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Customer is king

Bill Dodson, an expat living in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, recently had a very pleasant customer service experience. His washing machine was not working and he called the manufacturer, Haier, for service.

The next morning, a Haier technician came by and took just 30 minutes to fix the machine. Later that evening, the Haier office called. "Did the technician arrive? Did he successfully fix the machine? Did he charge just the 50 yuan that appears on the service slip?"

Dodson writes (http://silkrc.com/chinadialogs): " I found myself grinning from ear to ear with this revelation of a true customer service experience in China."

More to his surprise, he later received another call from Haier, asking: "Is the washing machine still working? Were you satisfied with the service? Is there anything else with the Haier brand in your home that we can fix?"

Exotic but familiar advice

American expat Elizabeth is no newbie when it comes to the Asian way of life, having lived in Cambodia for some time before moving with her husband to Hong Kong. A writer-illustrator, she shares (http://www.expatinterviews.com/china/elizabeth-briel.html) some of her expat experiences in Hong Kong, including the survival skills she's learned and her "cheap and cheerful" spending habits in her Hong Kong island home.

HK is a fantastic introduction to Asia for a first-time visitor: It is "exotic" yet has familiar aspects and is built for the convenience of residents and travelers alike.

Late-night foodie

When you leave a club after several hours of partying, you get really hungry. In most countries in the world, you are doomed to put up with an empty belly, or visit McDonald's, at best. But this is not the case in Zhuhai, a booming city in South China's Guangdong province which is famed for its residents' enthusiasm for food.

Toberichisglorious (http://www.expat-blog.com) says: "Usually when the clock strikes 10 pm, tents are raised on various streets and tables prepared with different kinds of snacks."

A dazzling variety of foods, like fish balls, cabbage in soy sauce, fried dumplings on sticks and much more, are available to fill your belly and tickle your taste buds.

Although these places have just basic plastic chairs and tables set out in the open, it still has a nice atmosphere as many Chinese hang around, not just tourists.

(China Daily 03/02/2009 page10)