Yes indeed, and item 2 was talked about a lot a few short years ago. Discussions floated around the possible need for an exit strategy/plan B if things took a turn for the worse. Things have settled down a lot since then.
This is not a direct answer to your question and slightly off topic, sorry.
Here are my observations on buying a property in China, at the moment. I am no property expert, BTW.
With rental mutlipliers now as high as they are in China, property is not something I would invest in anymore.
When I say rental multiplier, I mean the number of months rent it would take to buy an apartment. If you ignore interest payments on a mortgage, and rental inflation, the multipliers are often over 800x. For my daughter in Shanghai it would be over 1000x, and she lives in a fairly modest development.
With a multiplier of 800, it would take 66 years of rent to cover your investment. I am not sure how much of the existing housing stock will still be standing in 60 years time.
Rents are going up gradually, but property values tend not to. Property prices (of new housing stock) may increase marginally, but values of existing property do not behave in the same way. There is a surplus of supply at the moment. However, market forces do not seem to be operating normally in the Chinese property market, there have been reports published about this anomaly.
If you get caught with a property with problems, and many people have been, you cannot easily sell up and move on. Some addresses do suffer from a reputational blight.
Another consideration, if you are considering a mortgage, most new property is undecorated/not ready to move in and is usually a basic shell needing floors, celings, utilities, bathrooms, kitchens, and all plumbing to be installed. You will not get a loan for this, it needs to come out of any remaining cash that you have.
In contrast, if you rent, the property owner has already taken all of the risk and upfront expense. If you move into a place that you grow to hate, it is easy to move and find a new apartment, or even a new city to live in.
You can also leave more of your cash (possibly invested) in your home country, should an emergency repatriation be needed.
Like I said, I am not an expert. These are just my observations based on 15 years in China, as a property owner.
The forums had 'gone to shit' before, often due to 'thread-shitting', angry hostile responses, and shouting matches; which is probably why a number of regular contributors stopped posting. Perhaps one of the reasons why the up/down voting was introduced.
If I think back to the time before the up/downvote system, there was a very real reputational risk for this Website. As GoKunming is not the only Website to use up/down voting, it is reasonable to assume that the industry has found it to be an effective tool, even if some individuals really don't like it.
Our bins are also marked the same as @cloud. Then the person empties both sets of rubbish into one wheelie bin, before moving on to the next set of bins.
The only things that get separated are those of easy recycle/cash value, like cardboard and plastic bottles.
We will see what happens in October, and see what transpires with domestic waste separation in Shanghai. Businesses are easy to inspect and control, but in a qiaoqu the waste is usually a mixture from different residences; which would be difficult to monitor and control.
No results found.
Great to know it is no longer dry.
Good review BTW
This has moved.
The cut flowers are about 700m east on Duonan Jie. The plants and trees are about 700 m west and follow Duocai Section.
A reasonable choice of lumber that has improved over time. Fancy hardwoods like walnut, and mahogany are in abundance. There are some plywood and rubber-wood boards available. There are also some kiln dried imported softwoods and merbao available. Some of the lumber is very green, so look for the kiln dried if you need stable timbers.
Echo everything said by others.
Breakfast great and the serve from 8am. Most other places say 9am and they still are not ready.
Sandwiches are cheap 22-32, and really packed full of filling. We got some sandwiches for a day out, the only mistake I made was ordering two, as this was too much. These are seriously good sangars, and they are wrapped in alu foil.
In fairness to Metro, they are a wholesalers, and not really a supermarket. Hence the need for a card, which can be got around.
They have improved in the year I have been away. They now carry a more consistent range of imported foodstuffs and they also seem to have sorted out the mported milk supply.
They have a wider range of electrical appliances now, there is a coice of more than one toast. There is also a better range of seasonal non foods, like clothes, shoes, garden furniture and camping gear.
Red panda detained, held for questioning
发布者Reminds me of this little gem from history. www.thisishartlepool.co.uk/history/thehartlepoolmonkey.asp
Red panda detained, held for questioning
发布者Kinda makes you wonder if it escaped the clutches of an illegal animal trader whilst on the way to some eating establishment.
Kunming neighborhoods face water rationing
发布者There really is an argument for limited all year round water restrictions, and not just waiting till it reaches crisis and then implementing crisis measures.
Interview: Environmentalist Li Yuan
发布者Taiyangneng (solar heating systems) can be wasteful but need not be. Ours has a small wind driven pump on the roof that constantly circulates the water around the house, so that there is always hot water throughout the system, close to every tap.
Chinese academic ponders globe-spanning railways
发布者@ Blobbles,
I agree, the train to the US would not be that great. A journey for enthusiasts perhaps.
Look at Chinese travelers today, who takes the 2-3 day journeys now? Those without the means to pay for another choice. I do not see it being a feasible link for business travelers.
Rail links to the US would be useful for freight trains, but they will not be doing 300kph in the foreseeable future.