On Culture: Mistresses in China an South Korea

Asia News Network reports that:

Seoul - The increasing popularity of "ernai," or mistresses among wealthy men is emerging as a problem in Chinese society, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Amid the rapid development of the country's economy, large numbers of those fortunate enough to enjoy the prosperity are having affairs with mistresses, making it the symbol of the rich.

"Keeping a mistress is just like playing golf," a man told the New York Times concerning the issue, adding "both are expensive hobbies." Those seeking such liaisons offer lavishing apartments or cars as well as monthly allowances.
However, the public is angered by the trend. Chinese prosecutors believe about 90 percents of governmental executives accused of corruption have mistresses, sometimes more than 10.

In December a government employee allegedly murdered his mistresses and abandoned the body in a river when she asked for $3 million in return for putting end to the relationship.

Zheng Beichin, a lawyer who had defended a mistress, told the New York Times "the nation's elite, including judges and government officials, have little desire to tinker with the status quo."
Meanwhile, a similar phenomenon exists in Korea covertly under the name of "sponsor contract," where rich men provide money and a home to women in return for relationships.

Where to Stay in Jinan

A budget option, since they don't have a hostel in Jinan, is the Home Inn, a chain with locations throughout China. When I stayed it cost $180 rmb a night and required a 300 rmb deposit. The staff was put off when I showed up. They don't get many foreigners. But I assured them we could do this and we did. All the staff knew a little English and between everyone behind the desk and myself, we managed.

I got a clean room with free wifi. The only drawback was noisy neighbors.

The Red Capital Club

Mao's favorite watering hole is now a boutique hotel, restaurant, and bar called the Red Capital Club. It's hard to find down a little hutong, but if you're persistent, as we were, you'll find a cab to take you there.

Inside the bar has a comfortable feel as it's full of Mao era kitsch: worker figurines, guns, old leather chairs, posters, Mao pins. The drink menu features signature cocktails inspired by Mao and his cronies. I tried the White Cat Black Cat based on Deng Xiaoping's famous quotation: No matter if it is a white cat or a black cat; as long as it can catch mice. (Actually, that may be a Sichuan proverb that he just used.)

I liked my White Cat Black Cat drink, though it was pricey at 800 rmb. Sometimes I'll break down and splurge.

Hotel Review : Golden Palace Silver Street

Beijing - Golden Palace Silver Street
With modern, chic rooms and a good location near Wangfangjing shopping street and near a metro station, you’d think this would be an easy recommendation. Yet the “24 hour restaurant” is only open in the morning for what my friends described as a dreadful, disgusting breakfast and few on the staff speak English. So picking up one’s baggage saying, “Mine’s the big, green bag in the corner” can only be deciphered by one of the six people working the desk, make me urge people to go elsewhere.

What cinches it is that the bellboys are in cahoots with the cab drivers who loiter out front and refuse to use their meters. So they’re charging three times the rate to go to nearby stops and an extra 50 rmb to go to the airport. I told one guy that he was disgraceful as I helped a friend out to the main street with her luggage so she could get a fair price.

Hotel Reviews: China Trip

The West Hotel - Hong Kong
A fine, though small hotel not far from Jordan Station in Kowloon. The rooms are tiny and the prices rather high. Lynda, my roommate in Hong Kong on the tour, stayed at a better hotel with free breakfast for less money for two nights before the tour started.

I’d say the YMCA hotel in Kowloon is better. The rooms are more spacious and the location is closer to the nearest MRT station.

The Olé London Hotel

That accent mark is on the Hotel sign and cards so it’s not my error. I do think they meant Ole, but whatever. It’s a cute hotel with clean, though small rooms. It’s walking distance from the plaza where all the churches and shops are. Also it’s not far from a stop for the free buses to the Venetian Hotel. I’d go back there if I had to stay in Macau, which is an easy day trip from Hong Kong.



Lisa’s in Yangshou
The rooms are clean and pretty nicely decorated. Our rooms looked out to the limestone mountains. the street is quiet, unlike the main drag where one of her other hotels is located. It’s an easy walk to the cafés, shops and bars, but you don’t get all the commotion that comes with the main drag.



The showers are nice and hot and except for one girl at the desk, who may be a relative, all the employees are responsive. the non-responsive girl won’t even look up from her computer games as you talk to her and ask for help. She can somehow get you what you need while IMing or whatever.

Lisa is kind and a go-getter with two other small hotels in town. She took care of our breakfast orders and made sure things ran smoothly (except for that surly teen). The breakfast offerings were Western (good French toast, eggs, pancakes, etc) or Chinese (dumplings) and portions were huge.

I’d definitely go back.

Yet - don't use the laundry service. They promised to have everything done, including drying by the time we left. We were there two days and that should be adequate time to get laundry returned. We were still waiting for ours when we were about to leave. We got back bags of wet laundry. We had to hang it around our compartments on the night train.

Flower Hotel - Chengdu
A beautiful hotel with a great decor, the Flower Hotel is charming -- until you try to deal with the staff. Again, their English was bad as was the breakfast. Just inedible and I like some Chinese breakfast foods like dumplings and some savory breads. But I don’t like them tepid.



Dealing with the staff was a comedy of errors. They woke two friends at 3 am to bring them toilet paper that wasn’t asked for. (Adrienne says they were probably doing a routine check to see if there were prostitutes inside.) When I asked about getting hot water in the afternoon when I wanted to take a shower, I was first told to let the water run. Then when I said it had been running for over 10 minutes, I was told it was being repaired. Huh? How convenient that you just remembered that.



Back to the pretty decor. The bathrooms are enclosed by glass with a shade on one side and strings of beads on the side near the door. That’s beautiful if you’re with someone whom you’re intimate with, but if you’re with a friend, it might not be. There are all these opportunities like when you may be dressing and your roommate who went out for a smoke enters the door giving everyone in the hall more of a glimpse of your body than you’d like. Some real walls would be welcome.



Shanghai - Nanjing Hotel
I forgot to take a picture of this room. It was clean and in a good location right around the corner from a metro station and 100 meters (half a block) from East Nanjing Street. One can easily walk to the Shanghai Museum and the Bund.

The staff spoke English well - the best on the trip, tied with Hong Kong. I didn’t have breakfast there. Outside each morning there were vendors making pancakes filled with meat or veggies. Some friends like them. I think I chose the wrong cart since mine was rather greasy. It is near a few Starbucks, which I craved since I can get Chinese food all the time anyway.

Summer of China in Milwaukee

I went with a friend to the Milwaukee Museum of Art for their The Emperor's Private Paradise exhibit which features furnishings, sculptures, decorative arts and paintings from the Qing dynasty when Emperor Qianlong ruled (from 1736-1796).

We were able to join the noon time gallery talk which greatly enhanced the experience. I learned about this wise yet ruthless ruler, who presided over the largest country at it's zenith in terms of wealth and power. (Who knows what the future will bring?)

I also learned about the symbolism like the three friends of winter (bamboo, pine and plum trees) and how the Chinese painters learned to do trompe l'oeil from the Jesuits who went to China in the 18th Century. The gallery itself had life size photos on the walls of the gardens and buildings in which the articles were kept so that you really felt you were in the Forbidden Palace.

I wish I could have taken some photos, but that's forbidden.

Jinan's Famed Buddha

On Thousand Buddha Mountain there may or may not be a 1000 figures of the Englightened one, but there are hundred easily. This is the most iconic. A must-see if you're in Jinan.

Tips for Travel in China

Here's a post I wrote for another service in which I give people tips for traveling in China. China is a marvelous country, but it can get confusing. Take a look.