In den eineinhalb Monaten, die ich nun in China bin, entdecke ich täglich neue Sachen, die mich aufs Neue überraschen, verwundern und faszinieren. In diesem scheinbaren Chaos, scheint doch alles seine Ordnung zu haben und zu funktionieren.
Verkehr in China
Genauso wie in Deutschland herrschen auch in China Verkehrsregeln. Jedoch sind diese zum Teil einfach anders und zum Teil werden sie sehr selektiv umgesetzt.
Beispielsweise dürfen Rechtsabbieger in China IMMER fahren, auch wenn sie theoretisch rot haben und Fußgänger gerade die Straße überqueren.
InternChina – Motorradfahrer in ChinaFür Motorräder oder -roller scheinen überhaupt keine Verkehrsregeln zu gelten. Diese fahren ohne klar ersichtliche Regelungen, wie, wo und wann immer sie wollen. Man kann oft beobachten, wie Motorradfahrer die rote Ampel ignorieren, im Gegenverkehr oder eben auf dem Gehsteig fahren und dich anhupen, weil du ihnen den Weg abschneidest.
Dadurch kommen sie aber auch unglaublich schnell von A nach B. Aus diesem Grund werden Motorräder oft für Lieferservices verwendet, die dann im Nu vor Ort sind und liefern können.
Der Kampf mit Plastiktüten
InternChina – Kaffee zum MitnehmenKurz nachdem ich in Deutschland die Tatsache akzeptiert hatte, dass wir nun überall für Plastiktüten zahlen müssen um unnötige Umweltverschmutzung zu vermeiden, kam ich in China an. Eine Sache, die mich hier täglich überrascht, ist die Vielfalt der Plastiktüten in unterschiedlichen Größen für Funktionen aller Art.
Die Menge an Plastiktüten, die ich in China innerhalb einer Woche von unterschiedlichen Ständen, Restaurants und Läden kriege, kriege ich vermutlich in Deutschland in drei Monaten.
Sei es nun die geröstete Süßkartoffel am Snackstand am Eingang zur Unterführung oder der gekochte Maiskolben vom Straßenstand, beide werden in Plastiktüten verpackt. Die Suppe aus dem Restaurant zum Mitnehmen? Die wird dir ganz ohne zusätzliche Behälter in eine Tüte geschüttet und zugeknotet. Für den Verzehr, kannst du die Suppe im Büro oder daheim (hoffentlich ohne Sauerei) wieder in einen Teller umfüllen. Ein Kaffee oder McFlurry zum Mitnehmen? Ab in die Tüte!
In China sieht man sehr selten Menschen auf der Straße Lebensmittel verzehren. Weder die noch warme Süßkartoffel, der Kaffee oder der McFlurry werden nach dem Kauf sofort verzehrt. Da die Menschen die Lebensmittel meist mit nach Hause oder ins Büro mitnehmen und somit längere Zeit transportieren müssen, scheint die Plastiktüte sich als Lösung eingebürgert zu haben. Aufgrund dessen begegnet man oft, wenn man darauf besteht auf die Tüte zu verzichten, auf verständnislose Blicke.
Straßen in China
Straßen sind nicht nur „Straßen“ in China. Sie dienen als Treffpunkt, als Verkaufsstellen, Postzentren und soviel mehr.
Von Männern in Anzügen, die in der Mittagspause im Kreis Fußfederball spielen bis hin zu älteren Herren, die rund um einen Tisch sitzen und chinesische Brettspiele spielen, auf Chinas Straßen kann man immer wieder Interessantes entdecken. Regelmäßig werden scheinbar planlos Stände mit Büchern, Spielzeugen und Klamotten auf den Straßen auf- und abgebaut.
InternChina – Post auf der StraßePost, von Briefen bis zu Riesenpaketen, werden auf dem Bordstein vor den Bürogebäuden verteilt und sortiert. Geschäftige Fußgänger laufen meist mitten durch diese Brief- und Pakethaufen und würdigen diesen keinen zweiten Blick. Die Wäsche, von Unterwäsche bis hin zu Jacken werden zum Trocknen entweder an die Bäume an den Straßenrändern oder auf provisorische Wäscheleinen auf der Straße gehängt.
InternChina – Wäsche auf der StraßeInmitten in diesem Chaos strahlen die Straßen Chinas eine unglaubliche Ruhe, Wärme und Selbstverständlichkeit aus, die an keinem anderen Ort so vorstellbar ist.
Wenn du die Straßen Chinas selbst erleben willst, melde dich hier an!
Hi there,I am Manon, new intern at the Qingdao InternChina office. I am from France, Brest, city in the far west of Brittany. The “end of the world” as I like to say. Brest has the reputation of being one of the rainiest city; about 300 days a year. Obviously it is not true! I was born there, I lived there for 20 years, and I definitely really love this city. As it is located near the ocean, the weather is not so cold in winter (for instance snow is not common there), and not so hot in summer. Nevertheless this summer, Brest had one of the best rates of sunshine! Unusual? Yes! Brest is also known for its military port, with hundreds of military boats. Qingdao is also sometimes referred as the “Chinese Brest”, I don’t know why, because I don’t see real similarities, except the ocean proximity.
In minds of foreigners, “France” is often synonymous of “Paris”. But it is not only that. Not only Paris, love, cheese, baguette, wine, snails and frog legs. Actually I even never tasted these two last ones. France is very diversified, every region has different traditions, customs, regional food and music. For instance in Brittany, there is the traditional Breton dance, “la Bigouden” (women wearing traditional clothes from the South-West Brittany), and crepes. Crepe may be my favorite meal.
What about me? I am 20, and actually in my third year of Applied Modern Language Studies in the University of West Brittany. I am studying lessons such as English, Chinese, Spanish, economy, law, marketing, management etc. During the 6th semester, I have to carry out an internship in a foreign country. As my studies included Chinese lessons, it was the opportunity for me to come to China, and to discover a country so different. So, here I am! I was very excited, but also a bit stressed about the visa, because in France, it is difficult to get the Chinese visa. However Intern China helped me for the visa process and everything went on without difficulties. Then, I just had to pack my bags and to say goodbye…
I arrived on Thursday night, at 1:00 am after a long trip. I first took a train from Brest to Paris, then a plane from Paris to London, another one from London to Beijing, and finally a last plane from Beijing to Qingdao. Actually, it was the first time I took the plane… For the first time, I didn’t choose a closeby destination! The first thing I thought when I saw Beijing from the plane was that there were a lot of high buildings, so different than in France. In fact, everything is different than in France. Since I am here, I already visited some of the famous places of Qingdao, such as the Marina City, Taidong night market, the May Fourth Square… On Friday evening I ate in a Sezchuan restaurant where the food was very spicy (I will have to get used to it), and I also enjoyed the taste of the famous Tsingtao beer for the first time. Oh, and of course I went to a KTV, the “must”! This is just the beginning and I already can’t wait to see other things of the city, like the Laoshan Mountain, the Old District, and taste the street food.
I’m sure I will have a lot of fun with all the InternChina members, and that my trip to China will be a great adventure!
– Manon
A tale of two cities
Chengdu is known for pandas, spicy food, hot girls and of course; home the newest INTERNCHINA office. Over the last year or so there have been significant developments within the city’s infrastructure and the whole Chengdu lifestyle is arguably changing from a chilled out, tea drinking society to a fast paced, iPhone talking, Gucci Wearing, consumer spending economic powerhouse.
InternChina – New Developments – TaiKoo Li
But perhaps it’s better to say the two aspects of Chengdu life are starting to coexist in a fascinating mix match of new and old, local and foreign, rich and poor. Recent developments between Lang Kwai Fong and the ShangriLa Hotel and the newly opened TaiKooLi (of Beijing Sanlitun fame) show a desire to keep architecture in line with traditional buildings and represent a welcome change from giant glass structures of over 60 stories (Chengdu is building a lot of these).
InternChina – New Developments – Jinguanyijie
Perhaps what is happening in Chengdu is just a localised version of what you can find across the country. When people mention China – it’s quite hard to put your finger on what is China? We operate in 3 different cities and the marketing, local culture and treasures for each are very different. From Spicy Chuan Chuan in Chengdu, to Beer Bags in Qingdao and Dim Sum in Zhuhai – each part of China is unique and more importantly worthy of visiting if you can.
InternChina – Two different worlds
To provide a more personal example of how life can differ in China I want to give you an example of how my life has changed in China. I have lived in rural China for a while before moving to the big city of Chengdu.
Mile County, Yunnan (about 2 hours from Kunming) pop. 500,000
A typical day is….(and there never was)
- Wake up to beautiful sunshine (Yunnan is VERY sunny) and mountain scenery.
- Walk to town along a dusty path, past the odd horse and cart and buses of people – all dressed in minority clothing who are on their way to the downtown market.
- Pose for several photographs, whilst shouts of “hello” and “laowai” are whispered follow me around the shops which sell everything apart from anything I really recognise.
- Observe people cooking tea eggs, smelly tofu, steamed buns and other unrecognisable dishes.
- Eat at a fine Chinese restaurant for less than a beer in Chengdu and walk home with the sun setting
InternChina – fresh countryside air!
Chengdu China population 15 million
A typical day is…(and there never is)
- Wake up in my high rise apartment (42 floors) look out at the expanding CBD district as another floor of a Skycraper goes up.
- Walk to a spotless subway station past Starbucks, H&M, 7/11, a funky new Art exhibition as well as the familiar morning street food like pancakes jian bing and bao zi. As I reach the station a chorus of “Modi Modi!” rings out – these guys are basically trying to get you to go on the back of their motorbike taxi across the city at lightening speed.
- Take a busy subway with fashionable businessmen and women rushing to work whilst carrying the latest iPhones and designer bags
- Conduct business, meet clients and talk to companies who are designing computer games, marketing events for high end clients or designing the latest luxury shopping mall
- Dinner at either a local favourite or numerous western restaurants; Japanese, Cuban, Belgian, Indian it’s all here as well as the latest fashionable imports from Shanghai and Beijing such as Element Fresh and Blue frog.
- Home and I can finally relax above a city which is still not sleeping.
InternChina – New CBD
Clearly Chengdu has woken up from being a sleepy city and now is the centre of West China’s still double digit growth. New developments are everywhere come and see it for yourself! This weekend I might take a taxi to one of the parks and maybe eat some BBQ but similarily I could take a UBER Audi A6 to a new shopping district.
InternChina – Traditional travel
Sports in China
If you think about a sport in China, you probably think about Kung Fu or Ping Pong is that correct? Well as years have passed, China has really gone through an evolution when it comes to sports. China is always a gold getter during the Olympics. This is because of the investment they make in the youth by providing them with a hard working mentality while they are just children.We decided take a closer look at this mentality on sports in China.
First of all, there is a large variety of high-level sports that China excels in. Here are just a few examples: badminton, basketball, tennis, football, gymnastics, tennis, etc. All these sports are being funded by the Chinese Government to stimulate the youth in being active during their studies. It is even mandatory for every school to have small sessions of activities in the morning and sometimes even after lunch. While crossing the streets here in China it is not a surprise to see many companies or restaurants doing some type of activities with their staff. This provides the staff with a healthy dose of daily exercise. The government has also placed a lot of public exercise locations, which are most of the time occupied by the elder. When you walk down the streets of China in the evening, the chance of stumbling upon a group of elder people practicing Tai Chi is very high. As foreigners this is something completely new to see. While we are studying we can choose if we want to go for sports or not. Maybe this is something to be jealous about?
We love to see China pushing the youth and the elders towards a more healthy and productive way of living. The Chinese people have a much wider selection of sports than 10 years ago. Instead of just seeing Tai Chi, you see everyone playing soccer, badminton, volleyball, basketball, etc.. Who knows what sports we’ll see in 2020? What kind of investments will the government make to keep stimulating the youth? Some of them might even have a chance for an Olympic title in the future. Time will tell !
China 1×1 – Was man über China wissen sollte
Für viele von euch ist es das erste Mal in China und für diejenigen unter euch die sich noch nicht viel mit China beschäftigt haben sind hier 10 Dinge die ihr wissen solltet.
- China ist groß
Dass China ein großes Land ist sollte keine große Überraschung sein. Ein Gefühl für die riesigen Dimensionen dieses Landes bekommt man vielleicht wenn man es in Relation setzt. Mit seinen 9,6 Millionen Quadratkilometer ist China das drittgrößte Land der Welt. Alle 28 Mitgliedsstaaten der EU sind zusammen nicht einmal halb so groß wie China oder anders gesagt China ist 27 Mal größer als Deutschland. Von Peking nach Shanghai sind es rund 1200km! Obwohl China über ein hervorragendes Netz von Hochgeschwindigkeitszügen verfügt, können Reisen zwischen Großstädten einige Stunden dauern. Wer preiswert in langsameren Zügen reisen möchte sollte viel Geduld einpacken, da längere Fahrten auch mal über 25 Stunden dauern können!
- Chinesisch ist nicht gleich Chinesisch
Jeder der Chinesisch gelernt hat kennt das Gefühl. Man steigt aus dem Flugzeug, geht im Kopf alles Gelernte durch, man ist einfach bereit sich in die nächstbeste Konversation mit einem Chinesen zu stürzen… Und dann kommt man in den Supermarkt und scheitert daran eine Flasche Wasser zu kaufen. Es gibt unzählige Dialekte in China und jede Stadt, wenn nicht jedes Dorf, hat so seine Eigenheiten was die Sprache angeht. Die meisten Chinesen würden nicht mal den Dialekt aus dem nächsten Dorf verstehen und wenn Hochchinesisch gesprochen wird, fällt es doch schwer den regionalen Akzent abzuschütteln. Mit der Zeit werdet ihr euch jedoch an die Eigenheiten gewöhnen und irgendwann hört ihr am Akzent woher euer Gesprächspartner herkommt. Als Faustregel kann man sagen dass Nordchinesen zum Erhua儿化 neigen (Ein „r“-Laut wird an Wörter angehängt), Südchinesen sprechen „S“ anstelle von „SH, ZH, CH“ und Kantonesisch ist praktisch eine andere Sprache.
- Es gibt ganz schön viele Chinesen
Abermals keine große Überraschung, China ist das bevölkerungsreichste Land der Welt. Aber was euch sofort auffallen wird ist, dass es hier nicht nur viele Menschen gibt, sondern auch viele Menschen auf dem gleichen Flecken Erde. Zur Rushhour sind die Straßen dicht und die U-Bahn voll. Einkaufsstraßen fühlen sich an wie ein Verkaufsoffener Sonntag. Chinesen würden diesen Zustand Renao热闹 , heiß und laut, nennen. Dies ist aber eher im Sinne von „lebendig“ zu verstehen und wird oft als Sinnbild für das chinesische Selbstverständnis benutzt.
- Pagoden und Wolkenkratzer
Wir alle kennen und lieben die alten chinesischen Kung-Fu Filme. Shaolin Mönche kämpfen über Pagodendächern und junge Damen im Qipao (Traditionelles Chin. Kleid) trinken Tee. Mit dem modernen China hat dies jedoch relativ wenig gemein. China befindet sich einer rasanten Phase der Urbanisierung und Unmengen von Mensch strömen jährlich vom Land in die Städte. Im Laufe dieser Urbanisierung sind traditionelle Häuser modernen Hochhaussiedlungen gewichen. Auch gelten, trotz drohender Immobilienblase, Wohnungen in China als beliebte Geldanlage. Weswegen in China scheinbar unaufhörlich und überall gebaut wird.
- Chinesen sind auch nicht gleich Chinesen
China zählt insgesamt 56 Volksgruppen, darunter die 55 sogenannten Minderheiten und die Han-Chinesen die rund 91% der Bevölkerung stellen. Die Minderheiten finden sich vor allem im Süden und Westen des Landes, die Autonome Provinz Guangxi beheimatet am meisten verschiedenen Gruppen. Han – Chinesen finden sich eher im östlichen Teil des Landes, auch wenn es starke Zuwanderungen in den übrigen Provinzen gab. Selbst zwischen den Han gibt es große (kulturelle) Unterschiede abhängig von der jeweiligen Region und Provinz. Dies spiegelt sich vor allem in der Sprache und der Küche der Provinzen wieder. In Nordchina werden Nudeln bevorzugt, in Südchina eher Reis. Mit unterschiedlicher wirtschaftlichen und politischen Entwicklung haben sich auch die verschiedensten Vorurteile zwischen den einzelnen Provinzen gebildet, so sagt man beispielsweise über Shanghainesen dass sie arrogant sind, Menschen aus Tianjin sind gewiefte Händler und werden dich über den Tisch ziehen, die Mädchen aus Sichuan sind die schönsten und die aus Shandong die Freundlichsten.
Was letztendlich wirklich daran ist müsst ihr wohl für euch selbst entscheiden. Warum nicht bei einem Praktikum in Qingdao, Zhuhai oder Chengdu?
Hong Kong Up Close – Part 1
Looking at the map of China, most of the city names may not be familiar to you, apart from Beijing of course (I hope…), but there’s one small dot on the map that everyone should have heard of. It’s the port city in the very South of China – Hong Kong. If you’re currently interning in Zhuhai, or will be going there soon, you’ll most likely fly to Hong Kong first and then travel over to Zhuhai by ferry. It’s that close.
So what exactly is Hong Kong? If you’ve been to Hong Kong before, you might be wondering why you don’t need a visa to enter Hong Kong, but you do as soon as you want to go anywhere else in China (except Macao, but that’s another story). It’s full name is actually Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Yes, that’s quite a mouthful. In short, this means that Hong Kong presides under the One China, Two Systems principle, meaning Hong Kong has its own government, legal system, police force, monetary system, official languages etc. To understand how this came to be, we need to go back in time a little… a lot.
Back in 1839-42 China was caught up in the First Opium War with the British Empire. When China was defeated, Hong Kong as well as the Kowloon Peninsula were ceded to the Brits and hence became a British colony. There was a bit of back and forth between the British and the Japanese during the second World War, but essentially the British Empire kept control of Hong Kong until 1984 when the Sino-British Joint Declaration transferred the port city to the People’s Republic of China. Hong Kong officially became part of China under the One Country, Two Systems principle in 1997.
So there’s your History Lesson. Let’s move on…
Where to go?
Firstly, a word about transport. Although, it’s more expensive than China, buses, taxis and the MTR (Underground) are still relatively cheap in Hong Kong. It’s a very well connected city, and although it can be daunting at first, the MTR map is easy to navigate. Most people travel by MTR, so I would avoid taking the trains at rush hour. Nevertheless the trains are very frequent and punctual.
Before I came to do my internship in Chengdu last year, and again before I came to Qingdao this year, I visited Hong Kong for a few days. Here’s my 3 favourite places I would include in your holiday planner:
The Peak
If you go to Hong Kong, you can’t not go to the Peak. If you haven’t been up there, then you haven’t seen Hong Kong. Take the Peak Tram up to the top (this is half the fun!) and once you’re up there, take a deep breath and be amazed. The peak offers you an incredible view of the impressive cityscape and sparkling Victoria Harbour all the way to the New Territories. It is also beautiful at night. One word of advice though, don’t go when it’s foggy or cloudy…
Tsim Sha Tsui or TST
This part of town is right by Victoria Harbour, and the Star Ferry Pier. TST is basically Hong Kong’s shopping area. Hong Kong is already riddled with shopping malls, but here, you can go from mall to mall without ever stepping outside. Apart from shopping though, I would definitely recommend taking a walk along the Avenue of Stars, where various celebrities (including Jackie Chan) have left their handprints, and there’s even a statue of Bruce Lee! As a bonus, you also get a beautiful view of Central on the opposite side, which is especially scenic at night.
Mong Kok
This funky place is only three stops away from Tsim Sha Tsui, and it definitely has its own character. You’ll find old and new high-rise buildings, shopping malls and pedestrian areas, street vendors, night clubs, bars and massage parlours. With it’s incredibly high population density Mong Kok has actually made it into the Guinness World Records as the busiest district in the world! What makes Mong Kok famous, however, is its Ladies Market. The street to look for is Tung Choi Street, where you can bargain yourself through over 100 stalls selling everything from suitcases to underwear…
Of course this is not all Hong Kong has to offer. Want to go somewhere quiet and remote? Yes, Hong Kong has that too! Stay tuned for my next blog on some more interesting places to see, and as a special treat, I’ll be talking about food… Dim Sum, anyone?
Sources:
text:
https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/270971/Hong-Kong
pictures:
Peak: https://retireediary.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/
MTR: https://www.mtr.com.hk/en/customer/services/system_map.html
Night market: https://www.panoramio.com/photo/56498339
My name is Henry, I am from a small city in Guangdong province and I moved to Zhuhai in order to begin my studies. After 4 years of studying I finally received my degree and during those years I fell in love with this city. It is not only a beautiful and relaxed city full of lovely people, it´s also the city where I met my lovely girlfriend Lulu. After my graduation, we both decided to settle down in Zhuhai and enjoy the fresh air and vibrancy of the city. I feel very happy to have the chance to work for InternChina, because the company helps me to grow and improves my English a lot. I´ve been working with IC for only 6 months and already made so many foreign friends and learned a lot about foreign cultures. I am responsible for customer relations in order to ensure the best possible time in Zhuhai for our clients, ranging from arranging pick up´s, apartments and homestay arrangements to solving any kind of problem you can imagine.
As a Chinese person I think it must be very interesting for foreigners to know what Chinese people think about the foreigners coming to Zhuhai or China in general. Therefore I would like to share my thoughts with you.
First of all I feel so surprised that almost all of my foreign friends don´t like Chicken feet. It is one of the most famous and delicious dishes in China but my friends think it´s weird, can you believe that? Also there is another dish which I need to mention. FROG!, My very favorite food. If you ever come to Zhuhai, I would be more than happy to take you to the best frog restaurant in the city. I´m 100% sure you will like it! Just imagine eating the best fish mixed with the best chicken, there you go. Cut the frog into pieces and fryit in soy sauce and chili which gives it a very special and unique flavor. The best flavor of course! But actually Chinese people don´t eat frog that often. And of course, for everyone for whom this sounds ridiculous, we also have normal food that isn’t like the Chinese food you can get in western countries and is in fact way better J It ranges from Tofu, spicy rips, Beijing duck to every imaginable kind of vegetable. Last but not least you should know that Zhuhai is famous for a lot of seafood at a very reasonable price and you can get everything from oysters to clams.
Furthermore my foreign friends really like to discover all the secrets of Zhuhai in their free time such as going to the islands or climbing mountains. But most of them are, for those who didn´t guess, totally into the Bar Street. This is an amazing place where you can buy beers or cocktails, relax or party. But be careful with the alcohol, Chinese people like to “challenge” each other while they are drinking and often try to pursue you to drink more which is part of our culture, of course including drinking games as well. Maybe you will be a bit confused by this but just come and see it yourself and of course if you don´t want to drink you don´t have to but it can be loads of fun.
What do I like to do the most with my foreign friends? That would be going to the famous KTV (karaoke TV) in order to have a night of drinks, singing and fun. This is the thing Chinese people like a lot and they go for KTV very often. You can rent a private room with Karaoke, order whatever drinks and snacks you like and sing songs in Chinese or English with your friends. Most of my foreign friends love it and tell me that it´s the perfect place to release any kind of pressure. We really enjoy it!
I hope I can meet you one day in Zhuhai too!
Written by Henry Guan | Customer Relations at InternChina
The relatively unknown city of Zhuhai, located on the southern coast of Guangdong province in China close to Macau and Hongkong and according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences the most livable city in China, is growing and by growing we are talking about a totally new level.
The best possible example for Zhuhai´s growth and potential to move a step closer to the biggest cities like Shanghai or Beijing is the new International Tennis Centre which will host the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai in November 2015. The first stage of the Centre´s development including 5’000 seats and 5 other match courts including a 1’000 seat court and 12 training courts will be completed by September 2015. This enormous $84 million construction will set a new benchmark for China because of its complexity and for Zhuhai because the city will gain worldwide attention.
The first event, announced by the Women´s Tennis Association (WTA), will be held in November 2015 and will repeat annually until 2019. The new tournament will be called WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai which is a singles and doubles competition offering $2.15 million in prize money. According to WTA Chairman & CEO Stacey Allaster:“This brand new event combining great players, a fantastic new stadium, and the magnificent location of Zhuhai is a formula that will make the WTA Elite Trophy a success”.
According to Lydia Long, Zhuhai Vice Major, the city is deeply grateful for making Zhuhai´s dream of joining the WTA family come true. Zhuhai is a beautiful, romantic and dynamic city which is more than happy to warmly welcome the best woman tennis players and tourists from all over the world in order to experience the greatness of Zhuhai themselves.
The Tennis Centre is designed by global sports architects Populous which is a global collective of architects, designers, technical experts and industry veterans. Their aim is to create places where millions of people unite. The firm is also well-known for designing the Wimbledon Centre Court´s moving roof and the recently completed Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne. To win the Zhuhai Tennis Centre Populous took part and won a high profile international competition.
Written by Kevin Kowalczyk | Intern at InternChina
Sources:
WTA: https://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/4202219/title/wta-elite-trophy-to-debut-in-zhuhai
Before we start talking about this subject, let us give you some facts about football in China. Football (or soccer) is called Zúqiú and written as 足球.China has always had a great interest in football and invested a lot of money in stimulating the youth in playing football. All across China you can find new grass fields that were specially made for football, some of them even have fake grass, advanced sprinkler systems and even heated fields during the winter. China’s Men’s National Team is currently ranked 99th in the world and Women’s National Team is ranked 14th.
Football is one of the most well supported sports in China, since it was introduced in the early 1900s. The national governing body is the Chinese Football Association (CFA). Hong Kong and Macau have separate leagues that sometimes compete with each other during special events.
Chinese football fans often associate themselves most with teams from other, more successful football countries. The Premier League, The Italian Serie A, The German Bundesliga and the Spanish La Liga. Chinese players that get the unique chance in playing in these exclusive leagues attract massive media attention in China. Some examples include Sun Jihai – Manchester United, Zheng Zhi – Celtic, Yang Chen – Eintracht Frankfurt.
Football is and will always inspire the youth all over the world in pursuing a career in football. Some do succeed while the vast majority holds on to studying, working and living the normal life their parents, family and friends told them to have as it has more security.
China certainly has the will and money to improve. International top players and coaches are flown in from the west for millions of dollars to inspire the local players and youth. A couple of questions do continue to linger in our minds when it comes to the future of football in China. Can you really copy the art of football? What is really holding back the Chinese from performing better? How come we don’t see kids playing on the streets? Only time will tell…
10 Things about China that “Westerners” Envy – Part II of II
KTV
Who doesn´t like singing in the shower? In China karaoke reaches a new level. Everywhere you go you find KTV where Chinese as well as foreigners sing, eat, drink and have fun together. If you haven´t experience KTV before, it´s worth to go to China and see it yourself.
Note – Karaoke in China is a bit different from the drunken yodalling in the west. Chinese people can actually sing and they take it pretty seriously! Warm up with some scales before you go.
Streetfood
Street and food sounds like two different pair of shoes but in China this is common practice. Everywhere you go you will have little streetfood “restaurants” where you can find everything from fried chicken feet to the best noodle soup you can imagine. Be open for everything and you will probably taste some of the most delicious food in the world.
Beer in bags
Tired of opening beer bottles? Why not just buying plastic bags filled with the amount beer you would like to have? Sounds hilarious? In Qingdao, China you can find fresh brewed beer filled into plastic bags, just don´t forget to ask for a straw so you can directly enjoy the taste of the freshness.
InternChina TOP TIP – Can´t finish a bag in one go and struggling to put the bag down without spilling the beer?? Get a coat hanger, put the large hole on a door knob then hang the beer bag from the hanger hook! 😉
The magic moment when cheese is 1/2 price in the foreign supermarket
Finding cheap cheese in China could be one of the hardest challenges in your lifetime. But there is this magic moment, the moment which conjures a big smile on your face, the moment where you see the cheese for half of the price in a foreign supermarket. But be careful, big queue´s of foreigners which nearly fight for getting a little peace of the cheesepie, so be prepared and bring a lot of patience with you.
Everything is hard but nothing is impossible
How often do you hear the sentence “This is impossible”? In China there is a different mindset. Even if the challenge looks like the most impossible task the world ever faced, Chinese people find a solution for it. It might be not the best solution but it works and it´s better to have a solution that works than standing in the desert without any water.
Written by Kevin Kowalczyk | InternChina
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