Nobody comes to China anymore

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Nobody comes to China anymore
« on: May 08, 2015, 12:56:37 AM »
I mean, do they? My perspective isn't at all broad, but I can't shake the suspicion that people have stopped coming. They're more wary. It's not an adventure any more. There isn't much left in the way of experience to have.... Or do I just live in a backwater that is turning middle class and kind of insulated? And in other parts of China, cool stuff happens, and outsiders want to show up and know about it.

I haven't seen a wide-eyed traveler in years.
when ur a roamin', do as the settled do o_0

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cruisemonkey

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Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2015, 11:28:19 AM »
Now, the Chinese are the wide-eyed travelers - they're all going to Thailand (it seems).
The Koreans once gave me five minutes notice - I didn't know what to do with the extra time.

Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2015, 01:08:26 PM »
The Chinese are taking over Oz now if "the den" is any indication. I am noticing that most ads on TV and in the papers, include an Asian person. I know I'll get thrown out of "the den" one day, but I can't help shaking my head and saying that our kids will need to understand MANDARIN if they hope to live and succeed in their own Country. bibibibibi

Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2015, 01:39:35 PM »
First thing to work out is are Chinese alienating or are foreigners just alienated.

My primary experience of Chinese outside of China is only on planes. Years ago I had a night flight from Bangkok to Xi'an. Most of the passengers were some huge tour group finishing up their lady boy gawking and going home. The airline staff thoughtfully - or oddly - placed all the non-Chinese, about two rows of us, at the front of the plane. The rest of the plane acted like they were on a K train. It was hellish. (I had a beefy German next to me, and his leg pressed loving against mine for the entire flight, and every few minutes I had some passenger grabbing at my head rest on her way to the toilet.) Also, much delayed. The passengers insisted on standing in the aisle, swapping seats, having arguments about whose seat was whose. In short, all the usual boundary conventions people use to get through air travel were being ignored.

Second experience is recent. Early this year I flew to Australia via Singapore. Good flights, 7 hours per leg, nothing too horrible. But the difference between any one of the legs and the last one into China was kind of marked. Firstly, by the fact it was nearly empty. Secondly, by the fact that even then, seemed like the majority of the passengers found some way to be arseholes.

I don't know however that there's anything peculiar to the broadly western norms of travel that make them essential and real beyond the cultures that have grown them. If Chinese want to fly planes the same way they used to ride trains, why not? Air travel norms include a lot more staff actions regulating passengers, but so what? And if they want to close ranks when they get to some foreign destination, so what? It's unpleasant for the people around them, but what wouldn't be? A lot of travel really is unpleasant.

There is one idea that says Chinese as a culture do push boundaries until boundaries are enforced. This used sometimes to be heralded as their entrepreneurial spirit. These days it's more likely to be called bad behavior, but so what?
when ur a roamin', do as the settled do o_0

Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2015, 03:47:43 PM »
Interesting news today:   

China will create a "blacklist" of its tourists who behave badly overseas, state media reports, after several embarrassing incidents involving Chinese traveling abroad.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-13/china-to-blacklist-its-unruly-tourists/6387178

Be kind to dragons for thou are crunchy when roasted and taste good with brie.

Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2015, 08:20:13 PM »
^ that's kind of weird. Nothing about China's national behaviour suggests to its citizens that respecting foreign norms is how you get along. What's a nouveau riche half a generation removed from the farm to do?
when ur a roamin', do as the settled do o_0

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Stil

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Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #6 on: May 11, 2015, 04:45:44 AM »
There seems to be a lot more foreigners in Changsha than there were in the past few years.

Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2015, 04:30:28 PM »
Have they changed at all? What ideas of China are they bringing with them these days when they arrive?

For that matter, what ideas are they forming when they stay?
when ur a roamin', do as the settled do o_0

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Stil

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Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #8 on: May 11, 2015, 05:32:25 PM »
Not much different, mostly young and stupid with a black and white view of the world and unaware of their own condescending view of the local populous but that probably describes me when I first came sans the young bit. The biggest differences from the past is that more come and even stay due to lack of opportunities in their home countries, combined with the ease of picking up private work, and that the Chinese under 25 crowd is a lot different than before, more worldly and more people with real English capability rather than textbook English. There has been a big influx of foreign students to Changsha too and there are many more foreigner friendly style entertainment venues than ever before which has changed what foreigners do here during their free time.

I don't spend much time with other foreigners though, so my views may be somewhat superficial and I've been in the area over 12 years. I may be the one that is completely different and the new foreigners could be exactly the same as ever, or any combination of that.

Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #9 on: May 11, 2015, 05:57:17 PM »
Huh. I guess I really do live in a backwater then. My impression is based, more than anything, on how this particular town has grown - and it has, significantly expanding in terms of number of tall buildings, roads, and cars - while the foreigner population, seems to me, shrunk. This is a third tier city though (I suppose), and such cities are supposedly where the growth is right now.
when ur a roamin', do as the settled do o_0

Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #10 on: May 13, 2015, 03:38:56 PM »
Im in TJ and I see foreigners only once a month or so, but I dont 'play well with others' so live a somewhat sheltered life!

If I went to the fancy shopping areas I can see a few walking round, but in the real street its just a sea of yellow.....and I mean the faces, not the vomit from the pondlife here.

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Guangzhou Writer

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Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #11 on: June 14, 2015, 09:12:25 PM »
There are tons more international students at the uni studying Mandarin now than 10 years ago, even 5 years ago, and the uni has given them vastly improved facilities along with this trend, while their tuition is pretty much the same, 6000 RMB/semester. Not sure about dorm and other costs.

Re: Nobody comes to China anymore
« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2015, 10:44:52 PM »
BREAKING NEWS RUMOUR: Leading China International School Lays Off Employees

Just got word from a good and highly reliable friend that one of the top international schools in a first tier China city just laid off a number of its employees due to declining enrollment. My friend calls this a “reality check” and attributes it to expats both losing jobs in China and choosing to leave for either personal (see pollution) or business reasons. He says the “great shake out has begun,” with larger companies further trimming their expat ranks and packages for those that remain and smaller companies either sending expats home or reducing their China forces in favor of countries like Vietnam and Indonesia.

What does this decline in expat student enrollment mean? Is China’s economy slowing? The answer to this has to be yes, so the better question is then by how much? Are foreign companies leaving China because it is becoming increasingly difficult to conduct business there due to a tightening legal enforcement? Are foreign companies leaving China because it is becoming increasingly expensive? Is this the long ago vaunted end of cheap China? Are foreign companies actually leaving China in any greater number today than a few years ago? Or are we going way overboard in attributing what may just be one school losing its competitive edge?

What is happening here, if anything?

YOU tell us.
when ur a roamin', do as the settled do o_0