Forums > Living in Kunming > Am I the only one to be shocked by Top One's add ? Tianli, western clubs have ladies' night all the time. It's to attract more ladies into the clubs and bars. If there are no ladies, then guys will go somewhere else, and the club gets no business.
Top One and other Chinese clubs get foreigners occasionally, and they'd like to have more in there. Some Chinese people think that the club with the most foreigners is a hip place to be, and will go there to drink and party.
As you know, most Chinese are shy when talking with foreigners. They may have excellent English yet still worry about expressing themselves well. With the help of our glorious friend alcohol, they become less inhibited and more curious and talkative, and many want to show Chinese hospitality to foreigners and buy them drinks, even expensive drinks. In America and other Western countries, the more sexy ladies there are, the more men clamor to buy them drinks. Altogether this translates into more business for the bar. This is a discount that applies to foreigners, giving us a CHEAPER price. This is good for foreigners, and good for the bar, or else they wouldn't do it. Now, I will tell you what the word you used, "discrimination" really means, so I can spare you the trouble of looking it up. Examples help more than a real definition anyway.
Tianli, I advise you not to go to Tuodong Swimming pool near Tuodong stadium. The price for single admissions is usually 20 yuan, but it is 30 yuan for foreigners. This is posted on the wall, and when you bitch about it, the cashier points to the sign. So we know that it is official business to RAISE the price for foreigners. When you try to bargain for things, you'll get a higher original price if you're a foreigner, and the merchant usually settles only at a higher price than what Chinese people would pay. This is especially pronounced if your Chinese language skills are weak. Furthermore, high-earning foreigners with work visas and official salaries are now going to be taxed to pay into China's social security system, even though most foreigners bring in far more money than they take out of the country, and will probably never use the social security system anyway. That's not exactly as discriminatory as the above two examples, but it is unfair in my opinion.
Tianli, the above mentioned things are discrimination. A 20% discount at a bar is nothing to bitch about, and it is certainly not discrimination. Yes, you are judged based on the color of your skin. Welcome to earth.
Getting Away: Luang Prabang
发布者Well done Hugh. I was in Luang Prabang myself in February, and it was just as beautiful and interesting as you say.
There are a variety of other things to do in and around Luang Prabang. Some of the ecotourism companies like Green Discovery offer quite a good experience, albeit at a hefty price for what people accustomed to living in China would think.
The elephant village is also worth a look. Tourists can enjoy the elephants guilt-free, since all of them have been rescued from the logging industry. Carrying tourists around, even fat ones, is much better than 700 kilogram logs, and the elephants are all well-fed and cared for.
Laos can be reached by Vientiane as well, and Vientiane is also worth a look. It's the sleepiest, shortest (no skyscrapers that I could see) capital city that I've ever seen.
Laos is not as developed as Thailand or Vietnam, and the people are much more relaxed as well. Getting away to places like Nong Khaiw, (5 hours from LP) is easy and well worth it.