Yuncheng itself is not so bad. The counties, well they are backwaters and have all the baggage that goes with living in such places.

I would strongly disagree. Talking with people who have lived all over China, as well as comparing my experiences in many other places in China, the experiences that foreigners have in YunCheng are nearly one order of magnitude, 10X, worse than in the rest of China.

It is, and I do not state this casually, probably the most xenophobic place in the country, and China is one of the most xenophobic countries in the world.

Of course people who live in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen think this is all made up. Those of you living in your little bubbles think so, as well.

Thus if geo-political events go poorly, I would expect that anyone in YunCheng would be in actual physical danger.

I don't know why any of you are still there. At least move to Beijing, where the global media has a presence.

Maybe you think that your wife's rich family's connections will save you, or that being a business partner with a local business magnate will afford you special treatment. Maybe you think their international or agro-chemical ties will save you. Maybe you think you are special, or that you have been in country 6 to 14 years (since Hu, a much more liberal administration), speak the language fluently, and that your friends and neighbours would never do anything to harm you. Maybe you are a sinophile and do not look at the country with a critical eye. Maybe you are too busy earning money to notice anything else. Maybe you think having one or several young children will protect you. You think your guanxi will hold up in such a scenario?

The USN is, apparently, going to challenge the boundaries of the islands in the next week or two with inside the 12 nm sailings.

If *anything* happens, you all are going to be in a very bad situation.

Helen or the PSB will come knocking at your door at 6:30 am to take you to 'a safe location for your own safety'.

I suppose being able to write about being in a concentration camp or being interrogated or tortured will make for a great book, but personally I have foregone that 'opportunity'.

Although...some of you were already interrogated last year for being a terrorist supporter and had your passports held and were not allowed to leave the PSB. So some of you know that I am not a barber's cat.

I have warned you, some of you in person, and you remain there.

Good Luck? I guess?...