Scots in China

[monabri]

A fascinating view of China ( BBC programme in 2 episodes from 2019)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0by3blh

"Neil Oliver will meet extraordinary Scottish people from all walks of life, living in and working in China today and using their experiences to unpack the mystery of modern China."

(Best get the Chinese to build that piffling high speed rail link in the UK).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing ... peed_train

[bungeejumper]

Seconded. I saw these when they were first broadcast. Warmly recommended.

BJ

[Dod101]

Very good and topical first time round. I wonder if it is still the same today because geopolitics can play a big part in the lives of expats especially in China. I daresay if they ignore the politics nothing much will have changed for the average expat but for those running businesses? Not so sure.

Dod

[Dod101]

A fascinating view of China ( BBC programme in 2 episodes from 2019)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0by3blh

"Neil Oliver will meet extraordinary Scottish people from all walks of life, living in and working in China today and using their experiences to unpack the mystery of modern China."

(Best get the Chinese to build that piffling high speed rail link in the UK).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing ... peed_train

As for the rail link comment the problem I think is not the building of it (Scots and Brits in general for instance had a huge part in the building of the Mass Transit Railway in Hong Kong) but our planning laws and Health and Safety. The other thing is that money tends to be no object either in Hong Kong or China itself.

Dod

[SimonS]

A fascinating view of China ( BBC programme in 2 episodes from 2019)



(Best get the Chinese to build that piffling high speed rail link in the UK).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing ... peed_train

What with China buying Barbados, it might be a dodgy proposition. In Malaysia their high speed train was rather more expensive than they thought and they ended up giving control of a port to China to get it finished.

Rather like China gave the Port of HongKong to Britain for 200 years!

[bungeejumper]

I daresay if they ignore the politics nothing much will have changed for the average expat but for those running businesses? Not so sure.

Agreed. And Neil Oliver has also shifted his ground somewhat since last year. GB News presenter, anti-vaccine activist, and all the rest of it. I'm honestly not trying to drag the Snug into political territory - just to echo Deborah Meaden, who said recently:

"I sat next to Neil Oliver on a flight many years ago. He seemed nice and good and sensible. Either something has happened since then, or I need my radar adjusted."

Still a fascinating programme, though. If only for historical reasons!

BJ

[gryffron]

My niece has just returned from 2 years TEFL in China.

She says in the last 6 months there has been a significant ramping up of anti-western sentiment. Mostly in the news bulletins. But notably, they started having weekly "tests" of the air-raid sirens. Just to make sure people know who they should be afraid of.

Gryff

[Dod101]

What with China buying Barbados, it might be a dodgy proposition. In Malaysia their high speed train was rather more expensive than they thought and they ended up giving control of a port to China to get it finished.

Rather like China gave the Port of HongKong to Britain for 200 years!

I genuinely do not understand what is meant by the final sentence. China did not give the Port of Hong Kong to Britain for 200 years. It actually gave the barren island to Britain in perpetuity.

Dod

[Dod101]

My niece has just returned from 2 years TEFL in China.

She says in the last 6 months there has been a significant ramping up of anti-western sentiment. Mostly in the news bulletins. But notably, they started having weekly "tests" of the air-raid sirens. Just to make sure people know who they should be afraid of.

Gryff

That is interesting although I do not see that the average educated mainland Chinese is likely to recognise tat other than for what it is. They have been exposed to a lot of Western news and culture for a long while. Some though will no doubt be influenced by it.

Dod

[redsturgeon]

What with China buying Barbados, it might be a dodgy proposition. In Malaysia their high speed train was rather more expensive than they thought and they ended up giving control of a port to China to get it finished.

Rather like China gave the Port of HongKong to Britain for 200 years!

I genuinely do not understand what is meant by the final sentence. China did not give the Port of Hong Kong to Britain for 200 years. It actually gave the barren island to Britain in perpetuity.

Dod

Yes but they had only a 99 year lease on the New Territories, without which HK was not viable.

John

[servodude]

My niece has just returned from 2 years TEFL in China.

She says in the last 6 months there has been a significant ramping up of anti-western sentiment. Mostly in the news bulletins. But notably, they started having weekly "tests" of the air-raid sirens. Just to make sure people know who they should be afraid of.

Gryff

That is interesting although I do not see that the average educated mainland Chinese is likely to recognise tat other than for what it is. They have been exposed to a lot of Western news and culture for a long while. Some though will no doubt be influenced by it.

Dod

I'm not sure of that anymore; and I really was a while ago
I've been working with various folk in Shenzen for a couple of decades mostly through a Scots mate who went "native" and set up business to "onshore" production for tech devices (his offices were in Lockhart Rd HK - near the Bottoms Up .. yeah he's all class!)
Immediately after the hand back everything seemed like it would keep on going as it was; that the attitudes and influence of Hong Kong would spread north.
That influence started to shift direction slowly and the shift appears to have accelerated over the past few years.

The younger cohort I've met recently (tertiary students, new graduates, young parents) from China seem to buy in to the Xi message in a way that makes me want to find footage of what happened to students there 30 years back and give them the old Ludovico technique.

Then I realise that's probably how old Xi would do it and I find myself just disappointed more.

Agreed. And Neil Oliver has also shifted his ground somewhat since last year. GB News presenter, anti-vaccine activist, and all the rest of it. I'm honestly not trying to drag the Snug into political territory - just to echo Deborah Meaden, who said recently:

"I sat next to Neil Oliver on a flight many years ago. He seemed nice and good and sensible. Either something has happened since then, or I need my radar adjusted."

I'm glad it's not just me - I had a whinge about him on another thread a while ago
His GB News monologues just gie me the boke - pure unadulterated cultural cringe
He was fine in the GU Research Bar - not a patch on Johnny Ball though - but who is?

- sd

[redsturgeon]

I am currently reading Ai Weiwei's memoir
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/110/110 ... 23509.html

It is a fascinating and chilling account of China over the last century or so through the eyes of a highly intelligent and articulate artist who has seen and suffered first hand the excesses of the CCP both personally and with his father back in the days of Mao.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in the country that will inevitably shape much of the rest of the century.

John

[Dod101]

I am currently reading Ai Weiwei's memoir
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/110/110 ... 23509.html

It is a fascinating and chilling account of China over the last century or so through the eyes of a highly intelligent and articulate artist who has seen and suffered first hand the excesses of the CCP both personally and with his father back in the days of Mao.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in the country that will inevitably shape much of the rest of the century.

John

Sorry to come to this so late, but if you are interested in this sort of thing you ought to read 'Life and Death in Shanghai' by Nien Cheng. I bought it in Hong Kong whilst HK was a free place under UK Colonial rule, for which I make no apology.

Dod