Thread: The View, from China

Originally Posted by sabang

Chairman Mao, who they still revere.

A kiddy fiddler and mass murderer.

Originally Posted by misskit

Jerry’s meal up there looks just awful.

It does, and Sabwang posts it like it was top-notch vittles. No, thanks.

I personally wouldn't have congee and noodles in the same meal, but it looks fine to me. Oh, and cheap too. Chinese food is wonderful! Best cuisine in the World.
It is a bit sad what they pass off as Chinese food in the West- but they are catering for You, gweilo. Get thee to HK, and discover the world of Food! (but HK not so cheap)

Originally Posted by sabang

congee

We had congee or 'Jok' tonight with an egg and chicken balls (yes, they are very small) for dinner.

Sadly 2 sick Boys and a simple meal, hoping they keep it down.

Originally Posted by sabang

Get thee to HK, and discover the world of Food!

The last person I need to ask for culinary advice is you.

Originally Posted by sabang

I personally wouldn't have congee and noodles in the same meal

Sort of like the Thai desire to eat a Massaman Curry (potatoes) with rice.

^^ Not like you could afford the ticket anyway! Have a po' boy instead.
^ I think we're on the same page, I don't generally mix carbs. But the odd chip butty....

The Chinese food in Hong Kong is outstanding but the food I had in actual China was fatty, greasy glop. Like in that photo.

In certain parts of China, they like their "fatty greasy glop"- Beijing being an example. If you have Peking duck, have it in HK! In the south, they don't like their food too oily at all. Szechuan spice makes Thailand look tame. Probably to do with the climate. Anyway, Chinese food is a world in itself! Uyghur cuisine is quite fashionable now.

Originally Posted by sabang

Wife and I had lunch in a cheap local restaurant not far from home. Bowl of congee big enough for two, a plate of fried noodles, and one meat dish with two soft drinks - total bill 43 RMB.7rmb= $1 or 8.4 = £1. A beer would have added 7rmb. One of the reasons I love living in China

https://twitter.com/Jerry_grey2002/status/1519865804010962951


Followed by a few snidey tweets saying he paid too much.

A side note: Mr. Jerry is an interesting fella....if one follows him regularly. An odd Anglophone who is truly neither an extreme Sinophile or apologist of the sort [as some have made him out to be] - just has a different take and perspective on all things China/Chinese. Receives his share of flak and whataboutism from the usual circles, yet remains rather content.

Originally Posted by HuangLao

A side note: Mr. Jerry is an interesting fella....if one follows him regularly. An odd Anglophone who is truly neither an extreme Sinophile or apologist of the sort [as some have made him out to be] - just has a different take and perspective on all things China/Chinese. Receives his share of flak and whataboutism from the usual circles, yet remains rather content.

Yeah we know all about these paid social meeja stooges.

I would rather be a Jerry than an 'arry. He is very happy living in China- is that a crime? He was a PC for the Met- does that make it worse? He emigrated to, and lived in, orrstralia- even worse? And now he lives happily in (gasp!) China, and loves his life there. Not fair is it- must be held captive and a paid stooge. Jeez, geddalife.

Originally Posted by sabang

It is a bit sad what they pass off as Chinese food in the West- but they are catering for You, gweilo

Not many gweilos left in Seattle or Vancouver, so you're wrong.

Would it be true then to say the Chinese food there is somewhat more 'authentic' than, say, Edmonton pickel? Here in Oz, a suburban Chinese restaurant is really more pan-Asian these days. Aussies have their go to favorites, including laksa, satay, Thai red & green curry, tom yam soup, sweet and sour- and you will find these on virtually every east Asian menu, whether it is designated a Chinese, Thai or whatever restaurant. A bit the same with Americans and their kung pao chicken I suppose. Nobody seems to know where that came from, although it is reminiscent of Hunan cuisine to me- sweet, spicy and a bit oily. Nice, anyway- it is appearing much more on aussie Chinese menus now, and this is because of American not Chinese influence! You won't find it on an actual Chinese menu- no such thing!


For the foodies. If you have never had a Chinese banquet, you have never really spent time in China, HK or Taiwan. If you were never invited to a wedding banquet, sorry about that! This is a relatively modest one in rural Henan, not one of Chinas 'richer' provinces-



Henan rural wedding, 6 cold dishes, 6 hot dishes, 6 steamed dishes, 2 soups

I’d rather be Indian than Chinese.

Originally Posted by sabang

The CPC has been proudly crowing about home ownership in China reaching a national target of 90% (that's the chinese Communist way, 5, 10 year targets, then more targets). Sure, that's good. Better than us. I thought I would do an international comparison. These figures are a wee bit old (2018), but I couldn't help but notice something-


This is a list of countries and territories by home ownership rate, which is the ratio of owner-occupied units to total residential units in a specified area.^[1]

Country or Territory	Home ownership rate(%)	Date of Information
Romania	96.1	2019[2]
Laos	95.9	2015[3]
Hungary	91.3	2020[2]
Slovakia	90.9	2019[2]
Lithuania	90.3	2019[2]
Cuba	90	2014[4]
Vietnam	90	2020[5]
Croatia	89.7	2019[6]
China	89.68	2018[7]
Russia	89	2018[8]
North Macedonia	90	2016[9]
Nepal	85	2011[10]
Singapore	87.9	2020[11]
India	86.6	2011[12]
Myanmar	85.5	2014[13]
Serbia	83.3	2019[2]
Poland	84.2	2019[6]
Bulgaria	84.3	2020[2]
Indonesia	84	2019[14]
Taiwan	83.9	2010[15]
Oman	83	2014[16]
Estonia	81.4	2020[2]
Norway	80.3	2019[2]
Latvia	80.2	2019[6]
Mexico	80	2009[17]
Thailand	80	2002[18]
Malta	79.8	2019[6]
Czech Republic	78.6	2019[6]
Malaysia	76.9	2019[19]
Spain	76.2	2019[6]
Egypt	76	2019[20]
Trinidad and Tobago	76	2013[21]
Greece	74.6	2020[2]
Kenya	75	2019[14]
Slovenia	74.6	2020[2]
Portugal	73.9	2019[2]
Brazil	74.4	2008[22]
Iceland	73.6	2018[2]
Italy	72.4	2019[2]
Belgium	72.3	2018[6]
Luxembourg	70.9	2019[2]
Finland	70.7	2020[2]
Ireland	68.7	2019[2]
Netherlands	69.0	2019[6]
Argentina	68.9	2017[23]
Canada	68.5	2018[24]
Cyprus	67.9	2019[6]
Israel	67.3	2014[25]
Australia	65.5	2016[26]
United States	65.3	2019[27]
France	64.1	2019[2]
Brunei	65	2019[28]
Sweden	64.5	2020[2]
New Zealand	64.5	2018[29]
United Kingdom	63	2018[30]
Saudi Arabia	62.08	2019[31]
Japan	61.2	2017[32]
Denmark	60.8	2019[6]
Iran	60.5	2017[33]
Turkey	58.8	2019[2]
South Korea	56.8	2015[34]
Austria	55.3	2020[2]
South Africa	54.3	2017[23]
Germany	51.1	2019[2]
East Timor	49.9	2007[35]
Switzerland	41.6	2019[2]
United Arab Emirates	28	2017[36]
Nigeria	25	2019[14]
Hong Kong	22.1	2021[37]
Fiji	10	2019[38]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ownership_rate

Notice how all of those at the top of the list are Socialist, or ex-Socialist countries! Even po' Cuba boasts a 90% home ownership rate.
In the anglo west, we're all quite close actually- around the 65% mark. But we mostly want to own our own place, non-owners are mostly aspiring.
But in Chinese Hong Kong, they are second bottom- a mere 22.1% home ownership rate! A rentier economy, unlike the Mainland.

The differences are little to do with socialism. More influenced by culture and geography. My Indonesian friend owns outright, property, land and an arable farm, but chooses to rent living and business quarters. More likely the countries with high ownership rates are less developed, and property is security for them.
It would be equally misleading if you had a table showing the ownership of refridgerators tvs and cars.

You call yourself a banker . . .

An ex-investment banker actually- equities adviser, and fund management. I had nothing to do with retail banks, or mortgages (beyond investing in Hedge funds). But oooh PH, bitchy bitchy, sharpen those claws- you really are a Begrudger aren't you? Begrudge all you want, it speaks for itself-

I’d rather be Indian than Chinese.

Even as a woman? Higher caste, presumably.

Originally Posted by sabang

An ex-investment banker actually- equities adviser, and fund management. I had nothing to do with retail banks, or mortgages (beyond investing in Hedge funds). But oooh PH, bitchy bitchy, sharpen those claws- you really are a Begrudger aren't you? Begrudge all you want, it speaks for itself-









Even as a woman? Higher caste, presumably.

Why 2010 prices? What is a retired fund manager not telling us?

Will some nice piccies help? because I saw a certain amount of this with my own eyes. The 90's were an exciting decade to be in HK!



Four decades on, the street looks pretty different.























Interesting article- China'''s staggering 40 years of change in pictures - BBC News

China has undergone changes since 1978.

Backsinesque stating of the obvious. The west underwent such changes decades previously. China is catching up shock!

At one helluva rate too. I am no Begrudger, and I say to the Chinese people and government- well done!! My happiness does not depend upon others misery, or feeling superior to others because they are poor and downtrodden. Let the World prosper!

Originally Posted by sabang

At one helluva rate too. I am no Begrudger, and I say to the Chinese people and government- well done!! My happiness does not depend upon others misery, or feeling superior to others because they are poor and downtrodden. Let the World prosper!

Bit difficult when your scummy parasitic heroes are the no. 1 polluter on the planet.

Haters gonna Hate. And remind the TD readership what Begrudgers they are.


The top 10 most polluting countries according to the IPCC:

• Qatar — 37.05 per capita
• Kuwait — 23.49 per capita
• Saudi Arabia — 19.39 per capita
• Canada — 16.85 per capita
• United States — 15.74 per capita
• Germany — 9.7 per capita
• China — 7.72 per capita
• Spain — 6.09 per capita
• France — 5.02 per capita
• Thailand — 4.05 per capita

You can read the full report here.

10 Most Polluting Countries Per Capita, According To UN Report

The view from China is obscured by toxic particulate pollutants. Having vast real estate allows them to pollute, but still look good because the dead rural areas don’t count any more. Just the industrial polluted cities.

It could also indicate that the toxic smog hanging over industry, is diluted by what’s left of the pristine rural areas.