Wrong again

Didi Kisten Tatlow in the New York Times, Navigating Child Policy in China:

To avoid gender-based abortions, fetal ultrasounds are illegal in China and she had never seen her first child on an ultrasound.

No, they are not illegal. It is illegal to use them to tell the sex of the fetus. The hospital will gladly give you an ultrasound if the equipment is available and you can pony up the cash/insurance/社保卡, but the nurse administrating the procedure is prohibited by law from telling you what she sees "down south."

This is why Americans' view of China is stuck in the 30-years-ago.

I worked on my China taxes today. Last year my company coordinated the filing process and gave us the chance to turn in the form at school. I decided to try turning it in at the local 张江行政服务中心 Zhangjiang Administrative Service Center, a set of government offices across from the company that issues all sorts of permits and deals with taxes. It was pretty easy: I took the form and my passport plus a copy to the office, had my identity checked against my passport, and received a receipt to show I filed.

Turning the form in by hand is one of the three options you have if you live in Shanghai:

File by Mail:

1. Download/print/fill out the filing form.
2. Go to the post office and get a special envelope.
3. Send by registered mail, wait for confirmation letter.

File in Person:

1. Download/print/fill out the filing form.
2. Go to the local tax office, turn in form, get confirmation letter.

File Online:

1. Download/print/fill out "online tax application form".
2. Go to the local tax office, verify identity, get password application form.
3. Go to another window, get a personal password.
4. Go home, submit taxes online, wait for digital confirmation.

Look at the last option. Who is going to go through that whole rigmarole just to file online? I might try it this year just for fun.

Nuggets of News

Just a couple pieces of family news. Today I registered Charlotte to begin at the SMIC preschool in the fall. Actually we'd rather she go to the local public preschool but we're not sure if we qualify (zoning/residence status questions) so we are keeping SMIC as a backup.

Also, Jodi started working this week. She's at a preschool in Pudong off of subway Line 6. She team-teaches a class of 3rd year students (~5 years old), taking on responsibility for Art and English. She's glad to be back in the classroom but still getting used to the daily grind.

Maryann is still Maryann, and I'm starting the second semester by leading planning for the Science Fair and chairing the Academic Calendar Committee in addition to my regular duties as teacher and department head.

That's about it.