More News from Guangdong and China
Driving into Dongguan the fist time, I remember being awed by a new highway that crossed a big lake, Songshan Lake. A monstrous building under construction was pointed out to me on a point across the water. It was to be the new Hyatt hotel that I later frequented and enjoyed immensely. The development around the lake continues. T
he Administrative Committee of Songshan Lake Science and Technology just announced a major greenway corridor around the lake. It stretches 122 kilometers. That's over 75 miles for my American friends! It will even have bicycle rentals along the corridor. Wish I could get back to enjoy that!
Other news from Guangdong continues to lament about the rising cost of manufacturing in the province. Surprising considering the recent reports of labor shortages,
the government has announced a minimum wage increase of more than 20 percent!! The China Law Blog came out with a recent post,
"You Want Chinese Workers? Think Outside the Guangdong Box". There are certainly still plenty of workers in China, and more interests is being given to areas other than Guangdong.
In an interesting post, NPR recently posted
"Wait, What's the Difference between 'Yuan' and 'Renminbi'. Good reading and a nice audio on how to pronounce yuan and renminbi in Mandarin.
Labels: Dongguan, Guangdong, Songshan Lake
Digging Up Golf Courses in China
Back in one of my earliest (and probably longest) posts in June 2006, I relayed my first experience of
playing golf in China. It was at Camdour Harbour Golf Club on one of the hottest, muggiest days I can ever remember. And I had to walk! The course only had one golf cart, and I guess you had to reserve it months in advance!
But I was baffled by the homes around the course. They were large, but mostly unoccupied and in poor condition. I later learned the course and development had been in a debate over legality of the seizure of the land from previous farm owners. It seems many golf courses in China have been developed in illegal manners. And the government is taking some action.
My daughter was good enough to make me aware of a great review of the situation. The
Slate wrote the great article about
The Forbidden Game! They principally focus on the fate of the Anji King Valley Country Club, where "more than a dozen bulldozers" recently stormed the course one morning and plowed up the fairways. Only the greens and tee boxes were sparred. Negotiations are ongoing to reopen the course again soon. See pictures
here.
But the government actually banned golf development in 2004. In the meantime, the boom in golf in China has been greater than anywhere in the world - even if much of the development is illegal.
The government is trying to assure sufficient farm lands are available to feed the huge growing population. There are other illegal land uses, but golf courses are a good political target. But many government officials are behind the growing popularity too. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.
Labels: China golf
News from the Last Month
Sorry, but it's been over a month since I updated news I've observed about China and the Dongguan area. During that period, the Chinese Lunar New Year was observed. Many workers and other Chinese nationals made their annual treks to their homes. It is probably the biggest mass movement of people in the world. With it come some of the interesting points observed over the last month:
That's all for now. Enjoy!
Labels: Dongguan, Guangdong, Guangdong News
