Archive for March, 2008
March 25, 2008 at 5:53 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences, Entrepreneurship & Business
China’s internet firewall has been working in overdrive lately in the wake of the crackdown on the Tibet protests. Last week Google video and Youtube (owned by Google) were down all week; Youtube came back online on Sunday. Google News in English, news.google.com, was even down for a day! Last week, I also ran into other screens and filters that normally don’t impede my surfing of the net in China, indicating that indeed, China’s internet censors were working overtime.
Despite all the blocking, what I found interesting is that my Chinese colleagues knew about the situation in Tibet even before I did (I wasn’t really watching the news when it started). Many of them had also seen videos of the situation before all the videos sites got blocked.
Though the Chinese government has only temporarily blocked international videos sites such as Youtube, it’s taking a harder stance with Chinese sites and forcing many to shut down altogether. To escape a similar fate, Google has and continues to filter its news.google.cn results for searches in mainland China.
If all this is frustrating to you, try a new Wiki site called Wikileaks which is dedicated to getting information in front of the public eye. Wikileaks released many videos and photos of the Tibet situation, and is, not surprisingly, blocked. However, a simple proxy server will solve that problem and the videos are a lot easier to view than Youtube’s were all last week.
If the great firewall of China still hinders your movement around the net, options include the Firefox plug-in Gladder and Tor, a volunteer relay system that allows users to surf the web anonymously. Tor may be just the answer we China-based, avid internet users need to have full access to the information available on the internet.
March 23, 2008 at 6:07 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences
My Review of Mao
Some people raved about Mao, others said it was too pretentious and snobby. Those conflicting statements had me intrigued and when my friend offered guestlist=free entrance, I jumped at the chance to go check out the club everyone in Shanghai is talking about. Arriving at Mao on Saturday night, even with our name on the guestlist, it was only girls in free, guys still had to pay RMB50. Normally girls pay RMB50 and guys RMB100, so we weren’t complaining. Then as we strided past the door guard they handed us handcuffs with a card attached saying, “We are Pervert.” What is that supposed to mean and what am I supposed to do with the handcuffs except be annoyed that I have to hold them in the club?
The decor and the layout were nothing to rave about. We headed to the bar where my friend ordered juice and was shocked that her drink was RMB40 given that she didn’t get the drink coupon given to paid entrants. After taking her drink order, preparing it, charging her, and giving her the change, the bartender still hadn’t taken the rest of our drink orders. Just as I’d decided that he was useless, he remembered to take the rest of our drink orders and even better, forget to charge me for my drink.
Mao had a lot of white staff members, even for a club in Shanghai: bartenders, managers, DJ, even go-go dancers. The trio of dancers were wearing either too much black leather or just too few clothes. The shirtless guy had a dog collar and chain around his neck. I assume they were meant to reinforce the theme.
The music was good, Euro dance, and by midnight the dancefloor was packed. The crowd seemed slightly snobby but not even justifiably so given that, in general, they were not particularly good-looking, well-dressed, or (seemingly) monied. Still, with free entrance, a free drink, and good dancing, I enjoyed it and I’d go again.
The use of the name Mao is the epitome of irony given that Mao Ze Dong was the antithesis of everything that club represents: openness, freedom, and capitalism.
What’s the deal with PSB guards at clubs?
What purpose do Public Security Bureau policemen serve at clubs? If a fight breaks out, is one of them really going to stop it? No, that’s what bouncers are for. If someone starts an anti-communist rally in a club, is one guy really going to control it? Doubtful, on multiple levels. They are also clearly not there to prevent prostitution. Then, why are they there? It’s also curious that I only notice them at bars and clubs along Hengshan Road.
March 19, 2008 at 5:05 am · Filed under Uncategorized
This is my first video. Can you tell its me??
Italki.com - How to Find a Language Partner
This is a tutorial video on How to use the italki.com website. Please leave your feedback in the comments below so I know how to improve the next one.
March 11, 2008 at 5:31 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences, Entrepreneurship & Business
The number, type, variety, and frequency of Beijing 2008 Olympics’ advertisements is simply astounding. In the lead up to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, I don’t remember nearly so many advertisements relating to the Olympics. Granted, I wasn’t in Georgia or even Atlanta, but then again, here I’m not in Beijing either. I was, however, in Athens just a few weeks before the 2004 Olympics there and the number of Olympics-related advertisements doesn’t even come close to approaching that of Beijing’s Games.
There are corporate advertisements as well as public service advertisements and also simply the use of the Olympics name and/or logo. In the corporate world, everyone from global companies to local companies, health-enhancing to health-damaging products, computer, and pot noodles are all associating themselves with the Olympics. UPS is an official Olympics sponsor and is using its advertisements to convey its global presence, particularly its presence in China. (Notice the Bird’s Nest stadium. Picture from a Beijing subway station.) 
Amway is also associating itself with the Olympics, to build an image of offering beneficial health products to Chinese consumers, suggesting that taking Amway’s products could make you healthy and fit like Olympics athletes. 
Chinese brands are also trying to create an association with the Olympics, such as Bank of China, pot noodles (yes, there really is an official pot noodles sponsor), a new housing development in Guilin, local Beijing-based brewer Yangjing (in addition to the two other beer companies, Budweiser and 
Tsingtao), and even southwestern China’s Guangxi Tobacco Company. Why the tobacco company is associating itself with the Olympics, I haven’t really figured out. Sure, the Olympics is a recognizable brand name and association with the Olympics might lend credibility to Guangxi Tobacco Co, but are cigarettes really meant to be associated with the world’s premier sporting event? Not to mention, smoking is going to be banned in all indoor locations in Beijing during the Olympics, so how do you sell cigarettes when there’s no smoking allowed? (Notice the use of the Bird’s Nest stadium, a smoke-free zone.)
Corporations aren’t the only entities tapping into the brand power of the Olympics to spread their message, the government is also taking advantage of the event. Public service campaigns even in cities as far away as Kunming are using the Olympics to help convey their message. From billboards showing how to queue to slogans encouraging community spirit and neighborliness, all convey their message with the help of the Olympics. 
Everywhere you look, you are reminded of the Olympics: the Beijing Babies are on China Mobile recharge cards, store windows display the 5-ring 
logo, even seat covers come imprinted with the Beijing 2008. Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania wasn’t even too far away escape Beijing Olympics ads.
The English-language Beijing 2008 Olympics website agrees that advertisements featuring the Olympics are numerous. So why are there so many advertisements and reminders of the Olympics? Because it’s an important event. Perhaps all the references to the Olympics attest to the Chinese people’s pride in holding such an event and its rare opportunity to showcase China and all its glory to the world. Perhaps because this is the single most important globally-watched event that China can control and use to make a positive impression on the world. Perhaps the Beijing Organizing Committee has allowed more sponsors and suppliers for these games than either Atlanta or Athens allowed. Perhaps advertising is just that much more prominent in China than in Greece, but certainly not compared to the US. What else explains the fact Olympics advertising has been prolific in the lead up to the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games?
March 8, 2008 at 11:53 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
In an effort to make it easier for other people to find things easier on the internet, here is a listing of Shanghai’s branches of the British-owned hardware store B&Q.
B&Q
* B&Q - Hutai
Address: No. 1800, Hutai Road (near Wenshui Road)
Tel: 6634-6262
Opening Hour: 8:30-20:30
Transport: 58, 705, 761, 767, 844, 845, 949, 959, 963 (get off at Yuqingqiao station)
* B&Q - Zhabei
Address: No.3228, Gonghexin Road (near Wenshui Road)
Tel: 3603-0099
Opening Hour: 9:00-21:00
Transport: Metro Line 1 Wenshui Road station
* B&Q - Yangpu
Address: No. 1616 Huangxing Road (near Songhuajiang Road)
Tel: 5505-6611
Opening Hour: 9:00-21:00
Transport: 538, 90 (get off at Huangxing Road station)
* B&Q - Meilong
Address: No. 2358 yindu Road (near Lianhua Road S.)
Tel: 5440-3999
Opening Hour: 9:00-21:00
* B&Q - Minhang
Address: No. 108 Gudai Road (near Hongmei Road)
Tel: 5493-8888
Opening Hour: 9:00-21:00
Transport: 946, 732 (get off at Hongmei Road station)
* B&Q - Jinqiao
Address: No. 518 Lantian Road (near Yanggao Road M.)
Tel: 3870-0008
Opening Hour: 9:00-21:00
Transport: 723 (get off at Yunshan Lu station)
* B&Q - Gaojing
Address: No. 700 Yingao Road W. (near Baode Road)
Tel: 5679-6611
Opening Hour: 9:00-21:00
Transport: Metro Line 3 Yingao Road W. station
* B&Q - Xuhui
Address: No. 118 Longwu Road (near Metro Line 3 Longcao station)
Tel: 6483-6611
Opening Hour: 8:30-20:30
Metro Line 3 Longcao station
* B&Q - Putuo
Address: No. 1318 Meichuan Road (near Zhenbei Road and Zhenguang Road)
Tel: 5250-1000
Opening Hour: 9:00-21:00
Transport: 837, 947, 827 (get off at Zhenbei Road station), between Decathlon & Metro
* B&Q - Pudong
Address: No. 2101 Longyang Road (near Metro Line 2 Longyang Road station)
Tel: 5033-6611
Opening Hour: 9:00-21:00
Metro Line 2 Longyang Road station, Next to Decathlon
Website: http://www.bnq.com.cn/02.asp?id=02
March 7, 2008 at 8:18 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
As of Wednesday night, March 5, 2008, the entry/exit bureau significantly tightened visa rules for foreigners, notably Americans, already residing in China. This applies to anyone hold F Business visas and L Tourist visas. Those with employer-sponsored work permits or student visas aren’t really affected. However, any foreigner holding an F or L visa which expires(d) before the Olympics will face serious difficulties extending his/her visa or obtaining a new one; Americans are especially limited in their options. This is to restrict the number of foreigners living in China and to more closely monitor their activities in the lead up to the Olympics. For whatever reason these rules seem to be more strictly enforced in Guangzhou and Shanghai, which seems ironic if they’re trying to protect Beijing for the Olympics. Holding Olympics tickets doesn’t help either (my German friend tried that route). Leaving the country to get a new visa in Hong Kong or elsewhere is no guarantee either. Now the details (most applicable to Americans though other countries also face stricter policies): No renewing, extending or obtaining a new F visa for anyone currently here on F. Foreigners can no longer apply for visas without the Form of Temporary Residence (issued by the local PSB). Any long-term (more than 30days) F or L visa issued to a foreigner will expire before July 15, though more likely before July 1. I know all this because my visa was set to expire soon and panic mode set in as my options were quickly diminishing. The options I was given:
- Leave!! (as one visa agent so insistently put it to me);
- Get hired by a company that will sponsor a Z work visa;
- Pay CNY4500 (US$630) for a 6month Student Visa (normally 6month visas for Americans are about CNY2000);
- Get a visa which is only valid for 1month and therefore requires leaving the country every 30days.
Well none of those options were particularly suited to me so I kept searching. I found 1 agent in Changchun, an industrial city in Dongbei province, who could help me get a visa until July 15 and another 1 in Beijing who could get me a single-entry visa valid until July 1. Traveling to Beijing or Changchun in the hope these people would actually be able to help me out was not ideal. More searching revealed a couple of agents in Shanghai who offered alternatives, though seemingly less legit alternatives. One guy told me to bring my resume and photos and he’d find me a company to sponsor my work visa, though there was no intention of me actually working for any company. Another said they could extend my current F visa for 6months for far less than the CNY4500 the 6month Student visa would cost. This sounded too good to be true.
Any foreigner seeking to renew or extend an F or L visa between now and the Olympics is going to, at best, have problems or pay extra money and at worst be totally without options and required to leave the country. If you’re wondering, why not just overstay the visa, because its CNY500 per day for doing so. Good luck to everyone facing the same situation.
Other info and experiences with the situation: Shanghaiist.com
Update Friday, April, 18th:
The visa policy has gotten even stricter recently (last 2-3weeks). The WSJ’s report on visa applications in HK said no more multiple entry visas were being issued in HK until after the Olympic Games. My friend also confirmed this when he tried to use the same agent in Shanghai that I used who said they could no get any visa valid longer than 1 month. I’m sorry to everyone who will need visa renewals between now and the Olympics, but I can’t help you. Just be happy with a 1 month visa.
March 4, 2008 at 9:12 pm · Filed under Uncategorized, Entrepreneurship & Business, Business Climate
I recently heard a story about a German-owned travel company in Shanghai from a friend who works there. The company has been operational in Shanghai for 5-10years. When the company started, China forbid foreign-owned travel businesses so the company operated as a ‘consultant’ who just also occasionally booked trips. (Note: This has changed somewhat since China began implementing the policies of the WTO.)
The company had 4 Shanghainese employees, who kept wanting more and more money for less and less work. One of them was the flight specialist who had good relations with the airlines. Each time she booked another trip, she kept pushing the airlines to give her more and more commission, in addition to pushing the company to pay her more. Eventually the company had to let her go. When she left she took the entire database of clients with her, then contacted all of them and told them not to use the German-owned company anymore but instead to go through her.
One of the other, now former, Shanghainese employees disgruntled over not being paid more, goes to the police. One morning she brings the police back to the company and the police demand that the company hand over its server. The company refuses, saying the police have no search warrant nor other documents allowing them to take the server. However, the company can’t do anything, so the police take the server.
The 4 Shanghainese employees get together and go to the labor and work bureau and complain that the company never paid any social security for them. Throughout the term of their employment, the company offered all of the employees the option of paying the social security into the system or giving it to the employees as part of their salary; of course, all of the employees wanted it as salary. Now, these employees come back saying the social security was never paid for any of them over the last few years. As such, now the company has to repay all of these 4 employees social security again for the entire length of their employment.
Operating in China is difficult, whether it be because of employee issues or government and legal issues. This company was by no means operating strictly in the legal realm, which of course is difficult because there are so many gray areas in business and law in China. But that made them vulnerable when other issues came up.
Digg/USCfemme
Flickr/tofflerann
Facebook/Toffler
Linkedin/Toffler
Twitter/TofflerAnn
YouTube/USCfemme
italki.com/Toffler