Foreigners at hotels in Shanghai

[Zbigniew]

1 hour ago, happy_hyaena said:

she works as a "government translator"

A non-Chinese who does occasional translation work for the benefit of local and central government on a freelance basis is not really what I would be willing to call a "government translator"; that's something quite different. I totally agree with you about the blogger appearing to be lacking in the self-preservation department. But she's young, probably, and youth, with the sometimes limited experience of misfortune that comes with it, can give you supreme confidence in situations that don't warrant it.

[XiaoXi]

On 3/28/2018 at 3:34 PM, DavyJonesLocker said:

I fail to see the problem here, if you can't stay at that hotel just choose another one. There are thousands and thousands on Crip, qunar etc. 

This reminds me of the scene in Fist of Fury where he kicks the sign down at the park...I guess if it was you you would just leave lol.

 

Anyway, what I noticed about this is it seems way more common in the South? Or at least in Chengdu. In Tianjin, Beijing and Dongbei I could stay almost anywhere, especially Dongbei. I even stayed in the cheapest hotels with no problem at all. But in Chengdu we literally almost couldn't find ANY hotels at all that allowed foreigners. It seems only the expensive hotels have the "we're not racist" certificate.

[DavyJonesLocker]

49 minutes ago, XiaoXi said:

But in Chengdu we literally almost couldn't find ANY hotels at all that allowed foreigners. It seems only the expensive hotels have the "we're not racist" certificate.

 

 

I went to chendu 3 times now and stayed in average hotels but had no issues however looking at others experience I suppose the difference lies in whats their idea of "expensive". I think I paid 300 a night, really can't remember but seems like what i would pay for a city like that

[roddy]

Large number of posts removed - possibly including some useful info, apologies if applied the scissors too vigorously. 

 

Ongoing discussion of the actual practicalities and experience of hotel stays in China very welcome. If you want to get into whether or not this is racist, and racism more generally in Chinese society, please start another topic. Possibly on another forum. 

[Jim]

Just thought I'd note my experience in a small township outside Fuding in north Fujian. We made a new year's side trip so my wife could check out a couple of tea farms and stayed in a hotel in a little township. We'd got a local friend to arrange the rooms so they knew I was a foreigner; as we checked in the owner said I wasn't technically allowed to stay but he was getting round it by the expedient of not bothering to register me. Just like the good old days!

ETA Also clambered around Taimu Shan in the geopark which was great though the misty weather meant not quite the spectacular views on offer on clear days and saw a couple of very nice 古民宅 with some exquisite wood carvings.

[abcdefg]

That area is home to some excellent tea. Particularly famed for their white tea 福鼎白茶。Sometimes it is compressed into round cakes 茶饼 and aged. Did you find some good tea? 

[Jim]

21 hours ago, abcdefg said:

That area is home to some excellent tea. Particularly famed for their white tea 福鼎白茶。Sometimes it is compressed into round cakes 茶饼 and aged. Did you find some good tea?

Yes, were were in 点头, which as well as being a great name claims to be the home of white tea, there were big billboards for some local tea entrepreneur showing his appearance on some CCTV-2 programme. My wife was looking for 荒茶 where the tea bushes have been left to run wild and she found some good examples. We brought a couple of sample cakes back too.

[abcdefg]

That sounds like a successful expedition! 荒茶 and 野茶 are close cousins. Both are highly prized in Yunnan and typically command top dollar. I sometimes by a 滇红野茶 that is produced in small batches and has lots and lots of flavor (from a mountain village near Lincang 临沧。)

 

One afternoon I brought some to the tea school where I was studying and brewed a pot for two of the teachers to get their professional opinion about my latest "find." The aroma was so powerful that it soon attracted a small crowd of people from two adjacent classrooms. We all agreed it was a big winner; wound up giving most of it away; wish I had purchased more.