Yeah, your personal experience of the place might be good, and that's not worth nothing, being there and seeing what it's like on the ground, to an outsider of sorts, in the present day. But China has earned a notoriously bad reputation for cracking down on dissent. Maybe they aren't as bad as Russia or North Korea in this sense, but that's not saying a lot.

Anyway, I think the points upthread about nearly everywhere being at least a little "fucked" and potentially calamitous are valid. "We're all in this together" is taking on a new meaning, haha.

jfv wrote: Fri Nov 29, 2024 11:34 am

A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Fri Nov 29, 2024 11:00 am Kicking ass!

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024/c ... ters/china

This all factors into why I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised by my recent visit.

Probably worth noting that HRW is funded entirely by Western sources. I realize blaming George Soros is shothand for crackpot conspiracy theorist, but I’ll go out on a limb here and say that is a ratio that I’m not comfortable with. Blaming China is the ultimate cop-out anyways, as we continue to consume their goods and services unabated despite our clutching at pearls about human rights abuses, political leanings, and pollution.

Yeah, not necessarily disputing anything within that HRW post at all, but China-watching is a whole ass industry within the military industrial complex.

I was just in China for a day (layover) and while the culture, people etc, seem lovely, the regulations and police presence everywhere were pretty unnerving. The train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou had more security than any airport I've ever been to and while I was waiting with my bags for a not completely packed subway train some station employees started questioning why I was standing there. Human rights don't really seem like a priority...

Ireland also has a huge housing problem and bad healthcare system, among other issues.

I understand the spirit of the thread, but It's so very easy to cherry-pick and romanticise another country.

To try and prevent this thread being ballbag central, a word for Tuvalu. Their determination to preserve an entire being in the face of fossil fuel led eradication (keep kicking that ass China!), makes them the one country deserving of a place here.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2024 ... ate-change

Seems foolish to make China into the second coming of the Soviet Union, but also naive to overlook its obviously huge faults.

I know a guy who moved there and his life is just fine. Much prefers Shanghai to NYC, in fact. Loves the place. Has been there for decades.

I also know a family who had to flee and come here not so long ago due to political persecution and threats from the government. Some of their older relatives are in jail for nothing more than the "crime" of being practicing Muslims who aren't sufficiently "Sinified."

Never been to the mainland. Arguably not China, but aside from the extreme weather and humidity, Taiwan seems really nice... Dunno if I could live there (although I was hanging out w/an American who quite comfortably does), but man, I could definitely spend a few years just eating there.

Mentioning ‘China’ here was a knee-jerk reaction on my part.

A trip that I was FUCKING DREADING for a month and a half that turned out way better than expected.

But FM AMWT and others are correct. China doesn’t belong on this list.

Totally different topic, but for anyone travelling through Hong Kong you owe it to yourself to goto Amaze dumplings. Perfect food, and hilarious/great people who run it
https://www.instagram.com/amaze_dumplings/?hl=en

TylerDeadPine wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2024 6:50 pm Totally different topic...

Fucking hell, just a bit...

Fram Australia's national broadcaster:

"A picturesque town in Sardinia is trying to lure Americans fleeing Trump with 1-euro houses"

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-01/ ... /104648682