Life and Travel in China

I have noticed that the New Year trend in Shenzhen is changing. 3-4 years ago, most people went from Shenzhen to their hometowns and villages for Chinese New Year, now it has changed. Most people stay here and even invite their parents and grandparents for the holidays. There are already crowds of people in hypermarkets, many older people from outside have appeared. Such people stand out because young people still dominate everyday life in Shenzhen. An army of older people appears during the new year, i.e. now even until the end of February. In China, companies have 1-4 weeks off, but it is planned very differently. Certainly, most companies will have holidays from February 3-17. The year of the rat begins on February 7.

Chinese New Year is approaching and due to heavy snowfall, most trains have been canceled and others are delayed by up to several days. There are 800,000 people camping at the main station in Guangzhou, stuck halfway between their place of work and their hometown. Passengers have also been waiting in the halls of the Shenzhen station for three days. The situation is tragic, unimaginable for us in Poland.

Today is New Year's Eve, tomorrow, according to the lunar calendar, the year of the rat begins. Let me remind you that for the Chinese it is something like our Christmas. The holiday involves meeting the closest family, preparing special food (different dishes for different regions of China), waiting for the new year together and keeping vigil all night long. Tomorrow, Chinese people give each other red envelopes with money as a gift and best wishes. The rules of giving are different, elders give them to children, adult grandchildren give them to their grandparents, married couples give envelopes to single men and women. Basically, there are no big parties like we have on New Year's Eve. So - I WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE RAT!!!

Internet users often look for information about salaries in China... maybe this information will also be useful. A beginner waitress in one of the best 5* hotels in Shenzhen earns 600 RMB per month (PLN 200). Of course, the hotel provides them with food and accommodation. Now you probably know why every restaurant has several waitresses at each table. This is an example of the lowest possible salary, I'm guessing that this girl is just training, in the future she may earn 1000-1500 RMB.

Two days ago, while riding a taxi in Shanghai, I admitted that I was from Poland. The taxi driver immediately asked me about someone named 'Jaluzelskii'. It sounded quite strange, but after a while we realized that it was obviously about Jaruzelski. Apparently the last 'news' he read about our beautiful country was from 30 years ago. Congratulate your memory and knowledge. The taxi driver asked me if Jaruzelski was in prison. I didn't understand him, but he showed me the gesture of cuffed hands. He was surprised that Jaruzelski was not arrested.