This is the documentary I was filming when we were detained: vimeo.com/ondemand/conqueringnorthernchina You're bloody awesome, thank you for watching my videos and to the incredibly generous people who support me on Patreon, you're really helping more than you know: www.patreon.com/serpentza
Thank you for your diligence and determination. It means a lot that you take a principled stand in these strange times where nearly everyone takes the easy road.
Embed your own Chinese translation subtitles in your videos. That way it will be more obvious to non English speakers if the government tries to sabotage your videos by twisting your words with alternate translations.
Wow Serpenza stay safe bro. 2 visits to China was enough for me Lmao 😆😆😆😂😂😂😂. No thanks to big brother government. Scary system with wasted tourism potential due to the paranoid belligerent over lords 😅😂😂😂😂
@@OwenGilmoreOG they do say that, it's been a thing where i live. a chinese family were rejected from a hotel, if i remember correctly they were acting very rudely and the manger asked them to leave.
@@joedoe7041 Haha yeah that was in Stockholm Sweden, they sat in the lobby and refused to leave. The hotell staff called the Police, police told them nicely you need to leave, they didnt. Police carried them out, they started crying on the sidewalk like there was genocide going on xD.
@@joedoe7041 The incident I recall was in Sweden, where the police were being super nice to the guy, who was acting like a total douche. It's almost like they're getting revenge on the imperialists (even though Sweden was never an imperialist power :-) )
the fact that these people are STILL trying to get you cancelled just proves you're doing the right thing. keep going Winston. Your courage and integrity is an example for us all
Very true. America is now in a precarious position because political and judicial will has faltered to communist infiltration and intimidation. Winston is an example of being on the right side of history.
I’ve spent my morning watching a few of your videos on china and South Africa. I applaud your conviction and passion to soeak out. So much of what you say about china resonates with me after my 15 years there. I’m Australian and lived living in china, in the beginning, but then it started going wrong. I lived there from 2002-2017. Would love to share MY experiences with you. Keep up the good work and Stay Awesome.
the irony is that he was upset because the thought you were talking shit about his country when all he did was give you really good reasons to talk shit about his country.
@@serpentza they should be reported for detaining innocent no authority can get away with this I'd file a complaint about it no person will ever run my life .
They hate you for making China look bad, and now you are an even greater threat. China always makes these self fulfilling prophecies, like in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, USA etc. They keep making these imaginary enemies into real enemies
@@Execuor Yeah, he should have figured that telling some bad story on China has more income that telling good things. Nice strategy. Saw a few TH-cam make this change in the past year.
that's not right. its more to do with the software which is linked to their police registration or something of that sort. when you try to check-in, they take a photo of you and a copy of the passport. even in big cities like Shanghai or Shenzhen, some hotels do not allow foreigners because their software doesn't integrate for foreigners with their police.
As a Chinese living abroad, I feel so sorry for the experiences you have had traveling and recording in China. And also i feel happy that now you are free and be able to tell what really happened and what you really thin about this country, its government and its people. Please know that there are more Chinese people who understand and support you but cannot publicly do that. After all, with still families, friends, or business there, we are still not free, no matter where we are. And thank you, for your kindness to the people in this land!
@@1mol831 Hong Kong was its own city apart from China. It had its own laws. But now China has taken Hong Kong and controls it. China is killing people in Hong Kong. China is creating new laws for Hong Kong. China is asshole to Hong Kong.
Without communism, you became nothing. Romanian is communist by nature. When you take it away, you became a no one. (The statement above is purely made for entertainment and not based on reality. It is purely coincidental if so.)
Better question: what would happen if our police check papers and tell them they need an American sponsor to stay in hotel? The result might change how hotels in China operate.
I was detained in China and had my passport taken away from me for two days for staying at a place that wasn't for foreigners. Thank goodness it was almost 20 years ago, I'll never go back there.
it was an acquaintance that let us stay. it was in the rural northeast. I still feel bad for the guy that let us stay there, I believe he got fined and warned also. You hear from trusted people that you're not supposed to stay overnight at anyone's house, but this rule was just so foreign to me, I guess, like how bad could it be if I stayed one or two nights at someone's home? What other country has a rule as paranoid as this? Definitely not anywhere else I have ever been! Little did i know...and it's probably so much worse in China today.
2 colleagues of mine went on business to China in the mid 90s; they were booked into the usual Westerner-friendly hotel; one of them was suspicious of the mirror in his room, so he hung a bath towel over the mirror; 5 minutes later the maid knocked on his door to 'tidy the room' and put the towel back in the bathroom. The other colleague then went to his room and did the same thing with the same result. So it does appear that the hotel is expected to monitor its guests much more closely than we would consider legal in the West.
I was staying “illegally” in 30 about apartments in China, only one time I was contacted by Police. That was reason why my Visa to study in China was canceled, I wasn’t detained, I never heard back from anyone but my gf was told by PSB that I’m not allowed to study in China because I had violated rules. Funny part was that two months after that I went back to China, went to PSB to figure everything out, to pay fine of 2000¥ or something. When I turn up there, they say that there was no reason to cancel my visa and there is nothing to be paid. We all were equally annoyed and surprised at the same time but not sure what the situation really was. Seems like no one really knows or coordinate with each other in China. A bit similar happened on my first trip as well, on my first night. There was some guard or something telling foreigners not allowed etc calling me whitewanker and other nice words. No police was involved and apparently no bad marks on me either. But that wasn’t a good start for a trip, my host was an idiot tho so I blame her for this. Thank god I didn’t do anything stupid like run away or hit the guard, I was pretty close to do that. Chinese people in general are fantastic, China is fantastic country to travel but their “Socialism with Chinese characteristics” is not for my taste. Tip for anyone who is planning to visit China and plans to stay in AIRBNB etc non hotel. Do the Registration or face the consequences. Usually nothing serious happens, they just want you to obey rules (like every country) but if you plan to do business, work or study in future there, they can make it hard for you.
@@TDK2K there is rule of registration within 24/72 hours these days. But as I said ^ I stayed in ~30 places before I was contacted by Police. Not quite sure what happened to my host, I hope nothing because he was so kind and funny old guy who did nothing wrong in the end, just rented an apartment for me. It’s more just an way to make you obey the rules which you obviously should do everywhere but some rules just seem useless for us...
Wow, this guy really understand China and is able to put it out there, and blend his deep understanding with Western perspective! Rare but much needed information that all Westerner and Chinese should all know coming from this guy. Respect from Taiwan!
I am a wedding videographer, travelling & filming around the world quite a lot and I got into some sketchy situations in Morocco, Myanmar etc for usually completely trivial reasons and most of the stories you've told feel so frickin relatable. Since Covid locked me to my home&country, your travel stories really mean a lot to me, keep them coming! Also, the situation where you lied about LaCie external drives - I can't imagine how nervous you were but HUGE props for making that up on the go, you dodged a bullet like a boss.
This is literally happened to my brother back in 2019 in China (Lanzhou) where got detained by SWAT team in the middle of the night just because his X Visa (Student Visa) got expired that day but he had a plan to extend it so he thought he would consult them tomorrow. Finally one of his Chinese friend saved him by convincing them that he's a genuine person by subjecting himself to long interrogation.
@@VenuZz The Wumao are certain that Noah Lu is just making that up about being happy not living in China, and happy about living in the USA, or that he's just kowtowing to the evil west. See the many down-votes for this video? Peace. I hope this helps. Peace.
Welcome. I hope you are not having to deal with too many racist idiots here. Most Americans appreciate the fact that we are a culture and a people from many lands, who believe we are united by the rule of law and our constitution.
To be honest, after knowing this incident ... im not sure if I can enjoy the series. No to throwing anything at there awsome document they recorded, im just not feeling alright after this video.
What really blows my mind is, you and C-Milk AKA Laowhy86 NEVER have said anything that makes China look bad. It's ironic that the people who censored you, made THEMSELVES look bad.
29:00 If that rabid nationalist hadn't stopped you, you would have won the trust of the native Mongolians. And then they would have told you the whole truth about the situation they're living in. And that would have been much more damming....
@@Kimjongilmao things are even worse for minority groups in China than you can imagine. People are extremely afraid to talk about or show what’s going on unless they have your complete trust. I believe that is what was meant by that comment.
As I Chinese, I deeply abhor Chinese nationalism and the atrocious authoritarian regime. This guy and laowhy describes the bad side of China very well that I can be resonated. I hope the world can see this and be careful of the Chinese communist party while be aware that there are conscious Chinese people like me.
@@neilwang2543 Why is it the question, or THE question? Are those who are either not Chinese or do not speak Chinese, not allowed to comment on their experiences of living in China,? Are people outside China not allowed to have opinions on these matters, even if they have studied them assiduously over many years?
I absolutely loved Conquering Northern China, it's incredible how you guys were able to maintain the good mood through the shooting when facing so many problems, I really respect your work
The Chinese really shot themselves in the foot with this. They should have used the opportunity to improve their image. A dissident-leaning Chinese friend once said China is its own worst enemy. This truly proves her right.
Ever since I commented on my opinion on China in your comments section I get honey pot offers on different social media platforms from Chinese women. It's so strange :'D
Winston is right about the over sensitive Chinese nationalists, I met one once and every little thing I said, she thought I was attacking China when I might have just been talking about the traffic in Beijing or the air in some cities, she would say well your country is bad x,y,z, very immature. On the other point Winston made even in some big cities like Da Lian and Beijing there were a lot of hotels that take no foreigners.
@@汤圆-y7f Misread this message originally...yeah but given how the chinese act towards foreigners it's us who should be banning them. Would love to see the reaction where we ban Chinese from europe, given all the aggression weve had to take from the CCP. That actually sounds a lot more legit...
@@汤圆-y7f LMAO people literally spit phlegm, slaughter animals and openly defacate in the streets in China. Maybe your all powerful communist party should do something about that before paying people to criticise Europe's cleanliness.
@@汤圆-y7f Oh and PS, I mean't to ban foreigners from hotels or from things the CCP doesn't want them to see. Talk about North Korea's bigger brother ey....I was born into a communist regime and since my country reformed it's done a lot better, slowly but surely it's getting back on it's feet. You don't understand true freedom until you actually have it and by the sounds of it you don't have the balls to stand up to your manipulative government which dictates it's own idiology in it's schools and apparently to international countries museums and even historical records. Imagine being told to lie because it hurts the CCP, tell me, deep down, as a human being, does that make you proud to support them? Or, can you not criticise for the fear of punishment?
@@汤圆-y7f You better speak more about how wonderful CCP is, or your family may be in danger for your failure. Please do better, and stop your failure. Bow to your CCP masters, they own you.
@@TobyIKanoby Not necessarily a bad thing, he did take quite a gamble there. If he had been honest, they would probably have made him delete all the footage, which would have sucked, sure, but that would have been it. If they had realized he was lying, things might have turned out quite a lot worse.
I‘m a German. I was born in „West Germany“ (now, of course there is just ONE Germany). My parents were supporting friends in the notoriously underdeveloped, then communist East Germany. What you describe is giving me serious flashbacks to what I had experienced back then. That pure evil of certain vicious control freaks, who are PROJECTING negativity onto everyone 24/7. I strongly recommend the movie „Das Leben der Anderen“ (The Life of the Others). It captures those dark times like no other. These people are DESTROYING LIVES - and a thing such as the universial sanctity of life, and the inalienable dignity of every human being is simply ONE HUNDRED PERCENT ABSENT in their dark, negative, destructive concept of how everything is supposed to run. What always pissed me off THE MOST about this is the outrageous hypocrisy: They keep telling themselves - and keep hammering it home to their people that they are doing all of this „just out of charity 😇“, and „because they care so much about the wellbeing of the people 🥰😘“. BULLSHIT! They do it because they want to recklessly IMPOSE THEIR WILL UPON OTHERS LIKE THE DICTATORS THEY ARE! And often enough, those who are calling the shots in such regimes are living like KINGS - while their people are suffering from various kinds of inhumane pressure - not to mention the constant terror of fearing to get crushed over whatsoever one allegedly had done „to damage the best interest of the people“. My heart goes out to all the people who are suffering from this in China - and outside of it.
Greetings, I myself am too young to have witnessed the DDR but heard some stories for example from one politician who visited our school and what brought him there, our town is just around 40 kikometres away from the former border and he was visiting some relatives with his family when he was a young boy in his early teenager years and upon border controls (that took hours) he was wearing a shirt with US Army or something on that - of course it's a red flag but he didn't really know about the background/dimension as a young boy but the staff there treated him like shit anyways. And of I visited some museums, of course the Stasi-Museum and they were spying everyone, especially with their unofficial employees and of course they also bullied/harassed the people systematically.
'The Lives of Others' is brilliant, honest. I envy filmmakers they were able to do it. And that in Germany promoting nazi ideology is punishable by law. I hope to see the same with commies ideology in Poland. First such movies, documentaries telling our true history were made dir. Grzegorz Braun, not any government related body, neither any film institute. I believe Marxism, and other -isms were created by and for narcissists. They thrive in such regimes, have no empathy. Constantly what serpentza and laowhy86 say about CCP reminds me narcissistic behaviour, traits, tactics: 'love bombing', 'narcissistic projection', gaslighting, sadistic tendencies, cruelty, feeling of grandiosity, entitlement, 'word salad' (newspeak), controlling others to have (false) feeling of security, triangulation, 'smear campaign', psychomanipulation, etc.
5 years ago was a different world, where saying "conquering china" would be a normal thing to say about travel. Screw anyone who cares about someone saying "conquering China" now and forever.
Conquering its about traveling the world ,seeing different horizon for the normal people !!! You know what i mean... showing your country to the world !???! You wanna see what you do too us all around the world, dont tempe me brothers
Yeah, they should have called it "An excursion consisting of a month's travel to navigate the Northern most parts of China; An introspective into the indigenous peoples that live there, their customs, livelihoods and cultures." Far more catchy title.
I found it funny how at each encounter it was the same routine. This shows the following: Either they can not coordinate at such a basic level, or everyone wants to flash their own level of importance.
They're limiting what they can do by wasting their time. Causing fatigue by keeping them up. Trying to scare them off and humiliating being lined up and having your photo taken, as if they're criminals. They don't give a shit about the serial numbers n stuff.
@@wasdwasd609 So basically they have nothing better to do than harrasing them just to waste time or to scare them.. In other words they have nothing productive to do that the time wasting of Winston and crew is the best they could do with their own time? Interesting..or crazy....
I wish people realized what goes on in China. I had the opportunity about 15 years ago go to go China, and found simlar stories to this when asking around and on internet forums, and decided I didn't think it was worth it. Can you imagine if the government in the US/UK/Aus/CA or most any other country treated an Asian like this?
I can't speak for the other nations but the USA treats everyone who isn't rich like trash. I am pretty sure China conquered the USA and they're easing us into their Social Credit System.
I've been watching quite a few of your documentaries and never left a comment. You have my ultimate respect for your honesty and information. I never even imagined the subjects you bring to the front. I speak as just another isolated (although formerly quite convinced that was nominally informed) American. Thank you.
@@Dan-sq7zg He still has extended family connections to China through his wife. Ignoring China ain‘t an option for him. Plus, it‘s a source of income that hurts nobody but the CCP. Why the hate?
@@MGSVxBreakpoint You hit it right on the head when you say it's a good income for him. He found that pandering to the anti CCP crowd was much more popular than fixing motorcycles and such. His recent videos all have the same boring, obvious premise. China bad. Like I said... Move on.
@Mark Carson Yea he does love Chinese, but only when they are submissive good-looking women, just look at all his video titles, he hates Chinese males for sure, I thought it was obvious?
Hi Winston, I am really sorry for what you have been through. It is sad to see how things going here. It is unfortunate to see a true friend like you to be pushed away by those stupid nationalists. I am with you. By the way, just purchased your Conquering Northern China documentary. It was awesome! I really enjoy the Rongcheng part as it is only 200 km from my hometown which was also a small fishing village before. Good job!
I literally brought and watched all of conquering northern China today. It was so addictive and I loved it. It’s crazy all that happened in the background I would of never thought. I really respect you and C-Milks courage and bravery in making this documentary.
@@serpentza I can’t wait for you guys to make more. I know you can’t go to China but maybe conquering Vietnam or any other country. That would be amazing.
When I watched "Conquering Southern China," I was enchanted by the people, the countryside, and the adventure. I felt like I might visit China someday and explore the country. But now - I feel like the entire country of China is completely inhospitable and unwelcoming, and I no longer have any interest in going there.
Same, no interest in ever visiting. I used to have a dream of driving down the China national highway in Mongolia to see the instant cities in the desert, but not now. Especially with the national security law, China is now written off like North Korea.
Your video makes me wonder how 'safe' it would be for me as a normal tourist to visit China again and take photos and drone videos. I would hate the constant fear of monitoring by the secret police and also the suspicion merely because I was taking photos or filming. A sad state of affairs. Jerry
I went to the North Korean border from Russia and took a few pictures of the guard towers. So I also ended up having to go to a police station in Russia where I was told that it was not okay to even be in this area without a permit. Luckily I had a Russian friend with me who was a policeman and he managed to talk us out of this situation so nothing further had happened.
This question is asked with respect and curiosity. I would be afraid to travel to, let alone take a picture of NK from China. What gives you the drive, rationale? Is it learned or innate?
@@miguelservetus9534 have you ever been a tourist with an edgy trigger finger on your camera? I did the same exact dumb thing- I was in a city in northern China just across from North Korea so I said I bet if if do maximum zoom I can see into the houses, and I could! So I snapped a bunch of pictures. My Chinese business contact kept chuckling nervously and shaking his finger saying "that is forbidden, that is forbidden to do here"...but I was like it's okay I'm an American tourist, you know? Like the ones who take pictures of the sign that says "Military Zone- No photos" - everyone and his grandma has those shots. So like 2.5 minutes later some guys (prob plainclothes police) come and talk to my contact and he explains to them etc....and they said I should delete the pictures. So I pretended to...that was it.
Kudos to you two on your grit and determination to pursue your craft despite the potential for being detained or arrested. After watching both documentaries, I knew there was a back story behind your visit there and I'm pleased that you chose to share it with your audience. Chance, fortune and skill that you both were able to get out with your families as the door was closing on a foreigner's ability to travel and shoot video freely in mainland China. This video deserves a much wider audience than just YT.
Talking about the no foreigners allowed to stay in hotels or regions reminds me of my trip to Tibet. The control that Chinese government has in there via police and military shocked me. A woman I happened to be travelling with had lived in North Korea for 2 years and said the control and surveillance in Tibet was way worse.
@rixille - YES , these are Chinas People´s "liberation" Army´s Top Secret t-€rrorist camels (for asy-metric wa-rfare) , they got inspirated by the British who planned to use bo-oby trap-ped ra-ts ... LOL Edit: TH-cam´s (China style) A.I censored my answer. (sooner or later Google finally becomes a capitalist CCP )
This is such great content, you've left nothing behind everything is either in your descriptions or in shot. Excellent work, thank you so much I really appreciate your efforts. Love from England.
Yes. The PLA guy could have been much worse for you than the initial CCP hack. Lots of firepower to back him up coupled with disdain and you be like the goat . Cooked.
@first name last name - Not only James Bond like , it was also very mainland Chinese (relabeling of goods & make shady claims what the product can do or cant do = perfectly integrated fo-rai-ner ) , what an Irony ^^
So your translator watched incorrectly translated videos of yours and decided that those incorrect translations were the meaning he'd go with? That's some high tier translation skills there.
People not fighting for removal of fake subtitles end up in these situations. Putting fake subtitle is putting people in danger and persons with fake subtitles should be prosecuted by local regulations and laws.
Yep and people that understand that usually think you have done something bad because why else the wrong translation... and thus you deserve the punishment that comes with it. Better watch out that you dont make anybody feel bad in the slightest. You should have informed yourself that the translator watched your photo and didnt like it and that he knew you are the enemy just by looking at it. No proof necessary since otherwise God would have told him
Reminds me of when I got arrested in China... Certainly unnerving. Good to hear your recollection of these events. It brought back many familiar memories of my group's encounter.
You guys are amazing! Despite all the bullshit you guys had to go through to get this footage, you still managed to get it done. ADVChina is one of the best channels on TH-cam and I hope you two never stop doing watch you guys do. ❤
They do actually have a good reason for blocking google and facebook, there is an insane amount of western (read: american) propaganda material on these platforms, and most western news sites too. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if some european countries started blocking this stuff too. Of course they're doing it for all the wrong reasons, because the reason they're doing it is not actually to shield their population from bullshit propaganda, but to lock them into their own propaganda machines (which aren't any better) instead of the western ones.
@@cestarianinhabitant5898 I think there's a lot of truth to this. Although Chinese citizens would also spread Chinese news around the country. Probably some things they don't want their population to know about. The complete BS you read on Facebook is exhausting, however.
@@travisgoodrich4290 I stopped using facebook years ago, the only reason I haven't just outright deleted my account is because there are so many people who can't be reached through any other platform, I still have facebook just to use messenger, but I'm thinking I might just delete it anyways by this point since I'm not that social of a person anyways.
I've been watching your videos for many years, Winston. It is such a shame that they have become so negative. I was truly fascinated by China. I tip my hat to you, sir, for having the courage to inform the world of what a contrast Chinese people are to their government. Keep it up..
Yeah, honestly, naming a documentary with that title just wasn't that wise. From the start I don't think these guys making the doco were using much wisdom. Do you really need to go to China to prove to yourself that China has some very bad elements within the CCP? Sure, you can find some good parts, as you can in any country. All countries have some good parts, and some decent people. That is not the point. The CPP is a brutal regime, and wandering into their territory is just not wise. All it would have taken is ONE person to get into a physical altercation and the entire doco team would have been thrown into prison. It happened to a New Zealand businessman. He was in a restaurant, and because one guy challenged him, and then attacked him, the guy ended up in prison, even though he didn't even fight back. I would highly advise everyone... STAY OUT of communist countries! Period! Does the name Otto Wambier ring any bells?
I lived in China for two years and never met anyone who was not a wonderful and kind person. I was living in the modern east coast region however, and whenever I traveled to more remote areas I was fortunate to have Chinese friends who accompanied me. I am sure being with them had a lot to do with being safe. The closest to a misunderstanding I ever got was being at a Chinese hotel (the kind for Chinese) and not being allowed to have breakfast in their restaurant. That same hotel staff had also never seen a China Residency Permit so they kept asking for my Visa. The Residency Permit is a sticker in my passport, just like a Visa, but it looks different. After being asked to produce a Visa 3 times I had to get one of my Chinese friends to come to the front desk to explain to them that I was in fact a legal Chinese resident with a work permit, not a Tourist on a Visa.
Very sorry you went through this brother. You're the only one I know thats either stupid enough or brave enough to tease this particular tiger so often. Glad you're still here, keep up the good fight. They can't escape accountability forever.
@@joncrane7661 Please do let me help tease the tiger some more !!!! Taiwan is a FREE AND SOVEREIGN NATION OF PEOPLE WHO CAN CHOOSE TO GO THEIR OWN WAY !!!! TAIWAN IS ___NOT___ PART OF CHINA !!! It is SOVEREIGN STATE ALL ITS OWN !!! Free the Uyghurs! Free Tibet! Free The Two Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig Still Being Unjustly Held in Prisons by China! Free those "Photos of Liu Taiyang" from the evil clutches of the fuddy-duddy, old-fogie CCP officials! V
You and C- milk have went through all kinds of hell just to share some beauty and cultural differences! Wow, thank you so much, and sorry you went through such a stressful experience !
I found your "Its actually incredibly difficult to show China in a positive light " comment fascinating to be honest. It reminded me of Norm Macdonald's bit "The more I learn about Hitler the more I don't care for him"
Is this why most Chinese people don't care about his videos? Almost none of his video comments is in Chinese, not even from those who claim to be "Chinese" themselves.
Heard this before on China Unscripted. Still very powerful. True story: I was getting vibes from a pretty Chinese girl who works in a local takeaway restaurant. One day she starts chatting me up, really going for it. Within two minutes she‘s asked me twice where i work so i tell her i‘m a barista at a local coffee shop. She asks if i own the place and i say 'No', i‘m an employee. She turns her nose up and never speaks to me or looks at me again XD
Thank-you for your experience and truthfulness about what is happening around the globe,whether its positively and truthfulness on negatively. Keep it up.thanks.
How scary .I had a brush with Russian authority.Was on holiday in Russia on my own when I got arrested for taking photos of Russian military equipment .Held me for over a week .Scariest thing I have ever faced
I have found a very general rule to be true. Anyone that is very distrustful and suspicious of others is that way because they know they them selves can't be trusted and they see others the same way.
There will be a day when China would be needing the world to help them out again, Winston. But in Malay we have this saying, melepaskan anjing tersepit, or to release a stuck dog, which would bite you immediately upon release. Well not every dog of course but this one...
You're right; as someone who rehabilitates abused dogs, there are some which cannot be saved. It's very sad, but they are too dangerous to themselves and others, and must be destroyed. I've never met a dog that kicked itself and blames others before now, though… 😅
I can 100% vouch for you on the refusing of foreigners being allowed to stay in hotels or areas. it happens quite often. EVEN after booking over the phone. you book it, you walk in, they refuse service, then you spend hours trying to find somewhere to stay
I don't know why, but there is a dedicated group of foreigners trying to fool everyone into thinking this isn't a thing, I suspect it's because they're always being flown around by the Chinese government to do tourism propaganda and so never come across this issue
@@MrJamesDolph Yes, all the barks in one hound. In the soviet era, rubles were exchanged at a rate of 1: 1 versus the dollar and after arriving in Moscow, you were taken to just the one Intourist hotel.
@@williamswenson5315 it's not all that different from the business sponsored trips of today. Keep them safe, entertained and never look in the alley . Oldest trick in the book.
Me too!! Sorry to hear when any one was… Me? Had an 18 month exit ban (one year officially, six months processing. By then, the mental and physical torture had broken me. PTSD, battered person syndrome AND repressed memories. Even when free, that was it… I had seven years of that shit, like a battered spouse who forgot every tube it happened. I’m dm safe now, and the Canadian Govt has assured me that I’ll not the only one. Winston, I’m happy ur safe, and that Matt made it out when he did. You don’t know how lucky you are!!!
I liked how you edited this video. It almost reminded me of Anthony Boirdain's Beirut episode but still retaining your style. Theres no hiding from powers like these who have so much unchallenged and unchecked control over it's people.
Just finish watching your 1st episode of Conquering Northen China. It was fantastic. It a bit pity that my hometown Yantai is only a little footnote of your wonderful documentary. Next time if you and C-milk come over, stay a few more days. There are a lot to see!! undrestand you may not be able to come back any time soon but please remember you are welcome from the people here.
Thank you for sharing this, sharing good will and culture is priceless. I fully intend on watching your documentary and will greatly appreciate the trial and tribulations that it took to produce. So sorry you had such a terrible experience over there.
It's so sad. Dark are the times... I've been watching you and cMilk for a long time and I remember the passion you had for China. You were the best advertisement any country could wish for! It's such a shame that these things were going on behind the scenes and now in broad daylight. I hope that times will change again and that the both of you can regain that friendship, love and trust you once had for China.
Incredible story, Winston. Thanks for sharing. Man - you guys are TROOPERS!! Dealing with all that shit but still trying to get good footage for a documentary. That's commitment!
I was a Chinese long times ago and I still have a lot of connections, all my families and friends are still there. The Chinese, the ccp and their government are all about faces. They don’t want to feel losing faces. China was so far behind the west back in 1980’s and chinese feel shameful about that. In the past 40 years they have been worked so hard to catch up. They focus on the big cities, make them look so nice. But rural area still very poor. They don’t want you to show the world the poor rural area, they don’t think it’s cool for the world to see the poor dirty sides of China. That’s it! In 2009, I went back to China, went on a tour with my roommates in a train. I was taking a picture on the train and my girlfriend roommate stopped me. Nothing happened on the train, it’s just a bit crowned, it was clean, nice. But my friend thought it’s shameful to show the world the Chinese train was crowded. They don’t want anything slightly negative to show the world. She is my classmate, roommate and good friend! Can you imagine that?
A mindset like that, I can only imagine happens by being constantly told that your own country is beyond perfect. But I can't help but agree that it is odd. Your example is very good because it really is barely negative. While it can be inconvenient sometimes, I myself like joining a really cramped and crowded train. Though in these times, it is not to recommend, but what can you do...
There is a positive side to this thinking though. Many people are super friendly and ask you to tell the world about how good China is. I agree a lot of stuff said here, but I think China is more friendly than France or Japan.
@@happyhappynuts Yes, normal people are very friendly to foreigners, but not to their own people. If you don’t do anything or say anything to make them losing face, people are super friendly to foreigners and would love to make friends with them. I don’t look foreigner to them, they either just ignore me or being rude to me. No smiling in the street to strangers, otherwise, people would think one is up to no good. Well, too many people, you can’t smile to strangers, otherwise, you would be too tired.
I am so glad they did not get to make you disappear Sir Sepentza, I would hate to think that someone so valuable like yourself would have been wiped off the face of the earth! The more I see and hear about these bad government people the more, it sickens me. I hope the future young people will make a change of this someday.
I had forgotten about the non foreigner hotels. Everything you describe was my life for over two years. I always felt "used" and had seen how life was for minorities. I later moved to Shenzhen and it was like a breath of fresh air! I am now in the west again and unfortunately, i will probably never return. Sad, because I truly loved the people and was touched by my exoeriences.
Putting embedded subtitles on videos is a bad practice. It ruins the video and it's documenting value. Bit putting subtitle separated from the video as a text , easy to see, is a good practice.
@@mrjonnoma Well in this case, people can always download the video without the subtitles, having subtitles burned in to the video isn't the best thing for production value but it has to be done.
@@ashchbkv6965 exactly, it's kinda like why channels like hydraulic press channel watermark the shit out of their best footage. You literally have to destroy the video to get rid of the watermark. You'd practically have to do the same here and put the subtitles straight across the middle
@@ashchbkv6965 It certenly should not be done burning subtitles in videos. That is LAME "solution" that destroys original video. Subtitles can be made available in the TH-cam video as translation/subtitles in TH-cam play interface, that way original subtitles are always available to check from the original source, not destroying original video in the process for the future generations. Burning subtitles is the signature of past days and it low-tech non-solution. So it certainly should not be done, in any time , but fact-checking if videos that are re-posted elsewhere.
I got detained in prison for couple of hours in China too. I got scammed by a scammer, he then called police on me and told them that i scammed him, probably just to fuck with me. Police told me that I have to pay HIM some amount of money to make this go away even though they know that he is the scammer... As a foreigner, you can never win any official dispute in China. Also, the hotel where i was staying at was superluxurious skyscraper, thousands of dollars per night thing, looked really great. Until i took a lift to the highest floor (i like views so i always check the top floor, just in case). When the lift door opened i almost shat myself. The floor was empty, open space with bare steal beams holding the building together, holes in the ground several stories down, right in front of the lift door... If i took 4 steps from the lift I'd die. Also, electricity wires hanging everywhere... So, the best hotel in the city, looking great but only the first half. As usual, they half-assed it, literally. If you want to experience China, just go to Taiwan!
This is the documentary I was filming when we were detained: vimeo.com/ondemand/conqueringnorthernchina
You're bloody awesome, thank you for watching my videos and to the incredibly generous people who support me on Patreon, you're really helping more than you know: www.patreon.com/serpentza
Thank you for your diligence and determination. It means a lot that you take a principled stand in these strange times where nearly everyone takes the easy road.
The easiest road is the least fulfilling.
Let's hope the Chinese people eventually get their freedom, and you can go back one day Winston. 👍🏼
Embed your own Chinese translation subtitles in your videos. That way it will be more obvious to non English speakers if the government tries to sabotage your videos by twisting your words with alternate translations.
Wow Serpenza stay safe bro. 2 visits to China was enough for me Lmao 😆😆😆😂😂😂😂. No thanks to big brother government. Scary system with wasted tourism potential due to the paranoid belligerent over lords 😅😂😂😂😂
Now imagine if in the United Kingdom a hotel refused to let a Chinese person book a room, there would be hell to pay.
They'd sit outside on the sidewalk and cry "they're killing me!" haha 😂
@@OwenGilmoreOG they do say that, it's been a thing where i live. a chinese family were rejected from a hotel, if i remember correctly they were acting very rudely and the manger asked them to leave.
@@joedoe7041 Haha yeah that was in Stockholm Sweden, they sat in the lobby and refused to leave. The hotell staff called the Police, police told them nicely you need to leave, they didnt. Police carried them out, they started crying on the sidewalk like there was genocide going on xD.
@@joedoe7041 thats not because they were Chinese, that was because they were rude..... there is a major difference
@@joedoe7041 The incident I recall was in Sweden, where the police were being super nice to the guy, who was acting like a total douche. It's almost like they're getting revenge on the imperialists (even though Sweden was never an imperialist power :-) )
the fact that these people are STILL trying to get you cancelled just proves you're doing the right thing. keep going Winston. Your courage and integrity is an example for us all
Thanks mate, I will not let them intimidate me into silence! Stay Awesome
Very true. America is now in a precarious position because political and judicial will has faltered to communist infiltration and intimidation. Winston is an example of being on the right side of history.
Yall guys pictures match big time 😂😂 like brothers
It's not Canceling. It's corruption and kidnapping. Stop labeling everything canceling. It's weird
@@goprojoe7449 also because of the millions of college educated kids worshipping the CCP lol
They threatened to shave his side burns if he didn't comply
They're monsters.
Not the Side Burns 🥺
But what they didn't know was....He had a spare set hidden in a false hard drive.
Those devil communist freak me!
What he really needed for that trip was pork chop sideburns!!!
I’ve spent my morning watching a few of your videos on china and South Africa. I applaud your conviction and passion to soeak out. So much of what you say about china resonates with me after my 15 years there. I’m Australian and lived living in china, in the beginning, but then it started going wrong. I lived there from 2002-2017. Would love to share MY experiences with you. Keep up the good work and Stay Awesome.
the irony is that he was upset because the thought you were talking shit about his country when all he did was give you really good reasons to talk shit about his country.
Exactly
Nationalists have never been accused of being smart. Nationalism is just politics for basic people.
@@serpentza they should be reported
for detaining innocent no authority can get away with this I'd file a complaint about it no person will ever run my life .
@davidmachemer1015 couldn't have said if better myself
@@Legitpenguins99
I agree this was said well .
👍👍
It's ironic how they were so afraid of you making China look bad but the only thing that did was their own actions.
Exactly
They hate you for making China look bad, and now you are an even greater threat. China always makes these self fulfilling prophecies, like in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, USA etc. They keep making these imaginary enemies into real enemies
@@serpentza Are you still living there?
@@ericx8620 As he said in the vid he doesn't anymore, that's the reason he can talk about it now.
@@Execuor Yeah, he should have figured that telling some bad story on China has more income that telling good things. Nice strategy. Saw a few TH-cam make this change in the past year.
The reason foreigners aren't allowed in all hotels is because not every hotel has surveillance rooms
😳welcome to ccp land I guess ! Where They play god !
that's not right. its more to do with the software which is linked to their police registration or something of that sort. when you try to check-in, they take a photo of you and a copy of the passport. even in big cities like Shanghai or Shenzhen, some hotels do not allow foreigners because their software doesn't integrate for foreigners with their police.
@@vvm101 "You have CCTV, we have CCPTV" xD
They need to be licensed for foreigners. In small rural towns with no foreigners there won't be such hotels.
°____°
As a Chinese living abroad, I feel so sorry for the experiences you have had traveling and recording in China. And also i feel happy that now you are free and be able to tell what really happened and what you really thin about this country, its government and its people. Please know that there are more Chinese people who understand and support you but cannot publicly do that. After all, with still families, friends, or business there, we are still not free, no matter where we are. And thank you, for your kindness to the people in this land!
Does Hong Kong count as part of China?
@@1mol831 Well Hong Kong was given from some country I forgot. So China kinda “own” the region be enforcing and doing “crackdowns”.
@@1mol831 Hong Kong was its own city apart from China. It had its own laws. But now China has taken Hong Kong and controls it. China is killing people in Hong Kong. China is creating new laws for Hong Kong. China is asshole to Hong Kong.
@आदि राजपूत haha dude you need to wake up
@@jimsmith2844 obviously you don't read history
As a romanian, I am so glad that my country got rid of communism
problem isn't communism but dictatorship
Jealousy from China.
And look how you ended up. Lol
Without communism, you became nothing. Romanian is communist by nature. When you take it away, you became a no one.
(The statement above is purely made for entertainment and not based on reality. It is purely coincidental if so.)
@@abeurakadabeura communism breeds dictatorship
What would happen if American hotels would refuse to allow Chinese
Exactly
And they would just say Americans are racists😂
You can never win an argument with ignorant people. If American hotels refuse Chinese guests, China will have a tantrum like a 3 year old child.
Better question: what would happen if our police check papers and tell them they need an American sponsor to stay in hotel? The result might change how hotels in China operate.
not to mention refusing selling property to chinese
I was detained in China and had my passport taken away from me for two days for staying at a place that wasn't for foreigners. Thank goodness it was almost 20 years ago, I'll never go back there.
Dang, what did you do though?
it was an acquaintance that let us stay. it was in the rural northeast. I still feel bad for the guy that let us stay there, I believe he got fined and warned also. You hear from trusted people that you're not supposed to stay overnight at anyone's house, but this rule was just so foreign to me, I guess, like how bad could it be if I stayed one or two nights at someone's home? What other country has a rule as paranoid as this? Definitely not anywhere else I have ever been! Little did i know...and it's probably so much worse in China today.
2 colleagues of mine went on business to China in the mid 90s; they were booked into the usual Westerner-friendly hotel; one of them was suspicious of the mirror in his room, so he hung a bath towel over the mirror; 5 minutes later the maid knocked on his door to 'tidy the room' and put the towel back in the bathroom. The other colleague then went to his room and did the same thing with the same result. So it does appear that the hotel is expected to monitor its guests much more closely than we would consider legal in the West.
I was staying “illegally” in 30 about apartments in China, only one time I was contacted by Police. That was reason why my Visa to study in China was canceled, I wasn’t detained, I never heard back from anyone but my gf was told by PSB that I’m not allowed to study in China because I had violated rules. Funny part was that two months after that I went back to China, went to PSB to figure everything out, to pay fine of 2000¥ or something. When I turn up there, they say that there was no reason to cancel my visa and there is nothing to be paid. We all were equally annoyed and surprised at the same time but not sure what the situation really was. Seems like no one really knows or coordinate with each other in China.
A bit similar happened on my first trip as well, on my first night. There was some guard or something telling foreigners not allowed etc calling me whitewanker and other nice words. No police was involved and apparently no bad marks on me either. But that wasn’t a good start for a trip, my host was an idiot tho so I blame her for this. Thank god I didn’t do anything stupid like run away or hit the guard, I was pretty close to do that.
Chinese people in general are fantastic, China is fantastic country to travel but their “Socialism with Chinese characteristics” is not for my taste.
Tip for anyone who is planning to visit China and plans to stay in AIRBNB etc non hotel. Do the Registration or face the consequences. Usually nothing serious happens, they just want you to obey rules (like every country) but if you plan to do business, work or study in future there, they can make it hard for you.
@@TDK2K there is rule of registration within 24/72 hours these days. But as I said ^ I stayed in ~30 places before I was contacted by Police.
Not quite sure what happened to my host, I hope nothing because he was so kind and funny old guy who did nothing wrong in the end, just rented an apartment for me. It’s more just an way to make you obey the rules which you obviously should do everywhere but some rules just seem useless for us...
Wow, this guy really understand China and is able to put it out there, and blend his deep understanding with Western perspective! Rare but much needed information that all Westerner and Chinese should all know coming from this guy. Respect from Taiwan!
i think this work is worthy of an award.
An academy award. Please!
Big time
I think this award is worthy of their work.
Guerilla style info about a communist country is always gold
I am a wedding videographer, travelling & filming around the world quite a lot and I got into some sketchy situations in Morocco, Myanmar etc for usually completely trivial reasons and most of the stories you've told feel so frickin relatable. Since Covid locked me to my home&country, your travel stories really mean a lot to me, keep them coming! Also, the situation where you lied about LaCie external drives - I can't imagine how nervous you were but HUGE props for making that up on the go, you dodged a bullet like a boss.
Hey Jon, im moroccan and im sorry about your experience in my country. Im a bit curious tho, what happened in Morocco?
Would love to hear your stories!
Is it true that drones are banned in Morocco completely?
@@doudoulefol something with your crazy religion? Beheading innocent blond girls (still..) isn't that common in the civilised world ...
Jon , there are four of us here who would love to know what happened to you in Morocco .
"A laowai who can speak Mandarin? MUST BE A SPY" - CCP logic
神夜白十月計戰光知國氷水風昭洋津海尿屍
@@nekozombie what?
@@LeinoSmaul修啊殺蘇嗎
@@nekozombie What?
@@tomblakemoremusic 性藏殉國燒烤告老
This is literally happened to my brother back in 2019 in China (Lanzhou) where got detained by SWAT team in the middle of the night just because his X Visa (Student Visa) got expired that day but he had a plan to extend it so he thought he would consult them tomorrow.
Finally one of his Chinese friend saved him by convincing them that he's a genuine person by subjecting himself to long interrogation.
As a American who is Chinese I am glad I am not living there and I hope you stay safe.
The wumao are certain you're just making that up, or that you're just kowtowing to the evil west. See the 12 downvotes for this video? Peace.
@@troy3456789 What?
@@VenuZz The Wumao are certain that Noah Lu is just making that up about being happy not living in China, and happy about living in the USA, or that he's just kowtowing to the evil west. See the many down-votes for this video? Peace. I hope this helps. Peace.
Welcome. I hope you are not having to deal with too many racist idiots here. Most Americans appreciate the fact that we are a culture and a people from many lands, who believe we are united by the rule of law and our constitution.
@@troy3456789 Are you making stuff up I am only living in the USA because China is a communist country and I was born in America.
If anyone hasn't seen Conquering Southern China and Conquering Northern China, it's a really awesome series.
Where do I watch it? I’ve been trying to see it for ages..
To be honest, after knowing this incident ... im not sure if I can enjoy the series. No to throwing anything at there awsome document they recorded, im just not feeling alright after this video.
Yup; that and "Stay Awesome China." That one is Winston's project and well-worth viewing.
@@markplenty2631 I rented them on vimeo.
@@TheMeatballSwede thank you.. it appears I’m blind, winston has put the link in his comments 😂😂😂
What really blows my mind is, you and C-Milk AKA Laowhy86 NEVER have said anything that makes China look bad. It's ironic that the people who censored you, made THEMSELVES look bad.
29:00 If that rabid nationalist hadn't stopped you, you would have won the trust of the native Mongolians. And then they would have told you the whole truth about the situation they're living in. And that would have been much more damming....
What are you on about lol
@@Kimjongilmao things are even worse for minority groups in China than you can imagine. People are extremely afraid to talk about or show what’s going on unless they have your complete trust. I believe that is what was meant by that comment.
@@jenl7094 everyone except that Regan kid understood the comment.
As I Chinese, I deeply abhor Chinese nationalism and the atrocious authoritarian regime. This guy and laowhy describes the bad side of China very well that I can be resonated. I hope the world can see this and be careful of the Chinese communist party while be aware that there are conscious Chinese people like me.
do you live in China or outside china?
Stay safe, man. I hope the time of nationalism and authoritarianism is gonna pass sooner rather than later.
Some of us get it mate, and some of us know and respect China’s non-communist cultural and intellectual tradition.
So here is the question, can u speak Chinese or not?
@@neilwang2543 Why is it the question, or THE question? Are those who are either not Chinese or do not speak Chinese, not allowed to comment on their experiences of living in China,? Are people outside China not allowed to have opinions on these matters, even if they have studied them assiduously over many years?
I absolutely loved Conquering Northern China, it's incredible how you guys were able to maintain the good mood through the shooting when facing so many problems, I really respect your work
The Chinese really shot themselves in the foot with this. They should have used the opportunity to improve their image. A dissident-leaning Chinese friend once said China is its own worst enemy. This truly proves her right.
Now it is the nursemaid of the united states. Biden is best friends with them.
@@joncrane7661 Ah stop bringing your own politics into this for fucks sake.
The Chinese nationalists are the biggest threat to China.
you're incredible, dude. You are doing what no news media is able to do today. Keep fighting.
Ever since I commented on my opinion on China in your comments section I get honey pot offers on different social media platforms from Chinese women. It's so strange :'D
Is that right? And do you have a bridge you'd like to sell us as well?
@@thedrummerboy1215 hey ccp agent
@@thedrummerboy1215 are u a ccp 50 cent army? If not, prove it.
@@thedrummerboy1215 hi ccp
@@thedrummerboy1215 Prove it.
Winston is right about the over sensitive Chinese nationalists, I met one once and every little thing I said, she thought I was attacking China when I might have just been talking about the traffic in Beijing or the air in some cities, she would say well your country is bad x,y,z, very immature. On the other point Winston made even in some big cities like Da Lian and Beijing there were a lot of hotels that take no foreigners.
@@汤圆-y7f Misread this message originally...yeah but given how the chinese act towards foreigners it's us who should be banning them. Would love to see the reaction where we ban Chinese from europe, given all the aggression weve had to take from the CCP. That actually sounds a lot more legit...
@@汤圆-y7f LMAO people literally spit phlegm, slaughter animals and openly defacate in the streets in China. Maybe your all powerful communist party should do something about that before paying people to criticise Europe's cleanliness.
@@Gilberto90 Couldn't have said it better :)
@@汤圆-y7f Oh and PS, I mean't to ban foreigners from hotels or from things the CCP doesn't want them to see. Talk about North Korea's bigger brother ey....I was born into a communist regime and since my country reformed it's done a lot better, slowly but surely it's getting back on it's feet. You don't understand true freedom until you actually have it and by the sounds of it you don't have the balls to stand up to your manipulative government which dictates it's own idiology in it's schools and apparently to international countries museums and even historical records. Imagine being told to lie because it hurts the CCP, tell me, deep down, as a human being, does that make you proud to support them? Or, can you not criticise for the fear of punishment?
@@汤圆-y7f You better speak more about how wonderful CCP is, or your family may be in danger for your failure. Please do better, and stop your failure. Bow to your CCP masters, they own you.
The fact that you lied that a hard disk is a power bank and got away with it!. Man you dodged a bullet there.
Edit: Thank you for the likes.
The fact that he had the balls to lie to such an oppressive regime and get away with it is so epic.
That's why I can't live in China, I wouldn't have the balls to do such a thing (I am just too honest really).
Saved tens of hours of watching the unedited footage with some army folks.
that was brilliant!
@@TobyIKanoby Not necessarily a bad thing, he did take quite a gamble there. If he had been honest, they would probably have made him delete all the footage, which would have sucked, sure, but that would have been it. If they had realized he was lying, things might have turned out quite a lot worse.
I‘m a German. I was born in „West Germany“ (now, of course there is just ONE Germany). My parents were supporting friends in the notoriously underdeveloped, then communist East Germany. What you describe is giving me serious flashbacks to what I had experienced back then. That pure evil of certain vicious control freaks, who are PROJECTING negativity onto everyone 24/7. I strongly recommend the movie „Das Leben der Anderen“ (The Life of the Others). It captures those dark times like no other. These people are DESTROYING LIVES - and a thing such as the universial sanctity of life, and the inalienable dignity of every human being is simply ONE HUNDRED PERCENT ABSENT in their dark, negative, destructive concept of how everything is supposed to run. What always pissed me off THE MOST about this is the outrageous hypocrisy: They keep telling themselves - and keep hammering it home to their people that they are doing all of this „just out of charity 😇“, and „because they care so much about the wellbeing of the people 🥰😘“. BULLSHIT! They do it because they want to recklessly IMPOSE THEIR WILL UPON OTHERS LIKE THE DICTATORS THEY ARE! And often enough, those who are calling the shots in such regimes are living like KINGS - while their people are suffering from various kinds of inhumane pressure - not to mention the constant terror of fearing to get crushed over whatsoever one allegedly had done „to damage the best interest of the people“. My heart goes out to all the people who are suffering from this in China - and outside of it.
Greetings, I myself am too young to have witnessed the DDR but heard some stories for example from one politician who visited our school and what brought him there, our town is just around 40 kikometres away from the former border and he was visiting some relatives with his family when he was a young boy in his early teenager years and upon border controls (that took hours) he was wearing a shirt with US Army or something on that - of course it's a red flag but he didn't really know about the background/dimension as a young boy but the staff there treated him like shit anyways.
And of I visited some museums, of course the Stasi-Museum and they were spying everyone, especially with their unofficial employees and of course they also bullied/harassed the people systematically.
'The Lives of Others' is brilliant, honest. I envy filmmakers they were able to do it. And that in Germany promoting nazi ideology is punishable by law. I hope to see the same with commies ideology in Poland. First such movies, documentaries telling our true history were made dir. Grzegorz Braun, not any government related body, neither any film institute.
I believe Marxism, and other -isms were created by and for narcissists. They thrive in such regimes, have no empathy. Constantly what serpentza and laowhy86 say about CCP reminds me narcissistic behaviour, traits, tactics: 'love bombing', 'narcissistic projection', gaslighting, sadistic tendencies, cruelty, feeling of grandiosity, entitlement, 'word salad' (newspeak), controlling others to have (false) feeling of security, triangulation, 'smear campaign', psychomanipulation, etc.
I have watched the movie in original German version and it's like you described it
"Conquering" China, might not have been the best choice of words in hind sight.
Yyeeaeee ...Should have put colonizing instead...
5 years ago was a different world, where saying "conquering china" would be a normal thing to say about travel. Screw anyone who cares about someone saying "conquering China" now and forever.
Conquering its about traveling the world ,seeing different horizon for the normal people !!! You know what i mean... showing your country to the world !???! You wanna see what you do too us all around the world, dont tempe me brothers
Yeah, they should have called it "An excursion consisting of a month's travel to navigate the Northern most parts of China; An introspective into the indigenous peoples that live there, their customs, livelihoods and cultures." Far more catchy title.
@@MagikGimp Humble Travellers awed by the Magnificence of Great China !
I found it funny how at each encounter it was the same routine.
This shows the following:
Either they can not coordinate at such a basic level, or everyone wants to flash their own level of importance.
I think they wanted to scare them off.
They're limiting what they can do by wasting their time. Causing fatigue by keeping them up. Trying to scare them off and humiliating being lined up and having your photo taken, as if they're criminals. They don't give a shit about the serial numbers n stuff.
Yeah, their coordination is terrible too mind. At least not up to the Western Standard.
"we must also watch 6 hours of unedited footage of camels"
@@wasdwasd609 So basically they have nothing better to do than harrasing them just to waste time or to scare them.. In other words they have nothing productive to do that the time wasting of Winston and crew is the best they could do with their own time? Interesting..or crazy....
I wish people realized what goes on in China. I had the opportunity about 15 years ago go to go China, and found simlar stories to this when asking around and on internet forums, and decided I didn't think it was worth it.
Can you imagine if the government in the US/UK/Aus/CA or most any other country treated an Asian like this?
I can't speak for the other nations but the USA treats everyone who isn't rich like trash. I am pretty sure China conquered the USA and they're easing us into their Social Credit System.
I've been watching quite a few of your documentaries and never left a comment. You have my ultimate respect for your honesty and information. I never even imagined the subjects you bring to the front. I speak as just another isolated (although formerly quite convinced that was nominally informed) American. Thank you.
What an uphill battle to try and show them in a positive light.
like loving a woman who hates herself ... "leave me alone, youre too good for me" : P
the irony is incredible!
It takes a lot of courage to do what you're doing Winston.. commenting to please the algorithm
You must be kidding me. You do realize that's just a screen of China behind him right? You don't live in China anymore poser. Move on.
@@Dan-sq7zg He still has extended family connections to China through his wife. Ignoring China ain‘t an option for him. Plus, it‘s a source of income that hurts nobody but the CCP. Why the hate?
@@MGSVxBreakpoint You hit it right on the head when you say it's a good income for him. He found that pandering to the anti CCP crowd was much more popular than fixing motorcycles and such. His recent videos all have the same boring, obvious premise. China bad. Like I said... Move on.
Courage to demonize a country in exchange for views and money?
@Mark Carson Yea he does love Chinese, but only when they are submissive good-looking women, just look at all his video titles, he hates Chinese males for sure, I thought it was obvious?
Hi Winston, I am really sorry for what you have been through. It is sad to see how things going here. It is unfortunate to see a true friend like you to be pushed away by those stupid nationalists. I am with you. By the way, just purchased your Conquering Northern China documentary. It was awesome! I really enjoy the Rongcheng part as it is only 200 km from my hometown which was also a small fishing village before. Good job!
i like your summary description of a CCP official. Very accurate and vivid!
Without the context just from the physical description I would've thought: "Oh shit! They got the JANITOR involved!"
This is so depressing. That is so scary
Its even more depressing for Chinese people
I literally brought and watched all of conquering northern China today. It was so addictive and I loved it. It’s crazy all that happened in the background I would of never thought. I really respect you and C-Milks courage and bravery in making this documentary.
Thanks mate! Really appreciate it
@@serpentza I can’t wait for you guys to make more. I know you can’t go to China but maybe conquering Vietnam or any other country. That would be amazing.
When I watched "Conquering Southern China," I was enchanted by the people, the countryside, and the adventure. I felt like I might visit China someday and explore the country. But now - I feel like the entire country of China is completely inhospitable and unwelcoming, and I no longer have any interest in going there.
Same, no interest in ever visiting. I used to have a dream of driving down the China national highway in Mongolia to see the instant cities in the desert, but not now. Especially with the national security law, China is now written off like North Korea.
Well.....chia is coming to the states. Biden is best friends with them.
@@joncrane7661 don't bring politics into this
@@Sarcasteak Only for 50 cents can you get quality shilling like this! Impressive!
The quality of the video was so good, that I had no idea of the stress you were under. Well done.
Your video makes me wonder how 'safe' it would be for me as a normal tourist to visit China again and take photos and drone videos. I would hate the constant fear of monitoring by the secret police and also the suspicion merely because I was taking photos or filming. A sad state of affairs.
Jerry
Should be fine in tourist areas except they are less tolerant of drones these days
Various police/military: "What is this?! Why do you have this drone?!"
Wintson: "I just really like camels man...."
Various police/military: "You no can Camel! Only Zhonghua ok?!
I went to the North Korean border from Russia and took a few pictures of the guard towers. So I also ended up having to go to a police station in Russia where I was told that it was not okay to even be in this area without a permit. Luckily I had a Russian friend with me who was a policeman and he managed to talk us out of this situation so nothing further had happened.
This question is asked with respect and curiosity.
I would be afraid to travel to, let alone take a picture of NK from China.
What gives you the drive, rationale?
Is it learned or innate?
@@miguelservetus9534 lol
How did you ever think this was a good idea? I applaud you for your bravery but that was incredibly stupid
@@miguelservetus9534 have you ever been a tourist with an edgy trigger finger on your camera? I did the same exact dumb thing- I was in a city in northern China just across from North Korea so I said I bet if if do maximum zoom I can see into the houses, and I could! So I snapped a bunch of pictures. My Chinese business contact kept chuckling nervously and shaking his finger saying "that is forbidden, that is forbidden to do here"...but I was like it's okay I'm an American tourist, you know? Like the ones who take pictures of the sign that says "Military Zone- No photos" - everyone and his grandma has those shots. So like 2.5 minutes later some guys (prob plainclothes police) come and talk to my contact and he explains to them etc....and they said I should delete the pictures. So I pretended to...that was it.
still Russian people are far better than Chinese
Kudos to you two on your grit and determination to pursue your craft despite the potential for being detained or arrested. After watching both documentaries, I knew there was a back story behind your visit there and I'm pleased that you chose to share it with your audience. Chance, fortune and skill that you both were able to get out with your families as the door was closing on a foreigner's ability to travel and shoot video freely in mainland China. This video deserves a much wider audience than just YT.
I know ur dedication and we all appreciate it but we don't want to loose u both
@Andrew_koala Why? Because he used u instead of you? STFU
That’s scary af
yeah dude, and we had more trouble later on as well, but this was the worst part
Sounds like the powers that be didn’t want to inadvertently have their dirty laundry put out there.
Auto-focus? I didn't find it scary.
@@serpentza how can you stay positiv? I feel like everything in the world is going in the wrong direction
@@Sleepinglinki Nay, US election went right.
Being a foreign Chinese, I stopped planning for a long holiday in China in my retired life after watch your infomative video. Thank you
Talking about the no foreigners allowed to stay in hotels or regions reminds me of my trip to Tibet. The control that Chinese government has in there via police and military shocked me. A woman I happened to be travelling with had lived in North Korea for 2 years and said the control and surveillance in Tibet was way worse.
Kinda like America under CDC rule.. 🤭
China cannot allow to lose control of the narratve. Diversity and curiosity is dangerous to the CCP.
And now america. China coming in through the front door. And war back in the middle east....but hey we all voted for biden, right?
@@joncrane7661 Considering the democratic party is trying to stop the lawsuits asking for election transparency, I think not.
@That Guy. ignorance. Smh
The USA cannot allow losing control of the narrative. Diversity and curiosity are dangerous to the two parties.
If it was up to me I'd award you a medal. Respect and greetings from Europe
"Trying to put China in a positive light". Lol. You'd have better luck finding a Yeti.
Hello
At least a Yeti might actually be chill.
You're lucky to be able to tell us this story. I'd be a blubbering mess in that situation.
I really do think you got out of China just in time, I fear we're going to see some "Great leap forward" level of discrimination soon.
Don't fear that we're going to see it.
Fear that we are not going to see it.
Cause it will happen that's for sure
cant wait to explore CHINA ......after COVID
Exactly true!
Filming China's top secret camels, are we?
Lol. yeh there the new technology No emission just farting maybe
I wonder how awkward it was just taking all that footage. Was it really worth it
@rixille -
YES , these are Chinas People´s "liberation" Army´s Top Secret t-€rrorist camels (for asy-metric wa-rfare) , they got inspirated by the British who planned to use bo-oby trap-ped ra-ts ... LOL
Edit: TH-cam´s (China style) A.I censored my answer. (sooner or later Google finally becomes a capitalist CCP )
ah yes the state secret top of the line suicidal bomber camel unit
Those are not humps, they're secret weapons stash.
This is such great content, you've left nothing behind everything is either in your descriptions or in shot. Excellent work, thank you so much I really appreciate your efforts. Love from England.
What quick thinking of you to say those hard drives were power banks!
Very james bond-ie
Yes. The PLA guy could have been much worse for you than the initial CCP hack. Lots of firepower to back him up coupled with disdain and you be like the goat .
Cooked.
I'd be scared that they'd find out I lied and then be even more suspicious.
@first name last name -
Not only James Bond like , it was also very mainland Chinese (relabeling of goods & make shady claims what the product can do or cant do = perfectly integrated fo-rai-ner ) , what an Irony ^^
So your translator watched incorrectly translated videos of yours and decided that those incorrect translations were the meaning he'd go with? That's some high tier translation skills there.
The translator translate Mongolian to mandarin and doesn’t understand English. Hence why he was duped into believing the fake subtitles.
@@Sarcasteak lmao defending cruel and u just laws
@@Sarcasteak What national laws did he break. Other than not being Chinese that is.
People not fighting for removal of fake subtitles end up in these situations.
Putting fake subtitle is putting people in danger and persons with fake subtitles should be prosecuted by local regulations and laws.
Yep and people that understand that usually think you have done something bad because why else the wrong translation... and thus you deserve the punishment that comes with it. Better watch out that you dont make anybody feel bad in the slightest. You should have informed yourself that the translator watched your photo and didnt like it and that he knew you are the enemy just by looking at it. No proof necessary since otherwise God would have told him
I almost fell off my chair when I saw this notification...
Reminds me of when I got arrested in China... Certainly unnerving. Good to hear your recollection of these events. It brought back many familiar memories of my group's encounter.
You guys are amazing! Despite all the bullshit you guys had to go through to get this footage, you still managed to get it done. ADVChina is one of the best channels on TH-cam and I hope you two never stop doing watch you guys do. ❤
Great respect for your efforts...regards from Athens Greece..
thanks the chinese for saving your economy and pensions
@@levelazn you did? how?
@@dominikrogalsky6689 they gave Greece loans in like 2008 when their economy tanked
19:31 LMAO even party officials need a vpn to watch youtube
@@hen8527 I cannot attest of how many and why, but can I can attest of great strength from YT to keep many of them. Maybe you've some video IDs?
They do actually have a good reason for blocking google and facebook, there is an insane amount of western (read: american) propaganda material on these platforms, and most western news sites too.
At this point I wouldn't be surprised if some european countries started blocking this stuff too. Of course they're doing it for all the wrong reasons, because the reason they're doing it is not actually to shield their population from bullshit propaganda, but to lock them into their own propaganda machines (which aren't any better) instead of the western ones.
@@cestarianinhabitant5898 I think there's a lot of truth to this. Although Chinese citizens would also spread Chinese news around the country. Probably some things they don't want their population to know about.
The complete BS you read on Facebook is exhausting, however.
@@travisgoodrich4290 I stopped using facebook years ago, the only reason I haven't just outright deleted my account is because there are so many people who can't be reached through any other platform, I still have facebook just to use messenger, but I'm thinking I might just delete it anyways by this point since I'm not that social of a person anyways.
I'll celebrate the day when facebook and all that social media shit will be blocked im Europe 😍
I've been watching your videos for many years, Winston. It is such a shame that they have become so negative. I was truly fascinated by China. I tip my hat to you, sir, for having the courage to inform the world of what a contrast Chinese people are to their government. Keep it up..
probably the words "conquering southern china" had the ccp on edge. oh no we are being invaded by youtubers haha
Yeah, honestly, naming a documentary with that title just wasn't that wise. From the start I don't think these guys making the doco were using much wisdom. Do you really need to go to China to prove to yourself that China has some very bad elements within the CCP? Sure, you can find some good parts, as you can in any country. All countries have some good parts, and some decent people. That is not the point. The CPP is a brutal regime, and wandering into their territory is just not wise. All it would have taken is ONE person to get into a physical altercation and the entire doco team would have been thrown into prison. It happened to a New Zealand businessman. He was in a restaurant, and because one guy challenged him, and then attacked him, the guy ended up in prison, even though he didn't even fight back. I would highly advise everyone... STAY OUT of communist countries! Period! Does the name Otto Wambier ring any bells?
He didn’t go there to prove anything what are you talking about but this still speaks volumes on China’s government
@@KenKopelson what your saying is true but I disagree with your opinion
I lived in China for two years and never met anyone who was not a wonderful and kind person. I was living in the modern east coast region however, and whenever I traveled to more remote areas I was fortunate to have Chinese friends who accompanied me. I am sure being with them had a lot to do with being safe. The closest to a misunderstanding I ever got was being at a Chinese hotel (the kind for Chinese) and not being allowed to have breakfast in their restaurant. That same hotel staff had also never seen a China Residency Permit so they kept asking for my Visa. The Residency Permit is a sticker in my passport, just like a Visa, but it looks different. After being asked to produce a Visa 3 times I had to get one of my Chinese friends to come to the front desk to explain to them that I was in fact a legal Chinese resident with a work permit, not a Tourist on a Visa.
Thanks!
Very sorry you went through this brother. You're the only one I know thats either stupid enough or brave enough to tease this particular tiger so often. Glad you're still here, keep up the good fight. They can't escape accountability forever.
Its coming to the u.s....looks like they will.
@@joncrane7661 Please do let me help tease the tiger some more !!!!
Taiwan is a FREE AND SOVEREIGN NATION OF PEOPLE WHO CAN CHOOSE TO GO THEIR OWN WAY !!!!
TAIWAN IS ___NOT___ PART OF CHINA !!! It is SOVEREIGN STATE ALL ITS OWN !!!
Free the Uyghurs!
Free Tibet!
Free The Two Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig Still Being Unjustly Held in Prisons by China!
Free those "Photos of Liu Taiyang" from the evil clutches of the fuddy-duddy, old-fogie CCP officials!
V
You and C- milk have went through all kinds of hell just to share some beauty and cultural differences! Wow, thank you so much, and sorry you went through such a stressful experience !
I found your "Its actually incredibly difficult to show China in a positive light " comment fascinating to be honest. It reminded me of Norm Macdonald's bit "The more I learn about Hitler the more I don't care for him"
Is this why most Chinese people don't care about his videos? Almost none of his video comments is in Chinese, not even from those who claim to be "Chinese" themselves.
Thanks
10 yrs ago I dream of visiting china. Today I'm thinking of visiting Afghanistan's would be safer.
Come to Taiwan, the real China where Chinese culture is appreciated not destroyed.
@@rodriguezchen Sounds great, I only heard good things about Taiwan, really wanna travel there anytime after the pandemic!
Heard this before on China Unscripted. Still very powerful.
True story: I was getting vibes from a pretty Chinese girl who works in a local takeaway restaurant. One day she starts chatting me up, really going for it. Within two minutes she‘s asked me twice where i work so i tell her i‘m a barista at a local coffee shop. She asks if i own the place and i say 'No', i‘m an employee. She turns her nose up and never speaks to me or looks at me again XD
seems more like wanting to marry the high life...
@@PrograError gold digga for sure
*Never* tell a woman where you work.
@@LMB222 and dont shit where you eat XD i know lol. I messed up
Sounds a lot like prewar Germany. I'm glad you got out of that mess.
Thank-you for your experience and truthfulness about what is happening around the globe,whether its positively and truthfulness on negatively. Keep it up.thanks.
They are probably pissed because Taiwan and the USA are developing an alternative to the belt and road. And that's no conspiracy
Ohh cool what would I Google to find out more?
yeah what keywords
You're very brave and probably the fact you can speak Mandarin probably helped. Stay Safe and Stay Awesome Winston.
It's kinda like when the person you're trying to help, keep accusing you of an abuse
Like when Johnny Depp tried to help Amber Heard but she cried wolf?
This is why you should never help a stranger in Korea. They will take advantage and blame you to get money .
How scary
.I had a brush with Russian authority.Was on holiday in Russia on my own when I got arrested for taking photos of Russian military equipment .Held me for over a week .Scariest thing I have ever faced
NGL, that ones kinda on you...taking pictures of military equipment is a big no no in any country anywhere in the world
@@siddharthakvr5154 what about taking photos of soldiers' feet
@@grieferoncamera4600 go right ahead, but not in military base zones and shit, I think that's a given for most people
@@siddharthakvr5154not really. U can take pictures in the United States as long as your own public land taking it
@@siddharthakvr5154Nope. You can take pics all you want here.
I have found a very general rule to be true. Anyone that is very distrustful and suspicious of others is that way because they know they them selves can't be trusted and they see others the same way.
It’s called projection. Thieves think everyone steals.
@@freedomlife3623 was about to comment that
@@elgatochurro Great minds do think alike!
or been maybe bitten too many times, older and wiser hence the change of tactics?
sometimes
There will be a day when China would be needing the world to help them out again, Winston. But in Malay we have this saying, melepaskan anjing tersepit, or to release a stuck dog, which would bite you immediately upon release. Well not every dog of course but this one...
You're right; as someone who rehabilitates abused dogs, there are some which cannot be saved. It's very sad, but they are too dangerous to themselves and others, and must be destroyed.
I've never met a dog that kicked itself and blames others before now, though… 😅
@@MiaogisTeas Holy shit your metaphor is disgusting.
Reminds me of the parable of the scorpion and the frog.
I can 100% vouch for you on the refusing of foreigners being allowed to stay in hotels or areas. it happens quite often. EVEN after booking over the phone. you book it, you walk in, they refuse service, then you spend hours trying to find somewhere to stay
I don't know why, but there is a dedicated group of foreigners trying to fool everyone into thinking this isn't a thing, I suspect it's because they're always being flown around by the Chinese government to do tourism propaganda and so never come across this issue
@@serpentza the Soviets did the exact same thing with their, so called, American intellectuals.
@@MrJamesDolph Yes, all the barks in one hound. In the soviet era, rubles were exchanged at a rate of 1: 1 versus the dollar and after arriving in Moscow, you were taken to just the one Intourist hotel.
@@williamswenson5315 it's not all that different from the business sponsored trips of today. Keep them safe, entertained and never look in the alley . Oldest trick in the book.
@@MrJamesDolph The Soviet Era travel vs. say, a sponsored trip to Italy? I'd say they are as similar as Cinderella's coach and a pumpkin.
Me too!!
Sorry to hear when any one was…
Me? Had an 18 month exit ban (one year officially, six months processing.
By then, the mental and physical torture had broken me. PTSD, battered person syndrome AND repressed memories.
Even when free, that was it… I had seven years of that shit, like a battered spouse who forgot every tube it happened.
I’m dm safe now, and the Canadian Govt has assured me that I’ll not the only one.
Winston, I’m happy ur safe, and that Matt made it out when he did. You don’t know how lucky you are!!!
Happened to me back in 2009 . Love your videos
Hope you are safe, thanks for your devotion and bringing us this truth.
Interesting to hear even more details on this than you shared on China Uncensored. Just terrifying. Thankful you guys got out of China safely.
I liked how you edited this video. It almost reminded me of Anthony Boirdain's Beirut episode but still retaining your style.
Theres no hiding from powers like these who have so much unchallenged and unchecked control over it's people.
Just finish watching your 1st episode of Conquering Northen China. It was fantastic. It a bit pity that my hometown Yantai is only a little footnote of your wonderful documentary. Next time if you and C-milk come over, stay a few more days. There are a lot to see!! undrestand you may not be able to come back any time soon but please remember you are welcome from the people here.
Thanks mate!
Thank you for sharing this, sharing good will and culture is priceless. I fully intend on watching your documentary and will greatly appreciate the trial and tribulations that it took to produce. So sorry you had such a terrible experience over there.
It's so sad. Dark are the times... I've been watching you and cMilk for a long time and I remember the passion you had for China. You were the best advertisement any country could wish for! It's such a shame that these things were going on behind the scenes and now in broad daylight. I hope that times will change again and that the both of you can regain that friendship, love and trust you once had for China.
Incredible story, Winston. Thanks for sharing. Man - you guys are TROOPERS!! Dealing with all that shit but still trying to get good footage for a documentary. That's commitment!
You two guys don’t know what you have, I would love to talk to you but only if I knew it was you. I love your videos and really
I was a Chinese long times ago and I still have a lot of connections, all my families and friends are still there. The Chinese, the ccp and their government are all about faces. They don’t want to feel losing faces. China was so far behind the west back in 1980’s and chinese feel shameful about that. In the past 40 years they have been worked so hard to catch up. They focus on the big cities, make them look so nice. But rural area still very poor. They don’t want you to show the world the poor rural area, they don’t think it’s cool for the world to see the poor dirty sides of China. That’s it! In 2009, I went back to China, went on a tour with my roommates in a train. I was taking a picture on the train and my girlfriend roommate stopped me. Nothing happened on the train, it’s just a bit crowned, it was clean, nice. But my friend thought it’s shameful to show the world the Chinese train was crowded. They don’t want anything slightly negative to show the world. She is my classmate, roommate and good friend! Can you imagine that?
A mindset like that, I can only imagine happens by being constantly told that your own country is beyond perfect. But I can't help but agree that it is odd.
Your example is very good because it really is barely negative. While it can be inconvenient sometimes, I myself like joining a really cramped and crowded train. Though in these times, it is not to recommend, but what can you do...
There is a positive side to this thinking though. Many people are super friendly and ask you to tell the world about how good China is. I agree a lot of stuff said here, but I think China is more friendly than France or Japan.
@@happyhappynuts Yes, normal people are very friendly to foreigners, but not to their own people. If you don’t do anything or say anything to make them losing face, people are super friendly to foreigners and would love to make friends with them. I don’t look foreigner to them, they either just ignore me or being rude to me. No smiling in the street to strangers, otherwise, people would think one is up to no good. Well, too many people, you can’t smile to strangers, otherwise, you would be too tired.
I am so glad they did not get to make you disappear Sir Sepentza, I would hate to think that someone so valuable like yourself would have been wiped off the face of the earth! The more I see and hear about these bad government people the more, it sickens me. I hope the future young people will make a change of this someday.
Excellent content. You can hold your head high knowing you have integrity.
I had forgotten about the non foreigner hotels. Everything you describe was my life for over two years. I always felt "used" and had seen how life was for minorities. I later moved to Shenzhen and it was like a breath of fresh air! I am now in the west again and unfortunately, i will probably never return. Sad, because I truly loved the people and was touched by my exoeriences.
when i started teaching english in china i was told to be wary by even chinese to be careful in trusting them and seeing them as friends
The more i watch your videos, the more all this stuff remind me of stories my parents who lived in USSR told me.
This is the lesson for everyone, MAKE SURE YOU PUT YOUR OWN SUBTITLES ON YOUR VIDEOS FIRST.
Putting embedded subtitles on videos is a bad practice. It ruins the video and it's documenting value.
Bit putting subtitle separated from the video as a text , easy to see, is a good practice.
@@mrjonnoma Well in this case, people can always download the video without the subtitles, having subtitles burned in to the video isn't the best thing for production value but it has to be done.
@@ashchbkv6965 exactly, it's kinda like why channels like hydraulic press channel watermark the shit out of their best footage. You literally have to destroy the video to get rid of the watermark. You'd practically have to do the same here and put the subtitles straight across the middle
@@ashchbkv6965 It certenly should not be done burning subtitles in videos. That is LAME "solution" that destroys original video.
Subtitles can be made available in the TH-cam video as translation/subtitles in TH-cam play interface, that way original subtitles are always available to check from the original source, not destroying original video in the process for the future generations. Burning subtitles is the signature of past days and it low-tech non-solution.
So it certainly should not be done, in any time , but fact-checking if videos that are re-posted elsewhere.
the other lesson is dont go to china. harsh but is what it is
Sorry to hear about your travel situation but at last you all got through.
I got detained in prison for couple of hours in China too. I got scammed by a scammer, he then called police on me and told them that i scammed him, probably just to fuck with me. Police told me that I have to pay HIM some amount of money to make this go away even though they know that he is the scammer... As a foreigner, you can never win any official dispute in China. Also, the hotel where i was staying at was superluxurious skyscraper, thousands of dollars per night thing, looked really great. Until i took a lift to the highest floor (i like views so i always check the top floor, just in case). When the lift door opened i almost shat myself. The floor was empty, open space with bare steal beams holding the building together, holes in the ground several stories down, right in front of the lift door... If i took 4 steps from the lift I'd die. Also, electricity wires hanging everywhere... So, the best hotel in the city, looking great but only the first half. As usual, they half-assed it, literally. If you want to experience China, just go to Taiwan!