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tel: (86) 4000 150 600
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Hot Property May. 2012_Second Edition_ –

HH_poster_r2 –

The tier level of a Chinese city is typically categorized by location, population and general economic statistics. Cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Chongqing are generally considered as first-tier cities while provincial capitals are categorised as Tier 2. Cities like Mianyang, is according to the categorisation, Tier 3 cities. Many analysts deem it necessary to make further differentiations of Tier 4 cities, which are large and important cities by any standard but are less known. Currently, there are over 100 cities with one million or more residents.

Mianyang, with a total population of 5.2 million people is also known as the “Western Silicon Valley of China and is the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone or the so called “Cheng-Yu Economic Zone”. This city will benefit from the “Go-West” policy. Due to the fact that Mianyang is important for national defence, scientific research and production, it gained a considerable reputation as a technology centre. Therefore, many foreign companies specialising on electronics, defence, pharmaceutical and advanced materials have established there.

The Cheng-Yu economic Zone was created by Chinese Central Government with the intention of educe China’s “fourth economic pillar”.
The “Go West Policy” is providing investment support to cities like Mianyang in terms of transportation and other infrastructure projects. In province Sichuan, 160 of the Fortune 500 companies have established operation. Being in favour of the “Go West Policy” supported with favourable local governmental regulations, it will encourage (foreign) direct investments. Hence, the city gets urbanised, the population growth and the need for commercial spaces are rising. Beside Chengdu, Mianyang is approved to develop as a million-plus city. Three years ago, Mianyang’s population has grown from 600,000 to over 1 million over the time. That was three years ago.

Furthermore, Mianyang is already well connected by highway and rail and more infrastructure network for transportation are currently under construction. A first-grid highway connecting Mianyang and Chongqing will be completed soon. Also, Mianyang’s airport is offering direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other major Chinese cities. Furthermore, a new high-speed urban rail way interlinking Chengdu and Xi’an – and passing through Mianyang – will be finished by the end of 2012. At the moment, a trip to Mianyang is about 2.5 hour but the new urban rail will reduce the travel time to just 15-20 minutes.

Even though the major economic development has occurred in Tier 1 cities and the coastal area, many manufacturers are relocating their facilities deeper into Chinese mainland like Mianyang because of the rising land, labour and operating costs. Due to more farmer people moving into the city, the number of potential consumer is also increasing. Soon, Mianyang will become as known as metropolis of the United States of today.

Then we’ve got the event for you – QSI Roots and Shoots Annual Yard Sale is back!

We’re providing the opportunity for you to donate or sell items you want to pass on to others, as well as buy what others are selling, all at the same place! This is a great opportunity to clear out your closets and storage rooms for a charitable cause – including gently used clothing, toys, books, shoes, jewelry, tech gadgets, kitchen and household items, or furniture. Please bring all donated goods to the first floor office of the elementary or the middle / high school building. If you need help with transport, please call one of the coordinators below.

Donate goods to be sold for charity, or purchase a table to sell your own items for profit.

We can provide you tables (50 RMB each) from which you can sell your belongings, or you can donate your possessions and we can sell them for you.
Any vendor needing electricity will be an additional (75 RMB).

All vendors are welcome to sign up for a table to sell goods. Food, jewelry, books, desserts, etc.

What else can I do at this garage sale, you ask?

When not shopping, you can eat delicious food (breakfast burritos, hot dogs, snacks, and drinks), watch or play in a basketball game, and meet people from around the city. Children can play in our supervised children’s activity room or area, leaving parents free to shop (maximum 1 hour).

All proceeds will be directed to Roots and Shoots projects.

WHAT: Yard Sale
WHO: Hosted by QSI Roots and Shoots
WHEN: May 19th, 2012, from 8:00am to 2:00pm (Come early to get the best items!)
WHERE: Quality Schools International, American Gardens

Have questions, concerns, or comments? Contact:
■Casey Martin (William-martin@cdu.qsi.org) or
■Rachel de Rozario (Rachel-derozario@cdu.qsi.org) or
■Molly O’Neil (molly-oneil@cdu.qsi.org) or
■Sharilyn Kruger (sharilyn-kruger@cdu.qsi.org) or
■Jaime Martin (jamie-martin@cdu.qsi.org) or

Thank you very much for your support!
Quality Schools International Annual Roots and Shoots Yard Sale!!!
Hosted by QSI Roots and Shoots
BUY A TABLE AND SELL YOUR STUFF!
Date: May 19, 2012 (Saturday)
Location: Quality Schools International, American Garden
Time: 8 AM – 2:00
Cost (Per Table): RMB 50
Forms due no later than: Thursday, May 17, 2012 to reserve a table

Questions or Concerns? Contact:
■Casey Martin (William-martin@cdu.qsi.org) or
■Rachel de Rozario (Rachel-derozario@cdu.qsi.org) or
■Molly O’Neil (molly-oneil@cdu.qsi.org) or
■Sharilyn Kruger (sharilyn-kruger@cdu.qsi.org) or
■Jaime Martin (jamie-martin@cdu.qsi.org)

QSI yard sale – Thank you very much for your support –

The Lazy Pug turns ONE on Friday –

Add: 1017 Dongmen Beilu, Luohu District, Shenzhen
深圳人民医院罗湖区东门北路1017
Tel: 0755 2553 3018

Beijing University Shenzhen Hospital 北京大学深圳医院
Formerly Shenzhen Central Hospital, Beijing University Shenzhen Hospital is “the clinical, teaching and research base of… the Medical Centre of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology”. It is also one of five extension hospitals of Peking University Health and Science Centre, which was founded in 1903. What this means is that some of China’s best medical minds collaborate here, making for a cutting-edge facility. It is the most frequently visited hospital by expats in Shenzhen.

Add: 1120 Lianhua Lu, Futian District, Shenzhen
深圳北京大学医院福田区莲花路1120号
Tel: 0755 8392 3333

Nanshan Hospital 南山医院
With over 1,200 beds and 1,000 employees, Nanshan hospital is the biggest in western Shenzhen. Each of its rooms comes with a television, a TV, and a DVD player, and while the hospital itself does not sell any bootlegged DVDs, there is almost certainly a guy within a block of the hospital who does. Nanshan hospital has a neurosurgery department staffed by 11 doctors, and the biotechnology company Beike Biotech carries out a number of different procedures here using stem cells that people have travelled from all over the world to participate in. There is also an unsubstantiated claim that Nanshan Hospital has “very good western and Chinese food,” though it remains to be seen whether they have the Usual Speculation Loofah on offer or not.

Add: 1 Taoyuan Lu, Nanshan District, Shenzhen
深圳南山区桃园路2号
Tel: 0755 2656 5348

For interested parties, registration takes place at www.pandahash.comFurthermore, you can register yourself at Shamrock, any Hash Run and Oakwood Residence branches or send an E-mail to hopefulhearts88@gmail.com. The ticket is 100RMB per person and 50RMB per child.

The first time I arrived I thought Chengdu drivers owned a particular DNA code which could explain their extra developed senses to move so fast without crashing into each other like a school of fish. After one month I decided to buy my own bike so I took a taxi with my friend, who is a bike expert, to the famous bike street in Chengdu and I bought a second-hand, black and red, big-wheeled, electric bike with a random brake system. As we finished bargaining at 6 PM (Yes, bike sellers are very tough bargainers) we had no choice but to drive together home since rush hour in Chengdu means all taxis will magically be full no matter what.

I would love to say that it was super easy to ride my new toy and we arrived just a few minutes later at our destination, after a peaceful and sunny trip, but this is Chengdu, not a fairytale.

I soon found that I did not possess the DNA code necessary for effortless flight and realized that having someone sitting on the back, combined with a faulty brake system, was the perfect equation for disaster!

Luckily, after just one hour of being lost, crashing into a tree (there aren’t a lot in Chengdu, but obviously enough to crash into), running out of electricity, and receiving meaningful cheers from other drivers to describe our driving skills, we finally managed to push the bike back home.

I’ve been in Chengdu for 9 months now; I have driven nearly ever road and have been lost in nearly every alley from the first ring to the third and I can honestly say that DNA can be changed as I’ve only been in one accident and can now fly like the locals! I love my bike! The freedom it gives me to speed around on my own and discover the city has been one of the most meaningful aspects of my China experience thus far. If you want a fast way to move around, avoid traffic jams, and discover the city from another perspective, I can only advise you to get your own bike and become part of the flight rather than watching it from the ground. 加油!

Due to Chengdu’s vast metamorphosis to an international city, global known companies are inviting workers from abroad to stay for a certain period and enrich their work experience. However, it is not a strange fact that the climate in this city is indeed hard for some foreigners to get used to. Several of my friends have problems to acclimate and others are having problems with the food. In fact, you just wanted to seek out some advice against for e.g. respiration problems or to soothe the gastrointestinal tract when it does not agree with the local delicacies and causes you unusual troubles. It is indeed troublesome if you come to a hospital as an expat, seeking for help and most likely confronted with long, nerve-wracking and complicated administration procedures topped off with the language barrier.

For this case, some hospitals provide English speaking service in order to alleviate the hospital visit for the foreign visitors. The two hospitals, depicted for this article both are located nearby to the areas where most of the foreign expats live.

One example is Parkway Health, which covers 25 areas of specialization supported with high standard medical service and with up to date technological equipment. The hospital also has multilingual specialists and nurses to care for the patient. For cases of sickness or injuries, the hospital can be reached at No.18 Wanxiang North Road, Fanxiong Boulevard, South High Tech Zone. At the end of last year, they also opened a medical & birthing center (within the Maria Maternity Hospital), which offers a comprehensive range of women’s health services.

The other famous one is Global Doctors. Established in 1999, the head office is located in Perth (Australia) – Chengdu was the first clinic setup in China. Apart from the standard medical practices like GP consultation and health check-ups, vaccination and immunization, X-ray examinations etc. the service is carried out by multi lingual specialists to assure the best possible healthcare. The location is in the south part of the city where many foreigners live and work: No.62 Kehua North Road, Lippo Tower, section S, 2nd floor 9-11 and is opened from Monday to Friday 9am until 6pm.

An apple a day, keeps the doctor away. But should you run out of apples and require medical services in Chengdu, you may contact one of the medical facilities featured above. Hopefully, my dear reader, you will have few reasons to seek out a doctor when staying in Chengdu.

The climb to the summit of Emei Mountain or 峨眉山, is extremely popular. It is important to take enough time for the climb and descend. Normally, it takes one day to climb up and one for coming down. Monasteries and at the summit, you will come across some reasonably priced accommodations for travelers. It is important to bring some spare food and wear enough warm clothes because the temperature is lower than at the foot.
The mountain can be reached by train as well as by bus. The “Chengdu-Kunming” line (train) will take you directly to the mountain. If you prefer by bus, you can get on the bus at Chengdu’s Xinnan Men Bus station or from Leshan to Emei Mountain.

The Giant Buddha of Leshan, the tallest stone statue of the world, is close to the Emei Mountain. For interested travelers, the bus at the Xinnan Men Bus Station will go to Leshan and will begin to operate at 8 am and the last bus departs at 7pm. For visiting the giant Buddha, a ticket is required. Furthermore, there are bus rides to Emei Mountain at Shiyangchang Transportation Center from 7.30 am. – 7.00 pm. Also, the Jinshan Station also offers buses to that area. Most buses to Leshan or Giant Buddha operates on a regular interval between 7.30 am. – 7.00 pm.

In Dujiangyan (都江堰), there is the oldest water conservation project in the world. The irrigation project was established around 250 BC during the warring states period. It is easy to get to Dujiangyan because there are regular bus rides.

Near the border of Yunnan, a four hours ride from south Chengdu, is the Yibin Bamboo Sea (宜宾竹海). This area can be explored by numerous ways from well visited paths which can be traveled within a few hours to small passages taking one day. The trip can be done in one weekend but for a more leisure visit, a four day travel is ideal. Take the train from Chengdu or Chongqing to Yibin city then transfer to the bamboo sea of CMB. It is about 2-3 hours car ride.

For all places mentioned above, an entrance ticket is required. The following table will show the entrance price for the respective places mentioned above.

峨眉山 – Emei Mountain:
150rmb/person

青城山 – Qingcheng Mountain:
150rmb/person

乐山大佛 – Giant Buddha of Leshan:
90rmb/person

都江堰 – Dujiangyan:
90rmb/person

宜宾竹海 – Yibin Bamboo Sea:
85rmb/person