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Does China prevent visitors from seeing its bad parts?I still remember an Engineer from Georgia, US. His name was Larry. He was the senior engineer of a group of Americans, and he’s got a dashing spangled banner & American Eagle Safety helmet, and was cheerful all the time.Larry was in China, 2013 winter, and I have worked as his team’s translator.Larry was also in China in 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Working as foreign engineers / advisors. He’d been in China for 5 times.He knew China better than I do, because I was only born in 1989. It’s interesting for me to hear what he had to say about China. These things, I didn’t even know before.China, 1980s.Larry was in a major port city in the north east China. Was it Dalian or Qingdao I didn’t remember clearly. Larry said, China was quite an oppressive state back then.He and a bunch of Engineers from America and France, lived in a specialized hotel. When they arrived, they were surprised: It looked like the hotel was under construction! Scaffolding and safety nets encased the entire building, but there were no one working on it, as if it was deserted, and half way done.But as these guys entered it, they were amazed and found, no, it was actually a full on functional hotel, 2 or 3 stars, with English speaking service staffs and managers. Electricity, running hot water, clean sheets, bathtub, soap, TV, air con… Everything. It was not luxurious, but it was clean and neat.A Chinese CPC member, as their translator and guide, checked in, too. Larry remembered him as a friendly type, speaks some English, but quite serious and taciturn man. They knew that he was actually something like a “political supervisor”.This Chinese CPC member, also served another function. Everyday, he would go to each foreigner, and ask if they need anything from what he called, “the outside”. Medicine, food, steaks, souvenir, shirts, socks, underwear, shampoo, fan, etc. He would write a list, and then go out and get those things for these Americans and French.At first, they were befuddled and grateful. Why would he be so kind and run such errand for them? But soon they realized: it’s only because they cannot leave the hotel. Not even the the hotel door.And they soon realized that the hotel was not at all under construction, it was deliberately built like this so local Chinese people won’t notice these westerners lived like kings (I know it’s a only 3 star hotel, but in comparison… they do live like kings).Everyday morning, Larry and his colleagues, and the Chinese political supervisor would get on a bus. It was an ordinary bus, with the noticeable modification of duct-taped side and rear windscreens. They could barely see anything outside. They rode the bus to docks, they do their job, which is providing engineering advise to the Chinese engineers and constructors, with the Chinese political supervisor standing not far, keeping eye on them without even blinking.When the day was over, Larry and his colleagues, and the Chinese political supervisor would get on the same duct-taped bus, and back to the same cocooned hotel.Day after day, until the project was finished.Larry didn’t get to see what China was like in the 1980s. He never even had the chance to talked to a Chinese local person. He was basically muffed, blind-folded, and ear-plugged.Larry did not feel good about China.More Pictures about Qingdao 1980.http://arc.dailyqd.com/2016-03/28/content_320025.htmChina, 1990s.Larry came again for Engineering Advisory. China had changed.There was no political advisor anymore, and there was no duct-taped bus to pick him up. The Chinese company who invited him sent people to pick him up in taxi.Larry could freely browse China this time.Larry was amazed by the number of buildings under construction in China at that time, and the fact there were so much more cars on the street than the last he came.He was no longer confined in a small hotel, he could go outside. He made friends with a lot of Chinese university students. They rode bikes to the country side on the weekends, and they had picnic.He could go on the market, haggle with the locals with gestures and head shakes. He enjoyed it so much.He was invited to an officials’ house for parties as a guest. They had fun, and while a Chinese woman asked him what has he learned in Chinese, he said: “Ni Hao” and “Chi guo le ma” and “pian yi dian” and all the people laughed;But then he said “wo ai ni” (I love you), the house silenced. The Chinese woman whispered to Larry: “You shouldn’t say that outside…”Soon, Larry learned that China was in a Crackdown on crimes.Girls flirted with westerners, jail.Guys harassed girls, jail.Guys entering the wrong bathroom, jail.People wore blue jeans and went disco dancing, 15 day retention.Rapists, robbers, murderers, drug dealers lined up and publicly executed in local stadium.My mom and dad’s generation call this period “Yan Da” (Strict Crackdown). I didn’t even know about this.Larry learned that, if he says “wo ai ni” to any Chinese girl, he would be deported and the girl would be in jail.Street view in Guangzhou, China. 1990s.http://gd.qq.com/a/20140916/022282.htm#p=2The Banner says, “Public Conviction Convention”.Left: “Maintain society stability comprehensively”.Right: “Apply strict crackdown struggle deeply”.These people are robbers, rapists, arsonists, drug dealers, some are petty law breakers such as theft, who have had impulsive fighting, or even just had consentual sex with too many people. They were not necessarily executed, but most of them are given harsh panelties such as decades in Jail.严打1996China, 2000s.Larry came again for work. But this time, he couldn’t believe his eyes.Skyscrapers, Mercedes Benz and BMW on the street, metro, smart phones, everything. People walking around, having fun, dressing as they please, no one batting an eye at Larry just because he was a foreigner.He had no idea what happened in that decade, but EVERYTHING has changed. Everybody looked well dressed, well fed, and healthy. More and more of the locals speak English.Security was no longer a major issue, the crackdown had worked, and ceased.Dalian City view, China, 2005http://83062560.blog.163.com/blog/static/1208548792012626242525/China, 2010s.New Industrial parks sprouted in China, everywhere. China is even starting to talk about reducing the excessive production capability, and move towards less polluting and high value industries.He looked out of his bus, and saw the gigantic gate cranes in the deep water docks busy loading the frigates with thousands if not tens of thousands of containers, and ship the goods to the globe.The CCP translator/errand guy/political supervisor, is gone. He can go anywhere and talk to anyone. He had me as his translator, a man who had been to Virginia for college and spoke good enough English to not only does the job, but could also have a laugh with him.The 3 star camouflaged hotel, is gone. He and his American colleagues lived in the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown city, where they can enjoy the night market, roam about, and enjoy some after hour shots in the bars.Larry smiled and couldn’t stop talking to me about how fast China had changed, and how would China surprise him on his next visit.Larry told me: “Every time I visit China, it’s like entering another century, Everything is just changing so fast.”Crane manufactured in Nantong Port, being exported to Russia. 2016.南通中远重工起重机远赴俄罗斯_产品快讯_工程机械在线Majestic view of Chongqing City. Taken 2018.Chongqing’s Night. Taken 2018.My girlfriend asking her reluctant Welsh Corgi to get into my car for a Sunday trip. Taken 2018.My answer to “Does China prevent visitors from seeing its bad parts?” is, in the past decades, yes, absolutely; now, no.The problem with China is that, because it moves so fast, and in contrast, the west is now so developed and very little change is expected to take place within years or even decades, people who had been to China once, or twice in the past will be stuck to their impression about China at that time.Imagine if Larry had only been in China in the 1980s, and never to come back. He would have extremely negative view about China. But what he said about China would still be true at that time.That year, I learned something from an American engineer working in China, it reforged my view, as a Chinese, about the Country I thought I knew.I hope the stories I heard from Larry could shed some light on this.Disclaimer: Photos I didn’t take myself, sources are in the link. Do not use this answer for commercial use. If you find your photos in there and don’t feel happy about it, contact me and I will have them removed.

Lots of great answers here, mine will be short and simple.If it is a used car you are looking for take one of these with you.It’s an OBD 2 scanner. You plug it into a port near the steering wheel. It will let you know if there is anything wrong with many of the most important electronic devices on a vehicle.It’s time to leave a dealer when you plug it in, it shows trouble codes, and you look at the salesman and say: “ Can you explain this?”If their answer is NO and they don’t try to answer your question any further, it’s time to leave.I was surprised at how many reputable dealers had cars on their lot with trouble codes. The only one that did not was a small Ford dealership in Hermann, MO.

The master of ‘lying for profit’ has got to Victor Lustig. Some of you may already know about this man, and to be honest I’m not adding anything new so you can skip this article.But, for those of you that don’t know him, you are about to meet one of the greatest con-man who has ever lived, probably. I guess the good ones don’t really get caught to become famous in the first place.Victor Lustig was the king of deception and trickery. He was born in 1890 in what is now the Czech Republic. As a young man he studied languages. He also studied people: their habits, mannerisms, and especially their weaknesses, and decided to do something in that field instead. By the age of twenty he was a confirmed conman.By the age of thirty he was a confirmed wanted man on the run from police in several European countries. Here are some of the cons that he pulled off. A list of lies, deception, and trickery that made this man a legend.Con One.In 1922, Lustig went to Missouri and showed interest in an old farm that a bank had repossessed, but could not sell. Lustig wanted the farm. So he went to the bank who owned the farm and he gave a sob story of how his life of nobility in Austria was destroyed when the country was overthrown as a result of the first World War. He claimed to the bank that he had come to America to rebuild his life with what was left of the family fortune and chose a life farming.He then offered the bankers $22,000 in bonds to buy the farm and the bank gladly accepted it. Lustig also convinced them to exchange an additional $10,000 of bonds for cash so that he can operate the farm. The bankers, again, gladly accepted. The trickery comes in when Lustig, at the time of the exchange, switched envelopes and made off with both the bonds and the cash.Funny thing is that he didn't bother to hide his escape, and when the bankers hired a private detective and got caught, he was cooperative. But, on the train ride with the captors, Lustig convinced them that if they did press charges, there would be a run on the bank by its depositors and the bank would go belly up. Lustig then managed to convince his captors that they should give him $1,000 for the ‘inconvenience’ that the arrest had caused him. So he managed to twist the whole the story and walked away to freedom with their $1,000 in his picket. I think that’s what you call ‘smooth’.Con two.While in Montreal on ‘business’, Lustig decided to con the fuck out of a Vermont banker named Linus Merton. He arranged with a pick-pocket to steal Merton’s pocket watch. And, he did. But, he wasn’t satisfied and decided to give it back in 24 hours. But, that is exactly what he had in mind in the first place. By giving the pocket watch back, he had gained the trust of the banker.He introduced Merton in on a scheme that he was using to earn money since the family’s fortune had been confiscated during the revolution, yes, the same alias he used at the bank in his other con. Lustig claimed that his cousin worked at a bookie and was able to intercept the race wires, meaning that he could find out the winners to every horse race a few minutes before anyone else. He explained how it was a guaranteed win. Merton agreed to the tip, and in the process of the con, he announced that his wife was ill and they have to move as quickly as possible. The pressure made Merton to make one last bet, but Lustig gave him a wrong tip. This meant that Lustig had just taken $30,000 for a bet that Merton had made in a bookie joint that was a setup in the first place. Very cheeky.Con three.This is Lustig’s potentially most famous con as of today. In May 1925, Lustig travelled to Paris with another man named Collin, another con man. While in Paris, he began reading the papers and it was a consistent pattern of articles claiming that the Eiffel Tower was in need of repair and that the repair job was cost prohibitive. There was also a brief comment exploring the idea that it might even be cheaper to rip it down than to repair it.If Lustig ever had a ‘eureka’ moment, this would be it. He decided to sell the Eiffel Tower. Lustig had a counterfeiter create official government stationery and personally “appointed” himself to the official position of Deputy Director General of the Ministère de Postes et Télégraphes. He then sent letters to five different scrap iron dealers. The letters where purposely written in a vague manner so that they would accept his invitation to meet him in a hotel suite to discuss a possible government contract.After joking about with these men for a bit at the hotel, Lustig made the surprise announcement that the government was indeed scrapping the Eiffel town and whether they will be willing to make a bid on the scrap metal. Lustig went off and sold the Eiffel tower to a man named Poisson. The devious man drove off to Austria immediately after, with the money of the sale in his pocket. When there, he continuously checked the papers to find that the scam had come to light, but it never did. Poisson was too embarrassed to come forward with the news to the authorities.Lustig saw that as an opportunity and sold the Eiffel Tower again. Unfortunately, Lustig was dubbed to the authorities and there was no third sale of the tower.These are some of the greatest cons known of him today, excluding the one con which earned him $5,000 from the drug lord, Al Capone. But I thought that’s not a big enough payout to be including the whole story in this answer.Here is the important bit for all of you aspiring con artists. Before his death, Lustig wrote down the ten-commandments for pulling the best cons. Here they are and you are welcome:be a patient listener (it is this, not fast talking that gets a con-man his coups).Never look bored.Wait for the other person to reveal any political opinions then agree with them.Let the mark reveal any religious views, then have the same ones.Never discuss illness, unless some special concern is shown.Never pry into a person’s personal circumstances - they will tell you eventually.Hint at sex talk but don't follow it up unless the other person shows strong interest.Never boast. Just let your importance be quietly obvious.Never be untidy.Never get drunk. Sorry guys.