John Chow, the richest man in the blog world, arrived in China on 12 May, he posted a series of China travel articles on his blog.

I think these articles are very valuable for me, because it lessons for me to know how a Western man think about China. It is a guide for me write more blogs for LaoWai who are interesting on China.

John Chow said: One thing for sure, if you can cover your housing cost, you can live like a king here on the average Canadian income.

Yeah, I agree with him. My friend went to Japan four years ago, and he worked nearly 3 years in Japan. Then he came back to China and brought back a lot of money.

Now, he found his own company in Beijing. Can you guess what he worked in Japan? He got 3 part-time jobs: wash the dishes, Chinese teacher for kids, 711 shop assistants.

So, many Chinese working in abroad, and go back to do boss.

But it is hardly to make money in China, even hardly to make money from a full-time blog work. There are a lot of reasons:

1. Many western company don’t trust Chinese, they do not like Chinese IP, and do not like cooperate with Chinese;

2. The net speed is too low to open foreign websites, for example, I have to try more than 10 times and wait for more than 2 minutes to open John Chow’s blog;

3. China has a great firewall that blocks many western sites;

4. You have to pay 35 dollars to get money from PayPal, or you have to spent more than 60 days and 10 dollars to get money via a cheque;

5. And many other problems.

I paid to upgrade my flickr to Pro Account last month, and Flickr gave me a gift, 10 Moo mini cards and free shipping for me. I have got the gift, it is very lovely and beautiful, I like it very much.

The mini cards are small, it is great diaphanous. I selected 10 best photos from my gallery, and the other side, I print my contact infomation, so the mini cards become a name card of mine.

Just in time, my friends called me to join a party, I brought the mini cards in my pocket, and showed it to my friends, they suprised too. In that day, the cards all gave to my friends, they were happy I believe.

I think I should order more from Moo, because it is really cool. But I have to wait a long time to get it. How long it be arrived to Beijing from London?

I ordered it at 14 Apr 2008, and it was dispatched at 22 Apr, the timestamp on the letter told me that the gift arrived Beijing at 17 May, then I got it at 20 May 2008.

So, you know, I wait more then 30 days for it. How many days it is!

Some photos of the Moo Mini Cards:

I am exciting to exchange links with ganji website, it is a useful website likes Kijiji, they are all Classified Information Websites. If you are LaoWai and lives in China, these sites will help you a lot.

1. Ganji Website:

The Engish version of ganji serves as a information provider for the foreigners who are living in Beijing. It offers an array of sections which include housing, personals, jobs services and for sale. In order to guarantee to the users getting the timely and first hand information.

In there you can find classifieds information you need and also in there you can post ads to attract people’s eyes, it is like a bridge which make people’s communication become possible.

2. Kijiji Website:

Another classifieds information website, which Kijiji is a group of free, local, community-based classifieds websites. Kijiji offers a convenient, fun, and easy way for people in the same city to meet, trade, share ideas, and help each other out in areas such as goods, cars, services, housing, jobs, and personals.

Kijiji first launched in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, and Taiwan in February 2005. Later that year, Austria, Switzerland, and India also joined the family. Today, Kijiji now has over 17 million users across these markets and is a leading classifieds site. In 2007, Kijiji expanded into Belgium, Turkey, and the United States.

3. Why I wrote this topic?

Some days ago, MabeLuck left a comment in my blog, he works for GanJi Website, and his comment is:

Dear ShangNing:

I often read your articles on your Blog and like them very much. I very appreciate your writing style and your words, and I was stuck by both of them.

Recently our company’s English version website is put into service. The content of our website also connects with foreigners living in Beijing. Here foreigners can find useful information which is related to basic necessities of life. Our goal is to make foreigners’ life in Beijing more convenient, colorful and available.

The reason I write this letter is to ask you for the permission whether you can add our website address on your blogroll and if you like we can also add your blog website on our website and let more foreigners and Chinese read your articles and share their experience with you.

Here is our English website address: en.ganji.com and there you can find the introduction of our company and our Chinese version website link.

If you are interested in this, please contact us. I am looking forward to your reply.

Sincerely yours
Mabel

I was exciting when I read this comment, because I know that it is a great website, I would get more traffic if it links me. So I replied him in time, then I found that my blog appeared on the Friend-Link page of GanJi English Version :D

The Cute Kid started a photo contest, their 2008 Cute Kid Contest offers monthly winners cash and great prizes, and automatic entry into the “2008 CuteKid of the Year” Contest.

1. How to join the contest?

Three simple steps to join the contest quickly. Join the CuteKid first; upload photos with a step-by-step wizard; then you will be asked to join the contest finally.

2. What prize for winners?

There are five categories: Baby (birth - 12 months), Toddler (12 - 24 months), Preschooler (2 - 4 years), Big Kid (4 - 8 years), Pre-Teen (8 - 12 years).

Each category winner will receive some cash or prizes and entry into the year contest. And the year contest’s winner will get a large fund and an own website, and more.

3. How to take greate baby photos?

Babies are the most beautiful and lovely being, they owned the wonderful expressions and extravagant acts. Babies are the greatest subject of photographs the world over, They are cute, cuddly, unselfconscious and unpredictable.

So you can get a lot of great baby photos if you do. There are some tips to teach you how to take great baby photos, they are not only advantage for the cute kid contest and more.

a) Use natural lighting: If possible, try to take photos during the day when flash is not necessary. Bright light looks unnatural and washes out colors and facial features. Instead try capturing your subject out of direct sunlight, but turn on all the indoor lights to give a softer all round tone on your baby’s skin.

b) Make the same level of the child: This tip will make babies more comfortable and give you a better view of their features. The simple method is: call your friend hold on baby, or you can kneel down, so that you baby can see and react to your own expressions.

c) Get rid of distractions: Get rid of distractions in the picture when taking your pictures. Having too many people around can be distracting, anything that moves or makes noise should be turned off if possible.

d) Include other people: Try taking pictures of the baby with other people as well, including yourself. This can help to frame the baby or focus its attention. Try including a favourite toy or household item, which will make your photo tell a compelling story.

e) Be aware of all moods: Smiling babies are cute. But so are crying babies and pouting babies and messy babies and sleeping babies. You’ll be amazed at how truly beautiful they are in non-traditional picture taking situations.

The last, I would like to wish you every success in the Cute Kid Contest!

Note: The preceding was a paid review.

As China started its national mourning for three days, most websites and major portals have been presented as grey out mode.

We Chinese expressing our moods in colors, for example, to express sorrow in Black and White; to express fortunate and happy in Red. So, my blog’s major color is red, it’s a blessing color.

Some days ago, the victims in the Sichuan earthquake inspired all over world with sadness, the most Chinese Websites changed their sites’ color style to black and white, it is a way to show respects to the victims in the Sichuan earthquake.

By the way, traditional Chinese wedding, people have to dressing in Red clothes; and traditional Chinese funeral people have to dressing in Black clothes, the families have to dressing in White clothes.

Here are some screenshots which have no colour, only black, white or gray tones:

At 2.28 PM on May 12 A 7.8 Richter Scale earthquake pounded Wenchuan County in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

May 12 The strong earthquake in southwest China has damaged power supplies to local telecommunications facilities, which affected cell phone services.

May 12 Rain linger over much of quake-stricken southwestern Sichuan Province over three days

May 13 near 20,000 soldiers and armed policemen have arrived in the quake-hit areas in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province. Additional 30,000 soldiers are advancing towards the quake-hit regions by planes, trains and trucks, and on foot.

May 13 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday kept rushing from one quake-hit city to another to assure victims in southwest China that rescuers and relief materials are on the way.

May 14 The People’s Liberation Army on Tuesday carried out its largest airlift yet, with 22 military transporters and 12 civilian passenger planes used, to move personnel and equipment to the quake-hit Sichuan Province, according to army headquarters.

May 15 A total of 50,000 quilts and 37,700 tents allocated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs have arrived at the southwest China quake zone as of 3 p.m. Thursday, with 32,200 tents going to Chengdu, in Sichuan Province.

May 16 President Hu arrives in quake-hit Sichuan. Chinese President Hu Jintao inspected quake-battered Mianyang city in southwestern Sichuan Province, urging continued efforts in quake rescue and giving top priority to the saving of people’s lives even after four days have passed since the quake struck.

May 17 Chinese President Hu Jintao headed for Wenchuan County at the epicenter of the Sichuan earthquake by road on Saturday morning, to direct the rescue and relief work there.

May 18 The China Seismological Bureau (CSB) on Sunday revised the magnitude of southwest China earthquake from 7.8 to 8.0 on the Richter scale.

May 19 The death toll in China’s major earthquake rose to 34,073 as of 12:00 a.m. Monday, according to the earthquake relief headquarters of the State Council.

At 2:28 PM on May 19 Millions of people in China and overseas observed three minutes silence at 2:28 pm Monday to mourn thousands of people killed in an earthquake which hit the nation’s on May 12.