player2

Just what I was hoping to see, thanks.

Thank you for starting this thread, I'm getting good recommendations from this too!

I'm an American learning Mandarin so I'm not an expert but here are the first shows and movies I've been getting into as I begin to understand more.

The only show I've watched so far is SpongeBob Squarepants in Mandarin: 海绵宝宝
I get this from torrents, but I don't have subtitles for it. Luckily I know the first 3 seasons by heart. It is also available on some streaming sites/apps such as bilibili.

For movies, I really enjoyed Love Never Ends (2023) which has dual subtitles, both English and Mandarin which both appear at the same time and helps a lot. This movie has great production value, it's quirky, and is a little artsy. I watched it on an international flight, it was in the "art house" category, although it is also a drama, romance, family movie. It's kind of about a punk dude that has grown up and is trying to do his thing while aging within Chinese culture, so it teaches about culture as well.

Chunking Express (1994) is a comedy drama with fantastic reviews, but I haven't watched it yet. The trailer looked cool and I'll watch soon.

Only the River Flows (2023) was also on the international flight and was cool, it is a crime drama with good reviews.

Green Snake (1993) is an action fantasy movie that is a classic from the 90s. I'm trying to watch some 90s films so I can relate to Chinese people my age lol.

Was that during COVID? I regularly eat Chipotle around the US and I've never encountered this requirement, I always order at the counter so it is fresh.

I'm sure, but I suppose it wouldn't verify whether the object in the photo is what hit him in the ear. However, it could potentially confirm that there was shrapnel flying nearby.

If we knew the shutter speed of the photograph of the supposed bullet, then you could calculate its velocity and see if that falls in line with the type of bullet that was used or with shrapnel, which would probably be much less as it comes from a ricochet.

The quotes in your comment will make people think you're telling the truth.

"Again, we believe Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, the faces of our political coverage, are the best choices to moderate."

When is it necessary to say www?

You're already on hundreds of cameras by walking into any airport in the world. Do they need your consent to run facial recognition software on the security footage?

If you are doing something illegal then you should definitely bring a new device. If you are not doing something illegal then you should just bring your normal device and keep it locked/off when entering.

They can force biometrics but not pin, but they will only do that if you're already in super deep trouble for breaking the law. Just be normal and you'll have no issues.

This is all extremely unlikely unless you are a known enemy of the state or are bringing in illegal goods.

In customs they simply ask you why you're visiting, where you came from, if you're bringing any illegal goods, then let you pass through. If you're flying in, there's usually a huge line of people at the airport and you only end up talking to the customs agent for 10 to 30 seconds.

If you have a very suspicious story that doesn't check out or you're trying to bring in illegal goods to the country or you know that you are doing something nefarious then you should be concerned that they might pull you into a back room. I think all of these concerns are very overblown for the average person though.

When I was reading about whether to bring my phone to China, everyone online had similar recommendations about bringing a new device and it ended up being completely unnecessary. They don't check anyone's phone and they asked no questions other than reason for visiting. When I told my co-workers about my concerns they all thought it was quite comical because they've traveled more than anyone and see this as extreme paranoia.

Of course they could take your phone and put you in jail for any reason they want if they really wanted to, the most important thing is to not give them a reason to. They will only get your phone if you give them a reason in the first place.

Just keep your phone locked/off when you go through the border so it requires a pin.

They trusted you and it could be taken as a compliment. I'm definitely aware of others around me if I need to get up for a minute to get something.