7 ms·

This is kind of off topic of AirBnB but can you share a little bit more about the registration system in China? By the way you describe it, it sounds like not o

by mcntsh 6y ago

This is kind of off topic of AirBnB but can you share a little bit more about the registration system in China? By the way you describe it, it sounds like not only foreigners must register with the police when they visit other cities.

klik99 6y ago
No, only foreign nationals must register when visiting places. Chinese citizens only must register at the police station when moving - though as if often the case, many people ignore such rules. I just meant that the state is tracking where people visit thanks to digital means - facial recognition and cell records. But foreigners can't really skirt those rules, both because they aren't as easily tracked and because they stand out.
- powerapple 6y ago
  As Chinese you don't need to register when you move. There is Hukou system which determine which city/province you belong to (mostly used for welfare system), the system basically require you to have a permit to stay and work in a different province. It was quite strict 30 years ago because of the imbalance between provinces, many migrate workers. Residence address is not important as in western countries (where your bank account links to your residence address). That said, hotels (and netcafes) do need to register customers' ID.
  - klik99 6y ago
    Hukou is what I was referring to. It's not just welfare, but distribution of state money (like USAs census) and in some places required to purchase property in that area. Most ignore the requirement (like they do many rules), so I understand why you say they "don't need to register", but technically it is required. This is where it gets fuzzy when you say something in China is "required" - technically it might be so but in practice it's not enforced, unless the government has a particular reason to enforce it, and even then it's usually temporary. It ends up being a weird situation where technically there's more restrictions in China but in practice there's a lot less red tape to deal with than living in the US. What that means in practice is if Beijing doesn't like you, they will find a laundry list of requirements you violated. Bringing it back to AirBnB IPO that concerns me.

by mcntsh 6y ago

klik99 6y ago

No, only foreign nationals must register when visiting places. Chinese citizens only must register at the police station when moving - though as if often the case, many people ignore such rules. I just meant that the state is tracking where people visit thanks to digital means - facial recognition and cell records. But foreigners can't really skirt those rules, both because they aren't as easily tracked and because they stand out.

powerapple 6y ago
As Chinese you don't need to register when you move. There is Hukou system which determine which city/province you belong to (mostly used for welfare system), the system basically require you to have a permit to stay and work in a different province. It was quite strict 30 years ago because of the imbalance between provinces, many migrate workers. Residence address is not important as in western countries (where your bank account links to your residence address). That said, hotels (and netcafes) do need to register customers' ID.
- klik99 6y ago
  Hukou is what I was referring to. It's not just welfare, but distribution of state money (like USAs census) and in some places required to purchase property in that area. Most ignore the requirement (like they do many rules), so I understand why you say they "don't need to register", but technically it is required. This is where it gets fuzzy when you say something in China is "required" - technically it might be so but in practice it's not enforced, unless the government has a particular reason to enforce it, and even then it's usually temporary. It ends up being a weird situation where technically there's more restrictions in China but in practice there's a lot less red tape to deal with than living in the US. What that means in practice is if Beijing doesn't like you, they will find a laundry list of requirements you violated. Bringing it back to AirBnB IPO that concerns me.