Ask me about China - a Chinese-born Foreigner's Impression

[Zeestein]

I recently had the opportunity to holiday in China for over 3 weeks and HK for 3 or 4 days. I didn't appreciate this country when younger, but this really is a nation with many faces.

I live in Melbourne, Australia and have done so for 15+ years (I'm 24, just graduated).

I didn't hit up like tourist haunts cos they're basically alike (nightclubs, bars etc) but instead stayed with my grandparents, so fire away about stuff you are curious about about common life in China - stuff like food, living standards, the economy, "free-market Communism" etc.

I'll try to answer your queries in a concise and timely manner.

[Zeestein]

Various tidbits:

#1: in most public toilets, including places like McDonalds and KFC, you'd have to squat to poop

#2: there is an exam for further education once you reach the end of year 9, or your 3rd year of high school. The failure rate is high and the costs to continue schooling exhobirant. This is presumably why I only ever get served by cute chicks that would most certainly be jailbait in any place that attempts to "Western" like cafes or steakhouses.

#3: a popular drink sold widely in Fuzhou (north of HK/Taiwan, just south of Shanghai, located right along the eastern seaboard) is olive juice, which is basically the consistency and appearance of apple juice but with no apples, but olives. I like it.

#4: apparently the going rate for a massage/hooker in a hotel is $100 RMB, which is like ~US$13. I did not take her up.

[NewTeaBag]

It's sooooooooooooooooooo darn HUDGE!

What spots would you reccomend (outside the big touristy traps like the great wall) to get a "taste of different parts" of CHina on say a 2 week visit. (I'm in Thailand so the jump isn't too far for me.

[Zeestein]

NewTeaBag,

for all the hustle and bustle of the major cities, a little further inland reveals truly beautiful mountain-sides. I went to Wuyi Mountain during my trip, one of the 4 major UNESCO listed heritage sites in China. Just gorgeous, you could take a barge along the river in the morning and see the mountainside from the water. You could climb various peaks and sample the local tea which is really really excellent. The star attraction is undoubtedly the beautiful views from the mountains. There is now a genuine developed township, with tons of hotels and restaurants. Stay in the cheap places and you could have a great time for not much at all. The shops in the mountains itself are pretty expensive though.

I assume the 3 other world heritage sites are similar, though I understand Wuyi Mountain is the smallest in scale.

It was a 5 hr one-way train trip from Fuzhou (the capital of Fujian province).

[BPA234]

What are your thoughts in regards to the political climate amongst the population? Your grandparents must be really interesting to talk to since they have lived through so much.

[Zeestein]

[ QUOTE ]
How do I buy chinese stocks?

[/ QUOTE ]

Make a trading account with pretty much any HK bank, they now allow mainland stock trading. I was in HK, made an account and wired in like A$10k in a matter of about 10 minutes. You just need your passport and driver's license for ID. It takes 3 days for the account to clear though.

The "rake" or brokeage fee is pretty high IMO, 0.35% for each transaction but with the bull market the way it is who cares I guess.

[NoSoup4U]

[ QUOTE ]
How do I buy chinese stocks?

[/ QUOTE ]

You might consider FXI, which is an ETF based on the Xinhua China 25 index. There are also some very good mutual funds that focus exclusively on China. MCHFX is probably the best of the lot of them.

[garcia1000]

How bad is the pollution in China in the areas you visited?
What places did you stay in, were they hotels or whatever? What was the pricing like for your lodgings?
Could you give us a general indication of prices for common staples?
What language did you speak whilst you were there?
What television channels did you see most people watching (apart from CCTV)?

[aitchie]

I visited china and was struck by the apparent high regard they still hold Chairman Mao in - It seemed like everyone had been brainwashed.
- Do they really still revere him or is this just a facade?
- Are people aware of some of the darker sides of his regime?
- Was he a better leader than most in the west would believe?

Also why do people spit so much?
How many instant cup noodles are eaten each year? (They were awesome)