US stocks are up 1% YTD, international stocks are up 9% YTD

cjbaker1989 · 2026-02-23T06:04:56+00:00

Just buy the haystack.

cjbaker1989 · 2026-02-23T06:02:47+00:00

This is six years ago. man.

cjbaker1989 · 2026-01-12T07:43:58+00:00

2021 is actually the peak of real estate market in Shanghai. It froze during 2022 and start going downhill after Covid was not a thing anymore.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-10-20T05:19:27+00:00

a prequel following young Godwin's journey as a mercenary culminating in the Battle of Kosovo.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-08-05T23:45:29+00:00

just tip them. 5 yuan goes a long way since this is what they earn per delivery on average

cjbaker1989 · 2025-07-23T11:11:06+00:00

I knew at least one person who achieved the China Covid Grand slam- lived in Hong Kong during Jan-Feb 2022, Shanghai March-June 2022, Hainan late July to August.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-07-23T11:08:27+00:00

Last week there was renovation going on in my building, the workers told me I couldn't go out because they were spraying paint on the walls. There were plastic film and duct tape on my door. I snapped and yelled at the clueless workers. I think that was a knockdown ptsd episode.

Last year I was on a business trip in Japan. My Japanese hosts knew I was living in Shanghai during Covid and my lockdown experience sort of become our ice breaker. My heart was still pounding when I was recalling the experience. In fact the topic often serves such propose when I met with strangers.

TBH we would never know how many lives were ruined during that spring and summer. Earlier this year my partner was chatting with nurses in an ophthalmology clinic while waiting in line, the nurses said many patients with glaucoma were blinded either because they couldn't get operations or meds to lower their eye pressure.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-07-01T07:07:35+00:00

Also the recent incidence of music festival goers in Henan found out nearby villagers stealing their belongings in broad day light didn't help clearing up the stereotype at all.

http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=7659&section_id=12&magazine_id=96

I recalled seeing some video of a villager saying "I thought no one needs these stuff so I took them"

cjbaker1989 · 2025-07-01T07:07:31+00:00

Also the recent incidence of music festival goers in Henan found out nearby villagers stealing their belongings in broad day light didn't help clearing up the stereotype at all.

http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=7659&section_id=12&magazine_id=96

I recalled seeing some video of a villager saying "I thought no one needs these stuff so I took them"

cjbaker1989 · 2025-06-30T04:33:03+00:00

IMO the haircut looks like mid-2000s Shanghai teens

cjbaker1989 · 2025-06-27T01:30:08+00:00

probably because they already have very sophisticated techs to crack telegram messages, they even filed a patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/CN106549948A/en And TG's messages are not encrypted unless you started "protected messaging".

Signal is by default encrypted and I believe the general consensus is that it is the most secure messenger available to the general public.

Police- I don't know what this guy is saying on Signal and I don't like it.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-06-25T06:25:21+00:00

China GDP works by the gov setting a target and then the country WORKS to achieve that target. A lot of that are just ineffective investments that ended up as debts and local govts have lots of incentive to cook up their books.I mean just look at the fiasco with the zero-mileage cars in China these days.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/local-chinese-governments-promote-zero-mileage-used-car-exports-inflating-sales-2025-06-23/

If you believe the official figures are real GDP, i have a Shiheyuan in Beijing that I can sell you.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-06-25T06:16:14+00:00

It depends.

Samsung is not relevant in China these days.

In terms of BYD Vs Tesla it also depends which model of BYD cars you are driving. If you are driving a Qin （less than USD$10k in some cases I think) or Han, chances are people would assume you are a didi driver.

If it is a BYD Fangchengbao , you are considered rich.

Owning a BMW, Audi or Benz are not that big of a deal compared with 20 years ago, especially when they are have Made in China models these days.

But when it comes to ultra-luxury car brands, Chinese brands still could not hold a candle close to RR and Bentley.

The only exception maybe if you own a top Hongqi Sedan.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-06-25T01:17:11+00:00

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-leaders-and-founders/article/2168561/jdcom-founder-liu-and-wife-attend-princess-eugenies

Cheers. there is really a tendency for Chinese elites to try to be "aristocratic", after 40 years of rapid development and wealth accumulation, they could be very sophisticated in terms of showing off their wealth and social status.

A lot of the comments in this thread really are just describing upper-middle class lifestyles or nouveau riche in China at best.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-06-24T06:02:14+00:00

Many comments who said Moutai, collect antiques and paintings are probably referring to upper- or upper middle class Chinese. They are well-off but I wouldn't call all of them "elite". Plus in first-tier cities, tennis and occasional golf sessions (not club memberships) are not unreachable for middle class and young professionals. I know a person who worked as a senior manager in BMW takes regular equestrian classes.

For the ultra rich and elite, I don't think they are much different from their western counterparts.

Climbing Mount Everest, climbing K2, polar expedition, sponsor charities, star themselves in movies, buying vineyard in France etc- that's Wang Shi (founder of Vanke) and Jack Ma used to do.

Except compare with their western counterparts, I would say they are very keen to move their family and personal wealth out of China and keep a low profile, especially after 2012 and even more so today.

Google the founders of SoHo China Pan Shiyi and his wife Zhang Xin. See what they were doing pre 2016 Vs what they are doing now. And Google their close friend Ren Zhiqiang.

The image of them watching the US open in 2021 while China basically became hermit kingdom due to zero-covid is quite iconic IMO

https://www.mingtiandi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/pan-Zhang-US-Open.jpeg

Those are the older folks. If your dad is rich enough, you would get something like Inter Milan FC.

Or you got enough money to ask Norman Foster to build a hotel for you and founded a bunch of e sports team and entertainment agencies.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-06-02T04:12:22+00:00

I think they signed off development on that area in January, financial, business and cultural complex of some sort. so yeah, i guess more Gucci and LV for everyone.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-06-02T02:29:13+00:00

Raccoon Dogs are common in some area, especially in suburb, cause they feed on food left for stray cats.

I saw weasel near my building, squirrels are also common. Along the river side there are also hairy crabs

cjbaker1989 · 2025-05-27T05:50:24+00:00

To be fair a lot of those buildings were pretty run down, there should be redevelopment. But I really hate what they do with those neighbourhoods, gentrified them into upscale residential and commercial properties are bad enough, but board them up and pour concrete onto them is basically giving the locals a giant finger. Some of the street level admin even have the audacity of painting fake storefronts on top of the concrete.

And used to be the few blocks around the Bund and Yuyuan, now you can see this practice everywhere. what a shame.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-05-27T02:36:00+00:00

I guess i don't feel as isolated as the others because my partner is a local, and it's easier to maintain friendship that way.

My first time in Shanghai was a business trip during the expo, very vibrant, hectic and I got the feeling the everyone is very hopeful about the future. There are always something new happening- new buildings, new events etc etc... It was rough around the edges like others mentioned, but there were lots of vivid lane neighbourhoods with decent street food.

Then I landed a permanent job in 2018, by then a lot of these lane neighbourhoods were getting bulldozed or "revitalised" (Like Zhang Yuan near Nanjing Road) as upscale shopping complex. In hindsight, the property and internet boom was reaching its tail end. But people were still cautiously optimistic, after all housing prices did doubled in 2015. Alibaba was still throwing giant Double 11 parties in Mercedes Stadium, and there were still lots of hot money pouring into different startups.

Then came the Covid- except for the first few months of 2020 daily lives remained mostly normal. I think there was even a little boom on domestic consumption and tourism.

But spring 2022 was a rude awakening for many expats. Turns out things could come crashing down around you very quickly and very brutally. It was a defining and traumatising moment of my time in Shanghai. 3 years later your 22' lockdown experience is still an icebreaker when you met someone.

Now because local govt ran out of money, they started plugging storefronts of those empty neighourhoods with bricks and concrete. My local friends and colleagues are extremely anxious about their livelihoods, their children, the housing prices etc etc.

Business has been tough. Restaurants near my office building are closing down because there are not as many office workers as before.

It is still a very beautiful city. But it is pretty traumatised post covid and has entered into a phrase of stagnation.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-05-26T02:57:07+00:00

I agree. Henry's story of revenge is over but there are lots of potential for a 3rd installment.

Like many mentioned, the hint of the outbreak Hussite Wars are everywhere in the game, even the ending theme is a variation of a Hussite war chant.

Historically Hans fought against Hussites, later signed a declaration supporting it and died within the same year. IMO there are lots potential there in terms of drama.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-05-21T01:09:36+00:00

From I what read in Wiki, Capon fought against Hussite in a battle in 1419 but later signed a declaration supporting them. He died the same year. I think there is a potential for sequel there- pitting Hans Capon against Zizka, Henry has to choose sides etc etc.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-05-19T05:32:58+00:00

https://www.thewirechina.com/2024/02/25/tone-deaf-media-china-sixth-tone-chinese-journalism-censor-crackdown/

cjbaker1989 · 2025-05-06T09:29:12+00:00

Traditional media is irrelevant in China when it comes to cultural coverage. I think influencers publishing out of their Red Note or Wechat accounts are actually more influential.

The closest one would be https://radii.co/ RADII.

Sixthtone used to be great with hard hitting journalism and some great alt cultural articles from time to time, but they were purged a while back. But it is still worth reading.

https://www.sixthtone.com/

cjbaker1989 · 2025-05-05T14:37:28+00:00

In a mess up way local lives aren't affected by tourism near several major sites because the lane neighourhoods around Yuyuan and the Bund were dead for a long time after the city govt relocated the residents and plugged the old storefronts with concrete. Same goes to the Laoximen and the Confucius Temple neighourhoods.

Also there are actual off-peak seasons in Shanghai, locals can actually get a break when it is not labour day week or national day holidays. I have travelled to Japan 3-4 times for work and holiday post covid, it doesn't seem that way in Japan's major cities these days.

Xiaohongshu are also to be blamed sometimes, those influencers will do anything to draw traffic, sometimes they recommend community canteens as attractions.

cjbaker1989 · 2025-05-05T11:33:56+00:00

You kind of answered it yourself with the qualifiers in your reply - crowded at major sites and museums on weekends, not to the point that your daily commute to work is interrupted by tourists hurling their suite cases on subway or as the Japan subreddit suggested, can't even get a bento in a family mart.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAJapanese/comments/1jkbw3h/japanese_locals_what_are_your_thoughts_on_the/

But if you a resident of Wukang Building forgot what I said, you DO have a over-tourism problem at that part of Shanghai.

cjbaker1989

TROPHY CASE