ISO9001 and 'A' ratings

Only in China....

For those who dont know, ISO 9001 symbolises an international level of quality for the services industry. It has become a symbol of quality everywhere in the western world, and you would most often see this displayed by management consultants and the like. Alas, this is not the case in China. Yeah, over here it is blasted everywhere... from restaurant menus to beauty salons. I wonder if anyone monitoring the registration of these services is aware of this blatant misuse.

The Chinese attractions are rated using an 'A' system. The Terracotta Warriors earn 4 As and the great wall blitzes it in with 5 As. I have yet to find an explanation for this rating system. It seems a little excessive though. If anyone out there knows anything about this, please enlighten me!

Pieces from the 'China Daily';
'3 Year old addicted to cigarettes'
he smokes a pack a day and he started at the age of two. Doctors are concerned for his psychological well being (yes, psychological...)
'Man lives with fat and sick wife'
man weighing 53kgs lives happilly with his 102 kgs diabetic wife. He is said to get his greatest joy from her greeting him when he arrives home from work.
There are many more such gems in the China Daily.

If I told you I went to Wal Mart to buy Pantene today, would you assume that I'd be in China? perhpas not. Yes, I am in Kunming where Wal Mart has indeed made quite an impact and this is only the beginning. They intend on opening a further 20 stores in the next year. By the sheer number of shoppers seen today, I doubt that they'd have any problems making a buck!