Friends Across The World

[glenn kangiser]

I changed the heading of this topic to better reflect it's content.  

What's this have to  do with the price of rice in China.

I don't know. :-/

Last night I got a Skype call from a professor in Xaimen, China.  He had previously asked me to put him on my contact list so I did after reviewing his profile.  We talked and typed for an hour and a half.  His screen name was john.

We talked about wages - business - cave dwellings etc.

He said people working for Coka-cola etc average around $150 with a manager of around 500 people making around $500 US.  I asked him about factory workers -- what they felt about wages and conditions -

He said a factory worker working 15 hours per day can make about $200 per month.  They think it is too long -- too low of pay but there are too many people there and for many it is the best they can do.  Damned if they do -damned if they don't.  Retirement is pretty well forced at 40 years for women - 50 years for men - no one will hire them -- they rely on their sons and daughters to take care of them and many start very small businesses such as buying and selling vegetables to survive.  No other assistance.

Foreign companies come in and generally pay more than Chinese companies.  The Chinese people like to work for Joint Venture companies.  Foreign companies first join with a Chinese company for 3 to 5 years then they can go on their own.

John has also been an earth dweller in the Wuping, Fujian area.

He sent me links to some sites in China where there are Cave dwellers and was familiar with the area in my indigenous housing posting about the Yaodong (he taught me to pronounce it --- like Yow-dong with my nose pinched).

Great fun exchanging cultural information across the world.

[glenn kangiser]

I got a call from my friend, John, in Xaimen, China again tonight.  Our time 10:30 pm Saturday - his time 1:30 pm Sunday.  I spoke to the future.

John said he teaches college classes in the evening so has the day time free.  He has a great internet connection and sends me video of him as we chat on a web cam.  We talk by voice rather than type most of the time so I have to either take notes or get it typed before the information exits through the holes in my head.

The main thing of interest to our forum tonight was the discussion of building codes and laws in China as compared to here.  From our discussion it was pretty clear that conditions are nearly identical.  John said that if you are to build an unpermitted building there in the city the government may send people to tear it down.  They want to get their check (tax) from the people.  He said that in the country there is not usually a problem because no one cares unless you are near a road -- you may get into trouble in that case.

I had met a man from Taiwan years ago who said that Taiwan was mostly an assembly plant for American companies.  John said that was correct but that now many companies are coming to mainland China as labor is even cheaper there.

John said he contacted me because he loves the English language and is very interested in American culture.  I fit the profile for his search.  He found that younger people in general didn't want to talk to him.  I guess there are some benefits to being an old codger.  Isn't he lucky to have found such a fine outstanding pure example of true American Culture. :-/  

[John Raabe]

Interesting Glenn:

Technology bridging the cultural gap. Thanks for the report.

Yea, you need to tell him not to extrapolate from an N of one. Otherwise he could think everyone here builds their own underground house.

[glenn kangiser]

Think I should clue hime in?    I actually did.

He mentioned again that there are LOTS of people there.  They are limited to one child per couple by the government.  He didn't seem to think that was such a bad idea.  There is a lot of competition for jobs.  

[glenn kangiser]

The lady from Beijing said hi again last night.  She wanted to see the underground cabin online so I sent her a link to it and the RV garage.  She loved the 1926 Dodge and said she had never seen such a car.

She went away feeling so inspired that , while she could not build her own house, she was going to make something nice for her house with her own hands.

Interesting how we can cause someone on the other side of the world to get inspiration with the help of the internet.

[Amanda_931]

Nice, ain't it?

I've lost touch with him now, but I used to be in touch with a Spanish folklorist who had gotten interested in some poetry my dad had translated.