Taiwan Number 1

The Something Awful Forums > Main > General Bullshit > Taiwan Number 1

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Hedenius posted:

As a European I'll take the Chinese immigration system system over the US one any day.

There is no Chinese immigration system to take. It doesn't exist. Maybe 2000 permanent residency visas have been granted in the last twenty years.

Hedenius posted:

Where have you been denied a hotel room because you're a foreigner? Haven't heard of that happening in like ten years.

Xiamen 18 months ago. Our original hotel booking refused us, once the receptionist saw I was a foreigner. The next four places on the same street all said they didn't take foreigners.

# ¿ Jul 11, 2017 15:47

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 09:32

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Blistex posted:

The thing that I worry about is that the CCP is going to get entrenched into Canadian business and politics through a massive spending spree before their final death throes, that they are going to actually harm our nation's ability to put its own needs before the Mainland.

They're making solid progress in Australia.

# ¿ Jul 12, 2017 04:31

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Grand Fromage posted:

yeah. Actually blocking VPNs would cause a huge shitshow with every business here that does anything outside of China, plus to actually make VPNs not work would cripple the Chinese internet way beyond the level it already is.

This is the same bunch of jokers that have repeatedly blocked github & then DDOS'd it as a demonstration, so the world could witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational great cannon.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2017 11:27

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Fojar38 posted:

Last night I had to explain to people in the D&D thread that no, China didn't invent the crossing light that shows numbers, nor did they invent assigned seating in movie theatres (!?!?)

... and then everybody in D&D was enlightened. Except not a single person claimed China invented either of those things.

# ¿ Jul 24, 2017 11:11

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Grand Fromage posted:

There's also the scam of a "co-production" where you partner with a Chinese movie company which does nothing, but the partnership makes it qualify as a domestic movie and avoids the foreign quota.

Surely not!? Watch yourself how much Fan BingBing added to Iron Man 3 in the Chinese theatrical version. They didn't translate that part in theatres, which made it even more incomprehensible (to me).

Last year the state authorities allowed a record 39 foreign movies to be shown in China, and 89 co-productions were licensed. With the huge box office returns available, there's lots of incentive to add crap like that.

But maybe, with protectionism like that, surely the local industry must be thriving and producing amazing qualit.... .. I can't.

# ¿ Jul 24, 2017 11:48

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Fojar38 posted:

Also consolidating poo poo into one app is less a product of innovation and more a product of a monopoly. The West already went through its "lets put everything into one program" phase back in the 90's

If you removed the restrictions on competition, WeChat would still dominate in China purely through Network Effects. Messaging apps are hugely valued (by their users) based on the people they know are connected, and each apps popularity typically varies depending on country and language

Aggregation Theory also helps explain how owning the customer for 66 minutes a day, in addition to holding money & bank cards, makes it such a valuable platform. The government assistance was essential in the beginning, but the combination of Network Effect and Aggregation means that it's unlikely to be displaced by market forces in the foreseeable future.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2017 05:50

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Fojar38 posted:

The West already went through its "lets put everything into one program" phase back in the 90's

Weirdly, according to recent statistics, the average person in the US regularly uses less (but presumably larger) apps on their smartphone than a person in China.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2017 06:00

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

LentThem posted:

The one that fucks me up the most is the phone calls, mainly my coworkers in an office. Someone will leave their desk (maybe to the restroom) and they'll get a call. The phone will sit there ringing at full volume for like 90 seconds until it times out, and then 5-10 seconds later it starts ringing again.

It's usually a delivery. If you're having a meeting with 10 people, you can't get through an hour without at least two people receiving phone calls, and the whole meeting getting to listen to the same shouted half-conversation:

"wei?"
"kuaidi ma?"
"dui! dui! dui! dui!"
"xiao deng, xiao deng"

and the person stands up, walks out of the room, then returns with a large box, and returns to playing with their phone or falling asleep in front of the client.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2017 06:38

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Blistex posted:

How is this happening? I've bought duty free liquor before and never had a problem. You go through security, get to the terminal, buy your booze, and then fly. As long as you don't leave the terminal (exit out of the secured area) at your next stop, you're good to get on the next leg of your trip.

Am I missing something? Are these people buying it outside of the airport and then trying to get through security?

Some flights from Hong Kong airpot won't let you bring liquids on the plane, even those purchased in the international / airside section. They have security checking bags on the tunnel bridge before you enter the plane.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2017 05:06

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Haier posted:

The thing I've learned about the Mainlanders that are "different," is that the ones who you think are not like the others turn out to be exactly like the others when it comes down to the gritty stuff, or when they are angry, etc.

I've worked with one woman who migrated to Australia 20 years ago, works in IT, speaks stereotypically Chinese English, never goes anywhere without her flask of warm water, and spends everything on her children's education. But she's only in Australia because she eloped, and didn't tell her family about leaving the country or her marriage until afterwards. She believed it was the only way she could be with her university sweetheart. When it came to the gritty stuff, she was quite different, but you'd never guess it from the outside.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2017 14:48

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Jeoh posted:

http://www.whatsonweibo.com/beijing-20-million-people-pretending-live-full-translation/

Beijing Has 20 Million People Pretending to Live Here posted:

In Beijing, there�s a mutual understanding when exchanging name cards; if we call each other a couple of times within a year, we�ll consider it a good friendship. If people are willing to come from east of the city to the west to have a meal together, then we�ll be friends for life. The only people we meet every day and have meals with are our co-workers.

This is fantastic.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2017 00:45

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

caberham posted:

My father in law just gave us a 600k rmb and be like "here ya go spend on whatever "

My mom gave me similar amount.

Both my fianc� and I are *trying* to be cheap about weddings

My mother's on welfare, and my father ... never prioritized saving money. Her family's from a smaller city, father's dead, and mother no longer works. So, we're pretty much putting everything together ourselves, while she has to deal with a future mother-in-law best encountered 3rd hand through /r/raisedbynarcissists. And that's just the tip of the crazy iceberg... :sigh:

# ¿ Jul 30, 2017 13:13

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

barbecue at the folks posted:

I've started to wonder lately, after years of following these threads: is there anything redeeming about Mainland culture? Something you goonpats actually like that you couldn't find anywhere else? Habits or ways of going about things or cultural institutions or stuff like that? (Also, something that isn't the food?)

~~The food.~~ A unique opportunity to experience how amazing things can be accomplished at scale, supported by that scale and a largely homogeneous society and culture. The education system and media are particularly interesting in the way they shape students attitudes.

For every "WTF is their obsession with warm water?" moment, when you return, you'll notice similar hardwired cultural habits. It's also a bit depressing in how it exposes how concepts such as rule of law, equality, human rights, democracy, justice and individual rights are largely localised cultural relics, inherited by an ignorant privileged minority.

It can teach you to be a better communicator, and when obstinate patience is more effective than yelling.

barbecue at the folks posted:

I just still have a hard time believing all of the stuff I read in these threads (except for Haier's tales of his adventures, those I believe 100%) and am convinced there must be some sort of confirmation bias going on. There's no way all of it can be this bad, right?

It's not bad, you just have to abandon your western ideas about ethics, morality and giving a crap about anybody you don't know.

Also the food is amazing.

# ¿ Jul 31, 2017 11:44

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Baronjutter posted:

but I always wonder about the levels of social diversity in China. From the stories people tell, it sounds much more homogenous than say north america, where it's much more rare to meet people that don't generally follow the general dominant social norms?

It starts at school, where you are literally punished for thinking different. There is one curriculum, taught country-wide, without variation and the whole education system is focused on the final year exam, a 4 day ordeal in which students are expected to regurgitate word-for-word whatever their textbooks said. A word out of place, and you're penalized. The correct answer is whatever is in the textbook. There is no room or resources for evaluating a critical analysis, persuasive essay, editorial piece, or deconstructing a text. The correct answer for each question was provided in your textbook somewhere in the last year, and you have to remember it, then write it down, word for word.

Combine this with subjects such as literature, history, political history and Chinese politics (all compulsory), and they have, possibly accidentally, invented an ideal method to stamp an orthodoxy into a generation. After that, it's much easier to reflexively recite whatever you were taught in school, than apply any critical thinking to a question. Eg. How many minorities does China have?

# ¿ Aug 1, 2017 06:06

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

barbecue at the folks posted:

I've started to wonder lately, after years of following these threads: is there anything redeeming about Mainland culture?

It's literally impossible to tip for good service. You might get lucky in a restaurant and one of the staff makes a huge extra effort to make sure you're ordering the right food, and you're happy with the meal, using scraps of shared common language. But even leaving cash on the table invariably results in somebody running on to the street trying to return it.

# ¿ Aug 1, 2017 10:52

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Flutieflakes017 posted:

Long time reader, first-time poster on the Plun'Qing thread.

I'm taking some dude friends to Sichuan and we're working out way down to Hong Kong week after next. Looking for suggestions for things to do in Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Macau.

Obvious Chengdu stuff is Hug a Panda at the Panda Base and order a Sichuan HotPot.

# ¿ Aug 2, 2017 04:58

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Serephina posted:

-Can someone enlighten me to what the domestic dinner routine is up in China?

Most commonly, there is none. Until primary school age, children are typically cared for by their grandparents, who will cook food hours beforehand, and then leave it until the child asks.

Then througout primary school & high school (which starts at 7am), breakfast & lunch are either provided through the school, local snack stalls or through any number of local entrepreneurs who open their kitchens and cook meals for local children for a monthly fee on an "all-you-can-eat" basis.

School finishes around 6pm, and the children that return home will grab a quick meal specifically cooked for them to eat alone, before studying until 10pm, while the father is absent, and the mother is running a business, or is simply too tired to cope with having a kid.

Eating as a family happens roughly twice a year during festivals. Children aren't taught to cook by their families, time is instead focused on what will benefit them academically. Nor are children taught anything about nutrition in school. Buying meals locally is so cheap and saves so much time, that it's a very rational decision for most families.

This doesn't cover all families, and the migrants I interact with are so shocked by the high prices of fresh food and vegetables, never mind restaurant food, that it forces changes in behaviour.

I wonder if we would be so judgemental about home cooked food being best, if we lived in places where it saved us real time and money to eat out daily?

# ¿ Feb 21, 2018 23:26

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Bajaj posted:

Australia too, from what I understand.

Wait, now I am racist.

Well, you should apologize!

ABC News, 25 May 2017 posted:

Victoria's Premier has apologised to the state's Chinese community for the racism and unjust policies their ancestors endured during Australia's gold rush era.

"It is never too late to say sorry," Mr Andrews said.

"To every Chinese Victorian � on behalf of the Victorian Parliament, of behalf of the Victorian Government, I express our deepest sorrow and I say to you we are profoundly sorry."

The Premier met them inside Parliament House and praised the tenacity of Chinese migrants, despite adversity and racist policies.

"It was a very shameful act," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-25/victoria-apologises-to-chinese-for-racism-during-gold-rush-era/8558998

I wonder how new immigrants feel about their government apologizing on their behalf for stuff done a century ago?

# ¿ Feb 22, 2018 02:17

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Bajaj posted:

Facebook comments on an article about that guy that broke the thumb off a terracotta warrior. LOL.

When they originally built the pits for the warriors, they used wooden beams to hold up the ceiling, then packed earth on top. However, over time the ground shifted, it rained, beams rotted and fell on to the warriors, either crushing them directly, or allowing access for other people to smash and loot them over the centuries. Only two complete figures were ever unearthed. All the others looked like

Re-attaching a thumb is a tiny job for those archeologists.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2018 06:01

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

nickmeister posted:

There was an article written by some white lady who complained about not being able to get a date in Singapore because the local men weren't interested and the other expats could get younger more attractive Chinese women. It's been posted here more than once. Anyone know which one I'm talking ahout?

Maybe this one Single foreign females in China don�t have it easy?

Stephanie Naday @ GlobalTimes posted:

Most everyone knows by now that Western men are god-like figures in China, attracting hoards of local women who are drawn to their masculine appearances and dominant personalities in comparison to the average effeminate, small-sized Chinese men. Generally speaking, Western men are also more blunt about what they want than the average local fellows, which seems to appeal to the native women, ensuring that most Western men here are never short on sex.

Unfortunately, the same principle does not apply to Western women when it comes to dating Chinese men. If anything, we're considered too dominant, turning the majority of them off with our independent personalities and strong opinions.
.....
One might suppose that the outlook would be more optimistic for Western women pursuing Western men in China, but in that dating pool we also draw the short straw. Once foreign men get a taste for the sheer amount of attention they receive from Chinese women, along with their slender, pliable figures and submissive nature in the bedroom, Caucasian gals simply can't compare.

Followed up by Global Times statement on �faked� article

# ¿ Jul 20, 2018 00:25

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

It's a good headline, but the article has no suggestions on how it will "backfire"

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1113561.shtml

The Global Times posted:

US deploying Marines in AIT will backfire

No matter how the White House explains it or how US public opinion interprets it, sending Marines to Taiwan will beyond all doubt be regarded by China as a belligerent act of the US to challenge the situation in the Taiwan Straits.

The question is, with only one month left, will the US roll back the decision. If the US fails to do so, it's imperative China act to warn it.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2018 10:04

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Well, it looks like Taiwan is determined to go down with a fight

Business Insider posted:

Taiwan's got a new cruise missile, and it's got mainland China's coastal strongholds in its sights

Taiwan has reportedly developed a new cruise missile suitable for stand-off strikes on China�s coastal strongholds.

Tensions between Beijing and Taipei have been on the rise in recent years as the Chinese government tries to clamp down on a resistant Taiwan.

Taiwan�s Indigenous Defence Fighters (IDFs) have been upgraded to support the new missile, reportedly the longest-range cluster munition carried by the Taiwanese air force.

# ¿ Aug 8, 2018 00:44

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Two countries, two threads.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2018 05:24

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

You'll need Adobe Flash, but CCTV has put up a video about all the good things in the re-education centres that the rest of China can look forward to.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2018 23:39

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Taiwan news then

Taiwan News, 2017-12-09 posted:

The day a United States Navy ship docks in Kaohsiung is the day China will launch a military attack against Taiwan, a Chinese diplomat in the U.S. reportedly said Friday.

Taiwan news now

Taiwan News, 2018-10-16 posted:

A research vessel owned by the U.S. Navy was seen docking at the No. 9 Pier at the Port of Kaohsiung, sparking speculation about the purpose of its visit to Taiwan, according to a Facebook post by Taiwan�s senior navy commander Lu Li-shih (呂禮詩), former captain of a Jin Jiang-class patrol vessel.

# ¿ Oct 17, 2018 00:02

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

caberham posted:

On the other end of the spectrum in Hobart, Australia. Someone�s election poster was scribbled with racist graffiti
https://nextshark.com/asian-australian-yongbei-tang-racist-graffiti/amp/

Australia has a truly shameful amount of racism. It's painful. Which isn't to say that CCP front-organizations don't exist either.

This was Melbourne's largest selling newspaper's front page last month.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2018 11:15

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

Kharnifex posted:

G'day, I'm a shifty half wog

Oh, have you seen any of Australia's theatrical productions yet? Maybe "Star Wogs", or "Wogs out of work" or "Wog-A-Rama", "Wogboys", "Who Let the Wogs Out?", TVs "Acropolis now" or at the movies , "The Wog Boy"?

# ¿ Oct 20, 2018 22:01

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

madeintaipei posted:

I also think the world would weep at the casualties involved in any sort of invasion. How long could the ROC military fight a rear-guard action just to buy enough time for evacuations? Operation Hannibal 2.0, now with guided weapons!

Could the PRC keep control of their own population after wasting a bunch of their conscripted sons? How many elite formations could they move towards the front without totally loving up security at every other border or restive area?

Foreign Policy does Clancy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/09/25/taiwan-can-win-a-war-with-china/

It's actually an interesting read, and it's hard to disagree with this conclusion

Foreign Policy posted:

The most crucial battlefield may be the minds of the Taiwanese themselves. Defeatism is a more dangerous threat to Taiwanese democracy than any weapon in China�s armory.

I actually tried getting FP delivered in China for a couple of years. 2 big problems. 1 FP's subscription doesn't support Chinese characters in addresses. 2 the magazines never arrived.

Trammel fucked around with this message at 01:01 on Oct 21, 2018

# ¿ Oct 21, 2018 00:57

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 09:32

Trammel: Dec 31, 2007; .

The threads gone to poo poo anyway. Here's a video combining Australians, Greeks & Chinese, titled, "Wog dad refuses to buy souvlaki made by Chinese"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChWHLDb0HlI

# ¿ Oct 21, 2018 11:41

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