After being in the US for 14 years and in Hong Kong for the other 15, I'm back in China for a visit. When I was in Hong Kong I would come back with my parents every 2-3 years, but I haven't come back since I arrive the US 14 years. All I can say is, wow, what a difference.
Fuzhou, the city I was born in, tripled in the last 14 years and now has 1.2 million people. Lots of new building both in low and high quality. My cousins have all grown up and have kids, their oldest kid is now 20 years old, and the youngest 4. The little kindergardener second cousin I once remembered is now a college student.
Originally I though most things are low quality in China, but it is only half true. Those can afford to actually get the very good stuff that cost even more than what we found in the US, but those low income labor only get to buy the junk of the junk that falls apart in days. Taxi's here are luxuary to most since it is expensive, but they are worst than the cars we junk in the US. Driving habits are a game of "drive slow, anything goes". The lack of traffic enforcement, road designs 50 years ago, and the mix of migrant workers on bike, moped, buses, and cars means that people often go into the opposite traffic to pass, cars drove on pedestrian roads, and a huge mess. The rule of thumb is if there is no central divider, you can drive into the opposite traffic.
I though I knew my own hometown's food since I grew up with my parents' cooking. And boy I was wrong. I'm now on my 2nd indigestion in 4 days and is living on poridge and craves top ramens and American fast food (never though that could happened). This city has very bad sanitation due to the humidity, temperature, and the lack of wind. A toilet that sit unused for 5 hours can develop a moldy smell, and people only uses squat toilet in public establishment (or just a slot on the floor in some rural village without water) for "sanitation" reason.
Income level, education, and social status are all over the place here. My uncle has $5000 yuan ($700 US) per month as retirement since he was in the military as an officer (almost a general), but his son only got $1500 yuan per month as salary. I heard that a migrant worker makes only $700 per month and those who stay back home to farm gets only food, and can't afford children's education since food doesn't worth much nowadays.
Fuzhou, the city I was born in, tripled in the last 14 years and now has 1.2 million people. Lots of new building both in low and high quality. My cousins have all grown up and have kids, their oldest kid is now 20 years old, and the youngest 4. The little kindergardener second cousin I once remembered is now a college student.
Originally I though most things are low quality in China, but it is only half true. Those can afford to actually get the very good stuff that cost even more than what we found in the US, but those low income labor only get to buy the junk of the junk that falls apart in days. Taxi's here are luxuary to most since it is expensive, but they are worst than the cars we junk in the US. Driving habits are a game of "drive slow, anything goes". The lack of traffic enforcement, road designs 50 years ago, and the mix of migrant workers on bike, moped, buses, and cars means that people often go into the opposite traffic to pass, cars drove on pedestrian roads, and a huge mess. The rule of thumb is if there is no central divider, you can drive into the opposite traffic.
I though I knew my own hometown's food since I grew up with my parents' cooking. And boy I was wrong. I'm now on my 2nd indigestion in 4 days and is living on poridge and craves top ramens and American fast food (never though that could happened). This city has very bad sanitation due to the humidity, temperature, and the lack of wind. A toilet that sit unused for 5 hours can develop a moldy smell, and people only uses squat toilet in public establishment (or just a slot on the floor in some rural village without water) for "sanitation" reason.
Income level, education, and social status are all over the place here. My uncle has $5000 yuan ($700 US) per month as retirement since he was in the military as an officer (almost a general), but his son only got $1500 yuan per month as salary. I heard that a migrant worker makes only $700 per month and those who stay back home to farm gets only food, and can't afford children's education since food doesn't worth much nowadays.
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I once saw a dude transporting a skyscraper glass window on a bicycle in Beijing. They have things far more advanced than us and next to it they will have something pre-industrial revolution.
