Archive for April, 2011

New Threat! Water Armies All Across China

Ben杰明
Apr 26 |14:20

The Water Army is Coming!

Although they  sound like a new villain from a Hollywood movie, they are less scary in person. They are soldiers of propaganda, using whatever free-speech tools they can muster to win the hearts and minds of a voting public. But this is not a political tale, rather, it is a commercial one; and the votes are cast with Ren Min Bi (Chinese Yuan).

So, where does this “Water Army” come from? In fact, it is a Chinese term which has been causing difficulties for consumer protection around the Chinese Internet.  Imagine you go to a forum online and look for information about insurance, a new car, or even a toaster. Hundreds or thousands of these soldiers are hired for cheap, usually ￥0.7 RMB ($.01) per post, and begin a campaign to sway public opinion toward or against various products. In a country where the average worker makes 20-25RMB ($3) per hour, it is economically feasible for Water Armies to exist. Read More…

 

Which would you choose? Dinner for $1.69 or $.79

ben.piscopo
Apr 25 |10:40

Duck, Pork, and Cabbage with Rice = $1.69

Good food on a budget is a specialty not only in China, but across the developing world. In countries which have recently joined the world economy, or only within the past 20-30 years, local food traditions have stayed strong. And although Western food is becoming more popular in these countries, their preference for local traditional dishes is unlikely to change in the near future.

The one common remark that students studying abroad make about their experience is that food doesn’t meet their standards. For example, the pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and salads option that fill cafeterias in the US provoke a homesickness that is unavoidable. Looking at the common dish I had for dinner last night, could you blame them for missing home?

Right outside my apartment is the “Sichuan Room”, a Cantonese-style Sichuan restaurant which serves amazing food at a low price. Read More…

 

Pictures of Life in North Korea

ben.piscopo
Apr 18 |10:20

North Korean Woman in Uniform

What is life truly like in North Korea?

We often default our answers to “full of misery and poverty,” or at least I usually do. It would be a surprise to see smiles in a place many Westerners consider to be a cold, unforgiving dungeon. But in this place which seems to be sealed off from the rest of Asia, and the world, glimpses of internationalism can still be found. Children play, common people go to work, elite students may learn English, and so, the Pyong Yang streets resemble a typical city in modern China.

Of course, the pictures you are about to see have been officially produced, censored, and posted in the news section of the most popular Chinese website, QQ.com (Chinese Link). I found them simply by signing into the 400 million+ member IM service and clicking their News pop-up. These are images that at least a few hundred-thousand people have seen within a few hours, and probably millions more by the end of today. This is the perception that Chinese have about North Korea.

So, what is life truly like in North Korea? Well, I guess it depends on which news site you prefer to read…

Click to visit slide show on QQ

 

Fire Cupping and Back Scraping Could Save Your Life!

ben.piscopo
Apr 12 |08:46

Fire Cupping (bá guàn)

Back in 2005 I thought I was going to die… literally, it was the worst Flu I had ever experienced. Maybe it was from the new environment in China, or perhaps it was a random winter bug! No matter where it came from, it kept me in bed very achy muscles. I couldn’t get out of bed to visit the bathroom- it was that bad. I quickly decided that I would need help or else I’d be a goner. At the time I was dating a Vietnamese girl who was studying at the Southern Yangzte University of Wuxi, which is what I called home for the first month I was in China. After a distress call she immediately came to my apartment, flipped me face down, and started scraping my back with a washed coin. She poured White Flower Oil (白花油) all over my back during this process. It sucked. It burned. And I could be forgiven for thinking that she was helping the flu kill me even faster! Read More…

 

Tibet Trip 2011 Caught on Tape!

ben.piscopo
Apr 4 |20:41

During the Chinese new year of 2011, I traveled with my brother (Nick) and cousin (Jake) through Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong, Yunan, and Tibet. It was Jake’s first time in Asia and I know he got memories of a life time. It was Nick’s second trip to China and we had always said we would visit Tibet; I’m so happy we kept our word to each other! Trips like the one we had in February are what this blog, AsianLiving.me, is all about: Culture, Food, and Mutual Understanding.

I’ve posted 100s of pictures in my Shutterfly photo albums. You can also see pics of Jake and me in Thailand, which I also wrote about in an article called “A Surprise in Phuket“. I’ve finally got some low-quality videos on Youku. Youtube videos will also go up in the coming week. The following videos were mostly shot in Tibet with our tour guides Gyaltsen and Gyaltsen! They were awesome and really gave us an amazing experience in their homeland. Enjoy our Tibetan music videos too!

Please leave comments below if you have any questions about travelling in or around Tibet!


A bend in the river (Tibet- Southern Friendship Highway) Read More…

 

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Ben Contact Me: ben@asianliving.me

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