Hey y'all! It's been a bit o' time since the last post so I bet you're all oh so anxious to hear about my madcap adventures.
Currently, I am in JiaoXing where I am actually doing some actual work. On Monday morning I flew from Shenzhen airport to Shanghai. Unfortunately, I did not get to spend any time there and was quickly whisked away to JiaoXing which is 1.5 hrs south of Shanghai by car. While the factory in DongGuan has 600 employees, this factory has a grand total of 26. The owner is a Chinese guy who started the company about 3 years ago. The factory is in rented space and situated on such a thin road that I find it difficult to believe a 40' container could ever make it to the loading bay. But somehow they manage...those crafty Chinese... Three years ago they applied to buy a new factory but thanks to lovely govt. micromanagement it took three years for someone to actually look at the application and let it pass through.
The purpose of my visit is to help develop the 2007 subwoofer lineup. Even though the place is so small, they sure can pump out a heckuva lot of subs. The people in this area are very poor but, unlike DongGuan, it is safe to walk around at night. The most amazing thing is the ridiculous pace at which the region is developing. The factory's owner, Mr. Lu, told me that 15 years ago the entire area was just a small flat town based around the river which was the center of all local commerce. Now, with interprovince highways, the river has no purpose other than lookin' pretty. Speaking of highways, they are being built EVERYWHERE! The total amount of construction from roads to offices to housing is simply mindboggling. It kind of bugs me 'cuz I like seeing the simple way of life and do not like the silliness that comes with growing "civilized."
Speaking of the old way of living, today Mr. Lu took me to "Ancient Town." (I first thought he was saying "Asian Town" which confused me to no end.) The town is situated on a river and is actually ancient. (An ancient tourst trap, that is.) The houses are all built in the long abandoned Chinese style and are semi-bustling with small shops and restaurants. Most of the people who actually live there are pretty old and very thin. I could have taken some fantastic pictures but I was afraid of being pushed into the river. ("Yangguizi!" - foreign devil!!) You guys will have to settle for some nice pictures of old houses instead. I did a small bit of shopping (my part to support the economy) which I feel better about doing when it is from actual poor people rather than an upscale Hong Kong boutique.
After dropping me off at the hotel, Mr. Lu told me he'd be taking me later for a foot massage but I politely declined. (I think that the masseuse would charge double for size 11 feet :o) ) On a side note, leather shoes in local stores cost about $10 US but when I tried to buy a size 45, they laughed at me.
Tonite I walked around the local night-market and bought some wood sandals and replenished my chopstick supply. I like walking around without any English speakers since it forces me to speak Zhongwen.
OK. That's about it for now.
Tootles.
Ancient "Asian" Town
(FG Reference)
Wonder if that kid is hungry or if he's enjoying his SANDWICH!
I didn't stay long enough to discover what actually came out of that pipe.
Awwww...
Currently, I am in JiaoXing where I am actually doing some actual work. On Monday morning I flew from Shenzhen airport to Shanghai. Unfortunately, I did not get to spend any time there and was quickly whisked away to JiaoXing which is 1.5 hrs south of Shanghai by car. While the factory in DongGuan has 600 employees, this factory has a grand total of 26. The owner is a Chinese guy who started the company about 3 years ago. The factory is in rented space and situated on such a thin road that I find it difficult to believe a 40' container could ever make it to the loading bay. But somehow they manage...those crafty Chinese... Three years ago they applied to buy a new factory but thanks to lovely govt. micromanagement it took three years for someone to actually look at the application and let it pass through.
The purpose of my visit is to help develop the 2007 subwoofer lineup. Even though the place is so small, they sure can pump out a heckuva lot of subs. The people in this area are very poor but, unlike DongGuan, it is safe to walk around at night. The most amazing thing is the ridiculous pace at which the region is developing. The factory's owner, Mr. Lu, told me that 15 years ago the entire area was just a small flat town based around the river which was the center of all local commerce. Now, with interprovince highways, the river has no purpose other than lookin' pretty. Speaking of highways, they are being built EVERYWHERE! The total amount of construction from roads to offices to housing is simply mindboggling. It kind of bugs me 'cuz I like seeing the simple way of life and do not like the silliness that comes with growing "civilized."
Speaking of the old way of living, today Mr. Lu took me to "Ancient Town." (I first thought he was saying "Asian Town" which confused me to no end.) The town is situated on a river and is actually ancient. (An ancient tourst trap, that is.) The houses are all built in the long abandoned Chinese style and are semi-bustling with small shops and restaurants. Most of the people who actually live there are pretty old and very thin. I could have taken some fantastic pictures but I was afraid of being pushed into the river. ("Yangguizi!" - foreign devil!!) You guys will have to settle for some nice pictures of old houses instead. I did a small bit of shopping (my part to support the economy) which I feel better about doing when it is from actual poor people rather than an upscale Hong Kong boutique.
After dropping me off at the hotel, Mr. Lu told me he'd be taking me later for a foot massage but I politely declined. (I think that the masseuse would charge double for size 11 feet :o) ) On a side note, leather shoes in local stores cost about $10 US but when I tried to buy a size 45, they laughed at me.
Tonite I walked around the local night-market and bought some wood sandals and replenished my chopstick supply. I like walking around without any English speakers since it forces me to speak Zhongwen.
OK. That's about it for now.
Tootles.
Ancient "Asian" Town(FG Reference)
Wonder if that kid is hungry or if he's enjoying his SANDWICH!
I didn't stay long enough to discover what actually came out of that pipe.
Awwww...posted by AnGeLiCbOrIs | 10:17 PM
2 Comments:
haha i am totally using that, yangguizi!!! (or however its spelled) and wooden sandles, coolness!
I wore 'em around today and those wooden sandals aren't so cool after all. Its like walking around on a wooden floor but the floor is stuck to your feet. Not cool. So I guess I'll be bringing home as gifts. Two pairs of sandals means gifts for four peaple. It helps if they are one legged. Then it's not rude.
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