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April 8th 2013
Published: April 20th 2013
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Chinese tea ceremony is full of symbolism. There are over 3,000 kinds of tea.
Hello everyone,



Chinese like to show off with their clothes and cars. In fact, in the 1990’s, when cell phones were first available, people would walk along talking away, but nobody was on the other end. They are nice people with shy smiles, but more used to crowded conditions than this Canadian. I’m constantly being bumped and shoved and crowded. Interesting comment from our guide—when lI mentioned that the city of Chongqin had the same population as our entire country, he said that so few people around would make him scared. I guess there is safety in numbers.



Condos, that can cost up to a million dollars, are sold as an empty shell. All plumbing fixtures and finishes are up to the new owner. I thought, “well, just buy a re-sell apartment, but the Chinese don’t believe in second-hand or re-using, so they will probably replace the toilet, appliances, fixtures and so on. They need 30% down, interest rates are currently 5.7% for 20-25 years. It is common for the son’s parents to put up the down payment for their son and new daughter-in-law. They pay 3% property tax, but only once. Keep in mind—this
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Breakfast costs about $2.00 and is usually bought from a street vendor, and taken to the office.
is a communist country, so they are only buying the use of the condo, not the condo itself: that belongs to the state. Citizens are only allowed to own one apartment: for the second one, you are taxed 20% of the value. Citizens only plan to have their apartments for seventy years. After that, it will probably be on the list to be replaced. The government is in the process of upgrading living conditions in the major cities. There are entire blocks new high rises being built to replace fifty-year-old buildings. People will move into their brand new units, and then the old shabby buildings will be bulldozed. By the way, elevators are only mandatory in buildings of ten stories or more.



Wages in Beijing are around $2,000. per month, but many people hold second jobs. Made in China for us means cheap, but things are not so cheap for the Chinese. Our guide said that he buys his teeshirts in tourist shops because they cost less than their department stores. Breakfast is usually bought on the street and taken to the office. At $2.00, it is the cheapest meal of the day. Our guide warned us
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Seems funny with all the challenges these people have, going to this much trouble to stop dogs from peeing on their tires...
to avoid restaurants with English in the signs—they are for tourists and not as good. We passed a restaurant that featured dog meat and another than specialized in donkey.



Battery operated bicycles are popular. Although the battery costs about $60., they run 15 km on three cents worth of electricity. Owning a car is more trouble than it is worth. According to our guide, it would take 20 minutes to drive or 8 minutes to walk the same distance. Owning a car is only for showing off or “saving face.” Also, gas costs around $5.20 a gallon.

Shanghai has a similar problem with cars. They issue 10,000 plates a month, but the plates can cost three or four times the cost of the car. Cars plates with a 6 or 8 cost more--those are lucky numbers. Some people bought their plates in other provinces to get around the cost, but the city of Shanghai won't let them use the freeways during rush hour.



We passed a large store called a wedding photo shop. Photographers supply the dress, but the wedding pictures can cost up to $3,000. Last year was the year of the
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This Shanghai building with the square cut out was built by a Japanese firm. They wanted the opening to be round, but the mayor of Shanghai said, "no way, it looks like your flag." The building under construction to the left, will be 632 metres, 128 floors. The 28 elevators will take you to the top in four minutes.
Dragon, the luckiest of all the signs. Chinese people went crazy trying to get married and have babies during that year. This is the year of the Snake—the least lucky, so things have died down.



再见



Donna

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20th April 2013

Culture
There culture is so different, it is wonderful to hear first hand how they live, think and even act. Thanks, Donna

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