Comments on: Qing Dao travelogue

By: Alfonso

Alfonso — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:03:02 +0000

Hi Jamie its the first time i read your blog and this entry is very interesting , im also from a corrupt third-world dump (mexico) but i had the opportunity to live in China and travelled east asia. China its an amazing country and you need to give it a second chance ,yea compared to the lifestyle you have in japan , china is so depressed a lot of pollution , not civilized citizens ,men and women spiting in the streets and grey . Take the advantage of your fluent Japanese and IT knowledge , move to Dalian is a city near qingdao , in Dalian there a lot big japanese companies ,in fact theres a lot of japanese influence there , thanks to the jap companies you can find more people who can speak japanese , there are japanese like koreans in qingdao . The best way you can learn chinese is with your wife she will be the best teacher you can find , but if you want a formal method try ocean university (海洋大学) they have semestral programs or summer programs . Hope you can find the good side of a corrupt third-world dump and enjoy it !.
Gracias y adios (thanks and good bye)

By: jamie

jamie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:43:16 +0000

@will: if you can survive there for 3 years it cant be all that bad eh. maybe theres hope for me yet.

May I ask what do you do in Qing Dao? Any advice on job if I wanted to live there? I really dont want to go the teaching english route, but with close to zero chinese skills I doubt I could do anything else. I wonder if theres a need for english speaking computer technicians…

By: jamie

jamie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:41:04 +0000

Woah, Helen, thanks for dropping by. Got married september last year, but you didnt miss anything since we didnt actually do a ceremony.

You should totally come visit, though I cant promise ill be in kyoto next year. Might be living in china by then!

By: will

will — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:38:40 +0000

nice writeup…..sounds like maybe your first visit to China as it is peppered with plenty of experiences and feelings that most westerners have on their first trip. As someone who has lived and worked in Asia (China/Taiwan/Korea) for most of the last 20 years….and lived here in Qingdao for the last 3 years….i can say that there is some exaggeration in your post. But still, i smiled knowingly at a lot of what you described.

There’s a lot to like about China…but the longer you stay here, the more you see of the fucked up and ugly side of the place, the people and the society (but hey, gotta love the women!). You’ve just had a glimpse.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy your future trips to Qingdao….by China standards it’s a pretty darn nice place to live.

regards,
Will

By: Helen

Helen — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:03:14 +0000

Lol… when I was in Wuxi, a three lane highway was turned into a 6 lane highway. i agree with everything you said, i think china is dirty. i didnt like shanghai because right next to the new beautiful buildings were heaps of construction mess, along with murky black river water. as for trash being useful, i wonder if that’s why my mom refuses to throw out stuff, even broken electronics are kept.

btw, when did you get married? congrats!!!! are you still in kyoto? i am thinking of visiting next year.

By: Leon

Leon — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:21:59 +0000

Cool, finally we get to here the story when you’re not piss-drunk

I want to go and eat freaky food and catch nasty diseases, etc but you just confirmed everything I feared about Chinese toilets…

If I could take a dirtbike overthere and just camp in the countryside, pooping in the ground, I’d love to go…

Stoked to meet the in-laws in March. I gave up on that learn Chinese book, I’ll just smile and nod!
Leon´s last blog ..I’m extreme

By: jamie

jamie — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:02:12 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Waiguoguizi. Strangely, my first experience of China was Hong Kong too a few years ago, and I really liked it there. Hong Kong didnt feel much like China to me though- everything in English etc.

We clearly think alike when it comes to Chinese girls

Another spot I’d recommend in Qingdao is the local Lao Shang~ um, the big mountain? The first part of the walk up is filled with street traders looking to make a quick buck, but after that the scenery is just amazing.

Next time we go, I’m hoping to spent some more time in the countryside where I’ll be able to see more of the beautiful *natural* China.

By: Waiguoguizi

Waiguoguizi — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:45:58 +0000

I have been to quite some places in China as well, and I agree with your opinion. Most places are still quite messed up, and many people are medieval farmers with iPhones in their pockets. Yet they can be very friendly if you are part of their family.

Chinese people think a tourist spot is interesting, if everyone else goes there. It’s boring if no-one else goes there. The level of interestingness is not related to how interesting a place really is. If I ever go to Qingdao, I’ll also visit the hill fortress.

China is a good place for people who like it a little rough and want to take part in adventures. At the same time it’s backwardness can be very annoying, resulting in a love-hate relationship with this country.
Waiguoguizi´s last blog ..How I discovered China