All Things Speedy - Things Are Done Fast in Certain Areas in China!

Hi everyone, hope you are having a wonderful day today, welcome back to my channel!

I'm Yuri O, as in ' Oh wow, another new metro line is complete?! Already? ‘

Topic Today: All things speedy in China.

Yessss, so while I wait for the repair man that gave me a window of 2 to 5 pm to show up, I do have time to share just how fascinating it is to see how fast things are done in certain areas in China.

From BIG projects and developments right down to the swiftness of lifestyle, the country is not one for dragging its feet!

It never ceases to amaze me just how much changes between visits back to China, with development of buildings, bridges and transport links seemingly never letting up as cities continue to grow at breakneck speed.

With many Tier 1 cities very densely populated, there is always a need to improve and expand transport links, and quite simply these projects must address the need as soon as possible, which is why for example in Guangzhou, a city of over 15 million people, its metro line system has grown from 5 lines in 2009 to 14 lines by the end of 2019, with a further 12 lines planned for completion by 2023!

When infrastructure needs to be improved upon, typically the speed in which these decisions are made and the time from starting building to completion is arguably far quicker in general than western countries.

With such a huge population, there is no time for dilly dallying.

But it’s not only construction in which China moves swiftly. In business especially, thanks in part to the culture of conducting communications, negotiations (depending on the size of the deal) and important discussions on WeChat, the nation’s preferred method of social media communication, business deals are often agreed upon and concluded much quicker as business owners and their clients both typically prefer to discuss terms almost live as opposed to waiting for a back and forth via email.

If, for example, a client is actively searching for a business solution or product, telling them you will email in 3 days or by the end of the week may likely mean that you’ll lose out!

As well as business communications, the speediness of delivering on agreed terms or products is equally remarkable.

For example, within the retail sector, whether it’s food, clothes or electronics, retailers on platforms like JD.com or TMALL.com often offer delivery times of 24 hours or sometimes less depending on the city.

Not only that, as competition is so high for customers, the service or handling of inquiries is very commonly instantaneous as retailers take advantage of live chats on platforms like WeChat or QQ, where customers can get up-to-date information regarding stock and delivery times almost immediately, with the purchased goods then confirmed as shipped out shortly after that.

Add to that an accurate delivery time as opposed to a window and you are speeding your way to receiving your goods without impacting heavily on your daily productivity (or daily lounging on the couch, however you spend your time haha).

With regards to general lifestyle, and the headaches people often get when requiring services in their home in western countries, Chinese people have high expectations in terms of speed of response to services like repair jobs, installations or household maintenance.

For instance, according to some online reviewers, it typically takes up to 2 weeks to get internet installed in your home in the UK.

In China, that time is just 48 hours! And if you need someone to come and fix or clean an air conditioning unit, there is no need to book days and days in advance, typically you can call and arrange for someone to come within a few hours, and BOOM, you’ve sorted it in the same day. In a country where certain cities are very hot most of the year, these things simply can’t wait haha.

So whether you are doing business or visiting China, you can expect speedy solutions and services for the most part, meaning you don’t have to slow down!

That’s it for today. I’ll go and check if the repair man is nearby, while you can all feel free to share your thoughts in the comments about what you think about all things speedy in China! I appreciate you, if you haven't subscribed yet, take a moment, click the subscribe button, because this channel is all about China, genuine insights from me and my team, who have all spent time living in both UK and China.

Take care my friends, have a wonderful day, and I will see you soon! Take care my friends, have a wonderful day today, and I will see you soon!

Yuri O x