Hello,

First of all happy (almost!) chinese new year of the goat to you and your wife. Now in Chinese should it be yang, or "shan yang", literally mountain sheep. Loved discussing little linguistic foibles like that with my students in China.We just say goat or sheep don't we? No such thing as mountain sheep, hehe.

Interesting to hear you had a library card, I was only referring to what I read on Gregory Mavrides site. He seemed to bemoan the fact that foreign academics are routinely treated with disdain and not addressed according to their correct title, Dr, Prof, etc.

Granted, money goes a lot further in China, but I think the bubble will burst eventually.I actually, believe it or not, find HK cheaper for some things.Because there is less tax than in mainland china, certain imported items are available more readily and cheaply than they are in China, where all you will find in your average chinese supermarket if you are lucky is the odd box of domestically made kelloggs. If you are in a city with a metro supermarket then you are in luck, you can cook at home with no problem, and buy stuff in bulk. But anyway, I left china behind, and do not plan to return due to simply having no reason to do so, and the difficulties with visas and the current anti-western policy of the present regime. But good luck to you and the others who stay behind.

Regards,
SMGS