China's domestic economy is so heavily based on urbanization, that even without financial difficulties like these of Evergrande, the road ahead in coming decades will be a rough ride.
Bumps like this on the road, now, will help China to prepare for the worse that is to come.
I don't think that we have subscribed to any premium service with Metro. Have been using the same "card" as before, albeit in my phone I just show them a photo of the QR. The account is linked to my wife's phone, and last we checked it was not possible for other family members to use the same account in Metro app.
But lately we use Metro's home delivery more, which is also to our door. When we go there in person, it's mostly to entertain the kid.
Also noting that at Metro (north) they seem to have upgraded their tasting station availability in recent month or two. There's regularly wider range of snacks and fruits to sample for free, occasionally wine too!
It is entirely possible that these bans will eventually extend to also adults, but my understanding is that for the time being this is not the case.
And that leaves one group of adults in the market - parents and would-be parents, who want to tutor their own children themselves.
In Chinese commentary related to these regulations it has been stressed that parenting is still allowed. It might be a dangerous leap for the powers to be to interfere, now, in what (non-political) adults do with their time, or how they raise their children.
So throw courses to these parents instead of their children. Refresh some things they may have forgotten from their school years and print some material to take home.
I had not been anywhere beyond walking distance for some time, mainly thanks to revelation that home delivery from Metro is cheaper than subway trip there.
Then yesterday went on a multi-stop subway/office trip. Arriving to local subway station, the healthcode app in AliPay notified "Health Information Has Expired", and required declaring again. Filled everything like before, including "No" to "Current Symptoms".
However, when I clicked to submit it, the app complained about "Current Symptoms" not being filled in properly.
This happened constantly - luckily wife was with me to explain the problem repeatedly at half a dozen checkpoints within the morning, usually twice because the first guy couldn't solve it and forwarded us to second guy who wasn't any smarter about it.
Today evening I checked from comfort of home, and this time it worked.
Agreed. There will be lot of such opportunities for different types of foreigners who are already legally here, and would not be risking that legal stay by engaging in such activities.
Foreign students, workers and other temporary RP/visa holders doing it without formal agreement between their institutions and PSB would be breaking immigration laws.
But permanent residency holders, and those holding Chinese nationality in addition to a nationally perhaps recognized elsewhere. No formal permits, employment, or qualifications needed.
Speaking of which, does China have some minimum age to let children make pocket money from things like baby sitting or... hmm, I don't know, play dating? I'm thinking it's time for the four year old to start contributing. Won't be playing games anyway.
No results found.
Bullet train to Dali to begin running July 1
发布者On our trips to wife's hometown in rural Baoshan, we've pretty much had to spend a night in hotel in Dali on the way, before taking a bus west to Yongping and then shared car south to rural Baoshan in the following day.
Sometimes it's a choice though, because there are friends to see in Dali - but more often necessity.
With this new train, we may be able to take early train to Dali, and have enough time to get to Yongping and to our final destination within same day.
So for us, and I believe many western Yunnanese who make way home, this will mean opportunity to skip more of Dali.
A look at Yunnan's evolving anti-drug strategy
发布者What has probably changed in last few years, is that local authorities are increasingly offering cash rewards to citizens who report any kind of suspicious activities by foreigners - be it drugs, prostitution, or spying.
In interview, Yunnan Party chief stresses ending poverty
发布者Overall, my opinion about "socialism with Chinese characteristics" is that the "Chinese characteristics" should be limited to absolute single party rule in Beijing to decide laws and the directions that the country goes.
Implementing those laws should (and are) left to local level governments, and these local level governments should be accountable to the people.
These officials do not need be democratically elected, but they should serve the people democractically.
The people should hold local government officials accountable for implementing the decisions that dictators in Beijing dictate. This is where the democracy in China should thrive. The people should have direct channels to Beijing to report failures of local officials, and Beijing should be quick to respond.
People shouldn't even have a need to go to barricades, if they could trust the supposedly strong central government to deal with issues.
This does absolute not mean that the rule of party would decrease - it would increase, through and for the people. The central government will become stronger, when they don't have to watch inefficient local officials holding posts that they don't deserve.
They implement this accountability retroactively now, and Yunnan is no stranger to this. Development toward society with people first will also mean officials being accountable first and not sometime later.
And I believe that the system will naturally develop to that.
Anti-corruption campaign has changed the picture, where those who want easy life with kickbacks and gifts aim for official positions with capacity to receive them. Increasingly it is so, that those who really want to serve the people even consider these positions.
A smart to-be official like this will eventually perhaps voluntarily ask the people if they want him to take the post to begin with. And that's not far from western-like democracy, even if no formal elections ever take place and the important decisions keep being made by dictators in Beijing.
Foreign observes can keep commenting about those decisions made in Beijing to end of days, while China should ignore that and not fuel the fire by having the decisions (whether good or bad) not properly carried through local levels.
This is increasingly important now, when structural changes (of which many can not be expected to be popular with all components of society) are required to float the ship.
For Chinese, the country being a dictatorship of the party would be better than a being broken dictatorship of the party, that it has been in past.
In interview, Yunnan Party chief stresses ending poverty
发布者@nnoble: "Why should anyone assume that China aspire to become democratic or why 'democracy' should be considered a suitable system of governance for China?"
Now you are incorrecly assuming that choice between democracy or any other system is a black and white decision that defines the entire governing system of a country.
Even China does have some democracy in grassroots (rownship etc) levels, and increasing this kind of democracy does not mean abandoning the rule of the party or socialism with Chinese characteristics. The opposite in fact - well measured moves to increase democracy in select areas can strengthen the rule of the party.
Simple truth is that when people get sufficiently fed and housed, their minds start to wander to what else they should or could get.
Should they be wanting KTVs and KFCs, or guarantee that now they have proper housing, they won't have to move again just because some businessman from Zhejiang wants to build a dam or a mine right in that spot - with or without their permission, with or without proper environmental guards.
In interview, Yunnan Party chief stresses ending poverty
发布者Also there are some possible positive consequences that could be expected from removing poverty in China. It is clearly an area where the state is putting lot of money and resources, and once that is done, what next?
Optimists could expect the country's self esteem and confidence to raise from "job well done", which could release political will to liberal reforms - further increase rule of law, civil society, or even democracy.
But an unavoidable next step is to build support to the aging population.
So just as important as removing poverty is, possibly even more important is to get it done so the country can move to other things.