The streets are virtually crime free and the only real thing that we would consider a crime that I've seen is film piracy. Nothing untoward to people at all. Erm, people find us very funny or want their picture taken with us. We get really good treatment when we go into restaurants and are waited on hand and foot even if there are other customers in the place... pretty much excellent treatment. People are generally patient about our lack of language skills and try to make things clear to us.
I've had no problems keeping in touch with the UK so I'm guessing that if there is a lack of contact from anyone you know here then it is by choice...
Erm as for the law, it's like the UK. Governed by the laws that are created by the politics, the politics is pretty much unspoken of for the most part. People are satisfied with how things are. Local businesses are apparently bailed out by the government all the time if they have people employed outside of the family because the gov doesn't like to see people out of work. Work ethic is immense actually, hope I bring some of that attitude back with me!
To be honest, China is probably the most misunderstood place in our media, because people expect it to be people living miserably because of the infringement on civil liberties, particularly privacy... but the people actually don't mind. And the streets are ridiculously clean, the food is pretty good (not found any recipes though to bring home with me
but there is time yet!) and I can walk the streets at night and not have to worry about being mugged or raped, because to be honest, even though there aren't THAT many police around in comparison to home, people just generally don't believe in doing those sorts of things or are too afraid of the consequences. In prison here you have to pay for your own food, so if you are poor to begin with then you'll be unable to even beg in prison and you'll just die of starvation. There is no vicious circle of poverty here... it's one straight line... you survive and find ways to support yourself or you simply die... and actually, it seems to work reasonably well in comparison to the sort of attitude we've allowed to develop in England, where you can be sure of some form of help from the government or a charity, even if its just spending nights in different homeless shelters and so on and soup kitchens.
China is hard to actually explain in words, but I'll definitely be trying to come back here as soon as I can because I love the place and do actually prefer the life here to that of home. It is just generally filled with a better feeling even though I'm having to work much harder and be without my British luxuries. I'd kill for a fry up! Or a glass of milk and a block of proper cheese. And some roast potatoes!
I'm going to a mountain for the weekend now so I won't be back online until monday. So I'll respond to anything else then! x