On Sunday afternoon (after skipping a boring meeting in the Great Hall of the People) I was urgently requested for another meeting: sauna club.
Most foreigners here are unfamiliar with the huge saunas that have become immensely popular, see earlier entries in this blog. My favorite – because it’s so close to home – is still “Pacific Sauna” (Taipingyang) on Gongti Bei Lu. But there are others every 500 m.
I navigated through the city in a taxi, guided by mobile phone instructions, to arrive somewhere just outside the third ring road close to Fangzhuan Bridge (Fangzhuan Nan Lu), where the others were waiting. Together with a Chinese couple, good friends, our whole family discovered a new Sauna House “ Crystal Island”. Being far away from the foreigner’s favorite places I was (as usual) the only foreigner. The staff is always puzzled:
– that I am there
– that I do speak some Chinese
– that I seem to know how it works.
Staff and other visitors are overly curious to make anatomical comparisons, only possible when completely naked. (yeah yeah, I know, Christmas Tree?)
The second question from a “fuyuan” was how much money I made every month. Suddenly my Chinese became rusty.
Those clubs are huge. Chinese families go there with kids and we all find ourselves back (in pajamas) in the vast buffet restaurant. Sun ate like 15 crabs at a lightning speed, Valerie and myself competed for most raw salmon. Once completely stuffed we ended up flat in a large relax room where we got the traditional foot massage. Plus the acrobatic cupping – the girl quickly puts a flame in a cup and then “floooops” it over your soles in a quick succession. If I’d try it I would probably burn the Club. The girl I had was 19 years old, from Jilin Province and came to Beijing when 17… Sun was flattered as the guy who gave her massage declared her feet to be “very nice”. He was from Shandong and (exceptionally) over 40 years old.
Always a great experience except seeing the Chinese smoking everywhere, inclusive in the large sauna area, while eating fruit and cooling down from the sauna (and all naked). What the heck, I also lighted up one (sorry).
Recession or not, you won’t notice it in the clubs with mostly middle-class people as clients. It’s actually cheap – with the foot massage and all, something like 200 to 250 RMB per person. Maybe with the recession, people will even go there more: where can you have sauna, showers & all, free drinks, unlimited food and rest & watch TV for 100 RMB? You get even a free towel and underwear to take home.
Recession
James Kynge: all in reverse gear now
See earlier entry: https://blog.strategy4china.com/?p=108 to read about James’ book “China Shakes The World”.
The book starts describing (Page 6) how everywhere around the world people would steal whatever (manholes!) to sell it as scrap iron. Destination: China.
Then later some lady made big money buying scrap paper to ship to China.
China, hungry for anything to feed its industry. The factory of the world.
Well, times change.
In the USA ports are getting clogged – mountains of scrap paper, scrap iron and similar are piling up as China stopped importing. In China, iron ore is piling up at the ports as the iron & Steel Industry is scaling down.
If you still doubt the world economy is in trouble…
Maybe James can write another book: “The World Shakes China”.
China reserves: going (a bit) down
As I predicted in my speech in CBD (17 October), hot money is likely to leave China. This is now confirmed.
Cai Qiusheng, an official with the capital account management department of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, says that China’s foreign exchange reserves had fallen from their peak of over US$1.9 trillion but did not give details on when or by how much they had fallen. Foreign exchange reserves have already fallen from the first time since December 2003. Calculated on a month-on-month basis, their highest level was over US $1.9 trillion, but they are now definitely lower than that figure.” According to the data from China’s central bank, China’s foreign trade surplus was US$35.24b in Oct., and US$40.09b in Nov., respectively. Meanwhile, the actual FDI was US$6.72b in October, and US$5.32b in November, respectively. That means, based on rough calculations, a capital of more than US$80b flew out of mainland China in Oct. and Nov. [source: Hexun]
Liu Mingkang, chairman of China Banking Regulatory Commission said that China may start seeing capital outflows after years of being on the receiving end of huge inflows. He says that China’s economic recovery will be a U-shape rather than a V-shape. He adds that the possibility of inflation becoming deflation is increasing in China. [source: Eastday]
And this how some companies might change their logo in 2009. It’s all in the recession!
(I selected the best from a long series I got…)
The recession and what to do/think
I am not going to report anymore on the increasingly bad news on the economy. (Auto bailout?). I wrote enough and if you want to know more, well, read like me the International Herald Tribune and/or the South China Morning Post (online). See here their latest chart (12 Dec 08) that gives you a taste.
So, what to do?
We are scaling down. Actually we eliminated several jobs in our company since about a year as we are focusing on some clients only. And I really want to organize my papers in my office and start writing something. Also, with a bit of sadness, I decided not to renew the (expensive) AMCHAM membership. Same for those Belgian chambers (whatever their names) over there in Belgium (they offer little or nothing for us here in Beijing).
So, I’ll stick with the European Chamber where I stay very active, and the Benelux Chamber.
I will also have to take care of my health. With the horrendous pollution here and the stress, my back problem has returned with a vengeance. I have to get back to “normal” next year and that includes running long distances. We Flemish people are stubborn.
Furthermore, I am not that optimistic on how the officials here are reacting to the “social problems and unrest”. Clampdown on the media continues and will get worse as those people are getting scared of their own shadow. So, much of the rot in the system will continue to sit there. The recent hoopla and media blackout about a “certain detained CCTV person” is one of the many cases. One more reason to retreat to my little corner and let the storm pass over.
The only good news is – finally – Maggie’s, with the best little hot dog stand in Beijing (and much much more), reopened after closing more than a half year ago. If you don’t know the stories behind, then obviously you have no clue about Beijing.
It’s like when I tell people where I stay: “go to the Gongti Strip, I’m across the road from Babyface”. If I get a blank stare, I just roll my eyes.
Jump! Jump!
Back in the1929 Financial Crash it was said that some Wall Street Stockbrokers and Bankers JUMPED from their office windows and committed suicide when confronted with the news of their firms and clients financial ruin. Many people were said to almost feel a little sorry for them.
In 2008 the attitude has changed somewhat:
(no, it’s not me standing there in the picture!)