![Chinese Pagota in Yunnan [photo / pic]](http://www.jazzviolin.com/china/pictures/pagota_china_t2_photography_san_francisco_490px.jpg)
Another shot, shot on a backup camera (Nikon D200) while in China. This is Chuxiong’s pagoda, which is about 8-9 stories high and allows one to view a 360° panoramic view of the city, nestled in the mountains of Yunnan.
Archive for the 'Chuxiong' Category
Just got back from China to visit the parents. I noticed a lot of newly paved roads and shiny crosswalks. My brother Tom came along this time and brought his Nikon.
Here is a sunrise shot we took at a secret location in Yunnan.
Also, look for a very special follow-up video soon.
If you would like me to write up an entry on this painstakingly long task (of getting a green card and moving back to the US), let me know.
We finally got our exit interview in Guangzhou and will be back in the US in November.
In other China news:
- Wikipedia is blocked again (at this point though, who cares, really).
- It’s been raining for the last 7 weeks.
- Here in Chuxiong, the amount of tourists went from zero to about 100 per day in the last year, pretty amazing. (Mainly domestic travel, but a few foreigners here and there).
- They are expanding Yi Ren Gu Zhen to seven sections now (we were the first, then they added the second, now they are adding five more. Each section represents about 200 high-end houses and storefronts).
- They are going to reroute the train track that cuts through the development.
- They are displacing the farmers without any compensation, even when they protest. Don’t you love capitalism?
- (When I say they, I mean the developers and the government.)
WATCH VIDEOChina is a spooky place. If you don’t believe me, see the Sanya beach photos below. Be careful!
BTW, the video is choppy for one reason and one reason only: I bought the value pack of TDK DVs from Costco in 2003. I didn’t know DVs went bad. But every tape I is pretty much corrupted. Well, it could be the Diet Coke spill all over my camera, I dunno. Time for an upgrade.
I get asked where I live a lot. People don’t seem to realize that Chuxiong is a major player in the international scene. Okay it’s not at all, it’s a small, relatively poor Chinese city really far away from the rest of those good Chinese cities. Chuxiong can only look at it’s thriving neighboring cities (Kunming, Dali, Lijiang) and be jealous, because there this nothing to do here except “san bu”.
Here’s a little comparison (via Google Earth):
|
|
MI
|
KM
|
|
Chuxiong
|
0
|
0
|
|
Kunming
|
79
|
127
|
|
Laos
|
173
|
278
|
|
Vietnam
|
180
|
290
|
|
Myanmar
|
206
|
332
|
|
Shangri-La
|
240
|
386
|
|
Tibet
|
297
|
478
|
|
India
|
787
|
1,267
|
|
Hong Kong
|
791
|
1,273
|
|
Beijing
|
1,340
|
2,157
|
|
Tokyo
|
2,391
|
3,848
|
|
Paris
|
5,390
|
8,674
|
|
San Francisco
|
7,217
|
11,615
|
|
Boston
|
7,777
|
12,516
|
I can only speak for myself and my situation. After buying two houses and two commercial properties in China, I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I have not been ripped off or lied to (…yet), but I would say:
Do not by any property that is not built yet.
I did, and while the house was constructed without any major problems, I had an advantage. Specifically, we have a family friend who owns the real estate company, therefore, small problems we encountered were easily fixed. I assume most expatriates do not have this luxury.
This GoKunming.com interview sums it up quite well.
One, don’t invest in forward delivery housing - buying property before it’s finished or even begun to be built - the price may be a little cheaper, but the risk is much higher.
Why? Because you could end up with a house you cannot live in — you could lose your entire investment. Just last night, I watched a CCTV story about some Chinese families who bought into a new development and once the keys were delivered, they opened the door to their new house to see two inches of water flooding the living room, and the cement floor crumbled if you walked over it. They said no one will help them. (Where is the government agency to protect homeowners? Why do they have to resort to calling a television station to put pressure on these fraudulent companies?)