I’ve wondered as I’ve watched them what induces them to work so diligently. I’m sure there are some slackers, but for the most part I’m amazed at their attitudes of pitching right in and getting the job done. I suppose there are millions more waiting for their jobs, and they need to earn a living, so they don’t do anything to jeopardize their income.
Seeing so many workers do one thing at a time, is also unique for me…..Whether there is a wall-
like fence that needs to be painted, or fixtures in an underground tunnel to be cleaned, there are so many workers, they accomplish the task in short order. (Though I wonder how long it will take to clean the vents in the tunnels….they go for a mile or more that I saw, maybe longer.) 
Even the young military recruits (I assume that's what they are) are put to work, keeping the city clean.
Sometimes there are so many people working together, I don’t know how they can move. In one short garden boulevard, there must have been twenty people all trying to weed and prune, having to almost work back to back and squeezing past one another.
Sometimes there are so many people working together, I don’t know how they can move. In one short garden boulevard, there must have been twenty people all trying to weed and prune, having to almost work back to back and squeezing past one another.
When I was in Guangzhou, a small shop opened in the foyer of the hotel, called “Take Coffee.” They sold beverages and ice cream cones, but had five young girls working in there from opening until closing, and there weren’t any customers, except the odd one. This is a common thing though. I’m always amazed at how many clerks there are in relationship to customers.
Make no mistake; the Chinese people can also be pushy, demanding and persuasive, just like anyone else. They are quite funny in fact, when they try to slide in line in front of you. Some do it rather subtly and others do it quite pointedly, but when they’re caught, they immediately go to the back of the line without any hassle. I have come to enjoy the people here, more than in many places I’ve been in the last few months. They are friendly, kind, warm-hearted, respectful and the best friends one could have.
***
For a country whose seeming control of the people is so important, their morals are astonishing. They think nothing of pirating movies, video games and the like. There are knock-offs of all kinds of things. You can get some great movies for 5 Yuan (about 70 cents). Hooker establishments abound; their wares displayed in huge display windows on busy streets. Pickpockets also flourish, so one has to keep a tight hold on their purse or wallet, because the streets, airports, etc are so full of people, it’s easy to get jostled and find something missing.
Fashions vary from city to city as they do everywhere. The young girls in Shanghai are into high fashion and dressed up all the time, so much so that at first I thought they were a lot of hookers, but soon came to realized the girls/women prefer the very high heeled shoes and boots, tight, form-fitting, clothes as the norm. The young women all seem to carry or have fashion magazines sticking out of their trendy bags. In Guangzhou, the younger people were fashion conscious, but more conservative, and in Xi’an they dressed more in the normal western everyday wear, far more practical than their counterparts.
Make no mistake; the Chinese people can also be pushy, demanding and persuasive, just like anyone else. They are quite funny in fact, when they try to slide in line in front of you. Some do it rather subtly and others do it quite pointedly, but when they’re caught, they immediately go to the back of the line without any hassle. I have come to enjoy the people here, more than in many places I’ve been in the last few months. They are friendly, kind, warm-hearted, respectful and the best friends one could have.
***
For a country whose seeming control of the people is so important, their morals are astonishing. They think nothing of pirating movies, video games and the like. There are knock-offs of all kinds of things. You can get some great movies for 5 Yuan (about 70 cents). Hooker establishments abound; their wares displayed in huge display windows on busy streets. Pickpockets also flourish, so one has to keep a tight hold on their purse or wallet, because the streets, airports, etc are so full of people, it’s easy to get jostled and find something missing.
Fashions vary from city to city as they do everywhere. The young girls in Shanghai are into high fashion and dressed up all the time, so much so that at first I thought they were a lot of hookers, but soon came to realized the girls/women prefer the very high heeled shoes and boots, tight, form-fitting, clothes as the norm. The young women all seem to carry or have fashion magazines sticking out of their trendy bags. In Guangzhou, the younger people were fashion conscious, but more conservative, and in Xi’an they dressed more in the normal western everyday wear, far more practical than their counterparts.
Of course, there are plenty of all styles in every city.
I especially found the things they wear amusing and often quite beautiful, like nothing I’ve seen before, at least not in the combinations they wear them in. Short fake-fur jackets in various colours, pom-poms, gathers, tucks, bouffants sparkles, sequence, shirred, puckered and puffed, sometimes in very strange ways, but most often becoming. Oh, to be young again! (Sorry no photos, wish I'd taken some, but think people would appreciate me being so direct!)
R
ight now China is preparing for their spring festivals. In Xi'an they are beginning to decorate the streets and trees, planting flowers and gardens, and the first buds are coming out. 
R
ight now China is preparing for their spring festivals. In Xi'an they are beginning to decorate the streets and trees, planting flowers and gardens, and the first buds are coming out. 
