Alex Li

Happy New Year! Since 1934, the government charged $200 just for permission to make your own silencer. As of 2026, that tax is finally $0. Thanks to technology, a 3D printer can now make one for a few bucks. Just filed the paperwork, can't wait for my first 3D printed project of the new year!

Getting a foot massage. Therapist says my muscles are tense and that I must not go often (no surprise, massages are expensive in the US). I pay 138 RMB($20)/hour but he only gets 35 RMB ($5). He works 10am–midnight, 365 days a year, zero days off, for 7,000 RMB a month (~$1,000)

Got my first traffic ticket in China, the endless AI cameras are all knowing and all seeing, you can’t dodge them. Was fined 100 RMB (~$14) for crossing a white line from the straight turn lane into the right turn lane. The local government was kind enough to text me about it

Nothing like some miserable Chinese smog to start the day with, winter heating + a power grid that’s still over 50% coal = heavy smog.

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.

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.