English Radio Reception

On a clear day, from our balcony, I can see the hills of North Eastern Hong Kong in the distance.  So I just figured I should be able to pick up FM radio signals from Hong Kong as well. Wouldn't it be nice to get an unfiltered, unblocked, uncensored English language radio broadcast for a change? Even though RTHK3 is nothing special, they do have the occasional eighties song and the news is pretty good.

I tried a few different FM radios but the reception was really patchy - basically unusable. So I just reverted to Internet radio and forgot about free-to-air radio.

But this week in Hong Kong, I spotted an add on a bus advertising the roll out of digital radio. Perhaps these digital signals could float across Shenzhen Bay to The Swan Castle? It was worth a shot. I checked around a few electronics shops in Wanchai and Causeway Bay and ended up buying a small portable Corus branded DAB+/FM radio receiver (DTR-762) I paid HK$550 and the shop was Sunlite (G/F, Tak Wah Mansion, 290 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai. 2891 2261)

I tuned it in while still in Hong Kong and then listened in while taking the bus to Shenzhen Bay. It worked fine most of the way but cut out in the tunnels and the hills just before the Shenzhen Bay bridge. The radio was still receiving at the customs hall in Shenzhen Bay so I was hopeful it would work at our apartment.

Eureka! A one-bar signal showed on the display when I turned it on in our apartment. Both English channels (RTHK3 and a BBC world service re-broadcast) worked fine as did the other 16 Chinese channels. I listened in for a couple of days and was very happy with the broadcast quality.

So, if you're pining for some English language radio in Shenzhen, you might want to give DAB+ digital radio a try.

http://powmarday.blogspot.com/2012/05/digital-radio-in-bathroom-bunker.html

http://www.digitalradio.gov.hk/en/basics/index.html

Water Woes?

In my last two visits to the Swan Castle the water has been turned off during the day. Do we have pipe issues or are there bigger issues with the water supply in the city?  Who knows. And how would I find out?

Shenzhen Coffee Tour

When I'm at the Swan Castle, I enjoy walking over to the Starbucks in the OCT Loft area. It's a very funky renovation of an old industrial warehouse that works great. Decent free WiFi and comfortable seats. Sure, the coffee is not quite as good as illy, but the environment is way better.

Even after 5 years, I still don't know exactly how to ask the cab driver for directions here. So I quiz the barista. He reckons it should be Dong Bu Gong Ye Chu (东部工业 区）. I'll try this out next visit and see if it works.

The barista is a nice guy and hands me a brochure: Find Your Starbucks. Most brochures are a waste of time but this one is awesome: Bilingual, an excellent map of Shenzhen, a list of useful Chinese phrases (Muffin = Mai Fen = 麦芬）and the locations of all the 42 Starbucks in Shenzhen.

42 Starbucks in Shenzhen! Wow, these guys don't mess around. If one was so inclined, one could explore Shenzhen by visiting all 42 locations. You probably wouldn't sleep for weeks but you'd see plenty of this booming city.

Starbucks in Southern China is managed by a Hong Kong Company: Maxim's. So, you can be pretty sure it's well run and the food and drinks will contain no nasty surprises. Well done Maxim's: an oasis of relative clam in a crazy metropolis.

Shenzhen Hiking

We used to have a nice green mountain view out the back of the Swan Castle. Unfortunately, that's been replaced by a massive shiny new glass and steel tower.

But I still wonder - there must be some decent hiking trails back up on those hills. I've never ventured over to check it out: just assuming the hiking was better, and easier, back in Hong Kong.

Reading the September 2011 issue of that's PRD (a must read for Shenzhen/Guangzhou newbies), I see Tom Bird has reviewed a Shenzhen hiking book: Shenzhen Hikes Vol. 1: Dapeng Peninsula compiled by Marco Loglio and published by Discovery Publisher.

Dapeng is a long way from the Swan Castle (about an hour away on the far eastern side of Shenzhen) but at least someone has started publishing hiking books in English about the region. I'll be crossing my fingers a Shenzhen, Nanshan edition is in the works.

Slippery Slope Down

The Swan Castle seems to be getting a little tardy around the edges. Dirty lifts, unpainted lobbies, cracked pavements, etc. The building must be getting on 10 years old now. I wonder if the management office is getting the squeeze on funds?

In the five years that we've been here, the management fee has stayed the same: RMB3.05 per square metre. That's about the only thing that has remained static in China these last few years.

Wages must have doubled in the last five years (admittedly, from a very low base). Cost of materials will also have increased at least as much as the inflation rate (approx 10% a year).

I asked Mrs SCC why the management company doesn't just increase the management fee each year so they can keep the building well maintained. She just laughed. Of course, no one in the building wants to pay increased management fees and most people, she reckons, don't really care about the appearance/condition of the common areas. That's a shame as I thought it would help maintain the value of the building. Oh well - wacky western ideas I guess.

With a car park chock full of expensive imported European cars, I'm guessing any extra discretionary income is being channeled into items that can increase ones status. Who gives a shit if the lift is dirty? 

And, how come we don't pay property taxes to the local government? I guess no one wants to talk about that but I've got a feeling it's on the way.

管理费 / guan li fei / management fee

本体維修金 / ben ti wei xiu jin / repair fund?

Shenzhen Bay Bus Timetable

Like China, bus routes and timetables are constantly changing. This is the latest incarnation of the timetable for the bus from Times Square/Macau Ferry/Ocean Park heading towards Shenzhen Bay Port. Again, this port closes at midnight and doesn't have a visa office. You'll need to have your China Visa sorted out before you get there.

Access Control Card

Looks like the security at Swan Castle is getting beefed up. Is it because of the looming Universiade (all those wild university students roaming around Shenzhen) or is there something going on that I don't now about (more likely)? Anyway, the main gate is chained shut, new outdoor cameras are being installed and now we need to swipe a card to get in. Nothing wrong with extra security but it can be a problem if, like us, you haven't received any access cards.

So it's off to the management office to get some access cards for the team. As usual, I can't find the management office and I've forgotten how to ask for directions. Eventually a roving security guard on a bicycle appears and leads me to the management office.

Note to self: relearn how to ask for directions to the management office;

qing wen, guan li fu wu zhong xin zai na li?
(May I ask, management service centre where?)


OK. I've arrived. A bit of hand waving and some rudimentary Mandarin and we work out what the card is called;

men jin ka
(Gate guard card)

They're RMB25 each and the staff reckon they'll deliver them tomorrow at 4PM.

As always in China, you'll need plenty of photo ID to get stuff done. Make sure you take your passport, ID card (if you have one) and plenty of utility bills with your name on them (hopefully matching your ID).

This full immersion Mandarin can be daunting but you might as well dive right in and learn as much as you can while you're here.

Parking Issues

It must be an awful feeling? You've worked really hard and you've just bought a Rolls Royce Phantom or a spanking new black Bently.  Now it's time - time to show off how important and successful you are. But, all of a sudden, the building management starts putting obstacles in the way, like these planter boxes pictured above, so you can't park and show off your magnificence.

The management office reckons all the private cars are blocking access for emergency service and delivery vehicles. But you know better - they're just jealous. What a bunch of losers. The estate would be more grand if we had dozens of super prestige cars randomly parked near the entrance. Sure there'd be massive chaos and the occasional pedestrian run over but should these trivial matters stand in the way of your stunning ascent? Surely not!   

Prepaid Mobile Phone/Data Sim card for Shenzhen, China

I'm only in China sporadically so I don't want to sign a monthly phone plan. Just a simple prepaid SIM will do the job for me. I've been using the China Unicom 688 (Zhong Gong Tong) prepaid SIM but I'm sick of it.

It constantly drops the signal. Even when there is a signal, I have lots of trouble getting connected. Plus, there's no data feature at all - not even a GPRS/Edge option.

I finally gave up on the Unicom card yesterday and purchased a China Mobile SIM: The easy own HKcard. I paid HK$195 and picked it up at the Macau Ferry terminal (Mobile One, Shop 285, Shun Tak Centre, 168-200 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, 2177-8787 fax 2177 8838). The guy in the shop trimmed the card down to microsim size and also did the registration for me.

The English instructions that came with the card weren't too bad. It looks like China Mobile debits rmb25 each month. So much for the prepaid idea - it's virtually a monthly plan anyway. This rmb25 gives you unlimited answering in Guangdong province and Hong Kong. On the old Unicom I got charged an airtime fee for answering calls so I guess this is an OK deal.

Luckily I quizzed the guy in the shop about what APN to use. It doesn't seem to mention it at all in the instructions. He gave me two APNs to try, cmnet and cmwap. I plugged in cmnet and it connected to the Internet right away. If you access the Internet without setting up a plan using SMS, then you get charged rmb2 per day for a 5MB of GPRS usage and rmb1 per MB after that. Not cheap but OK for me to check emails and use Foursquare.

神州行 = shen zhou xing

Creative English Signage - Shenzhen OCT Golf Club

Sometimes my putting is very "Supplies"-ing but I'm not sure this is what the Shenzhen OCT golf club translators meant.

Spotted this sign this morning while finishing up a round on the 9 Hole pitch-n-putt course. Which, by the way, is an excellent facility and only walking distance from The Swan Castle.

I see the Shenzhen Daily (local English language newspaper) mentioned recently that the government is campaigning for "Bad English signs to be removed." I hope they don't as I'd have nothing left to poke fun at.