Fu Lai
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Posts posted by Fu Lai
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You mean "Hasn't China already censored their Internet"? Yes, similar to how the USA does.Didn't China already sensor there internet?
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IMO Chinese authorities just want to stop the faceless insurrection. Everybody complains about corruption and government but some groups have another agenda. Complaining about the government and publicizing corruption is normal and not feared much here. No more than in the USA.
- It's also likely to curtail their ability to monitor and control the "free speech". I can't see that requiring names will be anything but counter-productive for them.But it also is likely to curtail the Internet's status as a forum to complain about the government or publicize corruption. -
IMO, good. "The latest measure requires users to provide their real names and other identifying information when they register with access providers or post information publicly." So what? Doing otherwise leaves the door open for abuse from people and groups pushing an agenda. We know this from the USA. Give everyone their own voice, not a thousand fake voices, and it is more fair. Once again China leads the way.
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. . . and releasing it as late in Dec. as they did caught more than a few people by surprise
we got notice last week
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Wuhan subway line 2 put into operation
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2012/2012-12/2012-12-28/20121228_520367_01.jpg
Passengers look out of the window of the train of subway line 2 in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, today. The first stage of subway line 2 of 27.73 kilometers was put into trial operation today. Subway line 2 is the city's first subway line to be put into operation. Its construction started in 2006.
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1st subway across Yangtze River starts test run
http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/china/images/attachement/jpg/site241/20121228/0013729e46df12477a9539.jpg
A train of Wuhan Subway Line No 2 moves in the tunnel in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province
Rode it today!!! Woohoo!
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A holiday "with Chinese characteristics" gives you a couple more days (sometimes more) for travel time or to extend the holiday...
Would have been better to give the Mon before new years off IMO (5 days straight off). Their way only gives three.
their way: off 12/29,12/30:work 12/31:off 1/1,1/2,1/3:work 1/4-1/11
other way: off 12/29,12/30,12/31,1/1,1/2:work 1/3-1/11
Whatever! Just thought I'd bring up the subject.
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...Kinda makes you wonder what is the point of the Holiday.
exactly
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So my job in Wuhan says we have a three day holiday off, Jan. 1-2-3 but have to work 5-6 to make up for 2-3.
Reality is I have 2-3 off to make three straight days but 2-3 are not really time off, just rescheduled. Get off Wednesday and Thursday but have to work Saturday and Sunday to make up (including the work day Friday that means eight straight days on the job).
M 12/31 work
T 1/1 off
W 1/2 off
R 1/3 off
F 1/4 work
S 1/5 work
S 1/6 work
M 1/7 work
T 1/8 work
W 1/9 work
R 1/10 work
F 1/11 work
Ugh, I guess I would rather have the weekend off to break it up. Comments?
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I posted a thread about this recently having to do with the foreigner aspect:I've often wondered what eligible/young Chinese men thought of us Westerners coming to court women in their homeland. I've never felt any dislike or anger. ZZ
How do Chinese men really feel about foreigners marrying Chinese Women
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a little more info that was talked about before the article of this thread...
China to Relax Restrictions on Chinese “Green Card” for Foreigners?
Nov 26, 2012 By eChinacities.com
Editor's note: The following was translated and edited from a report that appeared on the China News Service website, supplemented with material from China Daily and The Telegraph. It concerns a projected change to entry and exit laws that may possibly give more foreigners a chance to claim legal permanent residency in China, currently an extremely exclusive privilege that even those who meet the criteria often wait decades to obtain.
http://news.echinacities.com/userfiles/2012-Year/11-Month/23-Day/image001-%283%29.jpgPhoto: baidu.com
According to information released on November 14 by China's Ministry of Public Security's Exit and Entry Administration deputy director Qu Yunhai, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are currently in talks to consider relaxing restrictions on applications for the Chinese "green card" for foreigners.
According to Qu's statement made in Washington D.C., many foreigners, including those of Chinese ethnicity, have commented on the restrictions surrounding China's "green card" system, generally expressing hope that such restrictions could be relaxed.
Qu revealed that the two Ministries are currently "considering expanding the limits of the green card [to include more applicants], which is expected to be released soon and will cause a noticeable impact."
A boost for China's technology sector
When the "green card" was first introduced in August of 2004, it was intended to encourage high-level foreigners to invest in business and promote technology and cultural sectors, at the same time satisfying many foreigners' desire to reside permanently in China.
As of the end of 2011, more than 4,700 foreigners currently hold a Chinese "green card", according to official statistics. After earning a "green card", foreigners may reside in China indefinitely, entering and exiting with just a passport and the green card itself, without the need to apply for visas.
Liu Guofu, an expert in immigration law from the Beijing Institute of Technology, told reporters that the change mostly targets foreign workers in the technology sector.
Previously, foreigners were required to hold a position of deputy general manager or associate professor or higher for at least four years to be eligible for permanent residency. According to Liu, the proposed change will remove the level of the position held from the list of green card criteria, although it will require 10 years of residency (including at least nine months out of each year) in China before candidates can become eligible.
According to Qu's statement, the new entry-exit laws will be put into effect on July 1 of next year.
Realistic expectations
Despite the promise of change, many foreigners are hesitant to show optimism. Gilbert van Kerckhove, a Belgian expat interviewed by the British news service The Telegraph, says he's been living in China for 30 years. Despite having held a high-level advisory position, winning awards for contributions to China, and being married to a Chinese woman, his permanent residency wasn't granted until 2008.
Van Kerckhove seems to believe that just because you meet the stringent requirements for permanent residency—which include having a high-level job, making investment, and having made a "great" contribution to China—doesn't mean you're going to get it anytime soon. Van Kerckhove says the majority of "green cards" awarded are to returning overseas Chinese, or given as "prestige" gifts to important personages who never actually reside in China. "People like me," he says, referring to green card holders who are both nationally and ethnically foreign, "are a minority."
For those lucky enough to hold the "green card", however, new changes may be something to look forward to. Wang Huiyao, deputy director of China Talent Research, a government-affiliated human resources institution, told China Daily that a new document, to be released as early as December, will grant green card holders the same rights as Chinese citizens, except the right to elect officials or to be elected as an official.
Wang says the document will also allow holders to use their green card as a sort of "travel certificate", which may be used to check into hotels.
Source: China News Service, The Telegraph, China Daily
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More on the economic aspects of this...
No Car, No Apartment, No Deal: Chinese Singles Reach 180 Million
Nov 19, 2012 By eChinacities.com
Editor's note: The following was translated and edited from an article that appeared on Chinese news portal Sina.com. It used the recent Chinese "holiday", Singles Day (Nov 11), as a jumping off point for a discussion of Chinese single men and women, who now number as many as 180 million according to a survey published earlier this year. The article also discusses how women's economic and material considerations make it very difficult for a man without a car or an apartment to find a partner, even through professional matchmaking services.
On November 11, Taiyuan resident Dai Jun updates his QQ profile: "Time really flies. Another Singles Day rolls around and I'm still single…"
"Singles Day" is the playful nickname young Chinese have given to November 11, the date when four lonely "1"s line themselves up on the calendar page. And for many, the day is more of a painful reminder than a reason to celebrate.
"Tons of my classmates have already gotten married. It's actually pretty embarrassing for me on Singles Day," says 28-year-old Dai Jun. This year, Singles Day happened to fall on a weekend. Figuring he might as well throw embarrassment to the wind, Dai signed himself up for a Singles Day event hosted by a local marriage matchmaking company.
"You ought to at least have an apartment before you get married; this isn't college romance anymore. Meeting people like this guarantees that you know people's work, education, and economic backgrounds up front," one Ms. Hou told reporters. Hou works in Taiyuan, and says she found her partner through a similar matchmaking service. According to her, "Material considerations are the basis of marriage."
"I've been through this matchmaking thing before," said Dai, "but sooner or later the other party will always bring up work, living situation, and income." Dai's home is a small town in northern Shanxi Province. Although he's been out of college and working for five years, his meager savings aren't enough to buy an apartment in Taiyuan. Dai says his lack of a car and apartment is the main reason he hasn't been able to find a partner through matchmaking services. Dai Jun isn't the only one. As is often said by the Chinese media, treating marriage like a business decision is simply the Chinese way.
Matchmaking criteria
At the beginning of 2012, an investigative report into the Chinese marriage situation in 2011 was published, a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the online matchmaking service Baihe.com. According to the report, over 90% of women chose "has a stable source of income" as a necessary condition for marriage. Almost 70% of women chose "the man must have an apartment". The survey also reveals that close to 80% of surveyed women believe a man's monthly salary must be at least 4,000 RMB to consider him a potential match. Out of which, 27.1% believe a man must make at least 10,000 RMB a month to be "suitable".
In China, being unwilling to get married to a man without an apartment hardly puts you in the minority. Just owning an apartment, however, doesn't mean you're destined for happy marriage. Likewise, not owning any property doesn't mean you aren't. Every weekend in Taiyuan's Yingze Park, hundreds of parents gather to exchange information in the hopes of finding eligible matches for their sons and daughters. "Men are afraid of getting into the wrong business; women are afraid of getting into the wrong husband," quipped one father present on behalf of his daughter. He says parents take all kinds of factors into consideration when looking for matches for their children: Are they civilized? Do they have a temper? Do they have a stable job and income? Do they have an apartment? Questions like these are hard lines for parents. According to this father, perfect marriages require consideration of both "hardware" and "software".
Experts agree
Geng Yeqiang, associate professor at Shanxi University, believes matchmaking shouldn't get all wrapped up in utility and pragmatics. "The fact that so many marriage-age women prioritize economic status is a reflection of changing societal attitudes towards marriage. To a certain degree it's a reflection of China's rapid economic development and its effect on popular attitudes. But two people should never put material considerations at the top of their lists; love is always the most important thing." As one online commenter put it, "Marriage is a kind of investment, but it should be an investment of love in return for happiness, not an investment of youth in return for material security."
Data from the report reveals more than 180 million Chinese are single. Gong Haiyan, founder of the Chinese matchmaking site Jiayuan.com, explains that China is in the process of urbanization, with many young Chinese moving from rural areas and small towns to big cities. The stress of just getting by is immense, leading many to focus on competing for careers and to push their marriage plans back further and further.
Is materialism China's modern disease?
Many marriage experts believe modern society has an unhealthy tendency towards materialism when it comes to marriage. They say the attitude epitomized by Beijing model Ma Nuo's infamous words on the Chinese dating show If You Are The One—"I'd rather cry in a BMW than laugh on the back of a bicycle"—is one we would do well to eschew.
The report also indicates that 57% of surveyed women agree with the statement "Marrying well is better than doing well" (干得好不如嫁得好), a figure down from the previous year's 71%. For Tian Fanjiang, director-general of the marriage matchmaking industry committee that conducted the survey, this is a reason to be optimistic: "This means that even though income and housing are still women's main considerations when choosing a mate, the importance of economic factors is decreasing somewhat. Chinese people are becoming more sensible when it comes to marriage."
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08:18, December 27, 2012
A majority of young Chinese women polled in a survey said they like dating older men.
Nearly 70 percent of female respondents aged between 18 and 25 said they like to have a boyfriend about 10 years older than them, because older men are considered more thoughtful, attractive and economically better off.
If in such a relationship, their biggest worries include parental objections, finding the older man is already married, or not being able to control the man.
A center under the National Population and Family Planning Commission conducted the poll in cooperation with a major matchmaking website company in China. About 100,000 people participated and the results were released on Monday.
The number of divorces in China is increasing at a higher rate than marriages. The divorce rate has been estimated to reach 2.29 percent in 2012, with 3.09 million couples splitting up, the poll said.
The poll also found a severe gender imbalance among single Chinese of marriageable age. The highest sex ratio imbalance is in Yunnan province, at 122 males to 100 females.
In Guangdong province, the ratio is 112 males to 100 females. It means there are 1.65 million more men than women of marriageable age in the province, according to the poll.
I am less than 10 years older than my wife, BTW. But she is older than 18-25.
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Oh my, those lucky Chinese, and you ex-pats over yonder....the New York Times SHOULD be blocked...in America. Looks like the powers to be are much smarter in Chinertucky than they are in NYC. That paper is like reading the National Enquirer...no it's worse...It completely depends on what parts to which you are referring. I would say that at least most of the NYT is very good if not great. Buy a Sunday edition for example and get the NYT Magazine. Very fine. Also their world, arts, tech, leisure, and special features are unmatched by most daily papers nationwide.
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Those links are blocked in China unless maybe you pay-per-view with a VPN or proxie.
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We'll be there Feb 13-20It's probably best to go in January to beat the Spring Festival crowd (Which comes on Feb 9 - Feb 15 this year), but Guilin is pretty well able to handle the crowds
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"I love showbiz!"
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Notice that one cookie has a big bite out of it!It has been fun doing our first xmas together
Kool Pictures!
It looks like Santa forgot to eat his cookies when he left his presents!
Tradition here is we leave cookies, milk for Santa and carrots for his reindeers. Crumbs are left over and empty glass of milk along with a few pieces of carrots.
I'm afraid this year will be the last for our son (9 years old) for believing in Santa.
Merry Christmas to Y'all in China!
The best surprise of xmas this year happened when we were walking home from the pizza dinner... it began to snow... on xmas day! Very xmassy!!!
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The link was posted earlier this year to beautiful and natural China. Well we have decided to start with the Li River and sights near Guilin on our Spring Festival holiday trip... don't forget the back of that 20RMB note:
http://images.travelpod.com/users/loisal99/1.1262202213.li-river-on-back-of-20-rmb-note.jpg
Has anyone been there? Any tips?
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It has been fun doing our first xmas together
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We're treating some Wuhan friends to an xmas dinner of pizza at http://www.gianos.cn
Family? Friends? What about the xmas stuff? Tree, carols, gifts, decorations?A small get-together in NanningHam, pizza and salmon and a small group - no relatives (except for wives).
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...While some Chinese are celebrating Christmas in a commercial way, another group of people are seeking the original meaning of the Western festival.
The "original meaning"? http://www.essortmen...gins-42543.html
No one knows what day Jesus Christ was born on. From the biblical description, most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that Jesus was born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter. So why do we celebrate Christ's birthday as Christmas, on December the 25th?
The answer lies in the pagan origins of Christmas. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast.
In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. It is in ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born.
In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year.
Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means "wheel," the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.
The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.
In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ's birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.
Christmas (Christ-Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany, though Catholics and Lutherans still disagree about which church celebrated it first. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: "Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ."
The controversy continues even today in some fundamentalist sects.
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Young Chinese embrace Christmas
China Daily, December 25, 2012
On Christmas Eve Chinese youngsters embrace the festival like Westerners but not for the religious reasons or for family reunion.
Soldiers don a different uniform as they bring joy to orphans in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, on Christmas Eve. [Photo/China Daily]
Young people have found their "Chinese way" to celebrate the traditional Western festival. For them, Christmas is more like an excuse to have a break from their busy lives.
Liu Ping, a postgraduate student from Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, spent last Christmas having a dinner with her boyfriend and enjoying the sales.
"I had a great time, and I'm planning to do the same this year, " Liu added, recalling she spent 10,000 yuan (1,604 U.S. dollars) on the day.
In many department stores across the country, Christmas decorations, trees, Santas and jingle bells can be found, luring shoppers.
Sales volume on Christmas Eve is the highest for the whole year, according to Kang Wei, director of the sales of Guidu department store in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province.
Experts believe more Chinese youngsters have started celebrating Christmas due to pressures and seize any opportunity to have fun.
"Carrying a lot of pressure, the young seek to relax, providing moneymaking opportunities for merchants," said Ma Zhichao, director of humanistic resource development and research center of Shanxi Academy of Social Sciences.
"Festivals like Christmas have been turned into a shopping festival, even a carnival," Ma said.
While some Chinese are celebrating Christmas in a commercial way, another group of people are seeking the original meaning of the Western festival.
On Sunday, two days before Christmas, Chen Kejia was baptized and became a Christian.
"I chose to be baptized on that day. To spend a real Christmas with other Christians," said Chen, a nurse at a foreign-funded hospital in Beijing.
Chen said the most attractive part of Christianity is love. "To love your family, your friends, colleagues, and people you don't know."
At 3 p.m. Monday at the South Cathedral, one of the most ancient cathedrals of Beijing, in Xuanwumen, Xicheng District, Catholics were swarming to attend Mass from 6 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Thousands of people are expected to spend the Christmas Eve here.
A 20-year-old girl, surnamed Zhao, is spending her first Christmas in Beijing. Coming from a Catholic family, she is used to celebrating Christmas at a local cathedral in her hometown. This year, she is helping prepare Mass in the cathedral in Beijing.
Another Catholic, surnamed Yang, is waiting for the beginning of Mass and expressed, "For real Catholics like us, Christmas is a day to remember the birth of Jesus. It moves me and gives me power."
Yang said the Christmas atmosphere had been commercialized in China, which had nothing to do with religious belief.
"It's completely different from our real Christmas," he said.
http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20121225/001fd04cf03a124373c63a.jpg
One hundred Santas dance in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province on Christmas eve on Dec 24, 2012. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]
It is what it is.
China requires Internet users to register names
in The Middle Kingdom - 中国
Posted
More typical China bashing:
Thanks Ben and Sally, have a happy monitored new year. We wouldn't want to have hundreds of your friends posting as one person now, would we?