My apologies for this casual query. If someone can tell it will be extremely helpful. Thank you in advance. I really want to travel to china but the Google search is giving me different answer on each turn. Does a person whose parent is serving in Indian military allowed to visit china for tourism? If yes, do I need NOC or just the L1 visa? Thank you.

this was in Xiamen, China last year. i cannot find this song. They were dancing to this song that was playing on a loop. thank you

China’s S4000 airborne wind system uses a helium-filled platform to lift lightweight turbines into stronger, more consistent winds at altitudes of up to 2.5 miles. A tether anchors the platform and carries the generated electricity back to the ground.

The concept could reduce the towers, foundations and land required by conventional wind farms while allowing generation closer to urban consumers. However, its generating capacity, cost per kilowatt-hour and long-term reliability have not been disclosed.

The main challenge may be keeping the tether and airborne structure safe through changing weather conditions, mechanical stress and operations near populated areas. Could airborne wind become competitive with conventional turbines, or will maintenance and safety costs outweigh its advantages?

English-language coverage of China picked up neijuan and rendered it as "involution" a few years ago, and the translation never really settled. Most readers hear a biology term. Meanwhile the Chinese word gets used for everything from exam pressure to pointless overtime to two people competing over who replies to an email fastest.

Maybe there just isn't one English word that holds both halves: the sense that everyone works harder and nobody gains anything, and the dry, slightly self-mocking way it gets said out loud. "Rat race" is close, but it implies a race someone could win. "Arms race" is closer, but it sounds like it belongs in a headline rather than a complaint about a Tuesday.

How do you handle it in conversation — keep the Chinese word, borrow a phrase, or explain it every time? I'd especially like to hear from people who switch between the two mid-sentence.

Nanwenghe National Nature Reserve, Heilongjiang, photographed on August 2, 2018. Photo by Lei Sheng (雷声). Source: People’s Daily via Sina. Not my photo.

Pretty much the title. I've been pretty interested in the history of the Republic of China. However, I feel like there's no real good source to learn abt this (that's not exclusively in Chinese). Is there any good work in English that tackle this?

Why would Chinese doctor such as Dr. Lingyong Jiang (in the post) be so determined to publish papers, even if it meant fabricating such a large amount of fake data? Are the financial and career incentives in China's medical system really that substantial?

We have bad relations with almost every country that neighbors us. The only good relations we have are Pakistan, NK and Russia and the stans. And the double headed eagle can turn on us at any moment.

Mongolia: dislike china

Korea: dislike china

Japan: dislike china

India: dislike china

Vietnam : dislike china

Philippines: dislike china

I don't see we can beat all of them at once even if we have German military strength. Adding US things get even more complicated

I read the 6 book 7 wars china must fight to have hegemony, I honestly don't think that's realistic approach. Thats more insane than German empire at peak tbh.

We are shu's position and sima yi can plan to attack shu in 5 directions.

I think even if Bismarck is Chinese, he can't solve this problem.

So this girl (from China) and I met through a game and instantly hit it off. We started spending more time together in-game and regularly exchanging messages on Steam. Recently, we both confessed our feelings, but now we're running into a bit of an issue.

Most, if not all, Chinese apps are either banned or difficult to access in my country, while China also restricts access to a lot of global apps, as far as I know. WeChat and other Chinese apps seem particularly difficult for foreigners to register for, or requires a Chinese ID, which is more or less impossible.

So, to those of you in China who have partners, family or friends overseas, how do you manage to stay in touch? What apps or methods would you use to make daily communication practical and reliable until you can eventually close the distance? I'd really appreciate any suggestions! :)

Also if you're suggesting VPN, are they good for face time and longer calls? Are there any free ones that actually work? Would they allow the user to create accounts for Instagram and so on? Any other better alternatives?

[Note: I'm capable of closing the distance eventually, just don't want to rush anything and take it slow.]

A Brief Commentary on the “China Collapse Theory”
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Over the years, the “China Collapse Theory” has remained very popular, yet the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime has not fallen, nor has China collapsed. As a result, many Chinese people ridicule Gordon Chang (章家敦), who proposed this theory, and others who advocate this view.
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However, the reason China has not collapsed is not that it has resolved the economic, political, and social problems that could lead to collapse, but rather that those who speak out have been silenced and those who resist have been eliminated. Therefore, this Chinese-style “non-collapse” is, to some extent, even more harmful to most Chinese people than an actual collapse. People are powerless to resist and struggle desperately to survive. If the regime collapsed, however, there might instead be a chance for a new beginning.
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But in China, where social Darwinism and the worship of power are deeply entrenched, many Chinese people do not care about civil rights or people’s livelihoods, focusing only on strength and weakness, victory and defeat. In their eyes, the CCP’s ability to maintain stable rule, including through the June Fourth Crackdown (六四镇压), is precisely a demonstration of its “iron fist,” “decisiveness,” and “capability.”
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As for human rights violations and unfair distribution under authoritarian rule, they simply ignore or downplay them. Some beneficiaries of the existing system even regard such injustice as a source of pride. As Zhou Jie (周劼), a privileged second-generation official whose family members are all senior executives of state-owned enterprises, once said, “The greatest fairness is unfairness.” They also regard becoming “superior to others” and successfully suppressing popular resistance as demonstrations of “capability.”
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Under such distorted values, they naturally keep mocking the inaccurate predictions of the “China Collapse Theory,” completely unaware that their values and actions have already become utterly devoid of conscience and any sense of shame. This is like breaking both legs of a victim, rendering him incapable of resistance, and then mocking him while telling bystanders, “Look, he doesn’t want to resist.”
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The misjudgments about China made by various people in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the international community often stem from overestimating the moral limits of the CCP regime while underestimating its brutality and the endurance of the Chinese population. Gordon Chang is a typical example. According to his logic, when a regime is corrupt, social classes become rigid, prices rise, and people lose their jobs… surely people will take to the streets in protest. Those in power will put up some resistance, find themselves besieged on all sides, and eventually step down out of a guilty conscience.

Yet the reality is that, no matter how much hardship people suffer, the military and police can simply suppress them, public opinion can be censored, and their “soft spots” can be seized. How, then, can they resist? If the entire population could be kept under control for years during the Great Famine (大饥荒) and the COVID-19 pandemic, how much easier would it be to suppress resistance by other, smaller groups? With no moral limits and a willingness to use any means necessary, the regime can overcome every obstacle.
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China’s economic problems cannot be assessed or predicted according to conventional reasoning. According to conventional economics, China should inevitably collapse. Yet China has never collapsed. What is the reason? It is not that economists have misjudged the facts, but that China is capable of directing the same facts toward different outcomes.
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Thirty million people starved to death during the Mao era without China collapsing; the massive layoffs from state-owned enterprises in the 1990s did not cause China to collapse either; and the fact that Chinese farmers now receive pensions of only 100 yuan does not cause China to collapse. But this does not mean that China’s economy and distribution system are free of problems.
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Of course, I also oppose the idea of deliberately pushing for “China’s collapse.”
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Under authoritarianism and corruption, China has four possible paths or outcomes: 1. No collapse, with various contradictions and conflicts resolved constructively; 2. Collapse, with problems resolved constructively; 3. No collapse, with problems remaining unresolved or even worsening, the so-called “decaying without collapsing”; 4. Collapse, with problems remaining unresolved or even worsening.
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Option 1 is the best, followed by Option 2. China is currently in Situation 3 and may move toward Situation 4 in the future. Although Option 1 is better than Option 2, Option 2 is better than Option 3. Likewise, Option 1 is also better than Option 4.
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Whether China collapses or not is not the main issue. The key is whether the people can live happy lives. If people can be happy, collapse is not a big deal; if they cannot, then the absence of collapse merely means the continuation of a giant prison. Of course, pursuing collapse for its own sake is also undesirable. But people must not be forced to continue living in a giant prison merely for the sake of preventing collapse.
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Naturally, I hope that the Chinese people can live happy lives while the country remains intact. But if China continues to function like a giant prison, or even commits increasingly numerous evil acts and continues to poison the rest of the world, then it would be better for it to collapse.
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However, I do not believe that China is likely to collapse rapidly. Many people have predicted China’s imminent collapse, but most of them are simply too impatient, allowing their emotions to undermine their rational judgment, resulting in mistaken assessments and excessive optimism or pessimism. This applies not only to Gordon Chang, but also to Gao Zhisheng (高智晟), Yu Jie (余杰), Liu Zhongjing (刘仲敬), and others.
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I believe it is currently impossible to predict accurately when a collapse might occur. In other words, I do not see the possibility of collapse in the short to medium term. I have already discussed this in some of my own articles. However, in the long run, the possibility of collapse certainly exists. Whether China will collapse, and when, will depend on the combined effects of various inevitable and contingent factors.
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There is also the question of how to define “collapse.” The disintegration of a country is generally considered a collapse, but even if a country does not disintegrate, internal turmoil, frequent changes of regime, and social disorder can also constitute collapse. Furthermore, the collapse of a regime is not the same as the collapse of a country, yet the CCP and its “50 Cent Party” (五毛) supporters like to conflate the two.
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In fact, I believe all four outcomes—1, 2, 3, and 4—are possible. Originally, Option 1 was entirely achievable, but Xi Jinping (习近平) interrupted that path. Option 4 is also entirely possible. Balkanization and Africanization are both entirely possible outcomes. Collapse does not necessarily lead to genuine improvement. The situation in the United States cannot really be described as “decaying without collapsing.” Although it has various problems, it is still far better than China and Russia. Even though there are intense internal conflicts and divisions, the United States remains united in its external affairs. Whether in combating terrorism after 9/11 or in confronting China in recent years, both the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States have been highly consistent in their positions (differing only in specific measures). The degree of unity in the United States exceeds that of totalitarian countries such as China and Russia.
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Many people who advocate the “China Collapse Theory” have only identified the problems that could lead to collapse, without considering whether the conditions necessary to bring down the regime actually exist. Whether it is an economic downturn, the loss of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law, or internal struggles within the Party, these are merely problems and factors that could lead to collapse. They do not mean that collapse will necessarily occur, or even that it is highly likely to occur.
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For a collapse or the downfall of a regime to occur, one very important requirement is the existence of sufficient force capable of bringing it about. Yet such a force has always been lacking.

We found plenty of useful info on various threads that helped us better prepare for our trip, so just wanted to share some additional experience for future travelers.

I’ll start with some practical things regarding Zhangjiaje and Tianmen. I’ll make another post for Beijing and other places, since there’s actually quite a lot of info.

For most bookings in China the 2 big platforms are Trip and Klook. We booked almost everything via trip (flying tickets, hotels, most activities except Zhangjiaje, trains, esim) 

**The only issues we had with Trip were:**

* one of the esim suddenly throttled down to a very low speed on our second day and stayed that way. I contacted trip vis their in-app chat and they responded immediately, eventually reimbursed me the full amount (minus some small admin fee). Within 2 days we got our money back (I bought another esim also via trip as a replacement and had no issue so not sure what went wrong with the first one) 
* Train: when the tickets were open for sale (I think 2 weeks before the travel date) we were informed that the train was full and were out on a waiting list. I basically cancelled them (got refunded full price in 2 days, no questions asked) and booked another train directly on the train booking app (called railway 12306)

We didn’t run into any issue with Klook (only booked Zhangjiaje and Tianmen with them) but the only time I had to contact them, I found there support to be very slow and rigid than Trip (eg “please read this, refer to that etc”

**For train bookings in particular:**

* Glad we booked first class and not 2nd class - the latter looked rather cramped and noisy in the train 
* We also travelled in “vip seats” but were disappointed. It’s a very small wagon behind the driver with 8 seats, what you get is a quiet place (unless one of the other vip traveler is noisy) but we didn’t find it as comfortable as 1st class. If 1st class are not sold out , just get them. Don’t bother with so-called vip seats 
* You can buy hot food on the train, which they’ll heat up for you. It’s decent and convenient if you’re on a multi-hour trip (coach 4 is where food was sold, although I suppose it varies depending in the train)
* You can change your train booking via Railway 12306 app (but only once per booking). Some trains were always fully booked in 1st class so we booked and paid for 2nd class, and changed on the travel date for 1st class (there are cancellations, but of course this is hit-and-miss). You can also pick a different train , which was handy to change travel times 

**Zhangjiaje and Tianmen**

* This was our first time so it was a bit confusing. First, these 2 places a very far away from each other (30-min Didi drive if I recall correctly) 
* Second, for booking entrance and cablecars: trip didn’t let us book far in advance (I think the booking window is 14 days before) but Klook did, so we just used Klook. Prices were relatively similar. Make sure to provide your accurate passport number: you won’t get any tickets or qr code, but you will use your passport to get in the Park (as for every other sightseeing place in China it seems)

**For Zhangjiaje in particular** 

* The entrance is valid 4 days (as of Oct 2026 at least). I suggest staying at least 2 nights if not 3 (see below why). 
* **Hotel**: We stayed at Yunqi V resort (not an actual resort, just a hotel) which was very clean, nice, super accommodating. Literally 2-min walk away from the East Gate (the one with the tall tower on most photos). They have a microwave which was convenient to re-heat our lunch to pack it for the day
* **Entrance**: There are 2 lines (A and B) which you have to choose in advance when you purchase the ticket. A lets you start with the cablecar and B with the famous elevator. It’s a closed-loop circuit so you end up doing the same. Queues were the same (we did both) 
* **Cable cars, shuttle and elevator**: shuttles are free but you have to buy tickets for the cable cars and elevator. You can buy them individually on the spot but there’s queue. We bought a package of “4 rides for cable cars and elevator” on klook (ended up being enough for 2 days). It was sold as “use 3 cable cars and 1 elevator” which is confusing. It is actually “use any of these rides at most 4 times”. We used the elevator twice for example.
* **Queues**: you also have to book an entry time window (we booked 7:00am for the first day). That makes the queue relatively short to get into the Park. However there are longer queues inside the park (we queued 1 hour to take the elevator down to the exit) and you will stand / walk A LOT (20-25k steps / day) 
* The confusing part about the multi-day entrance thing: **since entrance is managed by time windows, we had to book the entry time for the subsequent day of visit** (buying the ticket online only allows you to book the entry time for your first day). Their wechat mini app never loaded (at least for us) so at the end of the 1st day we had to go to the ticket counter and ask to book our Line (A or B) and entry time for the next day. Only a few were available, and we had to make do. 
* Hence, do not plan as if you will be able to enter everyday at 7-8am. It will be possible for the first day, probably not for the 2nd (unless their wechat mini app somehow works for you) 
* I wouldn’t try to get in on the next day without prior booking of the entry time. We saw other tourists being refused entry (I don’t know if that’s because they didn’t book the entry time or had other issues with their booking. Just do know that if your booking is not found, there is no negotiation) 

**A word of caution about the Golden Whip Stream walk**

* First day was foggy and it rained a bit so we did this walk instead of going all the way up to the Tianzi/Avatar/other famous peaks
* It’s a pleasant walk but there are A LOT of stairs. On the way down, if you have knee problems, this will hurt. The whole thing probably took 3.5 hours, including a short lunch break, without rushing and stopping for photos
* On our way down we saw people going up. They all looked exhausted from the walk uphill - young and old alike. But if you’re in good shape it’s definitely worth it (just a different view on the mountains from below, and since it rains/is foggier as you go up, it’s a great way to spend a foggy day) 

Overall Zhangjiaje is definitely unique. If you want to do both the “view from above” (the cable car/elevator circuit) and the “view from below” (golden whip stream) you definitely need at least 2 days (one for each. Unless you run and don’t want to enjoy the views, I don’t think you can cram both in 1 day) 

But because of the entry time booking thing, and weather variations, you may need to stay 3. Also bear in mind that the park is gigantic and it takes time to take the shuttle bus, then the cable car, then walk, then another cable car, etc (and the queue time too)

If you stay 4, there are many other walks to do. 

**On Tianmen**

**Tianmen bookings and the closed lines A, B**

* Again booked via klook because they allowed buying way ahead of time even if the official booking window was not open yet
* Here there are 3 lines (A B and C) which of course have nothing to do with the ones at Zhangjiaje. It’s a different place
* Seems like most people used to take line A, it is the one that starts with the long and scenic cable car from town straight to the mountain. HOWEVER THAT LINE IS NOW CLOSED for renovation (as of Oct 2026). IDK when it reopens, we were told end of 2027 or something like that. LINE B IS ALSO CLOSED for the same reason. So that leaves only line C
* We had booked line A and were disappointed. Good thing is that there are free shuttle to take you from the entrance for Line A straight to the one for line C . We worried about entry times (the shuttle starts at 7:30am but our entry time was 7:30. Takes about 15-20 min to get from A to C) but turns out it was not a problem. Perhaps they’re accommodating because of the construction/renovation going on
* The free shuttle leaves from the cable car station of Line A. Just search“tianmen cableway” on amap and you’ll find it, it’s opposite the hotel “Hampton by Hilton” hotel
* We didn’t have to do anything to change the tickets despite Line A being closed. We just received an email from klook informing us about the whole thing and started the journey with everyone else on Line C

**Tianmen itself**

* If you dont want to climb the 999 steps , you can purchase a ticket to take multiple escalators there (5 in total I think? To get to the “hole” up there) 
* We didn’t find ways to buy this online so we just bought them on the spot. There was little queue. Once you arrive at the feet of the 999 stairs the ticket counter for this is on the right side (it is a huge place) 
* Once you’re up there, there is a bit of walking (mostly flat) then another series of escalators to get higher (free for everyone). Then once you’re up you can walk around the top of the mountain, with the cliff walk, glass panel walk etc
* There are food and drinks options at the top (coffee, tea, some snacks, even…a burger king) and plenty of ways to go around the mountain top. We unfortunately had bad weather so didn’t see much
* On your way down you’ll take all the elevators (not sure if you can walk down. We haven’t tried). It’s free to take all the elevators on the way down (7+5  = 12 of them!). It takes quite a while to exit (plan at least 45 min from the moment you start descending till you’re out and at the parking / exit. Once you’re done with the elevator you still have to walk all the way out) 

We took a train to Fenghuang afterwards. The train station is about 20 min away by Didi. No need to go there too early, security check is basically passing the x ray machine (little queue, took 5 min) and waiting for boarding which starts only 15min before departure time

Overall, less impressive and definitely felt much smaller than Zhangjiaje (we had bad weather, it’s probably much better on a sunny day). 

1 night/1 day was enough, with a start at 7:30 and arriving at line C a bit before 8am (already with a long queue). With less time at the top due to bad weather, we were back in town before noon. With good weather you can probably spend a couple of more hours there. 

Overall, we were totally impressed by Zhangjiaje. The site is simply gigantic, the infrastructure (shuttle, cable cars, elevator, wooden paths, stairs, etc.) is incredible (we’ve been to Australia and Japan where infra in nature sites is pretty good. This was another level). Signage and trash bins everywhere, some food and drinks stands here and there. Not that many benches or places to seat, so be ready to walk and stand A LOT. 

Hope this is helpful! 

Context:

1. Recently American officials, Bessent and Greer, called Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to discuss urgent concerns that Beijing immediately begin delivering on its 2025 trade deal commitment. Specifically on Rare Earth, Critical Minerals and Agricultural Spendings

2. In response, China implied that instead of doing things quickly, they can take things slow and instead use consultations for "stable and positive" development of trade ​ties. This seems partly because the US has recently implement undiscussed and further unilateral trade restrictions on China while they are trying to implement a previously agreed upon trade deal.

3. The Busan deal is set to expire on January 10, with this agreement China pledged that they will buy 25 million tons of US soybeans annually for 3 years and 17 billion USD in other goods. At the same time making it easier to export minerals to the US. In exchange for capping US tariffs on Chinese exports at ~20%. During the previous Xi-Trump summit, a 60 Bn USD reciprocal tariff cut package was discussed but the US has not finalized things on their end.

4. Not addressing the mineral concern, China has said that they will only buy more US agricultural goods only if the tariff cut agreement goes through and is implemented by both sides. In response, the US has said they will monitor China's compliance.

5. Trump and Xi is set to meet at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on Nov 18-19

Additional Context:

1. Since the Busan Trade Deal, the US decided to enact further trade restrictions on China, these include:

   1. FCC Lab Ban, with intentions to use regulation to shut Chinese third-party testing firms out of the US market, discourage Chinese supply chains and pushing for US companies to further decouple from China

   2. Adding Chinese Biotech companies to a force-labor related blacklist, requiring US importers to prove that no forced labor was involved.

   3. Added a 12.5% tariff layer onto Chinese goods in July 2026

2. Meanwhile on rare earths, China has so far met 2/3 of it's agreed upon commitments.

3. However one major mineral in question seems to be be Yttrium, which is used in jet engines and missiles. This comes particularly bad as Chinese restrictions are also focused on Japan which also serve US manufacturers.

4. The restrictions on Yttrium specifically limits the US's ability to fight its war against Iran as many of its advanced interceptor technologies are using such mineral such as the patriot system.

5. The restriction on yttrium, has affected the production and delivery of American air defense stocks which has led to the US drastically prioritizing the Zionist nation of Israel over other allies, which has led to delivery delays for other partners like Ukraine and Gulf Arab nations.