The next time you wish to a moan on this board about the fishing in Hawke's Bay, have a think about this guy. This is not a set up, it's a genuine picture I took in Hong Kong two weeks ago.
All it really confirms is how desperate people are in the overpopulated and poorly resourced Asian countries. You can either suggest we're so lucky or there just plain stupid for letting things get that way. People can make there own mind on that, but there's a reason why many are desperate to come and live here. Welcome back Jerry I hope your trip was enlightening.
Good Lord Rex, you are hopelessly out of date with your thinking. China, especially, is a country overflowing with food, so much so much of it is imported into Hastings for Watties to can.
Poorly resourced? The cities are growing at an astounding rate as is the infrastructure. In many respects they are many years ahead of New Zealand and the UK. The people have three things drummed into them from birth, the need to work hard, the necessity of saving money and waste nothing.
Public transport is second to none. The metro is world class with a fare of two yuan to reach your destination, two yuan is also the cost of catching a bus. two yuan at today exchange rate is fifty cents. I have no idea what it cost to catch a Hastings bus but I am confident it will cost more than fifty cents. I forgot to say that is the only bus and metro fare regardless of where you get on or off.
The Chinese are extremely hard working people. food is very cheap, accommodation unbelievably cheap and good quality clothing is at almost giveaway prices. The people are always dressed well, the family concept is the strongest I have seen anywhere.
Work is available, there is no unemployment, if you haven't got a job you will be given a broom and a long handled dustpan, plus one hundred metres of road and told to go and keep it clean. For this you will be given an absolute minimal wage but enough to buy food and pay rent. You can eat quite well $3.00 a day and that will buy three meals. It's surprising how this encourages the person to find proper employment.
You suggest the Chinese are desperate to come to New Zealand, what they are desperate for is a house and garden. Chinese are natural farmers and tenders of land but the housing in China is all high rise apartment blocks ... no gardens.
What you have written is exactly how western propaganda would have you believe and nothing could be further from the truth. The roads are full of cars, mostly Lexus, BMW, Mercs, Audi, Ferrari, in fact most of the top of the range vehicles. The shops are full of top quality goods. not the crap the likes of Briscoes and The Warehouse import. The Chinese make goods to the standard the western buyer wants ... dirt cheap. All the clothes I purchased to bring home with me are real quality and extremely well priced.
China is a powerhouse, the second most affluent in the world and it is widely believed the world's currency will soon be measured against the Yuan, not the American dollar.
Those are the good things but I do not wear rose tinted glasses. I disliked the Asian toilets, I despise the disgusting habit of spitting and I would never grow accustomed to the noise. However, the Chinese people are a different matter altogether, kind, friendly, happy, very approachable and helpful and for some inexplicable reason have great respect for westerners.
I should have mentioned excellent health care at very affordable prices. I needed a doctor, I had a consultation, and examination and five items on prescription, the pharmacy is in the surgery. Total cost 65 Yuan, in our money $16.00 all up. In Auckland you can pay $50.00 just to get an appointment at your doctor.
There is no doubt we have got it right and in China it is all wrong. According to the Tui advert ... Yeah ... Right!!!
These are not the observations of a ten day tourist, I have lived in China for for five of the last ten months: the country is simply fabulous ... other than the heat. It was thirty-six degrees when I left there on Wednesday and at my age I struggled with those temperatures.
I didn't know Jerry was away, what name does he post under?
I don't want to get into a dispute between you two guys, or bring interracial harmony into a fishing chat show, but I do know that Asians/Chinese do not come here because they want a house and garden. A garden, in fact, any property where they have to do maintenance stuff is the furthest from their minds. I agree, they're hard working, respectful, good, honest citizens, but, like most people in the housing market, they don't have time for house stuff. Buy it, and live in it.
Rex, when the Chinese and Asians obtain fish .. it's very cheap there, with the exception of the bones, every part of that fish will be eaten. We, the westerners are the wasteful ones, we discard perfectly edible fish frames wings and heads, these make the best stock or soup imaginable.
The Chinese and Asians make full use of their fish resources. It is the west who are the wasters, then have the temerity to complain fish stocks are low. Just stand near the Awatoto river mouth and count the Kahawai heads and frames that have been removed and left for the gulls. Then look in the estuary and watch the Asians catching the YEMS, all of which will be eaten.
Druid, on that subject I can speak from the experience of having a Chinese partner and now a Chinese wife. Both spent hours in the garden with every spot that could be planted being tended with love and care.
You will find many of the Hawke's Bay market gardeners are of Chinese stock, up until the arrival of Chairman Mao, working the land was all the Chinese knew.
We can spend forever comparing different aspects of fishing from all over the planet and not focus on our own situation. The only common denominator is a simple fact. We are all on the same slippery slope. Hong Kong is obviously near the bottom and we here are just beginning the slide. Lets at least all realise that fact.
I wasn't aware I was arguing. But if you read widely you will find China has its fingers in Africa, Middle east, Australasia, Russia, and is trying to expand by claiming territorial waters between Taiwan and Japan. Oh and there here too. They need to do this because they are overpopulated and in bad need of resources. Suggest you watch the David Attenborough program that covered the various regions of China. fascinating as it showed the amazing place that it is and there tendency to eat almost anything along with the amazing extremes of terrain and wildlife. You may wish to reflect on why that is.
As far as the people go, they are very nice from my experience. I have lived with about six different Chinese girls all students who gave me great insight over 5 or 6 years about the people and the country. None of them wanted to leave our country for same reasons, the environment, lifestyle and easy access to resources. They loved it here. One reflection of this is our fishery. As you same Fringsy it is on the decline. But its not china yet. We don't have to fish out of drains but perhaps our children will. To try and prevent this I am happy to be a Hawkes Bay Moaner. That is all I have to say on this.
I wonder how many fingers the UK had dipped into countries when the commonwealth was established, and they were quite happy to maintain their presence with the military when required.
People from countries around the world enjoy and are amazed by our resources, isn't that why we advertise our clean green image.
Rex, I believe living in China for five months and gaining first hand knowledge of the country and its people to be rather more 'hands on' than a television program and talking to six young students.
Yes the Chinese are spreading their wings and moving into other countries. From memory the Poms did exactly the same to New Zealand, Australia, Canada and to a lesser extent South Africa.
The old fella in the picture didn't have to fish in a drain, the harbour wall was about forty metres away where others were fishing. Yes I have a picture, and yes they had caught fish. For some strange reason these were kept in a bucket with oxygen being pumped into the water ... I have a picture of that also.
on 21/8/2015, 10:28 pm