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0 pointsstandardUser2y ago0 comments

That's not how most American tech workers and urbanites see China. But I've had conversations, online and off, with people who have no idea how much China has transformed in the last ~25 years. They don't think about it, read about or generally care about it, so their perceptions aren't really updated.

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seanmcdirmid2y ago

It is weird since my first trip to china was actually 25 years ago (December 1999, so more accurately ~24.25 years ago), and they actually had Starbucks in Beijing back then (at Xidan, I think there was another in guomao somewhere but I didn't see it). Still a bit pricey (I think 35 RMB for a grande coffee frap), and it was the only place in Beijing that I saw any non-Russian foreigners at (but it was winter, not high tourist season for China back then).

You'll see techies who think China is all open modern Shenzhen, and are surprised when they visit and Gmail doesn't work (at least, that was my experience hosting a computer science conference in Beijing in 2011).

carmen_sandiego2y ago

China has decoupled a lot more since then. If you visit now I would say paying for things smacks you in the face way before access to Google services does. Recently they've enabled foreign cards so you can pay for stuff in stores with WeChat but it's still something you need to set up. The uninitiated just come and assume they'll use Visa/MC.

seanmcdirmid2y ago

I've never been able to use Chinese pay services even when living in China. It used to require a Chinese ID card, which you don't get unless you are a Chinese citizen with hukou.

My wife has wechat/pay, so it won't be a big deal when we go back. Starbucks will take foreign credit cards (or at least they did?), you could suffer at McDonalds though. I wonder if the xiaochi's still take cash?

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carmen_sandiego2y ago

Most Americans don't even have a passport and have never left the country apart from Canada/Mexico. But to be fair I find Chinese people's views of America are equally based on cliches.

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seanmcdirmid2y ago

carmen_sandiego2y ago

seanmcdirmid2y ago

I've never been able to use Chinese pay services even when living in China. It used to require a Chinese ID card, which you don't get unless you are a Chinese citizen with hukou.

2 more replies

carmen_sandiego2y ago

Most Americans don't even have a passport and have never left the country apart from Canada/Mexico. But to be fair I find Chinese people's views of America are equally based on cliches.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse