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Methersgate
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During WW2 two British nuns lived on board sampans in the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter, right under the noses of the Japanese. They were protected by the boat people, whose children they taught. The Japanese never found them.

 

In my time in HK there was a well known couple who lived on a sampan  and worked as "boat boy" and "boat girl" for members of the RHKYC. They put their two children through university - one qualified as a doctor in the States.

 

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not so old china hand
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n my time in HK there was a well known couple who lived on a sampan and worked as "boat boy" and "boat girl" for members of the RHKYC. They put their two children through university - one qualified as a doctor in the States.

The last time I was in the RHKYC, a couple of years ago, most of those boat people were still there including the mother and daughter who looked after my boats through the '90s.

Edited by not so old china hand
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not so old china hand
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I also hope they have some sort of fashion police where they punish bad western influences like baggy pants wore down to their butt cracks or hip hop music that is so irritating to my ears.

 

 

"A Fashionista" comments:

A nice example of the "Beijing Bikini". We particularly like the daring way that the ensemble of black top and oversized striped boxer underpants make a fashion statement.

Note how the rolled top has been carefully accessorised  with a black phone and a blue bottle of Nestle Pure Life water--resisting the temptation to opt for the cheaper red bottle of Wahaha. Note also the carefully chosen black canvas shoes and matching black ankle socks.

Only the lack of true embonpoint  leaves a little to be desired--however we are confident that sticking to a careful diet of Draft Beijing Beer will address this shortcoming  in due course.

post-4147-0-56477200-1406558945_thumb.gi

post-4147-0-10538500-1406558949_thumb.gi

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not so old china hand
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Do you trust many of your Chinese co-workers giving you sanction if the chit hits the fan there?

Hi I'm getting good response times at the moment so I will try to post the following:

 

In my experience there is a lot of support: if you are regarded as a member of the group. As an example:

In the early naughties I went on a tour of Sichuan with a Chinese lady friend. In those days there were still a lot of rules about how foreigners could travel and where they could stay. Technically I did not belong on that tour.

The trip was punctuated by incidents such as the coaches breaking down, changes of vehicle after interesting runs down steep hair-pin mountain roads, and stops to cool the brakes and refill the radiator from a mountain stream.

Most of the party were from Beijing and Beijingers are not noted for their patience. On the second or third day, after the umpteenth impromptu stop, the largest of the Beijingers (and that means a very large man) came over to me and said "We want you to be angry." Thinking to show a little diplomacy I said "I am. And all these stops make me very hungry." "No" says my lady companion. "He wants you to go and complain to the driver. But stay out of it." Not wishing to seem standoffish I compromised by joining the group haranguing the driver, beetling my brows and nodding when someone made a particularly cogent point (Beijingers are pretty good at cogent points).

That evening the group on the next table insisted that I join them in a series of toasts in Beijou* their way of showing that I had been accepted as one of the group.

The following day we arrived at our hotel high in the hills even later than usual. I knew that we were in for a special experience when fellow travellers exclaimed "Fandian!!!**. Up to this point we had stayed in new three- or four-star hotels which were generally comfortable, and were licensed for foreign visitors such as myself. When I got to the check in desk the inn-keeper looked at my passport in surprise: obviously he hadn't noticed that my fair hair, blue eyes and extremely long nose marked me apart from the average Han Chinese. "You can't stay here" he said (in heavily accented Mandarin Chinese). "Where can I stay" said I in ditto. "Let's go to a five star hotel" suggested my companion. "You'll be lucky" replied the inn keeper "This is the only hotel in town."

At this point my companions weighed in on mass: "You must let him stay here" ,"He's one of us", "He's a Beijinger, look he even likes Ergotou***"

The inn-keeper finally gave in but he had one last trick up his sleeve "There are 16 in your group so he will have to share a room with two people from the group over there." (In that class of hotel you pay for a bed not a room). "He can't do that", "He's a foreigner" (note the change of tune when it suits), "Foreigners don't share rooms with strangers." "They're not even Beijingers."

In the end it was agreed that my companion and I would share a room and the third bed was moved to another room.

My companion and I retired fully clothed. Not out of modesty  but because she feared that we would pick up some unwelcome visitors in the night.

*"Fandian" can have several meanings "restaurant", "hotel". It is often translated as "inn'. In this context it meant "What a dump!"

** "Beijou" the general term for China's ubiquitous spiritous drink. Noted for it's aroma and smooth finish.

*** "Ergotou" Beijing's favourite style of beijou. A superior spirit which supermarkets sell in five litre plastic jugs at rather less than they charge for bottled water.

Edited by not so old china hand
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Methersgate
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Gosh, that takes me back! Dusty, dirty dosshouses dignified with the name of !"fandian"!

 

You wouldn't care to post a similar disquisition on the many meanings of "fapiao?"

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Americano
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Do you trust many of your Chinese co-workers giving you sanction if the chit hits the fan there?

Hi I'm getting good response times at the moment so I will try to post the following:

 

In my experience there is a lot of support: if you are regarded as a member of the group. As an example:

In the early naughties I went on a tour of Sichuan with a Chinese lady friend. In those days there were still a lot of rules about how foreigners could travel and where they could stay. Technically I did not belong on that tour.

The trip was punctuated by incidents such as the coaches breaking down, changes of vehicle after interesting runs down steep hair-pin mountain roads, and stops to cool the brakes and refill the radiator from a mountain stream.

Most of the party were from Beijing and Beijingers are not noted for their patience. On the second or third day, after the umpteenth impromptu stop, the largest of the Beijingers (and that means a very large man) came over to me and said "We want you to be angry." Thinking to show a little diplomacy I said "I am. And all these stops make me very hungry." "No" says my lady companion. "He wants you to go and complain to the driver. But stay out of it." Not wishing to seem standoffish I compromised by joining the group haranguing the driver, beetling my brows and nodding when someone made a particularly cogent point (Beijingers are pretty good at cogent points).

That evening the group on the next table insisted that I join them in a series of toasts in Beijou* their way of showing that I had been accepted as one of the group.

The following day we arrived at our hotel high in the hills even later than usual. I knew that we were in for a special experience when fellow travellers exclaimed "Fandian!!!**. Up to this point we had stayed in new three- or four-star hotels which were generally comfortable, and were licensed for foreign visitors such as myself. When I got to the check in desk the inn-keeper looked at my passport in surprise: obviously he hadn't noticed that my fair hair, blue eyes and extremely long nose marked me apart from the average Han Chinese. "You can't stay here" he said (in heavily accented Mandarin Chinese). "Where can I stay" said I in ditto. "Let's go to a five star hotel" suggested my companion. "You'll be lucky" replied the inn keeper "This is the only hotel in town."

At this point my companions weighed in on mass: "You must let him stay here" ,"He's one of us", "He's a Beijinger, look he even likes Ergotou***"

The inn-keeper finally gave in but he had one last trick up his sleeve "There are 16 in your group so he will have to share a room with two people from the group over there." (In that class of hotel you pay for a bed not a room). "He can't do that", "He's a foreigner" (note the change of tune when it suits), "Foreigners don't share rooms with strangers." "They're not even Beijingers."

In the end it was agreed that my companion and I would share a room and the third bed was moved to another room.

My companion and I retired fully clothed. Not out of modesty  but because she feared that we would pick up some unwelcome visitors in the night.

*"Fandian" can have several meanings "restaurant", "hotel". It is often translated as "inn'. In this context it meant "What a dump!"

** "Beijou" the general term for China's ubiquitous spiritous drink. Noted for it's aroma and smooth finish.

*** "Ergotou" Beijing's favourite style of beijou. A superior spirit which supermarkets sell in five litre plastic jugs at rather less than they charge for bottled water.

 

 

"When I got to the check in desk the inn-keeper looked at my passport in surprise:"  

 

Why did you show your Passport to the Inn-keeper?  I'm sure its not required for all Inn guests so maybe you brought the problems on yourself.

I have never shown my Passport to anyone in the Philippines except for Immigration and I have stayed in many hotels, rode on several ships and flew on several domestic flights.  If showing a Passport is required for everyone who wants to stay at an Inn or hotel in China then going to China is not worth it in my opinion. Sounds like they don't want any foreigners there.

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Methersgate
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see below

Edited by Methersgate
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Methersgate
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When I got to the check in desk the inn-keeper looked at my passport in surprise:"     Why did you show your Passport to the Inn-keeper?  I'm sure its not required for all Inn guests so maybe you brought the problems on yourself. I have never shown my Passport to anyone in the Philippines except for Immigration and I have stayed in many hotels, rode on several ships and flew on several domestic flights.  If showing a Passport is required for everyone who wants to stay at an Inn or hotel in China then going to China is not worth it in my opinion. Sounds like they don't want any foreigners there.

 

Americano - China is not the Philippines. These events were a few years ago when China was still in the earlier stages of "opening up", but one must remember that China INVENTED bureaucracy!

 

Unlike the Philippines, China is awash with foreigners, especially tourists, and as a matter of fact, in some respects, such as business ownership, China is more "foreigner-friendly" than the Philippines is.

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Americano
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When I got to the check in desk the inn-keeper looked at my passport in surprise:"     Why did you show your Passport to the Inn-keeper?  I'm sure its not required for all Inn guests so maybe you brought the problems on yourself. I have never shown my Passport to anyone in the Philippines except for Immigration and I have stayed in many hotels, rode on several ships and flew on several domestic flights.  If showing a Passport is required for everyone who wants to stay at an Inn or hotel in China then going to China is not worth it in my opinion. Sounds like they don't want any foreigners there.

 

Americano - China is not the Philippines. These events were a few years ago when China was still in the earlier stages of "opening up", but one must remember that China INVENTED bureaucracy!

 

Unlike the Philippines, China is awash with foreigners, especially tourists, and as a matter of fact, in some respects, such as business ownership, China is more "foreigner-friendly" than the Philippines is.

 

 

But you didn't answer the question:  Were you required to show your Passport to stay at the Inn?

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