Dynamic Tourism, China, Business

When I first moved to mainland China in the summer of 06, it was difficult, well, near impossible to buy cute shoes in my size: US10-10.5.  I went to no less than 30 stores, 3 markets, and asked countless friends in my search to find shoes in my size, at least China size 40.  At the markets they told me, we have sports shoes and mens shoes in that size.  At the shoe stores they said, we might have those, pointing at the ugliest pair, in 39.  I was desperate to find shoes as I walked so much and was going through so many pairs.  I did buy a couple pairs, squishing my feet in, or letting my heels hang off the end of flipflops, and then massively stocked up on trips back to the US.

Well, three years later(!) and the market for shoes in Western women’s sizes has improved immensely.  There are now numerous options for those afflicted with my same problem，including taobao.com, China’s version of ebay.

Taobao is awesome.  Just like ebay, everything you could possible want to buy online.  Cute, cheap, women’s shoes.  Cheap clothes, and expensive clothes.  Electronics. Patio furniture. Imported cosmetics and health care products.  You name it. But importantly, womens shoes in sizes up to 45!  I bought 3 pairs of shoes on taobao for about 30-40元per pair including delivery.  The only drawback, the site is only in Chinese and you need an account to purchase.

So if you’re 汉字 reading isn’t up to the challenge, whats a girl to do.  Well the fake markets have finally realized the opportunity and started carrying a few pairs of slip-ons and heels in sizes in the 40s. Don’t forget to bargain!

If you can’t handle the fake markets, a couple of stores are selling China made, US brands, in US sizes of women’s shoes such as Nine West, Steve Madden, and Chinese Laundry.  Check out:

Scarlets
Shop 101, 1/F, 343 Jiaozhou Lu, near Wuding Lu
Jing An

Smartset
95 Xiangyang Bei Rd, Xinle Road
5403 5291

If you like the more frilly Japanese and Taiwanese style, but don’t require too big of size (only up to 41), also look for:

No Concept but Good Sense
327 Changle Lu,near Shaanxi Nan Lu
5403-3983

The international retailers have also realized the market opportunity and its increasingly possible to buy my size at:

Zara
H&M
Marks & Spencers - Nanjing Xi Lu

Marks & Spencers has a number of different pairs in large sizes, in a varying range of prices, but not all are particularly stylish.

If you know of any other good places to buy shoes in Shanghai, let us know in the comments below.

If you need additional help shopping in Shanghai, please visit my other website: shopmyshanghai.com

Went to Hangzhou last weekend and had a late evening arrival Friday

Saturday morning started off with walks in the hills around the Longjing Tea Village.  Longjing is special kind of green tea that is grown in Hangzhou, of which the West Lake variety is said to be the best.  It is famous as a tea of the Chinese emperors, and it also has many health properties. To continue our study of tea we went to the China International Tea Museum, which has 2 floors explaining the history and preparation and proper drinking methods of every imaginable variety of tea. Tea did, in fact, originate in China where it was initially ground up, made into cakes prior to the development of the drinking style of tea. From China, drinking tea spread to Japan, Korea, India, and from India to Britain.

The afternoon took us back downtown to the incredibly expansive Grand Canal Museum.  The Grand Canal connected Hangzhou (south of Shanghai) to Beijing by water during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. While I didn’t get to see all of the museum, which doesn’t have much in English anyway, I did get to ride on the Grand Canal under old(-looking) bridges and past modern highrises and imagine when this was the most important N-S transportation way in China.

Late afternoon brought Al and I to a blind massage place, followed by a walk around the night market and dinner at Crazy Barbecue, where I had the spiciest thing I’ve ever eaten, and I can handle spicy. I had tears streaming down my face 2 bites in, mouth on fire and blindly numb, drank 3 bottles of refreshments and was still dying. Eventually coconut milk eased the burden, but it wasn’t until much much later in the evening I recovered full feeling in my mouth.

Sunday morning the first stop was the 6 Harmonies Pagoda (六和塔), where I climbed all 13 storeys of the Pagoda and was rewarded with expansive views of the city. Then back down and climbing the hills behind the pagoda are lots of replicas of pagodas from all over China. While the Chinese claim the invention and/or discovery of many things, they admit that pagodas originated from India where stupas were a common facet of Buddhist architecture.   After wandering through the hillsides, we went and had a very sweet, very gooey, but very good donut–all the calories burned from climbing the hills, replenished.

After another massage, this time a surprisingly affordable Thai massage (yes, it was a very indulgent weekend), we went for Muslim food.  Amazing that you can eat such great hummus in a place like Hangzhou, along with Greek salad, mutton, and pita bread. While for us the Muslim food was certainly the appeal of the place, all the Chinese diners were eating Chinese food or spaghetti.  Even though  right after lunch has got to be the worst time for going clothes shopping, I wanted to go back to a store I’d bought a couple dresses at on my year before’s trip to Hangzhou.  Can you believe it–the store still existed and was still in the same place! So after doing a little shopping on HeFang Pedestrian Street, we decided to test our luck with the bewitching hour, the time between 4-6pm when its nearly impossible to get a cab in Hangzhou.

And with that, it was the end of my 2nd, 2-day trip to Hangzhou and yet I still haven’t seen everything worth noting in this historically rich city of China.

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is, like so many things with Communist countries, the peak of irony.  It is, in fact, one of the most militarized places on the earth, loaded with landmines, and everyone pointing their gun at the other guy.

Friday, May 1st, the 3 of us, all Americans, made our way to Camp Kim - USO office in downtown Seoul. This was the starting point for the USO day tour to the DMZ - the demarcation between Communist North and Democratic South Korea.

Mine is Bigger than Yours

It was fascinating to hear how North and South continually try to one-up each other and how tense relations have been between the two sides.  In one example, it took 3days of negotiations to figure out under what conditions a rock that was inadvertently kicked from the South Korean side to the North side could be returned.

The North has the Propaganda Village which plays recordings of Kim Jung Il touting his own praises to no one, as the village is empty, but it does have a 150M flagpole which is much higher than the South’s.  On the South’s side is Freedom Village where people do actually live and are some of the richest in the entire country, almost completely paid for by the government.  There is a factory run by South using North workers but the details on this seemed a bit hazy.

The Joint Security Area: Blue are UN buildings, grey are N. Korean

We walked through North Korean spy/invasion tunnels, which were found after a North Korea defector told S. Korea about them. We heard about the South’s grand plan to make the DMZ into a wildlife sanctuary after reunification–already many species of birds and mammals have found refuge there. We saw the train that runs into North Korea and will someday link the capitals.

But the most exciting part of the day was when we got to go into North Korea! They certainly like to play up the drama on these trips, including making us sign a waiver that read:

1) The visit to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom will entail entry into a hostile area and possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action. …

2) Visitors must comply with the following instructions: …

c. Fraternization, including speaking or any association with personnel from the Korean People’s Army/Chinese People’s Volunteers (KPA/CPV) side, is strictly prohibited.

d. Visitors will not point, make gestures or expressions which could be used by the North Korean side as propaganda material against the United Nations Command.   [Italics/Bold added for emphasis]

The Chinese part threw me.  Do they seriously still have Chinese soldiers defending North Korea?

While the drama and the threat were sure played up with ‘yes, you can take pictures here, no you can’t take pictures there, don’t piss off the North Koreans, try not to get captured by the North Koreans,’ when actually standing in North Korea, 20yards from a North Korean soldier, everything seemed calm and normal.  But still a bit ominous as the South Korean guards were quite intimidating and every soldier, both American and Korean, had at least a handgun on him.

After seeing this, I’m even more intrigued by the possibility of being one of 300 Americans per year who are allowed to go on an organized tour departing from Beijing to cross into North Korea along its northern border.

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For the May 1st International Labour Day holiday, myself and 2 friends traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to a friend from college who lives there and another friend who came up for the weekend from Hong Kong.  It was also a nice escape from a holiday weekend in China.  Seoul is a clean, quiet alternative to Shanghai, with much better service, polite people and drivers, and excellent food.  While there’s nothing particularly spectacular or noteworthy about Seoul, its a good contrast to, and reflief from, Shanghai.  Seoul is somewhat expensive even with a depressed currency (K.Won), but it has many things that would be familiar to Americans: Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme Donuts (seriously how do the Koreans stay so slim?!?), Forever 21, American military, sports bars named Texas, etc.

We stayed at a place called Open Guest House near Hanseng University. It was very clean and affordable and Danny was most helpful.  It was very convenient to 2 subway stops and we could get a 3-person room, so this place was a good choice.

Since we didn’t arrive til mid-afternoon the first day, we wandered around Hanseng University area, the figured out how to take the subway and wandered around some more before we met Irene, my friend from college for dinner.  She took us to SoSonJae - Herb-Flower Season’s Korean Cuisine.  It was excellent, with really unique dishes, unlike any other we had in Korea. The owner clearly took pride in his menu with explaining the history and uniqueness of the foods and which the royal family used to eat.  After dinner we wandered down through Instadong which is a popular tourist shopping area, snacking on waffles and other traditional desserts, then walked along the canal-river.  This was apparently a very romantic spot in the city as we saw countless couples sitting down by the river.  We finished the evening with a nightcap of Sochu-juice blend in a bar near our guesthouse.

The next morning the 3 of us got up earlyish and started on our way to Camp Kim - USO office, ie the starting point for the USO day tour to the Demilitarized Zone - the demarkation between Communist North and Democratic South Korea. This was one of the most interesting day trips I’ve been on and for many Americans a highlight of their trip to Korea.  More on this in a separate post.

Returning to town to clean up after walking climbing through North Korean spy/invasion tunnels, we stopped at a Korean barbeque restaurant, where they spoke no English.  Yet, we managed to have a good filling meal of grilled meat wrapped in lettuces with spicy sauces, various kimchees, soup, and beer.

For the evening, Irene had in mind for us to go clubbing at a popular club in Itaewon; however not realizing the dress code we were too casually dressed.  So we wandered around Itaewon-a popular nightlife spot for foreigners-for awhile and I came to understand why the US military was so disliked in Korea.  Later we sat in a bar that was about 80% American military.  About 11pm, it was curfew time for the military so a uniformed US patrol came in and took the active duty out of the bar. Interestingly, it was all girls who were trying to break curfew.

The next morning (Saturday) we took it easy before going shopping in Myeong-Dong to help my other 2 friends find nicer shoes and clothes that they could go clubbing in.  Then we got ready for out big evening. First, dinner at Zen Hideaway a trendy fusion restaurant in Seoul popular for its long leisurely meals and beautiful garden settings. We ate at the location in the even trendier Apgujeong-Dong area, known for its highend boutiques and popular cafes. Then we went to meet my friend from Hong Kong at the Jazz Bar at the Park Hyatt.  After 2 bottles of wine at dinner, sochu and other cocktails at the jazz bar, we were ready to go clubbing!

Well we thought we were ready, until the club in the Ritz-Carlton told my friend at 34 he was too old!  After laughing to no end about that we decided it was also probably the fact that he was an American male (and because of the bad reputation of the military all American men are perceived to be the same). So we went back to Itaewon, the foreigner friendly district to try our luck at Club Volume, where Irene had hopped to take us the previous night.  After arguing with the bouncer for a few minutes about my friend’s age, nationality, occupation, etc we were allowed to pay about $30 to get into this club. Woah! I haven’t seen a cover charge that high since Singapore or Europe. It was a techno-trance club with most people dancing, a few standing around or lounging around tables. There’s a video on my Flickr stream if you want to know what a club is like in Korea.

For our last day, we had to do something cultural so we went to the Gyeong-Buk Palace, National Folk Museum of Korea, and Korean History museum. By contrast to the expensiveness of everything else in Seoul, we paid $3 to get into the Palace, while the museums were free.  The cultural and traditional architecture of Korea is largely similar to China’s.

For lunch we wanted street food, fresh pressed juices, Korean rice cake, deep fried stuff on a stick, dumplings, the whole lot.  We walked and ate and looked at the outdoor fair before ending our day in a ritzy grocery store owned by the family conglomerate Lotte, and having our best waffles of the trip.   It was a very nice way to end 4days in Seoul.

Many thanks to Irene for all the planning and tour-guiding; you really made the trip! Thanks to Sian, @DianaKuan, and @Seungyonce for all the advice on what to see, where to eat, and what to buy.

Around the World: A Visual Representation

While I’m by no means an expert on Thailand, my 3 trips there, including most recently in April, seem to make me the chosen person to ask about where to go, where to say, what to see, and where to shop.  I’ve decided to make my life more efficient and type up the info one more time so I can just link back to it, instead of retyping my impressions each time.  So without further ado, here’s my very brief analysis…

About islands - depends what interests you

Diving: Koh Tao

Full-moon party, backpackers-style: Koh Phangan. For nice, cheaper places head to Haad Yao Beach or places along north, NE, or NW coast of Koh Phangan, which are supposed to be among the nicest and the best value, least developed, and also least party atmosphere

Yoga, health & esoteric stuff: Koh Phangan or Samui

Choice of upscale resorts and flexibility to move around and gourmet dining: Samui or Phuket

All around most gorgeous place: Koh Phiphi, but check on the status of Phiphi as it was completely destroyed in the tsunami

About Samui: There’s a lot more to do: shopping, partying, site seeing, resort hopping on Samui than on Phangan.  2 out of 3 trips I’ve stayed at least 1 night on Samui. Most recently I stayed there in 2007, but I did a little driving tour this time and it continues to be more and more developed and becoming more of a destination for families.  But theres multiple beaches/towns on the island, so you can choose which scene you want. Its like mexico: great beaches and great place for families but the nightlife is there if you want and plenty of drugs to go around. Its also fairly easy to get to, which is nice.  Samui is no longer a very good place for diving or snorkleing because the water is becoming cloudier due to development.

My Flight Connections
For people coming from Shanghai, PVG - BKK on Thai Airways but booked on AirIndia.com, then stayed overnight in BKK.

The next day I flew from BKK to Samui on Bangkok Air.

To return I flew from Surat Thani (Thailand’s peninsula across from the islands) back to BKK on Air Asia.  My flight on Air Asia was less than $22, which is less than the price of the overnight train, including luggage fee (75 baht).

If you’re going to Koh Phangan, you will need to take the ferry to and from. You can fly to Koh Samui then take the boat from there. But I reckon its much cheaper and just about as time consuming to fly to Surat Thani and then take the boat from there.

In Koh Phangan, I’ve stayed at Ananda Resort, but I wouldn’t recommend it (but deserves props for reasonable accessibility, decent detox program, free wifi, and esoteric classes on yoga & tantra).  Ive also stayed at The Sanctuary, but don’t really recommend that either unless you’re going to do a Detox, and at a very small resort on the long strip of beach between Haad Rin and Thongsala, but that was 2005 so not sure it still exists.

And if you’re looking for tips on Bangkok, read my previous post, basically all of which is still accurate.  Listed there is the place I usually stay.  If you’re willing to spend more money, here’s a very nice boutique hotel recommended by a friend: Phranakorn-Nornlen Hotel in Bangkok.  And if you like healthy food, I have to add Rasayana’s Raw Vegetarian restaurant; it was one of the most amazing meals I’ve had, and there’s a lot of brilliant food in Thailand.

Thailand is one of my favorite countries and each time it gets increasingly hard to leave (especially after I met so many great friends at the #bangkok tweetup), so go, enjoy it!

Of course, there are various cleansing programs available and each person must choose the right one for them. When I’m going to detox, I’m going all in and choosing one of the most intense and effective. The below program is what I’ve done twice.
The program relies on the products from the Arise and Shine line of cleansing products, namely:

Psyllium Husk - to gently scrap debris out of the body
Bentonite Clay - to bind to toxins as they are released
– Psyllium Husk and Bentonite clay are mixed together to form a ’shake’ and depending on its consistency it can be more like eating mud than drinking a shake and absolutely repulsive.
Chomper Capsules - to help break up debris and release toxins
Herbal Nutrition - to provide nutrition to the body in the absence of food
Flora Grow - to encourage the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut

Therefore, each day on this program you would take 5 shakes and 31pills total. Don’t take the bentonite clay within 70min of nutrients, herbals, etc as it blocks absorption of everything.   Depending on the where you do your cleanse, juice, coconut water, and vegetable broth may also be provided daily.  Obviously, there are no solid foods involved.

Most 7-day fasts include 2 colemas/day with a coffee solution, whereas 3-5day fasts only have 1 colema/day.  (Also known as colonic or enema.) It usually takes about 40-45minutes to complete this procedure.

A daily schedule might look something like this:

Yes, its very structured and you do need to be rather precise in your timings.  In many ways that’s good though, as it gives you something to follow so you don’t dream about food every moment and don’t procrastinate the parts you don’t like.

Its intense, but well worth it. And what else have you got to do sitting on the beach? And when you think about it, to not eat for 1 week out of your entire life, is really not that big of a deal.  It just sucks when that week is spent in Thailand, one of my favorite cuisines!

Since I first mentioned my plan to go to Thailand and do a cleanse, many people have been asking where do you go? where do you recommend?

Actually I did my research before anyone asked, to help me make my own decision.  My main considerations were the program and the price, and to a lesser extent accessibility.  In the below comparison chart, I only listed resorts (mostly in Thailand) that offered the cleanse program I was looking for (more on that in another post).

This is only a very basic comparison, mostly focused on price and location.  Prices are in Thai Baht (currently THB35=$1) unless otherwise noted. Unless I’ve provided a range for accommodation prices, I’ve selected the cheapest accommodation option, assuming 1 single person.  The total cost is based on the cheapest accommodation and does not include any extras, only the program cost + accommodation cost.  The chart is sorted from cheapest total cost to highest.  And for us tech geeks, I’ve included notes on the wifi where I found it.

I included a couple from the Philippines because I had thought Thailand wasn’t the only country in S.E. Asia who could do this and do it affordably.  As you can see from the prices, Philippines is much more expensive and not much information available online which indicates to me the industry is much less developed.  Indonesia also offers similar programs, but my cursory research into that indicated they were on the higher end as well.

I’ve done Sanctuary (Koh Phangan) and am currently at Ananda, therefore those are the only 2 I can compare in more depth, which I will do later.  Spa Resorts (Samui) was recommended to me.

So over the past week or so as I started mentioning I was heading to Thailand for detox/cleanse/fast (I’ll use the words interchangeably in the next series of posts), everyone asked: Why? Do you really live so crazily and unhealthily that you need to detox?

Me: Well, no.

But perhaps the better answer is: couldn’t we all stand to be a little healthier?

With which, I don’t think anyone would argue.  Cleansing has many benefits: revitalized immune system, weight loss, toxins cleared out, increased body awareness, greater appreciation of food, heightened sense of taste, etc.

I started fasting in 2006 doing short-term juice and water fasts at home.  While I didn’t have a whole lot of results with those, I saw the potential and knew I could get a lot out of a full detox program.  And during my first structured cleanse in July 2007, I did! and that was only 3.5 days.  Ever since then I’ve been wanting to come back to do the full 7.5 days.

The timing on this specific trip was prompted by a stomach virus I picked up (perhaps in Vietnam) in early November.  Through the span of the past 5 months I’ve had varying degrees of various symptoms.  Among the most long lasting and perplexing are my nails and hair not growing and bruises taking 6-8 weeks to go away.  Perhaps you wonder why I didn’t just see a doctor about this and save myself the trouble of a fast.  Well, actually I went to the doctor in the US and they told me, its a viral infection, there’s nothing we can do, drink more water.  That was in early January.  Here we are 3 months later…  So you can say this is my answer to, or rejection of, Western medicine and all its quick solutions.  (Don’t get me wrong, I also tried Traditional Chinese Medicine, and that only aggravated my stomach.)

Besides remedying this stomach virus, and all of the associated issues: digestion, hair and nail growth, etc, I also have high hopes for the fast to greatly enhance my immune system so that I can fend off colds, any stomach problems, and other ailments more readily.

The results (benefits) of my detox will be posted at end: at least 7 more days from now.  But as a foreshadow, here are some of the benefits I noticed after my previous fast of only 3.5 days: radiant clearer skin, brighter whites of the eyes, people telling me I looked youthful, energetic, and better than they’d ever seen me, and my personal favorite as someone who’s prone to getting either a minor stomach ailment (since living in Asia) or cold every month, I didn’t get even a little cold until 5 months later!  Therefore I knew my immune system had been strengthened in only 3.5 days.

I’m looking forward to the end result.

True to form, I’m going out of town again, this Thursday!  Many people already tell me I travel too much, with my November trip to Guangxi and Vietnam, Christmas/New Years trip back to the States, Chinese New Year’s trip to India, and all the traveling I did in 2007 and into early 2008.  Hey, I’m not the only one in my family that travels so much–my cousin just got back from spring break in South Africa and Namibia and before that was in Burkina Faso. Seriously, read her blog, she writes in an entertaining and casual manner and has loads of interesting stories from Ghana.

This Thursday I’m heading off to Koh Phangan Thailand for my 3rd time.  This time will be similar to my 2nd, when I did a detox at the Sanctuary Retreat in Haad Thien Bay, Koh Phangan.  Given my ambivalent feelings towards the Sanctuary from last time and my constant urge to seek out new territory, I’ve opted for a cheaper place called Ananda Yoga Resort where I will do a 7.5-day detox this time. This will be 4 days longer than last time and I plan to post both on twitter and perhaps on here about my current state and the effects of the fast.

Besides getting the Thailand trip organized, I’ve also been thinking about and trying to plan trips to

• Seoul, South Korea (April/May)
• Pingyao, Shanxi, China (April/May)
• Hangzhou (2nd time), China (April/May)
• Huangshan, China (April/May)
• Vancouver & Victoria, Canada (July/August)
• Ankorage, Alasaka, USA (July)

If anyone has any advice on what to see, where to stay, or how to get cheap tickets to those places, I’d love to hear them.  More details of travels to come through twitter, flickr, etc. And I may even sign up for Dopplr or TripIt, which would show up in the left-hand column blog as well.

Now if only there were some way I could make money from all this traveling…

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I’ve increasingly spread my activities around the web; I spend a lot of time on twitter and facebook.  For better or worse, its much easier to pound out my thoughts in 140 characters or less than to think through and fully develop a post for this blog, which is usually very time consuming for me.  Still, longer blog posts have their place and usefulness.  Therefore, to keep you updated on my life as well as share other useful tidbits I find around the web, I’ve completely revamped the look and feel of the blog.

I’ve opted for a ‘life-streaming theme.’  The idea was to have some way to easily capture and nicely display a listing of all my activities around the web, including twitter (and twitpic), Facebook, Delicious,  StumbleUpon, Digg, Flickr, Youtube, etc.  Therefore, even if I’m absent from writing the longer blog posts, you still can find out what I’m doing, where I am, where I’m going, and where I’ve been, what issues I’m discussing, what I’m interested in, what articles I’ve read, what sites I’ve liked, etc, etc.

Please let me know in the comments section what you think of the new layout of the blog.  Do I need more graphics? Images? Colors? Something to break up the page? I’m also thinking about a new title; I like alliteration, puns, play on words, and other creative uses of words so if you have any ideas along those lines that captures the spirit of this blog, I’d be glad to hear them.  I had a few complaints about the prominence of Google Adwords, so I’ve moved that and made it more subtle.  So I want you to know, I do listen to your suggestions and on that note, feel free to send me any more.

Another question was asked on that same site for travelers (localyte.com), this one about what to buy in China.  Below is my response, assuming the person is shopping as a consumer and not as a wholesaler or exporter.  So below is a list of some things a traveler might buy on a trip to China.

Traditional/specialty Chinese products
Silk
Tea (Green, oolong, pu’er)
Qipao (Chinese style dress)
Jade
Freshwater Pearls
Name chop
Calligraphy Set
Chinese design/antique furniture

Manufactured items
Fake handbags, clothes, shoes
Kites
Electronics (both real and fake)
DVDs

Souvenirs
Scarves (silk, wool, viscose)
Postcards
Terracotta figurines
Great Wall/Olympic t-shirt
Mao Memorabilia
Other Mao, antique, Chinese kitsch
Chinese style paintings

Tailor-made
Clothes, shoes
Get your favorite clothes copied
Have items copied out of a magazine
Wedding dress in 1 day for a fraction of the price of off-the-rack back home

Generally speaking, I don’t recommend buying art in China unless you find a piece you really like, because most of it is very commercialized, overpriced, and likely a copy. (There’s an entire city in S. China solely devoted to hand copying works of art, but in a manner that would make Adam Smith proud.)

2 Rules of Thumb
Everything (namely price) is negotiable–do not hesitate to bargain.
Nothing should cost more than 100RMB (except furniture and tailor-made dresses)

This is my speciality so if you need help shopping or bargaining around Shanghai (and soon to be Beijing as well), please visit my other site: ShopMyShanghai.com

If you think I’ve left anything out, please feel free to add it in comments below.

I’ve signed up on a site where people can ask questions about traveling to different places and have them answered by locals, as a way to get the real feel for the place.  Besides the obvious and just plain stupid questions (do I, as an American, need a visa to China), some people have started asking more business related questions.  Below is one such question (and my response to it), though a site like China Success Stories would have been a much better platform.  (rolling eyes)

Hello Friends, Can you help me? I’m looking for experienced network marketeers to head up a new network in your country and I wondered if you could think of anyone who you feel would like to be involved as a Country Leader at this crucial launch stage.
We are not looking to sign up ‘regular’ distributors at this moment but are looking for the serious team players who will become our global team partners.
As a fouder of this NEW very narrow NICHE business in your country, first year total earnings of $100,000 potential with second year earnings of $100,000 a month potential for the right people.
If you can help me that would be great and your input would be much appreciated.
Look forward to hearing back from you.

Best wishes,

Teodor M Muntean

MY RESPONSE

Teodor,
You know that network marketing is borderline illegal in China and is governed by many complex and unclear laws, regulations, and procedures. This is why Mary Kay and Amway had to offer retail outlets in addition to network marketing distributions when entering the market. This is also the reason many other network marketing companies have not entered China. Pursuant to that, you will not find an ‘experienced network marketeer’ in China who can lead a whole country network.

I think you’re jumping the gun. You can’t, nor should you even consider, finding a Chinese business partner on the internet, particularly on a site devoted to helping travelers. That’s just absurd! And shows a complete lack of knowledge and commitment to the Chinese market on your part.

To properly setup and start a networking marketing business in China, you will need no less than 1Million US Dollars. Also, if you opt to go with a local partner, that organization needs to be considered very closely. You should personally be here researching the options and making sure you can trust them.

My feeling is you know nothing about China and this is more like a scam than a real intent to do business here.

Before I went to India I had heard about internet-connected computers being installed in outside walls in some of India’s major slums.  Known at the “hole in the wall experiment,” the project was initially a test to see if children’s aptitude for learning combined with computers could help illiterate children learn to read.  The test has met with resounding results in educating children in computer skills, the internet, and even English.

For more information read these articles or interviews with the intiator at these sources: BBC, BusinessWeek, Ode.

The reason I mention this, besides that I think its really interesting and amazing, is because I never actually expected to see one of these computers while on ‘the tourist trail’ in northern India.  But in our first day in Delhi, we did see a handful of children working on two computers just outside the Jama Masjid (central mosque).  While the children didn’t speak much English, they were willing to let me take their photo.  A guy who seemed to be monitoring their activities, said, ‘no this is not that project which you think it is.  This is sponsored by the Islam community to educate the children in the Qur’an. ‘ Well, I’m not sure the truth behind that, but I just thought it was totally cool too see these computers installed and children using them, learning something.  Here is the picture I took of the kids and the computer in the wall.