[hamei]

As someone whose been across the US, China just feels older,

That's possible, but the natural beauty part, mmm, there's some pretty places but it's hard to top yosemite, the rockies, desolation sound, bryce canyon, all that stuff. I wouldn't want to have to judge a competition like that. There's a good chance north america would come out ahead. And yurop has a lot of old stuff, then there's egypt. And macchu picchu, and yucatan … I think you'd have a hard time defending the "most beautiful country" title for China.

Now if you're talking about the girls, yup, no contest. China just doesn't have the 300 lb walmart walruses that are so prevalent in the US. Maybe your attention was diverted :-)

I have to set an example for other users Hamei so I'm not gonna get into a debate over what the US does vs China or whatnot. Until I make another venue to talk politics let's save it for another time.

That'd be a good idea, maybe. So possibly refrain from denigrating China when you don't know what you're talking about ? You've never lived there, worked there, shacked up or married there, had any interactions with the various governments or banks or policemen or hospitals or … pretty much anything. So to follow your own suggestion, I'd say was an excellent idea. Go for it.

China is a surveillance state.

This, for example. It's basically horseshit. All developed countries have security cameras all over the place. China is no exception. China does have a different relationship between individuals and society, that's true, but I guarantee you, the FBI can chase a person down just as fast as any police department in China. Then they get the chicago cops to shoot the guy in his bed, with his wife sleeping next to him, and lie about it afterwards. Which the press does not cover, or lies about, for the next thirty years while the so-called "justice department" does nothing.

People who live in grass shacks shouldn't stow thrones.

I suppose surviving a Great Leap Backwards will do that

That's what I'm talking about. If you want to make political statements, then it's only fair to allow the rebuttal. That's a smarmy statement, you don't know anything about the great leap forward, just a bunch of crap you read in jingoist news media. It's not your problem anyway, plus for every failed program the China government has had I can point out three disasters the US has created. As you said in the first place, it's better not to go there. At all. So please don't. That'd be good.

[weblacky]

So just to be very fair here, you can remove the whole "taxi driver scam" as being unusual, it's in all countries, done to everyone.

Case in point, I've lived extremely close to Seattle-Tacoma (SeaTac) airport here in Washington State, USA for most of my life. I've only once had to take a taxi from a flight back home (so ending the trip at my own family home)...when I was a teenager. The taxi drivers here (at the time...now...not so many taxis given Uber and whatnot) were predominantly middle eastern. They would do the "talking on their cell phone (bluetooth headset) thing" and in their native (not english) language and drive you but refuse at all to interact with you unless you made a big fuss. If you make any comment they'll pretend not to hear you because they are on the phone.

The driver took me "the long way" home and several times I asked him why we were getting on a certain road when I knew this wasn't the best way (I was a native of the area, after all). He ignored me and we did end up at home...but he had managed to add time/distance to the meter. Trip should have been about $15 USD, he demanded $22 USD (this was in the late nineties).

I told him that wasn't right, as the trip was supposed to be $15 and he purposely took the wrong streets. He then started to make threats of non-payment so I just gave him EXACT change (I was prepared after all, cash...no credit cards here), after I got my bag, and he quickly jetted off, tires screeching and everything. Because I was travelling alone and wasn't an adult...he knew he could get away with doing that because there was no other witness and I was "a kid".

I figured it could be worse, but I basically have had a poor opinion of taxis ever since.

So if a taxi driver will do this to a local kid...you'd better believe he'd do it anyone he thought he could!!! Not just tourists.

So repeat after me...all taxis are a scam! Why do you think NOBODY fought to keep them when ride sharing started? I mean ride sharing is a BAD IDEA from a legal and training standpoint, it's the essence of the statement "don't get in a car with strangers". There's no real background checks, fees, licensing, tests, auditing, etc... But Taxis are SOOOOOOO BAD, that it was considered a BETTER outcome to rideshare instead of use them!

So think for a moment after I've proposed this and just KNOW that unless you're a prepaid tour bus group, you WILL be ripped off for transportation unless you "pre-negotiate" your ride and act like that's all you have. It's a game....and only safe way is not to play!

[Raion]

Uber/Lyft can be scams too to be fair. I've found that some are cool and easy to get along with, others are taxis in all but name.