The time I was turned away from China | Hacker News Reader

The time I was turned away from China

techcrunch.com

77 pointspanarky111 comments

>The reason, as it was explained to me, was that in 2015 I had broken Chinese law when I failed to present myself to authorities in Beijing when I had visited and stayed at an Airbnb residence on two different trips. Unbeknownst to me at the time — and something that was not communicated by Airbnb — foreigners are required to register at a local police station, but in most cases the hotels where they stay handle this.

This rule is clearly explained on the back of the immigration declaration form which every visitor must personally fill out[0]. It is, in fact, item number one.

Yes, China is a totalitarian shithole. But then again some democratic countries like Japan have similar "register at local police station" rules too, so I'm very surprised that someone who spent a decade in Asia would be unaware of it.

[0] http://sydney.chineseconsulate.org/eng/gdtp/P020071009492059...

Yea, such rule is in place where I live too. Any guest staying over 24 hours need to report to the local authorities, both domestics or international. Many countries requires an official identification such as IC or passport upon hotel check-in as well.

Although in my case its more about the neighbourhood security rather than a big-brother-watching kind of deal. The registrations aren't centralized or anything, and in most cases, are never read again unless something happened in the neighbourhood.

Ya no fan of totalitarian policy, but if you try to skirt immigration laws anywhere, it won't work out well for you.

Here in the U.S., I have to notify ICE everytime I change my address.], or I would be deported. Never had the courage to test them...

> Here in the U.S., I have to notify ICE everytime I change my address

Yeah, like OP said, "totalitarian shithole"

You have to notify the USCIS, not ICE.

Yep my bad. Should be USCIS

When I first went to the UK in 2004 as a student they had the same regulation. Register with local police within something like 7 days. Though this later turned out to be not very strictly enforced.

> democratic countries like Japan

To be fair, Japan has only existed as a functioning democracy for a very, very short time, and it still keeps a number of aspects from its previous past as a feudal/centrally governed country.

There are many democracies younger than Japan.

Yes, basically all the ones coming from the decolonization era. Most of them are pretty unstable, unfortunately.

Japan has been a functioning democracy for longer than any state outside of Western Europe or the Western European settler colonies. It had a functioning but fragile democracy from shortly after the beginning of the Meiji period until it ended after the Great Depression. That places it on company with Germany and Italy.

Could you expand on the aspects you think are remnantis of its past? The Imperial Family and Household are not mentioned in the constitution and there’s no aristocracy. I’m sure it’s dominated by Tokyo and the national government but it seems unlikely to be more centralised than England, or the U.K., tout court.

Not just china. A few years back I flew from Vancouver to the RSA convention in SF. I was so put off by the hotel that had been booked for me that I didn't check in. That night I got a call on my cellphone from ICE as I had not checked in at the hotel I had listed on my entrance form. Nothing came of it. But they do check on these things.

How did they get your car home number? They typically don't ask for it on customs forms.

Not sure. I think they called the first hotel. I come in and out of the US all the time for work and was once a student there. I assume they have some sort of immigration file on me that probably has various contact details.

I live in Japan for quite some time (multiple years) and never had to, or heard about, having to "register at local police station".

Yea, I think maybe he is confusing having to always have your passport/gaijin card on you to present to police anytime they feel like bothering you.

It’s not at the police station but you still have to register at the ward office when you’re moving to a new city.

Also as a "fun" fact, residence cards features the logo of the ministry of justice. Just like if all foreigners were criminal with such a high probability that this minister handle the matter from the beginning.

Sure, also because you're going to pay taxes into that ku (city), and they deal with pension and health insurance, even if you're not a foreigner you're going to have to register.

Your residence card gets updated every time you change your address and you do have to go to the ward office for them to update it, but that's hardly "register at the police station".

Edit:

Most if not all the things we have to do, as foreigners, Japanese also have to do it.

The big difference is we're required to have an updated/valid residence card (ID), while Japanese don't need to carry ID.

I'm from Europe, and in my country everyone has an ID and is "required" to have it so I don't actually see the big deal, maybe I'm just uninformed.

"Most if not all the things we have to do, as foreigners, Japanese also have to do it."

Chinese also have to register at the local police station when they move. It's not just for foreigners.

in Japan you do not have to register if you are just visiting somewhere

Exactly. As a visitor you don’t have to “register at the local police station”. Just if you’re a resident.

Right, but my point wasn't that the requirements are the same. I was pointing out that the parent statement "Most if not all the things we have to do, as foreigners, Japanese also have to do it." applies to China, too.

The 'registration at local police station' was just an example of one such policy.

>Also as a "fun" fact, residence cards features the logo of the ministry of justice. Just like if all foreigners were criminal with such a high probability that this minister handle the matter from the beginning.

No different than US which takes a presumption of guilt when people apply for a visa isnt it?

Meanwhile, I managed to move from New Zealand to Australia and didn't have to fill in a single form.

> This rule is clearly explained on the back of the immigration declaration form

Is this in English/other languages, or just in Mandarin?

The only part of this story that I find particularly egregious is the part where he was made to sign a form that was only in Mandarin.

Mandarin is the local rule of law language. All contracts I've ever signed that were dual language say that if any conflicts arise, the Chinese language contract will be the one used to settle the dispute. This is reasonable. You would not have immigration officers in the US telling people to sign documents written in Chinese, would you? For one thing, local officials would be unable to process those papers efficiently. Whether or not lawyers are present who can help ensure due process and explain to the person what's being signed is a completely separate matter from which language should be used.

edit: comments below would cause me to change my thoughts, though I'll leave the above text unedited for history's sake.

> This is reasonable. You would not have immigration officers in the US telling people to sign documents written in Chinese, would you?

Well they do, for the record, if you enter at the right port.

Australian immigration and customs officials will supply translations of the main forms for all the major European and Asian languages that travellers tend to speak and interpreters for cases where they're considering refusing clearance or cancelling a visa. I would expect most Western countries would have the ability to do that.

It is in English on the back of the immigration form. There is really no excuse for not knowing about it. As mentioned in the article, you don't need to worry about it if you stay in a proper hotel, only if you are staying at someone's residence.

Thailand, where the author said he lives, also has a similar "register at local police station" rule. Even when you live full time in Thailand, if you stay overnight somewhere other than your normal residence you are supposed to report it. Or the hotel or homeowner is supposed to report it. Rarely enforced,except when it's time to make a another big show of cracking down on dirty foreigners making trouble in the country.

A friend got slapped with a fine over this. He's a foreign resident, and he changed hotels while on a trip. That information is bundled up and sent to the authorities, and they cross-checked him with the address he put on his travel form. Thousand baht fine.

FWIW, I brought this same friend to the police station where I'm a registered resident in Shanghai, so he could stay with me on a 72-hour visa. At the airport, he was told that if he doesn't register and it's discovered, it could affect his ability to get a visa in the future. This was only a few months ago.

France and Germany have the same rules for residents and for visitors France and some parts of Germany (e.g. Bayern last time I was there) require it. In the us for the past 15 years or so my ID has always been copied/scanned when staying in a hotel.

You have to declare where you are staying on the customs declaration card in the US and UK amongst other countries too.

Nothing to do with increased security for the 19th Congress.

Nothing to do with being a journalist.

Everything to do with not presenting yourself at the Chinese police station.

Source: Lived in China for years, was forced to write an apology to China for not presenting myself after moving to a new city 2 months later (had a work visa); my communist party member landlord smoothed things over with local police. Obviously Jon didn't have enough guanxi.

Congratulations, you know “guanxi”. Lmao

Traveler does not follow the rules, abuses a Transit visa to cover non-transity-things, and is surprised when he is punished. He might not have been familiar with the exact rules governing travel, but it is fairly clear from his account that he was abusing the system, and aware of it.

>I had been waiting in line to take advantage of the city’s 144-hour ‘transit’ visa which allows travelers with an onward flight to stay in Shanghai without needing to secure a visa before they travel.

Yes, AirBnB should inform traveler's of local rules, like registering with a police station. But ignorance of the law, combined with repeated abuses shouldn't be overlooked.

>Since 2015, I have used the transit visa system on six occasions

Nothing to see here, folks. Follow the rules, don't abuse them.

While it's generally not a good idea to try the visa on arrival option when you can't get a normal visa, the transit visa isn't just for transit as such.

"To accelerate the strategy of “Development Driven by Innovation”, sanctioned by the State Council, as of January 30, various ports of entry in Shanghai [...] are to implement a 144-hour visa-exemption transit policy [...] First and foremost, the length of time for visa-exemption stay is extended considerably. With the previous 72 hours doubled, foreign passengers would have ample time to conduct short-term activities such as businesses, sightseeing, visits and exhibitions while in Shanghai."

http://www.sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=40&id=44...

I'm not sure on the merit of if this person should or should not be allowed into China but this happens to people everyday at US boarder control (especially from non-European countries) who are not even in media but doctors and lawyers. And America proclaims to be much more open than China so this isn't as strange as it seems.

Something that made me think was how the author waffles between being a "journalist" and being a "blogger". Bloggers do this all the time and it's troubling. In cases where important part of a story they wrote turns out to be wrong, or invades someone privacy, they just shrug their shoulders and say "Well, im a blogger, sorry!". When they are not taken seriously, the same people run to the top of the hill to say "But but but we're doing serious work here!" I won't say what Thiel did was right, i'm justing saying I understand.

I understand that the author is British and not American, but I couldn't help avoid a little bit of schadenfreude, sorry.

As a Latino, every time I'd have to go in transit through US I'd face similar treatment by American customs. I hope this has improved but it's been more than 8 years I've been able to avoid any American airport.

So, yep it sucks. But never mind, there are plenty of interesting countries in the world; China and the U.S. are not the only ones.

Honestly I'd say the UK border is just as bad if not worse than that of the United States

As a US citizen, I flew to the UK to spend about a week with a friend from work while he showed me around central England. I had to show proof of my return flight to the states and my colleagues home address, phone number, etc.

The reporter comes off as a bit paranoid and slightly egotistical. Read up on the rules and follow them closely or risk facing consequences. If you aren't 100% sure, ask.

Personally, I was held overnight in a cell in KIX (Osaka International Airport) because after 6 hours of back and forth interviews, I couldn't provide a convincing enough reason for working for a Japanese company (my own company) without the correct visa. This was entirely due to miscommunication but something that would have been obvious – and easily remedied – had I consulted the right people. Fortunately, I was granted conditional entry the following morning. Though despite the inconvenience, the officers and warden were extremely pleasant and very accommodating.

That's a terrible point of view. Who is he supposed to ask these questions that would be absolutely ridiculous to ask in any developed country? Heck, I can't think of any country in the world where staying at AirBNB would be an issue, and why shouldn't he be paranoid when they so easily could pull up info about when/where he stayed there.. Does the airport security also have a list of Chinese girls the visiting foreigners have engaged sexual relations with? How long until they start rejecting foreigners when they have slept with >50 Chinese girls?

The only terrible point of view I see is yours. Claiming to be morally superior because you view the law is not to your advantage. The rules are there for a country to keep track visitors. They exist elsewhere as well.

Most people rely on common sense when they travel - don't do drugs, don't steal, don't engage in physical fights, etc. And in my eyes, that's the only way. Are you saying you read the millions of laws of the country whenever you travel somewhere? Laws that may not even be available in English.

Tell me, which countries have you visited throughout your life, and what does the law state regarding staying at an AirBNB residence at each of these countries? Would be great if you could provide official source as well, I mean it sounds like it's very easy for you to look it up, so I assume you don't mind. If you don't want to reveal your travel history, then you can use this list: Germany, France, Iceland, Ukraine, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Cambodia, Japan.

I have experience of Thailand and Japan so can chime in.

Thailand does not require registration, but authorities prevent travelers from re-entering shortly after their stay (cracking down on "visa runs") which has caught some tourists/nomads off guard. The strictest punishment is banishment for a maximum of 10 (IIRC) years.

Like China, Japan requires registration with the local city office if you are staying with a long-term visa. Although it should be noted that China applies this to all visa types whereas Japan allows tourists to stay without registration. Failing to register with the local Japanese city office can result in banishment.

As with registration in China, you are not told this information upon entry of these countries. If you blindly travel you will be caught out (and usually punished). However, asking around and doing the research before you travel can prevent that from happening.

Why would they want to crack down on visa runs? Those people doesn't take any jobs from the locals, and I'd assume they spend as much as any other foreigners.. seems like a win-win?

I've spent about 10 years living in various Asian countries, including China, and I have never met anyone who would bother to register whenever they changed apartment. I'm also certain if I asked all my contacts in China, then none of them would know anything about it.. and I'm talking about hundreds of people, including students/professors at their best universities. You greatly overestimate the amount of info you can get by doing research/asking around when you go abroad.

I'm sorry, but I fail to see your point. This does not have anything to do with his sexual relationships so I am unsure of why you are making that analogy. It is completely usual to have to declare your place of residence to an immigration officer upon entry to a foreign country, wherever you are visiting. If you are suspected of wrongdoing, expect calls to be made and questions to be asked.

It is entirely the traveler's responsibility to understand the requirements for stay and local laws of a foreign country. Ignorance can only get you so far.

The immigration officer – who has absolute power over entry – neither asked anything unreasonable of him nor made any false accusations. This is despite the reporter technically having broken the law. He got off lightly, since the fine for not registering within 24 hours after arrival can be up to $300.

It's usual to declare where you are staying, it isn't usual to have to register with the local authorities in every place you do. I do accept it, countries have different rules and cultures. Foreigners do end up breaking such local rules when going abroad, including the Chinese. But doing so shouldn't result in being banished from the country. Imagine driving into Austria without a toll sticker and no longer being able to get a Schengen visa. Of course we don't know the full story. Hopefully this is more about the authors situation than something that will become commonplace.

It may be annoying or inconvenient, but China is not the only country a requirement to register with the local authorities. The fact that it applies to all types of visas may throw some travelers off. Still, it is their responsibility to make sure (preferably before arrival) that the requirements for entry are met.

When you break the rules (intentionally or not), you're taking a risk. Some people get off unnoticed whereas others learn the hard way. Ask people familiar with the country and its laws before arrival and plan your trip properly.

So whenever you visit a country then you spend several months reading up on all their local laws? Do they even have an official English version, or do you hire a translator? Here's a question for you, what's the Chinese law regarding the use of a VPN/proxy? Does the law differ based on when/where you used the VPN and what it was used for?

The sexual relationships is relevant because foreigners in China have a reputation of sleeping with a lot of girls, and this leads to a lot of resentment from many of the Chinese. If they at the airport can so easily see when/where a foreigner stayed at an AirBNB, then you have to wonder what other info these people, as well as the embassy people approving VISAs, can see. They do not need to give a reason for denying entry, so it seems it's only a matter of time before they're provided with even more private info that will most definitely be used against foreigners.

Well, usually I will ask friends or colleagues who have experience of that country. But if not then yes, I will spend an evening reading up on the country and its rules/customs while planning my trip. I don't know a sensible traveler who doesn't.

Spending an evening reading up on the country may result in you becoming familiar with the punishment of insulting the Thai king, or the risk of engaging in protests or anything political in China, but that's about it.. regarding China, you can't even Google the laws concerning VPN/proxy. You even give an example yourself of you failing to read up on the rules. There are millions of laws, many of which are not even available in English. You can't possibly expect people to become familiar with countries laws.. that would take months and you could still get fucked for no reason. People rely on common sense, and common sense tells you that if AirBNB is available in X country and you have no problem booking the apartment, then that's that.

I feel it’s kind of shady in the first place to use a transit visa to cover tech events.

Do this in the US, it’ll be worst.

The US is just weird, only country i know of that doesn't allow transit. Anywhere else you get off your plane, pass thru security and get back on your outgoing flight.

The US seems too cheap to build outgoing immigration booths, and therefore doesn't have real international departure terminals like anywhere else on the planet.

I means you can't transit the US without getting a visa

I don't think the US is "too cheap" but there is a perceived higher incentive to get in and stay in in the US than many other countries. Not saying its actually true but that seems like a more rational reason than penny pinching by USCIS.

It causes all sorts of other problems too - because you don't pass thru immigration as you leave the US you don't get a stamp in your passport, if the system fucks up (it's the airlines who become responsible for processing your exit), the US still thinks you're there, many many people have been caught this way, suddenly found themselves in some detention centre for 'overstaying' because the INS's bookkeeping is out of whack last time they were there.

ALWAYS travel to the US carrying the boarding pass from your last departure

Due to its geography, I can't think of any other country in the world where it would make sense to fly via the US. Mexico and Canada are the only two that would happen, and both have their own large international gateways.

The USA is a very common transit country for Europe-South America and Asia-South America. It's not uncommon for travel between Europe and New Zealand or the East coast of Australia either.

I travel from NZ, these days I choose to go through HKG (and visit the Shenzhen markets, in China) to Europe.

My normal experience of entering China is always fast and courteous, entering the US is frankly scary every time, lots of questions about what you're going to do - I show the same business APEC card at both borders (unlike China it's not a visa for the US border, the US is not a full member of APEC, but it does get me in the crew line, and identifies me as a frequent business traveller)

You're not the only person I've heard say that they avoid the TPAC route because they want to avoid the USA. But I've heard people complain that as much as they'd prefer to avoid the USA the flight schedules are far more convenient.

Have you tried the ANZ AKL-YVR connecting to ACA YVR-Europe flights? Canada is far happier about transiting passengers than the USA is. (And if you've tried it and didn't like it, I'm curious why.)

I don't avoid the US if I need to go there, after all I lived there for 20 years, half my adult life, it's home as much as NZ (and I'm currently near the end of a NZ->US->HK->CN->HK->CN->HK->NZ trip) - getting in is the problem, the process is as I said elsewhere a bit scary, once you are there it's generally a nice place to be

I haven't tried Vancouver, maybe next time - I do prefer long flights that are overnight so to Europe that means with a daytime (or two) somewhere in the middle

AKL-YVR-LHR is an overnight (13 hours, 8PM-noon, same day) TPAC followed by an overnight (9.5 hours, 6PM-11:30AM, next day) TATL. So it certainly fits your preference for having long overnight flights.

Emirates has an AKL-DXB flight now that works pretty well.

I might be bias here cause I am Canadian. But I am far happier transiting through Canada whenever I need to go back to that side of the world.

The whole 360 body scan and the random questioning by US border control is simply terrifying. I have been asked to spell my name and say my birthday to see my reaction. It’s just an uncomfortable experience in general. I can’t even imagine what treatment middle easterner will get if even I get that treatment.

Aside from the inconvenience of clearing immigration on transit (and I can't say I've ever transited _through_ the US, despite clearing US immigration ~50), the airport experience is much nicer. International and domestic flights can leave from the same terminals, go through the same security, and use the same in-terminal facilities. You don't have to go through an outgoing passport control, so half the waiting time. I'm very happy with the system.

Canada does the same thing. Even if transiting you need to be admitted into the country before getting on your connecting flight.

> The US seems too cheap to build outgoing immigration booths

Alternately, it's none of the US government's business when people leave the country. It's always struck me as really weird that other countries make you effectively ask for permission to leave...

Then why do you bother people who overstay their visas? And people who don't but because you don't stamp their passports when they leave can't prove they acted legally when the INS screws up?

For people on a temporary visa, I guess exit passport control can make sense. For people holding the country's passport, it just doesn't.

As far as that goes, I've had my passport not be stamped plenty of times on leaving countries that _do_ have exit passport control (e.g. France), so the problem you describe is present even there.

I think a majority of the commenters are missing the point of the article. We get it, you're all smart and know the rules, this guy didn't. That's his point. Instead of having the rules explained to him, he was treated horribly and denied any recourse. That's what its like facing a soulless bureaucracy. I've gone through my own share of that and it's really frustrating getting shuttled back and forth with each person passing the buck and no one to really turn to in order to resolve everything. Should he not have been skirting rules? No shit. Should we completely blame him for being ignorant? Maybe the immigration department is also at fault for not handing out handy infographics written in multiple languages to reduce friction and incidents like these. Notice for example that the author actually had tried to apply for a business visa but hit a brick wall. It's certainly not conducive to foreign journalism on Chinese topics like the burgeoning tech industry, that's for sure.

I use the Shanghai visa-free transit occasionally and after going through the police station registration once, I decided to stay in hotels on my next trips.

The registration process took a long time:

- first I had to wait around an hour in a queue, because out of 5 available policemen only one was registering visitors

- the police officer didn't speak any English, and there were 2 foreigners who didn't speak Chinese in front of me

- even though I had a native Mandarin speaker with me, it took at least 30 minutes to register

- the police officer kept asking me for the number of my visa, and didn't understand that I'm on visa-free transit; in the end I provided number of some stamp that I got in my passport while entering the country

In summary, while it was obvious to me that I have to visit a police station unless staying in a hotel, this process is very troublesome. It definitely wasn't designed for Airbnb-era, it is assumed that if you stay at private place, you have host that will help you with the registration process.

to be perfectly clear - airbnb is illegal in China as the pure residential complex/buildings are not allowed to have any commercial activities.

should there be any airbnb in my complex, I could pick up the phone and call police, they are required to be here to handle the case in 15 minutes by law. did it two months ago, they forced the owner to shutdown the business permanently on the spot. ready to do it any time when it happens again in my complex.

Does sound like the border official was being overly cautious about the author's role as a journalist.

That said, having traveled around the world on multiple visas (particularly in the US), I can vouch that traveling on any visa other than tourism is a pain in the ass. I'm always ready to be turned away. I usually have a large institution backing my non-tourism travels (a university or a large corporation) and their advice is consistently: don't argue, just turn back then tell our lawyers and let them deal with it.

It is a classic example of "rule by law" which is in full effect in PRC. You're required to register within 24 hours at the "police station", no details of the said station, no opening hours or any further information is given. The process is quite slow, the queues are long, and the officials are visibly irritated every time you come and wake them up from their slumber. Then there are people flying 3-4 times per week to Hong Kong or Seoul on business, technically they are required to register every single time they enter China. Of course, nobody is doing that. So that's a #1 easy to reach tool to exercise any kind of control over foreigners.

Your hotel does it for you

> no details of the said station, no opening hours or any further information is given

If you are staying in a hotel, you don't need to go to a police station. Otherwise, the person you are staying with should be able to help you find it.

> The process is quite slow, the queues are long, and the officials are visibly irritated every time you come and wake them up from their slumber.

Not my experience, but maybe I just got lucky.

> Then there are people flying 3-4 times per week to Hong Kong or Seoul on business, technically they are required to register every single time they enter China.

Those people presumably have some kind of permanent residence. It would be news to me if that required re-registration after each re-entry.

> Those people presumably have some kind of permanent residence. It would be news to me if that required re-registration after each re-entry.

M-visa holders, business visa holders are required to register with each entry, which is surprisingly misaligned with the purpose the visa entails (visiting fairs, business meetings etc).

I have lived in China for six years and I first met a foreigner with permanent resident status/ a green card last weekend. He said around 800 people have it and whenever he crosses the border the immigration officers call colleagues over to look at the card because they’ve never seen one before. It is very, very unlikely those people have permanent residency.

Even if you have a resident permit and work permit and own companies in China where you are the "legal representative" and lease your own home. If you are a foreigner, every single time you exit China and re-enter, even for one-day turnaround, you need to notify the local police station that you have left and have returned. Now, we have got this down to a We-Chat message with a picture of the entry stamp. Of course, better than the physical visit but it still must be done.

For immigration purposes, Hong Kong is not in China, and doesn't have the same registration requirements as the mainland.

I meant they're living in China and flying to HK / Korea. Every time you get back, you need to go re-register.

sorry to sound like a jerk here, while I'm aware things like this happen in China all the time and I am no fan of this type of policies and unclear communications, why does the author call out China in particular when they clearly indicated he has previously broken a Chinese law, now you may not fully agree with the law and there were unfortunate mistakes and lack of communications by his AirBNB hosts, it is still a valid law.

Same thing happens at western countries to Chinese citizens every single day, and yet nobody bats and eye just because Chinese aren't as vocal and expressing their dissatisfaction. Before my family obtained Canadian citizenship (we are originally from China), every time we crossed the US border we'd get questioned like criminals for a good 40 minutes, mind I was a 13 year old child so what crime could I possibly commit while in the US? And it wasn't until recently that I found out my Irish colleagues who do not even hold permanent residency in Canada, their experience going over the US border has been smooth as silk, no question, no fingerprints, no nothing.

I'm sorry I have a hard time emphasizing with the author, and I just don't know what point he's trying to get to here. That China is a shithole that discriminates western journalists? I don't know.

He shouldn't have argued. He should have taken the 24 hours transit they first gave him, said thanks and gone on. Arguing means that now he was denied a visa and the immigration officer is more likely going to write copious notes about it leading to him being denied subsequent visas.

If you're ever in a similar situation, never argue. There's no way this will ever solve anything.

In some countries, the only way to maybe solve the situation is a bit of money under the table but that's also quite risky and you need to know the customs and ins and outs of the local law very well (not to mention that your home country might consider this to be illegal). And, it usually doesn't work in major airports since there's more control.

On the news: "Techcrunch employees bribe Chinese officials".

That kind of negative PR can destroy companies.

Oh should have been clearer, bribing would not be recommended in a major airport and not so much in China (where it's more a question of guanxi)

Getting the APEC card was life changing. If you’re an Aussie or New Zealander that visits China or anywhere else regularly in Asia, I’d highly recommend checking your elegibilty.

My arrival in China now goes something like; fill in the arrival form, queue at the special APEC immigration line for around 2 mins, show the card + passport, give a polite xiexie and enter.

https://www.border.gov.au/Busi/visas-and-migration/travel-fo...

Author says he doesn't touch political topics and then says he's covered censorship. This is the kind of thing which contributes to China being a total PITA with travel and internet

With all the comments here about how this is really a silly non-story (a sentiment with which I agree), why and how is it getting upvoted so much such that it makes the front page?

Because a lot of people just upvote, and don't read the comments (or sometimes even the article). The title of the article is "interesting enough" to get an upvote.

Preaching to the choir, but the man openly admits violating the law and then complains about not being able to obtain a visa. I've heard countless similar stories for students and professionals trying to enter the United States from very politically friendly countries, with a select few being banned from the country altogether, based on very trivial violations of the law (we're talking job semantics here).

In other words thems the rules. China's no different.

Just to be clear, people have similar bizarre experiences with US Immigration too.

Lucky for the author though, this is probably the only time he'll have to walk through the China bureaucracy labyrinth. Many of my friends including myself need to deal with it from time to time.

> The reason, as it was explained to me, was that in 2015 I had broken Chinese law when I failed to present myself to authorities in Beijing when I had visited and stayed at an Airbnb residence on two different trips. Unbeknownst to me at the time — and something that was not communicated by Airbnb

When you travel to a foreign country you choose to visit, you agree to follow the laws of the land. No one has the obligation to re-educate you about the local laws there, it is your responsibility to learn the laws before you go.

Don't like this? Do go then.

> "sign a piece of paper that was written in Mandarin"

"Mandarin" is NOT a written language, but rather is a group of spoken dialects in Northern China [1]. The Chinese written language is called "hàn zì" [2].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_Chinese

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_characters

If you use Hanzi to write down something spoken in Mandarin, I'd call the result "written Mandarin". Of course it might at the same time be valid as Cantonese or any of the other languages and dialects spoken in China.

It’s not valid written form of other Chinese languages, for the record. People who speak other Chinese languages learn to read and write Mandarin. Cantonese can be written noticeably differently, in terms of character choice and word order. The same can be said of Shanghainese, Taiwanese, and other “dialects” for which there is extant literature, however small. Also, notably, “Classical Chinese” which is totally different from the modern variants listed above. It’s he same characters, sure, but combining in very different ways.

Disclaimer. I neither speak nor write any form of Chinese, but I've read a bit on the subject.

So: Cantonese (to choose one example) is a separate language from Mandarin (or a separate "variety", if you prefer [1]), but it uses the same writing system as Mandarin. Here is a random internet forum that supports the idea that two separate Chinese languages/varieties/dialects are using a single writing system: [2]. If this is really the case, it would be perfectly reasonable to describe a piece of paper as being written in Mandarin.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varieties_of_Chinese

[2] http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/phorum/read.php?1,111326,11...

Mandarin is usually written with Simplified Chinese characters. Cantonese is usually written with Traditional Chinese characters. They're "the same characters", but the simplified ones tend to replace certain shapes with simpler versions.

From friends, one tends to phrase things somewhat differently between the two languages/dialects. A phrase in one of them sometimes sounds awkward when expressed with the most directly equivalent words in the other.

So you've got some pretty good clues about whether the original author of a document was thinking in Mandarin or Cantonese when writing it. And also, it's a Chinese government document in Shanghai: almost certainly simplified Chinese characters representing Mandarin Chinese.

Off topic: today I learned that Hong Kong Airlines is owned by HNA Group [1], a china company.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Airlines

Sounds like he ruined his career covering China. Well deserved. Move on, and start another career covering India or whatever. Maybe China has become important enough that anyone who intends to mess her law within her border would think twice.

So how did he get busted?

Considering it took them so little time to look up this private info, that they in my opinion shouldn't even have access to in the first place, then I think a more interesting question is whether they also have access to your chat history on weixin/qq/momo/etc, and if they can see the names of the girls you checked into a hotel with. They probably also have detailed info about whenever a foreigner visited a red light shop.. how long until that info will be used to deny foreigners entry, or land them in jail.. what a shithole..

Another typical 'fuck-you' treatment from Chinese authorities.

Why a fuck-you treatment? Fuck you. That's why.

How did you get that from officials just enforcing the law on the books?

Which law from which book? To quote from TFA

> The immigration officers explained to me that a new law that had come into effect in recent months meant I was unable to exercise the longer transit visa. My previous visits were not subject to that, I was told. The officials denied my request for details about this new law.

Most of the Chinese "law" are not lawfully legislated and are selectively enforced TBH.

Looks like some kind of special 规定 or 通知 targeted directly towards OP's visa.

The law, that as the top comment to the article points out, is on the back of the immigration card in English that you fill out when you enter.

He is selectively choosing to read what he wants in order to trash talk as illustrate by his emotionally charged comments.

I assume you're referring to this (http://www.joutrip.com/easyworks/data/gallery/china-departur...)? I see no mention of having to inform the police (or whoever you're supposed to inform) if you decide to spend a night at AirBNB..

It's #1.

Huh, I always read it as entry to the country, not entry to the apartment. Especially considering in #2 entry seem to refer to country. And entry is a really strange choice of word to use when referring to checking in to an apartment.

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