Construction and Chinese License Plates Dominate the Weekly China Roundup

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Construction and Chinese License Plates Dominate the Weekly China Roundup

Written by Robert Vance on June 13, 2008 – 8:43 pm

The Weekly China Roundup from Sino News on TeachAbroadChina.com

– This week, I wrote about ambitious regulations handed down from Beijing that are designed to ensure that new construction in Sichuan meets certain ‘earthquake resistant’ standards. But will Beijing be able to enforce the new policies and why are they not applying these regulations to other earthquake prone areas in China? You can read about it here…
– You probably don’t pay very much attention to license plates in China but if you happen to find yourself behind a vehicle with a red character before the tag you may want to watch out. According to friends, such license plates indicate that a high ranking military official is behind the wheel. These officials usually ’outrank’ local police officers which means that they have ‘free reign’ on the roads. Since they cannot be pulled over, they can drive however they want and they are also allowed to park anywhere they please.
– Yao Ming’s pledge of 2 million dollars through his foundation to the earthquake relief effort may change some Chinese people’s minds about his dedication to his country. But why were people ever resentful of his success in the first place? After all, he has done alot for his country. You can read more about it here…
– According to my students, shoplifting is virtually non-existent in China. One student tells me that Chinese parents raise their children to understand that in Chinese culture, being caught stealing not only brings shame on the thief but also on the entire family. Families of a thief will often be ostracized in a community and treated with deep suspicion. So why are there so many thieves in other places such as in buses and on dark alleys? My students tell me that they know that they are much less likely to get caught in the act. So, the shame of shoplifting in China is not related to the act itself but rather to getting caught.

See you next week!

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