Follow me to a trip to China

[Ponypoor]

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I posted. I got back to the United States late Wednesday night. It is two weeks earlier than planned, but it is good to be back.

I still have some to post about China which I will do in the near future.

Oh I hope everything is ok

I have so enjoyed seeing China through your ‘eyes’ - think you ever so much for sharing your trip - very much appreciated

 

[Ponypoor]

It is very nice for that woman to bring stamps to the post master.

Yes too bad she didn’t accept to gift as it was meant. So very sad, maybe she was having a bad day.

I would have been pleased as punch.

 

[Ponypoor]

Don't get me started on camera... there is absolutely no privacy in China. In addition to cameras everywhere, you are required to have a smart phone and do everything there so the police can have a record of everything you do anytime they want. (You are required to link your phone to your true identity )

For example, any touristy place you go, you can't just buy a ticket and enter like how it's supposed to be. No, you have to have a smart phone, have wechat installed, scan a qr code using wechat and buy your ticket that way. The ticket office will not simply sell you a ticket.

Another example is all restaurants ask you to use your phone to scan a qr code for menu, and order from there. If you ask for a physical menu, they will tell you that it's outdated.

So at this point I have deep despise for smart phones. It started out innocent and convenient, making people use it voluntarily, but can be lethal once in the hands of authoritarian government.

Not to mention creating a robotic society that lacks human interaction and nature's touch.

What if as a tourist you do t have a cellular phone?

I certainly do t bring a cell phone with me on vacation! Who can afford the international rates anyways?!

 

[Ponypoor]

Of course I know you are right, and I do sort of assume I am being spied on, I was just trying to be honest that in my day to day life I find the effort to resist a bit exhausting.
That said, this is my only social media account so I guess I am doing a tiny bit of resisting!

It’s easy here, my cellular service sucks so we still have a land line. The only thing I use this phone for is taking photos and BYC

The only time I need a cell phone is when I am working in the middle of nowhere, and I have a very basic $25 / month Canada wide phoning for that. No data to speak of, if there is no internet then I don’t use the phone for BYC!

 

[pertnear09]

I've been a silent follower of this thread from the beginning and have enjoyed it very much. Just wanted to add my thanks for all the pictures and background. Very well presented.

 

[lightm]

What if as a tourist you do t have a cellular phone?

I certainly do t bring a cell phone with me on vacation! Who can afford the international rates anyways?!

They will look at you shockingly and tell you to go get a phone with local plan?

Summer 2019 I was also in China with an American friend. We went to the Great Wall. Surprised to learn at the gate that we need to reserve a ticket on WeChat through phones first. This is the Great Wall, the post card of China! I was upset and embarrassed as this is no way to welcome anyone. There were lots of old folks, less tecky, standing at ticket office struggling with their phones to buy ticket. No officials were out there to help. They were all sitting inside and tell you to use your phone. it was chaotic as it was a new rule then.

In the end, we did get tickets at office, but after I showed his US passport and explained for quite a while that I do not have wechat (I could have reserved tickets for me and him on my phone).

I've been to the Great Wall (the most popular section, Badaling) four times and it is truly magnificent.

To answer your question seriously, I do think it might be okay if you show your passport.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Very nice stories. Sorry that I just saw it I'm glad that you got to go back home!

 

[Cebarmlds]

I've been a silent follower of this thread from the beginning and have enjoyed it very much. Just wanted to add my thanks for all the pictures and background. Very well presented.

X2

 

[notabitail]

July 15th

Passed my middle school on the way to somewhere. Middle school is grade 7 to 9.View attachment 3583865

Lovely ginkgo trees
View attachment 3583864

A bridge by the bridge. Th old bridge on the right is how wide roads used to be long ago. They preserved it when making the new road.
View attachment 3583863

My MacBook broke more a while ago. I thought it was a battery issue. I went to a computer repair shop in the sketchy computer mall (it looks abandoned)
View attachment 3583869
It turned out to be also a mother board issue in addition to battery. They were able to replace the parts on the motherboard. After a week, I got my fixed computer. I was very pleased. It cost less than 100 us dollars to replace my battery and fix the motherboard. They were competent.

I wonder how much they sold computers for there. Would be interesting to see that computer mall and the gardens. (they should have a computer garden).

 

[notabitail]

Don't get me started on camera... there is absolutely no privacy in China. In addition to cameras everywhere, you are required to have a smart phone and do everything there so the police can have a record of everything you do anytime they want. (You are required to link your phone to your true identity )

For example, any touristy place you go, you can't just buy a ticket and enter like how it's supposed to be. No, you have to have a smart phone, have wechat installed, scan a qr code using wechat and buy your ticket that way. The ticket office will not simply sell you a ticket.

Another example is all restaurants ask you to use your phone to scan a qr code for menu, and order from there. If you ask for a physical menu, they will tell you that it's outdated.

So at this point I have deep despise for smart phones. It started out innocent and convenient, making people use it voluntarily, but can be lethal once in the hands of authoritarian government.

Not to mention creating a robotic society that lacks human interaction and nature's touch.

You should probably use a different phone other than your main one for all that stuff. I may just be paranoid but I have no trust in wechat or any kind of app like that. And at that maybe just buy a phone just for trips like that and leave your real one at home in order to ensure they can't get your data easily.