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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 8, 2008
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My colleague at the law firm told me that they had all been given a day off on Friday, the day of the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Don’t know if this applies to the entire workforce (I don’t imagine so, because the country would essentially shut down on opening day as if it were the...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 8, 2008
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Carrefour is the latest culprit in the crackdown against the unauthorized use of the Olympic logo by non-official sponsors of the Games. Earlier this month, authorities had removed billboards of huge international brands that were not officially affiliated with the Games, and big losers included...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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An amendment to my earlier blog post about visa regulations being relaxed: I have been informed that as of 24 July, all Olympic cities (including Beijing and Shanghai) have stopped issuing business visas to foreigners, at least until the Games are over. Foreigners wanting to enter the country can...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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Everyone taking the subway has to go through some form of security check these days, whether by machines, guards or dogs. This creates a delay and more of a hassle in the daily work routine. The fact is, if you woke up at 5am in order to get to the subway at 6 and work at 7.30, the last thing you...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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One of the questionable perks about living in a foreigners’ dorm is that we get free copies of the China Daily everyday (and in some of our Business and IR classes we’ve been instructed to look to it as our main source of research). Today’s China Daily headline reads: “IOC: Air is safe...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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Beijing authorities have designated three city parks for protests during the Olympics, provided the protesters comply with protesting rules and obtain a permit from the authorities, which to me effectively means that they will only be allowed to protest things like the lack of taxis, or how...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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3. If you don’t speak Chinese, bring a friend who does. Or have someone you can call to translate.
4. If you need to collect your visa in less than 5 working days, produce a compelling reason. Often this means only confirmed international flight itineraries.
5. If you need to fly...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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Sorry for all the allusion to Hollywood movies, but day to day life here has felt increasing like a set on blockbuster action flicks. There are guards at every bus stop, as well as on the buses themselves. When you’re sitting in a bus and there’s an armed man in uniform walking up and down...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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On a lighter (non-political) note, the meteorological centre has said that there will be overcast skies with the possibility of thunderstorms in Beijing on the 8th of August. Say it ain’t so! They hope that the storm will be over by the time the opening ceremony gets underway at night, but...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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The latest controversy to hit the Olympics is that some of the gymnasts that are representing China at the Games are actually underaged and their ages have been wrongly reported to the Olympic committee to enable them to participate anyway. China has of course steadfastly denied fabricating the...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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1. If you are not staying at a hotel, you HAVE to have a temporary residence permit for them to even consider your application. Just get the lease agreement of your building, passport and copies, and head to your local police station (find out which one). If you are staying in a hotel, you just...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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Travelling into and out of Beijing has just become really difficult. Travelers are now expected to provide identification while buying their bus and train tickets, and their names will be on the tickets. They will also have to provide identification when they are boarding to facilitate tighter...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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Read a pretty funny article today about an Olympic-bound archer who has been training in Beijing in preparation for the Games…in the dark. He says that after training for a few days outdoors and having trouble seeing the target due to poor visibility, he had taken to training indoors under...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 7, 2008
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A co-worker at my internship told me an interesting story about the Olympic mascots today and their link to a superstitious belief about the disasters that have befallen China this year. Olympics aside, this year has not been good for China, and some Chinese have attributed the bad luck to the...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 6, 2008
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The next day, I sped off to the police station first thing in the morning, only to be informed that I needed to show the lease agreement of the house where I was living, as well as the passport and work permit of the friend who was putting me up. Undaunted, I hopped back into a taxi and went...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 6, 2008
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I remember getting into a taxi instead of taking the subway after finally getting my visa extended, feeling completely exhausted from all the effort of dealing with the bureaucracy. The taxi driver asked if I was applying for a visa, and when I told him my sob story, he decided that since I was...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 6, 2008
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Just days before the Olympics, smoggy skies are back and look to be here to stay in Beijing. There have been rumours flying around of people circumventing the new license plate rules by having two license plates, and apparently the enforcement officers are still susceptible to bribes. Whatever it...
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yiwen
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Explorer
Sep 6, 2008
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I recently heard from a friend that he would no longer be traveling to Beijing for the Olympics this summer because his application to be a volunteer at the Games had been rejected. I don’t know about the requirements for male candidates, but I remember reading in the papers late last year that...
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