Category Archives: Uncategorized

Guiyang Private Movies

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A new movie house has opened that caters to private groups. It has a large variety of movies available, including new releases. There are five private rooms with screens, couches, and even mattresses. An ideal place for a private party of two to twelve. It is in the Huaguoyuan Center, right above the public cinema on the 32nd floor.

If you want to book a room for a private party, it costs 68 rmb for a two hour movie. If you want six hours, it would be 204 rmb, and so on. You can call Mr. Wang at 13511973753 to get more information or to book a room. The photos below show more about the place:

Trouble in Ray’s Library

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Last year I helped save a library from abandonment when Ray fell ill and had to leave China for the USA . . . see Ray’s Library . The library was moved into storage, but unfortunately, there was a leak in the roof of the new storage room. We lost five or ten percent of the books to mold and pages that are glued together. I was able to save several books by laying them out in the sun.

We have thrown out some books and elevated others in the hope of saving the rest of the library. We even attempted an interior repair of the roof, but I am not particularly impressed with the workmanship.

Colorful Guizhou Helicopter Rides

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Chishui is located in the extreme north of Guizhou Province. It has beautiful bamboo forests, rivers, mountains and waterfalls. The helicopter ride cost 400 rmb to 1200 rmb per person and is unlike any other tours in China. The helicopter can take three passengers at a time. Tours can last from five minutes to more than twenty minutes.

Chishui is shown in the video, but tours are available in three other beautiful locations in Guizhou . . . Libo, Huanguo Shu Waterfall, and Du Shan.

For further information call Robin at 15597701004 or send an email to 247819328@qq.com. You can also contact tourguizhou@gmail.com .
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTU5ODExNjA0OA==.html?from=s7.8-1.2&xbox |

Baby Coming

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As an old bachelor, without children, I don’t have any experience of someone having a baby near me.  I have a large apartment which is shared with a Chinese couple, expecting a baby. The baby is due in two weeks, and I asked the future mother if there was anything I could do. . . “No.”

So I asked for the husband’s phone number, just in case, and she said that he wouldn’t understand me anyway, but she gave me the number. So this morning at 3 AM I hear some rustling around, doors opening, etc. She says, “Maybe we will go to the hospital.”, “Anything I can do?”, “No. My husband is getting the car.” I told them not to worry, I will make sure that all the doors are locked . . .

I am very attached to this couple. So how long do I have to wait before I call the husband for an update? So what do you say to somebody who is waiting . . . especially if they don’t speak English? Sheesh !

Hopefully everything will come out OK and I’ll get good news in due course.

Big Data Comes to Guiyang

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Photo taken the day prior to opening day.

From May 25 to May 29, a Guiyang hosted the China Big Data Industry Summit and China ECommerce Innovation and Develpment Summit. I attended the confernce with two of my students.  Wang Min is a student studying Hospitality Manageent at Guizhou Normal University and Bai Zhong Jun is a student of Software Engineering at Guizhou University.

Sign advertising the event

Sign advertising the event

These signs are everywhere in Guiyang.

These signs are everywhere in Guiyang.

The Big Data Conference in Guiyang brought companies from all over China and from around the world. Companies that were represented include:

  • Amazon
  • AliBaba
  • Huawei
  • Huipu
  • Dell
  • Microsoft
  • Qualcomm
  • Foxcomm
  • Hewett Packard
  • Baidu
  • Tencent
  • Jingdong
  • Tellhow
  • Teamsun
  • Scistor

The Big Data Conference had good attendence by State Owned Businesses which can provide services and financing to companies with interesting projects, projects that can employ Guiyang’s technical labor force. A small stream can grow to a river and an ocean. Guizhou Province of China aspires to become the “Big Data Valley” of China. The private and public comapnies represented here suggest that this is very feasible.

USA Social Security in China

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After a long process of proving the hours working in China, I finally got my benefits.  I applied at 63 and took a lower amount, earlier.  After applying in my home town, I was turned over to an office in Manila, in the Philippines for processing. Apparently one office specializes in the Asia applications. The law requires that I NOT work more than 48 hours a month overseas to be eligible, and I was able to document that.  I received my checks via direct deposit in the USA.

I was sent a form to fill out detailing any changes in my employment status.  This was about six months after qualifying. I was in the USA shortly after getting the form, so I went to my home town SS office. They said that they knew nothing about the form, and that there was no record of anything being sent to me.  They said not to worry . . . BIG MISTAKE.

My checks stopped about six months later and after digging into it further, I found a rule that said I MUST file the form, or my payments WILL stop. The moral of the story is twofold:  1) File the forms that they ask you to file, and 2) Don’t go to your local SS office for info about Expat benefits.  Manila is the office that handles it, and a local office will probably not know anything about it !

PS: As soon as I filed the form, the benefits resumed, and an extra deposit was made for the delayed check.

Back in Guiyang

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I am back in Guiyang and teaching again at Guizhou Normal University.  The trip from Traverse City was difficult.  It took 30 hours.  The last leg was from Shanghai to Guiyang and had a delay for equipment trouble.  Jet lag is a problem