China Watch Blog

China Watch Blog reports that Guangzhou city is trying to upgrade its streets signs to ensure that the names are in both Chinese and accurate English according to the Guangdong capital’s latest regulations with effect from May 1.

“With the goal of developing Guangzhou into a modern, international metropolis, we recognize the need to set up bilingual public signs, especially in the public areas of hotels, scenic spots, airports, long-distance bus stations, passenger wharves, subway stations and urban roads,” said Li Yi, director of the laws and regulations division under the Guangzhou government’s legal affairs office, at a new conference on Thursday.

Liu Jingguang, deputy director of the bar code center of Guangzhou bureau of quality and technical supervision, told China Daily:

“Administrators can choose to use graphics only, but if they deem it necessary to add words on public signs, then they should be in English and Chinese.”

Liu estimated that 90 percent of the public signs in Guangzhou with words on them are already bilingual but he doubted the accuracy of the English translations.

China Watch Blog reports that the pilot scheme to allow Hong Kong-registered cars to drive for a maximum period of one week in Southern China, which drew so much protests and criticism about how such a reciprocal scheme would be dangerous for Hong Kong people when mainland drivers drive on Hong Kong roads and also add pollution in the city, received a big slap on Hong Kong people’s face when a Hong Kong-registered car careened into pedestrians, injuring five of them on Monday, April 9.

A Shenzhen Daily report said that five pedestrians waiting for a traffic signal, including an expatriate and two children, were injured by a Hong Kong-registered SUV on Monday.

The SUV’s driver lost control and the vehicle veered onto a safety island at the intersection of Yitian and Fuqiang roads in Futian District.

Three of the pedestrians suffered serious injuries and a 7-year-old girl, Cai, is hospitalized in critical condition.

Shenzhen traffic police said that the driver, a Hong Kong native surnamed Tsang, was detained for investigation.

The five pedestrians were taken to Beijing University Shenzhen Hospital for treatment. They include a Brunei resident of Chinese origin named Oliver Shim Fei Chen, and a Hong Kong woman surnamed Ye. Police refused to give further details.

A witness surnamed Yang was selling groceries on a corner of the intersection. Yang said the SUV was traveling east along Fuqiang Road and struck the pedestrians from behind. Why the vehicle lost control is unknown.

The 7-year-old girl, Cai, was knocked down and crawled out from under the vehicle after it stopped. The driver helped the girl to the roadside and witnesses called police.

At the hospital, Cai’s grandfather watched over her.

“I usually pick up my granddaughter, a second-grader at Yitian Primary School, and walk home after school. But yesterday on the way back, we met our neighbor, surnamed Ye, and Ye carried Cai and (Ye’s) 8-year-old daughter toward home,” the grandfather said.

Ye was also seriously injured and her daughter was slightly injured. Cai suffered bone fractures in her right leg and was in critical condition.

Police took a blood sample from the driver for testing. The case is under investigation.

China Watch Blog reports that Shenzhen’s transportation commission seized three unlicensed “duplicated taxis” on April 6, the first day of a coordinated action against cars that are retrofitted to look like standard red cabs but operate without a license and sometimes charge unusually high fares or give counterfeit money as change.

Commission officers will be divided into 43 teams to conduct organized actions twice a week through April to quell such illegal taxi services.

At Shenzhen Science and Technology Park in Nanshan District on Friday, a red cab with a plate reading “B849W7” raised officers’ suspicions. The vehicle looked old, but the license plate looked new.

Officers intercepted the “red cab” at an intersection of Keyuan Road after confirming the license plate actually belonged to a truck. They found fake taxi plates, fake invoices and fake bank notes in the taxi, which had a fare meter that ran faster than regular meters.

The exact number of duplicated taxis in Shenzhen is unknown, though some drivers claim there are at least 2,000. Because duplicated taxis look similar — or identical — to real taxis, it can be hard for officers to distinguish them without the aid of computerized registration data.

A taxi driver surnamed Zhang criticized the authority’s poor management, though, and said duplicated taxis have disrupted the taxi market and grabbed business from licensed taxi companies.

“It generally costs 30,000 yuan (US$4,760) to 40,000 yuan to retrofit a car into a taxi. If the driver isn’t caught for three months, the driver can get back the investment,” Zhang said. “Yet a driver for a (licensed) taxi company has to pay around 14,000 yuan per month in rent to the company.”

A resident surnamed Zhu described her disconcerting experience with a duplicated taxi. She rode from OCT Bay in Nanshan to her home near Shenzhen Science and Technology Park on March 24. When she got home, Zhu found the change the driver had given her was counterfeit. When she tried to file a complaint via the vehicle number on the receipt, she was told there was no such number on record.

“I feel lucky I came home safely,” Zhu said later. “It is dangerous for a girl at night, alone, to take a taxi. But how could I distinguish the fake one from the genuine?”

City officials have confiscated 45 duplicated taxis this year.

China Watch Blog received this from one of our readers, who claims this is a true account of what was heard on a recent flight from Shenzhen to Qingtao by China Southern Airlines:

China Southern aircraft

“Good afternoon, Ladies and the German. This is your cheap purser Wang Lui speaking. On behalf of China Sudden Airlines, I would like to welcome you on board our Bowling 737 from Shenzhen to Qingtao. Members of my crew speak Chinese and other languages that you do not know. It is a great pressure serving you to-die. Should you need any resistance during the fright, peace do pest the call button. I and my gals are available to make you feel comfortable. Meanwhile, the airkwaft is going to fry. Peace sit upright and keep you belt tightly fastened until dinner is served at five dirty p.m. Hope you would enjoy your fright with us. Funk u ..”

China Watch Blog has learnt that some angry customers have, after failing to get sightseeing trips for 1 yuan (16 cents) as offered by 360buy website – one of China’s biggest Internet retailers, taken their case to court.

The lawyers have submitted their case to Shanghai Jinshan District People’s Court on behalf of dozens of customers demanding that 360buy, one of China’s largest online traders, honor its contract and offer compensation, said Chen Cheng, a lawyer with Shanghai-based Co-career Law Firm, on Wednesday.

Disputes started when 360buy advertised several sightseeing packages, including one to Shaoxing, a historic city in East China’s Zhejiang province, at a cost of 1 yuan per customer on March 19.

The Shaoxing trip included breakfast, a one-night stay in a hotel and entrance fees for some scenic spots, according to the website. About 1,700 people had purchased that trip, and 10,412 had ordered a 1 yuan trip to a scenic spot in Mianyang, Sichuan province.

However, customers found the trips were canceled and their money returned to their accounts. 360buy said that the webpage containing the promotion was only a “test page”, and was not meant to be displayed on the website. The company apologized for the “technical failure”.

Tian Xiaoci, a public relations manager with 360buy, said the page with the promotion appeared due to mistakes made by technical personnel. She said the company is communicating with the customers involved.

But lawyer Chen did not accept the explanation. “The business should honor its contract once the customers have paid for the product,” he said.

Sun Xiaoxiang, a Shanghai resident, placed 16 orders on the website at 1 yuan each on March 19 , as he was planning to go to Shaoxing for sightseeing with friends.”I was furious after I saw ‘refund applied’ on the website, when I did not apply for a refund.” According to media reports, 360buy agreed to offer a 20 yuan voucher for every customer in compensation.

“I have spent a lot of time and money because I phoned the company repeatedly, so I’m not accepting the voucher, which I could only use at its online store,” said a customer surnamed Chen who also ordered the Shaoxing trip.

China Watch Blog has learnt that a Japanese man in Shenzhen has received a lifetime driving ban for fleeing the scene of an accident, according to Shenzhen traffic police.

Norio Ohi, who works for a local toy company, ran over and killed a drunken man who was sitting by the road on the Nanguang Expressway in January 2009. Ohi fled after the accident, knowing that he had hit someone. He failed to report the accident to police. Ohi was arrested later and found guilty of committing hit-and-run.

Ohi, 62, is the eldest of 19 drivers who have received lifetime driving bans for fleeing the scenes of accidents, according to a list released by police.

The youngest, Deng Chuan, caused an accident in March last year. His car hit a tricycle pedal cab in Longgang and killed the rider.
According to police, their information will be on the national drivers’ management database and they will be unable to get drivers’ licenses in China.

China Watch Blog has learnt that Shenzhen will ban the use of electric bikes that fail to meet national standards between April 1 and June 30. There will be a 15-day grace period.

Violators will be fined 200 yuan (US$32) starting April 16. The restriction areas include trunk roads, port areas and terminals.

But the restriction will not apply to vehicles used by businesses that require electric bikes, such as those involved in postal service, water, electricity, gas, telecommunication, elevator repair, and bottled water delivery.

The colors of electric bikes will be standardized (dark yellow for public facilities rescue, dark blue for postal service and newspaper delivery, and sky blue for other industries) and employees must wear uniforms while riding the bikes and carry work certificates and ID at all times, Shenzhen traffic police said at a news conference yesterday.

The city has around 200,000 electric bikes and 80 percent failed to meet national standards, which require the bikes to have a maximum speed of 20km/h and weigh less than 40 kg.

Most electric bikes in Shenzhen can reach 40-50 kilometers per hour and riders often ignore red lights, increasing the risk of traffic accidents. In 2011, Shenzhen police received 483,709 reports of accidents involving electric bikes, accounting for 58.5 percent of all traffic accidents.

As the electric bikes were not insured and riders often fled the scenes of accidents, the victims would struggle to get compensation, police said. In 2011, 22 people were killed and 34 injured in accidents involving electric bikes.

A survey of over 1,926 respondents showed 70 percent of residents supported restricting or banning electric bikes while 13 percent opposed, police said

China Watch Blog has learnt that UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, opening the ITB Travel Trade Show (Berlin, Germany, 6 March 2012) said that one billion tourists are key to creating jobs and stimulating the economy.

Budapest

They expected to travel this year and are a vital force for economic growth and social welfare, he said.

“By the end of 2012, one seventh of the world’s population will have crossed international borders as tourists in a single year,” said Rifai in his keynote speech at the official opening of ITB.

Budapest

This “extraordinary number” will contribute to more jobs, higher income possibilities and countless opportunities for development, so critical at this time of economic uncertainty, he added.

“With growth comes responsibility,” continued Rifai. Tourism, if properly planned and managed, can be one of the most promising sectors for achieving a more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable future, he said.

“Imagine how business models would be transformed if one billion people demanded sustainable practices from hotels and tour operators. Imagine how many would benefit if one billion people bought local produce or hired a local guide. These are small actions, but given the size of our sector, their impact would be huge.”

Referring to the challenges facing international tourism as it reaches one billion, the Secretary-General spoke of the many people still facing barriers to travel.

“Complicated, lengthy and overpriced entry formalities are making it extremely difficult for tourists, especially from emerging economies which are leading growth in terms of outbound markets, to travel,” said Rifai, adding that obstacles such as burdensome visa processes are not just a barrier to travelers, but to “growth, job creation and free trade.”

The Secretary-General called on the tourism sector to unite around the issue of travel facilitation as a means to stimulate demand and, as a result, create jobs. “Travel facilitation must top our agenda and we must speak together on this if we are to be heard at the highest levels of decision-making,” he said.

“It is in this belief that UNWTO has joined the voices of the sector such as the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), to advance this important issue.”

China Watch Blog has picked up a good one on parking cars in Shenzhen.

The article was posted by Christian on February 8, 2012 at 10:59pm in Foreigners Driving in China at a Shenzhen local daily.

Christian says: “I went to my car dealer today to buy a new insurance. When I was parking (head first), I heard tap on my window. I turn around and the baoan is there with a big smile. I roll my windown down and ask him:
Me: What’s up?
Baoan: You need to park tail first (still huge smile on his face)
Me: Why? What’s wrong?
Baoan: It will be too difficult for you to drive out if you park like that.
Me: (My face was like what??) Do I have to park tail first?
Baoan: (nodding) Yes, is easier for you.
Me: Is there a rule on this parking lot where it says I have to park tail first?
Baoan: No, but you should (Still huge smile on his face ???)
At this point, I roll my window up and use the next 3 second to finish parking my car. The Baoan at this point was with his mouth wide open like “OH NO, he did park head first!!!!”. Just so you know, as it took me three second to park in, it took me three seconds to drive away.
Now a couple of weeks ago in Sam’s Club, I saw this lady trying for like 10 minutes to park her car tail first on a very narrow spot between two car, but if done head first was much easier. A baoan was trying to give her directions and after a while he was like “Fuck this” and walk away!!! This created a jam on the parking lot, so while some ppl got off their car to help the lady park her, I was waiting next to my car (parked head first) I started chatting with a fellow driver that was also waiting:
Me: Does she HAVE to park like that?
Other driver: How else you want her to park?
Me: Head first
O.D: (Looking at my car parked head first) Oh, you are AMERICAN!
Me: No, I am not. Why do you say that?
O.D: Because Americans like to park head first.
Me: It is not about liking, is about being practical. How are you going to open your trunk (driving an Audi Q5) and load your groceries when your tail is against the wall?
O.D: Well, you got a point there, but when you want to drive away is VERY difficult.
Then the jam got resolved, and the guy drove away, just like me.
Well after such long posting, if I did not bore you yet, my question is: Why here people MUST park tail first? Is it something that they teach in driving school? Is it really difficult to drive away when you park head first?

China Watch Blog has learnt that since last week the annual exodus of workers returning to their hometown has started, and those who are living outside the mainland cannot imagine the large number of people travelling throughout the length and breadth of the country during this period unless you see it happen before your eyes.

All transportation systems come under heavy pressure during this period, particularly buses and railways. Of course, those who can afford it fly as well for convenience, but even the airlines are full.

For the Chinese this is the time for annual reunion dinners with their families and so that this why they try to return to their hometowns.

Prices of tickets have also risen so travelling in China during this period until the Spring Festival which starts on Jan 23 is no fun.

Offices and factories are already thinning out and some are already operating with a skeleton staff as many have started to take leave.

Meanwhile, shippers are trying to get out goods before the long holiday season starts, but all the Hong Kong and Chinese ports are jammed packed.

Some have to resort to shipping goods out by airfreight to be able to get their products to the final destination on time.

Shopping malls are also jammed with shoppers trying to buy Chinese Lunar New Year goodies as there are sales everywhere.