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Q: How's the view out your window?
I live in the cleanest little city in China. Lucky bastard.
My apartment is on the 7th floor and the view outside my bedroom window looks south. As well as a glimpse of the canal that runs through the town, and grass and trees and statues of dinosaurs and Bamby, I can see 42 cranes, all of which are busy doing their cultural thing.
What Chinese culture can you see out your window?
I have a great view, but not as good as yours, I just counted and I can only see 31 cranes.
I'm next to a fairly major street though so you get to watch all sorts of daily life going on, and the driving alone can be entertaining. Oh and free fireworks displays going on during various festivals.
Right now, I am at the MILs, sitting in her study. Outside is a big mofo aloe vera standing on the "security" bars, further out there is just trees, a distant tin roof building, if I look down there are some neighbours playing mahjong at two tables below. I am downtown but cannot hear traffic, only very rarely a honk.
I see a building, which is an exact clone of the building I'm living in. Concrete boxes painted with tones of beige and yellow. If I look down, there's a neat little square with bamboo and benches, and the terrace of a coffee. Expensive cars are parked on the square. Pretty much nothing happen there, the square is always void of people.
I have a 270 degree view from the 25th floor overlooking a river and mountains on the horizon. Good thing I have a view 'cause I'm not stepping outside anytime soon. Chinese culture is better viewed from afar.
They sold the windows of my office to some fucking company for advertising. So I look out at some wood which has a big smiling face selling some shit on the other side of it.
royceH:
That shouldn't be allowed for reasons of compromising mental health. I suggest you talk to your local member.
I have a factory on one side with mountains in the distance.
A hospital on the other side, and if I lean out I can just see a river.
I have a nice view. No traffic at all . all behind me. So i can see my apartment complex, the gardens and lots of trees. Then there is a park next door with a small mountain with a nice pagoda on the top. At night they light it up. Not a huge fan of screwing up every building with a million lights but this looks pretty nice.
i can see a subway line
the trains pass regularly - thankfully they don't start until 6.00 am
it is when i can't see the subway line i worry 
DrMonkey:
He he... I can guess the level of pollution by looking outside too : if I can't see the other side of the lake, it's at least 100. If it's 200, the other nearby block of buildings is hidden.
sorrel:
the subway line is about 30 meters away from my window.
there have been days i can barely see it 
xinyuren:
The train station is in my view. Strangely, I love the sound of trains at night.
I can see a couple of tress, the garden swimming pool and the apartments opposite....and they've finally filled the pool, 3 weeks late so time to get the speedo's out!
royceH:
What!! You live in a place that has a pool??? Holy cesspool of bacteria, Batman!
What do they plan to treat the pool water with, I wonder....I guess the easiest thing would be piss. And expectoration.
And then 4000 gallons of cheap, poor quality, cancer inducing chemicals.
Anyhow old mate, enjoy the dip. You might need to keep checking on your member inside your budgie smugglers....now you see him, now you don't.
Good luck!~
DrMonkey:
@royceH I remember a pool *inside* an hospital. The building was all new. In the pool had fishes swimming in it. Thick spit was floating. Every 10 minutes, some guy would pass by and spit.
Hotwater:
I'm not worried about what is in it as I don't swim for health reasons.....I spend more of my time sat on the side with a bottle of beer in one hand and cigarette in the other! As I'm in Guangzhou there seem to be a few less hawkers of flem now...SARS helped a lot of the locals stop spitting...though has no effect on newer migrants.
royceH:
@Hotwater; hao zhu yi!
@DrM; I believe that! And what thoughts, do you think, would be going through that bloke's mind as he engaged in those acts?
I'm on the 12th floor. My bedroom has a bay window which opens out to a 270 degree view of a cloud covered hill. Sometimes the clouds clear and I can see a pagoda at the top of that hill. Unfortunately this fantastic view is ruined by a highway running through the valley. Heavy trucks pass through it 24/7 which can be noisy at night but once I closed the windows it's quiet. The view is totally unblocked which means I can walk around stark naked and nobody would know. Who cares anyway?
From where I sit on my computer, I can see directly into the apartment opposite me. The downside is that the fat 40 something woman who lives there seems to believe that no one can see in (I'm sure most of the apartments around me can).
At 9:00pm every night she has a shower and parades around her apartment naked then hangs her towel on the balcony.
After observing this horror once, I now close my curtains between 9pm and 9:15 to protect my retinas. This is NOT a pretty site.
From my office window, 10% of the view is a beige sky, 90% other manufacturing buildings.
From my apartment window is a bit different. 6th floor, south facing. On less polluted days, I can see downtown in the distance, surrounded by hills and mountains. Off to the center right, I can see one of those golden buddha statue/temple things they love to build...it's been under construction the whole 4 years I've been here. To the left is a communal farming area, including a pig farm. When the wind blows just right (just wrong, really) it gets pretty fragrant 
. The joys of living right on the edge of a "hi-tech industrial zone" in a tiny city.
Oh, I live in the U.S. now. Outside of my window, I can see Chinese continuing to ruin my country with their law-breaking and constant cheating while swindle-grinning left and right.
I can see Chinese immigrant parents letting their children play with plastic bags, and when I tell them in Chinese that it's dangerous, they say to me, "But I always did this when I was a child!"
"But I always <X> when I was <Y>!" is the battle-cry of the legal and illegal Chinese immigrants.
Hulk:
Nope. No matter where I go in this country now, Chinese are everywhere. 20,000+ corrupt officials have already moved abroad with their families, most of them decided to come to America.
Why? The U.S. government is greedy for their investment money. They'll let in human traffickers, spies, triads, criminals, corrupt officials, and lots of other unsavory individuals... all because they have money.
Or they traded a lot of information to the U.S. government (most of it is fake information) in exchange for "refuge" status, etc.
Now, don't get me wrong... they aren't all like that, but every single Chinese person I've met in this state comes from a family of corrupt officials and/or are "victims" of human trafficking. There's a reason you don't see many (if any) poor Chinese in the states.
It's funny watching them collect information on the U.S. government/our defense technology/infrastructure, etc, and somehow they never get caught. Because our government is inept.
Wow... I suddenly like my tiny studio apartment. From the 17th floor, I overlook the big river in Hangzhou. Its a great view if its a clear day... at night you see the lights from the city.
royceH:
Yeah, but can you see any stars?
Hangzhou is a good place. I like the bar that's next to the youth hostel on West Lake.
cooter:
royceH: Eudora Station. They have them in other cities too....Beijing, and more recently Ningbo (thank you baby Jesus!)
royceH:
Cooter lucky bastard!
My city has only one place you'd want to really kick back in but only sells bottled beer and that costs Y15 for a smallie. A nip of tequila costs Y30. Too damn much.
When I was in that place in Hangzhou I was with 2 other Aussies and we were drinking the cold, draught beer in big glasses and at high speed. But the funny thing was that every time we ordered more the silly bugger behind the bar couldn't get his head around the fact that we wanted them now! He would pull them and then presume we wanted them for breakfast in the morning. Had to almost fight him to get him to hand them over. Substandard barman. But real good bar though.
I used to see metro station 600m far away ...
I used to see Oriental tower some km away ...
I used to see the sun above ...
But there is non of it anymore visible ...
Industrial wasteland with mountains in the background, like a cross between Kung Fu Panda and Zombie Apocalypse 3.
iWolf:
Nice. You were lucky to find such an interesting location. Just take precautions against the brain eating freaks.
sam239:
They haven't tried to eat my brain yet, but they had a hardy but unsuccessful attempt at my soul...
I live next to a slaughterhouse. They bring pigs in there during the middle of the night, the sound is horrendous. My roommates golden retriever stood by the door our first week in the place crying his heart out. It's enough to drive anyone up a wall but I'm used to it now, I think.
Another 'Only in China' moment.cleanest city in China? Where are you？
Right now I saw two drunken men peeing in the roadside bush.
royceH:
Karamay. Ke La Ma Yi.
It really looks great at this time of the year. Lots and lots of trees and flowers. And the canal that runs through the city on its way down to the reservior is really lovely. 25 odd bridges span it and they're all uniquely designed.
Armies of people sweeping the streets and picking up rubbish. All the streets are tree lined.
But, at the end of the day, it's still China. Last week I rode past two well dressed girls pissing on the grass in full view of everybody. Supervised by who I guess was their proud dad. Arsehole.
43 cranes now. The air is so clear today that there is no doubt about the number.
None of them seem to be doing much though. It's after 5 now and all the workers should've finished their 2 hour nap. I wonder if the building industry here is effected by unionism? Does anybody know?
bill8899:
Unions? In China? 
For Chinese, working for Chinese companies?
Unions are only allowed for Chinese employees of foreign companies. 17 cranes here and only two have moved in 5 months.
I have a 60-80 degree view of the most beautiful wetlands park in the world from my living room balcony.....180 if I go the bedroom balcony. the 34 cranes from earlier this year has dwindled to 6 progress!! AQI today is 59..... to top this heavenly place off, my wife wants to move to a "smaller place" cause her family told her it was too big for 2 people......she has to work too hard... bullshit 废话 Fèihuà.... 2 bedrooms only open for guests on occasion.... the kitchen is tiny, the master bedroom is normal and the living room is my problem....the other 2 balcony's are seldom accessed...junk storage and the washing machine....I hate Hong Kong and recently decided their people too!!!!! it's only +/- 150sq.m
From my 7th floor balcony I can see a bit of greenery in the neighbourhood park downstairs. To my left is the 21-floor monstrosity where I work, about 6 minutes walk. I can see a reasonable distance, but it's mostly low-storey urban sprawl.
The air is decent by Chinese standards, and my only little gripe would be the noisy evening promotions emanating from the aforementioned monstrosity, which is also a shopping mall as it happens.
In fact, the view outdoors is better than indoors. I'd never invite anyone to my apartment. I live modestly in the city, so my wife and kids can have a nice life in the county. I see them 3 nights a week.
I'd stand out on the balcony more often, but I'm ever vigilant for "Look, a foreigner!" - don't want too many locals knowing about me and my routines. I've already had a guy pretending to be my carpool at exactly the right time, so I know they're watching. Anyway, I prefer my indoor entertainment over staring out of windows.
Not bad, I can see trees and a blue sky. And in China, that means SOMETHING!
