and are very happy with 昆明市妇幼保健院 for post-birth immunizations. They specialize in kids and are located just up the hill from Green Lake. (Note that every country has its own idea of which immunizations are required, and they differ by phase of moon throughout Yunnan. Note also that international serum costs a lot more here than local stuff, if you choose to use it you will be paying US$100 or so per shot instead of ~zero)
We also went to Maria pre-birth but don't rate it on professionalism or quality of experience.
You got it right, Richland is shit. A friend of mine went there for a bout of salmonella, which is pretty standard here. Instead of the normal hospital thing in China of a few stabbed needles, drips and a night in hospital (40-100RMB: I know, I've done it twice here and once in Qingdao, plus once here for another friend) they made him stay for days in an exorbitant room and used scare tactics to claim he had to pay some stupid amount of money in case of some completely unrelated situation, extra tests, etc. I felt really bad that I let him go there. He wound up paying through the nose, I believe something close to 10,000CNY.
Facts are, a lot of Chinese private hospitals are run as virtual scams and they really are dishonest.
We also went to hospitals in Australia and France (Necker, which was the first pediatric hospital in the world!), but still heartily recommend Thailand.
If you would like help with the processes in Thailand let me know, my wife and I would be happy to talk to you.
Preview: 2015 Chengjiang Lakeside Music Festival
Posted byAccommodation-wise, there are loads of hotels in the area. You can get local taxis around the area for reasonable prices. Rooms in Chengjiang town (north of the lake) are available from around 60元. Rooms in Luchong itself or other tourist-oriented locations are probably double to triple that, and will have less food options than town. We're also considering an afterparty with sailing boats (weather permitting) on sunday (23rd) at the north of the lake.
Bullfighting culture in rural China
Posted byYeah, I'm not a great fan of the ethics. Then again, at least they tend to survive rather than be mauled to death, like some of the cockfighting participants, and if you eat meat having any negative opinion on the matter is largely hypocritical.
Bullfighting culture in rural China
Posted byThanks Peter. Yes, that's my website. Lots of people have used it over the years, in fact I even saw a book published in France which had the same tattered cover reproduced from my scan! Another good read is the Khazak Exodus book which is also at pratyeka.org/books/
Bullfighting culture in rural China
Posted byJust found I had put the images online here: pratyeka.org/kaili/
Bullfighting culture in rural China
Posted byGreat article Jim. I saw some impressive Miao minority inter-village bullfights south of Kaili in Guizhou circa 2004. They held them in the broad rocky river beds mid-way between villages, turning our solitary road hanging off the mountain above in to natural makeshift amphitheatre stand. All traffic stopped for the duration of the bout, in which villagers surrounded the two beasts in a human circle in an attempt to cajole them toward one another.