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Forums > Travel Yunnan > 小矮人王国 - Kingdom of the Dwarfs

1. I do not understand the relevance of what does or doesn't go on in the U.S. to this discussion.
2. 'Voluntarily' traveling to work and live in the Dwarf Empire is not entirely voluntary, as an above message itself: the message mentions how poorly small people are treated when applying for other jobs - i.e., the problem is one of establishing a level playing field in the society itself - dwarf kingdoms etc. are merely escapes, which increase the public attitude that these people are a globally 'special' group who can perform cuddly roles, etc., for tourist amusement, and can't do anything else.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Last night's scuffle on Wenhua Xiang

I think the stupidest way to approach this sort of thing is to consider it some kind of conflict between 20% of the world's people (Chinese citizens) and the other 80% (non-Chinese citizens) - but that seems to be the kind of bottom line idiocy that nationalist indoctrination everywhere puts in people's heads - the idea that the world can intelligently be divided, anywhere, into 2 groups - 'Us' and 'foreigners'. However, the fact that many foreigners choose to live here for years without learning more than 6 words of the language does not exactly lead them to any intelligent understanding of their social environment, or of any specific individual within it.

As for the specific incident and the individuals involved, I know nothing but second-hand stories.

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Forums > Travel Yunnan > 小矮人王国 - Kingdom of the Dwarfs

I see: accept the cultural attitudes as unchangeable or eternal or something, and then attempt to protect the people from the culture. Martin Luther King perhaps once considered racial segregation as a protective measure for African Americans - but then he changed his mind.

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I wish journalists would stop using the category 'drugs', or even 'illegal drugs', as if it explained what the substances are and what they do (are we talking about weed or smack? or perhaps whiskey, in some countries?) - it instills a very ambiguous category into the human brain, so that it can't think clearly (ie., similar to many 'drugs' which have the advantage of wearing off after awhile, besides the fact that the 'drug' user KNOWS that he's inflicted weirdness upon himself). And at any rate, there's no excuse for the state in which we live to go about executing people, China has plenty of prisons, and my thought would be to decrease the number of killings, intentional or otherwise, not increase them.

I agree with szbruce - the idea of using hanyu pinyin would, however, perhaps encourage any non-mother-tongue users of the language (such as most Chinese, and non-Chinese who don't go to IPA (as most won't)) to pronounce it in a similar manner to the pronunciation of Chinese, and so in this way to move in the direction of a 'sinicization' of the languages (essentially, to make Han Chinese a sort of standard for these languages). This sounds suspiciously like a nationalist move, and perhaps that is what is intended.

Some years ago (maybe 4) one could/couldn't actually stay at Zhu Family Gdns (unless you were some kinda government bigshot), but it is perhaps a hotel now?

If the 6 people on this court's staff are indeed serious about what they are trying to do, I really feel for them, as the priorities for 'development' run straight counter to them. Keep up the good work, and perhaps it might be best if these folks didn't keep too much booze around the house, especially if they live alone.

Reviews

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Not quite what you'd call a jumping place, but not bad at all for rather standard US-type meals, not overly expensive, and with a really good salad bar that's cheap, or free with most dinner dishes after 5:30PM. You can get a bottle of beer or even wine if you really want to, but I've never seen anybody do it - maybe that's just to take out. Chinese Christian run, and they hire people with physical disadvantages, who are pleasant and helpful. Frequented by foreign (mostly North American) Christians and Chinese Christians - was started by a Canadian couple associated with Bless China (previously, Project Grace), who are no longer here, but no religious pressure or any of that. Steaks are nothing special, and I avoid the Korean dishes, which I've had a few times but which did not impress me.

As a shop and bakery, it's very good bread at reasonable prices, of various kinds (Y18 for a good multigrain loaf that certainly weighs well over a pound. Other stuff too, like granola and oatmeal that is local, as well as imported things, including American cornflakes and so forth, which some people seem to require.

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Large portions, seriously so with the pizza, which is Brooklyn/American style, I guess. Convivial, conversational, good place to drink with good folks on both sides of the bar, especially after about 9PM.

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Really good pizza and steaks. The wine machine fuddles me when I'm a bit fuddled, & seems unnecessary. Good folks on both sides of the bar.