Life and Travel in China

On Sunday, a group of about 30 people organized a protest at the Shenzhen City Hall. I was just passing by with my camera. Nothing special was happening, security, people waiting for some VIP at the exit gate, no banners, just normal waiting. I guess they wanted to talk to someone. One guy called out to us to take photos. But what? Besides, the security guards were constantly looking at me. I will take photos and then I will have to explain it to the police station for two weeks. Thanks, but I don't get involved in politics. At the end, about 40 policemen showed up. They got into two buses and waited. After 20 minutes, we realized that either the VIP had escaped through another exit or that he would not show up so quickly and we went our separate ways. People waited calmly.

And what happened, gentlemen, censors, that Wikipedia has been unblocked in China for several days? Maybe one of the censors needed to find something for his daughter for school and later forgot to block it :-))).

DID YOU KNOW THAT China has the largest number of mobile phones, currently over 500 million. Moreover, the Chinese are second in the world in terms of using these devices. Calls are cheaper than in Poland, but many tariffs also include charges for incoming calls, including those from abroad. The cost of calls ranges from PLN 0.10 to PLN 0.40 per minute. When using your phone in a different province (than the one where you bought the card) you are charged something like roaming, and some cards previously only worked in a specific province or city. Sometimes I have the impression that Chinese people talk about 30-120 minutes on their cell phones a day. At the same time, Poles who cannot afford telephone calls send hundreds of text messages (we are among the world leaders in this respect).

Some time ago I talked to a Chinese businessman, head of foreign sales (Zhejiang province). I told him that a bridge was being built to connect Ningbo with Shanghai. He didn't trust me, he obviously doesn't check the messages thoroughly. The bridge is to be 36 km long and is to be opened in June 2008. It will not only connect cities, but also shorten the crossing across Hangzhou Bay. Cost $1.42 billion. When this man, about 40 years old, believed me, he said: "And why such a construction? What does it bring? So much money, such an investment? It would be better to give this money to some poor school! Look what schools look like in some provinces." I admit that I was surprised by this approach to the matter. Quite an altruistic statement. I expected the answer: "Yes, it will be the longest bridge here! We will be in Shanghai two hours earlier," etc. After all, the Chinese are selfish and do not care about the fate of others. And many schools in rural areas are really poor and the government could easily help them.

In Poland, people are really brainwashed about China. I found a photo on WP.pl. The police arrest someone for selling on the street (because I see part of a shopping cart there), or for wandering around the main street and blocking traffic. The detainee kneels and cries at a road barrier. A policeman stands calmly above him. The caption proudly states: "China continues to violate human rights despite the upcoming Olympics. Wrongful arrests remain frequent." You can add an ideology to each photo. I'm not saying China is a paradise, but such nonsense? I also personally saw how two guys were stopped by the police, they took off their shoes (so they wouldn't run away too easily) and made them kneel on the sidewalk, and tied their hands behind their backs with disposable handcuffs. They were some thieves. So what? I could have taken photos and signed that they were detained for their political views or that they were protesting against the communist government. Later, people think that here they are rounding up people on the streets and they take them to prison in groups for nothing.