A basket of fresh strawberries here in China costs 60 RMB (~$8). Local minimum wage is 21 RMB/hr ($3). That’s ~3 hours of work. In the US, a carton of $5 strawberries is 30 min at minimum wage. Same fruit, vastly different purchasing power. image
Xiaomi YU7 SUV: $33k USD base, $45k fully loaded. I tested the full self driving which uses LIDAR + cameras, lane changes, right turns, yielding, zero input from me. ~350-mile range, air suspension, sub-3 second 0–60 on Max version. Built by $4/hr factory labor.
Even in low wage China I cannot escape the scourge of self checkout machines image
First time driving in China, I’m in a used $2k Wuling Mini! No airbags, 100 mile range, 65 mph top speed, it’s cheap can’t complain. The new $5k models have airbags and ABS. This top seller is built by workers on ~$3/hr, pulling 12-hour shifts with only 4 days off a month. image
Xiaomi used to just be a knockoff android phone manufacturer but now they sell high end electric sedans and SUVs alongside their smartphones
Merry Christmas! I had a great time listening to a govt approved pastor give a govt approved sermon at Jingling Church. Although the sermon was dry, it was awesome to worship in the same venue where Sun Yat Sen’s wife and father in law/revolutionary financier used to worship
Asked my hotel in Shanghai for a razor and they delivered it via robot
The security camera at the Chinese DMV written test center. They have TSA security with a metal detector and wand to check for hidden electronics
At this Chinese clothing store, everything is on sale at 80-95% off but the prices are all 5-20x the normal price, so you just end up having to do non stop math while you shop to calculate the price πŸ˜‚ I love the honesty it’s way funnier than American fake sales
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The irony of the 24-hour registration rule in China: There are a million cameras tracking my every move, but the state still demands I fill out a paper form to tell them where I sleep.Since I'm with relatives in a smaller city I have to go to the Public Security Bureau. If you are in a large city you can register online, or if you are staying a hotel that accepts foreigners they register for you.