In an apartment building, which level would you prefer?

[DoomYoshi]

--Andy

Enough with the anti-China shit. You make DY look like Mao.

[_sabotage_]

I'm sorry that Canada sucks. I'm sorry there is no democracy here. I'm sorry it's getting worse with every trade deal, little war we throw in with the US. I'm sorry we are getting poorer while simultaneously losing our resources.

There is no need to imagine a terrible anecdote to Canada's slow demise. The anecdote is at home.

[BigBallinStalin]

Looks like somebody's been smoking too much hempcrete.

[2dimes]

[_sabotage_]

not much smoke

[Dukasaur]

He didn't mention that each and every Chinese person has land available to them from the towns they migrated from.

And what use is that to them when their hometown is a piece of shit backwater?

I thought you said the Great Leap Forward abolished backwaters?

[mrswdk]

@sab you of all people on here should know that generous payouts for land requisitions are not the norm. The comfortable lives of your rich buddies in Shenzhen are not at all representative of the majority of people in China.

And if you think Andy is trying to disparge China with his OP then derp.

[mrswdk]

He didn't mention that each and every Chinese person has land available to them from the towns they migrated from.

And what use is that to them when their hometown is a piece of shit backwater?

I thought you said the Great Leap Forward abolished backwaters?

lolwut

[_sabotage_]

I have a contractual obligation to defend China, I have to consider what my wife may see as an insult.

Of course compensation isn't always fair. It usually covers the cost of buying a new place, but rarely leaves people better off. On the other hand, Gang Xia is a good example of deslumming an area and compensation that can be expected in prime locations. It's not like they are going to urban plan my mother-in-law's house out of existence in rural Hunan. I have little sympathy for those who were so unfortunate to be given land that through no act of their own came to be worth several million US and then received that sum to vacate it.

[mrswdk]

I have a contractual obligation to defend China, I have to consider what my wife may see as an insult.

If she's the kind of Chinese who gets upset by people even acknowledging that life in China isn't always rosy then my advice is not to bother, because you are never going to be able to satisfy her.

I'd also suggest telling her that if she wants to defend China on CC then she can make her own account and do it herself.

Of course compensation isn't always fair. It usually covers the cost of buying a new place, but rarely leaves people better off. On the other hand, Gang Xia is a good example of deslumming an area and compensation that can be expected in prime locations. It's not like they are going to urban plan my mother-in-law's house out of existence in rural Hunan. I have little sympathy for those who were so unfortunate to be given land that through no act of their own came to be worth several million US and then received that sum to vacate it.

Why not? Rural land is prime for seizing and leasing off to developers or foreign investors. The only reason to assume the bolded would be if your mother-in-law has good guanxi.

Are you talking about land requisitions across all of China, or just urban ones, or just ones in Shenzhen? I have no idea what kind of party you guys used to have down in Guangdong, but here in Beijing when (illegal) slums get cleared the people who live there are told to vamoose and then their homes are demolished.

[_sabotage_]

My wife is the Chinese version of MuyThaiguy.

We party hard down south. We overspend 150 bn on a few billion budget for the East Asian games. If the person has proper ownership, they are going to get paid. While all the buildings involved were breaking a vast number of laws, they were still compensated.

The three gorges dam was a major relocation where those relocated got the shitty end of the deal.

[mrswdk]

Ah, okay. lol, always fun to meet those.

Out of curiosity, what's her view on the takedown of fat Zhou at the end of last week? Is it all just 'hooray for Xi dada' or did it provoke any introspection?

[_sabotage_]

Mao is God and Xi is his earthly embodiment.

Her view on politics is like a AoG's view of the WWF.

[mrswdk]

NO PANDAS FOR YOU, MALAYSIA!

[AndyDufresne]

My wife is the Chinese version of MuyThaiguy.

What is the equivalent of really liking Wyoming football?


--Andy

[_sabotage_]

Standing outside of a badminton stadium to get updates from the people who come out.

[thegreekdog]

'A Universe Beneath Our Feet': Life In Beijing's Underground

In Beijing, even the tiniest apartment can cost a fortune — after all, with more than 21 million residents, space is limited and demand is high.

But it is possible to find more affordable housing. You'll just have to join an estimated 1 million of the city's residents, and look underground.

Below the city's bustling streets, bomb shelters and storage basements are turned into illegal — but affordable — apartments.

...

...apartments go one to three stories below ground. Residents have communal bathrooms and shared kitchens. The tiny, windowless rooms have just enough space to fit a bed.

With an average rent of $70 per month ... this is an affordable option for city-dwellers.

--Andy

Illegal but affordable? Isn't that contradictory? Oh wait, they mean "affordable" as in cash cost, not any other costs. Stupid article.

Landlord - "Hey, thegreekdog, would you like to rent this apartment from me?"
thegreekdog - "Um, I don't know. I thought it was illegal."
Landlord - "Yeah, but it's really affordable."
thegreekdog - "But I could go to jail for 10 years."
Landlord - "But it only costs $70 a month!"
thegreekdog - "Shit, why didn't you say so?"

Two months later.

Landlord - "Sorry you're going to jail, thegreekdog."
thegreekdog - "No worries Landlord. I only paid you $140 and now I get to live for free in a Chinese prison for 10 years! It's a win-win!"

[mrswdk]

lol, like anyone goes to prison for living in illegal accommodation.

[thegreekdog]

lol, like anyone goes to prison for living in illegal accommodation.

Yeah, I guess I should have asked you first.

[mrswdk]

Uh? It's true. Even assuming that living in such accommodation is punishable with jail time (which I doubt it is), as OP alludes to these people live in concrete rooms in the basements of tower blocks because they are too poor to live anywhere else. Were someone to compel the police to come and evict them, I doubt the police would do anything more than tell them to leave.

[thegreekdog]

Uh? It's true. Even assuming that living in such accommodation is punishable with jail time (which I doubt it is), as OP alludes to these people live in concrete rooms in the basements of tower blocks because they are too poor to live anywhere else. Were someone to compel the police to come and evict them, I doubt the police would do anything more than tell them to leave.

I was serious that I should have asked you first.

[mrswdk]

Oh, ha, okay (>^_^)>

[_sabotage_]

Ask them to leave? Have you ever seen a few cops and few people arguing? Cops get zero respect and wouldn't give a shit. The cops would only go there if the central authorities told them to get them out and they'd kick em out.

[mrswdk]

Yah, that's what I meant. The police are never going to go raid these places of their own accord.