Unless one has the legendary and mythical green card - it's ALWAYS a good idea to take your passport when visiting hospitals, banks, travel points (hotels, airports and rail) and of course, the police station.
That's a relief (finger's crossed).
On the WeChat app - there's an app (in the app listings?) for an agent which lists SFO and two others - we use the others for shipping soft non-breakable goods such as clothes, pots & pans, etc. I'm sure both WeChat and alipay have several other shipping companies' apps, such as:
ZTO
UC
Yunda (not the university)
etc etc etc - these are the same companies that are used to ship goods sold on taobao, jd, etc.
We use the app to have a guy come pick up whatever we need to ship (be reasonable - they're a courier service and the guy is usually on an e-bike). We also have them deliver those green Santa Claus bags (dunno what they're called - but they're quite sturdy and resilient).
He'll walk you through how to use the app (in chinese) and carries a small hand scale that can go up to maybe 20kg or more.
As for shipping rates - dunno these days...but they charge by kg.
Yereth
I gave up long ago and installed Parallels for MacOS although I'm unsure if it'll work the same with Apple's non-intel CPUs. You can download and run a demo copy to test your bank's PC apps and key fobs for compatibility.
Parallels allows you to run native MacOS and boot up the app when you need to run WINOS (or other OS's, such as unix flavors) in parallel with the MacOS. It seems to run at speeds close to WINOS native mode - aka good enough for most video games - with some caveats.
The drawback - you need to carve out enough disk space for it to boot and run WINOS - 32GB should be enough for a minimum config (because it uses memory paging - this assumes your computer has 8-16GB RAM).
As this is for business - you could install the WINOS partition on an external drive (recommend SSD) which would theoretically increase security (unless you lose the external drive).
Finally, you'll need a LICENSED version of WINOS to create the bootable parallels image or genuine multi boot partition. I installed both the parallels winos image (along with other operating system images) and also created a bootable WINOS partition - for those rare but pesky winos apps that refused to run under parallels. The advantage of having a bootable partition - you can always just reboot the macOS into winos and run it in native mode.
Otherwise - parallels creates something similar to a disk image - so hope you have a LARGE hard drive with lots of space available (AFTER you eat the 32GB drive space for parallels).
After using it for a while - it's rather seamless, other than the extra delay time used to boot or "wake" the WINOS partition. Parallels allows you to "sleep" the WINOS, so it'll restart in its last known booted state, which is convenient. Also beware the infinitude of WINOS updates. Also you'll need WINOS antivirus software, just to be somewhat safer - but most of the major freeware packages should suffice.
This worked well for me until CCB finally ditched the USB dongle security device (which used to catastrophically fail roughly every 3 months) - but that was on a regular consumer/customer account.
Best wishes...hope this helps, as I recall it used to be a major pain to change the registered primary bank tied to a business.
1.5% of the full fare ticket price for domestic flights. But your mileage may vary.
REFERENCE LINK
www.csair.com/[...]
For the record - we just ship extra luggage using any of the delivery companies. SFO if you want higher quality delivery service (aka not kicked and bounced around by gorillas). For clothes - they'll bring one of those ugly green fibrous bags over. If it's breakable or fragile (not glassware) we'll wrap it in bubble wrap, then again in a comforter or towels and clothes, then into Santa's ugly green but surprisingly resilient fiber bag. Cost is typically around any CNY 100-200 for 10-20 kg. Forgot the pricing scale but most of the shipping agents are roughly the same, SFO being somewhat pricier - but infinitely cheaper than shipping by airline...although if you ship say a guitar - you should expect it to arrive in pieces.
If you're not in a particular rush - you can also ship things via China rail - but they're more expensive than the competitive gorilla shipping agents - but great when you need to move a shipping container of possessions.
WARNING
Be aware because of various lockdowns, shipping services may be somewhat intermittent.
No results found.
Took the family here to stroll around and there's a LOT of walking. Many of the stores appear closed, but the bar street nestled inside seems quite well populated.
We chose the Japanese restaurant near the entrance (there are many entrances). The food and service was quite acceptable - from the fruit salad, tuna salad, curry pork cutlet, and the ubiquitous California Sush Rolls (you can buy the small size or the large size).
It rained a little while we were there, which helped drench the heat and humidity. When the sun came out - it was HOT.
If you're lucky, you'll occasionally see people (usually women) wearing minority clothing being photographed by professional photographers. There's also a small photographer's store where you can rent various ethnic clothing and have professional pictures taken (maybe the two are related...now that I think about it).
There's also the ubiquitous game centers (shooting galleries etc) for the kids and unaccompanied teenagers.
It seems the most popular venues were the prolific food courts - but that's probably related to it being lunchtime when we visited. The place is clean and plenty of antiqued door fronts (the wood panels) for those photo shoots.
Capping off the visit, one must of course take pictures on the bridges crossing the lily ponds and the landmark temple spire. We didn't make it to the surrounding temples. Maybe next time.
Transportation is everywhere - but make sure you have your mobile phone ride share app working, just in case you hit rush hour.
Again - for now - it seems many vendors were closed - but I'm positive that'll change again as the economy begins to rebound.
Excellent way to spend a half day as opposed to the kids faces glued to their mobile devices...fresh air, good food, plenty of people watching, and walking...walking...walking...
Took the family here a few days ago. Wonderful place to go walking with lots of snack & drink kiosks (along with chairs and tables) to rest frequently. This zoo is similar to most other large open air zoos with reasonably spacious enclosures. This place is HUGE so be prepared for a LOT of walking. Consider wearing sensible hiking or walking shoes. Your feet will be grateful.
Entrance fees when we went still cny100 for adults and kids cny70. Feeding the animals at the managed venues - cny30 per site...per child. Monkeys can be fed by tossing carrots and sliced apples into their enclosure - which is good. Monkeys famous for flash mobbing. Can be terrifying for kids (and adults). Even in the enclosures, you can clearly see they're territorial and aggressive. Bullying is displayed frequently enough for teaching moments for the kids (cuz there are monkeys in all schools everywhere in the world).
MOST people bring their own food and drink, as the kiosks are quite expensive. Example a cny5 drink outside is cny10 in the zoo, so expect most everything to be twice as expensive. I had a bbq chick drumstick (leg?) for cny25...ouch.
Bring carrots. LOTS of carrots. The zoo has several managed (paid) and unmanaged petting areas for most semi-domesticated animals, such as the Alpacas (seriously cute), deer, giraffes (ok...you can feed the giraffes on an elevated platform, but probably difficult to "pat" the animals. It's kind of spectacular to actually see giraffes face to face - these animals are simply vertigo inducing huge and tall.
The seal show was nice - typical of seal shows everywhere. Seals are kind of like the dogs of the sea. Friendly and ravenous appetites so easily trainable.
Lots of cheap touristy souvenirs to buy the for the kiddies (and relatives kids).
HIGHLY recommend taking the bus tour - they basically zoom around picking up and dropping off customers (they check your e-ticket at every pickup site) at entrances and exits to walking enclosures. They'll drop you off at roughly 15 minute walking sites. NO need to rush and you can grab ANY bus upon emerging from the walking enclosure sites.
Of course, the ultimate attraction always the lion and tiger exhibits at the top of the mountain.
Bring a fan. It gets hot. We were fortunate as the sky was mostly overcast so the temperature was generally cool, but heated up almost instantly whenever the sun peeked out of the clouds.
Bring LOTS of water. Most veteran tourists have their own liter bottles of water. Bring your own umbrella. When the sun comes out - it's HOT. Bring a wide brimmed hat if you're into comfort over vanity. SUNTAN LOTION never goes astray.
Aside from that - typical Chinese group site with everyone rushing the buses and ticket counters. Not so much rushing for the food venues, so seems the elevated prices keep that comfortably in check.
All in all - GREAT place to take the kiddies (or a date if you both know you're into each other - cuz you'll be spending an entire day together). The Outdoor Zoo seems exceptionally well designed with plenty of both managed and unmanaged (eg walking deer along the roadside and the stroll through the peacock "garden").
Easy cab or shared ride out and back. Taxis aplenty when you're ready to leave (just walk past the parking lot gate - they'll be waiting for you). You should consider dining out or delivery at the end of the day.
Took the kiddies here again.
1. It's FREE.
2. NO knives, lighters, sharp objects, etc. There's a place in front to check bags, luggage (if you're traveling), etc - but the exit is in the rear of the monolithic building, so it's a bit of a hike to walk back around to the checked storage area (it's also FREE).
THIRD FLOOR
We went straight to the third floor - History and artifacts of Yunnan (mostly). Rich history - lots of original sculptures etc removed from grottoes and displayed in the museum. Lots of English language titles and occasionally some explanatory text in English.
SECOND FLOOR
This is the evolution floor with lots of petrified artifacts - sea life mostly, lots of recreations of animals and environments from pre-man times.
There are coffee shops and dining areas on the first floor and drink vending machines on the second and third floors. The place is HUGE so a great place to take the kiddies and walk around until they're tired. They'll probably enjoy the dinosaur exhibit on the second floor the most. Wait a few minutes and the dinosaurs will roar and move their heads and maybe pretend to chew (open and close their maws).
PLENTY of parking and unfortunately NOT close to any subway station, so you'll have to grab a cab or rideshare but seems taxis and transportation are aplenty in the city and surrounding environs.
And...it's FREE for now. Museum closes at 5pm so make sure you leave by 430-445 so you can hike back to the storage area if you checked anything in as they also close at 5pm.
Enjoy!
This is a great place to walk around and generally kill time while shopping for nothing in particular. Nearby is the Paulaner Brewhouse for super fantastic food, coffee and drinks, outdoor patio dining or just hanging and people watching.
DATE
2022.01.17
SUMMARY
Just popped in for the annual to biennial visa health check. Cost was CNY 487 - don't forget to bring at least THREE (3) visa pictures and your mask.
As usual, there are TWO health codes to display - the usual kunming/yunnan green QR code and the green "Arrow" code.
ARRIVAL
I went late in the morning, but still managed to shuttle through all the departments and get out before lunch.
I used didi to get there and the map now correctly shows the rear parking entrance as the destination drop-off point. You can also take the subway to a nearby station, and walk walk walk walk walk - it's actually not too far but it will elevate your blood pressure and pulse (BPP) - so make sure to rest 5-10 minutes to allow your BPP to drop back to resting state.
Upon arrival at the main gate, you'll do the usual check-in procedure - mask, sign-in, green QR code, temperature check.
Once inside - Present your passport, green QR code, and green (hopefully) arrow code. Scan the QR codes on your left as you walk in if you don't have these prepared already. The staff will then pass you an application form. Walk over to the wall of stand-up desks to your right, fill out the forms, then stroll over to the clerks to present the form. They'll print out a sheet of bar coded labels for your tests, take your digital picture, attach everything together with a paper clip, then direct you to the cashier to pay CNY 487 (WeChat, alipay, bank card, etc) Don't know if they still accept cash.
HEALTH CHECKS
Hike up the the 2nd or 3rd floor to start the battery of tests:
3rd floor
Chest X-ray
Physical (height, weight, BMI/body mass index)
2nd floor
ECG
Sonogram
Urine test
Blood Test
Eye test (color blindness and eye chart)
Dental
Heart (pulse, blood pressure)
I may have missed a few like the OB GYN...
It seems they also have a COVID/NAT (nucleic acid test) center in a shipping container lab outside the health center - but I didn't bother jogging over to check if it was still operational. In retrospect, should've checked, as the hospitals are jam packed with Chinese New Year travelers.
RESULTS PICKUP
The test results are ready the afternoon of the second day. The facility seems sparsely busy even though they service both foreigners and nationals. There were rarely lines or noticeable waits beyond a few minutes, with at most 1-2 people ahead of you.
Staff are always nice, polite, professional and tirelessly patient for those of us with limited to no communications abilities.
Patrick Scally hands GK editorial reins to Vera van de Nieuwenhof
发布者I was wondering what's next for Patrick. Wish him well in his future endeavors.
Report: Poverty levels continue to drop significantly across Yunnan
发布者@Geogramatt
Assuming your question was serious - a simple google or bing search will yield a plethora of results. The UN (un.edu) has an excellent article on China and India's definition of "poverty lines", but the information is probably outdated as China's economy zooms ahead. China's National Development & Reform Commission - which manages the national five year plan strategies contains the general high level requirements for sustainable development of this country (en.ndrc.gov.cn).
China's five years plans used to be mocked and ridiculed by the western media - but if you've ever performed or witnessed requirements engineering and the processes and artifacts - you cannot but conclude these artifacts are world class professional documents. The Five Year Plans are essentially high level requirements, which indicate the government's architecture for this country - which are then supposed to be devolved by project owners (government officials) into detailed planning documents for execution, monitoring & controlling, and phase out - following generally accepted globally recognized professional standards for professional project management.
Report: Poverty levels continue to drop significantly across Yunnan
发布者Many of China's sustainable poverty elimination plans included seeding of livestock (chickens, pigs, etc) to enable animal husbandry, to increase annual income of the farmers. Last reports were China had sustainable eliminated poverty for over 800 million citizens, with roughly 70-80 million to go. Xi JinPing's goal is 100% elimination by 2020.
Regardless of definition - the consistent attention to poverty elimination is laudable and China's accomplishment in this area is unparalleled in recorded history - resulting in formal recognition by the UN for its successful efforts in this area.
Occasionally, there are questionable ploys to eliminate poverty - such as merely moving people from poverty stricken areas to a different place, to accomplish the numbers - however moving to more fertile or arable ground with better access to transportation, water, healthcare and education facilities can also be considered an improvement in quality of life.
China's current Five Year Plans call for the industrialization of the rural areas, in a responsible sustainable manner. This next move will involve a major cultural shift in the rural areas as farmers begin to aggregate land and resources, pay more attention to water and soil pollution, and reduce the uses of chemical fertilizers and insecticides.
Animal husbandry is another area of potential aggregation - with tremendous opportunities for the high technologies from developed nations such as the EU (+UK), Japan, and USA.
All of these technologies offer the opportunity of significantly reduced water usage and significantly reduced water pollution. It's actually a rather exciting period of history to watch as this massive country continues its transition into a developed nation and global leader and expands into the belt and road with infrastructure development for its neighbors.
If the China model can be applied along the belt and road - the entire Middle East and Africa will finally have the opportunity to similarly eliminate poverty, develop sustainable economies, and perhaps even make serious dents on global terrorism.
Property conglomerate Hang Lung opens Spring City 66, Kunming's tallest building
发布者Terrifying. Two years to get architectural drawings approved and 8 years from inception to project completion. Absolutely terrifying process. I wonder why HangLung was so consistently motivated to develop this project in Kunming?
Video: Zen and the art of patisserie with chef Igor Nataf
发布者Meanwhile - back to Igor's, the video was quite nice also...Thank you.