Life and Travel in China

The campaign against the Beijing Olympics is already starting in the Polish media. They point out all the absurdities, mistakes and mistakes of the organizers and make jokes about them. I don't remember such anecdotes before the games in Atlanta, Sydney or Athens. Why? Because in our opinion the Chinese are such idiots that you can laugh at. However, I know the Chinese mentality well and I know that they can do their best in certain matters, and even the famous Polish hospitality has nothing to do with the hospitality and kindness of the Chinese. They help everyone, even if they cannot communicate in English, in hotels, at airports, at the border, they lead guests by the hand. The Olympics will surely surprise everyone and will be great, but no one in Poland will admit it, because they will deal with human rights and freedom of Tibet. People simply do not understand that this country has to be like this and that millions must suffer for thousands to prosper. That's how it is.

I have noticed that the New Year trend in Shenzhen is changing. 3-4 years ago, most people went from Shenzhen to their hometowns and villages for Chinese New Year, now it has changed. Most people stay here and even invite their parents and grandparents for the holidays. There are already crowds of people in hypermarkets, many older people from outside have appeared. Such people stand out because young people still dominate everyday life in Shenzhen. An army of older people appears during the new year, i.e. now even until the end of February. In China, companies have 1-4 weeks off, but it is planned very differently. Certainly, most companies will have holidays from February 3-17. The year of the rat begins on February 7.

Chinese New Year is approaching and due to heavy snowfall, most trains have been canceled and others are delayed by up to several days. There are 800,000 people camping at the main station in Guangzhou, stuck halfway between their place of work and their hometown. Passengers have also been waiting in the halls of the Shenzhen station for three days. The situation is tragic, unimaginable for us in Poland.

Today is New Year's Eve, tomorrow, according to the lunar calendar, the year of the rat begins. Let me remind you that for the Chinese it is something like our Christmas. The holiday involves meeting the closest family, preparing special food (different dishes for different regions of China), waiting for the new year together and keeping vigil all night long. Tomorrow, Chinese people give each other red envelopes with money as a gift and best wishes. The rules of giving are different, elders give them to children, adult grandchildren give them to their grandparents, married couples give envelopes to single men and women. Basically, there are no big parties like we have on New Year's Eve. So - I WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE RAT!!!

Internet users often look for information about salaries in China... maybe this information will also be useful. A beginner waitress in one of the best 5* hotels in Shenzhen earns 600 RMB per month (PLN 200). Of course, the hotel provides them with food and accommodation. Now you probably know why every restaurant has several waitresses at each table. This is an example of the lowest possible salary, I'm guessing that this girl is just training, in the future she may earn 1000-1500 RMB.