Twin Towers

While New York used to have twin towers, Guiyang still has them. Although they are not as tall as the original brothers, and they are still under construction, they are a sight in Guiyang, especially at night.
The towers are in Huaguoyuan, opposite my Fuck building, but unfortunately I don't see them from my window, because I have a view to a side street. In front of the twin towers is a park with a lake and between the park and my building is the Garland Mall.
The towers are rather dull during the day, but quite spectacular at night. Also spectacular are the buildings at the left behind them. Various themes are projected on the towers and on the other buildings, and sometimes Tom & Jerry cartoons are shown.

Enjoy the show!

Video may not show and play on iPhone and iPads.

If you would like to read more by me, the following books are available on amazon (not amazon China though)

Next generation business cards (NSFW)

It amazes me every day to see how the Chinese are far ahead of us in many things. I have mentioned and illustrated some of those things in various posts. One of those things are business cards. While our cards look quite ordinary, not to say boring, the Chinese have taken the cards to a whole new level. The topic business cards plays a major role in the film 'American Psycho'. Watch it if you haven't.
Living in a commercial building means that many things are different, not ordinary, especially if the building you live in is the so-called 'Fuck building'. In this building there are a few companies, restaurants, tea places, massage parlours and many, many hotels. Some of them are love hotels and their clientele is couples who rent a room for a few hours in order to have sex.
I have seen all sorts of people in my building, families, couples, business people, young, old, etc.
A few days after moving in, I found a different kind of business card stuck on my door. I took it inside and looked at it for a while. I found it weird and didn't expect to see such a card, not in Guiyang though, as it is very traditional, but I would expect to see such cards perhaps in larger, more modern cities like Shanghai. I kept the card to show it to some of my friends and compare it to our boring ones. While our business cards are usually white and have a few details, like name, telephone number, email address, occupation, business address and perhaps a small sign or drawing (that of a pharmacy, etc.), and sometimes at the back a small map of the area where the business is located, these Chinese cards are totally different as you can see.
I wondered for a bit why it was stuck on my door, but then I realised that they must have thought, that my flat is a hotel room. Half of the 39th floor where I live is a hotel, almost all of the rooms on my side belong to a hotel which is based on a different floor, opposite me is Bobo's music studio and I'm the only tenant on this floor and one of the 5 or 6 in the entire building.
I have found many more cards stuck on my door, so I have a small collection as you can see.
Prostitution is something that exists everywhere, but as a westerner, it is not recommended to use such services in China, at least not in smaller places. As you can read on one of the websites underneath, don't expect too much from these ladies. The main reason to avoid such services is the danger a westerner might face. If you live long enough in the country and learn much about the country, the place you live in, the society, etc. you hear various true stories that make you shiver. Any local lady, whether professional or not, might shout 'rape' or 'abuse' or something like that and the westerner will be arrested, put in prison and kicked out of the country if he's lucky. If not, he'll rot in a prison cell. I heard and read some stories of people who got in trouble not only with prostitutes, but with ordinary women as well. So be careful.

Have a read here:

http://www.wikisexguide.com/wiki/Guiyang
http://www.internationalsexguide
http://prostitutes.sexy-date.net/china/guizhou/guiyang

The business decalogue for China

I found the above screenshot in one of the WeChat expat groups this morning and thought of sharing it with you, since some people want to move to China to work.

1. Everything is indeed possible in China. One visit in this country and you'll be amazed by what the Chinese build and do. They work day and night, so buildings, roads, tunnels, bridges, etc. are built in record time. You see gardeners everywhere taking care of the green, cleaners cleaning not only road surfaces and pavements, but the fences along the roads. You see bullet trains, massive train stations the size of Scarborough (like my wonderful assistant Jing once said), and much, much more. Things can be very simple in this country and many things are simpler than elsewhere.

2. Nothing is easy - especially for westerners. China and Asia are beyond our imagination, beyond our wildest dreams. You think you know the country, the people and the cuisine because you happen to know a Chinese person in your country, watched some programmes and have frequent dinners at a Chinese restaurant? You are so mistaken! There are so many traps you could walk into once in the country, so many things to learn, so many things to pay attention to, and if you happen to have some trouble at work or with the authorities, you'll see yourself on a plane home in no time.

3. Patience is the key to success. That's something the Germans were forced to learn some decades ago. I read in a German magazine once upon a time, an interview with a manager from one of the biggest German companies. Germans are not used to do smalltalk and go straight to business, as there's no time to lose. The Chinese (other Asians perhaps too, other western countries for sure) love smalltalk, dinners, going to a spa, have some drinks, etc. and then get to business. You might end up with a two day getting to know each other marathon, before you actually talk business. So, be very patient.

4. Like the Japanese, the Chinese won't say 'no'. There's this story of a western tourist somewhere in Japan, who enters a hotel and asks at reception if they have a free room. The Japanese receptionist at the fully booked hotel, doesn't say 'no' to the westerner, but tells it him somewhere between the lines. The westerner doesn't get the hints, and walks away frustrated after a long time.

5. Here is your 'no'. And they're absolutely right. You have to spend some time in the country and socialise with locals to learn how the country and the people work and function. See point 2, nothing is easy.

6. If you are used to sticking to plans, go according to plans, plan everything in advance and believe in spoken contracts, as if they were written ones, you will not survive. Things change every second, until the very last second. Expect the unexpected and try to be calm. There's nothing you can do. They are the bosses, they rule the world and you are just a little puppet, an insignificant nothing.

7. Like number 4. People will never tell you anything negative, you have to understand it somewhere between the lines.

8. If you believe that the signature on a contract means you have a safe deal, you haven't understood anything. Read point 6 again.

9. Expect the unexpected. Always. At any time. It will hit you, when you least expect it.

10. If you want to feel better, find a western restaurant (your body, soul, health, etc. will be very thankful), have some booze and book a ticket to either home or somewhere else.