any chance it would get to burma. Until they sort that out I'm holding off.
We had a 3 minute silence in the HSBC building where I am. Interesting about the horn noise. To a westerner the silence is normally afforded as a mark of respect. Genuinely interested is it different here, and that 3 (in this case) minutes of noise can be appropriate also?
Chinese government is loaded with $$$--try US$1.7 trillion! They are probably richer than any other government on earth and yet they turned down offers on sniff dogs and expert recusers from various countries and invited cash donations instead. Where is all that dough going is what I'd like to know.
The way I describe it to people is " when you are awake , there are asleep ". The things we understand in many ways are reversed here.
Thats not so say that silent dedication is never a sign of respect BUT having lived in Northern China, the countryside areas, noise is used for everything ESPECIALLY funerary rites. In our town it was like living in Baghdad - explosions everywhere for funerals, weddings, digging a hole in the ground ( true !! ) and just saying hallo or goodbye after / before a long trip.
Funerals also come with a lot of drum beating and gong bashing - so the horn thing , considering most people in the Shenzhen are from countryside areas anyway, would not be unexpected.
I have just watched the news highlights with train horns and boat sirens used - so maybe a signal thing also.
I am surprised that a previous comment from a Chinese national suggested otherwise.
Last edited by Boris; 19-05-2008 at 05:44 PM.