Holiday Ideas - Explore China

Ever since mid-June of last year, the Chinese Stock Market has been constantly oscillating. When the Chinese Government decided to devaluate its Yuan, some economists feared that it will have a significant effect on the global economy and the interest rates of financial institutions. A report from The Washington Post said that China’s surprising move is a counter-measure in saving its economy. Ordinary Chinese citizens have also made the buzz on Chinese social media regarding this matter. But when did it all started?

Tracing the Devaluation of Yuan

On August 11 of last year, the Chinese Central Bank devalued its currency by a record 1.9 percent against a basket of currencies, which is assumed to be dominated by the United State’s dollar. This “measure” is followed by a drop of 1.6 percent and 1.1 percent in just two days.

Based on the article of First Post Business, the devaluation of the Yuan currency resulted to at least an $800 billion-loss of investments in the country as foreign investors and Chinese businessmen are tying their money to other countries.

Effects of the Slides in Yuan

It is said that the Chinese outbound tourism will be the first affected by this drop in Yuan. This means that more Chinese yuans (CNY) will be spent against the US dollars, yens or euros. The bottom line: tourists will have to cough out more money due to high Yuan to US dollar or yen or euro conversions. That being said, Attract China refuted that the recent drop of Yuan only had a slight effect on outbound tourism. In fact, 90 percent of international flights and tours have been booked for China’s Golden Week as of the article’s publishing.

In terms of inbound tourism, the Yuan slide is good news to foreign visitors. Almost everything will become way cheaper. For instance, the standard rate to an overnight stay at a Chinese hotel is 600 CNY. Prior to the devaluation, let’s say that the conversion rate of CNY to USD (hypothetical) is 6 CNY against USD. Therefore, a tourist will pay 100 USD for his/her hotel stay. But after the devaluation, CNY was set at a 6.8 per US dollar-basis (hypothetical). In effect, tourists will only have to pay around 88-89 USD for their hotel accommodation.

China has over 1.319 billion people and they have all their own digital platforms for social media. So, social media is very big in China, like everything else in China, big big big BIG! When you want to reach that big audience in China it pays to know and understand the social media options they have on offer. You may have a product or service that you wish to market in China; and social media can fan some flames of interest for you. Here is a brief rundown of what to expect and what each platform can specifically offer.

Chinese Social Media: When in China

There are over 300 million people using social media in China, so, that is a huge market to reach. A social media management agency could work wonders with these kinds of numbers. Looking at the top five social media apps in the Chinese market, they each have particular pros and cons.

Sina Weibo – Looking at the multifunction capabilities of this very popular app, you can see why they call it the Chinese Twitter (and that has nothing to do with Mah-jong). It has the ability to share images and videos; and it is the most popular app for Chinese celebrities wishing to interact with their many fans. Sina Weibo has twice the number of users that Twitter does, which just goes to show how big a place China really is. This app can help marketers reach a giant sized audience.

Tencent – This app is really an instant messenger using the QQ platform. It does, however, allow users to share images and videos, and to update their status. It also, incorporates numerous different websites on the one platform; meaning that Tencent has the largest number of registered users in China. It does have its own social networking site called Pengyou. This app, again, offers marketers and advertisers a huge audience.

Douban – Boasting around 80 million active users every month, Douban, is an open forum style platform, which is mainly used for movie, book and music reviews. Being an open forum it allows unregistered users to access many of its features, which may be attractive to marketers.

Renren – This could be called the Facebook of China, as it encourages users to connect with their friends, update their status, share videos, images, music and links. It has around 150 million registered users and over 30 million people actively using it every month.

WeChat – This mobile chat and voice app allows its users to discover each other through friend discovery, which identifies other WeChat users in the area. It is China’s Premier instant messaging app and currently it has more than 100 million people using it.

Chiropractors have conquered the great divide between East and West. You will find chiropractors in China: Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. These great cities and more are now home to the healing hands of professionally trained chiropractors. In some ways, Chiro is an American modality, and like many successful American things it too has now been exported across the globe. It is not only Hollywood and McDonalds starring on screens and streets in China, Chiro is making a big impact on the shores of the Middle Kingdom.

Chiropractors in China: Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong

Sport’s science has helped lead the way for the chiropractor in China, to some extent, with things like the massive Beijing Olympic Games. Chiropractors on national sporting teams from countries like the USA, Canada, the Bahamas and the Philippines all made their presence felt. It could only be a matter of time before opportunities were taken up by expat chiropractors and local Chinese people wishing to train. China is a huge untapped market for Chiro, and people are only just beginning to realise that. It is still just a drop in the ocean at the moment, but it will grow, as it is already showing signs of.

Chiropractors in China: Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong are servicing expats and local Chinese, who have heard about the efficacy of chiropractic. Chiro may well be from a completely different background to Traditional Chinese Medicine and expressions of that, like acupuncture, but in many ways it shares some attributes. Both modalities are very outcome based in their pragmatic methodology to healing. People in China are in a hurry to achieve outcomes, like Western levels of middle class wealth, and they want the lifestyles and accoutrements that go with that.

Chiropractic healing is a very practical Western way of healing; it is fast and effective. Many of the local people working around one of the American expat chiropractors working in Beijing want to train and become chiropractors themselves. I can see more Western chiropractors coming and working here, and many Chinese people training to become chiropractors. We have seen this development happening in other countries, like Australia and the UK. This is an American export industry with a proven track record of success. The Olympic Games was a great help, and that positive association with Chiro continues to aid? its development in places like China. Athletes love their chiro, so it appears very attractive to everyone else.

Well, I don’t think that we will be seeing too many grey nomads on the roads in China with their caravans swaying behind them in the shadow of the Great Wall. Much more likely, to have a whole bunch of them sitting snug inside their comfy tour bus and listening to the sing-song chatter of their Chinese tour guide. Grey nomads in China: Travel for retirees, yes Siree, they are on the move and coming to a tourist attraction near you. Whether it be the Entombed Warriors – The Terracotta Army or The Forbidden City (nothing is forbidden when you are over sixty) these older folk will be chewing the fat with cameras and IPhones outstretched.

Grey Nomads in China: Travel for Retirees

Your retiree has, generally, paid his or her dues to society, gone to work each and every day, brought up a family, maybe fought in a war, set up a SMSF; and now they are ready to see the world. Could be a cruise around the Pacific, through Asia, or flying direct into Beijing and getting on a tour bus to see the many sights that China has to offer. Buddhist Pagodas might be on the menu, the Temple of Heaven, the Shilin Stone forest, the Wudang Mountains, Tiger Leaping Gorge, or the Mogao Caves; to name just a few amazing sights in China.

China is full of incredible things to do and see. Don’t forget Hong Kong and Macao and all that yummy food, gambling and nightlife. How about a Yangtze River cruise to blow the cobwebs from your mind? Hang out at the Hanging Monastery! Pipe up in the Reed Flute Cave and prepare yourself to be truly amazed. If grottoes are your thing, then the Longman Grottoes will tower above your expectations.? The Hani Terraces will show you what a really big canvas looks like when painted with hundreds of years of agriculture.

Grey nomads will never be the same after a trip to the Middle Kingdom. Their ideas about China and Chinese people will be given a giant push into another dimension. They say that travel broadens the mind, well, travel in China stretches it like life does to skin over six or seven decades. Experience makes us who we are; and lives well-lived in are a bit like China, they may not look all sleek and perfect on the outside, but they sure know what life is all about.

There are many marketing opportunities when travelling in China. It is a very big country and there are very many people, some 1.391 billion people in fact. Marketing on the mainland: Opportunities in travel are opening up every day in so many possible ways. What do people want? They want good experiences and mementoes of those good experiences to take back home with them. They want good food to eat and tasty drinks to wash it all down with. Tourists want to see and hear colourful things, shows and performances. So, there are sponsorship opportunities for smart companies that wish to be associated with such positive excitement.

?Marketing on the Mainland: Opportunities in Travel

You have a group of people that are under tight direction; a market at the mercy of those in control. The tour bus is their constant vessel and their prison to some degree. What is on the walls on display is a platform offering advertisers the opportunity to communicate a highly repetitive message to this audience; whether it be through TV screens or signage. Members of this tour bus can be given caps, pens, coffee mugs and clothing items all embossed with a company sponsor logo. Together they are a bonded team and this makes for a fertile audience in psychologically terms.

When they see amazing new things together they want to talk and share with each other about what they have seen. Experiences shared are reinforced by this kind of behaviour; another powerful opportunity for sponsors to cement their positive association with good times. Companies that are involved in the travel business through things like traveller’s cheques, credit cards, international mobile phone carriers, guide books and travel websites can all take advantage of this captive audience to promote their products. Marketing strategies like these don’t get much better.

The digital world needs to pair with real live experiences in the sensory realm to consolidate its impact and travel marketing makes this possible. The tourist, if properly guided, is an incredibly fertile marketing portal, and a whole group of them together is a great opportunity for marketers everywhere. You can sell to, and, more importantly, create brand ambassadors via these tourists if your marketing and the tour are well managed. China is a big new experience for these people and they will want some corporate friends to share the journey with them. Familiarity in the right places can ease some travel stress; and if they keep seeing your logo in these foreign climes they will be signed on for life, in some circumstances.

Well-spoken Chinese presenters are in demand for English-speaking tours around China for Westerners. Do you speak very good English? Is the timbre of your voice very attractive and a good representation of our Chinese country? In that case you can get a job as a presenter on one of these popular tours. Imagine being able to tell the story of your great nation to the foreign hordes; what a proud position to be in. Narrating some of the many achievements garnered by the heroes and heroines of the Middle Kingdom.

Well-Spoken Chinese Presenters in Demand

Attractive and well-spoken Chinese presenters will be assured of good remuneration for these important positions. An attractive speaking voice is vital if the applicant is to be successful in applying for this position. Based on the well-known truism that ‘they do shoot the messenger’, especially if he, or she, sounds like a screeching owl in pain. Dulcet tones will sell the story of China’s rich and rewarding history, much better than adenoidal pitches of harsh sounds. A warm and nurturing voice can be honey-sweet to the ears of its listener. The tours will then enjoy their time as audience for our tour guides.

Across the land from Beijing to Shanghai, Szechwan to Altay, and Hangzhou to Qoqek our tour buses are crying out for well-spoken tour guides. Get on board and pin your microphone on and start talking; your country needs you. Tell our stories to these visitors and tell them proudly. Tell them of the mighty Qing dynasty and its battles to unite our great nation. With a population well over a billion people we have many such stories to tell of our histories. The mighty Yellow River has countless stories to be told. Our country covers 9.6 billion square kilometres and every patch has a story to be shared.

From the Tibetan Plateau all the way to the Pacific Ocean history has accrued like money in a Swiss Bank. Dynasties have come and gone like waves crashing into the beach; always to be replaced with another. The Communist Party of China waves the red flag now over the capital. Memories of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai flutter across brain cells like rice thrown at a wedding. Children of the revolution stand together and their shadows are hardly seen. Chopsticks hover above an empty bowl. The wind blows across a chasm; and it will be the story that you tell that makes an impression. Speak well about your country and know that you serve the pages of our history.

The Monkey is the playful spirit of the Chinese zodiac; always ready with a joke or a trick. In the Year of the Monkey get ready for some twists and turns. Money is an important ingredient in this Year of the Red Monkey; red because it is in the element of fire. Status will be another issue on the agenda this year and we could see lots of leadership changes at the top. Especially in the finance industry and, perhaps, Treasurers and Finance Ministers, may find themselves at the centre of controversies around the globe.

Watch your investments and make sure that you read the fine print. Closer to home it is behoven upon us all to take responsibility for our own fiscal realities. Don’t go blaming others after the fact, be vigilant now and don’t believe the hype. Monkeys like to hype things up and make a song and dance about it all. Stay calm and centred, and try not to get caught up in the drama. There are opportunities for those who can remain unfazed. Economically these opportunities may present themselves in the wake of those who have unfortunately gone down with the ship.

Zodiac Forecasts for The Year of the Monkey

Currency markets may be quite volatile in the Year of the Red Monkey. Rising and falling currencies can affect exchange rates for the tourist and travellers. Be careful about how you exchange your currency when travelling, as there could be opportunities for profit and losses could occur for the unwary. Avoid black marketeers in countries that have these elements in play. Be vigilant when bartering in Asian countries to avoid being ripped off unnecessarily. Keep your traveller’s cheques and money close to your person in a safe place when in public places. Astrology and numerology, often come to the fore in the Year of the Monkey.

Monkeys can be quite vicious when provoked, so avoid quarrels and disputes when travelling. Remaining calm and centred, whenever possible, is a good strategy to follow at the best of times, but in the volatile Year of the Monkey it is a must. Avoid political arguments when out and about in foreign countries; especially in the current political climate. Keep your focus on the pathway, wherever you are, don’t get distracted by fireworks. It is easy to lose your way in unfamiliar circumstances, especially when travelling far from home. Don’t stray too far from the beaten track this year; keep your eye on the signs.

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The official position of the Chinese government is one of intolerance toward the sex tourism market. It is important to understand that sex tourism is about economics. Men from wealthier countries travel to poorer countries to have sex there cheaply. They literally get more bang for their buck in these places. China sees itself as the regional economic power in Asia. There are Chinese men travelling to poorer parts of Asia to have sex with the women there. The Chinese government does not condone prostitution, but for many single Chinese men it is the only sexual outlet open to them.

China is not particularly interested in being a sex tourism destination for Westerners and is happy to see them visiting countries in South-East-Asia instead. Thailand and Indonesia are favourite stop-overs for men seeking cheap sex in foreign countries. A recent visit involving four hundred Japanese men travelling to China for sex with five hundred local prostitutes garnered a great deal of bad press for the Japanese. No nation likes to think about people from other countries coming over and fucking their women; it is a patriotically sensitive issue. Especially in this case when you remember what the Japanese did in China during the Second World War.

?China Intolerant to Sex Tourists

Countries that do turn a blind eye to sex tourism in return for the economic windfall it delivers, usually do so because they have little alternative. These places are most often resource poor and have little, or no other, industries contributing to the nation’s economy. Many island nations like Malta, and the Pacific island nations are in this situation. With escorts and the income derived from their activities making up a large part of the revenue coming into these places. Which is why, local residents are so keen to see their children try and make a life elsewhere if possible.

It is one of the brutal realities of poverty, the wealthy will screw you any way they can. Lady-boys in Thailand and elsewhere are generating quite a bit of sex tourism from the West and other places. The homosexual and bisexual markets are joining the traditional heterosexual market to make countries like Thailand international commercial sex hubs. The way the world is set-up right now you cannot eradicate prostitution; it would be more constructive to put energy into making the industry hygienically safer for both sex workers and their clients.

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China is a visually impressive nation to visit and the rich Chinese culture is alive with colour and pageantry. It is also a big country making it ideal for tourists of all persuasions. Chinese cuisines are famous all over the world, as Chinese migration has taken their dishes to markets throughout the West and beyond. Tours of China for deaf people are taking off, as both hearing impaired tourists and tour companies are realising the potential for enjoyment and profits. The Great Wall of China is no impediment to the deaf hordes now on its doorstep.

Tourism in China is big business, with more than sixty million people visiting the country each year; making it the third most popular destination in the world. The mix of urban and natural wonders make it a vibrant and dynamic place to visit. Disabled tourism is just getting started really, we already have plenty of medical tourism happening in China, and busloads of people who share the same disability is kind of cool in a way. It also allows organisers and venues to properly accommodate these people at the time. Good preparation is what makes any adventure a success.

Tours of China for Deaf People

The Cochlear Implant has made so many things possible for deaf people, like tours of China and other similar adventures. This wonderful invention has reduced the impact of hearing loss and turned up the sound on life. Audiologists have been singing the praises of this inner ear functioning replacement for many years. It takes the deaf out of leopard for head bangers. And puts the def into clearer sound definition. Watching the Chinese New Year celebrations without the clash of the symbols and the fireworks is just not the same.

Make sure that you visit China’s mountains, they are beautiful and magnificent. Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Mount Song, Mount Hua and Mount Hengshan are the Five Sacred Mountains. The Taishan massif snakes its way through Shandong and stands as sentinel over the lands and Chinese people. There are many waterfalls in south-western China, which are visually impressive and some say spiritually charged. A visit to Huangguosho Waterfalls will be well worth the trip, this group of waterfalls in Guizhou are very famous. There are many spectacular lakes in China as well. The Tianchi, or Heavenly Pool, lies almost two thousand metres above sea level and over a hundred metres deep; it is a divine spot to sit and contemplate.

China is a developing country; it is also the world’s most populous nation. Waste management has not been high on its agenda, as it has been involved in a massive modernisation and urbanisation program for a number of decades. China has been thrust into the focus of the developed world because of its rapidly growing economic might and because of global warming. Suddenly, what China did domestically, was now very important to the rest of the world, in terms of greenhouse gases produced. There has been pressure from environmentalists and developing nations for them to reduce the number of coal fired power stations they have.

Looking at the waste management issue, China produces some three hundred million tons of waste per year. Due to the urbanisation within the country and the shift to a consumerist lifestyle, this massive amount of packaging waste is stressing an underdeveloped public waste management system. It is unsorted municipal waste, which is picked up by trucks and disposed of in landfills and waste incinerators on the edges of the cities. Currently, government waste management services do not have the capacity to provide a recycling system. There needs to be much more investment here.

Waste Management in China: An Eco-Disaster

This eco-disaster is also an eco-challenge for China. The composition of the majority of the solid waste matter being disposed of is organic. The problem with organic matter in landfill is that it does not decompose properly in the anaerobic conditions. Rather, it produces methane, more greenhouse gas. An education program needs to be instigated to make Chinese residents aware of the problems and the part that they can play in the solution. The Chinese government needs to lead the way, as government bodies in Western nations have done in bringing in new recycling programs and promoting them to their citizens.

Taking advice from Australian waste management companies could be another short-cut for the Chinese. Opening the waste market up to private enterprise will speed up the process of making waste profitable. Organic waste can produce energy and recycling can generate profits in a number of areas. Societies have to pay for their waste, both residents and commercial interests, and this then turns a problem into an opportunity. Waste management in China: An eco-disaster which can become an eco-challenge. It is as much a mind-set thing as it is anything else; China must understand the consequences of not properly managing its waste and then set the economic levers in place to clean it up and profit from it.

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