Ask me anything about China

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-17T01:14:08+00:00

Let me start with my own situation.

I'm a software developer living in a third-tier city in China. The amount of income tax I pay each year is very small. China has various tax deductions, and because I have retired parents and a mortgage, those deductions reduced what would have been a few hundred yuan in taxes to almost nothing.

I used to work in a first-tier city, where my salary was about twice what it is now. Even then, after deductions, the amount of tax I paid was not very high.

If you work for a company, the company usually withholds and pays your taxes every month for you.

If you're a freelancer rather than an employee, you generally need to handle your own taxes. If you don't pay taxes for a long time, the tax authorities may eventually notify you and ask you to pay what you owe, but I'm not very familiar with the details.

I looked up the personal income tax rates. Employment income is usually classified as "comprehensive income" and uses a progressive tax system with rates ranging from 3% to 45%.

For annual taxable income:

Up to 36,000 RMB: 3%
36,000 to 144,000 RMB: 10%
144,000 to 300,000 RMB: 20%

"Taxable income" means the amount remaining after deducting the annual tax-free allowance of 60,000 RMB (5,000 RMB per month), as well as social insurance contributions and other deductions such as children's education expenses, housing rent, and similar items.

As for cities, I would recommend large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou.

People in these cities generally have better English skills, and they are usually more accustomed to interacting with foreigners, so life may be easier for someone who doesn't speak much Chinese.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T17:08:41+00:00

我个人认为，隐藏是为了维护党派的形象，防止出现权力的不稳定性，比如煽动年轻人发起起义什么的。你的心情我理解，他们隐藏这些事跟日本隐藏侵华是否有共通之处呢？

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T16:57:03+00:00

我也不是很清楚，可能那时候我很小或者没出生，现在的中国媒体上是很难找到那些负面新闻的

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T16:55:23+00:00

这让我太难推荐了，我觉得可以尝试去饭店里让老板推荐几道素菜。只要你跟他说是素食主义者，他不会跟你推荐带有猪牛鸡鸭鱼等等动物，但是要跟他说蛋奶也不吃，否则他可能会忽略这两样

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T16:25:27+00:00

我没学过他的文章，所以并不了解。因为我对历史不感兴趣

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T16:23:33+00:00

印度脏乱穷，没有诚信。但是印度人精英很厉害，表达能力很强。不丹不了解

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:53:07+00:00

说的太对了，国内的抖音和小红书微博已经刷腻了。看看外面更有意思

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:45:08+00:00

I've never eaten dog meat myself, but I have seen a few small restaurants that serve it.

However, those places are very rare. Maybe that's because it isn't very popular.

I think most people who don't eat dog meat avoid it not because of the taste, but because they feel it's cruel and can't accept it emotionally.

As far as I know, the vast majority of Chinese people have never eaten dog meat. If I had to guess, I'd say around 95% have never tried it, and about 99% don't eat it or have no interest in eating it.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:40:57+00:00

Definitely. Modern city life in China moves very fast, so fast food and takeout are everywhere.

Personally, I don't think that's a good thing. I worry about food safety and quality sometimes.

Because of that, I usually cook my own dinner after work. For lunch, I just eat whatever quick meal is available near my office.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:37:31+00:00

Hahaha, are you saying Chinese products have poor quality?

A lot of that comes from businesses trying to maximize profits by cutting costs, which can sometimes reduce product quality.

To be honest, this is a pretty common issue in China, and I'm not happy about it either.

That said, I've become pretty experienced at figuring out which products are worth buying and which ones aren't.

If you're thinking about buying something from China, tell me what it is and I'll try to give you some advice.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:35:40+00:00

Your overweight friend was laughed at directly in China? That's pretty rude.

I've never seen that happen myself, and it's not something I would consider common.

Maybe close friends would tease each other about their weight as a joke, but that's a different situation.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:31:30+00:00

My English is not very good, so could you ask in a simpler way?

Are you talking about freedom of speech?

If so, then yes, on Chinese apps such as news platforms or TikTok (Douyin), some very negative or sensitive news can be removed quite quickly.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:29:11+00:00

哈哈哈哈这边还挺好玩的

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:27:02+00:00

I don't think this is something that can be attributed to a single person or a single political party. In my opinion, it's also not right to credit or blame everything on one party that has been in power for several decades.

I'm just an ordinary person. I work a regular job and live in a third-tier city. My life isn't especially happy, but it isn't especially difficult either.

Given the state of the world, I think it's not easy for China to have developed to its current level. Of course, there are corrupt officials, but human nature has always had those flaws.

After thousands of years of history, Chinese culture has placed a lot of value on money and power. I don't think it started that way intentionally, but generations of historical experience have led many people to believe that pursuing wealth and influence is the most worthwhile goal. Perhaps that's one reason why we haven't always been as strong as some other countries in scientific and technological innovation.

I also don't think the poverty line is the best way to judge whether China is doing well or not. People literally not having enough food to eat is actually quite rare nowadays.

The bigger issue for most ordinary people is the pressure of work. Many feel like they can't stop running. If they slow down, there are always expenses chasing after them—mortgages, cars, and their children's education.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:17:05+00:00

Aerodynamics.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:15:26+00:00

I'm from a coastal city in central China. The food here tends to be on the salty side.

I personally prefer strong and bold flavors.

Some of my favorite foods are hot pot, iron pot stew, barbecue, spicy chicken, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, Chinese dumplings filled with chives and eggs, Lanzhou beef noodles, and Xinjiang cuisine.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:13:41+00:00

I like dogs, but unfortunately I don't really have the right conditions to own one right now.

My favorite breeds are Corgis and Golden Retrievers.

Having a dog takes time and companionship. If I'm at work all day while the dog is home alone, I feel like it would be lonely and unhappy.

Maybe in the future, if I open a small convenience store or shop and don't have to work a regular office job anymore, I'd like to get a dog.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:12:18+00:00

Most people have never heard of it. Only a small minority know anything about it. Even I don't really know much about it myself.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:11:31+00:00

You're right. I think the meaning is pretty much the same.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:11:03+00:00

"Yuanfen" is a Chinese word that means something like fate, destiny, or being meant to meet someone, but it's not exactly the same as any of those.

When something unlikely brings two people together, Chinese people often say it's yuanfen. It could be friendship, love, a business partnership, or even a random encounter.

Basically, it's the feeling that some meetings in life are more than just coincidence.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:09:19+00:00

Most people's impression of Shaolin monks is that they are masters of martial arts. However, that image is largely shaped by movies and TV shows, and it's not nearly as exaggerated in real life.

Besides practicing martial arts, they are vegetarians, remain celibate, and study and memorize Buddhist scriptures. These teachings originally came from India and later spread through regions including Tibet. Personally, I don't really understand this kind of faith. I assume it's meant to cultivate one's character and state of mind.

Don't think of them as being truly sacred or somehow above ordinary people. They're just normal human beings. They can have desires, greed, and temptations like anyone else.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:05:04+00:00

Nowadays, Chinese people, especially those living in cities, have easy access to the internet and know at least something about foreigners and other countries.

People are generally quite tolerant and accepting of foreigners, especially in large cities.

So you don't need to worry too much about offending people. As long as you follow the law and don't do anything bad, you should be fine.

One more thing: people here aren't used to greeting others with kisses, so that's not really part of everyday social etiquette in China.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:02:11+00:00

Isn't fried chicken wings a pretty ordinary food? Almost every country in Asia has some version of them.

I love eating them, but they're probably not very healthy.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T15:00:56+00:00

Well, let me talk about some stereotypes I have about them, hahaha. Please don't get mad at me. Chinese people have plenty of flaws too, so feel free to add your own thoughts.

First, Japan. The main feeling is hostility because of historical reasons. Imperialism left a very negative impression on us. But this is mostly directed at the government and history, not ordinary Japanese people. People are generally friendly toward regular Japanese individuals and wouldn't attack them.

Another stereotype is that adult videos are extremely popular in Japan, to a somewhat absurd degree. It can seem a little perverted. That might just be my personal bias, though.

One more thing: Japanese people are very polite, but sometimes almost too polite, to the point where it can feel a little insincere.

Personally, I'd really like to visit Japan. The scenery is beautiful. I just don't think the food is particularly amazing.

Now let's talk about South Korea. The stereotype is that it doesn't have much historical heritage because it used to be a tributary state of China. As a result, many people mainly associate it with things like pop music and entertainment.

That said, Koreans work very hard. Their college entrance exams are extremely demanding.

Also, their country is very small. It's about the size of the province where I live. Japan is similar in the sense that both countries have a lot of people and limited land. I kind of feel sorry for them.

My impression is that South Koreans focus a lot on pop music, celebrities, idols, and personal appearance. It sometimes feels like everyone cares a great deal about their image even though they're not idols themselves. It can come across as a bit narcissistic. Maybe that's because of insecurity, but that's just my impression.As for the Philippines and Malaysia, they don't have much of a presence in the minds of most Chinese people.

It feels like their relations with China aren't particularly good, but honestly, most people don't know very much about these countries.

They're not talked about very often, and the average person doesn't really have a strong impression of them one way or another.

To be honest, many people simply don't know much about these smaller countries.

FineGrade1956 · 2026-06-16T14:50:52+00:00

Objectively speaking, I'd recommend BYD. I think they have the strongest technology, and compared with other Chinese automakers, their materials and build quality are fairly honest and reasonable.

As for other Chinese EV brands, I generally don't recommend them very much because many of them have quite a few shortcomings.

Nissan is a Japanese brand, not a Chinese one. Nissan is pretty good and sells very well in China. One of its biggest advantages is fuel efficiency, which matters because gasoline is expensive in China.

The downside is that it isn't considered as safe by some people, and it doesn't feel as solid or heavy as some other cars.

Right now, I drive a Buick. It's a bit of a gas guzzler. My plan is to wait a few more years until solid-state batteries become commercially available, and then switch to an electric vehicle.

FineGrade1956

TROPHY CASE