A Bryson in China

China Plans Megacity ..... or Not

Did ya see the news recently about the plan by China to create a mega city of 42,000,000 people??!! Reports were broadcast widely from CNN to the internet. A good Aussie friend from Dongguan, Roger, sent me an article about it posted by several newspapers, including the Sydney Morning Herald and The Telegraph in London. The headline read:
Reading you will see that the city, basically already exists. It includes the area between Guangzhou, with its 25 million, to Shenzhen. So that includes Dongguan. Total population of around 42 million!!

But reading a later report from an announcement by a Guangdong Province official, the efforts are just to integrate public and commercial services. Not necessarily to integrate governments. It would be good to integrate transportation efforts, and other public services!

I guess it's already basically VERY BIG!! Question is, will it be just one mega city or just a big Province?? Either way, it's a lot of people!!

Labels: Dongguan, Guangdong, mega city

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 10:06 PM Comments: 0

Rain and Labor Strife

It's July, and that means rain, heat, and high humidity in China! I don't miss that! Rains have caused havoc across the nation. Economic losses are estimated at over $13 billion, but far worse, is the fact that over 500 people have been killed, many in the Guangdong province.

The wildcat strike is over at Honda, but the results there and with the Foxconn news, have had a ripple effect through industries in China. After workers received a substantial increase in pay at Honda and Foxconn, other factories have had wildcat strikes by workers expecting the same wage increases! Workers are becoming more knowledgeable and expectations are increasing. A general wage increase is being enacted, but with over 360 million internet users in the nation, word is spreading more rapidly about the increases and more workers are expecting the same. One friend informed me he had factories that had suffered absences of 50 percent of workers, because they hadn't received the same increases.

Even with the increasing wages and labor strife, China is still considered a prime industrial location. China Law Blog put together an interesting comparison of countries and their advantages, even considering current increases.

Labels: Dongguan, Guangdong

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 10:28 PM Comments: 0

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. The 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

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 11:12 PM Comments: 0

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:

• Many migrant workers are not coming back to the Guangdong area after the Chinese New Year. A few years ago, this trend started, as many workers want to stay in their home area, or have been disappointed in pay and opportunities in Guangdong. Many lost jobs as the recession hit, and decided not to continue their migrant work, thus leaving the area in a severe shortage of workers - over 2 million by some estimates!

• Since the implementation of the "one child policy," there are now severe shortages of women. Unmarried men outnumber women by as much as five to one in the Dongguan area!

• Two police officers from Guangdong province have been reprimanded for holding extravagant family weddings where they received gifts from constituents.
  

• Free Market Mojo blogsite posted some very interesting facts about China, including: there are more Christians in China than Italy, and China will some become the largest center of Christianity in the world; and China has more than 150% more soldiers than the US.

• And Stephon Marbury is playing basketball now in China. His first game was in Dongguan where his team lost to the local team. ESPN.com has some interesting coverage.
  

That's all for now. Enjoy!

Labels: Dongguan, Guangdong, Guangdong News

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 8:21 AM Comments: 0

Miscellaneous Notes

Guangdong Province to soon have new world records:

• Construction began this past week on the world's largest sea bridge to connect Hong Kong with the Guangdong province.

• The world's fastest train starts service from Guangzhou to Wuhan in Central China on December 26. The bullet train is expected to hit speeds of almost 400 km/hr. The current 10 1/2 hour journey will now only take 3 hours.

In other news from China:

• Asian Games will be in Guangdong Province next year. Land fights are erupting with developers where encroaching with villagers.

• Migrant workers number up to 170 million, and are now demanding more rights.

• In a recent NPR broadcast, the move of furniture manufacturing from North Carolina to southern China was highlighted. The news seems a little old now, but does relate the recent decline in exports and fewer jobs due to the US recession.

In a completely different issue and around the globe in Spain, new efforts to encourage organ donation, has catapulted the country to the highest rates of donation in the world.

Labels: Dongguan, Guangdong, Guangdong News, kidney donation

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 8:18 AM Comments: 0

Cat is a "Winter Dish"

Well, that's what the article says: "We don't serve cat in the summer time. It's more of a winter dish."

Click here to read the whole article. It seems there is a backlash against cat as a dish in China. But in the meantime, you can still buy cat in the markets.

Labels: Cat, Dongguan, Guangdong

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 12:01 AM Comments: 0

Seen in Guangdong News

Recent posts regarding Guangdong:

• Guangdong area of China continues to get recognition as a "destination" for golf. The San Francisco Chronicle recently profiled the area's golf options, particularly the Mission Hills complex of 12 courses and the worlds largest clubhouse in Dongguan.

• Police in the Guangdong area continue to publicize efforts to "crackdown on criminal activities". More than 1300 police have been involved in Zhongshan alone.

• In an interesting twist of discrimination, a Dongguan investment firm has been accused of bias in hiring workers with surname Liu, just like the boss.

• And remember Mayor Nagin of New Orleans. He has struggled through the Katrina ordeal, but now has a new delima. He recently traveled to Shanghai on an economic development trip, but has now been quarantined in the city, since a fellow plane traveler has been suspected to have H1N1 (swine) flu. Enjoy the city - or probably just the hotel you're stuck in for now.

Labels: China golf, Dongguan, Guangdong, Guangdong News

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 8:13 PM Comments: 0

In the News - Guangdong & Dongguan

• The government is taking action on kidnappings of youngsters, particularly around Guangdong. Bold claims are that "child abduction will be ended" to stop the actions often by criminal gangs.

• Pork is falling in price, over H1N1 fears, and an oversupply created in the last few years.

• A Las Vegas court has convicted several Chinese for embellizing from the Bank of China, after fleeing Guangdong eight years ago. The scheme started in 1991, and continued after the participants came to the US. They have been ordered restitution of $482 million.

• And in a scary development, a factory manager in the Zhuhai village of Guangdong, released hundreds of snakes for religious purposes. Villagers had to organize to kill over 200 of the reptiles combing trees and roads!

Labels: Dongguan, Guangdong, Guangdong News

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 10:50 PM Comments: 0

Dongguan Mall News

The South China Mall in Dongguan remains the world's largest mall. The top 10 malls recently recorded as:

1. South China Mall , Dongguan, China - 660,000 sq-m
2. Golden Resources Shopping Mall, Beijing, China - 560,000 sq-m
3. SM City Edsa North, Manila, Philippines - 425,000 sq-m
4. Mall of Asia, Manila, Philippines - 386,000 sq-m
5. Dubai Mall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - 350,000 sq-m
6. West Edmonton Mall, Alberta, Canada - 350,000 sq-m
7. Cevahir Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey - 348,000 sq-m
8. SM Megal Mall, Manila, Philippines - 332,000 sq-m
9. Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 320,000 sq-m
10. Beijing Mall, Beijing, China - 320,000 sq-m

The third place mall in the Phillipines just expanded, but it still is only 2/3 the size of the South China Mall. See ABC News feature on the new mall here.

Of course, I still don't think that means that the South China Mall is occupied. When I was last there, it probably wasn't a tenth occupied. The place was mostly a ghost town.

I've even heard from my friends at Dongguan's One for the Road pub, that some entrepeneurs have opened a go kart race inside the Mall. It may be in a parking area, but I'm sure there was plenty of free space. In fact, they track has been so successful they were planning to open a second connect floor. That should make it rather exciting. One for the Road management can give more assistance.

Labels: Dongguan, Guangdong, One for the Road, South China Mall

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 4:40 AM Comments: 0

Dongguan & Guangdong in the News

Recent news has not been kind to Dongguan & the Guangdong Province:

• Two Chinese Factories Close; 7,000 Workers Fired

• China's Worst Nightmare: Unemployment

• And even from CBS's 60 Minutes: Following the Trail of Toxic E-Waste

Maybe China's actions today will help:

• From ABC News: China Announces $586B Economic Stimulus Package

Labels: China Business, Dongguan, Economy, Guangdong, Guangdong News

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 4:05 AM Comments: 0

Post Olympics Notes

And now some info following the Olympics:

• Fun missing around Beijing during Games.
• Photographing the Games was not easy for this professional, but "Hooters was good".
• Bloggers urged to not hype Michael Phelps prior to games.
• "Great Firewall" of China blocks inconsistently.
• Bathrooms not recommended in Beijing.
• "A Perfect Storm" in China, and particularly in its impact of Guangdong's industrial base.
• 500 factories closed in Dongguan.
• But soon you can get wireless all over Dongguan.
• And, of course, you can now get a great golf package to Guangdong!

Edit any bullet above to go direct to the original post.

Labels: Dongguan, Guangdong, Life in China, Olympics

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 8:51 PM Comments: 0

More Guangdong News

Well, I guess I don’t see enough of Dongguan. I just caught some more interesting news about Dongguan today: “Pig Farms Banned in 2009.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of the 433 pig farms mentioned here. I guess I don’t have to worry about one being built near my apartment complex either now. The city has banned pig farms effective 2009. I guess that’s fair warning. But kinda rude in the Year of the Pig!

Be sure to notice the website that the article appears in too: Pig Progress. Interesting… huh?!?!

Labels: Dongguan, Guangdong, Guangdong News, Life in China, Year of the Pig

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 5:50 PM Comments: 0

Guangdong News

I missed a major news item from Guangdong recently. A cousin was kind enough to ask about one and send me the link. I had often wondered how this area could handle the demands of water for all these people. It may not be so well. Read by clicking here.

The other news event is more apparent. Daily my drivers are faced with difficult maneuvering past service stations along the highway. They have some kind of separation here for which stations provide gasoline to trucks versus general transport vehicles. And at the stations for trucks, the lines usually spill out into the streets blocking traffic at each. However, for cars, the gasoline must be more readily available, because lines are rare.

Today, we even stopped at one station for gas in our van on the way to work. As we sat there, several trucks pulled in requesting gasoline, only to be turned away. I still haven’t quite figured out the separation, but they were sure disappointed.

In the meantime, the lines continue to back up for trucks. They say that gas is still being regulated at a rate far lower than market prices, so refineries and distributors claim to be loosing money (read about it here). Even though it was raised recently, that only temporarily fixed the problem. A couple of weeks passed, and with the oil futures still climbing, the suppliers have cut back availability again. It’s pretty simple supply and demand economics, but without free markets, its effect becomes more apparent.

Labels: Dongguan, Gas Prices, Guangdong, Guangdong News, Life in China

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 5:12 PM Comments: 0