Nick Denton asks, “And you thought the US was the land of consumer convenience?” According to this fascinating Globe and Mail article, there are 10 things the Chinese do well…very well. Here’s a taste:
By any standard you can think of — coverage, price, ubiquity — China’s cellphone practices beat ours. You can use them in elevators, subways and parking garages. They work in Tibet, at the Great Wall, in remotest rural China, which is more than you can say for Ontario cottage country.
My parents were presented with a similar kind of pleasant culture shiznit at a hotel in South Korea. Not only was the room so techno that you could control the blinds with a remote control, but the housekeeper cleverly noted the Wall Street Journal lying around that my mom brought from the plane, and automatically delivered a complimentary copy of the WSJ for the remainder of their stay.
There was also the time my dad was cajoled by a tailor in Hong Kong to buy a pair of dress pants for $10 Canadian. When my dad told the man he was flying out the next day, the tailor eagerly hemmed the pants and delivered them to my dad’s hotel room that very night.
One thing the Chinese aren’t good at: putting fires out.