editor Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Here are some pictures from my recent trip to China. All of these pictures of Chinese architecture, skyscrapers, and skylines are available as free computer wallpaper downloads from HAIF's sister site, ChineseArchitecture.cn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesternGulf Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 very nice editor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted March 24, 2006 Author Share Posted March 24, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Man, Hong Kong is friggin awesome. Wouldn't want to live there, but still awesome.Thanks Editor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Man, Hong Kong is friggin awesome.It sure looks like it is. Looks like "one of those places". Looks like it will be underwater in 100 years too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted March 25, 2006 Author Share Posted March 25, 2006 It sure does. Looks like "one of those places". Looks like it will be underwater in 100 years too.Hard to say. About half the land is reclaimed from the sea, and Victoria Harbour is half as wide as it used to be.On the other hand, most of the city is on the side of a steep mountain. That's one of the reasons it looks bigger than it is. The skyscrapers may only be 50 stories, but they're stacked up the side of the cliff so they look taller. They actually have a municipal escallator system to get commuters up and down the mountain from "Central" where they work, to the "Mid-Levels" where they live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalparadise Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 China 2000s = Post WWII America in terms of ambition and eyes on world sociological, cultural and economic dominance.Only, the numbers, technologies and potentials are magnified for them.That sound you hear is Chinese footsteps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted March 25, 2006 Author Share Posted March 25, 2006 China 2000s = Post WWII America in terms of ambition and eyes on world sociological, cultural and economic dominance.Only, the numbers, technologies and potentials are magnified for them.That sound you hear is Chinese footsteps.No kidding. If it wasn't a Communist nation, it would be the new land of opportunity.There are some very interesting social contrasts developing, though. Unlike when Europe and the Americas modernized, there seems to be little division between rural and urban customs. You can stand next to a 70-story skyscraper and see a guy butchering a pig in the street. Although it's remarkably clean, situations like that are incredibly common. I don't think you can walk more than five blocks in most of the city without running into open-air meat/fish/poultry markets. It's no wonder that Southeast Asia is also the place where so many exotic diseases formerly confined to animals emerge in human form.Also, in contrast to everything I saw on the Travel Channel, Hong Kong is probably the cheapest place I've ever been. Cheaper than Houston. Cheaper than Canada. Cheaper than Slovakia. Cheaper than chips. The Travel Channel kept bellowing about it being the most expensive city in the world. Abso-freakin-lutely wrong. Rent is expensive. I'll give them that. A 500-square-foot furnished apartment runs about US$1,900/month. But everything else is rediculously cheap. Dinner for two at a steakhouse with some of the best Australian beef I've ever had: US$24. That was a filet mignon for my wife, a New York strip for me, appetizers, soup, and a desserts. For regular meals -- McDonald's for two (Big Mac, fries, Coke for her; McKorean Beef pita, fries, Coke for me) US$4. Breakfast for two - omeletes, juice (not orange), toast: $1.25Again, there are a few things that are expensive. Milk costs the same as in the U.S. For some reason they import it from Australia, except for one local dairy run by friars which I suspect are milking the cows I saw grazing on the side of a dam (how's THAT for conserving space!) I don't know where they're importing their orange juice from, because it's like US$4 for a small glass. But everything else was beyong reasonable. Eating local food is even cheaper than eating American food. A dinner of something local from a noodle shop will run you in the neighborhood of 25 cents to US$1.Things other than food are cheap, too. I bought a HUGE bottle of really good brand-name shampoo imported from Japan in a grocery store for 12 cents American. Taking a ferry across the harbor is 30 cents. An average subway ride is 20 cents. A one hour hydrofoil ride to an outlying island on a boat with plush seats and stewardesses better than any airline is US$18. I bought six very cool watches for $1.25 each. My wife bought a set of eight hand-painted perfume bottles for US$8. We bought an alarm clock for US$1. I bought three MP4 players for US$20 each.The exchange rate is also not variable -- it is tied at HK$7.8 to the U.S. dollar. It seems the key here is to have some kind of job that pays you American wages in American dollars, but live in Hong Kong where the exchange is favorable. Maybe some kind of job involving computers or the internet, so you don't actually have to be in the States. Maybe... running an architecture forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Here are some pictures from my recent trip to China.All of these pictures of Chinese architecture, skyscrapers, and skylines are available as free computer wallpaper downloads from HAIF's sister site, ChineseArchitecture.cn Why are building designs like these not possible in American cities like Houston? Is it because of building codes and matching the building beside it, or just a lack of creativity on the architect's part? Comparing designs, American buildings in CBDs seem to look much more generic than Asian skylines like Tokyo and Hong Kong. Is that coincedence, or is there a reason? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Thank you Editor. My wife and I have been talking about a China trip. Unfortunately all we know of worth seeing is the Great Wall, Hong Kong, & Bejing. Is there anything else worth looking into? Also, you mention the prices in US dollars. What currency is primarily used in Hong Kong? Is US money accepted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Thank you Editor. My wife and I have been talking about a China trip. Unfortunately all we know of worth seeing is the Great Wall, Hong Kong, & Bejing. Is there anything else worth looking into? Also, you mention the prices in US dollars. What currency is primarily used in Hong Kong? Is US money accepted? Be very careful of the water in China proper. They are not so keen on health codes/standards that we take for granted here in the USA. Other than that, you should enjoy your trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYC Texan2 Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 Shanghai is a must-see, from everything I have seen and heard. Personally, I would go to Shanghai over Hong Kong, just to get a feel for the economic revolution going on over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted March 27, 2006 Author Share Posted March 27, 2006 Thank you Editor. My wife and I have been talking about a China trip. Unfortunately all we know of worth seeing is the Great Wall, Hong Kong, & Bejing. Is there anything else worth looking into? Also, you mention the prices in US dollars. What currency is primarily used in Hong Kong? Is US money accepted? In Hong Kong they take Hong Kong dollars, which have a fixed exchange rate. In the mainland they take Chinese Yuan. In Macau, they take Hong Kong dollars. They don't even want their own money (the Pataca or something like that). I think Beijing will be a great place in a few years, but it's still ramping up its modernization. Hong Kong and (from what I've read) Shanghai are way ahead of Beijing. I wouldn't split your trip between Hong Kong and Shanghai. There's enough to do in Hong Kong to make that a trip in and of itself. The tour books you find in American book stores don't do the place justice. There's a LOT to do. You could easily do three weeks there and not see everything. I haven't been to Shanghai yet, but I suspect it's similar. Splitting your trip to China between two cities would be like someone visiting America and splitting their time between Los Angeles and New York. Too much to see in too little time. Be very careful of the water in China proper. They are not so keen on health codes/standards that we take for granted here in the USA. Other than that, you should enjoy your trip You're right. The tap water in Hong Kong is OK, but most places still serve bottled water. On the mainland and in Macau, don't drink the water unless you know where it came from. In the nice restaurants they let you know in advance if the water on the table is tap water, "filtered" water or bottled water. Pollution is a huge problem in China. Shanghai is a must-see, from everything I have seen and heard. Personally, I would go to Shanghai over Hong Kong, just to get a feel for the economic revolution going on over there. Good point. Shanghai is a "Special Economic Zone" so it's one of the boom-town cities. Plus it has a long history as an international trading post. Hong Kong is already established as a huge international city, so it's trying to hang on to what it has while Shanghai is more growth oriented. I bet the vibe there is intense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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