Comments on: Small Things Which Say A Lot

By: Richard in Nanjing

Richard in Nanjing — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:29:36 +0000

I’ve noticed that with buses too. Not just going downhill but when they are stopped at red lights. Before I thought it was engine problems.

By: Thijs (Shenzhen)

Thijs (Shenzhen) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:57:14 +0000

I believe I have always seen bus drivers do this trick ever since I came to China. Just like they pack busses as full as possible to earn more money. I’m glad I can take the company shuttle bus in the morning and don’t have to join the crowds.

By: admin

admin — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:02:31 +0000

No. Forgot to mention that the gals print their rates along with the “service” on their cards.

I doubt that the Chinese thought through the dependency on western economies. In my opinion, the party and government were just bent on the fastest development and amassing of foreign currency reserves. Now they know what that means, and the picture is not going to be pretty.

By: Continued denial tastes better than eating bitterness

Continued denial tastes better than eating bitterness — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:32:04 +0000

[...] hurt China much more the United States. Paul Denlinger, at China Vortex, wrote about some of the small but telling signs of economic hardship that he’s seen. Peking Duck wrote about the shattered dreams of [...]

By: Renaud

Renaud — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:20:38 +0000

I live in Shenzhen… I also noticed for the busses: they often push the engine and then let it go forward with its own momentum for a minute. But usually the cards slipped below the door show one girl on each side, so there is no space for rates… How do you know the prices, did you call?
MORE TO THE POINT, the Chinese are now understanding that they have a stake in Western economies’ well-being (they have so much in US Treasury bonds and they sell so much to the West). Just like the OPEC countries after they had purchased so much in Western stock and real estate.

By: PBX

PBX — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:34:38 +0000

You’ve hit the nail on that one Falen. Although I think it served just as much for political purposes. Start the meme, if China delivers then good, if China doesn’t commit use that non-commitment to mitigate responsibility and shore up political points back home for the trouble ahead.

By: Falen

Falen — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:11:31 +0000

I have no idea where this “China bail out the world” meme came from… it’s freaking silly and retarded… I mean even if China were not having any problem it was never going to bail anybody out except using the money for itself.

So some pundit start saying that “Wow China have so much money around, they can bail out the world” and then later turns around “no they can’t” and that makes it news? I don’t recall Chinese government ever saying anything about “bailing out the world”.

By: Gen Kanai

Gen Kanai — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:53:47 +0000

Fascinating to hear these stories directly. That said, while the small signs point in one direction, the large signs point in the same direction, so clearly China will have a hard time managing through this global economic meltdown if no one can buy the products that China Inc. is capable of producing.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-12-02-china-protest_N.htm

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122816637753369999.html

By: Uln

Uln — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 10:43:17 +0000

Yes, Chinese like to save money. It is a trait of character, and it will not change now just because World economy needs more consumers.

The Chinese were already saving money when their economy was booming, how does it make sense to expect them to spend more now that they are worried about the crisis? China will not help the World, at least not in this way. It will have enough trouble already to take care of itself in 09.