General Info

[Ice Dragon]

Oops! Stinkyfeet wrote in his post that Google Translate does have an offline pack! I will have to investigate!

Sorry Stinkyfeet, my excuse is that it is 2:00am and I am very tired and did not read carefully!

CheersI confirm, Google translate has offline dictionaries, you can select language and download. It automatically selects them when attempting to translate when offline.

Worth a mention, the latest Google translate has a scanning function, you can use the phone's camera to read in hard text, either from paper or screens, it then converts this to electronic text, and translates it. Seems to work best on small fonts.

Ice

[Eaglestar]

You go girl.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2584176/Youthful-grandmother-67-claims-sperm-facials-anti-ageing-secret-shes-video-tutorial.html

[Intransit]

http://www.chinarhyming.com/2014/03/30/regulating-prostitution-in-china-gender-and-local-statebuilding-1900-1937-30-march/

There is a great existing literature on prostitution in republican China.

There have been some great books on this subject – (think Gail Hershatter's 1999 Dangerous Pleasures: Prostitution and Modernity in Twentieth Century Shanghai is useful for understanding the developing of the city's brothel business as well as Henriot and Noel Castalino's Prostitution and Sexuality in Shanghai: A Social History 1849-1949 (2001). Elizabeth Remick's Regulating Prostitution in China looks like a worthy addition.

In the early decades of the twentieth century, prostitution was one of only a few fates available to women and girls besides wife, servant, or factory worker. At the turn of the century, cities across China began to register, tax, and monitor prostitutes, taking different forms in different cities. Intervention by way of prostitution regulation connected the local state, politics, and gender relations in important new ways. The decisions that local governments made about how to deal with gender, and specifically the thorny issue of prostitution, had concrete and measurable effects on the structures and capacities of the state.

This book examines how the ways in which local government chose to shape the institution of prostitution ended up transforming local states themselves. It begins by looking at the origins of prostitution regulation in Europe and how it spread from there to China via Tokyo. Elizabeth Remick then drills down into the different regulatory approaches of Guangzhou (revenue-intensive) , Kunming (coercion-intensive) , and Hangzhou (light regulation). In all three cases, there were distinct consequences and implications for statebuilding, some of which made governments bigger and wealthier, some of which weakened and undermined development. This study makes a strong case for why gender needs to be written into the story of statebuilding in China, even though women, generally barred from political life at that time in China, were not visible political actors.

[Ikksman]

Why China Man Cheats. The politically incorrect version.

One of my favourite blogs is My China Kanfa. His latest blog talks about the Chinese family (and the infamous mother-in-law). It is one of the best articles about to help understand current Chinese culture concerning the family.

http://mychinakanfa.********.com.au/2014/03/why-china-man-cheats.html

Highly recommended for those who wish to attempt the impossible; understand the Chinese! Understanding improves the effectiveness of enjoying our hobby!

Cheers

[Ikksman]

I want to set up a flight to China this summer. The agency I contacted wants almost $2K for coach. Anyone know where I can get better deals?Depends on your departure city: London, Rome, Sydney, Auckland, Manila?

And flying to?

Sheesh!

P.S. Just read your previous few posts (the 50% that were not deleted by admin). Totally unbelievable! I think you have a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock!

[Marty47]

You can fly direct LAX to SH or BJ for around 1200. Many airlines.


Flying from LAX to CAN, but I'll fly into PEK if it's cheaper.

[MrClen]

You can fly direct LAX to SH or BJ for around 1200. Many airlines.I generally use Kayak. Com to check flights. Picking the cheapest route. Sometimes it is less to fly into Seoul and then on to where you want to go, or Beijing, or Shanghai, even HK on rare occasions. Check all possibilities. But only book your international flight this way. L Then try one of the local Chinese online sites for inside China flights, such as ChinaHighlights. Com.

I am currently coming to Shanghai from South Florida for $876. 00 RT, then on to my final destination for another $200. 00 RT. This is my normal costs, sometimes in high season a bit more. I hope it helps! Mrclen

[StinkyFeet]

I am currently coming to Shanghai from South Florida for $876. 00 RTWow! I haven't seen prices that low for several years, back when I use to do weekend getaways to HK for about 650usd from NYC 8 years ago.

[Fast Eddie 48]

I generally use Kayak. Com to check flights. Picking the cheapest route. Sometimes it is less to fly into Seoul and then on to where you want to go, or Beijing, or Shanghai, even HK on rare occasions. Check all possibilities. But only book your international flight this way. L Then try one of the local Chinese online sites for inside China flights, such as ChinaHighlights. Com.

I am currently coming to Shanghai from South Florida for $876. 00 RT, then on to my final destination for another $200. 00 RT. This is my normal costs, sometimes in high season a bit more. I hope it helps! MrclenTo MrClen.

Which airline is that is that included all the Tax I check Kayak from SFO to HK or Guangzhou cheapest is around 1000 USD for enco during the Canton fair.

Fast Eddie 48

[MrClen]

To MrClen.

Which airline is that is that included all the Tax I check Kayak from SFO to HK or Guangzhou cheapest is around 1000 USD for enco during the Canton fair.

Fast Eddie 48Fast: I usually fly United as a have frequent flyer status with them. BUT-with the new rules they just implemented, it doesn't matter which airline, just pick the cheapest one! It will now be almost impossible to earn any status regardless of how many miles you fly! They now demand that you use their credit card to charge your tickets on their airline and that you must spend an unreasonable amount of $$$ to earn any status at all. Really a bunch of crap and another way to rip off the customer.

And yes, that's all in, tax and charges included. you have to shop to get these prices! I found on this trip that flying into HK (which I must do sometimes) was almost $400.00 more than Shanghai, and Shanghai was $200.00 less than Beijing. Guangzhou wasn't even in the running as I remember. Now, as I make a trip over about every three months, the summer fares are higher and they drop again come fall and winter. I hope this helps. Mrclen

[BionicMan]

P.S. Just read your previous few posts (the 50% that were not deleted by admin). Totally unbelievable! I think you have a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock!You have been generous in calculating 50% LOL.

[Ebauche]

Fast: I usually fly United as a have frequent flyer status with them. BUT-with the new rules they just implemented, it doesn't matter which airline, just pick the cheapest one! It will now be almost impossible to earn any status regardless of how many miles you fly! They now demand that you use their credit card to charge your tickets on their airline and that you must spend an unreasonable amount of $$$ to earn any status at all. Really a bunch of crap and another way to rip off the customer.

And yes, that's all in, tax and charges included. You have to shop to get these prices! I found on this trip that flying into HK (which I must do sometimes) was almost $400. 00 more than Shanghai, and Shanghai was $200. 00 less than Beijing. Guangzhou wasn't even in the running as I remember. Now, as I make a trip over about every three months, the summer fares are higher and they drop again come fall and winter. I hope this helps. MrclenWhat?

United's loyalty program remain largely unchanged, with the exception of minimum spend levels for various status levels. There is absolutely no requirement to use a "United brand" credit card. They will just track your spend. I expect folks who expect top tier 1K elite status to be earned solely through discount economy trips to Asia may fall short of the $10k USD threshold.

[Fast Eddie 48]

Fast: I usually fly United as a have frequent flyer status with them. BUT-with the new rules they just implemented, it doesn't matter which airline, just pick the cheapest one! It will now be almost impossible to earn any status regardless of how many miles you fly! They now demand that you use their credit card to charge your tickets on their airline and that you must spend an unreasonable amount of $$$ to earn any status at all. Really a bunch of crap and another way to rip off the customer.

And yes, that's all in, tax and charges included. You have to shop to get these prices! I found on this trip that flying into HK (which I must do sometimes) was almost $400. 00 more than Shanghai, and Shanghai was $200. 00 less than Beijing. Guangzhou wasn't even in the running as I remember. Now, as I make a trip over about every three months, the summer fares are higher and they drop again come fall and winter. I hope this helps. MrclenTo Mrclen.

I fly mostly with Cathay Pacific from SF to HKG they have the most flight from HK to SE Asia and China also they are not the cheapest, I like to use my credit card I book with travel agent tour company fare is cheaper than booking with the airline or Kayak, I also heard that China south have non stop to Guangzhou from LAX for 940 USD flying the new A380 airbus.

Fast Eddie 48

[Mighty Spearsman]

I didn't find anything from South China on Kayak. I have found that it's almost $300 cheaper to fly Cathay into HKG than any other flight directly into CAN.

Would I be able to take a bus or something from HK to Guangzhou once I get there?I did a quick check on Travelocity and found round-trip LAX to Hong Kong flights for around $925 round-trip on United.

Also checked flights on Orbitz from LAX to CAN and the cheapest was Cathay Pacific to HKG then transfer to Dragon Air (which is owned by Cathay Pacific) , RT just over $1, 100.

Other choices include Air China, China Southern and China Eastern, all just over $1, 200.

Keep doing your research and you should find something that fits your budget.

Regarding getting from Hong Kong airport to Guangzhou, there are numerous choices - air, train, bus. If memory serves me, there's even a ferry boat from the airport directly to China. Check the web site for Hong Kong International Airport, or go to your local library and read a reliable travel guide such as Lonely Planet, and you'll learn all about getting from Hong Kong to Guangzhou.

[Mmlouie]

I book with travel agent tour company fare is cheaper than booking with the airline or Kayak,Not all the time!

Mmlouie

[MrClen]

What?

United's loyalty program remain largely unchanged, with the exception of minimum spend levels for various status levels. There is absolutely no requirement to use a "United brand" credit card. They will just track your spend. I expect folks who expect top tier 1K elite status to be earned solely through discount economy trips to Asia may fall short of the $10k USD threshold.I have to say you are partially correct. At least for the year-next year the rules change. UAL is doing us a favor for this year and this is what it says online,

"Effective January 1, 2014, Premier qualification requirements include a minimum annual spending level. We track qualifying spending with Premier qualifying dollars (PQD) : dollars spent on most United tickets, including certain partner flights, and Economy Plus® purchases. View the Premier Status Qualification Requirements page for more information.

For 2014, the PQD requirement for Premier Silver, Premier Gold and Premier Platinum qualification will be waived for members whose address with MileagePlus is within the 50 United States or the District of Columbia and who spend at least $25, 000 in Net Purchases in 2014 on a MileagePlus co-branded credit card issued by Chase Bank USA, N. A. There is no PQD waiver for Premier 1K® qualification."

Next year this "waiver" is eliminated as is the net purchase requirement of tickets wavier. The $$$ you spend on tickets is the only thing that counts, and the way I read it, it has to be with the Co-branded CC. Note that there are some conflicting statements online and you really have to read between the lines.

Example: I flew, in February, from Florida to Beijing, Bejing to Yantai, Yantai to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Beijing, Beijing to Florida. Flights were on United and then on China Air, all Star Alliance. Total cost of flights were $1458. 00. On my account it currently shows $740. 00 toward my PQD for this year, so I have no idea how they calculate it!

Anyway, my thought is some Harvard Business School Graduate figured out how to make extra $$$ from all these business flyers by forcing them to use co-branded credit cards for the tickets to try to "earn" the flight status they were accustomed to. I have been a 1K flyer for a few years, and a Mileage Plus member for many many tears, and will never qualify for 1K again and would be lucky to make Gold. So why not just pick the cheapest airline and go as it will probably do no good at all for me, as the consumer, to try to follow brand loyalty. I think that this "plan" will backfire unless adopted by all airlines and price fixing becomes rampant. Only my thoughts, feel free to disagree. OH, and while we are in this conversation, check into the new rules from American / US Air. Mrclen

[Ebauche]

Trust me, the spend will not have to be on a co-branded CC. Spend is spend. The waivers for holders of co-branded cards may or may not be extended. Requiring use of a particular CC to achieve status, when most high dollar & high mileage flyers must use whatever CC their employer requires, wouldn't be wise.

BTW, I'm UA Global Services, FWIW.

[MrClen]

Trust me, the spend will not have to be on a co-branded CC. Spend is spend. The waivers for holders of co-branded cards may or may not be extended. Requiring use of a particular CC to achieve status, when most high dollar & high mileage flyers must use whatever CC their employer requires, wouldn't be wise.

BTW, I'm UA Global Services, FWIW.No argument, Just reading what they wrote and my interpretation. By the way, I am on the way to China this weekend for a short trip (4 days). Small business emergency! Going to Nansha. Mrclen

[Mike921]

Mr. Clen, what are your total MP miles? When you reach 1, 000, 000 you receive Gold (for a companion as well) for life and no spend requirements (at least so far.).

[MrClen]

Mr. Clen, what are your total MP miles? When you reach 1, 000, 000 you receive Gold (for a companion as well) for life and no spend requirements (at least so far.).I have about 700K, but somewhere over the years (Been a loyal United flyer for 30+ years) , a bunch of miles got lost. There was a several year period in there where I didn't fly very much. I may make the 1M mark before I die. Noting that if you use your miles to fly, vacation, etc, they don't get added. Mrclen

[Ikksman]

A bit OT I know, but someone may be able to help.

I would appreciate recommendations for quality teppanyaki restaurants in Shenzhen. The only one that I know is in the shopping mall between Coco Park and the black Sheraton. The mall has a Carrefour supermarket and an Australian bar (Xpats?).

Thanks in advance.

[AKA Man]

My lady and I are interested in meeting couples into soft / hard swap or 3P. Are there clubs and special websites for this? Curious about BDSM, too.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[OldAsiaHand]

if you have an overseas address, you don't need to have the spending to qualify for elite status. that said, i find myself trying to fulfill the 4 paid segments on united since they discontinued the hkg. typ route. nearly all my flights are on partner airlines but not united.

i could care less about flying on a particular airline, however, the speedy check-in, special security lines, lounge access and vip boarding are priceless when you travel so much.

just my pov.

oah

[Cooler Wolf2]

My lady and I are interested in meeting couples into soft / hard swap or 3P. Are there clubs and special websites for this? Curious about BDSM, too.

Thanks in advance for any help.Check out fetlife. Com.

There are fairly active groups in SH and BJ particularly in BDSM scene. Some swingers too.

[AKA Man]

Check out fetlife. Com.

There are fairly active groups in SH and BJ particularly in BDSM scene. Some swingers too.Thanks, Cooler Wolf2! I appreciate the information.

[Ikksman]

Can anyone advise the degree of difficulty for a Chinese girl to obtain a tourist visa for Thailand? What difficulties are likely for a person who has not travelled outside of China previously?

I have bought a house in Hua Hin and want to invite gf for visit, probably during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. IF that works out, I might invite other gfs!

A few years ago, I attempted to fly a Filipina to Singapore for a holiday (I was to accompany her). That was a bureaucratic nightmare (PI is like that). The PI Government would not let her out of the country!

Thanks in advance.

[OldAsiaHand]

Can anyone advise the degree of difficulty for a Chinese girl to obtain a tourist visa for Thailand? What difficulties are likely for a person who has not travelled outside of China previously?

I have bought a house in Hua Hin and want to invite gf for visit, probably during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. IF That works out, I might invite other gfs!

A few years ago, I attempted to fly a Filipina to Singapore for a holiday (I was to accompany her). That was a bureaucratic nightmare (PI is like that). The PI Government would not let her out of the country!

Thanks in advance.Ikksman,

As far as I know, Chinese do not need a visa to visit Thailand. I just wonder why you want to bring your Chinese gf there.

Just my POV.

OAH

[Fuzimiao]

Can anyone advise the degree of difficulty for a Chinese girl to obtain a tourist visa for Thailand? What difficulties are likely for a person who has not travelled outside of China previously?

I have bought a house in Hua Hin and want to invite gf for visit, probably during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. IF That works out, I might invite other gfs!

A few years ago, I attempted to fly a Filipina to Singapore for a holiday (I was to accompany her). That was a bureaucratic nightmare (PI is like that). The PI Government would not let her out of the country!

Thanks in advance.Firstly, the Chinese girl needs a passport, this must be applied in the girl's hometown. So long there is no criminal record, no problem.

Then I understand a visa is definitely required, and to get a visa, a security deposit is required, but my info is 18 months old.

Incidentally, no visa is required in advance for Bali, you buy it on arrival, or even on the plane. I take my girls there!

[Ikksman]

Firstly, the Chinese girl needs a passport, this must be applied in the girl's hometown. So long there is no criminal record, no problem.

Then I understand a visa is definitely required, and to get a visa, a security deposit is required, but my info is 18 months old.

Incidentally, no visa is required in advance for Bali, you buy it on arrival, or even on the plane. I take my girls there!Thanks for the prompt response Fuzimiao. She has passport ok.

(OAH) I intend to base myself in Hua Hin in the near future and I have bought a house there. It has nice weather (I think much better than steamy Shenzhen) and as the King's summer retreat, it is kept reasonably small, limited P4P, and not so many tourists. And I do have a very special Gf I want to bring there on occasions. I expect to travel to perform various contracts off-shore. But this will be intermittent work. I already have an old business colleague and friend who is settled there.

But I agree that Bali is a great place, Fuzimiao.

The new China Law (after February 2014) , states that a Chinese citizen can exit China without a visa (and obtain a visa on arrival in Thailand). However, I have experienced that reality in China is sometimes different to the law. Therefore, unless I get confirmation of this, I will apply for her visa at the Thai consulate. But I don't know how difficult this process is!

The information on the internet is all pre-February 2014.

Was your girl (s) ever queried by Public Security for exiting without a visa?

The only thing that I know about the Thai visa is that it is only issued for a 15 day stay and cost 1, 000 baht (unless a multi-entry visa is obtained at the Thai consulate).

[Wilbar]

Can anyone advise the degree of difficulty for a Chinese girl to obtain a tourist visa for Thailand? What difficulties are likely for a person who has not travelled outside of China previously?

I have bought a house in Hua Hin and want to invite gf for visit, probably during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. IF That works out, I might invite other gfs!

A few years ago, I attempted to fly a Filipina to Singapore for a holiday (I was to accompany her). That was a bureaucratic nightmare (PI is like that). The PI Government would not let her out of the country!

Thanks in advance.Ikksman,

I took my (former) Chinese gf a couple of times for a holiday to Thailand. She just brought her passport to a Chinese travel agency in Shenzhen and they arranged the visa without any problem. She did not need to buy a ticket at that agency, only the visa. As I said, she did that a couple of times but the last time was a few years ago. I do not know if policies have changed but it is well worth asking at a travel agency.

[Ikksman]

Ikksman,

I took my (former) Chinese gf a couple of times for a holiday to Thailand. She just brought her passport to a Chinese travel agency in Shenzhen and they arranged the visa without any problem. She did not need to buy a ticket at that agency, only the visa. As I said, she did that a couple of times but the last time was a few years ago. I do not know if policies have changed but it is well worth asking at a travel agency.Thanks for the information Wilbar. Good to know that it is painless to get a visa through a travel agency.

Yes, laws have changed very recently; however, these laws ease restrictions on exiting China without a visa.

Cheers

[Fuzimiao]

Was your girl (s) ever queried by Public Security for exiting without a visa?Never queried on exit by authorities, if they don't want you to go, they won't give you a passport.

That said, wherever you go, if you need a visa, the airport check in desk will ask to see it, applies to everyone, not only Chinese. For instance, if an airline flies someone into UK without the required visa, the airline is responsible for repatriation, and may face a substantial penalty.

Fz

[SilentSteve99]

Am travelling to China next week for 2 months. Would like to know if anyone has any ideas about the best / cheap / easy ways to be able to call back to the States? Is it best to get a phone there? Or is there a way to get a card for my phone that I can use to call back to the States? Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Stegram]

Am travelling to China next week for 2 months. Would like to know if anyone has any ideas about the best / cheap / easy ways to be able to call back to the States? Is it best to get a phone there? Or is there a way to get a card for my phone that I can use to call back to the States? Any ideas would be appreciated.

ThanksGet a Skype Out account and call from your laptop. It's very inexpensive.

[Mighty Spearsman]

Am travelling to China next week for 2 months. Would like to know if anyone has any ideas about the best / cheap / easy ways to be able to call back to the States? Is it best to get a phone there? Or is there a way to get a card for my phone that I can use to call back to the States? Any ideas would be appreciated.

ThanksFirst, check with your US phone carrier before you leave to find out what options they can offer.

Whenever I fly in to China (both Shanghai and Beijing) , I always buy a SIM card at the airport and pop it in an inexpensive Nokia cell phone that I bought in Indonesia several years ago. I am then able to make short calls to (and receive calls from) the US with no problem.

For longer calls, I used Skype on my laptop, absolutely no problems at all.

[StinkyFeet]

Get a Skype Out account and call from your laptop. It's very inexpensive.I tell my friends in NYC to get wechat

[Ikksman]

I tell my friends in NYC to get wechatI am with you Stinky, I recommend Wechat.

However, roaming charges are getting much cheaper in some countries. For example, in Australia I believe that some telcos let you use your normal plan (voice and data) when you are overseas for as little as $5 per day (on the days that you initiate calls or use data). For short term visitors to China, these services are cheap and ultra-convenient.

Of course, if you want anonymity then a local SIM card as suggested may be better, and use wifi (free in virtually every coffee lounge and restaurant in China, or at least it is in SZ) for data services.

Cheers

[HulilJingTail9]

Hi,

I am a newbie here.

How can I write Chinese characters here?

I have RTFF. There is conflicting information. Most of it is pretty old. However, I did see one post with Chinese characters a few years ago.

Thanks

[SE Asia Joe]

[Ikksman]

Never queried on exit by authorities, if they don't want you to go, they won't give you a passport.

That said, wherever you go, if you need a visa, the airport check in desk will ask to see it, applies to everyone, not only Chinese. For instance, if an airline flies someone into UK without the required visa, the airline is responsible for repatriation, and may face a substantial penalty.

FzThanks, I think that I will check with the airlines as well, particularly as we might fly by obscure airlines from KL to Hua Hin (for various reasons).

Cheers

[Ikksman]

Many thanks SEAJ, this is exactly the information I needed, and what I feared.

Although the law says PRC exit to various places without visa is fine, how it is applied can be a different matter.

We will get visa through travel agency.

Does anybody recommend CTS? I have had very bad experiences in the past with them; rude, expensive and controlling! After all they are a state owned enterprise!

Cheers

[SE Asia Joe]

. Will get visa through travel agency.

Does anybody recommend CTS? I have had very bad experiences in the past with them; rude, expensive and controlling! After all they are a state owned enterprise!

CheersFor sure I wouldn't recommend CTS. Especially since it's for a visa application for a foreign country and not for China!

And even if it was for a China Visa. Say when you're in Hong Kong. I would also NOT recommend them as they are the most expensive, unresponsive and worse. Irresponsible; a friend used them here and I don't know how, but they managed to actually lose the passport!

And only perfunctorily assisted in trying to solve the problem so caused. Incredible!

Anyway, I suggest you'd be better off shopping around agents around your place. And of course also bargain!

SEAJ

[Ikksman]

For sure I wouldn't recommend CTS. Especially since it's for a visa application for a foreign country and not for China!

And even if it was for a China Visa. Say when you're in Hong Kong. I would also NOT recommend them as they are the most expensive, unresponsive and worse. Irresponsible; a friend used them here and I don't know how, but they managed to actually lose the passport!

And only perfunctorily assisted in trying to solve the problem so caused. Incredible!

Anyway, I suggest you'd be better off shopping around agents around your place. And of course also bargain!

SEAJLOL, between the two of us we have CTS service defined as expensive, rude, unresponsive, irresponsible, and controlling. Not a good recommendation!

We used it once to get a visa to go to Hong Kong as an alternative to sending my SYT's passport back to her rural hometown for processing.

CTS said they would only let us nominate a specific date for departure and return. The times on these days were controlled by CTS. We had no say in the matter. We said we were unsure of the date of departure because of other factors (a variance of one day). They initially said we could not change the dates, but then later said that if we changed the date, it would have to be at least 8 days before the scheduled departure data (the date we were applying was 9 days before departure!).

Then after being shuffled around a number of counters to rude and uncaring staff, they decided that her standard passport photo was no good, and we had to go and get another photo taken (I think with a blue background) , and restart the whole process from step1!

This all took about 2 1/2 hours, and the total cost (including photo) ; about 4300yuan for a single entry visa!

And Oh, they kept her passport and we had to collect at the point of departure from a CTS person, at a certain time, who was just standing around (no office) Luohu station. If we arrived late, then no passport and no trip! On the return trip, she could only be processed by China immigration in the presence of a CTS contracted person who one had to somehow meet somewhere at a specific time! We had a phone number, but the person was incapable of describing a precise meeting location! If you missed the train, then too bad!

I can laugh about it now (just!).

Cheers

[DoItUnderwater]

Am travelling to China next week for 2 months. Would like to know if anyone has any ideas about the best / cheap / easy ways to be able to call back to the States? Is it best to get a phone there? Or is there a way to get a card for my phone that I can use to call back to the States? Any ideas would be appreciated.

ThanksI use AT&T and they have an international plan that you can arrange before you leave. I also had my US phone unlocked so now I can simply buy a local SIM card and pop it in for cheap local calls. You can prepay and "charge up" the minutes to your local number. Local calls are very cheap. The minutes do expire if you don't turn on the phone with local SIM card within 6 months.

[SilentSteve99]

Am travelling to China next week for 2 months. Would like to know if anyone has any ideas about the best / cheap / easy ways to be able to call back to the States? Is it best to get a phone there? Or is there a way to get a card for my phone that I can use to call back to the States? Any ideas would be appreciated.

ThanksFirst want to thank everyone for their ideas. From reading the posts and checking things out. I am going to get a card for my current phone to use while I am there for local in China calls. My phone is already unlocked so I think is the simplest / cheapest way to go for the local calls. Then will use Skype to call back to the states everyday to check in with work and things back in the good old USA while I am here in the middle kingdom. Thanks again for the ideas!

[YoungTriarii]

I'm just going to use an unlocked phone and pic up a proper sim card when I get there.

[Teltel]

First want to thank everyone for their ideas. From reading the posts and checking things out. I am going to get a card for my current phone to use while I am there for local in China calls. My phone is already unlocked so I think is the simplest / cheapest way to go for the local calls. Then will use Skype to call back to the states everyday to check in with work and things back in the good old USA while I am here in the middle kingdom. Thanks again for the ideas!You could also send them your China number and SMS them to call you when you need to talk to them, cost of talking is then back to the business at home.

Could also do this for Skype call requests.

Teltel

[EastCoast11]

Hello all,

I'm from the States and in the past would exchange USA $100 bills for rmb while in China. Now with the New USA $100 bills (new design), does anyone know if there's any problems exchanging those? I normally don't exchange money in banks or hotels there but at local shops. Any feedback is appreciated.

[MrClen]

Hello all,

I'm from the States and in the past would exchange USA $100 bills for rmb while in China. Now with the New USA $100 bills (new design), does anyone know if there's any problems exchanging those? I normally don't exchange money in banks or hotels there but at local shops. Any feedback is appreciated.I do it all the time, no problem! Just make sure that the bill has no marks or bad folds on them or they will kick them back. Mrclen.

[YoungTriarii]

Would I be able to use my bank card to withdraw RMB from the airport ATMs?

[Samu Ray]

I am out of the USA now, visiting So America. I have a problem. I bought a Motorola cell, I was told it was unlocked, well, it won't work out of the US. Anyone know how to have it unlocked? Thanks...

[MrClen]

Would I be able to use my bank card to withdraw RMB from the airport ATMs?I use my debit checking card with no problem at Bank of China. Mrclen.

[SilentSteve99]

You could also send them your China number and SMS them to call you when you need to talk to them, cost of talking is then back to the business at home.

Could also do this for Skype call requests.

TeltelGood advice, Thank you. So to make sure I understand this. If I have my unlocked cell phone in China and someone from USA calls it there is no huge long distance charge to the cell phone for this call?

Would it be different if you called from the USA to a cell phone in China that is on a China mobile or other Chinese carrier would that cell phone get some huge long distance charge for the incoming call?

[Wilbar]

Would I be able to use my bank card to withdraw RMB from the airport ATMs?In general: yes. I don't know in which country your bank card was issued but generally speaking you can use it at any ATM that has a Cirrus or Maestro logo on it.

But check with your issuing bank if the card can be used outside your country; nowadays card owners can choose if their card can be used (e.g). Only in Europe or worldwide.

Wilbar

[Stegram]

Would I be able to use my bank card to withdraw RMB from the airport ATMs?Make sure you have a 4 digit pin, and make sure one of the logos on the card (Plus, Cirrus, etc...) is displayed on the machine.

Big banks like Bank of China are your best bet. Also make sure you call your bank before you go and tell them you'll be in China using the card or it'll get shut off the first time you use it.

[Teltel]

Good advice, Thank you. So to make sure I understand this. If I have my unlocked cell phone in China and someone from USA calls it there is no huge long distance charge to the cell phone for this call?

Would it be different if you called from the USA to a cell phone in China that is on a China mobile or other Chinese carrier would that cell phone get some huge long distance charge for the incoming call?Not quite, I was referring to a China sim in the phone.

You can let them know the phone number (by email or sms) then, when you want to talk to them in USA, you can sms them and they can return the call at their expense.

Teltel.

[Teltel]

Would I be able to use my bank card to withdraw RMB from the airport ATMs?Not all ATMs in China take foreign cards, usually the ATM will have the decals for the cards on it.

Teltel.

[Fuzimiao]

would i be able to use my bank card to withdraw rmb from the airport atms?if you are in doubt, then i strongly suggest you use an atm inside a bank during opening hours. twice i had my card confirep001ed, once i keyed in the wrong pincode (once only) another time my (new) card had not been authorised. in both cases i was able to call the security guard, and they handed back the card. all banks have an atm area, and there is definitely no shortage of banks in china, there seems to be a branch of each of the main banks in every street in the larger towns.

fz.

[Waldeck2]

Always worked for me in China. I advise the bankcard holder that I am traveling and destinations. Do not need a passport. I have had best luck with ICBC.


Would I be able to use my bank card to withdraw RMB from the airport ATMs?

[Ikksman]

I am out of the USA now, visiting So America. I have a problem. I bought a Motorola cell, I was told it was unlocked, well, it won't work out of the US. Anyone know how to have it unlocked? Thanks...Nobody else has answered your request, so I will have a go. Unfortunately I am not very familiar with the USA Cellular market, and this is not my technical specialty. Thus some of the points below may be incorrect. I will try and keep it simple.

Normally, phones are locked by the telco to that company's network. In most countries, telcos are required by law to unlock phones if requested (a small fee may be charged). In any case, if you Google unlock instructions / software / services for your brand of phone, you will be sure to find many solutions.

If your phone is unlocked, but does not work for voice services, then you need to check that the country's GSM frequencies are supported by your phone. The USA uses, I believe, 850 MHz and 1,900 MHz. Other countries may use other frequencies, most commonly 900 and 1800. This type of problem is increasingly uncommon as handset manufacturers release multiband phones.

If your phone works for voice, but does not work for internet and other data services, then there may be other incompatibilities.

I assume you are going to visit China, so I will limit my remarks to China telcos.

Long complex story, but there are three different 3 G networks in China. China Mobile uses TD-SCDMA, which nobody else uses. China Unicom uses WCDMA which is used in many countries and China Telecom uses CDMA2000 which the USA Calls simply CDMA.

Therefore if you want internet services, ensure that your cell phone is compatible with the services being provided. For example, I am from Australia and was a Vodafone customer, which uses WCDMA. Therefore I had to sign with China Unicom to use my existing phone (with the China Unicom SIM). Conversely, if I buy a phone in China which I wanted to use in Australia on Vodafone, then I must buy a China Unicom phone.

There are also Wi-Fi incompatibilities in China (with the rest of the world). For example, Apple had to modify the iPhone to connect to Wi-Fi in China!

With regard to 4 G network services, China is currently deploying the LTE-TDD technology. Some other countries are deploying the LTE-FDD variant of this technology. If you are buying a 4 G phone, check the required variant, or that it handles both TDD and FDD variations of the LTE standard.

[DoItUnderwater]

I am out of the USA now, visiting So America. I have a problem. I bought a Motorola cell, I was told it was unlocked, well, it won't work out of the US. Anyone know how to have it unlocked? Thanks...I have a Motorola phone that I bought in the states. I google'd for unlocking service and found a company on-line that sent me the unlocking code for about US $12. I don't recall the company name. I have used it with local SIM cards in China, Vietnam and some European countries so far, the only place I have not been able to use it is in Japan because of the different frequencies.

[Ikksman]

Maybe it is possible to post Chinese characters on ISG.

{ 我 很 开 心 }.

This seems to work for me.

Cheers.

[Midwestern]

I do not like the outcall service provider people in Guangzhou, so if if I find a good provider, can I just get her personal number? Pros, cons.

[Teltel]

I do not like the outcall service provider people in Guangzhou, so if if I find a good provider, can I just get her personal number? Pros, cons.If you can would be good, cut out the pimp and maybe better service and maybe someone to hang out with occassionally.

Teltel.

[Big Ass Eater]

Hi everyone,

A short comment about China. I used to go there and it was easy to find action. That was before the Olympic games in 2008. After the games, however, the authorities have been closing down massage parlors and brothels. In Beijing it's very hard to find a good place. Last time I was there a cab driver took me to a secret brothel in a backyard situated in the outskirts of the city. There were very few girls to choose from. The whole experience was a turn-off. Otherwise one can try out the Sanlitun bar area where the expats hang out in the weekends and the open-minded Chinese girls meet their foreign friends.

In my opinion China today has not much to offer. If you're not working or doing business there, avoid it.

[Fuzimiao]

In my opinion China today has not much to offer.Wow!, quite an expert!

[Teltel]

Hi everyone,

A short comment about China. I used to go there and it was easy to find action. That was before the Olympic games in 2008. After the games, however, the authorities have been closing down massage parlors and brothels. In Beijing it's very hard to find a good place. Last time I was there a cab driver took me to a secret brothel in a backyard situated in the outskirts of the city. There were very few girls to choose from. The whole experience was a turn-off. Otherwise one can try out the Sanlitun bar area where the expats hang out in the weekends and the open-minded Chinese girls meet their foreign friends.

In my opinion China today has not much to offer. If you're not working or doing business there, avoid it.Having been in China since 2001, apart from a few short trips back to Oz, the scene in Beijing prior to the Olympics had a great variety of service providers from street girls to BBS, massage places, KTV, spas and lots of other choices.

Some of these types of places are still available but more low key in this day and age but it seems more escort services are popping up.

If you got driven by a taxi driver to an outer suburban place you were taking a great risk for your safety. As for SanLiTun, yes it is a place where one can pick up Chinese girls, pro and amateur but there have been recent reports of robberies, including armed robberies and stabbing of foreigners so best to be acutely aware of surroundings there.

With the current crackdown some places are here today, gone tomorrow, here again the next. Street girls are still available but watch out for the scams and setups for the pimp to rob you or for that expensive cup of tea.

Definitely service is available but need to look more and be more careful.
Teltel.

[Big Ass Eater]

If you got driven by a taxi driver to an outer suburban place you were taking a great risk for your safety. One has to be careful indeed. Even though I personally never witnessed serious crimes while in China, it is clear that organized crime and scams are common and widespread. I remember once when I was in Guangzhou with a Chinese friend. Since neither of us were acquainted with the city we just decided to ask a cab driver to take us to a place with girls. Surely the whole thing would turn out extremely bad for us. He took us to a tall building with a KTV at the very top. We were placed in a room with a few girls. The staff started bringing in beverage and snacks we never ordered. Some lady, who seemed to be in charge, started singing karaoke. The other girls were just sitting there persuading us with friendly smiles to drink beer.

After a while I insisted that we pick a girl because KTV wasn't really what I had had in mind. When we asked to pick a girl and leave we were confronted with a tab totally out of proportion. They were asking us to pay thousands of Yuan. Their claim was ridiculous and I just said we wouldn't pay and if they didn't agree we should call the police. The answer I got was that the police wouldn't help at all. Soon a few hostile guys entered the room where we were. One of them was a fat guy and started shouting at us. I didn't allow myself to get scared, however, and still refused to pay anything. Since I don't speak Chinese my friend spend most of the time negotiating with them. He reached a deal to pay half of the sum even though I insisted not to pay anything. The whole experience was a nightmare and since then I've avoided Guangzhou. The Guangdong province seems to be the worst in terms of criminality.

So, yes, asking a cab driver can be very risky indeed.

[Ikksman]

One has to be careful indeed. {S N I P} The whole experience was a nightmare and since then I've avoided Guangzhou. The Guangdong province seems to be the worst in terms of criminality.

So, yes, asking a cab driver can be very risky indeed.
Relying on a taxi driver can be risky, but in this case don't blame the taxi driver.

Your Chinese-speaking friend accompanied you to a KTV, where:

O he had not been before,

O he did not determine and agree the pricing beforehand, and

O he allowed unordered drinks and snacks to be placed in the room.

This type of rip-off of unwary and naive visitors could have happened in many countries, not just China!

And "Guangdong province seems to be the worst in terms of criminality"? Hmmmm!

Cheers.

[FreebieFan]

Hi everyone,

A short comment about China. I used to go there and it was easy to find action. . Last time I was there a cab driver took me to a secret brothel in a backyard situated in the outskirts of the city. There were very few girls to choose from. The whole experience was a turn-off. Otherwise one can try out the Sanlitun bar area where the expats hang out in the weekends and the open-minded Chinese girls meet their foreign friends.

In my opinion China today has not much to offer. If you're not working or doing business there, avoid it.I have a fabulous life here in BJ. The more who avoid it, the better times I will have.

I aslo agree that before the Olympics, there were 100's of barbershops all over China and there was unrestricted happiness. These days, have to work for it.

[Big Ass Eater]

Relying on a taxi driver can be risky, but in this case don't blame the taxi driver.

Your Chinese-speaking friend accompanied you to a KTV, where:

O he had not been before,

O he did not determine and agree the pricing beforehand, and

O he allowed unordered drinks and snacks to be placed in the room.

This type of rip-off of unwary and naive visitors could have happened in many countries, not just China!

And "Guangdong province seems to be the worst in terms of criminality"? Hmmmm!

Cheers.Wrong. Surely the taxi driver knew what he was doing and where he was taking us. He was simply part of the scam. I assume you are Chinese, judging by your reaction, and thus ought to know that in China people who are not locals are considered to be strangers. In this case my Chinese friend wasn't from Guangdong and therefore easily misled. And I've been around in the world and never have I experienced that things you never ordered are brought to you in a bar or restaurant. And I've also been around in China and got the impression that Guangdong is the most unsafe place.

Cheers to you too.

[Fast Eddie 48]

Relying on a taxi driver can be risky, but in this case don't blame the taxi driver.

Your Chinese-speaking friend accompanied you to a KTV, where:

O he had not been before,

O he did not determine and agree the pricing beforehand, and

O he allowed unordered drinks and snacks to be placed in the room.

This type of rip-off of unwary and naive visitors could have happened in many countries, not just China!

And "Guangdong province seems to be the worst in terms of criminality"? Hmmmm!

Cheers.To Ikksman.

Most taxi driver in China is honest the I'd is in the front window you can report dishonest taxi driver, most driver are new to the big city like Guangzhou and Shenzhen don't know most area in the city, I speak very good Mandarin and Cantonese and know shenzhen well so I can offer directions, unlike taxi driver in Manila, Jarkata and Sao Paulos most are scammer or over charge you and don't use meter if you are in doubt just get out and take another taxi.

Fast eddie 48.

[Ikksman]

to ikksman.

most taxi driver in china is honest the i'd is in the front window you can report dishonest taxi driver, most driver are new to the big city like guangzhou and shenzhen don't know most area in the city, i speak very good mandarin and cantonese and know shenzhen well so i can offer directions, unlike taxi driver in manila, jarkata and sao paulos most are scammer or over charge you and don't use meter if you are in doubt just get out and take another taxi.

fast eddie 48.i agree with you. in 8 1/2 years, i have never been 'truly' scammed in china by taxi drivers, although i have been taken by circuitous routes because of supposed traffic jams, or the driver being new to sz. but when i point out the problem, they normally reduce the fare.

of course, some drivers may get commission to take fares to certain nightclubs, saunas, ktvs etc. this also occurs in other countries.

and you are right, in comparison to manila and jakarta, chinese taxi drivers are angels (certainly in shenzhen)! they phone their buddies or base for directions to lesser known destinations.

overall, in my experience, sz taxi drivers are even better than the 'foreign' taxi drivers we have in australia! when these idiots find out that i have spent most of my working life outside of australia, they inevitably claim not to know where my destination is and continuously fiddle with their satnav, whilst driving at maximum speed along a freeway, often in the wrong direction!

i even find the private taxi drivers in sz reliable as long as i negotiate a fixed price beforehand! at times i use these guys once or twice every day when taxis are hard to find.

cheers

[Ikksman]

{s n i p}] and i've also been around in china and got the impression that guangdong is the most unsafe place.unless you are involved with nefarious and iniquitous deeds, the most dangerous activity in shenzhen is crossing the road at night, when you may be hit by an unseen electric bike / trike / scooter travelling at maximum speed without any lights (to save battery).

of course, pickpockets are common, and one should be wary, particularly before chinese new year, when migrant workers want to take money and presents home to their families.

but you are reasonably safe even venturing into the 2 metre wide dark alleys in urban villages late at night where the syts are known to be located.

actually, on second thoughts, i am wrong. the most dangerous activity in guangdong province is eating: eating at restaurants using gutter oil for cooking, cadmium tainted rice, foods disguised and flavoured with dangerous chemicals, etc, etc.

cheers

[Big Ass Eater]

unless you are involved with nefarious and iniquitous deeds, the most dangerous activity in shenzhen is crossing the road at night, when you may be hit by an unseen electric bike / trike / scooter travelling at maximum speed without any lights (to save battery).

of course, pickpockets are common, and one should be wary, particularly before chinese new year, when migrant workers want to take money and presents home to their families.

but you are reasonably safe even venturing into the 2 metre wide dark alleys in urban villages late at night where the syts are known to be located.

actually, on second thoughts, i am wrong. the most dangerous activity in guangdong province is eating: eating at restaurants using gutter oil for cooking, cadmium tainted rice, foods disguised and flavoured with dangerous chemicals, etc, etc.

cheers.well, first i thought you were a proud chinese but know realizing you're an expat from australia. if you equate the city of shenzhen with the entire province of guangdong, then yes, crime is no bigger issue. as i told you previously i have been around in china, which i don't know about you. seems more like you've been living like a typical expat in a city that is more metropolitan than chinese. i've been to sz and zhuhai myself and didn't have any trouble either. i lost money on a bus in hong kong and people helped me to get it back, which would never happen in most other places in the world.

apparently my story about what happened to me and my chinese friend in guangzhou didn't make an impression on you. but your attitude makes no sense, saying that there is nothing wrong with chinese cab drivers and then implying we were somehow naïve. please try to make sense. i've often been to beijing, i've spent some time in fujian and lived in macau. the dubious characters are undoubtedly attracted to guangdong since it is the richest province of all and the most thriving. and the fact that macau and hk have been the center of chinese organized crime since the days of the brits and portuguese also contributes to this. the scams are quite common and i can give you more examples, but i won't since i see no use in continuing this discussion, your truth is what appeals to you.

[SunnyPei]

I have a fabulous life here in BJ. The more who avoid it, the better times I will have.

I aslo agree that before the Olympics, there were 100's of barbershops all over China and there was unrestricted happiness. These days, have to work for it.Hi BJ expat,

This is Sunnypei from Shanghai, China.

I noticed this in Shanghai. Many massage shops (include the legal massage shops) were closed for quite a few days in May. As a Chinese girl, I really enjoy getting massage. I was told by my masseur lady later on that the action was led by a document issued from government.

Even the 5-star hotel like "Le Royal Meridien Shanghai" has to scrutinize girls who come in at late night. I was stopped by them several times. Yikes!

So indeed, it may take some extra efforts to find "unrestricted happiness" .

[LukeSkywalker]

Of course there are criminals and cheaters in China.

Tourists have many times reported getting invited into bars for tea by young girls on the streets of Shanghai and Beijing, supposedly for friendship and cultural exchanges. The guys would get bills for hundreds of dollars for having tea with the girls, or risking getting beat up by gangs.

In prostitution towns like Chang Ping, organized crimes are immersed in every activities, protection, enforcement, recruitment, trafficking, drugs, gambling, loan sharks, money laundering ect. There were a few reports of ABC and CBC bros, who have local friends and speak Mandarin, getting kidnapped, beat up, tortured for ATM passwords for cash. Some of those incidents happened to bros staying at Miraton hotel; some happened in the alleys behind the Humei hotel.

I remember a bro reported being attacked a bunch of thugs behind the Humei for unknown reason. He posted pictures of his head injuries with a large patch of scalp torn off, probably hit by broken beer bottles. He also got ripped off by the clinic that treated his injuries, by unlicensed physicians at way inflated prices.

Special economic zones like ZhenZhen and Zhuhai probably has lower crime rates, but there are quite bit of violent and economic crimes everywhere you go. If you let your guards down, you will get screwed in unpleasant ways.

This Ickyman just shows his unfounded petty biases in painting a rosy picture of safety in China.


Well, first I thought you were a proud Chinese but know realizing you're an expat from Australia. If you equate the city of Shenzhen with the entire province of Guangdong, then yes, crime is no bigger issue. As I told you previously I have been around in China, which I don't know about you. Seems more like you've been living like a typical expat in a city that is more metropolitan than Chinese. I've been to SZ and Zhuhai myself and didn't have any trouble either. I lost money on a bus in Hong Kong and people helped me to get it back, which would never happen in most other places in the world.

Apparently my story about what happened to me and my Chinese friend in Guangzhou didn't make an impression on you. But your attitude makes no sense, saying that there is nothing wrong with Chinese cab drivers and then implying we were somehow nave. Please try to make sense. I've often been to Beijing, I've spent some time in Fujian and lived in Macau. The dubious characters are undoubtedly attracted to Guangdong since it is the richest province of all and the most thriving. And the fact that Macau and HK have been the center of Chinese organized crime since the days of the Brits and Portuguese also contributes to this. The scams are quite common and I can give you more examples, but I won't since I see no use in continuing this discussion, your truth is what appeals to you.

[Ikksman]

I have a fabulous life here in BJ. The more who avoid it, the better times I will have.I echo your thoughts 100% (substituting SZ for BJ)!

But there again, you and I have a lot in common, even to the extent of both of us meeting freebies at St Luke's Hospital in Manila! An incredible coincidence!

Cheers

[Ikksman]

About 3 months ago we had a discussion on this thread about translation apps. This is a follow on to these posts.

There are a number of apps, including Google Translate (which Ice Dragon mentioned), that can use OCR to recognise and translate Chinese characters from a photo that the app prompts you to take.

But has anybody used Baidu's newish translation app (iOS and Android) that has the added advantage of being able to translate using an existing image on your phone / laptop / camera?

From a review: The Photo feature in Baidus translation app also lets you translate words on photos from your camera roll all you have to do is swipe across the words as well as text on a screen, such as on a laptop, tablet or TV.

This would be very handy to translate screen captures of Wechat account details or translate characters from previously taken photos. This would be much easier than my current method of manually writing the Chinese characters into Google Translate.

Unfortunately, I am in Zambia at the moment and cannot access the Baidu app (probably has to be downloaded from within China).

Cheers

[California8]

..

There are a number of apps, including Google Translate (which Ice Dragon mentioned), that can use OCR to recognise and translate Chinese characters from a photo that the app prompts you to take.

But has anybody used Baidu's newish translation app (iOS and Android) that has the added advantage of being able to translate using an existing image on your phone / laptop / camera?

From a review: The Photo feature in Baidus translation app also lets you translate words on photos from your camera roll all you have to do is swipe across the words as well as text on a screen, such as on a laptop, tablet or TV.

This would be very handy to translate screen captures of Wechat account details or translate characters from previously taken photos. This would be much easier than my current method of manually writing the Chinese characters into Google Translate.
I have not translated from my camera role. The app allows me to snap a photo of something from within the app (it does not go to camera roll), swipe with my finger and it translates. I wanted to translate something in Chinese on a t-shirt related to a university in the US, took a photo from within the app and with a finger swipe, translation was done and accurate too. It was the city where the university was located.

Cal8.

[Ikksman]

[Pointless-Stupid-Idiotic Photo(s) Deleted by Admin]
Well, first I thought you were a proud Chinese but know realizing you're an expat from Australia. If you equate the city of Shenzhen with the entire province of Guangdong, then yes, crime is no bigger issue. As I told you previously I have been around in China, which I don't know about you. Seems more like you've been living like a typical expat in a city that is more metropolitan than Chinese. I've been to SZ and Zhuhai myself and didn't have any trouble either. I lost money on a bus in Hong Kong and people helped me to get it back, which would never happen in most other places in the world.

Apparently my story about what happened to me and my Chinese friend in Guangzhou didn't make an impression on you. But your attitude makes no sense, saying that there is nothing wrong with Chinese cab drivers and then implying we were somehow nave. Please try to make sense. I've often been to Beijing, I've spent some time in Fujian and lived in Macau. The dubious characters are undoubtedly attracted to Guangdong since it is the richest province of all and the most thriving. And the fact that Macau and HK have been the center of Chinese organized crime since the days of the Brits and Portuguese also contributes to this. The scams are quite common and I can give you more examples, but I won't since I see no use in continuing this discussion, your truth is what appeals to you.I humbly bow to your superior knowledge and experience of China. I agree that you are right in every respect, even when I do not fully understand your words.

Shenzhen is more metropolitan than Chinese (and may I dare to add that the Shekou district of Shenzhen is maybe even a little bit cosmopolitan, but I am not sure as I do not live there).

There are many things wrong with taxi drivers in China (Fast Eddie and I are both totally wrong).

Your Chinese friend was not naïve in failing to ask pricing before using KTV services, and allowing unordered food and drinks to be placed in KTV room.

I was stupid for not highlighting my conditional statement "Unless you are involved with nefarious and iniquitous deeds" to make it clear that I was writing about general safety (and I apologize for writing a light hearted, tongue in cheek response instead of a serious sitrep).

And I apologize for anything else that I may have been wrong about.

I would like to gift you the following photo as a conciliatory gesture.

Sincerley.

Ikksman.

EDITOR's NOTE: This report was edited or deleted to remove Pointless-Stupid-Idiotic Photo(s). Please do not post Pointless-Stupid-Idiotic Photo(s)in the Forum EXCEPT in the Jokes & Humorous Stories thread. Please read the Forum's Posting Guidelines for further information. Thanks!

[Ikksman]

I have again noticed that posters are not getting Chinese writing to display correctly.

It works OK if you put a space between the characters, for example:

肏 你 妈 cao ni ma.

Otherwise you get this:

肏20320;22920; cao ni ma.

I was not the first person to identify this, but I can't remember who to attribute this approach to.

Cheers

[Ikksman]

Pointless-Stupid-Idiotic Photo(s) Deleted by Admin
{S N I P}
I would like to gift you the following photo as a conciliatory gesture.
Sincerley.
Ikksman.My apologies I did not intend to break forum rules.
The photo, of the mythical grass mud horse, does carry meaning as it is a famous internet meme in China! It is used to escape being censored (harmonised; the equivalent meme is being river crabbed). Obviously doesn't work too well on the ISG forum. LOL!

Cheers.

[Midwestern]

There are escorts with their own websites. It's a scam. The websites are run by the same sleazebag guys that post on CL (yes, the CL posts are made by guys, not girls). Based on my experience, a guy starts an escort website and uses a hot chick as the front. Then, he hires a bunch of girls that somewhat (but barely) look like the front-girl. These girls don't even know that they're supposed to pretend to be the girl in the website. It's comical. And it sucks. I admit that my experience with this is only 2 websites, but the experience was so similar that it makes me think it is the norm. The 2 escorts were horrible! Just like CL girls. Just trying to be helpful.

[GregoryB]

Can anybody suggest a way out or a remedy? Those are. Especially for non Chinese speaking guys. Key tools to get along better.

Thanks for any support, Gregory.

[Pushkin13]

Can anybody suggest a way out or a remedy? Those are. Especially for non Chinese speaking guys. Key tools to get along better.

Thanks for any support, Gregory.Use a virtual proxy network (VPN), because the Chinese Government doesn't like the Google empire.

I use ExpressVPN.

P13.

[Ikksman]

Can anybody suggest a way out or a remedy? Those are. Especially for non Chinese speaking guys. Key tools to get along better.

Thanks for any support, Gregory.I am unsure whether you mean you have difficulty accessing the sites, or, you have difficulty navigating the sites because they are in Chinese.

For access difficulties use VPN (I use StrongVPN), and this will also overcome some of the problems being automatically redirected to Chinese equivalent sites.

Maps in Chinese can be a problem as there are often no English translations. Learn to read a bit of Chinese and to write Chinese characters into a translate app. There are also apps that can translate text imbedded in digital images. I don't use so cannot recommend.

Cheers.

[GregoryB]

Thanks to P13 and Ikks.

I will try the VPN's. About two year ago I had used a swedish VPN (cost about 5 Euro per month) but after a awhile did not.

Help anymore. But at least I could use Goggle maps and mail, if very slow though they at least once up an running where.

Functioning properly. But now on my iPhone I just cannot use anymore: Maps is blurred or only cut outs are visible, just useless.

I tried BAIDU but all in Chinese. Did not find any English version of BAIDU. For Google search I now use "Duckduckgo" works perfect.

Thanks again, Gregory.

[Ice Dragon]

Thanks to P13 and Ikks.

I will try the VPN's. About two year ago I had used a swedish VPN (cost about 5 Euro per month) but after a awhile did not.

Help anymore. But at least I could use Goggle maps and mail, if very slow though they at least once up an running where.

Functioning properly. But now on my iPhone I just cannot use anymore: Maps is blurred or only cut outs are visible, just useless.

I tried BAIDU but all in Chinese. Did not find any English version of BAIDU. For Google search I now use "Duckduckgo" works perfect.

Thanks again, Gregory.I've been using StrongVPN continuously now for two years. Initially I needed to switch locations every two weeks, but found a Canadian server location that keeps on working.

Google works well, as does FB, and PB.

[Moth To Flames]

Another vote here for duckduckgo. I preselected it as search engine for Dolphin, my Android browser of choice.

For Gmail I use kaiten mail app on my tablet and the stock mail app on my phone, haven't had a problem. Alternatively if you use it mostly on a computer have you tried Alto mail? https://altomail.com/ it works as a web based app to aggregate and sort your mail to stacks. You'd never guess that AOL were behind it:-p.

Maps a is harder, I believe Bing has map facilities and quick check reveals Yahoo maps works ok in my phone's browser.

[Ikksman]

Any information from anyone? There are a number of implications concerning mongering, or even having freebies stay in hotel with you.


There are two kinds of hotels: the ones that have a licence to accept foreigners an the ones who don't.
All mainstream hotels will have their own system plugged into the PSB system meaning that every time a foreigner registers, the information is uploaded automatically to PSB. I doubt that as a foreigner hotel management would take the risk not to declare you. Especially as tax bureau and PSB do not exchange information (for now at least).
It is illegal in China to share a room with someone that is not your spouse. Does not mean that they apply this rule, just mean that if needs be it may be withheld against you by Chinese authorities.I am very interested in this, and would appreciate more information if possible.

• Can you define a "mainstream" hotel?

• Are the 'mainstream' hotels also required to provide hard copies of foreigners' details to the local police (which is the bottom of the PSB pyramid?

• Does the automated PSB system also require the details of foreigners' partners?

• Is the automated PSB system centralised, or are there separate non-integrated systems in each province or administrative division?

• Is the automated PSB system information textual or image based (from a scan of the documents?

• Who provides the interface. The provider of the hotel front desk system or the GongAn?

From my personal observation, photocopies are always made of foreigners' documentation. Most times, the photocopiers are cheap standalone models that do not have the capability of connection to computer systems. And I have observed, in local police stations, the piles of photocopies of foreigners' hotel registrations.

I have also noticed that when I go to the police station for foreigner residence registration, if I show them my previous registration form, then the process is completed very quickly (in contrast to the otherwise interminable waits while they check everything (manually? This would seem to indicate that the PSB does not have this system fully computerised.

Thanks for any information.

Ikks.

[Tasss]

Hi forum,

What's the best place (ie, most concentrated location) for mongering now in China, knowing that Dongguan and Changping has largely shut down? Shanghai Minhang district is where I used to go but wanted to see what else is out there.

[Ikksman]

Be careful buying Chinese made electronics such as computers, phones etc. , and never but never use freebie USB drives handed out at trade shows etc.

The Star/Orient N9500 phone is a copycat Galaxy S4 and is even sold on eBay and Amazon. It contains malware disguised as a Google Play app. It is not possible to remove it from the phone, and it collects information and sends it to a server (presumably in China). There are probably other phones which have similar infections.

It is quite common for some Chinese made PCs / notebooks to contain pre-installed malware. This has been known for years.

But the latest ploy is to install dangerous code in USB drives and wireless keyboards and even mice. Current virus / malware detection software does not detect these types of dangers.

I am not saying who, or who is not involved in some of these operations, but be warned!

Cheers?

[SE Asia Joe]

I'd like to try to reply to our questions after again checking with my friend the hotelier in Chang Ping as I don't profess to know all the details without doing such checking.


I am very interested in this, and would appreciate more information if possible.

Can you define a "mainstream" hotel?No idea what is meant by mainstream hotel – but please note that the China hotel star rating are those conferred by China's own China National Tourism Administration and ranges from the single to the 5 star.

For the budget travelers, there are also hostels that foreigners can stay at and according to my friend, places of accommodation that do not accept foreigners cater to China's lowest economic strata and he opines that foreigners who could travel all the way to China wouldn't bother / even come across them / can just forget about them.


Are the 'mainstream' hotels also required to provide hard copies of foreigners' details to the local police (which is the bottom of the PSB pyramid?

Does the automated PSB system also require the details of foreigners' partners?

Is the automated PSB system centralised, or are there separate non-integrated systems in each province or administrative division?

Is the automated PSB system information textual or image based (from a scan of the documents?

Who provides the interface. The provider of the hotel front desk system or the GongAn?..As I relayed previously, Hotels are supposed to provide basic details about their guests to the local PSB – but they usually do NOT do so for the reasons I outlined. When a guest checks in, the hotel will scan his travel / identity documents and store it in their stand-alone in-house computer and there is NO interface of this scan to outside governmental agencies.

SEAJ

[Fuzimiao]

Just a reminder, today is Chinese Valentines Day!

[Ikksman]

I'd like to try to reply to our questions after again checking with my friend the hotelier in Chang Ping as I don't profess to know all the details without doing such checking.

No idea what is meant by mainstream hotel but please note that the China hotel star rating are those conferred by China's own China National Tourism Administration and ranges from the single to the 5 star.

For the budget travelers, there are also hostels that foreigners can stay at and according to my friend, places of accommodation that do not accept foreigners cater to China's lowest economic strata and he opines that foreigners who could travel all the way to China wouldn't bother / even come across them / can just forget about them.

As I relayed previously, Hotels are supposed to provide basic details about their guests to the local PSB but they usually do NOT do so for the reasons I outlined. When a guest checks in, the hotel will scan his travel / identity documents and store it in their stand-alone in-house computer and there is NO interface of this scan to outside governmental agencies.

SEAJI agree with all you have written, although I was not aware that hotels did not provide every guests' details to local PSB. And I had completely forgotten about the hostels. Very unlikely that these cheap places are hooked up to some sophisticated PSB System.

The hotel reception staff are trained to check that visa has not expired and the duration of current stay in China is less than the maximum allowed, but they are not able to detect and record where the guest has come from as Jopji suggests.

I think that any hotel (not just 'mainstream' hotels) can apply to get registered to take foreign guests. Most hotels below 4 star probably believe that they are not set up for foreign guests, and do not want to pay for English speaking reception staff, and thus do not bother. But I have stayed in 3 star hotels in tier 2/3 cities with no problems (except for the women posted on each floor to check the ids).

Can you confirm that Immigration stopped taking photos of visitors some years ago at Shenzhen's border crossings? I have not seen a camera since 2011?

So I do not think that China PSB have an all-singing and dancing automated system that knows the whereabouts of all visitors to China (as Jopji believes): at least not yet!

Look forward to any new info that your hotelier friend can provide. I believe in having as much information as possible to minimise the inevitable risks in China (and not just in mongering!

Cheers.

[Ikksman]

There appears to be growing resistance to Xi's anti-corruption campaign. Some senior CCP members are apparently backing down on their support for Xi's efforts (probably getting nervous for themselves and their families).

This may signal a relaxing of raids and controls over our favourite leisure-time places. Or may even signal something more dramatic!

Let's wait and see!

Cheers.

P.S. Can anyone verify the supposed 50,000 RMB reward for dobbing in a mongerer? And was this reward limited to Dongguan or offered in many cities? It has been commonly talked about, but TTBOMK, never been satisfactorily verified.

[Fuzimiao]

There appears to be growing resistance to .We've led a charmed life in China over the past 12 years, with only one period of interruption.

I respectfully suggest we avoid politically sensitive comment on this webpage, we don't need the attention!

FZ.

[Ikksman]

We've led a charmed life in China over the past 12 years, with only one period of interruption.

I respectfully suggest we avoid politically sensitive comment on this webpage, we don't need the attention!

FZ.There has always been two trains of thought on this issue.

The government is of course sensitive to "rumours" (haha) on various issues that are published on Chinese language blogs / websites etc on servers in China.

But there are hundreds of English language commentary sites specialising in Chinese news, which are not based on servers in China. The Chinese government ignores these sites as it has no ability to river crab the news, and cannot effectively block them in China, particularly with the ubiquitous VPN services that are available today.

The Chinese government does have some influence over Hong Kong newspapers, but these media outlets continue to publish political comment (and this is where my news came from).

I believe (as do many others), that this site is totally insignificant in the bigger scheme of things, although some low level PSB may monitor the site for various activities (of which they are already well aware).

If you have sensitivities in regard to non-derogatory comment that is in the public domain, wouldn't a PM better serve your purpose? Happy to discuss!

Cheers.

[ShangHangin]

There has always been two trains of thought on this issue.

The government is of course sensitive to "rumours" (haha) on various issues that are published on Chinese language blogs / websites etc on servers in China.

But there are hundreds of English language commentary sites specialising in Chinese news, which are not based on servers in China. The Chinese government ignores these sites as it has no ability to river crab the news, and cannot effectively block them in China, particularly with the ubiquitous VPN services that are available today.

The Chinese government does have some influence over Hong Kong newspapers, but these media outlets continue to publish political comment (and this is where my news came from).

I believe (as do many others), that this site is totally insignificant in the bigger scheme of things, although some low level PSB may monitor the site for various activities (of which they are already well aware).

If you have sensitivities in regard to non-derogatory comment that is in the public domain, wouldn't a PM better serve your purpose? Happy to discuss!

Cheers.I'm on both sides of the fence. This site has little significance to the government policy makers. So discuss politically sensitive material all day long.

On the other side, we want to be able to monger freely, so be careful about the level of specific details provided in public. No one benefits from establishment shut downs. I'm a long timer like Fuzi with no interruptions. Don't want to kill the goose, like they did in DG. SH is alive and well.

SH.

[Ikksman]

I'm on both sides of the fence. This site has little significance to the government policy makers. So discuss politically sensitive material all day long.

On the other side, we want to be able to monger freely, so be careful about the level of specific details provided in public. No one benefits from establishment shut downs. I'm a long timer like Fuzi with no interruptions. Don't want to kill the goose, like they did in DG. SH is alive and well.

SH.I agree with you!

Good to hear that SH is alive and well. Unfortunately SZ is very slow to recover after the yanda; in fact the whole of Guangdong is slow to recover, and it is probable that DG is gone for ever!

Cheers.

[Bnlee2]

I am visiting in January and the choice for my hotel is either Grand Mercure Harmoni or the Novotel Mangga Dual. What do you guys recommend from a mongering perspective.

Thanks

[Fast Eddie 48]

I am visiting in January and the choice for my hotel is either Grand Mercure Harmoni or the Novotel Mangga Dual. What do you guys recommend from a mongering perspective.

ThanksTo Bnlee2.

This is China not Jarkata there are 3 Mercure in Jarkata I stay at the Mercure in kota and I post info on Jarkata hotel thread or pm me for any info.

Fast eddie 48.

[Bnlee2]

To Bnlee2.

This is China not Jarkata there are 3 Mercure in Jarkata I stay at the Mercure in kota and I post info on Jarkata hotel thread or pm me for any info.

Fast eddie 48.FE48.

There seems to be a problem. I did not make this last post. I think either someone hijacked my sign in or there is a posting glitch. I do not know who or how that posting about me in Jakarta came about. I'm currently in Asia but not in Jakarta. I have never stayed in any of the Mercure hotels.

[Ikksman]

I have spent the last few months travelling, and in two countries colleagues warned me of the following scam practised by some airport security guys. I don't know whether it has occurred yet in China, but better safe than sorry! It may be an old scam, but I have not heard of it before!

Basically, one of the security guys will put something in your tray going through the X-ray machine. If you touch it as you pick up your possessions, then you are grabbed and taken to a room to be extorted. The item could be an innocent looking object containing something illegal (e g drugs).

The advice is to put nothing on the tray except your hand-carry bag. And put your laptop on a separate tray. Anything from your pockets, put in your bag and zip / close it securely. Then you will be unlikely to be targeted. If you do see a foreign object on your tray, don't touch it, but immediately point it out to the security guy, and firmly say that it is not yours.

Be safe!

[Fuzimiao]

I have spent the last few months travelling, and in two countries colleagues warned me of the following scam practised by some airport security guys. I don't know whether it has occurred yet in China, but better safe than sorry! It may be an old scam, but I have not heard of it before!

Basically, one of the security guys will put something in your tray going through the X-ray machine. If you touch it as you pick up your possessions, then you are grabbed and taken to a room to be extorted. The item could be an innocent looking object containing something illegal (e g drugs).

The advice is to put nothing on the tray except your hand-carry bag. And put your laptop on a separate tray. Anything from your pockets, put in your bag and zip / close it securely. Then you will be unlikely to be targeted. If you do see a foreign object on your tray, don't touch it, but immediately point it out to the security guy, and firmly say that it is not yours.

Be safe!Sounds like those nice baggage check ladies in Barranquilla, but never heard of them planting anything, only stealing minor items right under your nose!

[Mua Tur]

The advice is to put nothing on the tray except your hand-carry bag. And put your laptop on a separate tray. Anything from your pockets, put in your bag and zip / close it securely. Then you will be unlikely to be targeted. If you do see a foreign object on your tray, don't touch it, but immediately point it out to the security guy, and firmly say that it is not yours.Be safe!Thanks for alerting.

Being a traveler city to cities never seen or experienced like that. But m little confused why the smugglers will use such a way, while there are full chances to be caught their items (illegal) in red hand.

Certainly for trafficking they use some other more secured way that we don't know.

[Ikksman]

Thanks for alerting.

Being a traveler city to cities never seen or experienced like that. But m little confused why the smugglers will use such a way, while there are full chances to be caught their items (illegal) in red hand.

Certainly for trafficking they use some other more secured way that we don't know.There are no smugglers. It is an extortion scam operated by the security personnel.

I wrote:

Basically, one of the security guys will put something in your tray going through the X-ray machine. If you touch it as you pick up your possessions, then you are grabbed and taken to a room to be extorted. The item could be an innocent looking object containing something illegal (e g drugs).

I guess that my writing skills need to be improved!

[Mua Tur]

There are no smugglers. It is an extortion scam operated by the security personnel.

I wrote:

Basically, one of the security guys will put something in your tray going through the X-ray machine. If you touch it as you pick up your possessions, then you are grabbed and taken to a room to be extorted. The item could be an innocent looking object containing something illegal (e g drugs).

I guess that my writing skills need to be improved!Still confused. If it is not smuggling, than why the security people need to be engaged in such types of extortion activities with the innocent passengers! It is hard to believe that the security peoples are mentally obsessed or some kind of mental sick. Since in the place like airport, the security persons are certainly need to be passed all kinds of test barriers.

You are an excellent writer. Any experiment in your writing, might be make more difficult for us who are not native English speaker.

[Jopj1]

Wanted to share this very interesting article with my fellow mongers.

http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21611074-how-new-technology-shaking-up-oldest-business-more-bang-your-buck

Although the methodology is very debatable results don't come as a surprise.

Shanghai is damn expansive and China is probably the only market where prices instead of decreasing to adjust to the lower demand just increase to make up for the loss in income. No doubt another China specificity.

[Dazhiba]

Are STD self tests readily available and if so where? As a monger have you ever asked a gal to take a test before you had sex with her?

I love to eat Asian pussy but don't want to be getting anything "extra".

Stay safe out there, Daz.

[Waldeck2]

Having eaten Asian pussy for nearly 6 years in Shanghai with a trip to Beijing now and then I have never caught anything resembling an STD. I return to the US once a year and get checked for STD's. Some love it, some sat eh, some don't like it.


Are STD self tests readily available and if so where? As a monger have you ever asked a gal to take a test before you had sex with her?

I love to eat Asian pussy but don't want to be getting anything "extra".

Stay safe out there, Daz.

[BolloxDeep]

I stayed in Shenzhen in a hotel with spa. Naively, I didn't know what was what. I travelled with a female colleague and to most we probably looked like a western couple, however, we had separate rooms.

I have since come to realise that I should have visited the spa as 2012 seemed like Shenzhen in its hayday. I am assuming as I was with a female, this was th reason I didn't get any attention. I couldn't really anyway as that kind of thing would not be good if it got out at work.

Anyhow, I am going back in October and have meetings in Shenzhen and guangzhou. This time alone and want to cram as much in as I can. My options are flying to Hong Kong, Shenzhen or guangzhou. Is it do able that I could fly to Hong Kong, have 2 nights of fun there, train up to Shenzhen 1 or 2 nights there (is it even worth it after the crackdown) and then last few nights in Guangzhou. I would like longtime hotel overnights where possible.

In the UK, I started getting my head round we chat in preparation of trying to make some contacts when I am in China. I did actually get some uk meets believe or not and got my cock sucked in broad daylight in a local park, dirty.

I have been leaching / lurking / learning from here for a while and just posted a Chiang Mai report.

Thanks for all the efforts from the regular posters on here.

I noticed there is a classified on here, are they worth perusing? Are any of you kind enough to share contacts in any of the towns mentioned.

Thanks

[Intransit]

From SCMP:

Sunday, 10 August, 2014,4:50 am.

Comment›Insight & Opinion.

WHAT THE MAINLAND MEDIA SAY.

Cary Huang.

It's not the 'oldest profession' for nothing. The sex trade not only provides income to millions, its clients include the powerful.

The word in the corridors of Chinese officialdom is that there are "some things you can do but never say and some things you can say but never do".

Prostitution belongs to the former. It is officially illegal on the mainland but prospers nonetheless in every part of the country.

In all cities and towns, large and small, prostitutes loiter around nightclubs, bars, karaoke rooms and massage parlours. Out on the street, skimpily dressed women are a common sight, sitting in the windows of hair salons and openly offering sexual services.

Even in the nation's political epicentre on Beijing's Changan Avenue, sex services are available in hotels and entertainment venues.

In economic terms, prostitution is a major industry in the same league as medicine and education, providing millions of jobs for its workers as well as services to its many more customers. That's why any development about it is news. It's no surprise, then, that a Xinhua report about the resumption of the sex trade in the Guangdong city of Dongguan last week made headlines nationwide.

Just five months after China Central Television ignited a large-scale crackdown with a report on Guangdong's "Sin City", Dongguan appears to be back in the world's oldest business. Global Times reported that some 1,134 entertainment venues, or nearly 70 per cent of those closed in the southern city during the crackdown, had reopened. That comprised 38 saunas, 465 karaoke parlours and 631 foot-massage centres. China Daily put the proportion at 80 per cent.

The news was enough to prompt state-run media to analyse whether Dongguan's municipal government was truly committed to the crackdown.

Indeed, the city authorities have long taken the "say but never do" attitude to the illegal industry, turning a blind eye for decades despite its high visibility. An estimated 300,000 prostitutes work in this city of seven million people.

The crux of the matter is that the sex trade is one of the pillars of the local economy, generating 50 billion yuan (HK $62.5 billion) or 10 per cent of Dongguan's 550 billion yuan gross domestic product last year.

That economic role was one reason that the central government's crackdown rebounded in unintended ways, triggering a rarely seen nationwide debate over whether the sex trade should be legalised.

Many of the arguments against legalised prostitution are grounded in ethics and morals. But advocates of legalisation counter that the activity occurs anyway and it makes sense to minimise its harm and maximise its gains through law.

The hard truth is that the industry is many people's bread and butter. Between four million and six million prostitutes ply their trade on the mainland, according to a 2010 World Health Organisation report. Some estimates say there are as many as 10 million sex workers in the country. In addition, there are millions working in related industries such as hotels, transport and catering.

Then there are the tens of millions of the sex trade's clients, many of whom are officials. Local officials avert their gaze to what happens in plain sight, despite the central government's campaigns against the industry.

Another factor at play is the millions of part-time prostitutes who make their way as mistresses to the wealthy and powerful in business and officialdom. If revelations from the cases of corrupt cadres are any guide, it is not uncommon for officials, particularly those higher up the power structure, to have at least one baoni, or "contracted prostitute".

Perhaps the central government's crackdown on prostitution is also part of President Xi Jinping's campaign to against graft and extravagance among officials, a mission also aimed at fostering socialist and Marxist orthodoxy to nurture clean governance and moral standards.

[Wabbittt]

An estimated 300,000 prostitutes work in this city of seven million people.

Between four million and six million prostitutes ply their trade on the mainland, according to a 2010 World Health Organisation report. Some estimates say there are as many as 10 million sex workers in the country. In addition, there are millions working in related industries such as hotels, transport and catering. By my back of the envelope calculation these figure, if taken at face value, mean that around 4% of the Dongguan population are SWs, which is tenfold more than in mainland China as a whole. No wonder it got targeted. . and no wonder it's bouncing back.

[Fred Gold]

I assume there are several different mobile providers. What company do people think is the most value for data and voice. 3 G is good enough for me.

HAPPY HUNTING FRED.

[Ikksman]

I assume there are several different mobile providers. What company do people think is the most value for data and voice. 3 G is good enough for me.

HAPPY HUNTING FRED.There are 3 mobile providers. I am not sure about the different pricing structures, but probably similar. China Mobile probably has the best coverage.

Be aware that each of the providers utilise a different mutually exclusive flavour of 3 G; WCDMA, CDMA2000 and TD-SCDMA. Your phone needs to be compatible with the 3 G of your selected provider to make full use of data services (even wi-fi can be a problem with iPhone as the implementation is very slightly different to the world standard). If you have an iPhone, then China Unicom is your best bet.

[Ikksman]

By my back of the envelope calculation these figure, if taken at face value, mean that around 4% of the Dongguan population are SWs, which is tenfold more than in mainland China as a whole. No wonder it got targeted. . and no wonder it's bouncing back.We wish it was bouncing back, but unfortunately it will never recover fully. KTVs may be open, but no girls and of course no flower streets. The girls have also left for greener pastures (factories?

[Fast Eddie 48]

We wish it was bouncing back, but unfortunately it will never recover fully. KTVs may be open, but no girls and of course no flower streets. The girls have also left for greener pastures (factories?To Ikkman.

It is much easier to become a second wife of a rich HK sugar daddy than working in the Factory most of them move back to their home town to find a husband.

Fast eddie 48.

[Ikksman]

To Ikkman.

It is much easier to become a second wife of a rich HK sugar daddy than working in the Factory most of them move back to their home town to find a husband.

Fast eddie 48.FE, I was not being serious about all the girls going to factories. I am sure that there were many different types of exits taken, including dispersion to other cities where the yanda has been less severe, and is already relaxed.

Also, as you state, some returned to their home town to get married to some poor guy who will never know of the champion cocksucker that is in his bed! And she is probably lying there thinking of the fabulous DATY jobs that ISGers used to give to her, which she will never again experience!

The main point though was, as I am sure that you will agree, that Dongguan is not bouncing back to its former glory days (as Wabbitt wrote).

Cheers.

[MrClen]

There are 3 mobile providers. I am not sure about the different pricing structures, but probably similar. China Mobile probably has the best coverage.

Be aware that each of the providers utilise a different mutually exclusive flavour of 3 G; WCDMA, CDMA2000 and TD-SCDMA. Your phone needs to be compatible with the 3 G of your selected provider to make full use of data services (even wi-fi can be a problem with iPhone as the implementation is very slightly different to the world standard). If you have an iPhone, then China Unicom is your best bet.I just purchased, "on line", a Chinese iPhone 5, ($30.00). I looks and feels like a real one and I know several girls in China that use them with good success. My question is, since I have never done the sim route, "If I buy a sim card for it when I get to China next time, can I download the apps, such as we chat etc?" And how do I get the phone calls and emails that would normally go to my USA cell phone? Maybe a couple dumb questions, but a little advice won't hurt! Thanks in advance, mrclen.

[SilverSurfie]

I just purchased, "on line", a Chinese iPhone 5, ($30.00). I looks and feels like a real one and I know several girls in China that use them with good success. My question is, since I have never done the sim route, "If I buy a sim card for it when I get to China next time, can I download the apps, such as we chat etc?" And how do I get the phone calls and emails that would normally go to my USA cell phone? Maybe a couple dumb questions, but a little advice won't hurt! Thanks in advance, mrclen.1) Apps, yup as long as you connect to wifi or have 3 G data on your sim.

2) Set your USA cell number to call forwarding to your Chinese number, not quite sure if that would work or not.

3) Email -> Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendar -> Add Account.

[Aries3288]

I just purchased, "on line", a Chinese iPhone 5, ($30.00). I looks and feels like a real one and I know several girls in China that use them with good success. My question is, since I have never done the sim route, "If I buy a sim card for it when I get to China next time, can I download the apps, such as we chat etc?" And how do I get the phone calls and emails that would normally go to my USA cell phone? Maybe a couple dumb questions, but a little advice won't hurt! Thanks in advance, mrclen.What you got is probably imitation iPhone with Android OS. Okay for the occasional use in China but do not keep important info inside as it can be quite unstable and may hang up on you.

[Ikksman]

I just purchased, "on line", a Chinese iPhone 5, ($30.00). I looks and feels like a real one and I know several girls in China that use them with good success. My question is, since I have never done the sim route, "If I buy a sim card for it when I get to China next time, can I download the apps, such as we chat etc?" And how do I get the phone calls and emails that would normally go to my USA cell phone? Maybe a couple dumb questions, but a little advice won't hurt! Thanks in advance, mrclen.Hi,

USD30 is pretty cheap for an iPhone copy (running Android). I would normally expect a price (in China) of between USD75 to USD125 for a good quality copy with a Mediatek chip (but forget about 4 G LTE). TTBOMK, these are as reliable as any other Android phone out of China.

Nearly all phones, including iPhone, are made in China (or Malaysia) with the partial exception of Nokia, Samsung and HTC. IPhones are made in huge factories (Foxconn) with between 100,000 and 350,000 workers churning out all sorts of phones and other electronics. I read somewhere recently that Foxconn in Shenzhen is currently employing an additional 100,000 workers to ramp up the iPhone 6 production! To see the road-blocking rivers of workers streaming in and out of the Shenzhen factory, at change of shift, is a sight to behold (and a great opportunity to find freebies using Wechat)!

If you download apps in China, you may find that only the Chinese language versions are available. Best to download the apps you want before you arrive. Generally speaking, most will still work after you put the local SIM card into the phone. It is worth considering getting a VPN app for your phone for best flexibility and security.

Forwarding of calls (on phone busy, unanswered, turned off, etc) is pretty commonly available today, and although probably able to be set up on your USA Phone, is actually a carrier function, rather than a phone function. But there are probably apps available that also help with this requirement.

With regard to email, this will depend on functionality provided by your email host, and varies depending on service. For example, I use mail.com and can set the service up to forward mail to my MS Outlook account, collate emails from different services, leave all on the mail.com server so that I can access from any media etc, etc.

If you did not already have the phone, I would recommend that you consider buying a dual SIM phone, for the best of both worlds.

Cheers.

[Ikksman]

In China, copy iPhone 6's have been available for a month or so!

Good quality ones with a quad-core processor, Android 4. 4 (with a sophisticated OS theme totally hiding the Android interface), providing GSM and WCDMA, full Apple logos, are available for about 800-1000 RMB. Screen resolution does vary depending on the manufacturer.

They look good!

[MrClen]

Hi,

USD30 is pretty cheap for an iPhone copy (running Android). I would normally expect a price (in China) of between USD75 to USD125 for a good quality copy with a Mediatek chip (but forget about 4 G LTE). TTBOMK, these are as reliable as any other Android phone out of China.

Nearly all phones, including iPhone, are made in China (or Malaysia) with the partial exception of Nokia, Samsung and HTC. IPhones are made in huge factories (Foxconn) with between 100,000 and 350,000 workers churning out all sorts of phones and other electronics. I read somewhere recently that Foxconn in Shenzhen is currently employing an additional 100,000 workers to ramp up the iPhone 6 production! To see the road-blocking rivers of workers streaming in and out of the Shenzhen factory, at change of shift, is a sight to behold (and a great opportunity to find freebies using Wechat)!

If you download apps in China, you may find that only the Chinese language versions are available. Best to download the apps you want before you arrive. Generally speaking, most will still work after you put the local SIM card into the phone. It is worth considering getting a VPN app for your phone for best flexibility and security.

Forwarding of calls (on phone busy, unanswered, turned off, etc) is pretty commonly available today, and although probably able to be set up on your USA Phone, is actually a carrier function, rather than a phone function. But there are probably apps available that also help with this requirement.

With regard to email, this will depend on functionality provided by your email host, and varies depending on service. For example, I use mail.com and can set the service up to forward mail to my MS Outlook account, collate emails from different services, leave all on the mail.com server so that I can access from any media etc, etc.

If you did not already have the phone, I would recommend that you consider buying a dual SIM phone, for the best of both worlds.

Cheers.Don't I have to put in a local sim card to do anything? I was not planning on getting a sim card until I get to China next trip. Thanks for the advice!!

[Ikksman]

Don't I have to put in a local sim card to do anything? I was not planning on getting a sim card until I get to China next trip. Thanks for the advice!!You do not need a SIM card to download most apps. Use a wi-fi connection.

Some apps may require a phone number for identification, or to text an authorisation code. You can provide your USA Phone number. I think Wechat requires a phone number, but cannot remember if it sends an authorisation text or not. And of course, these requirements change as the Chinese Government clamps down more on security.

Worst case is that a few apps may actually send a text to the phone number that you provide, and then the app checks for the text message (believe it or not)! In this case you would have to use your USA Carrier SIM card in your Chinese phone for verification purposes (not possible if your USA phone has a standard SIM card and the Chinese phone uses a micro or nano sized card slot, etc).

Cheers.

P.S. In SZ, I have noticed a recent increase in the number of touts/WGs on Wechat, and asking to be accepted by you on Wechat. Their avatars are very tame, and their name and their "ID" and "What's Up" are fairly innocuous. One recent example used an ID of 高 高 再 上 , 哈 哈 and What's Up of 谢 谢 . Actually, in this case I don't fully understand the ID. When you accept, their first message is inevitably Which hotel.

[Fuzimiao]

P.S. In SZ, I have noticed a recent increase in the number of touts/WGs on Wechat, and asking to be accepted by you on Wechat. Their avatars are very tame, and their name and their "ID" and "What's Up" are fairly innocuous. One recent example used an ID of 高 高 再 上 , 哈 哈 and What's Up of 谢 谢 . Actually, in this case I don't fully understand the ID. When you accept, their first message is inevitably Which hotel.Received a storm of similar messages in Shanghai recently, but strangely all (amorous) messages were tagged with my we chat name within the message. Each sends a dozen or so attempts before giving up. Deleted all without opening.

[Fuzimiao]

To see the road-blocking rivers of workers streaming in and out of the Shenzhen factory, at change of shift, is a sight to behold (and a great opportunity to find freebies using Wechat)! Indeed an amazing sight, I witnessed this two years ago in Teda, near Tianjin. Tens of thousands of youngsters walking from dorms to factory, all totally empty handed, probably for security reasons. Just sit outside a snack bar and wait. It must be incredible now in the age of "we chat".

Fz.

[MrClen]

You do not need a SIM card to download most apps. Use a wi-fi connection.

Some apps may require a phone number for identification, or to text an authorisation code. You can provide your USA Phone number. I think Wechat requires a phone number, but cannot remember if it sends an authorisation text or not. And of course, these requirements change as the Chinese Government clamps down more on security.

Worst case is that a few apps may actually send a text to the phone number that you provide, and then the app checks for the text message (believe it or not)! In this case you would have to use your USA Carrier SIM card in your Chinese phone for verification purposes (not possible if your USA phone has a standard SIM card and the Chinese phone uses a micro or nano sized card slot, etc).

Cheers.

P.S. In SZ, I have noticed a recent increase in the number of touts/WGs on Wechat, and asking to be accepted by you on Wechat. Their avatars are very tame, and their name and their "ID" and "What's Up" are fairly innocuous. One recent example used an ID of 高 高 再 上 , 哈 哈 and What's Up of 谢 谢 . Actually, in this case I don't fully understand the ID. When you accept, their first message is inevitably Which hotel.Hey! Thanks for the info, and after fooling around with the $30 phone I find it is just a phone (looks like an iPhone though), with a few built in apps, or what look like apps. No wifi so can't really download anything. No Problem, live and learn! I may try the on-line approach again and get a phone that does have the wifi but my iPhone 4's has gone out of contract and I can get it unlocked, (supposedly but no luck so far), and try that. Thanks again for the advice!

[Ikksman]

{S N I P} P.S. In SZ, I have noticed a recent increase in the number of touts/WGs on Wechat, and asking to be accepted by you on Wechat. Their avatars are very tame, and their name and their "ID" and "What's Up" are fairly innocuous. One recent example used an ID of 高 高 再 上 , 哈 哈 and What's Up of 谢 谢 . Actually, in this case I don't fully understand the ID. When you accept, their first message is inevitably Which hotel.Fuziamao's recent post below got me thinking about the I'd of the tout on Wechat that I could not understand.

高 高 再 上 is gāo gāo zài shàng which I could not understand; but -.

高 高 在 上 is also gāo gāo zài shàng which can mean high and mighty, or aloof.

Can anyone confirm this or correct my Chinese?

Ikks.

[HymanBurglar]

Can anyone please help me with phonetic pronunciation aides for the services you might request from a massage place or SW? Eg. How would I say Blow-Job? Sex? Hand-Job etc.

Thanks

[Ikksman]

can anyone please help me with phonetic pronunciation aides for the services you might request from a massage place or sw? eg. how would i say blow-job? sex? hand-job etc.

thanks1. rtff (chinese words and phrases).

2. if you only know the pinyin, use www.chinese.yabla.com, or similar, which provides the capability of entering words in english, chinese characters, or pinyin (with or without tones).

3. use google translate to hear the correct pronunciation. i also use jibbigo as one can vary the speaking speed to clearly hear the tonal pronunciation.

be aware that some terms may be peculiar to a specific locality or dialect.

[Commonglass]

I'm coming to Beijing from the US next month. Everything I need will fit into a small overheard bag, which leaves me an empty suitcase to bring things in. Is there anything that I can bring that I can easily sell in China? I bought an unlocked iPhone 6 from the Apple Store. I still have lots of space. Anything suggestions? I have a friend who financed an entire trip to Africa with Apple products. I'd love to make some cash while I'm traveling. (No drugs, of course.). Please PM me if you have some ideas / leads / requests. Thanks!

[Ikksman]

I'm coming to Beijing from the US next month. Everything I need will fit into a small overheard bag, which leaves me an empty suitcase to bring things in. Is there anything that I can bring that I can easily sell in China? I bought an unlocked iPhone 6 from the Apple Store. I still have lots of space. Anything suggestions? I have a friend who financed an entire trip to Africa with Apple products. I'd love to make some cash while I'm traveling. (No drugs, of course.). Please PM me if you have some ideas / leads / requests. Thanks!Nothing I need from the USA. In fact the only USA Products I have purchased in the last 30 years or so have been computer software (as far as I can remember). And I forgot, I have heaps of Tumi luggage!

Waste of time bringing in an iPhone6. Real and fake ones are everywhere, and the government has approved the phone so it should be in the shops almost immediately.

How are you going to sell to Chinese if you cannot read and write Chinese? Or are you intending to sell to expats via Craigslist?

[Mighty Spearsman]

Can anyone please help me with phonetic pronunciation aides for the services you might request from a massage place or SW? Eg. How would I say Blow-Job? Sex? Hand-Job etc.

ThanksI've traveled to over 50 countries throughout the world, in most cases not speaking the local languages, but I have never had a problem communicating through hand gestures that I wanted a blow job, a hand job, or full sex.

If you've met a young lady in a massage parlor or who is a SW and have gotten to the point that such topics are open for discussion, I can assure you that that particular young lady will understand exactly what you are asking for through your hand gestures, LOL.

[Waldeck2]

You won't need any language skills. Point, make the motions will get it done.


Can anyone please help me with phonetic pronunciation aides for the services you might request from a massage place or SW? Eg. How would I say Blow-Job? Sex? Hand-Job etc.

Thanks

[Ikksman]

You won't need any language skills. Point, make the motions will get it done.What motions do you make to ensure that you will get a girl who will give you a BBBJ and not a CBJ?

Actually, in Southern China, it is not uncommon for WGs (non-escort type) to refuse a westerner. Here many girls are still uncomfortable with, and even a bit scared of westerners. They would rather go with one of the hordes of Hongkongese, Taiwanese or Singaporean punters.

Being able to speak a little Chinese often provides a higher success rate (less refusals) and a more enjoyable experience.

Most western guys that I have spoken to here agree that you rarely get a GFE experience if you cannot converse a little. If the girls are uncomfortable being with a foreigner who cannot converse with them at all, they invariably will complain about the size, want you to hurry up, leave as soon as possible etc, etc.

Therefore I recommend being able to speak at least some Chinese, and not just limited to bù dài tào, chuī. LOL!

Ikks.

[Ikksman]

Therefore I recommend being able to speak at least some Chinese, and not just limited to bù dài tào, chuī. LOL!

Ikks.And of course another important reason to learn some Chinese is to show respect for Chinese culture.

When you get sworn at, and threats made to kill all your family, you need to know proper Chinese etiquette, and be able to answer with worse profanities.

Ikks.

[Intransit]

If the photos are recent, nice to see this still goes on.

Naked karaoke photos go viral in China

A set of photos showing naked young women and half-naked men in what looks like a KTV establishment in China has been making the rounds on the internet and has attracted media attention.

The set of photos, said to be screenshots from a video, shows multiple half-naked men and naked females in compromising positions. The images were posted on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, before going viral and gaining widespread media coverage.

The photo release shows that the sex industry in China is still very much alive despite recent government crackdowns.

An industry expert said the photos were most likely taken at a KTV that also offered sexual services.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20141016000116&cid=1303

[Ikksman]

I noticed this morning that there were 5 first time posters on the China forums yesterday. Most unusual in my limited experience.

I also noticed that 2 of the posters had similar user names. Foxes and Kitsune9. Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox and the most powerful fox in Japanese mythology has 9 tails (I think).

Any thoughts?

Ikks.

[Teltel]

Some posters have asked about how to contact QQ girls.

I have done some checks on finding friends on QQ and have entered search terms such as escort and massage and get a lot of results.

Some of the search results are for femaole, some for male. Also viewing profile some have either chinese or english notations including "Beijing massage", some have phone numbers.

Locations are also shown.

Hope this can provide some useful info for posters.

Caveat would be beware of LE setups and scams.

Teltel.

[Blacklisted]

If the photos are recent, nice to see this still goes on.

Naked karaoke photos go viral in China

A set of photos showing naked young women and half-naked men in what looks like a KTV establishment in China has been making the rounds on the internet and has attracted media attention.

The set of photos, said to be screenshots from a video, shows multiple half-naked men and naked females in compromising positions. The images were posted on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, before going viral and gaining widespread media coverage.

The photo release shows that the sex industry in China is still very much alive despite recent government crackdowns.

An industry expert said the photos were most likely taken at a KTV that also offered sexual services.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20141016000116&cid=1303Happy days! No more in CP but good to see this ancient tradition of Chinese culture has not died out. Hail Xi Jinping!

[Midwestern]

I noticed this morning that there were 5 first time posters on the China forums yesterday. Most unusual in my limited experience.

I also noticed that 2 of the posters had similar user names. Foxes and Kitsune9. Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox and the most powerful fox in Japanese mythology has 9 tails (I think).

Any thoughts?

Ikks.I think it's simply that old time posters, and semi-regular posters like me, have nothing majorly new to report. Especially in BJ. So the only ones posting are the newbies. BTW, anything new going on in Haidian anyone?

[Foxes]

I noticed this morning that there were 5 first time posters on the China forums yesterday. Most unusual in my limited experience.

I also noticed that 2 of the posters had similar user names. Foxes and Kitsune9. Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox and the most powerful fox in Japanese mythology has 9 tails (I think).

Any thoughts?

Ikks.This is actually very funny as you try to interpret so much into the names. I don't know about other newbies like me but I can 100% assure you that the name I chose was totally random. I was looking around for a username and since I use firefox as a browser.

Anyways, I have been reading a while in this forum as a guest and thought maybe its worth registering but I am not so sure yet. So far I have been hesitating to use any of the information here as I am a bit shy and afraid of ending up with some used up girl trying to rip me off, haha. I just turned 30 and wonder if I am too young for this?

[BushWhack]

Midwestern;1638008 I think it's simply that old time posters, and semi-regular posters like me, have nothing majorly new to report. Especially in BJ. So the only ones posting are the newbies. BTW, anything new going on in Haidian anyone?

I've been thinking about this, asking myself why my posts have become few and far-between. I credit the excellent info in this forum. When I started this hobby a few years ago I scoured the various fora to gather info, found the good spots, plied the trade and reported back to the forum. 50 posts or so. Over this period of time I've successfully recruited (or been recruited by!) one or two All-Time-Favorites for each city; Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok and Pattaya. Posting and re-posting about the same girl, same club, same fee seem a bit pointless, I did this a few times but did not feel I was bringing value to the forum. My activity level has not decreased but no one wants to hear about my same-old same-old.

I do feel obligated to post any time I venture away from the ATF's and have some club, girl or fee info to share. Happily.

[Ikksman]

This is actually very funny as you try to interpret so much into the names. I don't know about other newbies like me but I can 100% assure you that the name I chose was totally random. I was looking around for a username and since I use firefox as a browser.

Anyways, I have been reading a while in this forum as a guest and thought maybe its worth registering but I am not so sure yet. So far I have been hesitating to use any of the information here as I am a bit shy and afraid of ending up with some used up girl trying to rip me off, haha. I just turned 30 and wonder if I am too young for this?Hi,

Good to know that you are genuine monger! I think 30 is a good age to get good service, as probably many of the girls here get sick of fat, decrepit old guys who use V and pound their tight little mei meis for hours (just joking guys)! However, freebies are a great choice too, and you will find some useful information here regard that hobby too!

I was actually referring to the possibility that some of these first time posters belong to China PSB or similar, or even USA Organisations that hound supposed human traffickers.

However, I wonder what the probability would be of 2 new members making their first posts on the same day, and having the same user name (but in different languages)! Haha!

Cheers.

[Jazziton]

Hello fellow forum members, thought maybe following article may interest you. Please admin, delete content or link if found not appropriate to post for any reason. Peace J.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1625820/chinese-campus-brothel-gave-students-discount-sex-run-university

A university campus hotel that operates a barely disguised brothel and offers discounts to students for sexual services is allegedly owned by the head of the institution, according to a Chinese newspaper report.

The Beijing Times reports that the "Guangxin International Hotel" has been operating on the campus of the Wuchang University of Technology in Wuhan, a medium-sized school of around 13,000 students, for a number of years.

According to a student who tipped off the paper, the "hotel" – situated atop one of the university's canteen buildings – is in fact a brothel. The student, surnamed Chen, told reporters that when he went to the hotel to check out its foot massage service that were being advertised, he was offered "special services. ".

A reporter for the Times who confirmed Chen's story spoke to several hotel employees who said they provided sexual services on the side, but emphasised that this was managed directly within the hotel.

An employee the newspaper spoke to said that some of their customers were students, who could receive a discount if they showed a university I'd, or someone referred by a student (which is how the reporter got access). She said that although they posted a phone number outside the building, if they received a call from an "unfamiliar person, we would not arrange an appointment. ".

Zhao Zuobin, president of the university, heads the Guangxin Science and Education Group, which owns both the hotel and the university. According to documents filed with Wuhan's commerce bureau, Zhao was previously the legal representative of the hotel, but in early 2013, the hotel was transferred to another company registered at the same address, of which Zhao's brother-in-law is the legal representative.

In a statement published on its official Weibo account, the university denied that Zhao or any staff were involved in the running of the hotel or alleged prostitution, adding that the matter had been referred to police for investigation.

The hotel said it only offered massage services to customers and the alleged prostitution may have been arranged personally by its staff.

The police said it had suspended the hotel's massage business for investigation.

The university vowed to cooperate with police and publish their findings.

[Fast Eddie 48]

I noticed this morning that there were 5 first time posters on the China forums yesterday. Most unusual in my limited experience.

I also noticed that 2 of the posters had similar user names. Foxes and Kitsune9. Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox and the most powerful fox in Japanese mythology has 9 tails (I think).

Any thoughts?

Ikks.To Ikksman.

Do you read and study every post in details who does that who got time.

Fast eddie 48.

[Ikksman]

To Ikksman.

Do you read and study every post in details who does that who got time.

Fast eddie 48.Haha! When home in SZ, I often read ISG local posts over breakfast (in addition to SCMP, Nanfang etc). Takes maybe 5-10 minutes. I can speak Japanese so I knew the meaning of kitsune (I wish my Chinese was as good as my Japanese).

Ikks.

[Belinik]

I noticed this morning that there were 5 first time posters on the China forums yesterday. Most unusual in my limited experience.

I also noticed that 2 of the posters had similar user names. Foxes and Kitsune9. Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox and the most powerful fox in Japanese mythology has 9 tails (I think).

Any thoughts?

IkksInteresting observation you have there. I guess I might be one of the 5 you are talking about. I'm going to say nice try but no cookie.

TBH I don't think China government is aware of this website (or at least they don't care enough to spy, when larger source is available elsewhere), if they do they would of blocked this domain already.

QQ and wechat girls are more miss then hit. Personally I would suggest fully avoid them. Too much BnS and dissapointed service.

And really, most who come to this forum will not be armed with info to share, they come here to search for resource. Many are not used to forum and unless they have to they will not post at all.


Anyways, I have been reading a while in this forum as a guest and thought maybe its worth registering but I am not so sure yet. So far I have been hesitating to use any of the information here as I am a bit shy and afraid of ending up with some used up girl trying to rip me off, haha. I just turned 30 and wonder if I am too young for this?I recall cruising in other NA forum back then, and many indy will flat out refuse man under 35 (some on website / advertisement). I happen to talk to some in a gathering and most say they are just too energetic and do not know how to take care a woman. They often say if you are in early / mid 20 and not bad looking go hit the bar.

I am in my late 20's, very fat and ugly. I won't be able to score any decent girl (unless they are after something else you have). After my last relationship I am not looking into starting another one soon. But once in a Blue moon you just got to take care of the JR with help from others. I personally do not see any problem.


I'm coming to Beijing from the US next month. Everything I need will fit into a small overheard bag, which leaves me an empty suitcase to bring things in. Is there anything that I can bring that I can easily sell in China? I bought an unlocked iPhone 6 from the Apple Store. I still have lots of space. Anything suggestions? I have a friend who financed an entire trip to Africa with Apple products. I'd love to make some cash while I'm traveling. (No drugs, of course.). Please PM me if you have some ideas / leads / requests. Thanks!Do not attempt to bring any apple related product into China with intention to sell. China has been very tight in major airport recently thanks to the launch of ip6 (China only launched 13 days ago, so people were bringing them in like mad), but since China has some crazy import tax you will get dinged (since you did not declare at custom you may get arrested). If you decide to take the risk bring it without the original box, but for sure not large quantity.

Also I last checked USA Customs and Border Protection requires all electronics to be able to power on if carry on, not sure about check luggage and I am not sure how comfortable checking in 1000+USD worth of product.

[Lao Ma]

To suggest that the Chinese authorities don't know about this website is the funniest thing I've ever heard. Good lord, that's hilarious.

[Mighty Spearsman]

To Ikksman.

Do you read and study every post in details who does that who got time.

Fast eddie 48.One could also ask "who has the time to write 3,565 posts?" especially when most of them are questioned, at least on the Jakarta board, as being posts written by someone who may not be a real person.

Just curious.

[Ikksman]

One could also ask "who has the time to write 3,565 posts?" especially when most of them are questioned, at least on the Jakarta board, as being posts written by someone who may not be a real person.

Just curious.I totally fail to understand why some on the Jakarta board have doubts that our (in)famous Fast Eddie is a real person. And then they fail to meet with him in Jakarta as promised (a couple of weeks ago). I doubt that any regulars on the China forums doubt his existence, even if they disagree with some of his opinions.

Regardless of our respective opinions of FE48 and his posts, for those Jakarta ISGers to simply dismiss evidence by other posters, of FE48's existence as simply hearsay, is really a bit silly.

Reproduced below is a post by OldAsiaHand, one of a number of posts by ISG members who have met FE48.


FE48,
You and I have been on this forum for ages. I remember meeting you in CP, what 10+ years ago, when you did not show up at the Miraton Hotel to meet our group as agreed for a chicken run but we caught you trolling the Yalan BBS on your own when we arrived. Perhaps, trying to get a jump start on the best talent? LOL. I will never forget how you "squeeze" fruit before you buy and the look of fear and disgrace on the poor girls' faces as you maul them in the middle of the shop in front of all their compatriots and the other customers. Yes, they are working girls but still human beings that deserve a bit of respect IMHO.
In the same vein, I cannot understand why you continue to attack members of this forum with the same lack of respect. Do they really deserve it? Most are just sharing their POV and experience for whatever it is worth. Many do not have the benefit of living here like I do or visiting as frequently as you do but they still have a right to post. It is up to the reader to sift through our posts and decide which advise to follow. Nothing is perfect. There will be dead ends but nothing is a total free lunch.
Just my POV.
OAH.
P.S. I was speaking with a reliable source in SZ yesterday about Sha Tsui. He told me that girls are still available but the mamas are bringing them up to the rooms one at a time for viewing so it can take a long time to find an acceptable one to do. I remember when there were 2,000 - 3,000 girls available in that area. (.Ikks.

[Kbj2010]

It appears that Craigslist has begun blocking IPS in China. At least in Beijing. Here is the message you get when attempting to go to any craigslist site without a VPN:

This IP has been automatically blocked.

If you have questions, please email: blocks-b1414809788254395 at craigslist. Org.

Even with a VPN the city sites for Beijing and Shanghai are also blocked, so this may have something to do with the APAC conference in Beijing later in the month. Time will tell if this is just temporary or permanent.

[Lao Ma]

It appears that Craigslist has begun blocking IPS in China. At least in Beijing. Here is the message you get when attempting to go to any craigslist site without a VPN:

This IP has been automatically blocked.

If you have questions, please email: blocks-b1414809788254395 at craigslist. Org.

Even with a VPN the city sites for Beijing and Shanghai are also blocked, so this may have something to do with the APAC conference in Beijing later in the month. Time will tell if this is just temporary or permanent.Craigslist works fine for me in both Beijing and Shanghai, via my VPN service.

[Midwestern]

Craigslist works fine for me in both Beijing and Shanghai, via my VPN service.Craigslist works for me in BJ, SH, et al. , even without VPN.

[Kbj2010]

Craigslist works fine for me in both Beijing and Shanghai, via my VPN service.While it was blocked when I originally posted, it did return later in the day. Sorry for the confusion.

[Fast Eddie 48]

One could also ask "who has the time to write 3,565 posts?" especially when most of them are questioned, at least on the Jakarta board, as being posts written by someone who may not be a real person.

Just curious.To Mighty.

Yes I got 3565 post I been active here for over 10 yr if you RTFF you should not ask this dumb question, do I think you and the idoit at the Jakrata are real I really don't care.

Fast eddie 48.

[Fuddzie]

I read that prostitution is illegal in China. What is the actual risk of being caught or the girl calling the police to set you up because you don't pay what she demands.

Are the taboo sex acts, aside from [CodeWord123] (http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord123), that will get you shot on site.

[Ikksman]

I read that prostitution is illegal in China. What is the actual risk of being caught or the girl calling the police to set you up because you don't pay what she demands.

Are the taboo sex acts, aside from XXXXXXXX, that will get you shot on site.Risk varies from area to area. For example higher risk in Dongguan at present. And depends where service is performed: sauna, BBS, KTV, hotel or apartment. Crackdowns also occur periodically.

But overall, risk is generally low.

Girls won't call police, but some may call in heavies / cronies in the scam.

[Belinik]

I read that prostitution is illegal in China. What is the actual risk of being caught or the girl calling the police to set you up because you don't pay what she demands.Girls won't call the police, but scammers are all over the place, some may fish you for a while and then call the big gun (I have heard people got beaten to half death, got detained, faking they are their family, boyfriend or police etc.

Since earlier this year when China government began major crackdown on prostitution thanks to certain media report. Police are way more active on raiding sauna, KTV and even hotels.

These are what I used to hear in another forum If you get caught engaging those activity, people used to be able to bribe their way out for a few grand, but I heard which is no longer possible since the crackdown. Normal procedure is 15 days detain in jail (plus possible physical re-education), calling to your company and / or family. Some says they may let foreigner off the hook but I will take that as a grain of salt, I'd imagine voiding of visa sounds more proper.

[SE Asia Joe]

I have written up the following in response to requests on another forum to so do; I hope it's of some use here too.

I hope and believe that others here could benefit from the information below because as far as scams are concerned, I probably am only going to be skimming the surface.

Please first note that there are many good guys and for sure I have made acquaintance of many a fine gentleman when out mongering; what I write is just to safeguard us from falling prey to the vultures that unfortunately also does pollute our midst; certainly does not apply or reflect upon most other just plain good and helpful mongering guys.

Preamble.

** First thing to be wary of are those friends of friends – as too many times we let our guard down when a friend makes the introduction and you find out too late that your friend actually do not know the guy that well himself!

** Conversely, do make it clear to others if the person you introduce is not that close to you and make it quite clear that you will not vouch for him.

** Second thing to watch out for are those guys on the internet as well as IRL that just seem to be too eager, too accommodating and too friendly for someone you just met. Don't let your guard down when someone treats or pays the whole bill, usually for initial smallish amounts for coffee or snacks etc. , and invariably then expects you to pick up the subsequent larger bills. Also, do double check each bill as incurred if someone volunteers to be the one who pays, and worse if he suggests he keep a running tab for everybody else; a nasty surprise usually awaits you!

** Third most important thing. Watch out for those plaintive postings about wanting to meet up with bros "I am a newbie, need someone to hold my hands etc. " Too many times these are just wolves in sheep skin! Be a nice guy and hook up with them and you'll be slaughtered without you even realizing it yourself! This happens with too much sickening regularity as scammers just create clones and post when they ain't got nothing better to do.

** Fourth, if you are planning on hosting others, do keep it to a smallish group – anything over 5 guys is too many as it's too easy to lose control and / or the group splits up into sub-groups. Also, IMHO it just is not fun to have too large a group.

** Black spot for being taken advantage of are KTV's, Nightclubs, Bangkok Gentlemen Clubs etc. Where the total bill can be substantial and comes at the end of the evening, but you can also be scammed in saunas, OKT services, BBS's, even for hotel rooms!

Free-loaders.

This is the most common occurrence and quite easy to avoid either by first outlining what all is expected in terms of sharing, costs and none of that I only drink soft drink nonsense OR by just collecting money before you venture forth.

Before I learned my lesson, I've had "Oh, can you please pay for me first as its easier to settle all later, or I don't have enough for my girl fee tonight, or my friend and I will do so later, or I need to change currency first" or just guys pretending to be so drunk / in such a hurry to leave with his gal. Even one who actually pretended a phone call that was an emergency! Yeah, I've had my share, but in my (embarrassed) defense, I must stress that I have been mongering for quite a few years plus of course I do sometimes stupidly over-concentrate on just enjoying myself. Oops!

These parasites are so irritating! I mean ForCrissakes, if you're going to be a thief, at least do it for more than free drinks etc.

Continued.

[SE Asia Joe]

2).

Undeclared agents.

There are many of these guys in most forums pretending to just be another good guy monger, offering up information, comments, replying to questions either on the board or by PM (especially to those asking for recommendations! Note: All you're doing is to paint a huge target on yourself doing this! They would then offer to meet up and party together and of course get kick-backs, huge ones, from the various places!

There really is not much wrong if an agent declares himself an agent and get, say 10% kick-backs, or using a more appropriate term for travel agents, standard industry rebates. But you can be very sure that when an agent takes so much pain to conceal the fact that he is actually an agent, the kick-backs are going to be way-way more substantial than 10%! But even for declared agents, do watch out for all the tricks he will come up with to bump up the Bill, with the full complicity of the establishment and worse, possibly your fellow party-goers too.

** Empty beer bottles and cans brought in and charged for. Sometimes, even liquor bottles and mixers.

** Half full glasses being cleared and dumped into the sink.

** Over-priced snacks, toys, cigars, ladies drinks etc. Suddenly appearing.

** Encourage Mommies, mei-mei's friends, managers etc. Who are nothing more than professional drinkers there to inflate the bill, to come into the room. And it's weird how some guys really love having these suckers come in and supposedly "give him face" by toasting and of course polishing up your liquor!

** Encourage you and your friends to start acting like BSD's and waste liquor / throw money around / over-sit number of girls. Remember, girls drink too and agents can also get rebates from the mommies for girls.

** Set up heavy drinking games. Yes, a lot of fun, but ridiculous how much liquor the guy can manage to "play" down everybody's throat, and worse when we, including the girls get too drunk and lose control.

** NOT ordering the special deals or get freebies that are quite the norm at many places.

** Over-order liquor bottles, which he will store to use next visit to treat his own friends, who knows precisely what the agent does but is complicit to screw you, as they get to share his ill-gotten gains too.

** Bringing in supposedly "Real Liquor" but is of course just another fake bottle, and apologizing whilst moaning that the stupid place charges hefty corkage.

** Also watch out for friends who loves being "Taikor" - all generous and "Tai fong" so that he gets treated as VIP then and on subsequent visits, and of course you get to share the cost for him to be Taikor! (even without any agents around). LOL – to many Zeroes wanting to be Heroes, especially when overseas.

Continued.

[SE Asia Joe]

3. Scammers.

IMHO, there is especially a lot scammers preying on mongers, and they involve both petty sums as well as larger ones. I think most of us know how to avoid the petty scams but what really irk me are those involving larger amounts.

**Please be especially wary of them making use of a mutual friend's repute to scam you and of course, be wary of them using YOU to scam your friend! I've had some pretty uncomfortable situations happen this way and once even actually paid out! Luckily it was just small money and thus not worth it to impair a good friendship. But still, Sheesh!

** Offers of great deals like cheap Iphones, antiques, ginseng, tea, jewelry etc. If you're lucky, you'll get over-priced goods, if not, you'll not even get anything and he disappears! LOL! And oh yeah, helping you get "great" rates on currency exchange! Again if you're lucky, you'll just have a lousy rate, if not, you'll end up with fake bills! Or how about him giving you fake foreign currency for your local ones as he hasn't changed his yet?!

** Do NOT engage in any Drugs, illegal gambling etc. One time I'm pretty sure we got scammed when one of our new friends took out playing cards and we started gambling and got raided. And this was when there were no particular crack-downs on such things and we had seemed to be targeted, and had to pay quite a large sum of money to avoid being jailed.

** Overly generous fellow monger, spending quite large sums, even asking guys to "Hold on" to his money as he's too drunk etc. This is to establish his trustworthiness and supposed up-rightness first before he suckers the now convinced mark into investing or co-investing or whatever. I've seen large sums lost this way.

** Surprisingly, even just being great mongering buddies seem to lull some into complacency, and of course again co-investing etc. Somehow or other, guys become instant bosom-buddies when mongering – and this is the most important thing to remember about mongering scams – keep your wits about when having a good time mongering!

As above, I'm sure I've only barely skimmed the surface of this topic and I would thus appreciate others' further input.

SEAJ

[Blacklisted]

Sorry to hear of all the shit you've had to deal with Joe.

My only add is that while it's necessary to be careful, 99% of guys out there are not doing this and I've made a bunch of long term buddies from this site and mongering which may not have occurred with a guard too firmly in place.

Just my opinion!


3).

Scammers.

IMHO, there is especially a lot scammers preying on mongers, and they involve both petty sums as well as larger ones. I think most of us know how to avoid the petty scams but what really irk me are those involving larger amounts.

**Please be especially wary of them making use of a mutual friend's repute to scam you and of course, be wary of them using YOU to scam your friend! I've had some pretty uncomfortable situations happen this way and once even actually paid out! Luckily it was just small money and thus not worth it to impair a good friendship. But still, Sheesh!

** Offers of great deals like cheap Iphones, antiques, ginseng, tea, jewelry etc. If you're lucky, you'll get over-priced goods, if not, you'll not even get anything and he disappears! LOL! And oh yeah, helping you get "great" rates on currency exchange! Again if you're lucky, you'll just have a lousy rate, if not, you'll end up with fake bills! Or how about him giving you fake foreign currency for your local ones as he hasn't changed his yet?!

[SE Asia Joe]

Sorry to hear of all the shit you've had to deal with Joe- that sucks!!

My only add is that while it's necessary to be careful, 99% of guys out there are not doing this and I've made a bunch of long term buddies from this site and mongering which may not have occurred with a guard too firmly in place.

Just my opinion!!Yes, you are definitely correct in that there are a lot of great guys on here and I did emphasize that point first and foremost in my long piece. In fact I too have had the privilege of making friends with a LOT of great guys from this particular board.

Please also note that this IS a re-post on another forum, and that particular forum is full of these undeclared agents, scammers, con-men and clones to back up their schemes. Heck, I even heard that there are at least a couple guys there with so many clones that they're actually using spread sheets to keep track of all of them! Incredible.

And as far as having had to deal with all the shit, not really all that bad as I learned quick and especially now, know what and who to stay away from. You've also got to remember that I've been mongering for quite a while too!

Thanks,

SEAJ

[Midwestern]

Thanks for your 3-part post on scams, et al. I've been scammed a few times, and so your posts have my full endorsement.

[Ikksman]

In the past week or so, I have received a number of PMs from regular members who have 0 or 1 posts.

This have never occurred previously. I did not even know that regular members could send PMs! Should I be concerned? Any thoughts?

Ikks.

[Fast Eddie 48]

In the past week or so, I have received a number of PMs from regular members who have 0 or 1 posts.

This have never occurred previously. I did not even know that regular members could send PMs! Should I be concerned? Any thoughts?

Ikks.To Ikk.

I also been getting alot of newbie asking for advice I don't reply or answer question unless they have more than 20 post, there are too many newbie or Lurker posting BS and wrong info here lately and I try to point thing out and all I got is my post got delet by Adminster so I am with you don't give a damn everymore, I know it is tough to find action in China now day even for lone time mongering in China like myself most of my contact is gone when back home or got a regular job until the crack down end.

Fast eddie 48.

[Kitsune9]

[Deleted by Admin]

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report was deleted because the subject was not related to the purpose of this Forum, which is as follows:

The purpose of this Forum is to provide for the exchange if information between men on the subject of finding women for sex.

[SE Asia Joe]

The following is a re-post of a piece I wrote for a mongering web-site from a city-state that many of you also participate in; hopefully it can help you better navigate all the pitfalls of that site with their strange rules.

In reply to a great question – "How do we know if we are dealing with an agent or not" - I'the like to publicly reply here as I believe that this opinion is probably useful as we search for new mongering destinations. I stress that these are just IMHO, because Stealth agents / scammers are so skillful at exploiting all the intrigue, use of clones AND the unique rules on XXX to cover their tracks. Please also give your input as scammers are a real problem – especially when mongering unfamiliar places and when handicapped with little / no language capabilities.

XXX rules state that just so long as an agent / anybody wanting to promote his business do NOT disclose that he is actually charging anything for his services, that it is OK to do so for free; conversely, if he does state that he is a professional agent or businessman, he must pay advertising fees. This strange rule not only allows deception, it practically encourages this!

Agents / scammers / even just unscrupulous business owners, understanding this rule, then just infest various threads with all sorts of information (note. Most quite factual actually) BUT once a while insert things like:

- If you really want to enjoy / save money, you need to have a local friend go with you. How natural would it be then for unsuspecting suckers to then befriend this supposedly friendly, knowledgeable local?

- OR, you need language ability / somebody to translate to really get the best deals / experiences.

- OR, idle conversations amongst these co-conspirators, hinting at tantalizing possibilities but using code words and the local (foreign to us) language to elicit response / questions from the unsuspecting who's convinced the scammer is a knowledgeable local.

- OR, this area is the best (town or part of town) . You should stay around here – which just happens to be where his rental condo / room / shop / bar / establishments where he has kick-back arrangements with is situated at.

- OR, check out certain third party web-site – where he has prominence / links to his own website.

- OR, I tried this fabulous, cheap place / girl – supposedly just innocently supplying directions to such.

- OR, describing how they had such a great, wild time at AAA, arranging another one, still got space to make it another memorable EVENT! Or about just a nice place to go to – "Let's just share a few beers together, first one on me!" All seemingly so charming and innocent!

- OR, actually name another member (s) as his supposed good buddy, especially when this member is known as being an upright person – thus sharing / transferring such good creds to himself.

- OR, post supposedly innocent enquiries for info / appeals to help out a newbie (one of their clones) – which attracts good-natured members to assist. And fall into their trap.

- All these ploys are to me SO UNFAIR TO HONEST REGULAR MEMBERS who just want to share information with the rest of us, and the main reason why I AM so outraged.

AND then they would periodically go on vitriolic outbursts / tirades just to establish that "Hey, I don't tolerate anybody doubting me. I'm just a good guy sharing!" This is how they convince others reading that he don't care as he is just sharing – yeah, right. And you've all seen how they then back it up using clones, co-conspirators and then sadly, but invariably, the clueless pathetic characters who want to be associated with these supposed "Taikors" follow.

Ridiculously, there are also many who, not really understanding how polluted XXX is with these scammers, then just innocently add their 2 cents. All this happens when anybody dares to try point out their evil ways – as is the case in their quite successful campaign to discredit others and I in the past. They would also bombard threads where their underground activities are in danger of being uncovered, thereby burying such amongst the diatribe. I am fully expecting the same this time. Unless they got smart and just ignore me now. Which BTW, is another trick up their sleeves – that of telling others to "Just ignore this deluded Swede!" LOL!

It's gotten so bad that I myself never know who to believe on this board. These guys are so sneaky that they have sharing arrangements to cross-refer clients to their various businesses AND locales, ergo their mutual postings and support across different threads here.

And, just like any nefarious organizations, they also carve up their territories – and of course squabble when one perceives another of trespass, thus the internecine wars that they have even on the board. Ridiculous! Even these squabbles, I never even know if real or just something they cook up to attract attention and highlight their local knowledge.

Actually, I don't really much like writing this expose as I do believe that everybody has the right to earn a living and I salute inventiveness in doing business; but the "unique" landscape of XXX encourages thievery and scammers – and I certainly can't stand for such. I of course do fear for my own safety – especially after all these friendly, jolly requests to meet up of late. But here again, this should help you understand the kind of characters these stealth agents / scammers are if unfortunately you do get suckered into their web of deceit and thievery.

In fact, another topic they like to cover is how "connected" they are and that they usually prefer to settle matters with muscles – to ensure that if one of their victims eventually realizes that he's been conned, he will be less likely to cause too much of a stir. Please also note that "connections" also means that they are many times complicit with these local "connections" committing their own scams, blackmail and extortion schemes perpetrated on foreigners. Please be more aware. Most of us are just regular mongers out for a good time and no match for these preying praying-mantises.

I do wish / request that Boss would look again at his rules – as I am very sure that good, regular businessmen – including agents – would prefer to be able to just openly advertise their products / services without having to go along with all this deception that goes on in XXX at present. Right now, if one openly states on XXX that one is a PROPER business, he has to become a paid advertiser – which puts him at a disadvantage to these scammers who pretend to offer to share their knowledge, companionship etc. Free! Boss is probably just limiting his own advertisement income as I betcha that some of these guys would rather come out openly if the ad fees are better fine-tuned to the size of their business and if XXX can have rules to be rid of most of these undercover agents / unscrupulous businesses. Who now gang-up to discredit honest businessmen who pay to advertise. At least have a sticky on top of the International forum which lists out handles that are undeclared agents; I'm sure Boss / Mods know most of them and it's up to those named to refute if they are wrongly included in this sticky.

ALL. IMHO. Of course.

But NOT just a conspiracy theory. I've had to deal with their crap too many times; all too real.

SEAJ

[Ikksman]

The following is a re-post of a piece I wrote for a mongering web-site from a city-state that many of you also participate in; hopefully it can help you better navigate all the pitfalls of that site with their strange rules.

In reply to a great question "How do we know if we are dealing with an agent or not" - I'the like to publicly reply here as I believe that this opinion is probably useful as we search for new mongering destinations. {S N I P}Thanks for a very informative series of posts on scammers, and I certainly learnt a fair bit about their sneaky ways.

But I would hasten to point out that ISG is nowhere down near the level of the site with the bizarre power rules!

IMO, it behoves all ISG members (not just the moderator) to identify and expose scammers for the safety and well-being of other members. Unfortunately, this must be done rather indirectly as scammers (as well as using tactics outlined in SEAJ's post), may complain to the moderator that they are being "attacked". And the moderator may unwittingly delete the exposing posts.

This probably applies not just to scammers and con-men, but also to BS artists, whose posts can confuse new members and even lead them into unsafe situations (alright, off my high horse now).

Cheers.

[Ikksman]

Has anyone had any experience running Bluestacks software under Windows 8. 1?

The software enables you to run Android apps on your PC as if it were a native Android device.

But I don't know if it allows interaction between Android apps. For example, I want to run FakeGPS app and have WeChat utilise the fake GPS location.

What about Youwave and other emulator software?

Thanks.

[Ikksman]

Many of us who use sites like ChinaLoveCupid find that the majority of SYTs post photoshopped pictures.

Apparently there is a Japanese iOS app that restores photos to their pre-photoshopped state. I have a fair knowledge of imaging technologies, but have no understanding of how this app works.

I don't have an iPhone, but would be very interested for some members to download and test the app and report here.

http://www.thenanfang.com/blog/popular-new-app-in-china-removes-selfie-touch-ups-to-show-whats-really-underneath/

Ikks.

[Ikksman]

Caught!

I know that many of us have a regular GF as well as mongering on the side. To be successful in these ventures, you need to either spend a lot of money on hotel rooms or carefully clean all traces of the casual GFs from your apartment.

I thought that I was pretty good at this, emptying the rubbish bins, checking for hair (even in the sink drains), washing all cutlery and glasses, changing the bed linen, clearing SMS messages etc, etc. I even have separate Wechat accounts on different phones.

Anyway I got caught. GF was playing with my phone and said to me "When were you at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel?" WTF. How did she know this? I looked at my phone and saw that she was checking my wi-fi settings. I had connected to the hotel wi-fi when using my 'normal' phone, and the wi-fi name showed in the settings.

So you must be careful, even when using hotels for mongering! ISG PI forums often have threads discussing other risks of discovery (FB etc), but AFAIK, this risk has never been recognised before.

Ikksman
"No need to expose fools. They expose themselves!"

[Ikksman]

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[Kaywhy]

Many of us who use sites like ChinaLoveCupid find that the majority of SYTs post photoshopped pictures.

Apparently there is a Japanese iOS app that restores photos to their pre-photoshopped state. I have a fair knowledge of imaging technologies, but have no understanding of how this app works.

I don't have an iPhone, but would be very interested for some members to download and test the app and report here.

http://www.thenanfang.com/blog/popular-new-app-in-china-removes-selfie-touch-ups-to-show-whats-really-underneath/

IkksI was going to download the app but then read the reviews, which say it does not do what is advertised, just makes the eyes smaller, etc.

[Ikksman]

I was going to download the app but then read the reviews, which say it does not do what is advertised, just makes the eyes smaller, etc.Thanks,

I am not surprised. As I mentioned, I could not understand how imaging technologies could achieve this!

Ikks.

[FreebieFan]

Caught!

I know that many of us have a regular GF as well as mongering on the side. To be successful in these ventures, you need to either spend a lot of money on hotel rooms or carefully clean all traces of the casual GFs from your apartment.

I thought that I was pretty good at this, emptying the rubbish bins, checking for hair (even in the sink drains), washing all cutlery and glasses, changing the bed linen, clearing SMS messages etc, etc. I even have separate Wechat accounts on different phones.

Anyway I got caught. GF was playing with my phone and said to me "When were you at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel?" WTF. How did she know this? I looked at my phone and saw that she was checking my wi-fi settings. I had connected to the hotel wi-fi when using my 'normal' phone, and the wi-fi name showed in the settings.

So you must be careful, even when using hotels for mongering! ISG PI forums often have threads discussing other risks of discovery (FB etc), but AFAIK, this risk has never been recognised before.

Ikksman
"No need to expose fools. They expose themselves!"I noticed another new possible expose, for the intrepid female sleuth and that is to open all the hidden pics folder.

Assuming you use something like quickpic to sort all your pics theres a hidden folder.

In it, are the pics of all the girls you have chatted to, but maybe deleted as a contact.

The pics are still there, as well as their avatars etc.

Once had one of those girls who knew all the tricks about finding stuff out about guys.

Second time I found her fiddling with my phone she was shown the door. An app like cleanmaster will clean up all this junk.

These are things they should be teaching in school!

[Ikksman]

There are reports circulating that the latest update to the Great Firewall of China is blocking VPN traffic (by recognising the protocols used by VPN providers).

I suspect the story is a bit of a beat up, as some other products also use the same protocols (L2TP, PPTP, SSTP).

My VPN service is working fine (as of 5 minutes ago).

Anyone having VPN problems?

Ikksman.

[Lao Ma]

There are reports circulating that the latest update to the Great Firewall of China is blocking VPN traffic (by recognising the protocols used by VPN providers).

I suspect the story is a bit of a beat up, as some other products also use the same protocols (L2TP, PPTP, SSTP).

My VPN service is working fine (as of 5 minutes ago).

Anyone having VPN problems?

Ikksman.Mine works fine on my MacBook, but not my iPhone. When I login, I get a general "dear client" message saying the product no longer works in China, but that they are working on it. But again, I have no problems.

[Waldeck2]

No problems. Name by PM only and experienced.

[Ikksman]

Mine works fine on my MacBook, but not my iPhone. When I login, I get a general "dear client" message saying the product no longer works in China, but that they are working on it. But again, I have no problems.Read a bit more about the story. Apparently most problems have been with iPhones and iPads. If true, I wonder what is next? Is this just a trial for blocking all VPN transmission?

Ikksman.

[Lao Ma]

Read a bit more about the story. Apparently most problems have been with iPhones and iPads. If true, I wonder what is next? Is this just a trial for blocking all VPN transmission?

Ikksman.I don't think it's a trial, I think it's a shot across the bow, that tells troublemakers "we can block whatever we want to, whenever we want to, on our terms". But I would not be surprised to see them blocking all VPN transmissions. When that happens, Hello, Hong Kong or Singapore; here I come.

I've noticed that early in the morning, say around 5:00 am, I am pretty consistently able to get full gmail access off of my iPhone, which I've never installed a VPN on. Later in the day, no.

[Kbj2010]

There are reports circulating that the latest update to the Great Firewall of China is blocking VPN traffic (by recognising the protocols used by VPN providers).

I suspect the story is a bit of a beat up, as some other products also use the same protocols (L2TP, PPTP, SSTP).

My VPN service is working fine (as of 5 minutes ago).

Anyone having VPN problems?

Ikksman.Many of us awoke earlier this month to learn that the Great Firewall of China had blocked access to all things Google (even to Gmail). While direct access to the Google site and to the HTML Gmail page had been blocked in most parts of China for several years, those that had set up IMAP or POP3 access were still able to get access most of the time. That ended earlier this month. At the same time, many VPNs found that it was now impossible to connect rendering them useless. At least on Windows based systems. A few days later I found it was impossible to get Gmail using my iPad or iPhone. So it looked like the blockage was complete. So I was forced to switch to a new email address (as I am sure many others living here had to do).

After a few days I found that the VPN I used on my computer (free one. Which had never been blocked before) got partial access and informed me it needed to upgrade the software. And the new version, while slower, connects now every time. I also noticed that the free VPN I had been using on my iPhone and iPad (when I wanted to use Google Maps usually) had also upgraded and I was once again able to connect. Without a significant loss in speed. Should anyone wish to know the particulars about these free VPNs, send me a PM and those that have been around for some time will be given the information (as I do not wish LE to block these free VPNs).

[Mike921]

I don't think it's a trial, I think it's a shot across the bow, that tells troublemakers "we can block whatever we want to, whenever we want to, on our terms". But I would not be surprised to see them blocking all VPN transmissions. When that happens, Hello, Hong Kong or Singapore; here I come.

I've noticed that early in the morning, say around 5:00 am, I am pretty consistently able to get full gmail access off of my iPhone, which I've never installed a VPN on. Later in the day, no.The 'mighty' CCP is all about money, they will never block ALL VPN traffic as foreign enterprises require it to do business. End of story.

[Kbj2010]

The 'mighty' CCP is all about money, they will never block ALL VPN traffic as foreign enterprises require it to do business. End of story.How savvy you are Mike921 - you are right, business VPNs are not impacted. At least for my part I thought this discussion was only about the private VPNs that individuals (not companies) use. Many (most) of those are now blocked.

[Sky Ryder]

Read a bit more about the story. Apparently most problems have been with iPhones and iPads. If true, I wonder what is next? Is this just a trial for blocking all VPN transmission?

Ikksman.I have 4 different VPNs, with a variety of PPTP, L2 TP and an open protocol. The last week or so the have all been blocked by China Telecom, and then the last few days all but one were blocked by China Unicom wireless service. When I contacted my USA Based VPN service provider, they basically said that it was an all out operation to block VPN usuage, (except for those used by banks, etc) the likes they had never seen before. Also I have noticed that at least on the ISP provider to my home, all foreign based web sites are for the most part almost unaccessible. I was able to confirm the China based sites are still working pretty well. Taobao, Youku, etc. , but if it originates off shore, I wish you the best of luck.

It appears my VPN provider has found at least a short term solution, we will see. I agree this is to let everyone know that with little effort and no warning, they can pretty much such the off shore web down.

[SE Asia Joe]

In the past whilst in China, I had always pulled up the following link from which I can choose from literally hundreds of FREE proxy servers:

http://www.proxy4free.com/list/webproxy1.html

Is this and other free proxy server lists still accessible in China now?

SEAJ.

[Joinem]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/23/china-internet-vpn-google-facebook-twitter/22235707/

Be careful out there!

[Kbj2010]

In the past whilst in China, I had always pulled up the following link from which I can choose from literally hundreds of FREE proxy servers:

http://www.proxy4free.com/list/webproxy1.html

Is this and other free proxy server lists still accessible in China now?

SEAJ.Sorry, but this one like nearly all proxy list servers is blocked. At least in Beijing.

[FernandoAlonso]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/23/china-internet-vpn-google-facebook-twitter/22235707/

Be careful out there!I only want to be able to work in peace. Modern work and live includes emails and Internet. This is indeed flexing muscles and who believes it does not hurt business here knows little about China. I mean domestic business, we know how little foreigners count. Embassy websites and foreign equivalents to the Konfuzius institute were blocked, imagine that happening to China in another country, they would send troops. Blockages are completely arbitrary, there is still free access to highly unwelcome information while e. G. Foreign sports results need a VPN to access.

What strikes me most is why at a point in time where there is no apparent threat to the leadership things became so paranoid. I never used a VPN before. I not like being able to use Facebook etc. But that is the price you pay living in the political system as is. Now everybody is forced to go undercover just to do normal live things. This will hardly help to transform the country into an innovative domestic demand driven society. I really do not get where the paranoia stems from. It feels like a step back 40 years. Someone has opened a Pandora's box without need. And while many Chinese indeed care little as long as they can use Wechat and stream soaps the people with the passion and intellect to drive needed changes all rethink where there best future lays.

Not smart in my opinion but I am as they always say just a stupid ugly foreigner who knows nothing.

FA.

[FreebieFan]

Not smart in my opinion but I am as they always say just a stupid ugly foreigner who knows nothing.

FA.Nicely written FA, from another know nothing foreigner.

My VPN which was very strong previously had to be reset a few times to get it working recently. A recent lady friend friend on a dating site asked me why my location now showed as Minnesota LOL.

I too can do happily without facebook or wastebook, but do need my Bloomberg now and again and because of a report they made 3 years about a certain Premiers daughter having accumulated a lot of unexplained welth (sic), its been banned and inaccessible since.

Then again I'm like you, I know FA as we say in UK.

[Beijing4987]

Does the ID card Chinese expire and need to be renewed periodically? A Jiangxi gal working in Shanghai came to my room many times, then suddenly she said her card expired and she could only come to my room for a few minutes after being stopped by the hotel staff. How would she buy a train ticket back to Jiangxi with an expired ID?

[Ikksman]

Does the ID card Chinese expire and need to be renewed periodically? A Jiangxi gal working in Shanghai came to my room many times, then suddenly she said her card expired and she could only come to my room for a few minutes after being stopped by the hotel staff. How would she buy a train ticket back to Jiangxi with an expired ID?Chinese Id cards are valid for 10 years. On the bottom of the reverse side of the card is the issue and expiry dates.

I suspect that there would be no problem buying a train ticket with an expired card, but I stand to be corrected. I know that the Id number is usually printed on the ticket (which of course may have been purchased on the internet, using a ticketing machine, or through an agency), but I don't think that anyone checks the validity of the Id card.

Additionally, I am pretty sure that it is possible for her to get a new card without having to return to her hometown (possibly mailing necessary documentation to hometown police station).

Ikksman.

[GregoryB]

Since VPN' s are more and more blocked, which translation app is remaining and best beyond "iTranslate"?

Thanks for any recommendation!!

Gregory.

[Kbj2010]

Since VPN' s are more and more blocked, which translation app is remaining and best beyond "iTranslate"?

Thanks for any recommendation!!

Gregory.Baidu Translate works everywhere in China (since it is a Chinese company that supports it) and does a relatively good job at translation. Typing works better than spoken, but as with all translators, sometimes it seems to get syntax wrong (which impacts longer phrases more than short ones).

[Ikksman]

{S N I P} I was in Shanghai for a week in October. Stopped by Judy's and it was jam packed. On a weekday.
{S N I P} I didn't notice as many BBS's as usual, but then again I was mostly working my tail off while there.
{S N I P} So, in my opinion, in Shangai at least, things are reasonably normal. I'll be in Beijing in May, for a trade show. I'm betting the usual touts will be handing out 'business' cards galore. Can things be as bad in Beijing as you say?
Huck.This post, on the Beijing subforum, was in response to a post by OAH, who wrote "IMHO, we will never see China again like it was in the day".

OAH was not just referring to pick-up bars and BBSs in Shanghai, but the whole gamut of sex-related activities throughout China. My own experiences are mainly limited to the South, and I can honestly say that things are not like it was in the (good old) days anywhere in South China.

There were areas (maybe 8 or more blocks) in villages in Shenzhen where literally hundreds of WGs from 18 -25 were openly available. Shatsui Cun was the best known with 3000-5000 WGs on the streets, in doorways, in window type shops, KTVs and BBSs. Today, in Shatsui, the few mamasans will only bring girls one by one into rooms for you to make your selection. Of course there are a couple of other villages that still exist in SZ, such as Luohu, Xiangxi, and Hubeixin Cuns, that have limited numbers of WGs available when there is no LE attention, but very rare to get a non-rushed GFE.

There were more than a hundred saunas in SZ (including many in 3-4 star hotels) which had well trained girls who would sequentially perform a variety of different services (up to 20!) depending on your menu selection. These non-veggie operations have virtually disappeared from all of Shenzhen, and totally from the Luohu, Futian and Nanshan districts (where they were previously concentrated). At best you can now only get HJ, or if really lucky a CBJ. Of course it is still sometimes possible to arrange "out of hours" service directly with the girls.

There are a number of KTVs in outlying areas of SZ, where take-out is still available. But foreigners do not seem to be made welcome. I have been taken to some of these establishments (in Longgang) by business colleagues, and no one working there speaks any English.

I believe that many Chinese in South China blame the current crackdown on the recent (over the last 5-10 years) influx of foreigners, particularly Taiwanese, Singaporean and Malaysian mongerers, with many of them arriving in packaged "sex" tours.

And of course, there is the (in) famous Changping, which is now virtually dead. Previously, there was more than a hundred sauna and KTV operations, some holding 'flower street' displays of up to 500 girls, and even operating within the premises of hotels. No "walk of shame" taking girls back to your hotel. You were already there! The WGs even had to pay for formal training of 2-4 weeks (often referred to as ISO standard training)!

There were various estimates of 30,000 to 60,000 WGs in CP's heyday (with one estimate as high as 250,000 for the whole of DG). There were multiple claims that one in ten workers in DG was involved, directly or indirectly, in the sex trade (total population about 9 million from memory).

I will carry with me forever the memory of hundreds and hundreds of SYTs scurrying around the streets of CP in the afternoon, all getting their makeup and hair done for the evening's festivities. And I will likewise remember wandering around the BBSs for a late afternoon selection, with mamasans all eager for me to pick one of their girls, showing the girls' breasts, saying "look at their pink nipples".

Many other cities in Guangdong and other provinces in South China also had significant operations (on a much smaller scale than CP). FS saunas now barely exist anywhere that is accessible to foreigners.

Yeah, right. China has not changed!

Actually, I believe that China is entering a puritanical period. Indications include continuous crackdowns versus the previous periodic ones, banning overseas TV shows (such as Big Bang Theory) which have some low level sexual content, and even censoring a local TV historical drama (Empress of China), removing all cleavage from the episodes (changing waist level shots to head shots). The list goes on and on.

Very sad, and enough to make one convert to freebies with all their dramas! But, to be honest, I have always been a freebie guy and my mongering has only been something to experience occasionally as a fun adventure or when with business colleagues.

Ikksman.

[OldAsiaHand]

It is true that, for some reason, Shanghai has not been hit by the crackdown as much as other parts of China, especially the South. The last time I visited Shanghai was in November /2014. There are still many FS saunas in operation. Whilst there are less BBS than before, you can still find strips of BBS around, albeit many have moved to the outskirts of town. That said, there seemed to be more shut doors than open ones. I did not visit the clubs since I am not keen for Vietnamese or Filipinas in China since I travel to those countries often.

It is also true that S. China has been hit hard as Ikksman says. His recollection of the past is spot on. My first visit to CP was in 1995. There was really only one KTV (Lion) and the BBS strip that later became coined as the Night Market. I watched and mongered with joy as CP become a mecca of adult entertainment over the years I lived in China. And, tears come to my eyes when I remember, "Pink Color". Shanghai has never been anything like what CP was in the prime. As they say, the higher they go, the harder they fall.

I lived in SZ from 2001-2004. This was the heyday. Sha Tsui, BBS (Futian Walmart, Jusco, Meilin, Seibu to name a few), Pink Apartments, touts by the Shangri-La, etc. FS saunas on every corner. ZH was the value for money sauna capital with the full list of steps as low as 268 RMB.

These are the days that will never come back. IMHO, you will always be able to get laid in China but the prices will continue to go up and the number of options will continue to go down. I have also had my share of freebies but it is never really free. I always end up spending more money on them than I do mongering. And, eventually, they all want something more than just a good time.

Just my POV.

OAH.


This post, on the Beijing subforum, was in response to a post by OAH, who wrote "IMHO, we will never see China again like it was in the day".

OAH was not just referring to pick-up bars and BBSs in Shanghai, but the whole gamut of sex-related activities throughout China. My own experiences are mainly limited to the South, and I can honestly say that things are not like it was in the (good old) days anywhere in South China.

There were areas (maybe 8 or more blocks) in villages in Shenzhen where literally hundreds of WGs from 18 -25 were openly available. Shatsui Cun was the best known with 3000-5000 WGs on the streets, in doorways, in window type shops, KTVs and BBSs. Today, in Shatsui, the few mamasans will only bring girls one by one into rooms for you to make your selection. Of course there are a couple of other villages that still exist in SZ, such as Luohu, Xiangxi, and Hubeixin Cuns, that have limited numbers of WGs available when there is no LE attention, but very rare to get a non-rushed GFE.

There were more than a hundred saunas in SZ (including many in 3-4 star hotels) which had well trained girls who would sequentially perform a variety of different services (up to 20!) depending on your menu selection. These non-veggie operations have virtually disappeared from all of Shenzhen, and totally from the Luohu, Futian and Nanshan districts (where they were previously concentrated). At best you can now only get HJ, or if really lucky a CBJ. Of course it is still sometimes possible to arrange "out of hours" service directly with the girls.

There are a number of KTVs in outlying areas of SZ, where take-out is still available. But foreigners do not seem to be made welcome. I have been taken to some of these establishments (in Longgang) by business colleagues, and no one working there speaks any English.

I believe that many Chinese in South China blame the current crackdown on the recent (over the last 5-10 years) influx of foreigners, particularly Taiwanese, Singaporean and Malaysian mongerers, with many of them arriving in packaged "sex" tours.

And of course, there is the (in) famous Changping, which is now virtually dead. Previously, there was more than a hundred sauna and KTV operations, some holding 'flower street' displays of up to 500 girls, and even operating within the premises of hotels. No "walk of shame" taking girls back to your hotel. You were already there! The WGs even had to pay for formal training of 2-4 weeks (often referred to as ISO standard training)!

There were various estimates of 30,000 to 60,000 WGs in CP's heyday (with one estimate as high as 250,000 for the whole of DG). There were multiple claims that one in ten workers in DG was involved, directly or indirectly, in the sex trade (total population about 9 million from memory).

I will carry with me forever the memory of hundreds and hundreds of SYTs scurrying around the streets of CP in the afternoon, all getting their makeup and hair done for the evening's festivities. And I will likewise remember wandering around the BBSs for a late afternoon selection, with mamasans all eager for me to pick one of their girls, showing the girls' breasts, saying "look at their pink nipples".

Many other cities in Guangdong and other provinces in South China also had significant operations (on a much smaller scale than CP). FS saunas now barely exist anywhere that is accessible to foreigners.

Yeah, right. China has not changed!

Actually, I believe that China is entering a puritanical period. Indications include continuous crackdowns versus the previous periodic ones, banning overseas TV shows (such as Big Bang Theory) which have some low level sexual content, and even censoring a local TV historical drama (Empress of China), removing all cleavage from the episodes (changing waist level shots to head shots). The list goes on and on.

Very sad, and enough to make one convert to freebies with all their dramas! But, to be honest, I have always been a freebie guy and my mongering has only been something to experience occasionally as a fun adventure or when with business colleagues.

Ikksman.

[Erasmus B Dragin]

>> And, tears come to my eyes when I remember, "Pink Color". <<
OAH.While visiting several BBSs off Baiwan Lu in CP a few years back the mamas kept repeating what I interpreted as "pin ka la" while pulling out a girl's tits for my inspection. Otherwise our conversation was entirely in Chinese so I had no idea what they were saying. The following day I had lunch with Santa, who explained that it was their attempt at "pink color", as they assumed that all white guys were looking for pink nipples! Your legacy in CP!

[SE Asia Joe]

It is true that, for some reason, Shanghai has not been hit by the crackdown as much as other parts ..

Just my POV.

OAH.Misty eyed as I read your report, cause gone are the days when the whole of southern China was indeed a sex Disneyland.

Not just because of the quantity and quality, which had consistently been high, but the whole atmosphere of mongering here when sex just became a very nice part of a total mongering experience. Genuine and unselfish Bro-mance as we go on chicken runs, forays to saunas / footsies and of course getting all heady from the heat and smells and confusion of the hundreds strong flower streets.

Yes, of course there were the pushy mommies and even one particular Pappa we all hated, but for the most part it was all joyful without the undercurrent of tension and dastardly deeds in other places like LOS and PI.

And of course the gentle nature of our Chinese courtesans! A real hazard was falling hard for the GFE and how most of them could still be so nice and gentle when their station in life and prospects are so dismal.

Nowadays? Overpriced, princess syndrome, lousy attitudes, and of course all sorts of trepidation as LE action have been ridiculous and still continue. Sigh!

Truly a paradise lost.

SEAJ

[Ikksman]

The blocking of VPN services is actually being done very crudely. China simply blocks transmissions to / from the servers that they know are being used by the private VPN providers.

I am successfully again using StrongVPN, by utilising an updated software service that they have developed or simply using mirror servers that are not blocked.

So I guess that the future is a merry-go-round of China blocking servers or VPN-like systems, and then VPN providers developing new work-arounds, etc etc.

Ikksman.

[Ikksman]

Misty eyed as I read your report, cause gone are the days when the whole of southern China was indeed a sex Disneyland. {S N I P}

Truly a paradise lost.

SEAJHey SEAJ,

You forgot the other side of the coin - no more catacombs!

Ikksman

P.S. Actually I think tomorrow is the first anniversary of the big yanda! CP RIP!

[SE Asia Joe]

Hey SEAJ,

You forgot the other side of the coin - no more catacombs!

Ikksman

P.S. Actually I think tomorrow is the first anniversary of the big yanda! CP RIP!HEY! The catacombs were the highlight for all ISG newbies, of which there few and far between those days. Something which all newbies practically begged on bended knees for us to take them to! And the name Catacombs I think was coined by the great Johnny Kon!

Think about it – RMB30 a pop on a straw mat over a piece of plywood on a hardened mud floor. And a bucket of water in the corner if you're lucky. Heck, people these days would pay big bucks to have such a natural experience! Think green sex-tourism and eco-friendly adventures!

Never had the guts to actually did it myself but have heard many raucous belly-aching stories about what transpired there. From the loud bangs on the shack's tin doors at 15 minutes precisely asking if you want to extend your time and Ka-ching another RMB 30, to how totally natural the "ladies" there were to their beaus of the quarter hour and of course all the great pictorial art by the great Cronin!

Come to think of it, anybody ever dared to actually go to the catacombs at night?

And yeah February 9, 2014 – the day that the world we South China mongers knew turned upside down! That very night I was blissfully bonking away whilst my hotel was raided, thank my lucky stars!

Did you guys know that China has a 99.93 criminal conviction rate? And even before you get charged for anything, they can put you into a 15 day detention for investigation when you just rot? What Habeas Corpus?

SEAJ

[OldAsiaHand]

HEY! The catacombs were the highlight for all ISG newbies, of which there few and far between those days. Something which all newbies practically begged on bended knees for us to take them to! And the name Catacombs I think was coined by the great Johnny Kon!

Think about it RMB30 a pop on a straw mat over a piece of plywood on a hardened mud floor. And a bucket of water in the corner if you're lucky. Heck, people these days would pay big bucks to have such a natural experience! Think green sex-tourism and eco-friendly adventures!

Never had the guts to actually did it myself but have heard many raucous belly-aching stories about what transpired there. From the loud bangs on the shack's tin doors at 15 minutes precisely asking if you want to extend your time and Ka-ching another RMB 30, to how totally natural the "ladies" there were to their beaus of the quarter hour and of course all the great pictorial art by the great Cronin!

Come to think of it, anybody ever dared to actually go to the catacombs at night?

And yeah February 9, 2014 the day that the world we South China mongers knew turned upside down! That very night I was blissfully bonking away whilst my hotel was raided, thank my lucky stars!

Did you guys know that China has a 99.93 criminal conviction rate? And even before you get charged for anything, they can put you into a 15 day detention for investigation when you just rot? What Habeas Corpus?

SEAJI have several fond memories of the Catacombs. I always enjoyed taking newbies on the tour to watch the expressions on their faces.

One of my favorite stories was with a Danish guy we took once. As we walked through the hutongs he was wavering back and forth if he shouldtry it. At the top of the hill, he had built his confidence and decided to go for it. Finally, he selected his girl and she refused to service him. By this time we had created a bit of a scene and some local guys were urging her to take the business. She turned to these guys and said and I quote, "Why don't you guys take him up the ass for 30 RMB?" It was a priceless moment I will never forget.

Just my POV.

OAH.

P.S. Yes, it was Johnnykon666 (aka Superforce99) who coined the phrase Catacombs.

[FreebieFan]

The blocking of VPN services is actually being done very crudely. China simply blocks transmissions to / from the servers that they know are being used by the private VPN providers.

I am successfully again using StrongVPN, by utilising an updated software service that they have developed or simply using mirror servers that are not blocked.

So I guess that the future is a merry-go-round of China blocking servers or VPN-like systems, and then VPN providers developing new work-arounds, etc etc.

Ikksman.Had several chats with the customer contact people at Strong (and why do they all have Russian type names. ?). My location has been moved a few time in past week to indicate I'm from San Francisco to LA to New York and then to the Windy city, where my connection now seems to work fine, albeit a tad slower than before.

[Bnlee2]

I have several fond memories of the Catacombs. I always enjoyed taking newbies on the tour to watch the expressions on their faces.

One of my favorite stories was with a Danish guy we took once. As we walked through the hutongs he was wavering back and forth if he shouldtry it. At the top of the hill, he had built his confidence and decided to go for it. Finally, he selected his girl and she refused to service him. By this time we had created a bit of a scene and some local guys were urging her to take the business. She turned to these guys and said and I quote, "Why don't you guys take him up the ass for 30 RMB?" It was a priceless moment I will never forget.

Just my POV.

OAH.

P.S. Yes, it was Johnnykon666 (aka Superforce99) who coined the phrase Catacombs.OAH.

Yes I remember those days walking through the catacomb. I prefer the environment to be a bit cleaner and more upscale. The old days of Sha Tsui. I guess that is the past. Oh well. All things must come to an end. I'm glad that I found a niche in hooking with freebies. Real freebies. With a need for some discreet loving.

[Intransit]

Very long article from ChinaFile on prostitution as part of business culture in China.

http://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/postcard/bro-code

The Bro Code.

Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China.

By James Palmer.

Turning down an after-dinner invite to a brothel is always a social minefield. But the city's Party Secretary, a 50-something man with baby-soft hands, had been gently fondling my thigh underneath the banquet table for the past 45 minutes, making me even more eager than usual to make my excuses and leave.

Perhaps the spa in the small-town Shandong hotel where I was dining with a cluster of businessmen and officials was an entirely legitimate establishment, and I was misreading the nature of the invitation. But the neon sign outside advertising the "Health Body Center" (24247;20307;20013;24515 had replaced the upper strokes in the character 心 with flashing red hearts.

"Health Body" is an approximation; I was sloshed on baijiu, the near-undrinkable spirit ubiquitous at social events, and my memory of the evening is dubious. I had been doing the rounds of provincial cities as my boss' token foreigner for the whole summer, though, pitching training courses to the dim children of the rich so that they could study at foreign universities, and the routine of hard drinking followed by a group excursion to a brothel was becoming a familiar one. My status as a foreigner was enough to excuse me from the sex itself after only a light barrage of gay jokes from the others, but not from the social obligations around it.

That was in 2004, but the routine of much interaction between businessmen and officials has remained the same over the past decade. An initial banquet and heavy drinking provides social lubrication, until, at about 10-11 pm, the party shifts to a KTV, a spa, or a club. Another two or three hours are spent in a shared social space, either accompanied by hostesses making professionally flirtatious conversation, or naked together with other men in a hot bathtub. By 2 am, some of the party collapse in bed, and some retire with the girls.

Prostitution is illegal in China, but also ever-present, masked in varying degrees of ambiguity. Sociologists Yingying Huang and Pan Suiming have highlighted the multiple layers of sex work for women in China, describing seven types that range from "factory girls" and "street-walkers" patronized chiefly by poor migrant workers, to "massage girls" and "beauty parlor girls" who work out of small parlors. At the top are "second wives" and "courtesans," who are younger, better-educated, and charge far more. Businessmen mix at the higher end of the scale, especially with Pan's third-ranking type, "karaoke dancing girls. ".

The KTV, a form of karaoke parlor, comes in two flavors, sometimes mixed in the same establishment. One is bawling "Mice Like Rice" with friends, the other involves socializing.

Brothel visits are not the be-and-end-all of business relationships, but for many years, they've been as essential a part of Chinese business culture as golf was in 1960's America.

And occasional singing, with "hostesses" expected to provide sexual services later in the evening. Similarly, a spa that offers family discounts during the day may well be a de facto brothel at night. In 2004, I saw the same framed print, apparently sold to every reputable and disreputable establishment across Northern China, about a dozen times; it showed a demurely sexy young southeast Asian woman. In the restaurants, a tied white top covered her breasts; in the brothels, they were perkily exposed.

Brothel visits are not the be-and-end-all of business relationships, which require far more expensive gifts, shared entertainment, outright bribes, and even long trips together paid for by one party. But for many years, they've been as essential a part of Chinese business culture as golf was in 1960's America, albeit with slight shifts over the last decade toward more "sophisticated" tastes, such as the rise of foreign spirits or wine in preference to baijiu.

Some of this may be a thing of the past, at least for officials. Before this year, periodic crackdowns on the sex trade would close down businesses for a couple of weeks or months, before all went back to business as normal. The ongoing purge of officials and "anti-corruption campaign" under President Xi Jinping, however, has put a freeze on what was once standard business practice. The fall of many high-level leaders has been accompanied by recitations of their moral failings, especially their keeping of mistresses. While shared brothel visits were once the norm, officials, especially policemen, are now terrified to be seen at clubs, KTVs, or even expensive restaurants.

Regulations against "adultery" are being enforced for the first time in decades. A mild transgression has become a serious offence. And with lower-level officials, especially within China's bloated State-owned enterprises, taking fierce advantage of the "anti-corruption" campaign to snitch on their superiors and open up their posts, the game is no longer worth the candle.

In late 2013, a series of police raids, public closures, and new instructions to officials began to shut down spaces previously essential to business. I assumed, at first, that the crackdown efforts would be limited to Beijing and Shanghai, like many other campaigns, and to a few other key towns like Dongguan, long infamous for the sex trade, which saw a massive raid last February.

Reaching out to contacts in Chengdu, Chongqing, Tangshan, Shijiazhuang, and Harbin I found the same story: officials were terrified of being seen at establishments where they had previously been welcome guests. A long-established business norm was now, at least for anyone with ties to the government, a dangerous hobby. But what had drawn them there in the first place?

Alcohol, food, and sex are fun. But in China, the culture of banquet and brothel has become largely joyless, a business tool chiefly directed at transactional relationships with other men.

It comes with a sniggering puerility, even though the majority of the men involved are well into middle-age. Drinking games, groping, crude jokes, and the bullying hunt for weakness, whether over drink or women, are the norm. Anthropologist John Osburg spent several years mixing with the rich in Chengdu, Sichuan province for his book Anxious Wealth: Money and Morality Among China's New Rich. "These events are like a junior high school party—but with booze and hookers," he told me.

In private conversation, many businessmen confirm that the process is often a chore. (I include gangsters, the prime subject of Osburg's research, in the general category of businessmen here; crime, business, and government are often effectively indistinguishable in China.) Especially outside of the metropolises, few of the establishments involved are particularly seductive. Instead, there's a sweaty griminess of wipe-down sheets and 1970's floral wallpaper, as these photos from one small-time scandal show. In classier establishments, Western pin-ups hang in gold-tinted frames. And endless going out is physically wearing; my old boss would take the train, rather than the plane, because travelling "soft sleeper" gave him a rare chance to rest after two or three nights of "entertainment" for work.

But the purpose of these visits isn't a good time. It's to cement business and personal ties, binding men together through the power of taboo and mutual self-exposure, or at least the pretense of it. It lets them judge that the others involved in a potential deal are men of the same stripe.

Guo (a pseudonym), a friend's cousin, greeted me ebulliently this May when we met in a smoky restaurant in the outskirts of Beijing. He works as a salesman of industrial-sized air conditioners and purifiers, mostly to local governments at inflated prices. "You know until now," he told me in enthusiastic English, "I want to do business, I take a guy (from the government) out, we have drinks, we go to somewhere good, we find girls, he thinks I'm cool guy, I know he's a guy likes girls, we're friends. Business!

In part, the power of the experience comes from the mutual pleasure of shared transgression, the feeling of a shared secret. Like schoolboys' playing hooky, being bad together moves a relationship along fast. As one saying that went rapidly around the Chinese Internet in 2011 put it, "It's better to do one bad thing with your boss than a hundred good things for your boss. ".

Over time, this can extend to an actual exchange of what criminologist Diego Gambetta in his pioneering Codes of the Underworld calls "hostage-information," mutual knowledge of each party's sins that acts as a powerful guarantee neither will break their agreements. But brothel visits in and of themselves give only slight leverage over the other party. These ties can be deepened through more serious offences, like sharing drugs, most popularly ketamine. There are cases of blackmail over visits to sex workers, but these are done through hidden cameras and the gathering of secret information, well outside the social sphere. Sex workers sometimes threaten to expose a man to his wife or make a scene at the office, but for another businessman to do it would be completely outside the pale.

But vice serves as a kind of screen, weeding out the rare few who might have moral qualms about future dealings. It tells both sides that they're playing by the same rules. In contrast with the embarrassment of being caught re-gifting in the West, a businessman's handing over "gifts" often highlight that he is already part of a network of giving. A standard phrase is "This is just a little something, somebody else gave it to me. " Refusing to play the game, on the other hand, comes at a sharp cost. Businessmen who convert to evangelical Christianity and make a commitment to avoid vice or bribery describe sharp business losses as a result, as former partners turn away from them, fearful of their newfound probity.

For many businessmen, an evening out also acts as a kind of test of character. "If you go out together, you really get to know a guy," explained Tao, a factory-owner visiting Beijing from Baoding who would give me only his family name. "You see how he handles his drink, you see how he deals with women. " I felt that I was getting to know Tao slightly too well, as he was drying his saggy balls with a towel in front of me at a hotel spa. His companion, heavily tattooed and with the build of a thuggish Buddha, nodded. "I wouldn't trust a man I didn't drink with," he said.

In a society where trust of strangers is minimal, contract law is fragile, contracts themselves regarded more as guidelines than binding commitments, and the civil courts largely swayed by personal influence rather than legal right, the shared fraternity of the night out is one route to trust between partners. It may not, as businessmen admit, be a particularly effective or reliable way, but it's all they've got to work with.

Amid businessmen, just being somebody's "friend" (pengyou) isn't that close. Casual acquaintances and uncertain contacts are "friends. " A "brother" (xiongdi), on the other hand, is somebody inside the circle, a man who can be trusted. "It's like the distinction between 'a friend of mine' and 'a friend of ours' in the mafia," explains Osburg.

The punishing alcoholism of Chinese banquets is a ripe chance to judge the other side of a business deal. Partially this is the simple belief that in baijiu veritas, though experienced businessmen guard their tongues closely when drunk. Drinking often takes on a competitive edge, pitting each side against the other in round after round of toasts. Lacking the numbers to compete is a basic error; one of my sources was unsympathetic after an American friend, working with a sole colleague, was on the brink of hospitalization following a banquet with Hunanese officials. "What an idiot," she said, "Bringing only one other person to drink with the government!

Many institutions, especially State-owned enterprises, maintain staff whose job is effectively to be professional drinkers, sacrificing their livers for the sake of the firm. One of my near-neighbors in the hutong of central Beijing holds down this post for a major energy company. But the drinking phase of the evening isn't just about pure endurance. It's also a chance for the host to show off a particular kind of leadership, guiding the conversation and the drinking so that everyone is having a "good time"—and most importantly, so that everyone is taking part.

The evaluation continues in the confines of the brothel. Zheng Tiantian, an anthropologist who spent several years working as a KTV hostess as part of her Ph. The. , notes the importance of the "proper" treatment of sex workers in her book Red Lights. "(M) en's ability to dominate these jaded women with the force of their personalities and charm is seen as a demonstration of a man's prestige, power, and status. " This is as subject to artifice as everything else in mainland business deals. "Shi (one of Zheng's sources) bragged to his business partner that he played the hostesses without paying them. It was a flat lie because I knew that Shi's mistresses (had gleaned a great deal of money from them. ".

And, of course, the evening's costs have to be covered. If dealing with officials, footing the bill for a night of sex is a relatively small sum compared to the volume of bribes that the business side is likely to fork out over the course of the relationship, and even smaller compared to the rewards the bribes can reap. If dealing with other businessmen, however, it's a chance for one-upmanship and evaluation of "generosity," like paying at a restaurant. It also gives a chance to see who's important, and who isn't, in the other side's hierarchy; I once came downstairs in the early morning to find my boss beating one of his underlings around the head while holding the bill, verbally abusing him for having the effrontery to include himself and another of his low-ranking buddies in the night's expensive entertainment.

As Zheng details in her book, getting overly sentimental or romantic toward women is seen as a sign of weakness and lack of masculinity. If a businessman is unfortunate enough to love his wife or girlfriend, using it as an excuse to avoid sex is a massive faux pas. I've seen some instead plead tiredness or drunkenness, a more acceptable excuse, or use everyone's 2 am exhaustion as a chance to slip away. Yet it's not unknown, according to sex workers, for men who have retired with the girls for the night to pay for "special services" the next morning that they never received, instead spending the night watching television or sleeping chastely.

Perhaps that's why some bosses demand a more public performance. The ultimate are what participants describe as frequent forays into group sex, often with more male than female participants. Sharing women appears to bring men closer to each other, in a perversely familial fashion. As one northeastern saying goes, "Once two men share a woman, they're brothers. " And when it comes to building up mutual trust, the photos often taken during these miniature orgies provide a rich source of mutual blackmail material that can prove explosive if exposed, as in the 2007 photos of one group of pasty officials leaked online in 2012.

While never explicitly stated, such activities often seem to push the homosocial into the homoerotic. Sam (a pseudonym), a handsome American in his early 40's, is married to a Chinese multi-millionaire. He told me of an incident earlier this year. "One of her friends was opening this new cinema, and we (the men) all headed out after dinner to celebrate. We went to a top-class brothel, and these girls, man, you wouldn't believe how beautiful they were. So these two guys—I can't stand either of them, but they think I'm their buddy—go 'Sam, pick one. Pick any of them. And then we'll watch you with her. ' I said 'Hell no! I'm not going to cheat on my wife, and even if I was, I wouldn't want you to watch. '.

Group sex can also directly demonstrate a man's relative standing in the group. A friend's husband, formerly involved in the coal business in Shaanxi province, described this. "You're there (in the KTV) with these jumped-up thugs. One of them picks a girl, and then he fucks her, and everybody else has to watch. The most important boss there goes first. At least it's over quick. " Other members of the group then have to follow the bosses' lead with the woman. Those who can't perform in front of other men, he added, are mocked.

In these social spaces, the young women involved are props in a ritual directed mostly at other men. The conversational element of their work protects them from some forms of abuse, as well as ensuring that they only see one or two partners a night. For straight sex, it's regular practice for them to be referred to only by number, not name. ("I'm number 16, please ask for me again next time. ") When hostessing, however, they assume nom de guerre, usually a "cutesy" name associated with the sexy childishness some cultivate, doubled-up ("Lili," "Maomao") or "Little (xiao) X" (Xiaoxue, Xiaohua) or even in English.

But group sex strips away those protections. "We hate being with more than one guy," Shanshan, a former KTV girl, explained to me, "The more guys, the less safe the girl is. When there are other men in the room (for sex), it's like the men are competing with each other, and they get rougher, so the girls can get really hurt. Two girls, one man is much better. Then you get the same money for half the work. ".

Even with two women, attention is strictly directed at the man. "Perverted!" Shanshan said when I asked. "We don't touch each other, and the men don't ask for it. But the two of you can talk and make faces at each other when he isn't looking. That's why the girl will always say 'Oh, why don't I go get my friend? The two of us will treat you just like an emperor!' Or you go in and the mama-san says 'Why not have two girls, a rich man like you, twice as good!

Some group activities exclude women altogether, creating purely male and weirdly childlike social spaces. "Sometimes everyone strips off and you lie around naked together in comfortable rooms. The lower ranking members of the group then serve the other ones food and drink. On other occasions, we got high together, took off our shirts, and danced around in a circle holding hands," one Western observer commentated, preferring anonymity.

Whatever the iteration, for many Chinese business owners the brothel is not optional. Every country has its own corrosive intersections of money and power, illegal or otherwise. But in China colluding with officials is a necessity, not an anomaly. For local businesses, a connection with the government is vital to protect themselves from predatory officials exploiting the country's haze of regulations. Regular pay-offs are as ubiquitous as income tax elsewhere.

My friend Yiping, now living in Australia, used to run a small but profitable IT training school in Shijiazhuang. "On a regular basis" she told me, "people from the government would try to shake my business down. I was paying off the dean of my graduate school and a high-ranking official at the local labor bureau that I had made contact with through my parents, so when other officials came to try their luck, I could refer them to my protectors and they would back off. ".

"But to maintain relationships, I had to go out for regular evenings with officials," Yiping explained, "Because I was just 22 and a girl, though, I could only stay till about 10 pm. Instead, I had to hire male students from my university, and pay them to go out with the officials to the KTV, so that the officials would trust me. ".

The world of bonding through vice is especially difficult for women to negotiate, especially with their reputation intact. Female entrepreneurs in China are often believed to have used their sexuality for business advantage, a problem worsened by the strategies needed to negotiate the homosocial world of vice. As well as solutions like Yiping's, Osburg says, "some successful younger businesswomen play a dual role. They act like the men during the banquet, drinking and joking, but then if they accompany them to the KTV, they switch into the role of hostess. They start flirting with the men and playing up their femininity. ".

Older businesswomen sometimes assume a semi-joking role as a "mama-san" negotiating between the hostesses and their male colleagues, or instead mandate that younger female colleagues attend the KTV as part of their work duties. While this usually stays only on the level of flirting or bawdy talk, arranging a date with a "nice girl" from your own firm for a business colleague provides a powerful bond, especially if she then becomes a permanent mistress.

"Such relationships are valued much more highly than those with former sex workers," Osburg noted. But the incentives offered are often still financial. My friend Wu, a young and stylish Beijing PR representative, escorted a visitor from Shanghai to dinner at her boss' request, only to have to fend off his groping in the cab afterward. A week later, he offered, via her boss, a 40 percent pay rise if she moved to Shanghai to work with him.

The values of business culture can extend into personal life. Sam's wife made her own fortune, and "is a better shot than me. She's fierce. " Yet "the first thing she said after we got married," he told me, "was 'I don't mind if you sleep with other women, but only as long as you're always paying them. '" Wives sometimes visit psychologists asking for help accepting their husbands' womanizing, seeing their failure to cope with the cheating as a flaw in themselves, not their husbands, according to one USA Psychologist working in Beijing.

A few female entrepreneurs, however, explicitly reject the values pushed by businessmen. "One of my husband's business friends got married just two years ago," explained Li, in her early 40's, who co-owns a steel business with her husband, "We went to his wedding. But when we hosted an event last year, he came with a young girl who was obviously his mistress. I told my husband that if he cheats on his wife only after a year, he will cheat us. He said no way, he's a good guy, we can trust him!" She looked a little smug. "Now this man owes us a lot of money that he won't pay. ".

The current anti-corruption campaign has had a chilling effect on some of the high-end sex trade in the metropolises. On online forums, punters lament the shut-down of favorite haunts or the sudden disappearance of services. "This is why I only do business with foreigners now," explained "Bianca," a Beijing mama-san, to me over the phone, lamenting the instability of government clients. "No Chinese! Nobody cares if foreigners see girls. ".

But whether business as a whole has suffered or not from the campaign is hotly debated. There's no doubt that certain sectors—liquor, luxury, high-end hotels, the travel industry—have been severely hit. Yet even as businesses find it harder to strike new deals, they're also enjoying something of a relief period from the predations of officials. The impact on the entertainment sector, while visible, may have been lessened since in many cases services were expected to be provided for free to officials, who would regularly run up massive, never-to-be-paid tabs in restaurants and clubs alike. "Karaoke bars and hostesses are our sources of livelihood," one police officer told Zheng Tiantian, "We basically cannot live without them. ".

But efforts to permanently change the conditions that produce corruption, and its attendant vice, such as higher salaries, a free press, or interdependent watchdogs, are being actively discouraged by the authorities. Instead, lectures on Marxism and reminders that officials should be "noble, pure and virtuous persons who have relinquished vulgar tastes" are expected to override officials' greed or lust.

And while officials are scared away for the moment, businessmen themselves seem as keen to head to the KTV as ever. Paid sex remains trivially easy to find at all levels. Even in Dongguan, the hardest target of the campaign, some brothel owners are maintaining their girls on the books, often shifting to less visible locations for favored and trustworthy clients. Outside my workplace in Beijing, prostitutes leaving the nearby hotel, who vanished for a few months during the most recent crackdown, are once again grabbing up the taxis at half past midnight.

Guo, the enthusiastic air-conditioning salesman, got gloomy at the prospect. "Right now I can't make new friends. The old ones, ok, they trust me, maybe we can't go out for fun together, but we can still do business. But nobody new. Fuck!" he brightened up. "But one year, everything gets back to normal. ".

[Ikksman]

Very long article from ChinaFile on prostitution as part of business culture in China.{S N I P}
It comes with a sniggering puerility, even though the majority of the men involved are well into middle-age. Drinking games, groping, crude jokes, and the bullying hunt for weakness, whether over drink or women, are the norm.{S N I P}

The last time that I drank wine or spirits at a Chinese banquet was 1999.

Long ago, I discovered that abstaining from the inevitable drinking games at Chinese banquets, did not necessarily mean a loss of face or be taken as a sign of weakness. I have seen so many newbies to China vomiting all over the place as a result of every employee around the table toasting the 'honoured guest' in turn, causing the newbie to have maybe 5 drinks to one (of the Chinese employee). This seemed to reinforce the hosts' sense of superiority over the guest.

I normally told the hosts that I unfortunately could not drink alcohol (on doctors' orders). They seemed to respect this, although many still attempted to get me to partake in the stupid toasts (on the basis that just one won't hurt me). I also utterly abhorred seeing $250 or even $1,000 bottles of finest wines or spirits being gulped down without the slightest appreciation of the quality of the alcohol that they were drinking.

Sometimes, if I felt like a drink after a long hard day, I would insist on beer. Then when the tepid bottles arrived in the room, I would tell them forcefully that Australians only drink ice cold beer. Of course they would then try and put ice in the glass, but I would insist that on ice cold beers (and just not ice cold bottles with still warm beer inside). In this way I could enjoy a few beers (it took them ages to locate or chill beer to my liking). I would not get drunk swallowing the small 4 or 5 oz glasses of beer and then having to wait 30 minutes for the next ice cold bottle. Many times, the next day, the host's employees would congratulate me on being so strong. In their befuddled memories they simply remembered that I had drunk many glasses of alcohol and kept wanting more (of the nearly unobtainable ice cold beer).

Another advantage of keeping sober was that the host company usually assigned pretty young employees to 'look after' (soften up) the guests, and being sober I would concentrate on winning the hearts of the girls (who appreciated not having some drunken Chinese or foreigner pawing them all night). Some memorable events followed! And as a result I even got the reputation in some companies, as a guy who could charm the girls (just because I was sober)!

One unusual thing that I often noticed with these girls was that after they had a few drinks, their painful tortured English often became fluent, admitting they had gone to school in USA Or Australia. The 'limited' English was a deliberate ploy to avoid having to answer difficult questions whilst still buttering up the foreign guest!

Ikksman.

[Pushkin13]

The last time that I drank wine or spirits at a Chinese banquet was 1999.

Long ago, I discovered that abstaining from the inevitable drinking games at Chinese banquets, did not necessarily mean a loss of face or be taken as a sign of weakness. I have seen so many newbies to China vomiting all over the place as a result of every employee around the table toasting the 'honoured guest' in turn, causing the newbie to have maybe 5 drinks to one (of the Chinese employee). This seemed to reinforce the hosts' sense of superiority over the guest.

...

...
One unusual thing that I often noticed with these girls was that after they had a few drinks, their painful tortured English often became fluent, admitting they had gone to school in USA Or Australia. The 'limited' English was a deliberate ploy to avoid having to answer difficult questions whilst still buttering up the foreign guest!

Ikksman.Well written Ikksman!

My experiences in China mirror your experiences.

At one memorable dinner when I was not drinking alcohol, the big boss wanted to toast and "gan bei" me. I took half a glass of water, told him I was honoured, but that I only wanted to sip on water. He stared at me, partly in disbelief and partly in amusement, and said (in Chinese, using local idiom which was later translated) "Only dishonest people don't "gan bei"! Hahaha.

Cold beer: it is better now in China than it was 8 years ago when I first arrived. Furthermore the number of foreign brands, based on my limited supermarket browsing, is more than previously. Most cheap Chinese beer for me is wet, is slightly brown, has fizz, but alas has no flavour.

Just my experience.

P13.

[Tightway]

After reading a few posts China seems to have gone down when it comes to "official" paid banging opportunities.

There used to be so many girls who needed the money, so they did that job.

Those girls must still be around, but just the places for them to work closed down.

What I am thinking is that why don't any of you guys just get a girl off the street, and than pay her privately some pocket money?

Of course you have to put in some effort to look nice, but still can be direct and tell her that you want to take her home with you.

This is not illegal but serves your purpose and helps the girl out and gives her fun.

Most chinese people understand the concept of giving money to a girl as a sign of respect when she sleeps with you. You can just tell her that you want to do something nice for her by giving her the money, and than she will come back again the next time to be with you.

If you give a western girl money she won't be happy unless she is a professionell. But most poor mainland chinese girls don't think and feel like "rich" westernized people. Rich girls don't want and don't need your money.

Some poorer than us girls I met did not want to have any money, only one girl said she does not want money and than asked for money later, like 3000 RMB which is of course a scam, and you should refuse to give scammers like this any money, or they think they can screw any foreigner over anytime they want and will also tell their friends about their succesfull scams.

You might even get a better GFE out of it than before when you had a professionell in China.

Oh, of course you would need to speak some chinese for talking to those girls, which may be the biggest obstacle for most of you.

[Pushkin13]

After reading a few posts China seems to have gone down when it comes to "official" paid banging opportunities.

There used to be so many girls who needed the money, so they did that job.

Those girls must still be around, but just the places for them to work closed down.

What I am thinking is that why don't any of you guys just get a girl off the street, and than pay her privately some pocket money?

Of course you have to put in some effort to look nice, but still can be direct and tell her that you want to take her home with you.

This is not illegal but serves your purpose and helps the girl out and gives her fun.

Most chinese people understand the concept of giving money to a girl as a sign of respect when she sleeps with you. You can just tell her that you want to do something nice for her by giving her the money, and than she will come back again the next time to be with you.

If you give a western girl money she won't be happy unless she is a professionell. But most poor mainland chinese girls don't think and feel like "rich" westernized people. Rich girls don't want and don't need your money.

Some poorer than us girls I met did not want to have any money, only one girl said she does not want money and than asked for money later, like 3000 RMB which is of course a scam, and you should refuse to give scammers like this any money, or they think they can screw any foreigner over anytime they want and will also tell their friends about their succesfull scams.

You might even get a better GFE out of it than before when you had a professionell in China.

Oh, of course you would need to speak some chinese for talking to those girls, which may be the biggest obstacle for most of you.What is your definition of "freebie"?

How much money are you prepared to spend? Hahaha.

Looking forward to your answers.

P13.

[MrClen]

Got some information from a friend. Rumor or fact, who knows! But it is an interesting take on the situation anyway.

It seems that in many cities, and even the one I frequent, that some of the more non veggie KTV's are being forced to close. The story is as follows!

The huge economic impact that Dongguan / CP / CA / Guangzhou, etc; felt, and still feels from the massive crackdown has caused some rethinking on the part of the officials. The story is that most, if not all, of the venues throughout China have been directed to shut down 2 or 3 KTV's per year or get them changed over to family type. This will eventually (years?) accomplish the same goals but will lessen the impact of massive people out of work. Not to mention the traditional business of entertaining guests and buyers in the more open KTV environments.

So who knows, if the government changes in the next few years we may still have a playground, and if they shut enough down to get it to a lower level of operation, it may be enough. But whatever happens, it will be a long time before everything dies and there is still plenty of fun to be had, just maybe not in the hard strike center.

And if this is true, at my age it won't matter anyway!

[Member #4495]

This is very interesting read Intransit.


Very long article from ChinaFile on prostitution as part of business culture in China.

http://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/postcard/bro-code

The Bro Code.

Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China.

By James Palmer.

Turning down an after-dinner invite to a brothel is always a social minefield. But the city's Party Secretary, a 50-something man with baby-soft hands, had been gently fondling my thigh underneath the banquet table for the past 45 minutes, making me even more eager than usual to make my excuses and leave.

Perhaps the spa in the small-town Shandong hotel where I was dining with a cluster of businessmen and officials was an entirely legitimate establishment, and I was misreading the nature of the invitation. But the neon sign outside advertising the "Health Body Center" (24247;20307;20013;24515 had replaced the upper strokes in the character 心 with flashing red hearts...

[Ikksman]

How many times have we read blanket statements like the one above? In my experience this is not true in Shenzhen! They never even notice the older Chinese guys with the SYTs. The same applies if the guy is a westerner.

In SZ, it is an extremely common sight to see older guys with younger girls. Thousands of HKers have Chinese mistresses that they support in SZ. At one time, even HK truck drivers could afford to keep young mistresses in SZ. And many older PRC guys similarly keep their young "ernai" in varying degrees of luxury. There are whole apartment blocks in SZ where there are concentrations of "ernai" residents ranging in age from 18 upwards.

At one time I frequently used to go to a coffee shop on Yanhe Nan Lu, near the HK border. There were inevitably one or more older Chinese guys there with a SYT. If the girls were very young, my current GF used to make disparaging comments about them. When I would remind her of our age difference she would respond that she was more worldly and these were just young rural kids who wrongly thought that their HK guys were wealthy, would treat them well and look after them. And of course nobody took any notice of us and the shop workers there treated us as friends.

I have travelled with Chinese SYTs widely across SZ (and China) and am a keen observer of human nature and culture. So please don't tell me I just failed to notice the sneers and snide comments in SZ even though I noticed them in other places. The guy in the photo below (in Guangzhou) nearly fell off his gas bottle laden bike when he slowed and glared at us, and then the balloon bike lady rear ended the guy because she was looking elsewhere! Hilarious! Actually, my 'SYT' was a 40 yo married woman (I have posted more revealing photos of her previously), but you get the idea!

There are always a few exceptions of course. Sometimes migrant construction workers new to SZ might stare and whisper to their mates. Sometimes tourists from rural areas would stare at us, but I don't know if they were staring because I was a curiosity, or because I was with a SYT. I remember going to Window of the World with two SYTs and was surprised that I never got one single open-mouthed stare for the whole day.

So, in SZ, Chinese do not take much notice of an older guy with a SYT, whether the guy is asian or caucasian. I get many more stares and disparaging comments from dumbass western tourists!

Ikksman.

[Member #4495]

I often get shitty comments from people, usually street sellers when I am out with an Asian girl regardless or age gap. I think this always happened I just never noticed cause my Chinese sucked even more than now.


How many times have we read blanket statements like the one above? In my experience this is not true in Shenzhen! They never even notice the older Chinese guys with the SYTs. The same applies if the guy is a westerner.

In SZ, it is an extremely common sight to see older guys with younger girls. Thousands of HKers have Chinese mistresses that they support in SZ. At one time, even HK truck drivers could afford to keep young mistresses in SZ. And many older PRC guys similarly keep their young "ernai" in varying degrees of luxury. There are whole apartment blocks in SZ where there are concentrations of "ernai" residents ranging in age from 18 upwards.

At one time I frequently used to go to a coffee shop on Yanhe Nan Lu, near the HK border. There were inevitably one or more older Chinese guys there with a SYT. If the girls were very young, my current GF used to make disparaging comments about them. When I would remind her of our age difference she would respond that she was more worldly and these were just young rural kids who wrongly thought that their HK guys were wealthy, would treat them well and look after them. And of course nobody took any notice of us and the shop workers there treated us as friends...

[Ikksman]

The following story about fake condoms has been reported in various Chinese media.

Shanghai police have busted a counterfeit ring that sold shoddily-made condoms passed off as Durex, Jissbon and other popular brands. More than 3 million fake condoms worth RMB 12 million ($1. 9 million) were seized.

The fake rubbers were sold in Shanghai, Henan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shaanxi. Besides the retail market, the fake condoms were supplied to small inns and hotels throughout the country.

Zhang Wenliang of the Yangpu Police sub-bureau stated "The quality of these products is extremely cheap; the smell of the lubricating oil is especially nauseating. The seized condoms have undergone testing and been determined to contain heavy metals. They pose a serious risk to human health."

Ikksman

[Fast Eddie 48]

The following story about fake condoms has been reported in various Chinese media.

Shanghai police have busted a counterfeit ring that sold shoddily-made condoms passed off as Durex, Jissbon and other popular brands. More than 3 million fake condoms worth RMB 12 million ($1. 9 million) were seized.

The fake rubbers were sold in Shanghai, Henan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shaanxi. Besides the retail market, the fake condoms were supplied to small inns and hotels throughout the country.

Zhang Wenliang of the Yangpu Police sub-bureau stated "The quality of these products is extremely cheap; the smell of the lubricating oil is especially nauseating. The seized condoms have undergone testing and been determined to contain heavy metals. They pose a serious risk to human health."

IkksmanTo Ikksmam.

That is why you don't buy Condom from sex shop or st vendor, I bring my own from the US or buy them in Hong Kong or get them at Wal Mart they have the Okamoto 0. 3 or nude condom the good stuff from Japan.

Fast eddie 48.

[Punk Boulala]

Hey Gang,

I've had a last minute request to go to China for work. It will be a whirlwind tour. I'll be in Beijing and Chengde. My only free night will be Saturday night in Chengde. Can anyone guide me to the action in town? A link to a report or forum would be great. Yes, I used the search function, but I've never been good with it and it didn't turn up anything. I haven't been to China in five years or so. A street full of BBS would be a dream come true.

Punky.

[You69Me]

I have tasted so many pussies never an Asian. I have had Europeans, Latinas and Middle Eastern.

All with some exceptions tasted fine. One black Dominican pussy tasted like beef jerky. Never gain. Hygiene and proper diet (no drugs no alcohol) are the main factors Please share your taste experiences.

[Beijing4987]

Several WG's I've known have sons and daughters back home with the family, including the cuckold husband. In your travels and conversations with your "dates" do they they ever mention how much the the family is aware about their employment?

Ikks? Any comments, observations?

[Dg8787]

I have tasted so many pussies never an Asian. I have had Europeans, Latinas and Middle Eastern.

All with some exceptions tasted fine. One black Dominican pussy tasted like beef jerky. Never gain. Hygiene and proper diet (no drugs no alcohol) are the main factors Please share your taste experiences.I not sure if you know the difference if you don't eat Asian food.

Japanese girls tend to have a soy sauce flavor.

Chinese girls a little less saltier soy sauce and a bit of sweet oyster sauce.

Korean a bit of Japanese and Chinese with fermented spicy taste.

Vietnamese flavor mostly overpower with French butter.

Thailand girls have a hint of coconut and green curry.

Filipinas have coconut with sweet mango flavor.

I have found the girls that have a touch of that dried salted fish flavor come the most!


Bon appetit.

[Nice Guy 99]

Several WG's I've known have sons and daughters back home with the family, including the cuckold husband. In your travels and conversations with your "dates" do they they ever mention how much the the family is aware about their employment?

Ikks? Any comments, observations?They generally invent a cover job. Sometimes the husband knows and is in favor of their WG life because of the money. Sometimes they will recruit other girls who are friends or relatives soo of course these girls know. The smart ones have a couple of bank accounts, one reflects something reasonable based on the cover job and the other bank account is secret and contains the bulk of the money.

[Beijing4987]

Nice Guy, clear your pm box please and pm me. Thanks for your insight. This topic about WG and covering their real employment of interest to me and I wish to continue the conversation. It makes sense from the behavior I've seen with these women. A separate bank account with the real stash is a cushion when the marriage goes south. But most MP gals I know are divorced already. The two I like the most have 8-9 yr old daughters. Some of what they tell me is true. Enough to get a perspective. Two sisters work at sister MP's near each other. One went home after the best was born while the most recent mother, the high earner returned to the MP. The high earner I've known for seven years now.

[Amadeuss]

Sorry, but this one like nearly all proxy list servers is blocked. At least in Beijing.Then, which one can be used now. I ll be there next week.

[Ikksman]

Then, which one can be used now. I ll be there next week.A VPN is your best bet to surmount the "Great Firewall of China". Interesting VPN company is highlighted in this (paid for) article last week:

https://thenanfang.com/on-the-anniversary-of-june-4-a-vpn-company-explains-how-it-gets-around-internet-censorship/

"VyprVPNs proprietary VPN protocol, called Chameleon, is able to get around the reinforced Great Firewall by*scrambling OpenVPN packet metadata to ensure its not recognizable via Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), and does so while staying fast and lightweight. With Chameleon, VyprVPN users in China are able to bypass the Great Firewall of China and access a truly open, uncensored Internet."

A limited free offer is included:

"As a reader of The Nanfang, you are invited to use VyprVPN for free! VyprVPN is a premier, global VPN service that aims to serve the Chinese community and help users there bypass the Great Firewall of China. As a member of The*Nanfang community, you can claim 500MB of free VPN data each month by signing up for a free VyprVPN account via this link."

I recommend that you sign up with a VPN provider before you arrive in China as their site is probably blocked within China.

Ikks

[Tazman099]

A VPN is your best bet to surmount the "Great Firewall of China". Interesting VPN company is highlighted in this (paid for) article last week:

https://thenanfang.com/on-the-anniversary-of-june-4-a-vpn-company-explains-how-it-gets-around-internet-censorship/

"VyprVPNs proprietary VPN protocol, called Chameleon, is able to get around the reinforced Great Firewall by*scrambling OpenVPN packet metadata to ensure its not recognizable via Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), and does so while staying fast and lightweight. With Chameleon, VyprVPN users in China are able to bypass the Great Firewall of China and access a truly open, uncensored Internet."

A limited free offer is included:

"As a reader of The Nanfang, you are invited to use VyprVPN for free! VyprVPN is a premier, global VPN service that aims to serve the Chinese community and help users there bypass the Great Firewall of China. As a member of The*Nanfang community, you can claim 500MB of free VPN data each month by signing up for a free VyprVPN account via this link."

I recommend that you sign up with a VPN provider before you arrive in China as their site is probably blocked within China.

IkksI've tried a few services and the best value I've found so far is vpnme. Dirt cheap (I think about $30/ yr) and I'd guess about 95% reliable. The website is even accessible in China.

Taz.

[Hutzesq]

ISG members,

I see a number of reports about the great Chinese firewall and using VPNs, but I have a simpler question. Can I access internationalsexguide.info while in China?

It seems your discussions are focused on accessing google and other sites, but I need to know if ISG is available in China when using a normal laptop hooked up to typical hotel internet access?

I am about to head out on a last minute business trip to China and will follow that up with a week of hobbying in the PI. I have never been to the PI and will not have much chance to plan that trip, so I really need to be able to access ISG from China so I can sort things out.

Greatly appreciate any advice the Board can offer.

Thanks

[John Huk]

ISG members,

I see a number of reports about the great Chinese firewall and using VPNs, but I have a simpler question. Can I access internationalsexguide.info while in China?

It seems your discussions are focused on accessing google and other sites, but I need to know if ISG is available in China when using a normal laptop hooked up to typical hotel internet access?

I am about to head out on a last minute business trip to China and will follow that up with a week of hobbying in the PI. I have never been to the PI and will not have much chance to plan that trip, so I really need to be able to access ISG from China so I can sort things out.

Greatly appreciate any advice the Board can offer.

ThanksIt will depend on the hotel, usually there is no problem but some hotels add extra filters to block anything that has sex in the url, would be easier to get a vpn just in case.

[Amadeuss]

VyprVPN is a premier, global VPN service that aims to serve the Chinese community and help users there bypass the Great Firewall of China.
I recommend that you sign up with a VPN provider before you arrive in China as their site is probably blocked within China.

IkksDid it, is working, thanks.

BUT: ISG I can access without the proxy server. Google or Google maps I even can't access with any proxy. I must use Bing for search functions.

E-mail accounts from Yahoo and G-mail play crazy when I use the proxy, discover unauthorised log in and block me.

Worst is that my DIA account got cancelled once I accessed through the proxy. And that is really a pain-in-de-ass to register again.

Also my Viber-account does not work anymore.

I feel, I don't get much advantages out of the proxy. The Chinese watchdog is sharper then the amateurs of proxy suppliers.

[Ikksman]

ISG members,
I see a number of reports about the great Chinese firewall and using VPNs, but I have a simpler question. Can I access internationalsexguide.info while in China? {S N I P}ISG is not blocked by the Great Firewall of China, but the watchdog systems of some hotels in China do block ISG.


Did it, is working, thanks.
BUT: ISG I can access without the proxy server. Google or Google maps I even can't access with any proxy. I must use Bing for search functions.
E-mail accounts from Yahoo and G-mail play crazy when I use the proxy, discover unauthorised log in and block me.
Worst is that my DIA account got cancelled once I accessed through the proxy. And that is really a pain-in-de-ass to register again.
Also my Viber-account does not work anymore.
I feel, I don't get much advantages out of the proxy. The Chinese watchdog is sharper then the amateurs of proxy suppliers.Sorry to hear about your problems. I am not going to try and predict the reasons for your problems, but I strongly urge you to contact the vyprVPN security specialists (online) and fully document your experiences for them to investigate. Hey, when they resolve the problems, they may even give you a free subscription.

Please note that I did not recommend vyprVPN, but wrote that it was interesting because they supposedly used a security method that withstood deep packet inspection, and so theoretically should be much more secure than the majority of other VPN products.

BTW proxy servers and VPNs are 2 different animals and VPNs are theoretically much more secure than proxy servers by themselves. Also, I cannot access DIA when using a VPN, but it does not cancel my account!?!?!

I would not use or recommend any internet service / product without doing a thorough due diligence first. In response to your post, I have just now done a preliminary check of vtprVPN. It is a major product of Golden Frog which is a worldwide company and is certainly no 'Johnny-come-lately" company. They claim that they own more than 700 servers all over the world and uses more than 200,000 IP addresses. The company is registered in Switzerland which may help put them out of reach of US government and EU authorities interference.

After reading a bit more about the product, and its ability to prevent DNS leaks and middleman attacks, I have decided to test drive the product myself if further checks pan out. I have been a happy StrongVPN user for > 5 years, and have never before seen a reason to change provider. And believe me, I take security seriously.

Ikks

P.S. I am aware that China cyberpolice can decrypt a normal VPN series of trax in about 3 minutes, and are working on a real-time decrypter. But this takes a lot of horsepower! If vyprVPN is as good as claimed, then this is an important security advance for us poor mortals whose career may be ruined if our hobby activities were revealed to various parties.

[Night Cat]

Speaking of firewalls, can anyone tell me whether you are able or unable to view photos on AFF (asia friend finder) from within China with no VPN?

I have a friend in Beijing who can see the AFF site, but no photos appear, as if they are blocked. I'm not in China now, so I can't check to see for myself. I can't understand why my friend can't see any photos. The problem is on that site only. Multiple computers were tried, including the person's mobile phone and home computer.

[Ikksman]

Speaking of firewalls, can anyone tell me whether you are able or unable to view photos on AFF (asia friend finder) from within China with no VPN?

I have a friend in Beijing who can see the AFF site, but no photos appear, as if they are blocked. I'm not in China now, so I can't check to see for myself. I can't understand why my friend can't see any photos. The problem is on that site only. Multiple computers were tried, including the person's mobile phone and home computer.Possibly an internet browser settings issue. Suggest to your friend to try a different browser as a simple check.

[Night Cat]

Possibly an internet browser settings issue. Suggest to your friend to try a different browser as a simple check.Done that already.

Can you view the photos on the AFF site from within China without using VPN?

If I can't find anyone who can, then I suppose it's the Great Firewall of China.

[Ikksman]

Done that already.
Can you view the photos on the AFF site from within China without using VPN?
If I can't find anyone who can, then I suppose it's the Great Firewall of China.I am not in China at present.

To extract just the photos from a site's messages seems an unlikely tactic (IMO).

Your friend could:
• try another FF site to see if photos also extracted
• use other sites such as ChinaLoveCupid and see if photos can be viewed.
• if all else fails, use a VPN.

[Tazman099]

Speaking of firewalls, can anyone tell me whether you are able or unable to view photos on AFF (asia friend finder) from within China with no VPN?

I have a friend in Beijing who can see the AFF site, but no photos appear, as if they are blocked. I'm not in China now, so I can't check to see for myself. I can't understand why my friend can't see any photos. The problem is on that site only. Multiple computers were tried, including the person's mobile phone and home computer.Save the trouble and get vpnme. It's like $30/ yr and I'd guess greater than 95% up time.

[NorthSouth]

Internet use in China is extremely frustrating. Not only one has to contend with the Great Wall, but it appears the internet service providers limit traffic and usage. I pay over 300 rmb a month to China Telecom for "unlimited" internet, and I subscribe to a VPN service. I watch a lot of movies, but now for the whole last month, I cannot stream vids anymore. The speed I got was about 10 kb / sec. It was never more than 50 kB. Sec previously. The processor in my laptop is I3. I tried early morning (2 AM) when there should not be much traffic, and the speed was not improved. There does not seem to be anyone at China Telecom I can complain to. It is more than upsetting.

[Ikksman]

Ha Ha!

No law in China stipulates that having sex with a prostitute of legal age is a crime. However, it is an administrative offence under the Penalties for Administration of Public Security (2005).

According to this 2005 law, both prostituting and visiting prostitutes are administrative offences (administered by the PSB). A WG or a person who goes whoring shall be detained for between 10 and 15 days and may in addition be fined up to 5,000 yuan. If the circumstances are relatively minor (arbitrarily determined by the PSB), the detention can be up to 5 days, and up to 500 yuan fine.

Article 360 of the Criminal Law (1997) provides that whoever has sex with a prostitute under the age of 14 shall be imprisoned for not less than 5 years and may also be fined.

Article 236 of the Criminal Law (1997) provides that whoever has sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 14 shall be deemed to have committed 'r a p e' and shall be given a heavier punishment than for 'r a p i n g' a woman (and can be life imprisonment or death under specified circumstances).

There is an obvious overlap between these 2 articles, and this overlap has been infamously misused many times, where young schoolgirls have been raped, and police have only charged the offenders (usually government officials) of sex with an 'u n d e r a g e' prostitute (and only when public outcry has forced the police to take action).

This reminds me of the case where police initially refused to charge an official with 'r a p e', because it was determined that he used a condom!!!! Only after reporters sniffed out the story and published it, and netizens caused a hue and cry, did the police eventually charge the official.

Unfortunately, now the people who report these crimes, are effectively muzzled by the harsh application of various laws (disturbing public order etc, etc).

Ikksman.

[Ikksman]

Internet use in China is extremely frustrating. Not only one has to contend with the Great Wall, but it appears the internet service providers limit traffic and usage. I pay over 300 rmb a month to China Telecom for "unlimited" internet, and I subscribe to a VPN service. I watch a lot of movies, but now for the whole last month, I cannot stream vids anymore. The speed I got was about 10 kb / sec. It was never more than 50 kB. Sec previously. The processor in my laptop is I3. I tried early morning (2 AM) when there should not be much traffic, and the speed was not improved. There does not seem to be anyone at China Telecom I can complain to. It is more than upsetting.Are you attempting to stream from USA Sites or local ones like sohu dot com?

The main (only?) connection out of China is through Beijing, and this is an extremely bad bottleneck. So, if you are using a VPN service to access local sites, I would expect the service to be very slow as you are going out through the Beijing bottleneck and then coming back into China to the local site via the same bottleneck. And then the download data goes back to you through the same long tortuous route in reverse.

It is also possible, but I feel unlikely, that China (and China Telecom is an SOE) throttles VPN services (they can recognise the IPs of proxy servers used by the VPN companies).

Most people I know have their primary internet interconnection through their TV Cable company (such as Topway in SZ). They use that to download movies to later watch on their laptop/phablet/phone.

I have always found that internet speed drops dramatically after dinner time as that is when all the gamers log on for their all night sessions.

Ikksman

P.S. The Chinese government has relented and Big Bang Theory is allowed back into China (from Jul 14 I think).

[Ikksman]

This is a bit OT I know, but this series of Chinese photos is one of the most bizarre that I have seen:

http://www.quyanshe.com/tupian/toupaitu/5-988090.html

Enjoy?!?!?!?!

Ikks

[Ikksman]

When and if my SYT goes back to her hometown (in Hanshou County in the backblocks of Hunan), for Chinese New Year, I will have 3 weeks for holidaying by myself. I would naturally prefer China but it seems a cultural desert for short term visitors of my ilk.

So, unless someone can tell of a location that meets my varied cultural tastes, and the pleasures are readily available, I am going to go to Jakarta before it too heads down the same path as China (hey Eddie, I might even catch up with your mate Ko K!).

Any suggestions for a single traveller in China?

Cheers.

P.S. And don't abuse me for being unfaithful. My delightful yummy SYT knows what I am like and forgives me these temporary lapses (on the conditions that I don't bring anything home and that she doesn't hear about it on TV or whatever). Actually, she has possibly found out about a couple of lapses in the past, but she has said nothing and continued to be the loving, natural courtesan China doll that I fell for. How I was lucky enough to win the heart of such a beauty - she is 41 years younger than me - is totally beyond my comprehension.

P.P.S. I was chatting to a Northern Chinese the other day. I honestly could not understand most of his speech. It was almost like he had a country drawl to his speech. I guess that my ear has become attuned to the Southern Chinese ways of speech, including mixing in their local dialect. It really is like 2 different countries!

[Intransit]

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/955723.shtml

Websites and agents that offer travel companions to keep tourists company and show them around new places have emerged in China in recent years, which seem to simply be an extension of the services tour guides offer. However, more is on offer than just local knowledge.

An investigation conducted by China Central Television (CCTV) journalists found that many "travel companions" are selling sex to their clients.

Lewdness and lies.

Searching online for a travel companion leads one to a number of websites dedicated to providing female companions, with photos and seductive descriptions of girls popping out once one enters a site.

The services usually cost from a few thousand yuan to 10,000 yuan ($1,564) per day. A CCTV journalist contacted a girl through a phone number listed on such a site who explained that "the expensive fee is both for travelling together at day time and sleeping together at night. ".

Many girls contacted by the journalist claimed that they provide sex in addition to tour services, and the prices on the website only cover having sex once. The cost of an overnight service is higher.

The so-called "travel companion's" extra services usually take place in hotels, but a few girls also provide sex venues.

Many girls claim in their online bios that they are college students, white-collar workers or models.

A girl who claimed to be a college student in Beijing said that she charges 3,000 yuan for her services. When the journalist met her at her rented apartment near the city's North Third Ring Road, she looked different from the online photos she posted.

She said that she did sex work to pay for her tuition, but she refused to show the journalist her student ID.

A girl who said she was a white-collar worker in Sichuan Province did not post real photos of herself either.

Some "travel companions" try to proactively promote themselves online. They post photos of themselves in revealing outfits and provocative poses with suggestive descriptions on their Weibo accounts to attract as many followers as possible. Some accounts were shut down due to their pornographic content.

These girls spend money to advertise themselves online in order to charge clients more and their bios are fabricated, a Shanghai police officer surnamed Sun told CCTV.

Sun said that some sex workers spend a fortune on plastic surgery in South Korea, and some workers earn up to 30,000 yuan in cash in one day.

Sex trade platforms.

To find yourself a "travel companion," you have to get access to the websites first. The information of thousands of girls across China is listed on such sites, but clients have to pay an annual membership fee ranging from several hundred to several thousand yuan to select girls and get their phone number.

Each time clients want to meet a new girl they also have to pay another 1,000 yuan to the site as an introduction fee.

Driven by profit, many girls have taken taking advantage of the convenience of online platforms to get into sex work.

A "travel companion" who said she was 16 called her work "making friends. " She planed to rent her own apartment using the money she earned.

The journalist met the girl outside a compound in Beijing's Haidian district, and asked her what "making friends" means to her.

"It's just prostitution," the girl said casually. She didn't know whether her work was legal or not.

Some "travel companions" do not provide sex but are agents that introduce other girls to sex work.

Such agents post sexy photos of girls online with a description of their height and other measurements, and charge 5,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan for sex.

The prostitution network formed by the "travel companion" websites and social media covers many cities in China, which has encouraged the spread of the sex trade.

Meng Wei, a research fellow with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told CCTV that the online sex trade has spread at an astonishing speed and has had a major impact on society, especially among young people who are frequent users of the Internet.

Experts believe that the Internet sex trade must be dealt with as soon as possible. Besides public security departments, the operators of the WeChat and QQ, instant messaging apps, should also shoulder the responsibility of cracking down on these kinds of activities.

[Ikksman]

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/955723.shtml

Websites and agents that offer travel companions to keep tourists company and show them around new places have emerged in China in recent years, which seem to simply be an extension of the services tour guides offer. However, more is on offer than just local knowledge.

An investigation conducted by China Central Television (CCTV) journalists found that many "travel companions" are selling sex to their clients.
{S N I P}Hi, I am aware that many of your hundreds of posts are just regurgitated articles by journalists. OK, I know that you claim that these are informative and useful. This is not necessarily so! They can be ill-informed and misleading!

Are you aware that the Global Times is a media outlet controlled by the CCP? Therefore its articles follow the official party line and generally are not the whole truth, and could be complete BS. Additionally, they are often a warning, or indication of future action or policy change by the government.

Rather than just blithely posting extracts from the article, why don't you write a balanced analysis and interpretation of the article. Otherwise, you are just posting pure, unadulterated communist propaganda.

Ikksman

[Ikksman]

We are still 5 weeks away from Chinese New Year, but now is the time to be aware, very aware of pickpockets.

Every year, I see them brazenly operating both during the day and at night in Shenzhen. They also steal items or handbags out of buyers' shopping trolleys in the better supermarkets such as Carrefour etc. This is why you see women wearing their handbags strapped across their shoulders, or looping the straps around their trolleys. Every person I know has suffered pickpocketing attempts at this time of year.

This year will probably be worse as there are tens of thousands of construction workers who have not been paid for months due to the downturn in the economy.

Ikksman

[Intransit]

By Raquel Carvalho.

Hooligan Sparrow director lands US screenings, hopes documentary is seen locally and in China.

A documentary that followed Ye Haiyan, an outspoken advocate for sex workers' rights in the mainland, and other activists, including human rights lawyer Wang Yu arrested in January for subversion had its world premiere at the renowned Sundance Film Festival in the US.

Having conquered the major event for independent cinema as China cracks down on human rights, director Nanfu Wang is aiming to show Hooligan Sparrow soon in Hong Kong and in the mainland.

Wang, who went to the US in 2011 to study documentary filmmaking, told the Sunday Morning Post this was not the film she had imagined when she started the project. "I was interested in Chinese sex workers' story, their life and rights," she recalled. "So I contacted Ye Haiyan", also known as Hooligan Sparrow.

But when Wang, originally from a small village in Jiangxi province, returned to China in 2013, she found the urge to tell a different story. "I realised that she was not working with any sex workers at the moment," she said of Ye. "But I didn't stop and say, 'This is not the film I wanted to make.

Wang decided to follow Ye and her fellow activists to a protest in Hainan province, where a school principal and a government official allegedly raped six elementary school girls aged between 11 and 14 in 2013.

She sensed the story was "much bigger" and more complex than she had thought since it involved state surveillance, censorship, corruption, and sex violence. "I kept filming because I believed that someone needed to record what was happening and share it with the world," she said.

Wang shot the film with a small DSLR camera and a hidden camera mounted on a pair of eyeglasses. Soon she became a target of intimidation and violence along with Sparrow and other activities.

"I was surrounded and threatened by screaming mobs," Wang said. A friend was interrogated by police. National security agents hounded her family and questioned her for hours.

"They demanded that I give them my footage," she said. "I was never arrested, but seeing the activists being detained and knowing that I could be next made me live in a constant state of fear as I was working on this project. ".

Despite the recent crackdown on human rights activists, namely lawyers, in the mainland, and the plight of the five missing Hong Kong booksellers including one who disappeared while in Thailand Wang said she felt safe in New York. She said she had no plans to return to China in the next few years.

But Wang, who was not involved in politics prior to the film project, said she was worried about those who took part in her documentary. "Right now, I'm very concerned about people in my film," she said, singling out as an example human rights lawyer Wang Yu.

Yu has been detained since July last year and was formally arrested on subversion charges last month. "I hope the film will raise awareness of her situation and allow people to see who she really is and what she does," Wang said.

The filmmakers said the main character Ye at present lived in Wuhan but that her passport was confiscated in November 2014, effectively preventing her from travelling. Nevertheless, Wang said, Ye was "still speaking out actively online".

The documentary was shot between May and August 2013, but editing was only completed in November last year.

Hooligan Sparrow, Wang's feature debut, was shown in six venues in the US at the end of January.

Her courage as a director was applauded by critics. A review from Hollywood Reporter reads: "Wang makes a virtue out of necessity: Her on-the-run scoping and jarring cuts infuse the film with a sense of desperate danger befitting its subject matter. ".

Source URL: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1910077/film-china-sex-workers-shines-sundance-festival.

[TitanX]

I was on another site and came across this agency few days ago. They claim to have ladies available in several cities across China.

http://opsman5.wix.com/escort4china

Happy hunting.

[Tightway]

What is your definition of "freebie"?

How much money are you prepared to spend? Hahaha.

Looking forward to your answers.

P13.I am not spending any money on freebies.

But the girls who used to WGs need the money but don't have the place to work anymore.

They are on the streets, and would be thankful for your contribution.

If a girl needs to send money to her family (parents) to support them, than getting money is a priority, and having a rich BF a necessity. They even fall in love with their rich BF, so you should be fair and honest to tell her what you are looking for in the end.

[Tightway]

ISG is not blocked by the Great Firewall of China...Probably because they are monitoring it for information.

So everybody be careful about giving personal information. And always use a good VPN (Virtual Private Network) provider when using the internet, even if you are in the West. Just pay for one, it is worth it.

Anyone can find one which works for China if you just google it.

[Jimmy420]

Gentlemen,

I am going to Shanghai on a business trip on June 28. This will be my first time in China, so I don't know much about the mongering scene there. What are some of the popular places I should visit during my stay there? Maybe we can go mongering together.

I am also interested in escorts. If you know any girls or a reliable escort service, please do let me know.