Chapter 95
Cellphones/Smartphones
In the US, when we get a cellphone we usually sign up for some kind of plan with one of the companies.
In China, it is done differently. You don't have to sign up for a plan. China Mobile is the biggest phone company in China and also in the world. You go to the place that you are signed up with and you put whatever amount of money you want to into your account. You can add more money whenever you want.
In the US, whatever the amount of money that your plan is, it is taken out of your banking account or credit card. It is much cheaper to use a phone in China than in the US. If I didn't use the internet much or talk a lot, I think I would usually pay $12 a month. I sent texts mostly.
It seemed like more people texted there. That was the most common way that I did it with my friends. In 2011, a Chinese app came out called WeChat. As time went on, it became the number one app in China for people to stay in touch with each other. Even some of us foreigners use it. You can send texts, voicemail, video, pictures. Lots of ways to use it. Seven hundred million people use it. We would have apps in the US similar to that also.
The first time that I was in China, smartphones weren’t invented yet. I had a small flip phone which was nice. I had never heard of texting or knew what it was. Within a couple of weeks, I met someone and exchanged numbers and then one day I got a text and had to figure out how to write back. Texting was common there. I don’t know if it had started here yet in 2002.
It seemed like more people texted there. That was the most common way that I did it with my friends. In 2011, a Chinese app came out called WeChat. As time went on, it became the number one app in China for people to stay in touch with each other. Even some of us foreigners use it. You can send texts, voicemail, video, pictures. Lots of ways to use it. Seven hundred million people use it. We would have apps in the US similar to that also.
The first time that I was in China, smartphones weren’t invented yet. I had a small flip phone which was nice. I had never heard of texting or knew what it was. Within a couple of weeks, I met someone and exchanged numbers and then one day I got a text and had to figure out how to write back. Texting was common there. I don’t know if it had started here yet in 2002.
When I came back here in 2004, you would have to pay for it. I think when I first saw it offered you would pay a certain amount of money for fifteen texts during one month, I don’t remember the price. I think at one time it was fifteen cents per text. As time went on, there were more texts for less money and then it became part of whatever plan that you had. You get unlimited talking and texting. I, and many other people, text more than talk. It is easy to text and not bother people and they can get back to you when they have time.
When I went back to Luoyang in 2010, I didn’t get a regular smartphone. Mary, the other foreign teacher that I worked with, had a smartphone so I eventually got one like hers and she could help me learn how to use it. It did have internet connection but it was slow and the screen was small. It worked as a phone, I could text with it and that was all I needed.
The next year, I decided to get a smartphone because I could use it for many things that I had learned about. I could download the Google Translate app and use it for translating English and Chinese and that was good.
When I went back to Luoyang in 2010, I didn’t get a regular smartphone. Mary, the other foreign teacher that I worked with, had a smartphone so I eventually got one like hers and she could help me learn how to use it. It did have internet connection but it was slow and the screen was small. It worked as a phone, I could text with it and that was all I needed.
The next year, I decided to get a smartphone because I could use it for many things that I had learned about. I could download the Google Translate app and use it for translating English and Chinese and that was good.
Chapter 96
The Internet
The first time I was in China, the internet was slow but it was through the phone line and wasn’t as fast as it is now. The second time I was there it was much faster.
In China, the internet, social media and other things are watched by the government. In the US, we take things for granted. Things there are blocked by what is called the Great Firewall. Facebook and YouTube are blocked. You can get around it by using a VPN (virtual private network). You have to pay for it and you can get on those sites and others. It doesn't cost much.
I believe it is difficult to use hotmail now. A few of my Chinese friends had their hotmail accounts hacked so they changed to something else. I know for a while that the Chinese Government didn’t get along with Google and Yahoo so those search engines were difficult to use.
At the Number 19 High School, Mary wanted to be able to get on Facebook so she could stay in touch with family and friends in the Philippines where she is from so we paid for a VPN. We could also get YouTube and other things.
At the Number 19 High School, Mary wanted to be able to get on Facebook so she could stay in touch with family and friends in the Philippines where she is from so we paid for a VPN. We could also get YouTube and other things.
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