10 Day Sichuan Mountains Tour

So many people ask me to put together a custom private tour to more remote areas of China rather than just the large cities.  Most of the requests come from people who have been to China in the past.  The mountains of Sichuan province mostly inhabited by Tibetans is one of my favorite areas.  Fresh mountain air, flowers, birds, small quaint villages and friendly people make up this area including some wonderful Monasteries that you can visit.  One has curved peaks on it with 24 ct. gold that shines in the sun for miles around.  If you want to stay with a family, there are family guest houses to experience real Tibetan hospitality.   There are some national parks, Pandas, Hot Springs and many other sights to enjoy in this area.  I call it the Danba Loop also known as the Tea Horse Road. In the old days, tea which was more valuable than gold was transported by horses and on the backs of porters through the mountains to Tibet. History, beauty, fresh air and culture is all part of this 10 day tour that can be fit into any other tours or as an extension to other tours.  My 25 years of experience in China will insure a great tour to your special interests.
                         Click on the photos for a full screen view!

Corruption in the Chinese Real Estate industry !

Corruption in the Chinese Real Estate industry ! 

An emblematic social program of the Chinese government that would enable millions of low-income families to decent housing, was marred last year by hijacking an amount exceeding EUR 700 million according to an official body.

  5.8 billion yuan

A total of 5.8 billion yuan (708 million) were used to misuse, such as to finance expropriation or demolition, said on its website the National Audit Office of China (CNAO). The funds were "diverted" to the benefit of 360 projects and organizations, recognized this body to monitor the use of public money.
Rising prices concerned authorities

 housing prices in recent years has excluded large parts of the population of homeownership

The property prices have become a serious problem in China, where high housing prices in recent years has excluded large parts of the population of homeownership. The Chinese authorities are concerned about rising property prices, well above inflation. The average price per square meter in 100 Chinese cities has reached 10,300 yuan (1,250 euros) in July, up 7.9% year on year. 36 million low-cost housing
The Chinese authorities, who fear anything that is likely to cause social unrest, therefore plans to build 36 million low-cost housing in the five-year plan (2011-2015) in progress. This program, which was allocated a budget of nearly 880 billion yuan (107 billion euros) last year, helped build 5.9 million units in 2012 and to help 9 5 million families. But 110,000 families who presented forged documents, have benefited from this assistance when they should not have to qualify, according to CNAO.

At a time when the market for Chinese Beijing real estate suffers from the acceleration in prices, housing is cheap marred by embezzlement. 

read Real Estate website in China 

Industrial production in China rose by 9,7%

Industrial production in China rose by 9,7% 

Chinese Economy is still growing... the industrial production  rose slightly more than expected in July in China, 9.7%, while the increase in retail sales, 13.2%,  slightly below expectations, according to official data released Friday. Economists had expected 9.0% and 13.5% respectively.

Investment in China

The investment in fixed assets, an important engine of the economy, rose 20.1% in the first seven months of the year, against a consensus of 20.0%. The consumer prices rose 2.7% in July as in June, but those at the factory gates fell further and for the seventeenth consecutive month, suggesting an unchanged monetary policy while Beijing task to counter a slowdown at work for over two years. The producer prices fell 2.3% from a year ago, against a decline of 2.7%.
 Economists on average had expected a rise of 2.8% in consumer prices and a 2.2% decline in producer prices.
"I remain in favor of a rate cut to help businesses in a context of persistent deflation in producer prices," said Chen an economist for China at Mizuho Securities.

"But the central bank has a very orthodox line on inflation (...) and she is concerned that a rate cut be interpreted by financial market participants as a sign of economic recovery"


source industrie-special.blogspot.com/

http://china-market-research.blogspot.com

Taking a Taxi in China

You would think taking a taxi one would not have any difficulties except perhaps language.  Language is one problem as 99% of taxi drivers do not speak English.  When you wish to go some place, write down where you want to go in English and have someone in the hotel write it in Chinese to hand to the taxi driver.  A taxi taken from the hotel will usually be very honest and run the meter.  After you obtain your luggage at the airport you will leave through some doors to a waiting crowd of people....some of which may be people asking you if you want a taxi.  DO NOT go with them.  They charge whatever they can get and are usually private cars who do not wait in the taxi line and are illegal.   On the street when wanting a taxi you put your arm up and wave your hand up and down as if to wave goodbye.  Do not put a single index finger pointing up.   Most taxi drivers only know an area within 3 miles of where you are and do not like to go outside this area since they also can make more money on short hauls rather than long distance into areas that they are not familiar with and may have to stop on the street and ask people for directions. Taxis on the street do not like to go to the airport as they must sit in line for sometimes hours to get a fare.  Taxis are compact cars mostly Volkswagons holding three people at the most and limited space for luggage.  If you have more than three people you will need to take two taxis.   Taxi drivers make a very good income and it is not necessary to tip them other than to round off the meter to the next higher yuan if less than 1 yuan. Example:  5.20 yuan fare you should give them 6 yuan.  Coming from the airport there is a  toll fee which will be added to the meter fare.   For more information on China infrastructure differences contact us at    interlak@eskimo.com    My name is Dave and have traveled China for 25 years throughout the country.

China will support the shipbuilding industry

China will support the shipbuilding industry

China issued a three-year plan to urge financial institutions to support the shipbuilding industry in trouble, the biggest one month after the world's largest private garden in the nation sought financial support from the government.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Shipbuilding_Industry_Corporatio
www.csic.com.cn/en/‎

Shipowners who place orders for China-made ships, engines and axles must get better funding and some key enterprises will be allowed to issue corporate bonds, the State Council said in a statement released yesterday . Chinese manufacturers do not have a strong innovation, while overcapacity persists, the statement dated July 31 said. China may have a third of its more than 1,600 meters Stop in about five years, according to Wang Jinlian, president of the industry association. The sector is among those iron and steel, cement, electrolytic aluminum and plate glass must accelerate the gradual elimination of overcapacity, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. "It seems that the government wants to appease the publishing sector support plan because it can not afford to see social unrest caused by failures or large-scale job losses," said Lawrence Li, a Shanghai-based analyst at UOB-Kay Hian Holdings Ltd. "However, the government did not explicitly say how it would help manufacturers and what kind of projects are key." control capacity

 China Rongsheng Heavy Industries

China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltd. (1101), the largest shipbuilder outside state control by the backlog, reported last month, it posted a net loss in the first half and said that it sought financial support from the government and shareholders after a dip in orders strained cash flows. The company has also agreed to issue convertible bonds to raise a net 1.38 billion Hong Kong dollars ($ 178 million) for working capital and to support the development of its offshore engineering business.
Rongsheng Shares jumped as much as 2.1 percent today, and he was traded up 1 percent to 97 Hong Kong cents from 9:32 The plan of the State Council also called on local governments to support innovation shipbuilders, strictly control new building, promotion of high-end products and stabilize international market share in the industry with more funding importantly, the statement said.
Companies need to be convinced that
"the potential of the internal market remains relatively high," the statement said. Besides limiting new shipbuilding capacity, the government is encouraging mergers and acquisitions and the pooling of resources in the industry, the statement said. Contracts Thirty-eight percent of sites in China has not been awarded contracts for new ships last year, and 10 percent had no deliveries scheduled beyond the end of this year, the naval unit Brokerage based in London, ICAP Plc said in a report sent by e-mail on December 24 The government has also pledged to investigate the securitization of loans to builders', the statement said. In this plan, the Chinese government said it will promote the development of offshore engineering equipment such as drilling platforms and large tankers.


It is anticipated that the construction market of the global offshore and onshore plant to raise $ 1.26 trillion in 2017 to 989 billion dollars in 2012, according to the Ministry of Knowledge of South Korea. The oil and gas offshore market can represent 26 percent of this, the ministry said in a statement on January 7.
Earlier than expected demolition of old ships is another part of the plan, according to the statement, he asked for more military and civilian cooperation in the design and development vessel. Policies
Authorities and local agencies should formulate policies to support and ensure the timely completion of targets, the statement said, without giving specific targets.


According to the five-year economic plan of the government which runs until 2015, the objectives for the sector include improving standards of shipbuilding and the development of products with high added value. The combined profits of 80 major shipbuilders controlled by the China Association of National Shipbuilding Industry declined 54 percent in the first half of the year to 3.58 billion yuan ($ 584 million)

 About 464 shipyards in China

About 464 shipyards in China, won 18.7 million tonnes deadweight orders worth $ 14.3 billion last year, the lowest since 2004, according to Clarkson Plc (CKN) the largest ship broker in the world. This compares to contracts with a value of 14.6 million tonnes to 29.6 billion received by 88 meters in South Korea, the second largest shipbuilding nation in the world.


http://china-market-research.blogspot.fr/2013/07/baidu-advertising-market.html

The number of Chinese visitors to France

The number of Chinese visitors to France

The number of Chinese visitors to France has jumped more than 23 percent Figures released this week by the tourism arm of the French government, DGCIS came amid accusations that the rules on visas for the Chinese to come to Britain as "colonial" and cost the country up to £ 5 million per day.


The number of Chinese visitors to France has jumped more than 23 percent last year, according to new data, the latest sign of the country ranked third in the UK in order to attract buyers of Asian values. France remains the largest tourist destination in 2012, with 83 million foreign visitors, making a total of € 35.8 billion (£ 31 billion euros) of revenue.
Britain was ranked seventh in the league table of tourism, with slightly less than 30 million foreign visitors

http://chinese-tourist.blogspot.com/

Attending a Tibetan Wedding

In my years of travel in China I never get use to the fact that we are often invited to attend wedding receptions in the countryside.  Here you see a Tibetan Wedding couple celebrating their wedding reception.  Just walking down the street I have often have been invited to come in and attend the reception including a great meal.  I think it must be an honor to have a foreigner at their celebrations.  Do not expect this in large cities however where foreigners are common.  It has happened in mostly remote countryside villages and towns.  In one village I and a friend were invited off the street to attend the celebration. A few spoke English and wanted to sit with us.  They asked about weddings in the U.S. and I was giving them examples of what we do and many were interested until I mentioned that we can kiss the bride too.  They all laughed and said that the men would all take me and throw me out in the street if I did such a thing there.  In China a couple is not considered married UNTIL the banquet reception is held.  Couples must save up money to have the banquet as it is expensive; however it is also the custom for people to give money in a red or gold envelope rather than presents.  So the cost is not so great then.  The closer one is to the couple or family the more money is expected.  One young lady told me she must give half of her monthly salary to the couple since she was a worker with the new wife.   Customs are always interesting and in China you can often be invited to observe and participate in local celebrations of many kinds. Click on photo for full screen view!