Eating bitter in China

[GeneChing]

I never really understood this aphorism until I went to China. I was raised on corn-fed American beef which sweetens the taste of the meat considerably. You really don't know the difference until you taste it. In that spirit, I'm launching this thread for news items related to eating bitter in China.


Hong Kong housing crisis puts poor in cages (http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Hong-Kong-housing-crisis-puts-poor-in-cages-4262001.php)
Associated Press
Updated 10:41 pm, Thursday, February 7, 2013

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/17/66/43/4155635/3/628x471.jpg
Cheng Man Wai calls a 16-square-foot cage home. Hong Kong's skyrocketing housing prices have forced about 100,000 people in the former British colony to live in squalid conditions. Photo: Vincent Yu, Associated Press

Hong Kong --

For many of the richest people in Hong Kong, one of Asia's wealthiest cities, home is a mansion with an expansive view from the heights of Victoria Peak. For some of the poorest, like Leung Cho-yin, home is a metal cage.

The 67-year-old former butcher pays $167 a month for one of about a dozen wire mesh cages resembling rabbit hutches crammed into a dilapidated apartment in a gritty, working-class West Kowloon neighborhood.

The cages, stacked on top of each other, measure 16 square feet. To keep bedbugs away, Leung and his roommates put thin pads, bamboo mats, even old linoleum on their cages' wooden planks instead of mattresses.

"I've been bitten so much I'm used to it," said Leung, rolling up the sleeve of his oversize blue fleece jacket to reveal a red mark on his hand. "There's nothing you can do about it. I've got to live here. I've got to survive," he said as he let out a phlegmy cough.

An estimated 100,000 people in the former British colony live in what's known as inadequate housing, according to the Society for Community Organization, a social welfare group. The category also includes apartments subdivided into tiny cubicles or filled with coffin-size wood and metal sleeping compartments, as well as rooftop shacks. They're a grim counterpoint to the southern Chinese city's renowned material affluence.

Forced by skyrocketing housing prices to live in cramped, dirty and unsafe conditions, their plight also highlights one of the biggest headaches facing Hong Kong's unpopular Beijing-backed leader: growing public rage over the city's housing crisis.

Leung Chun-ying took office as Hong Kong's chief executive in July, pledging to provide more affordable housing in a bid to cool the anger. Home prices rose 23 percent in the first 10 months of 2012 and have doubled since bottoming out in 2008 during the global financial crisis, the International Monetary Fund said in a report last month. Rents have followed a similar trajectory.

The soaring costs are putting decent homes out of reach of a large portion of the population while stoking resentment of the government, which controls all land for development, and a coterie of wealthy property developers. Housing costs have been fueled by easy credit, thanks to ultra-low interest rates that policymakers can't raise because the currency is pegged to the dollar. Money flooding in from mainland Chinese and foreign investors looking for higher returns has exacerbated the rise.

Leung, the cage dweller, has little faith that the government could do anything to change the situation of people like him.

"It's not whether I believe him or not, but they always talk this way. What hope is there?" said Leung, who has been living in cage homes since he stopped working at a market stall after losing part of a finger 20 years ago. With just a seventh-grade education, he is only able to find intermittent casual work.

Many poor residents have applied for public housing but face years of waiting.

[Raipizo]

Jesus that air quality.

[Syn7]

Yeah that smog is crazy. It's ****ed up how I'm not even surprised that China keeps their poor in chicken coops. No, not even coops. Those are straight up stackable cages.

[David Jamieson]

Social ills. We all got em to some degree.

they start with a virus.

It's called greed.

[diego]

I never really understood this aphorism until I went to China. I was raised on corn-fed American beef which sweetens the taste of the meat considerably. You really don't know the difference until you taste it. In that spirit, I'm launching this thread for news items related to eating bitter in China.

ever since the Baby Yue Yue tragedy I've been obsessed with Chinese politics...I've always been obsessed with ghettoe **** like I can't get enough of the warlord peroid 1911 as its so different than like say the 80's on the west coast:)

They are tearing up Vancouver which sucks for many reasons one I've been working on is like back in the day you'd go to the drive in burger shop and as a kid i remember using clean washrooms the a&w was ran by white christians in a majority white neighbourhood...now you go to that shop you could catch hepatitas from dirty overused washrooms and i notice its probably owned by an east indian or an iranian and then staffed by overworked philipinos patroned by white trash crackheads and hobo indians. that's like skidrow vancouver washrooms but if you go to ubc or even west van mcdonalds which is the beverly hills of bc they washrooms are nasty the poor old philipino grandmothers dont have time to clean and im guessing since her people are back in the philipines she isnt really caring about the ****ing mickey d's ****-spot lol and i feel bad for her but sometimes you gotta take a dump, right;)

I thought you'd find this a bit interesting Gene I'm not sure if you've been to Vancouver but the politics stinks. you being from Cali I think you could relate to the issue. LAPD is all over the news because of dorner and what I've read about the ganglife during the bussing history of the unified california school district in LA during the 80s in city hall every race fought for power while the street got dirty like I read recently the brown gangs are killing the black gangs in compton which used to be majority black but city hall is all black and brown leaders are ****ed...meanwhile the compton mcdonalds washroom smells like **** I bet:D Its scary corruption in lapd is like a minor precursor to big city rat basement-dog cage hong kong dwelling. Im just mad they are putting ten towers near my favorite ubc vancouver beach in the next fifteen years as theyve already torn out four blocks of forest for a stripmall which is clean but Id bet a dollars to donuts the washroom will be ****e in ten years probably have hookers when it was a deer crossing street in 2006.


its a big local issue since the brits handed over HK to the Mainland in 97 just type in Monster houses and Van if you're ever bored, like a decade worth of comments. old school Chinese are getting ****ed at commie Chinese.


http://whispersfromtheedgeoftherainforest.blogspot.ca/2013/02/media-manipulation-you-decide.html



AnonymousFebruary 12, 2013 at 10:59 AM

This speaks to so many issues right now–deception in the real estate market, the degradation of journalistic standards, the operatives of how real estate prices in Vancouver became so inflated, the issue of HAM and how true it is that HAM have inflated our prices or whether that was just a marketing gimmick.

The perception (rightly or wrongly) that housing is unaffordable to local people due to HAM investors is causing a great deal of racial animosity in our society. It is undermining Trudeau’s vision of a multicultural society where different races live in harmony. So if it is true that condo marketers and the local media have been deliberately deceiving the public into thinking that HAM are the cause of high prices, then they are guilty of something far worse than just pumping up real estate. If they really did this, they would be guilty of creating social tensions and racism and undermining multiculturalism.

And I say all of this with the words “IF THIS IS TRUE” underlined. So far everything is being alleged. I am not claiming there is definitive proof of any wrong doing. I wouldn’t want to be accused of slander.

[Jimbo]

Public restrooms are generally nasty places wherever you are. In California, many of the worst are around the beaches. However, having lived for many years in Taiwan, I can attest that some of the nastiest I've ever been in were over there. Those restrooms are no joke; most are bad enough to gag a maggot. One of the only truly clean and nice public restrooms I went into over there was (of course) at the Chiang Kai-Shek Int'l Airport. Of course, I left there 20 years ago, so who knows now, but I'm sure they'd keep the airport restrooms spotless.

[GeneChing]

I thought you'd find this a bit interesting Gene I'm not sure if you've been to Vancouver but the politics stinks. I just returned from Vancouver last night. I was at The Extraordinary Martial Artists of the World Lunar New Year Gala (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1204563#post1204563), but I only saw the River Rock Casino, which was fairly tame for a casino.

[David Jamieson]

I just returned from Vancouver last night. I was at The Extraordinary Martial Artists of the World Lunar New Year Gala (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1204563#post1204563), but I only saw the River Rock Casino, which was fairly tame for a casino.

Actually...that's Richmond. It's in the GVA, but (don't tell vancouverites) ... :-)

[Syn7]

I just returned from Vancouver last night. I was at The Extraordinary Martial Artists of the World Lunar New Year Gala (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1204563#post1204563), but I only saw the River Rock Casino, which was fairly tame for a casino.


Actually...that's Richmond. It's in the GVA, but (don't tell vancouverites) ... :-)

Yeah, I try to keep away from river rock in every way accept the odd time I go for a specific show.

They are trying to bring in the supercasinos, but many don't want casinos at all.


GVRD is not Vancouver though. There are 24(i think) separate municipalities within "metro Vancouver". And Vancouver isn't the biggest in acreage or population. But yeah, it's not very far away. Ten minute train ride, tops. Technically Richmond is it's own city. I don't go out there much. Not cause I dislike it, but just because it has nothing I can't get w/o crossing the Fraser. Huge Chinese pop though. The night market can be pretty cool if you like that stuff. Personally I prefer the one in Chinatown though. I find that the rows start getting repetitive in Richmonds version cause it's just so big. I mean how many cell phone accessory booths is enough, right?

[GeneChing]

When I say Richmond, no one knows wtf that is, 'cept maybe you Canadians. I must say, I was very amused that every time I turned on the TV there was Hockey and Curling on. I've started posting some pix of the event on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151540670159363.557533.135964689362&type=1).

[Syn7]

When I say Richmond, no one knows wtf that is, 'cept maybe you Canadians. I must say, I was very amused that every time I turned on the TV there was Hockey and Curling on. I've started posting some pix of the event on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151540670159363.557533.135964689362&type=1).

I actually like curling. I can see why it would be boring to watch for people who don't play, but that **** is hard man!


"hurry hard! HURRY HARD!!!" :p

Sweeping can be quite the workout.

[GeneChing]

If you've ever been to China, you've seen this (follow the link for more):

Hilariously Overloaded Vehicles in China 【Photo Gallery】 (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/02/23/hilariously-overloaded-vehicles-in-china-%E3%80%90photo-gallery%E3%80%91/)

http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/overloaded-vehicles-in-china12.jpg?w=500&h=596

As proven by these photos, the Chinese are masters of making a ridiculous amount of luggage fit on an impossibly small vehicle. Bicycles, tractors, motorcycles and trucks are pushed to their limits, filled way past their breaking point with every day items and even people precariously perched on top.

Some may call these overloaded vehicles a masterpiece. Others may think it’s safer and wiser to make multiple trips instead of taking the chance spilling the precious cargo. We can’t say for sure whether this packing technique is genius or folly, we just feel sorry for the poor sucker who gets stuck behind one of these things on a one-lane road.
http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/overloaded-vehicles-in-china.jpg?w=500&h=312
http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/overloaded-vehicles-in-china14.jpg?w=500&h=500
http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/overloaded-vehicles-in-china9.jpg?w=500&h=414
http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/overloaded-vehicles-in-china7.jpg?w=500&h=376

[GoldenBrain]

That is way to funny in a sad over worked kind of way. If anything it's a testament to really hard working people and how well they build those little vehicles over there.

[bawang]

hey guys, i visit china new year but i didnt see any of this things, no dirty poor people, only many womans want to have the sexy intercourse with me, i am very scare, is this normal?

[Kellen Bassette]

hey guys, i visit china new year but i didnt see any of this things, no dirty poor people, only many womans want to have the sexy intercourse with me, i am very scare, is this normal?

If they wanted your money, then yes, it's normal. :p

[bawang]

If they wanted your money, then yes, it's normal. :p

but i am not the tightey whitey or the loolie loolie, im chilese, is this normal?

even my cousin want to do the sex to me, they say i am cool american. i tell them i carry bucket of feces to field as fertilizer for living just like china, but maybe they dont belive me, but i very srs, i made the angry farmer face, very angry angry

i also had fu manchu mustache + bald for 3 months. in city of 500 million i alone and one muslim find have the mustache. i see the uighur i say, your mustache very beautiful im very jealous, he says your also very strong mustache it touch my heart like pull string on a rawap. we are brothers from different fathers but do the sex with the same mother. then we put nose touch because it is the way of the muslims

[bawang]

is that algae edible?

looks like melted green tea ice cream.

[Brule]

Maybe the pigs did it.....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/15/dead-pigs-chinese-river

[GeneChing]

I was going to post that dead pig story. Maybe they ate the algae.

[Syn7]

I was going to post that dead pig story. Maybe they ate the algae.

Cheap irresponsible farmers who didn't wanna pay to have diseased pigs removed properly. Oh let's just dump em in the river where we all drink from, make it somebody elses problem. So weak. This is why we have regulations and letting "the market" sort it out doesn't work. People are *******s.

[GeneChing]

But that's how you make lapchong in 2013. :p

[Syn7]

Ugggghhh... So uncool.

[Brule]

Odd timing to be introducing this to the public what with the dead pigs in the river.....

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/03/21/mcdonald-china-releases-sausage-double-beef-burgers/

This is exactly what us westerners need to fight obesity.

[Syn7]

Somebody told me that it's actually getting better in China. Are we just seeing more reports now? ARe they really honestly trying to clean up their act?

Of course the pig thing is probably an independent farmer too cheap to do the right thing. Is it really that hard to trace their roots? No markings or tattoos? I wonder where the investigation is really at.

[SimonM]

No independent farmer in the PRC has 16,000 pigs.

True. The independent farmers I met were very small-scale. They'd probably have a handful of pigs (and would have major financial woes if a bunch died off notwithstanding disposal).

No, the problem here isn't "too broke to dispose of dead pigs;" the problem is more likely "too wealthy and connected to feel like he has to dispose of dead pigs properly."

[GeneChing]

...sort of like the plague of toads in Exodus. Of course, that would be pre-apocalyptic. :o

[Syn7]

True. The independent farmers I met were very small-scale. They'd probably have a handful of pigs (and would have major financial woes if a bunch died off notwithstanding disposal).

No, the problem here isn't "too broke to dispose of dead pigs;" the problem is more likely "too wealthy and connected to feel like he has to dispose of dead pigs properly."

Word. Some people are just inconsiderate dicks. Another example of how capitalism and psychopathy go hand in hand these days.

16,000 pigs isn't that much. In Canada I imagine that would be a big operation for an indy, but we do have some pretty big ones still. A dying breed for sure, but still around. It's sad that so many indies are forced to sell out just to get by. All this corporate stuff is very efficient but it's killing our economy. I like the farming co-ops that go with the whole crowd source thing for the benefit of all. That should be the future of big business. Not all this hoarding crap.

[gunbeatskroty]

Here's a tip when buying bottled water in a 2nd or 3rd world country's restaurant......tell the waiter to bring you the bottle unopened. Otherwise they may bring you a recycled bottle filled with tap water, opened and already poured into a glass.

[pazman]

Here's a tip when buying bottled water in a 2nd or 3rd world country's restaurant......tell the waiter to bring you the bottle unopened. Otherwise they may bring you a recycled bottle filled with tap water, opened and already poured into a glass.

At most restaurants in China, this isn't a problem. Most people bring their own drinks anyways.

[Lucas]

...sort of like the plague of toads in Exodus. Of course, that would be pre-apocalyptic. :o

So that would make this the Aporkalypse?

badum chaaaaaa

[GeneChing]

That was worth some random pig images.

http://www.tueplay.com/content/pictures/200806/16/Girl%20with%20pig.jpg
http://news.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/pigsy1(1).jpg
http://cltampa.com/binary/eaeb/pork-bikini-girl.jpg

[Lucas]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0Okk6Cnev4/TcZjVizKIsI/AAAAAAAAACk/QZ5BH-a12d8/s1600/i-love-bacon-03.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xGYmmWj-9ww/TIpNl2LODWI/AAAAAAAAJ40/JHdWic0a_mM/s1600/bacon+heart.jpg

[Syn7]

I still laugh at this one.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-SPvaUbZPmNE/UVGXzoBZ3LI/AAAAAAAATeI/6NYPepwJdzg/w497-h373/photo.jpg

Super cute though.

[GeneChing]

China: Pesticide Not Sauce Added to Lunch; 1 Dead (http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/china-pesticide-sauce-added-lunch-dead-19038441#.UXliqsosasI)
BEIJING April 25, 2013 (AP)

China's state news agency says one person died and 20 others were sickened after a chef mistakenly added pesticide instead of a sauce as he was making lunch.

Xinhua News Agency said in a brief dispatch Thursday that the chef was among those who fell ill after eating the lunch at a construction site in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The others who were sickened were migrant workers. Two people were in critical condition.

Xinhua quoted the police as saying it was a crime of negligence. There was no mention of whether the chef had been charged.

The report gave no other details. Stupid chef.

[David Jamieson]

Stupid chef.

In Canada, he would be charged with criminal negligence causing death.
It's akin to manslaughter.

[Syn7]

In Canada, he would be charged with criminal negligence causing death.
It's akin to manslaughter.

Negligence causing... is technically manslaughter. In the CCC anyways. Dunno bout south of the 49th.

There are a handful of charges he could be charged with if it was here. Dunno bout China, but I have to believe they have at least some laws covering this.

[GeneChing]

It gives 100 million men something to do.

Sexual Mathematics: How Many Men in China will Die Virgins? (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/05/01/sexual-mathematics-how-many-men-in-china-will-die-virgins/)
about an hour ago by Master Blaster

Ready to have some fun with numbers? Yeah, we thought as much!

Japan’s News Post Seven recently ran an article claiming that, based on various sets of statistics, 100 million men in China will go through their entire lives without having sex. Let’s go through it and see if they deserve a Nobel Prize or a kick in the pants.

The theory is based on a report from Renmin University published in 2007 titled “Modern Chinese Youth Population Status Report”, which says 50 percent of Chinese men between the ages of 15 to 35 are unmarried. In addition, of approximately 360 million men under the age of 35 in China, half are determined to be “unable to marry.”

So this leaves 180 million Chinese men unable to get hitched, but of course that doesn’t remove their ability to get laid (although it probably does say something about their chances). For this, News Post Seven referred to Shutaro Nakata, author of Chugokujin No Toriatsukai Setsumeisho (The Chinese People Manual).

He states that these “unable to marry” men also don’t have lovers and that they rely on masturbation or the sex industry to satisfy their libidos. Although it’s illegal, Nakata says there is an underground sex industry to be found in China. For example, in Shanghai one could get a call girl for just 600 yuan (US$97) or visit a brothel that operates under the front of a sauna, paying 650 yuan to have a special, grown-up good time.

However, the article also claims that according to the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in 2009, 59 percent of Chinese workers had a disposable income of less than $5,000 a year. This would mean that for a man of such low income to make use of the aforementioned services even once, it would require about a quarter of their monthly spending money.

Based on the financial burden of using the sex industry in China, New Post Seven concludes that about half of these lusty, unmarried men would not make use of them. As a result the site claims that around 100 million men would go through life without having sex.

I’d give them an A for effort, but they lose marks for not showing their work. I was unable to find the original 2007 report from Renmin University — mostly through trouble finding the title in Chinese — and I couldn’t find the exact data mentioned by JETRO on their website, but they did mention several statistics similar to it. In addition the site seems to take some rather large leaps such as suggesting that over half of these terminally virgin men wouldn’t take the financial hit of visiting a hooker at least once. They seem to discount the concept of casual sex throughout the thought process as well.

Overall, I’d give them a D+ and ask that they get their parents to sign this article and return it to me.

[Syn7]

Everyone should have at least one piece of ass before the kick the bucket. It should be one of the commandments. ;)

[GoldenBrain]

Everyone should have at least one piece of ass before the kick the bucket. It should be one of the commandments. ;)

Thou shalt not kick the bucket before ye has at least one piece of ass. Yup, it's kinda catchy.

[GeneChing]

...now, the blob.

Oozing up From Below, Mysterious Marshmallow-like Substance Covers Nanjing Street (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/05/16/oozing-up-from-below-mysterious-marshmallow-like-substance-covers-nanjing-street/)
6 hours ago by John Stuart Translations

http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/ooze-1.jpg?w=449&h=297

Ever wonder what happened to the remains of the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man when Venkman and the rest of the gang destroyed it by “crossing their streams” in Ghostbusters? Well, it appears they may have fallen through a crack in a New York City sidewalk only to emerge 29 years later all the way over to China!

On the evening of May 12, a large amount of an as of yet unidentified marshmallow-like substance was found oozing up out of the ground at an intersection in the Pukou district of Nanjing, China. Reportedly not the best smelling foamy matter in the world (in line with our Stay Puft rotting remains theory!), local residents believe it’s the result of recent large-scale road construction.

Pictures of the mess uploaded to China’s popular microblog website, Weibo, sparked a large amount of interest, and were later picked up and reported on by major Chinese media outlets. Comments on Chinese websites include, “It’s like a pancake,” “It’s Magic!” and “Looks like some kind of alien.”

Police and firefighters who arrived on the scene are said to currently be in the process of cleaning up the billowy froth. It’s reported that some are saying problems such as this one, which have recently started to plague China’s roads, are the result of corner cutting and shoddy workmanship brought about by efforts aimed at reducing labor costs and expenses.

Stay Puft Marshmallow Man leftovers, however, cannot be completely ruled out.

[Syn7]

If all this nasty stuff isn't enough to make people mad enough to storm the lines... I don't know what is. This is just slow death by poison. No different than a violent act when you get right down to it. I would rather just get shot in the head than get some crazy sickness from my tap water.

[bawang]

If all this nasty stuff isn't enough to make people mad enough to storm the lines... I don't know what is. This is just slow death by poison. No different than a violent act when you get right down to it. I would rather just get shot in the head than get some crazy sickness from my tap water.

they can just colonize vancouver.

[Syn7]

they can just colonize vancouver.

Well underway, my friend.

[Brule]

The blob and now this.....What's the world coming to?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/15/hong-kong-rubber-duck-deflates

[Syn7]

Air spill!






yeah ok, dumb joke. :(

[GeneChing]

For the first time in my life, I hired movers.


Man Spends 5 Years Walking Home Carrying His ‘House’ on His Back (http://www.chinasmack.com/2013/pictures/chinese-man-spends-5-years-walking-home-carrying-house-on-back.html)
by Bing on Monday, May 27, 2013

http://img.chinasmack.com/www/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/liu-lingchao-guanxi-chinese-man-spends-5-years-walking-home-carrying-portable-home-on-shoulders-01-600x410.jpg

May 21, on the Liucheng County stretch of the 209 National Highway in Guangxi Liuzhou city, Liu Lingchao carrying his mobile “home” on his shoulders as he walks on the road.

On QQ, gxnews.com.cn, Xinhua, NetEase:
Guangxi Man Spends 5 Years Carrying “House” on Shoulders Throughout Journey Home

With suntanned skin and wearing Liberation shoes, Liu Lingchao is walking forward quickly while carrying a 1.5 meters wide, 2.2 meters tall “house” on his shoulders. After walking about 50 meters, he puts down his “house”, retraces his steps picking up discarded water bottles, sorts and places them in several woven bags, then lifts up his “house”, repeating this over and over again. 38-year-old Liu Lingchao is from Guangxi province Liuzhou city Rong’an county Tantou town. 20 years ago, he left his hometown to find work in the Guangzhou and Shenzhen area. After the idea of returning home came to him 5 years ago, he made a 60kg simple house like this, and departed from Guangdong walking towards his hometown. Along the way, Liu Lingchao refused to to accept anyone’s help, relying only on collecting discarded waste for a living, carrying his “house” forward on his journey by day, and camping out by the side of the road at night. He has already worn out three such “houses”, and today only has about 20 kilometers more before arriving home. This reporter learned that there indeed is such a person from the town of Tantou in RongAn county, whose family lives in Longcun village in Longcheng. From Xinhua (Photos: Li Hanchi)
Liu Lingchao, a Chinese man from Guangxi who has spent the past 5 years walking across the country on a journey back to his hometown carrying a portable "house" (makeshift shelter) on his shoulders, collecting recyclable garbage to make a living.

http://img.chinasmack.com/www/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/liu-lingchao-guanxi-chinese-man-spends-5-years-walking-home-carrying-portable-home-on-shoulders-02-600x417.jpg
Liu Lingchao carrying woven bags filled with [discarded] water bottles on his shoulders as he walks on the road, his mobile “house” behind him. From Xinhua (Photos: Li Hanchi)

http://img.chinasmack.com/www/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/liu-lingchao-guanxi-chinese-man-spends-5-years-walking-home-carrying-portable-home-on-shoulders-03-600x721.jpg
Liu Lingchao, a Chinese man from Guangxi who has spent the past 5 years walking across the country on a journey back to his hometown carrying a portable "house" (makeshift shelter) on his shoulders, collecting recyclable garbage to make a living.

http://img.chinasmack.com/www/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/liu-lingchao-guanxi-chinese-man-spends-5-years-walking-home-carrying-portable-home-on-shoulders-04-600x866.jpg

http://img.chinasmack.com/www/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/liu-lingchao-guanxi-chinese-man-spends-5-years-walking-home-carrying-portable-home-on-shoulders-06-600x398.jpg
Liu Linchao placing his portable “house” on the side of the road, resting.

http://img.chinasmack.com/www/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/liu-lingchao-guanxi-chinese-man-spends-5-years-walking-home-carrying-portable-home-on-shoulders-07-600x398.jpg
Liu Linchao cooking a meal in his portable “house”.

[GeneChing]

I'm guessing that industrial copper sulfate tastes bitter :(

30 Chinese factories closed on suspicion of using toxic substance to hasten production of delicacy (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/06/18/30-chinese-factories-closed-on-suspicion-of-using-toxic-substance-to-hasten-production-of-delicacy/)
2 days ago by John Stuart Translations

Thousand-year-old-eggs (pidan), also known as century eggs and millennium eggs, are a popular Chinese delicacy. The dish is made by using a mixture of clay, ash, salt, rice hulls and quicklime to preserve duck eggs, and usually takes a few months to complete.

Chinese media recently reported that 30 companies involved in the production of pindan in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, have been closed by authorities on strong suspicion of using industrial copper sulfate to hasten the ripening of the eggs.

In order to prevent “toxic pindan” from reaching market, Chinese State Food and Drug Authorities are investigating the suspect companies and their products to determine if copper sulfate, which can dramatically shorten the time needed for preserving the eggs, was used in the production process.

I think I’ll just keep eating my eggs over-easy for a while.

[GeneChing]

There's even video if you follow the link.

Welcome to summer hell: Chinese lake becomes a sea of humans and rubber rings (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/07/30/take-a-dip-in-this-overcrowded-chinese-lake-if-you-dare/)
2 days ago by Mike

http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/lake1.jpg?w=580&h=369

Summer in Asia is hot. Like, really, really hot. Seeing mirages hot. Cooking whole English breakfasts on the sidewalk hot. But no matter how hellish the summer heat gets, we will never, ever, ever set foot in this Chinese lake.

The above is the Hieronymus Bosch-esque hellscape of what is quite possibly the world’s most crowded summertime attraction: a lake in Suining City, China.

The lake is known as China’s Dead Sea, but the summer day these photos were taken this year, the lake was very much alive with as many as 15,000 desperate Chinese bathers. So crowded is the lake in these photos, we suppose the only way to actually enter the lake is to crowd-surf to an open spot.

http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/lake2.jpg?w=580&h=382

The sheer volume of other sweaty, stinky human bodies is enough to convince us to never go anywhere near this body of water. But in light of science recently proving that every person’s belly button sports a one-of-a-kind ****tail of thousands of different types of bacteria, the thought of the – by our calculation – approximately five metric butt-tons of unique germs swimming around in that lake is enough to make us swear off all exposure to water outside of scalding hot showers. And then there’s that awful fear: what if you slipped under…?

[Jimbo]

I would worry less about what's coming out of their belly buttons, and more about all the other stuff coming out of them. That lake should be called China's toilet.

[Syn7]

That's like kiddie pool times a billion!

I would love to see a sample from that lake in the lab. Nasty!

[GeneChing]

I get the Picolo Dragon Ball angle, but it really isn't necessary. ODing on snails is plenty for this story.


Man accidentally morphs into Dragon Ball’s Piccolo, seeks professional help (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/09/03/man-accidentally-morphs-into-dragon-balls-piccolo-seeks-professional-help/)
Rachel Tackett 9 hours ago


http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/piccolo02.jpg?w=580&h=429

For those of you who are fans of Dragon Ball, what would you call Piccolo’s most defining feature: the turban, the heavy-set brow line, or perhaps the long, pointy ears? If you ask us, the first thing to register when staring at a screen shot of the awesome alien warrior is his undeniable Hulk-like greenness.

Late last month, a man from Western China managed to achieve this startling shade of green skin, though not of his own volition and not without consequence, either. And what was the cause of his seemingly alien ailment? Snails.

It was reported last week in the Guizhou region of China, a 24-year-old man is recovering at home after seeing a doctor when his skin and even the whites of his eyeballs turned completely green. The man did not notice the peculiar coloring himself, but had it pointed out to him by a coworker and sought immediate medical assistance.

Turning full-body green is not a symptom that’s seen very often, but came as a result of parasites consumed in a plate of ill-prepared snails. Four sheep liver flukes, small centimeter-long parasites, were found swimming through the man’s system. After being removed, they were sent to China’s disease prevention control center to be studied. Failure to remove these parasites could have resulted in inflammation of the gall-bladder, scarring on the liver, and an increased chance of developing liver cancer.

Do be aware that these parasites were not a result of just one unlucky encounter with a plate of tainted escargot. Apparently, the little, green man has a huge affinity for eating snails and had consumed a plate of them every single day for many months. The fact that the man subsequently changed shades just goes to show that you really are what you eat. If allowed to continue in this way, we wonder how long before he’d have grown antenna reminiscent of Dragon Ball‘s Namekian race, to further compliment the pigment of his skin.

That being said, it’s probably better that we humans don’t try to become like Piccolo. He may be a super strong fighter, but he’s also an angry bachelor who died young and never got a girlfriend. It’s no stretch to say that a similar fate probably awaits those of us who spontaneously turn green. If such a thing ever happens to you someday, I suggest taking a quick picture for posterity’s sake and seeking emergency medical assistance.

[GeneChing]

Monkey bites off and eats baby's testicle while mother changing him (http://shanghaiist.com/2013/09/07/monkey_bites_off_and_eats_babys_testicle_while_mot her_changing_diaper.php)

An eight month old baby had his testicle bitten off and swallowed by a monkey at Qianling Park in Guiyang, Guizhou, Sohu reports.

The boy's mother was changing his diaper when one of the hundreds of wild monkeys who populate the park leaped onto him, biting his testicles. An old man reportedly tried to retrieve the testicle from the animal, but it was chewed beyond repair.

According to doctor's the child's injuries are not life-threatening but his future reproductive will be greatly affected. Park officials urged tourists to avoid the monkeys, which have been involved in several instances of wounding visitors in the past, though nothing so extreme.

By James Griffiths in News on Sep 7, 2013 12:00 PM
I was going to make a comment about baby testicles being bitter, but it would be in bad taste. Very bad taste.

[Cheng oi]

http://tn.loljam.com/14/upload/post/201305/30/10966/gallery/a1191-640x480.jpg

[Cheng oi]

http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/hong-kong-cages.jpg?w=620

[Cheng oi]

hong kong Apartments :o

[Cheng oi]

I actually do my martial arts in a place like this - I don't even go outside
http://melitasu.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cramped-apartments-from-above-hong-kong-soco-5.jpg

[Kellen Bassette]

I actually do my martial arts in a place like this - I don't even go outside.

Go outside! Don't be a throw away child! The sun is good for your chi!

[Sima Rong]

Looks like a perfect place to train Wing Chun.

[Cheng oi]

Go outside! Don't be a throw away child! The sun is good for your chi!


I don't want any problems - that's why I don't go outside - maybe trash should chillout with all the surveillance & Harassment

maybe they should send money instead
I didn't want them kidnapping my kids
I didn't want to have to stick to the electricity every time they turn it on
I didn't want the neighbors stealing my broadsword as soon as the postman drpped it off
I don't want to play stupid games with evil idiots
I'm highly allergic to B.S. ---- no I am not apologizing

yes I know the sun is good - too bad they don't share it
I wanted to live in Arizona
I didn't want to be the landlords slave
I don't want to be here --> X
I didn't want to get Nickle & dimed to death
I don't like getting chump changed
I didn't want my face messed up
I don't like poverty
etc.
etc.
etc.
the subject of todays RANT is --------------------- probably off topic


P.S ---- send money - a lot of money
I'm going to cook rice now - I DON'T WANT knockout drops in the soy sauce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foaUrqvOTpw

as the little circle gets smaller

[GeneChing]

An impressive exhibit of photography of toy factory workers. I only cherry-picked a few choice photos. There are many more. Follow this link - the real toy story (http://photomichaelwolf.com/#the-real-toy-story-the-installation/1).


http://photomichaelwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/14-toy-factory-portraits.jpg
http://photomichaelwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/02-toy-factory-portraits.jpg
http://photomichaelwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/04-toy-factories.jpg
http://photomichaelwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/15-toy-factories.jpg
http://photomichaelwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/16-toy-factories.jpg
http://photomichaelwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/17-toy-factories.jpg
http://photomichaelwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/01-the-installation.jpg
http://photomichaelwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/11-the-installation.jpg
http://photomichaelwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/04-the-installation.jpg

[Syn7]

Well, I guess you could say that about anything that is bad. "Oh your parents were murdered? Must have really brought the fam together. How nice that you guys could get together!"

"Oh there was a devastating earthquake? Must be nice to see such community spirit in cleaning up the bodies and rubble."

[GeneChing]

This will surely fix the problem....:rolleyes:


Photos: Primary students learn special 'anti-haze' martial arts to combat smog (http://shanghaiist.com/2013/12/12/children-martial-arts-smog.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/assets_c/2013/12/anti-fog-martial-art-2-thumb-640x380-821902.jpg

A primary school in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province has started to teach children a special set of martial arts so that they can protect themselves from the choking smog and haze present during the winter months, according to ChinaNews.com.

The special martial art has 23 actions and is believed to enhance physical fitness and strengthen tendons in the body and the lungs, according to the report.

Children and the elderly were asked to stay inside during the past couple of weeks when some cities' air quality index reached off-the-chart levels. Students in Hongzhou even resorted to performing their daily flag-raising ceremonies indoors, thanks to the vision-crippling smog.

On the plus side, heightened physical fitness awareness among China's youth can now be added to the government's absurd and far-reaching list naming benefits of China's smog problem.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2013/12/anti-fog-martial-art-1.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2013/12/anti-fog-martial-art-3.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2013/12/anti-fog-martial-art-4.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2013/12/anti-fog-martial-art-5.jpg


At the very least, it brings this OT thread on topic for KFM.

Smog is only going to get worse worldwide. Be prepared. (http://www.martialartsmart.com/qigong-dvd.html)

[Syn7]

You're right, I did like that! I wonder if the guys who made this are crazy pants and believe in it or if it's just a way to calm people down? Sometimes it's hard to tell.

[GeneChing]

...worry about eating clenbuterol. :eek:


Professional bicyclist blames Chinese food for positive doping test (http://shanghaiist.com/2013/12/30/michael-rogers-chinese-food-doping-test.php)
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/michael-rogers2.jpg

Australian bicyclist Michael Rogers said that the consumption of contaminated Chinese food is the reason he tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol, a sympathomimetic drug that athletes use to drop body fat quickly.

"I would like to make it very clear, in the strongest terms possible that I have never knowingly or deliberately ingested clenbuterol," the rider said in a statement on Friday. Rogers, a three-time World Time-Trial Champion and rider for Team Saxo-Tinkoff, failed the test at the Japan Cup in October.

"I can advise that during the period 8th-17th of October, before arriving in Japan, I was present in China for the World Tour race, Tour of Beijing," he said.

"I understand that it has been acknowledged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as well as other anti-doping bodies, that food contaminated with clenbuterol is a serious problem in China."

Certainly enough, China was hit with a huge food scandal in 2011 when Clenbuterol-tainted pork began circulating in markets. The illegal additive was found in products distributed by the country's largest meat processors, according to authority reports.

Products marketed under Shuanghui Group's Shineway brand were produced from pigs that were fed clenbuterol, an additive that can speed up muscle building and fat burning to produce leaner pork, the reports said.

The additive, known among farmers as “lean meat powder,” is banned in China because if eaten by humans it can lead to dizziness, heart palpitations and profuse sweating…

The industry association's spokesman told the Global Times in 2011 that the tainted pork was an isolated case only found in one Shuanghui company.

Still, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has told athletes to "exercise extreme caution with regards to eating meat when travelling to competitions in China and Mexico."

'It's hard to believe that high performance athletes in Australia, in any sport, could travel to China and Mexico and be unaware of the risk involved in eating meat in those countries and the strategies they need to take on board to eliminate that risk,'' Australian Institute of Sport head of medicine Dr. David Hughes said in a Canberra Times report.

[SimonM]

That one was already debunked today. Turns out it was just a Shandong tourism video with some ironic timing.

[David Jamieson]

That one was already debunked today. Turns out it was just a Shandong tourism video with some ironic timing.

I think there's just a lot of rabble rousing going on about China these days as we get nearer and nearer to the pivot point of Asian Economic supremecy and American Empire and British and European Empire fading in glory.
It's as if Western News orgs have never been to Houston, which is a smog hole supreme, no offense Houstonites, but dayum!

Smog deaths occur across North American major cities and just the other day there were reports in Toronto regarding a particular area of the city that was especially toxic in it's air quality. That's Toronto Canada folks and yes, we have crap air here too especially in the summer when people start dropping dead from smog.

This kind of journalism has become all too common. Lacks integrity and serves only to generate negative opinions of entire nation as if some sort of nationalistic bent where we are is any better. It's a dang mechanism of fascism for pete's sake.

Don't believe what you read. Don't believe everything you think that you've formed in your mind based on the experiences of others lest you at least share that experience.

[GeneChing]

How about a mug of live pig's blood?


Health Tip: Drinking live pig’s blood may lead to worms in your brain (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/02/27/health-tip-drinking-live-pigs-blood-may-lead-to-worms-in-your-brain/)

Master Blaster

http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/top20.jpg?w=580&h=400

I’m sure we can all agree that at the end of a long workday there’s nothing better than enjoying a nice glass of pig’s blood. I don’t mean that bottled crap you buy in the supermarket, chocked full of additives and high fructose corn syrup. I’m talking about the real-deal piping hot blood straight from a live pig.

However, before you go ahead and take a nice drink, take heed. As one young man from Guangxi, China learned, drinking too much live pig’s blood (i.e. any) can actually be bad for your health.

According to the Guiyang Evening News, on 18 February a young man checked into an area hospital complaining of a variety of symptoms including weakness, dizziness, and loss of vision.

Medical staff performed a CT scan on the man’s brain and found the presence of 19 parasites in it. The culprits are known as Taenia solium, a type of pork tapeworm that can infect humans who ingest improperly cooked pork.

http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/800px-taenia_solium_scolex.jpg?w=580&h=435

This tapeworm can be found in the blood and flesh of pigs. If consumed by humans its larva can enter the bloodstream and make its way to the brain. The good news is that this condition called neurocysticercosis is easily treatable by medication if detected in the early stages.

However, if left untreated it can result in severe brain and nerve damage leading to complications such as epilepsy and blindness. It can even be fatal in extreme cases. Unfortunately, this young man’s case is slightly advanced and it isn’t clear if he will pull through completely in the end.

The cause of this infection was the man’s fondness of drinking blood from a live pig made into a sweet soup reportedly called tian tang xue. However, the doctor who treated him took the opportunity to remind people to simply “never eat uncooked pork” and “do not drink the blood of a live pig.”

The thought of having worms in my brain is making the conversion to Islam a more and more appealing thought. However, if you’re one of those hardcore pork lovers who can’t go without the meat’s sweet and salty taste please remember to cook it thoroughly. And next time you find yourself sneaking up on a pig with a spigot, consider having something healthier like Coca-Cola or feces wine.

[No_Know]

White Crane Spreads it's Wings--longevity, Tiger-Bones+ and Striking Snake-chi and breath...the 23 move form looks to have potential if anything can help combat the bad air in the environment.

No_Know

[ShaolinDan]

How about a mug of live pig's blood?

I talked to a (western) doctor I met in China who was studying these worms. According to her, it's not just pigs' blood. Farmers who have contracted the worms often use improperly processed humanure...she thought it was VERY important to peel, cook, or wash in iodine solution ALL vegetables in China. Unfortunately I had already eaten a bunch of raw stuff by the time I met her. Still, it's not that common...my odds are pretty good. :)

[GeneChing]

170 dead pigs discovered in Qinghai's Yellow River
(http://shanghaiist.com/2014/04/17/wee_at_least_170_dead.php)
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/pig-city.jpg

Wee. At least 170 dead pigs were pulled out of Qinghai province's Yellow River, China's second-longest waterway, Xinhua reported today. This marks the latest in a string of similar incidents from the past two months, and with the images of last year's Great Huangpu Hog Pile still fresh on our minds, it's one too many to bear for mainland residents whose fears over food safety are steadily rising.

According to the Xinhua report, the source of the dead pigs has not yet been confirmed, although industry experts say that the corpses are often dumped by farmers trying to avoid disposal costs.

This was the case with last year's hogwash that saw over 10,000 dead pigs being fished out of the Huangpu river after they were dumped by farmers in Jiaxing and Zhejiang province.

Around 500 dead pigs are recovered every month from a reservoir in Sichuan, according to AFP. Last month, 131 of the things were found in a river in Jiangxi province and in February, a collection of dead pigs yet again surfaced in our precious Huangpu River, a main source of Shanghai's water supply.
Would it be tactless to move all the dead pig posts on this thread to our Bacon!!!!!! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48509-Bacon!!!!!!) thread? :p

[GeneChing]

I'm speechless at this one.


Customers find condom in fish dish, restaurant manager eats it to avoid paying fine (http://shanghaiist.com/2014/05/14/customers_find_condom_in_fish_dish.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/benjamincost/fishcondom.jpg

In a story that's got hundreds of millions of netizens talking/retching, diners at an Anhui restaurant were about to enjoy a nice fish meal when they discovered a surprise on their plate: a condom. When they threatened to fine the establishment more than 100,000RMB, the manager allegedly refused, instead agreeing to eat the condom as compensation:

The patron, surnamed Liang, said she was dining with two other women when they turned over their shared catch of the day to find a condom.

The report failed to mention if the prophylactic was used.

Shocked and disgusted, Liang and her friends demanded compensation from the manager: an ambulance, reimbursed medical expenses and 100,000 yuan ($16,039).

"They suspected us of putting the condom there ourselves," said Liang.

Despite the manager arguing that the condom would have melted after being roasted, Liang and friends disagreed and eventually proposed their sadistic solution.

"I was on duty so I had to eat it to get the problem settled," said the manager.

Someone please give this guy the "Employee of the Century Award"/ a part in ******* 4.

While this is (hopefully) the the first time a restaurant manager has agreed to eat a prophylactic found in food, this isn't the first time a lucky customer has found one in their food. The other case involved a group who found a condom in their yogurt. We pray they also didn't find "yogurt" in that condom.

[GeneChing]

... is actually quite common in many rural areas of China


26-year-old Shaanxi woman has been tied to a tree for more than 20 years (http://shanghaiist.com/2014/07/23/shaanxi-woman-tied-to-tree.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/benjamincost/shaanxi-women-tied-to-tree-2.jpg
Zhang Yanrong, a 26-year-old woman in Shaanxi has been strapped to a tree outside her home for more than 20 years. Her parents tied her there when she was little to prevent her injuring herself after a childhood accident rendered her mentally disabled, Oriental Daily reports.

She became mentally handicapped after the injury, and could not recognize the way home. Her parents took her to many doctors, but couldn't afford the medical fees. And so it was decided that tying her to a tree was the only solution.

Her neighbor stated that Zhang wasn't violent or unstable, just slow. "She has been lost several times and roping her up is the only way," says her neighbor.

Her 60-year-old mother said that her daughter never resisted being tied up. She was worried no one would take care of her daughter if she and her husband passed away.

Tying up the mentally disabled is actually quite common in many rural areas of China, where they can't afford medical care, and attitudes towards the handicapped seem medieval at best.

[Image Via On.cc]

By Christy Lau

[GoldenBrain]

They could at least get her a comfy chair to sit on. Maybe make a day bed out of straw or something. Or, better yet, the village could work together and take care of their fellow humans by creating a nice place to safely house her and others with special needs while not in direct care of the family. Sad...really sad.

[Syn7]

It seems to be more of a practical decision than one of outright insensitivity. If it's a small village and everyone is working all the time, when can you take the time to watch somebody like a hawk? If you aren't working it's cause you're old or sick, so those not working at all wouldn't be able to chase her around. Still, you would think they could find a way to pass her around to those on break or whatever so she doesn't have to sit tethered to a tree. To us it's cruel, but would she be better off locked in a room? It wasn't that long ago that many cultures would never have let someone like that live to become such a burden. So at least there's that. I'm not trying to seem insensitive, I just don't know what I would do if I was a poor farmer working 24/7, like everyone else in my small village. Ya know. I have friends with special needs children, and maaaan, that is like 3 full time jobs. We're lucky here to have the wealth and infrastructure to help with these sorts of things.

[GoldenBrain]

I agree with you completely Syn. I'm not exactly miffed by the fact that she's tied up. I mean that's bad enough, but as you point out they really might not have another option. My point was that she is tied to a tree which has a rubble pile and a large stone looking thing next to it. Surely they could clean up the area a little bit and give her a chair or something nicer to sit on. Maybe add a water jug nearby, and possibly a tarp in case it rains. It just seems like minimal effort has been made to make her comfortable.

Good thing she doesn't live in Texas, because there would be some animal gnawing on her leg by the time the family returned.

[bawang]

id hit it, disable or no disable.
...worry about eating clenbuterol. :eek:
clenbuterol gives u six pack abs. bodybuilders take it.

[GeneChing]

He is the definition of hardcore.


One-armed porter ready to quit after trekking up mountain 4,000 times in 14 years (http://shanghaiist.com/2014/10/07/one-armed_porter_wants_to_quit_afte.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/One-armedporterhuamthuashan-1.jpg

A 52-year-old one-armed porter who's been dubbed "China's most famous porter" made headlines this week when he announced that he was ready to throw in the towel after 14 years of working and over 4,000 trips up Mount Hua, Tencent News reports.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/One-armedporterhuamthuashan-2.jpg
Fellow workers help He get the cargo up on his back.

The porter, surnamed He, usually wakes up early in the morning to deliver 50 kg of cargo to a restaurant on Shaanxi province's Mount Hua for minimal wage. When he arrives at the dangerously steep ridge, he has to carefully lower his body and take small steps towards to the stairs.

"It's fine if I fall off and wound myself but it will be big trouble if the tourists get injured," the porter said.

He can earn 0.55 yuan per 0.5 kg and he carries 50 kg once. "I'm supposed to get 55 yuan, but other porters have given me five more yuan," he told reporters.

"When I go down the mountain, I collect some plastic bottles and waste paper, which can fetch another 20 yuan. If I am lucky, I can earn 2,000 yuan per month," he said.

From the year 2008 till now, his wage has been raised by only 0.25 yuan.

"I used to go up twice every day but now only once," said He.

Seeing as his strength isn't what it used to be, he now spends two hours covering one trip and stops to rest over 40 times. His fellow porters only spend one hour on the trip and rest three times.

"I didn't want to quit. My 70-year-old parents fell ill and my 30-year-old son has been suffering from congenital heart disease. Fortunately, my younger son who works in Zhejiang can earn 7,000 yuan monthly," He said.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/One-armedporterhuamthuashan-3.jpg
He carries cargo up to the mountain.

He was born in a village in Shaanxi province in 1962. His wife died from heart disease after giving birth to his second son. At that time, He needed to take care of the two kids while paying off a debt of 12,000 yuan.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/One-armedporterhuamthuashan-4.jpg

He lost his left arm when he was working for a mine in Ping Dingshan, Henan province back in 1992. After the incident, his boss reimbursed him for 4,200 yuan and later sent him packing. On the train back home, he was robbed for 2,000 yuan.

After failing to find another job, He came to Mount Hua in 2000 to become a porter.

"I planned to work until 70, I don't think I can, though," he told reporters, sighing.

By Lucy Liu

[ Images via Tencent News]

[David Jamieson]

I get the sense that life is a hard road in China if you aren't 1% or have money.
Dang!

[GeneChing]

This puts rollercoasters and bungee jumping in perspective.

Residents in remote Hubei village commute on cable-strung 'iron cage' (http://shanghaiist.com/2014/12/10/residents-remote-hubei-village-cable-iron-cage-enter-leave.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/villagerscommute-ironcage-1.jpg
A villager and her two daughter ride home in the "'iron cage"

For the past 16 years, 196 residents living in a small village in Hubei province have depended on this rickety old cable car with no doors to get to and from home. They call it their "iron basket".

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/villagerscommute-ironcage-2.jpg

Yushan village, in Hubei's Hefeng county, is about 150 kilometers away from the nearest town and is surrounded with steep cliffs and valleys that make it difficult to access.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/villagerscommute-ironcage-3.jpg
Villagers prepare to deliver items out of their village.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/villagerscommute-ironcage-4.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/villagerscommute-ironcage-5.jpg

The 1,000-meter-long cableway is suspended 480 meters above ground level and has helped local residents commute in and out of their village since it was built over 16 years ago, Sohu News reports.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/villagerscommute-ironcage-7.jpg
A cableway operator named Zhang Xinjian is photographed oiling the cable.

It takes the villagers an entire day to leave and return from the remote village without using the cableway.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/villagerscommute-ironcage-8.jpg
Zhang prepares to operate the cableway and send villagers out.

By Lucy Liu

[Syn7]

That actually looks pretty fun. I'd be a lil weary of the design and craftsmanship though. What we have to go through here to throw a cable like that is pretty intense as far as standards go. I imagine they just up and did it. Props though, not an easy task.

[GeneChing]

That actually looks pretty fun. I've survived Chinese rollercoasters. They are fun in a truly death defying way. I wrote about one here: Wu-Tang Enters Wudang (2 of 7) And You Don't Stop (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=6)

Meanwhile, even Santa has to eat bitter in China:


Here comes Santa Claus, defying death to deliver gifts atop a cable car (http://shanghaiist.com/2014/12/22/cable_car_santa.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/santa-claus-cable-car-1.jpg

With no flying reindeer or magical sleigh for assistance, Santa Claus took it upon himself to climb on to cable cars at the Shiniuzhai Scenic Resort in Pingjiang, Hunan Province to give Christmas gifts to visitors over the weekend.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/santa-claus-cable-car-2.jpg

NetEase reports that the Santa Claus was in fact one of the staff members of the scenic spot, apologies to all you kids out there.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/santa-claus-cable-car-4.jpg

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas and everyone loves to surprise their loved ones, but Shanghaiist must recommend that you not try dangerous things like this yourself if you are not a professional. Just use a drone instead.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/santa-claus-cable-car-6.jpg

By Dina Li

[MarathonTmatt]

This puts rollercoasters and bungee jumping in perspective.

Wow. Pretty nifty.

Does anyone know what kind of horse that is in the third pic down?

[GeneChing]

When food bites back


Drunk Beijing man tries to bite into turtle, turtle bites back (and holds on for 10 minutes) (http://shanghaiist.com/2015/01/09/drunk-beijing-man-tries-to-bite-turtle-turtle-bites-back.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/drunk-man-kiss-turtle-1.jpg

A drunk man who claimed that he could eat a live turtle at a market in Beijing on Wednesday saw the tables turn on him when the little shelled fellow bit him first, then clamped down on the man's lips for around 10 minutes.

The man was wandering around a market and was apparently sufficiently boozed up when he suddenly stopped at a fish stall and decided he ought to try eating a live turtle, as one wont to do. The turtle wanted none of his shenanigans, however, and bit down on the man's lips, refusing to open its mouth for more than 10 minutes, ifeng News reports.

Many people came around but none could really help him. Witnesses said the man just stood still until the turtle finally gave up and let go.

The man is said to be around 40 years old and reportedly raises a small pet turtle himself. He usually plays with his own turtle and puts it near his mouth. This particular turtle, however, was not so playful.

“The small turtles are pets, but this big one is used for cooking. We are also very careful and get bitten when holding it,” the stall owner said.

Sadly enough for humanity, this isn't the first case of its kind. A Fujian man was hospitalized following a run-in with a snapping turtle that left his lips horribly swollen last March.


By Dina Li

[GeneChing]

i totally would. :o

;)


'Red Guards' serve food at 'Red Classic'-themed restaurant in Gansu (http://shanghaiist.com/2015/01/13/staff_act_as_red_guards_serving_at.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/01/Redguards-Gansu-restaurant-1.jpg

Waiters and waitresses dressed as "Red Guards" enthusiastically salute and greet patrons with pleasantries such as "Good Day, fellow villager!" at this hot pot restaurant channeling the Mao era in Pingliang, Gansu province. It's freaky.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/01/Redguards-Gansu-restaurant-2.jpg

The "Hong Qi Gong She" (Red Flag Commune) restaurant features staff donning Red Army hats and red armbands. Workers also adopt speaking styles reminiscent of the old era, and upon walking into the door, customers are greeted by hosts with phrases such as: "Welcome to the countryside! All you need is to improve your meal."

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/01/Redguards-Gansu-restaurant-3.jpg

Even the way staff members address one another is nostalgic of the time.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/01/Redguards-Gansu-restaurant-4.jpg

Wait staff members are usually called "sheyuan" (commune members), the supervisor is called "Captain", the menu is "Ge Ming Yu Lu" (Chairman Mao's Quotations), beers equate to "land mines" and a glass of the Chinese baijiu is referred to as a "bomb".

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/01/Redguards-Gansu-restaurant-5.jpg

"Customers never stop coming to my restaurant and they're not able to 'improve their meal' unless they have made a reservation beforehand," the restaurant's owner said in a Tencent News report.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/01/Redguards-Gansu-restaurant-6.jpg

"...I've never opened a business before," he continued. "But I have visited quite a few Chinese cities, and I found many of them have worked this kind of "Red Tourism" angle. I thought, why I can't have a 'Red Restaurant'? So i made a decision to open a "Red Classic"-themed restaurant here in Pingliang."


By Luke Sun

[PalmStriker]

:D Yes, I would feel quite comfortable around those Red Guard babes after I had a couple of land mines with my Chairman Mao sweet and sour.

[Syn7]

i totally would. :o

;)

Yes, because I get a kick out of the irony of it all.

[bawang]

those gansu turk bishes make my wee wee tingle

[GeneChing]

There are still cave dwellers in Henan too. At least there was when I was last there about a decade ago. I know some people who lived in caves around Shaolin Temple. Zhang Lipeng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=144)'s father took me to the cave he lived in for a while when he first came to Shaolin. By then, it had become a place to ****, way to nasty to go in, let alone live in. That was 2001.


35-year-old man lives in cave for six months to save money for family (http://shanghaiist.com/2015/03/04/35-year-old_man_lives_in_cave_for_s.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/03/caveman1.jpg

A 35-year-old man who makes around 3,000 yuan a month working as a truck loader at a logistics company in Jinan city says he has been living in a dark and narrow cave for around six months so that he can save money to send to his family in the Doufuying village of Handan city, Hebei province.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/03/caveman2.jpg

Shi Zhiyong is the bread earner for his family, which includes his parents, wife and two young sons. Five year ago, he decided to find a job in Jinan city in the hope of earning more money to take care of them, Xinhua News reports.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/03/caveman3.jpg

"Working as a truck loader can bring in around 3,000 yuan in Jinan but only 1,800 yuan in my hometown," Shi told reporters, adding that the higher salary motivated him to move, even if it meant living far away from his family.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/03/caveman4.jpg

Shi only spent around 200 yuan on his rent, cellphone fees and alcohol, as his company provides him three meals. When he discovered the 10-meter-deep cave while taking a stroll on Yaoshan Mountain last September, he decided to live there to save the 100 yuan he'd spent on his rent. The cave was chiseled out for military purposes back in the 1970s, according to Shi.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/03/caveman5.jpg

Since September, he's been telling his family that he stays in his company's dorms or in hotels.

Shi told reporters that he wakes up at around 6:00 a.m. in the morning and uses the company restroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Upon returning from work, he showers in the public bathroom at the bottom of the mountain.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/03/caveman6.jpg

By Lucy Liu

[curenado]

Makes a prayer come natural for those who must exert most strength for least return.

- red restraunt a hoot
- I would never ride the iron cage (no one should walk under it if I did either)

[GeneChing]

My kid is starting college tours so I've been thinking a lot about this lately.


Painting their future: 7,000 students sit fierce exam for a place in Chinese art schools - and only 30 candidates will make the cut
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3451270/Painting-future-7-000-students-sit-fierce-exam-place-Chinese-art-schools-30-candidates-make-cut.html?ITO=applenews)
Thousands of aspiring artists took the exam at a 200,000-square-foot hall in Jinan city on February 16
Diligent students are hoping to get a place at Shandong University of Arts and Design through the test
The painting competition is part of the national college entrance exam for art attended by 900,000 hopefuls
By CHLOE LYME FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 11:50 EST, 17 February 2016 | UPDATED: 14:38 EST, 17 February 2016

Nearly 7,000 students were pictured recently sitting for an entrance exam for Shandong University of Arts and Design in east China.

On February 16 the examinees sat patiently in the 200,000-square-foot hall of the Shungeng International Convention Center in Jinan city, reports the People's Daily Online.

With registration for the university on the rise, this year's competition has become much fiercer as the number of students set to be recruited by the university has shrunk.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/17/16/314873B800000578-3451270-Test_Thousands_of_young_artists_sat_an_entrance_ex am_for_the_Chi-a-47_1455725132657.jpg
Test: Thousands of young artists sat an entrance exam for the Shandong University of Arts and Design on Feb 16 in Jinan city

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/17/16/314814E400000578-3451270-Composed_Students_sat_in_the_200_000_square_foot_h all_of_the_Shu-a-48_1455725132659.jpg
Composed: Students sat in the 200,000-square-foot hall in Shungeng International Convention Center as they sketched, drew and painted

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/17/16/31481C8100000578-3451270-Under_pressure_About_900_000_applicants_take_the_n ational_colleg-a-49_1455725132660.jpg
Under pressure: About 900,000 applicants take the national college entrance exam for art in China every year to enter their dream schools

The aspiring artists sat in long rows on the marble floor in front of their identical easels, canvas, paintbrushes and paint as they carefully crafted their artwork.

They're required to attend a sketching session, a drawing session and a painting session.

In the freezing cold room they all painted what looked to be a similar painting of some fruit next to a vase or pot. As well as the painting the students sketched with pencil what seemed to be a bucket next to a bottle and a book.

Pictures taken on the day of the exam show the students focusing on their work intensely in a bid to win a place at the university. Amazingly, a student who had no arms sat the exam room and used his feet to paint as well as sketch.

Their work will be marked and reviewed by the teachers from Shandong University of Arts and Design.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/17/16/314873C800000578-3451270-image-m-55_1455725238492.jpg
Determined: A student who had no arms was seen sitting in the exam room and using his feet to paint as well as sketch during the exam

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/17/16/3148151E00000578-3451270-Amazing_A_student_who_does_not_have_any_arms_paint s_with_his_foo-a-50_1455725132662.jpg
Amazing: In the freezing cold room, the devoted candidate drew with his bare feet as he strove to enter the art school he liked

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/17/16/314409B800000578-3451270-Hopeful_Around_7_000_Chinese_art_students_took_par t_in_a_univers-a-51_1455725132665.jpg
Hopeful: Around 7,000 ambitious Chinese art students took part in a university entrance exam in the city of Ji'nan, east China

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/17/16/3148739C00000578-3451270-Paint_for_success_Aspiring_artists_competed_agains t_each_other_f-a-52_1455725132666.jpg
Paint for success: The army of artists competed against each other for places on courses at a Chinese university yesterday in Shandong

For the budding young artists who took their exams yesterday, chances of getting are very slim, only one out of every 30 candidates will be chosen.

Art universities have always been a hit among China's high school students who are applying for the limited spaces available. The Shandong Arts and Design University is one of 31 art and design universities in the country.

According to its website the university's goal is to foster 'scientifc spirit, humanistic accomplishment, artistic innovation and technical skills'.

Around 900,000 applicants take the national college entrance exam for art in China every year.

[GeneChing]

I swear - Chinese deliverers are some of the toughest mofos on the planet.


Jaw-dropping photos show a rubbish collector carrying an insane number of boxes with his tricycle (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3515287/Jaw-dropping-photos-intrepid-man-carrying-insane-number-boxes-tiny-tricycle-riding-vehicle-front.html?ITO=applenews)

The man was reportedly on his way to a recycling plant in Shenyang, China
The images emerged today on Chinese media and have trended online
Internet users have criticised the man for putting other people in danger

By SOPHIE WILLIAMS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 06:22 EST, 30 March 2016 | UPDATED: 07:46 EST, 30 March 2016

Hilarious images have emerged today of a man riding a tricycle overloaded with boxes in northern China.

The man who is thought to be a rubbish collector has been referred to as 'the most expert cyclist' on Chinese internet.

He was on his way to a garbage recycling transfer station in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, when the photos were taken, reported Huanqiu, an affiliation with the People's Daily Online.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/30/10/32AADB3F00000578-3515287-image-a-31_1459330151654.jpg
Shocking: A man has been pictured riding an overloaded tricycle in Shenyang, north China's Liaoning province

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/30/10/32AADB4600000578-3515287-image-a-32_1459330189065.jpg
Dangerous driving! The man is said to be a recycler and was taking the items to a rubbish transfer station

The tricycle is packed high with white polystyrene boxes set for the recycling point.

The man has ensured that he can see the traffic by making a hole through the boxes which were tied together using string and tape.

Its thought that the boxes were piled as high as 11 feet.

According to reports, motorists swerved to avoid the unidentified man.

Onlookers said the man was making a risky move by trying to carry so many boxes.

The photos have caused debate online about whether he should have put other people at risk by carrying so much.

On Wenxuecity.com, one user wrote: 'Not only does it affect the traffic, it's not safe!'

While another said: 'Where are the police? This man can't even see the road!'

According to China's Ministry of Public Security, the country has more than 169 million car owners.

It warned drivers of 'distracted driving,' which it said caused 21,570 deaths in 2014, in an effort to encourage more sensible driving habits across the nation.

Back in 2013, Chinese authorities confirmed that over 80 per cent of trucks on the roads were overloaded, largely down to extortionate toll bridge fees.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/30/10/32AADB3400000578-3515287-image-a-33_1459331531101.jpg
Crazy! The man was pictured carrying boxes eleven feet high in the streets of Shenyang, Liaoning province

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/30/10/32AADB4B00000578-3515287-image-a-34_1459331534099.jpg
'The most expert cyclist' Internet users have criticised the man for putting other motorists at risk

[GeneChing]

There's an embedded vid on the original article, but the pix give you the idea...


Think your boss is tough? Chinese employees are forced to CRAWL on the street for missing their sales targets (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3529474/Think-boss-tough-Chinese-employees-forced-CRAWL-street-missing-sales-targets.html?ITO=applenews)

Footage shows over 10 men forced to crawl on their knees in Jilin, China
The company trades auto and financial loans but didn't reach their goals
Management reportedly wanted to motivate their staff with the punishment

By SOPHIE WILLIAMS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 05:25 EST, 8 April 2016 | UPDATED: 05:34 EST, 8 April 2016

Shocking footage has emerged of more than 10 people forced to crawl on all fours in public last week in a Chinese city.

The group of people, all employees of one company, were reportedly being punished by their boss because they hadn't hit their sales targets. Local media say that management wanted them to be more motivated.

The incident was filmed in Baishan City, northern China's Jilin province on April 2, Huanqiu, affiliated with the People's Daily Online reports.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/08/09/32F7006C00000578-3529474-image-m-3_1460104930248.jpg
Harsh punishment: The employees were forced to crawl around after they missed their sales targets in China

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/08/09/32F7004F00000578-3529474-image-m-5_1460105159436.jpg
Kind: According to the company, they wanted to punish the manager but the employees also volunteered

The footage shows the unidentified employees, most of whom were suited, standing in lines before they are told to get on their knees.

They then appear to crawl on an evidently wet floor for a considerable amount of time.

If things weren't bad enough for the group, they were filmed by several passersby.

A man can be heard shouting at the men and women to 'fulfill their commitments'.

The incident took place outside a shopping mall in Baishan City.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/08/09/32F7007D00000578-3529474-image-m-9_1460105393906.jpg
The company trades auto and financial loans and is based in Baishan City, northern China's Jilin province

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/08/09/32F7005F00000578-3529474-image-m-7_1460105330289.jpg
The group crawled on the floor outside a shopping small in the city while passersby caught it on camera

According to Chinese media, the company did not meet their sales targets.

On April 7, the company spoke out about the video. The company's spokesman confirmed that they trade car and financial loans.


The spokesman said that as the company had not met the sales target, they asked the manager to crawl on his knees to motivate him.

However, all of the staff allegedly volunteered to follow their manager and do the exercise.

The company says that the group crawled nearly 700 feet.

This isn't the first case of interesting ways of companies punishing their employees.

Last October, another company based in Zhangzhou forced their employees to crawl after missing sales targets.

[GeneChing]

I have another article on coffin houses that I've been meaning to post, but it's like 20 pix. Maybe coffin houses needs it's own thread. This one is old, but it'll do until I post that other one.


Crowded Overhead View of Tiny Hong Kong Apartments (http://mymodernmet.com/society-for-community-organization-cramped-apartments/)
By Katie Hosmer on February 20, 2013

http://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/archive/uoyGmGTXC0Al2xxpIg2J_1082115586.jpeg

Many people who live in New York City might believe that they have a ‘small' apartment. But, after seeing this photo series of cramped apartments, you might reconsider. And that's exactly what the human rights organization Society for Community Organization (SoCo) was going for when they commissioned the project.

In the middle of 2012, Hong Kong was ranked as one of the world's most livable cities. But, the issue with these types of glamorous rankings is that, often times, a city's major problems are pushed aside. In an effort to raise awareness about the inadequate housing concerns in Hong Kong, and about the percentage of people who survive in extremely tiny living quarters, SoCo developed this photo campaign that features an aerial view of incredibly crowded apartments.

Often no bigger than a large cubicle, the apartments average about 40 square feet and are the result of dividing already small spaces into smaller, partitioned rentals. Each wide-angle photograph, shot from overhead, highlights individuals and families, along with their belongings, surviving in these very crammed and extreme conditions.

http://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/archive/3GG4OundgFsd7VfhRkKD_1082115619.jpeg
http://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/archive/XFrGRmMxBWo8E8RW5hno_1082115635.jpeg
http://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/archive/kyo5VDSZE5ig9KMRIQx1_1082115690.jpeg
http://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/archive/Dzcr9YU5Fra44VsYdUJ7_1082115705.jpeg

[GeneChing]

Subterranean home for 400 found in Beijing basement (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-40325773)
20 June 2017

https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/16FE9/production/_96558149_gettyimages-464282243.jpg
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
It is common to see basements in Beijing converted into housing units, such as this one photographed in 2014

The recent discovery of around 400 people living underneath an upscale Beijing apartment complex has shone fresh light on the Chinese capital's housing crunch.
On Saturday, a state radio report highlighted the existence of an underground warren of windowless rooms - with only one emergency exit - at Julong Gardens, located in the north-east of the city and popular with wealthy expatriates.
The tenants are among an estimated one million people known as shuzu - or rat tribe - who live in subdivided bomb shelters and bunkers built under Beijing in the 1970s and 1980s.

Stark contrast

The China National Radio report (in Chinese) said that homeowners at Julong Gardens became suspicious when they began noticing more unfamiliar faces in their complex.
They eventually discovered the warren of hidden rooms behind a door in the basement of one of the complex's towers.
An underground space had been subdivided into worker dormitories - complete with kitchens and even a "smoking room" - and cramped single rooms.
The tenants were migrant workers, their living conditions a stark contrast to that of the aboveground residents of Julong Gardens, a spacious compound with several apartment blocks.
It is unclear whether the underground homes were legal - authorities are reportedly investigating. China National Radio said the basement space was owned by the local government but was likely to have been subleased.
Authorities used to encourage the use of such spaces for housing and other purposes, but in recent years have cracked down and stopped granting permits as units proliferated and sparked safety concerns.
In 2015 officials embarked on a massive eviction exercise with more than 120,000 shuzu kicked out for security reasons.

Relentless climb in rents

Many migrant workers and students turn to underground housing because of its cost, which according to some estimates can be as low as $20 (£16) a month for a space in a dormitory room.
The trend comes amid a relentless climb in rental prices in Beijing, which was found to have the least affordable rental housing in the world last year.
One recent survey (in Chinese) found the average monthly rent in Beijing last year had climbed to about 4,550 RMB ($666; £523), about 60% more than the 2010 figure.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/3B51/production/_96558151_gettyimages-464282229.jpg
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Many of these units are tiny and windowless

But it is also because of China's household registration system called hukou, which ties a person's government benefits, including access to affordable housing, to their hometown.
Many migrant workers find it difficult and costly to transfer their hukou to another city.
On microblogging network Sina Weibo, the Julong Gardens case sparked a mixture of resignation and exasperation.
"So why come to Beijing to squeeze in like this? I really don't understand," said one user.
"Beijing welcomes you (but get out if you don't have money)," joked another.

Is this better or worse than coffin houses?

[GeneChing]

Coffin homes (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70435-Coffin-Homes) deserve an indie thread now, separate from Eating bitter in China (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65261-Eating-bitter-in-China).


Hong Kong cage homes for hipster tourists: ‘poverty tourism’, or a way to show visitors unique side of city? (http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2108982/hong-kong-cage-homes-hipster-tourists-poverty-tourism-or)
After social media outburst over cage-home beds at Sham Shui Po hostel and withdrawal of Airbnb listing, owner defends it as giving guests a different picture of Hong Kong and says cages celebrate the ingenuity of city’s poor
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 30 August, 2017, 4:47pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 30 August, 2017, 4:52pm
Lauren James
lauren.james@scmp.com
http://twitter.com/Lauren_YP

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980x551/public/images/methode/2017/08/30/ea0f0726-8d58-11e7-9f40-4d9615941c08_1280x720_165202.JPG?itok=pft6mdjk

“Even starving artists need a place to rest their heads,” reads the blurb on Wontonmeen’s website. “We like to think of Wontonmeen as the hub where Hong Kong’s creative scene starts its day; a unique, diverse living space in the heart of Sham Shui Po.”

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2017/08/30/e98fdc4e-8d58-11e7-9f40-4d9615941c08_1320x770_165202.JPG

The hostel’s owner, local designer Patricia Choi, expressed anger over a report this week on “coffin homes” by The Guardian newspaper, which called Wontonmeen “insensitive” and said it “speaks to the complacency that has developed” towards the city’s problems.
Amid the ensuing furore on social media, one of the hostel’s Airbnb listings has been withdrawn, although a second Airbnb listing and another on Booking.com are still active.
Speaking on Wednesday, Choi said the hostel offers non-locals an insight into a uniquely Hong Kong living situation that they wouldn’t gain from staying in a hotel in a more popular tourist area.
“Foreigners come to Hong Kong and go to Lan Kwai Fong to party. They experience the international and glitzy parts. But is that really the whole picture of Hong Kong?” she asks. “We’re locally run and owned ... we work with many NGOs and social enterprises in the neighbourhood to fight poverty.”
The complex is on Lai Chi Kok Road in an area with the highest poverty rate of the city’s 18 districts, and where many live in dire conditions, including subdivided flats and cage homes.

[Cage-home beds designer] Raymond [Chan] discovered an agility and wisdom from people living in these spaces – we didn’t do it purely for aesthetics PATRICIA CHOI
The current dormitory design was completed in late 2015, and has attracted attention online for its layout. Some commentators on social media have said that marketing sleeping in a cage as a quirky option for backpackers romanticises the city’s acute housing crisis, and is insensitive to those who have no choice but to endure cramped living conditions.
Choi started Wontonmeen in 2006, converting an apartment building into a compound that includes studios, a shop, a gallery, an event space and a hostel, which currently sleeps 12 (10 in the dormitory, and two in an adjacent private room).
Decked out with vintage furniture, hammocks, and neon signs in its common areas, Wontonmeen is aimed squarely at the budget-conscious millennial traveller on the hunt for an unusual experience and photogenic lodgings.
Its cage beds costs HK$203 a night, or just over HK$6,000 a month. Most of those who stay at Wontonmeen are Chinese or Asian, while about 10 to 20 per cent of the hostel’s guests are Westerners, Choi says.

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The hostel touts its proximity to several of Kowloon’s tourist hotspots, and suggests that prospective guests “experience the night market, street food, accessories shopping and flower/bird market like a real local”.
Choi says Wontonmeen partners with local charities, such as the Christian Concern for the Homeless Association, to run crafting and English language workshops for local children, as well as Chinese-language tours of the local area.
Sham Shui Po has the city’s highest number of homeless people – two-thirds of whom are aged above 50, a 2014 City University study found. An average salary of HK$5,688 a month puts even subdivided housing out of reach of many of the 323 homeless people surveyed, leaving cage housing, which squeezes tenants into 1.4 square metre spaces that cost an average of HK$1,500 a month, the only alternative to sleeping rough.
The cages at Wontonmeen were the idea of Polytechnic University student Raymond Chan, founder of Crevice Design, and formed part of a research project focused on improving the standard living units for Hong Kong’s poor. “We redesigned the well-known cage house unit, aiming to provide better living quality with a limited budget,” Chan says. “We proposed a community living concept ... with enough privacy and clever use of space.”
Choi adds: “Raymond discovered an agility and wisdom from people living in these spaces – we didn’t do it purely for aesthetics.”
However, the cages startle some foreigners, she admits. “The design makes many people scared and they walk away. One girl came in and said she was scared of the cages. It was a big risk for us to use the design, but we believed in it.”
The hostel has been accused of promoting “poverty tourism” – by providing tours of poor areas and glamorising cage sleeping. But Choi disagrees, maintaining that her hostel serves the community and opens tourists’ eyes to the problems the city faces.
To critics, Choi says: “Come and experience it for yourself before you judge.”

[GeneChing]

If this is how China trains its salespeople, imagine how it trains its Kung Fu.




11 Chinese sales staff hospitalised on gruelling boot camp after urine turns brown (https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2156004/chinese-sales-staff-hospitalised-gruelling-boot-camp-after-urine)
Almost a dozen employees from a sales firm taken to hospital and some require kidney treatment during physical training that included carrying heavy logs
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 19 July, 2018, 4:58pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 19 July, 2018, 5:15pm
Zhou Jiaquan

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A third of the staff at a sales company in eastern China who took part in a training “boot camp” last week ended up in hospital after their urine turned brown, according to a local newspaper report.

Eleven out of 38 staff from the firm in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, had to be hospitalised during the four-day “development training” trip last Tuesday to Friday, Qianjiang Evening News reported on Monday.

There were still eight employees in Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine by Sunday evening, it reported.

One of the employees, surnamed Song, told the newspaper the sales company – which was not named but based in Xiasha district – sent new staff for “pre-employment development training”, arranged by an unnamed training organisation.

The second day of the training was more strenuous than the first, and involved teams of staff carrying logs, according to the report.

“Those who failed to complete 300 squats were required to carry the log while running around the site for 10 laps, 200 metres per lap,” Song was quoted as saying.

On the second night, the report said, Song noticed his urine had turned darker. Later, he could not bend his knees and arms, and was taken to hospital for tests, after which he and others were referred for kidney treatment.

“The doctor said the training is extremely intensive, and generally at least eight people are needed for the log training and we only had half,” Song was quoted as saying.

The training organisation told Qianjiang Evening News the training was carried out according to regulations and participants had been notified of its intensity beforehand.

“Participants can ask to abstain,” an unnamed staff member at the training organisation told the newspaper. “We were just being entrusted to organise the training by that sales company.”

The sales company had yet to comment, the report stated.

Wonder what they were selling...?

[GeneChing]

I've eaten bugs. They are salty. But I don't know about cockroaches.

Man, reviewing this thread, maybe I need to make an indie thread on Chinese Sales Motivation Strategies. :o


A Chinese firm forced its employees to eat insects and drink urine when they didn't meet sales targets (https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-firm-employees-eat-cockroaches-2018-11)
Zoe Low, South China Morning Post 18h

https://amp.businessinsider.com/images/5be0bee6da27f828203d0c75-1334-1000.jpg
A propaganda poster that promotes the killing of rats, cockroaches, and civet cats as a 'patriotic' act, is attached to a wall in China. Getty Images

Three managers of a home improvement firm in southern China have been jailed after they forced staff to drink urine, eat insects, and flogged them with belts because they did not meet sales targets.

"If the sales goal has not been met by the end of this month, the team leader will have to eat three cockroaches for each failed sale," one text message read.

Other punishments involved drinking vinegar or toilet water, selling condoms and sanitary pads on the street, and having their head shaved.

Two of the company managers have been jailed for 10 days, while a third manager will spend five days in jail.

Three managers of a home improvement firm in southern China have been jailed after they forced staff to drink urine, eat insects, and flogged them with belts because they did not meet sales targets, local media reported on Monday.

They were arrested after an employee of the company in Zunyi, Guizhou province claimed staff had been subjected to extreme punishments in a post on social media site Weibo last week. The hashtag "employees who failed to meet their goals forced to drink urine" has since been viewed almost 540,000 times.

The post included a video showing a man standing topless in the centre of a room being whipped by another man with a belt, with other people gathered around watching. It also shows people drinking cups of yellow liquid.

It was later deleted, but screenshots carried by news website Zunyi Yaowen showed text messages apparently sent by managers threatening staff with various punishments if they did not meet sales targets set by the company.

"If the sales goal has not been met by the end of this month, the team leader will have to eat three cockroaches for each failed sale," one text message read.

Other punishments involved drinking vinegar or toilet water, selling condoms and sanitary pads on the street, and having their head shaved, according to other text messages in the post.

Two of the company managers have been jailed for 10 days, while a third manager will spend five days in jail, Zunyi police said in a statement on Weibo.

Many people on social media have asked why the employees did not quit their jobs, but one staff member told Pear Video that they were owed two months' pay by the company. The person also alleged that the company had threatened to reduce their severance pay if they quit.

As economic growth slows in China, labour unrest has been growing and reports of ill-treatment of workers have become more common. Apple, Amazon, and Samsung supplier HEG Technology have all been accused of child labour, forced overtime, and low wages in the past, according to New York-based China Labour Watch.

Beijing bans independent labour organising, trade unions and workers from going on strike. In August, labour activists that included students were arrested for supporting factory workers from welding machinery company Jasic International who were seeking to form a labour union after they were subjected to inhumane working conditions and later dismissed.

[GeneChing]

Training hard? READ Eating Bitterness: The Taste of Training (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1485) by Justin L. Ford.

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