In the circle of travelers, there is a popular saying: the ceiling of tourist scenery is Switzerland.

However, this sentence has another meaning: the expenses here are also at the top level. Switzerland ranks among the countries with high cost of living all the year round, and its currency, the Swiss franc, is also one of the strongest currencies in the world.

△ Although the cost of living is high, Zurich is also considered as one of the most livable cities in the world. (Photo/photo by Yu Yutao)

It is said that there is one millionaire in every 22 locals in Switzerland, and the per capita salary is equivalent to more than 55,000 yuan. If the monthly income is less than 25,000 RMB, it can already be classified as a low-income group.

Such a rich income naturally brings a very high level of consumption. Traveling here is not only a unique enjoyment for the eyes, but also a Du Jie for the wallet. When I went to Switzerland, I found that I would really be laughed at by myself.

There is no tip in Switzerland.

Almost everything is expensive.

Some people joked that Swiss prices are "the highest in the world", which is true.

Different from other European and American countries, there is basically no habit of tipping in Switzerland-according to the federal constitution, the service charge is already included in the consumer price in most places. You don’t have to worry that the waiter will bring inconvenience to yourself because he can’t get enough pay. Besides, everything in Switzerland is inseparable from money.

Among the ten cities with the highest cost of living in Europe in 2023 selected by Numbeo, a world-renowned data website, the top eight are firmly occupied by Switzerland. Among them, the most well-known places-Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, Basel and Lugano are all on the list.

△ List of cities with the highest cost of living in Europe in 2023. (Figure/website screenshot)

According to statistics, the price level in Switzerland is 61.5% higher than the average level in the EU. Some bloggers have printed their own bills for buying the same products in Switzerland and Germany, and the prices are twice as different.

In Switzerland, seeing the numbers on the price tag often makes people feel their heart beat faster. On the first day I arrived, I felt the blow of high local prices. The first time I walked into a local restaurant, I thought I was in a "black shop".

For example, when I opened the menu, I found that a bowl of beef noodles costs nearly RMB in 200 yuan, a plate of spaghetti costs RMB in 230 yuan, and a cup of coffee costs RMB in 80 yuan. Even if you just want to eat two jiaozi, you may have swallowed more than 100 RMB with one bite.

I woke up after comparing many restaurants, and I really blamed it wrong-it turned out that every restaurant in Switzerland was a "black shop".

△ Network stem map: "What does the Swiss flag stand for? Most money and a little chocolate. " (Figure/website screenshot)

If you want to enjoy a Chinese meal, it is even more "bleeding". Order three ordinary home-cooked dishes, and you will receive a huge bill-Shenghui 600-700 yuan RMB when you check out.

In addition to eating, every trip in Switzerland is also a huge test of the wallet. As we all know, taking the Swiss railway is one of the best ways to enjoy the beautiful local scenery, and its public transportation is famous for its efficiency, punctuality and comfort.

But the "cost" is also very obvious: to buy the cheapest one-day transportation ticket, it will cost nearly 400 yuan RMB.

You know, this is the level of monthly ticket in most European cities outside Switzerland.

△ The world-famous Swiss railway has a sky-high fare. (Photo/photo by Yu Yutao)

It is more expensive to take a taxi here. According to the survey of Taxi2Airport, a global airport taxi booking platform, the taxi fare in Switzerland is unmatched in the world-measured by the average price per kilometer, it is as high as 175 yuan, almost twice that of Japan, the second place.

If you carry luggage, you have to pay an extra fee. Unless you plan to leave your luggage in the local area and wander alone.

Such high prices are unbearable for the well-paid Swiss people. Some Swiss people sarcastically said that high prices are the best weight-loss plan to help them keep fit. Anyway, wages will never keep up with the soaring prices.

Sitting by the lake in Zurich, a local frankly revealed to us the survival way of ordinary Swiss people-giving up restaurants and returning to their own kitchens. Just because of this, the prices are ridiculously expensive wherever people sit down and provide services. On weekends, they would rather drive for an hour or two to buy ingredients in neighboring cities than eat out at will.

Rich "low-key",

A Swiss who is "ostentatious"

If you think that wealthy Swiss don’t need to save money, it’s all wet.

It has long been popular and common for Swiss people to drive regularly to neighboring countries for shopping. In order to reduce the cost of living, some office workers even take the initiative to live in neighboring France or Germany for a long time, preferring to travel back and forth across borders twice a day rather than bear the high local prices.

△ synonymous with Swiss exquisite life: St. Moritz. (Photo/photo by Yu Yutao)

Walking on the most prosperous banhoff street in Zurich, it’s hard for you to see local people wearing famous brands. On the contrary, people who walk their dogs in ordinary clothes on the street, or carefully choose cheap and good products in supermarkets, may be invisible rich.

In some life forums in Switzerland, there are many shopping guides about going to the borders of neighboring countries, including driving/transfer routes, where to park, and where to shop more cost-effectively.

Konstanz, a small town located on the border between Germany and Switzerland, welcomes a wave of Swiss people who come to shop specially every year. Although it takes several hours to drive, almost half of Swiss residents come here to shop at least once a year.

In addition to the price gap, shopping here can also enjoy the exchange rate difference between the euro and the Swiss franc. In addition, since Switzerland has not joined the European Union, Swiss residents can enjoy preferential tax refund policies in konstanz as long as the amount on a shopping list exceeds a certain amount.

△ The beautiful scenery of the Swiss town. (Photo/photo by Yu Yutao)

What these residents came to buy was not any special items, but some simple necessities. According to a survey conducted by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Swiss demand for shampoo and shower gel ranks first all the year round. Here, supermarkets specializing in selling sanitary washing products have opened one after another.

If you catch up with "Black Friday" or around Christmas, you can see the spectacular scene of a sea of people and collective passion consumption, which is no less than any top-stream scenic spot in China.

Even if the income is rich, the Swiss are used to living frugally-they always bring their own shopping bags when they go shopping in the supermarket and always have water bottles when they go out.

When friends communicate with each other, most of them will only send a box of chocolate or a bottle of wine or some flowers. If you give a picture album, it is already an "unusual" gift.

Even if guests are invited to be guests at home, the host family will never set out rich dishes, but "measure the belly to cook." Their purpose of hospitality is: it is better to eat seven points full and never leave food.

△ Friends bake firewood pizza at home. (Photo/vision china)

If it’s not enough to eat, at most, cook some macaroni temporarily and serve it with simple sauce. In the end, everyone should not only scrape the leftovers off the plate with bread, but also lick the plate clean. Only in this way can we be worthy of being a real Swiss.

No matter how exquisite the middle-class activities are in Switzerland, they have to be honest and simple. Swiss people who love hiking every day often call themselves "mountain people in the Alps". In order to save money, hikers often carry a big bag of sausages with them. When they are hungry, they will burn wood for a fire at a nearby barbecue spot, eat a few sticks, and then continue on their way.

△ Swiss Alps. (Photo/vision china)

The ubiquitous "stingy" style of Swiss nationals has made the government have to play an extremely spirit and be careful everywhere. For the construction of any public works, the Swiss are based on the principle of practicality, and they can save no more money. For those icing on the cake, the Swiss are completely dismissive.

In 2007, the city government of Basel planned to renovate the old concert hall in the city center. However, after the renovation plan was announced, it immediately met with a flood of opposition from the public for the simple reason that the new concert hall was "too big and too expensive".

In Switzerland,

Only then did I know that I couldn’t afford to eat.

Before I set out, I specially asked my friends who had visited Switzerland: What delicious food is there worth recommending? The result was unexpected, and most people couldn’t answer it.

Because it’s good enough to eat here. Want to eat better? That price is really unthinkable. It seems that the "gourmets" who are good at discovering food have come to Switzerland, and there is nothing they can do.

Although fondue cheese is known as the "national dish" of Switzerland, in fact, even many Swiss themselves feel that this dish is simply not worth mentioning in the food industry.

△ Cheese fondue with bread and gin. (Photo/vision china)

There are no precious ingredients in it, and there is no special practice. It just cooks cheese with white wine, garlic, ginger and pepper in a pot to make a rich cheese sauce and dip it in small pieces of bread. A little more extravagant is to serve it with sausage and French bread or lettuce.

When you just eat it, you will find it novel and interesting, but you will get tired of eating two more. After getting used to China’s hot pot, try Swiss hot pot again, and you can only say to yourself: So this can also be called hot pot?

In addition to cheese, there is also water paid by the restaurant with dry bread. Don’t think that as in China, a waiter will bring a pot of boiling tea as soon as you sit down.

Whether it is bottled water or sparkling water here, even if you just want to drink a glass of tap water, you must be prepared to pay for it. At this time, I can only comfort myself: "There is no way, rice must always be eaten, and money must be used sparingly."

△ Ticino Cave Garden Restaurant. (Photo/vision china)

Getting into the supermarket to solve the problem of eating has become the most economical way for tourists in Switzerland. Of course, every Chinese who has traveled in Switzerland will never forget the online celebrity roast chicken in the local supermarket, which is almost the "savior" of China’s stomach.

Although its taste is mediocre and its meat is meaty, it is rare in Switzerland to meet the taste of China population, and the price is only 5-6 Swiss francs (about equal to 50 yuan RMB), so it is hard for me to find anything wrong with it.

△ It costs 6.9 francs (approximately equivalent to 57 yuan RMB) to buy an ordinary cod bag locally in Switzerland, while the roast chicken in the supermarket is only 5.45 francs (approximately equivalent to 45 yuan RMB). (Photo/photo by Yu Yutao)

During our few days in Switzerland, we ate almost all the chicken legs and wings. So that after returning to China for a period of time, I couldn’t help shivering when I saw the chicken.

If you really want to improve your food, it may be the best and most affordable choice to find a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s or Burger King, although it will cost nearly 100 yuan to eat a basic set meal.

So that when I saw the "poor people’s meal" with a price of nearly three figures, I could only silently tell myself: "Switzerland is very good, save money and come back!"

　　BEIJING, July 8 (Yuan Xiuyue) On the 8th, the Disney live-action movie Mulan made its debut. As soon as the trailer was released, Liu Yifei’s makeup caused a heated discussion on the Internet.

　　In the film, Mulan was arranged by her family to go on a blind date, and she was carefully dressed from clothes to makeup. However, Mulan’s makeup seems a little out of line with modern aesthetics. A red face, a yellow forehead, black eyebrows, and red flowers painted between them. Some netizens commented that such makeup could not even hold up the "fairy sister".

　　Then, in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, how did women make up, and what popular makeup did they have?

　　There is a cloud in Mulan Poetry: "When the window is decorated with clouds, it will be yellow for the mirror." Among them, "flower yellow" refers to forehead yellow makeup. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, influenced by Buddhist culture, women took the makeup of Buddha statues as beauty. Some women were also inspired by the Buddha statue and painted their foreheads yellow. In poetry and prose, the forehead yellow is also called crow yellow, pistil yellow, about yellow and flower Huang Zhi.

　　For example, in the poem "Three Butterflies" by Li Shangyin, "Princess Shouyang wears makeup when she marries, and the eyebrows in the eight-character palace are yellow." Liang Jian Wendi Xiao Gang’s "Beautiful Women" also said: "About the yellow energy efficiency month, cutting gold and making stars skillfully."

　　In addition to painting the forehead yellow, there are yellow hard paper or gold foil cut into patterns and pasted on the forehead. Because it can be cut into stars, moons, flowers, birds and other patterns, it is also called "flower yellow". In Chen Houzhu’s "Picking Lotus Songs", there is: "Note the mouth with the appropriate cleverness, and the flowers will be yellow."

　　In fact, as early as the Warring States period, women began to apply powder and makeup. After the Han dynasty, the number of people wearing red makeup increased day by day. In "Mulan Poetry", there is "A sister hears that her sister is coming, and she will manage the red makeup." The raw material of red makeup is rouge, which is mixed with lead powder and rice flour and applied to cheeks. There are faint red makeup, peach blossom makeup and oblique red makeup.

　　In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was plum blossom makeup, that is, plum blossom-shaped makeup was attached to the forehead. It is said that Princess Shouyang, the daughter of Emperor Wu of the Southern Song Dynasty, was lying on her back on the seventh day of the first month. The plum tree in front of the temple was blown by the breeze, and a plum blossom fell right on the princess’s forehead. The forehead is stained like a petal, and it can’t be washed away. Seeing this, women in the palace followed suit and cut plum blossoms and stuck them on their foreheads. Later, plum blossom makeup gradually became a fashion.

　　During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, women attached great importance to face makeup, and developed a variety of styles, including white makeup, purple makeup, Buddha makeup, crow makeup, half-face makeup and so on.

　　White makeup is to apply white powder to the face, not rouge, and pursue the beauty of elegance. Purple makeup, as the name implies, is to apply purple powder to the face, which is made up of rice flour, Hu powder and sunflower juice. Buddha makeup is similar to forehead makeup, except that the whole face is painted yellow.

　　During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, some weird makeup styles were popular, such as crying makeup and half-face makeup. Crow makeup is to apply powder under the corner of your eyes, just like crow marks. Half-face makeup is only half-face, which comes from Xu Fei, the concubine of Emperor Liang Yuan.

　　In fact, whether it is forehead yellow makeup or red makeup, it reflects women’s pursuit of beauty at that time, leaving an indispensable stroke for China’s makeup history and an infinite imagination space for us today. (End)

????□ Legal Daily reporter Pu Xiaolei

????Do I need to register for business if I sell my own agricultural and sideline products on the e-commerce platform?

????Who will bear the risks and responsibilities in commodity transportation?

????How to solve the problem of unfair trading behavior of operators in the e-commerce platform?

????How to solve the problem that it is difficult for consumers to report complaints and obtain evidence?

????……

????All these questions can be answered in the second draft of the draft e-commerce law submitted to the 30th session of the 12th the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) for deliberation today.

??? Exemption from further relaxation of industrial and commercial registration scope

????Paragraph 1 of Article 12 of the first draft stipulates that e-commerce operators shall handle industrial and commercial registration according to law. However, there is no need to obtain permission in accordance with the law to provide labor services with personal skills, cottage industry, self-production and marketing of agricultural products, and there is no need for industrial and commercial registration in accordance with laws and regulations. The specific measures shall be formulated by the State Council.

????In this regard, there are two opinions: one opinion is that the scope of exemption from industrial and commercial registration is too narrow, which is not conducive to the development of e-commerce. Another view is that the draft is generally consistent with the provisions of the measures for investigating unlicensed business recently promulgated and implemented in the State Council. At present, industrial and commercial registration and tax registration have been merged, and one photo and one yard are implemented. Industrial and commercial registration is the basis of tax collection and management, and industrial and commercial registration should be unified online and offline.

????After research, the Law Committee suggested that the above provisions be amended as follows: E-commerce operators should handle industrial and commercial registration according to law. However, sales of self-produced agricultural and sideline products, sales of household handicraft products, personal use of their own skills to engage in convenient labor services activities that do not require permission according to law, and industrial and commercial registration is not required according to laws and administrative regulations.

??? E-commerce operators shall not fabricate user evaluations.

????Some members of the Standing Committee, local governments, departments and the public suggested further strengthening the obligations of e-commerce operators, especially platform operators, and strengthening the protection of consumers’ rights and interests.

????After research, the Law Committee proposes to add the following provisions:

????E-commerce operators shall not infringe consumers’ right to know by means of false propaganda, fictitious transactions, fabricated user evaluations, etc.

????E-commerce operators shall deliver goods or services to consumers in the way and within the time limit promised or agreed with consumers, and bear the risks and responsibilities in the transportation of goods. However, unless the consumer and the e-commerce operator agree to choose another express logistics service provider.

????E-commerce operators shall clearly indicate the methods and procedures for users to cancel, and shall not set unreasonable conditions for users to cancel.

????E-commerce platform operators shall bear the responsibilities of commodity sellers or service providers according to law for commodity transactions or service transactions marked as self-operated businesses.

????E-commerce platform operators should display search results to consumers in various ways according to the price, sales volume and credit level of goods or services; For the goods or services ranked by bidding, "advertising" shall be clearly marked.

??? Platform operators shall not charge unreasonable fees.

????Some members of the Standing Committee, enterprises, experts and the public suggested that the relevant provisions of the draft should be improved in view of the unreasonable service agreements and trading rules used by e-commerce platforms to implement unfair trading behaviors against operators in the platform.

????After study, the Law Committee recommends the following amendments:

????In article 23 of the first draft, the provision that operators of e-commerce platforms should publicly solicit opinions when modifying the platform service agreement and publicize the modified contents in advance is added.

????Item 5 of Article 55 of the first draft is amended as follows: Operators of e-commerce platforms shall not unreasonably restrict or attach unreasonable trading conditions to the transactions and transaction prices of operators within the platform by means of service agreements and trading rules, or charge unreasonable fees to operators within the platform.

??? Strengthen the intellectual property protection responsibility of platform operators

????Article 53 of the first draft stipulates that if the operators in the e-commerce platform "know" that they infringe intellectual property rights, they shall take necessary measures such as deletion according to law.

????Some members of the Standing Committee, departments, enterprises and experts suggested further strengthening the intellectual property protection responsibility of platform operators.

????After research, the Law Committee suggested that the above provisions should be amended as follows: if the operators of e-commerce platforms know or should know that the operators in the platforms infringe intellectual property rights, they should take necessary measures such as deleting, shielding, disconnecting links, terminating transactions and services; If necessary measures are not taken, they shall be jointly and severally liable with the infringer. At the same time, in Article 54 of the first draft, it is added that if the operator of the e-commerce platform fails to take necessary measures in time after receiving the notice of infringement of intellectual property rights by the operators in the platform, it shall be jointly and severally liable for the expanded damage and the operators in the platform.

??? Operators shall promptly accept and handle complaints.

????Some members of the Standing Committee, local authorities, experts, and the public suggested that it is difficult for consumers to report complaints and obtain evidence in practice, and further improve the norms for handling disputes in e-commerce.

????After research, the Law Committee suggested that "e-commerce dispute settlement" should be a separate chapter, and the following provisions should be added:

????E-commerce operators should establish a convenient and effective complaint and reporting mechanism, disclose information such as complaint and reporting methods, and promptly accept and handle complaints and reports.

????In e-commerce dispute handling, e-commerce operators should provide original contracts and transaction records. If the people’s court, the arbitration institution or the relevant authorities are unable to ascertain the facts because the e-commerce operators have lost, forged, tampered with, destroyed, concealed or refused to provide the above information, the e-commerce operators shall bear corresponding legal responsibilities.

Since the beginning of spring, the District Housing and Construction Bureau has seized the favorable opportunity of good soil moisture and high planting survival rate in spring, concentrated factor resources, and vigorously and normally carried out green-benefiting actions in urban areas to create a beautiful spring in the city.

Highlight the greening and dressing up, and gather strength to create a characteristic green landscape. Around the upgrading and reconstruction of roads such as Xufu Road and Yudai Road, by changing the road section, new technology is adopted to implement rain and sewage diversion and strong and weak electricity pipeline projects, so as to protect and utilize the original road trees to the maximum extent; Taking public participation, expert argumentation, collective research and social supervision as an important basis for the implementation of municipal projects occupying road green space, strictly approving the transplantation of green seedlings, maintaining the ecological landscape benefits of the original roads, and showing the urban greenway network with "ecological diversity, rich landscape and convenient service". At the same time, highlight the coastal characteristics of fine plastic style. The Bureau comprehensively studies and systematically designs the functional zoning, spatial form, architectural style, traffic organization, slow-moving system, landscape gallery and the overall coastal image of the Bay Area along the coastal avenue, and exquisitely builds colorful nodes to string together the most beautiful coastal scenery in Jiangsu with a total length of 33 kilometers. Up to now, the landscape upgrading of Qindao Teana Area and Haitou Industrial Park, as well as the node construction of sculpture sketches, smart walking, characteristic towns and characteristic rural areas have been fully completed, which fully embodies the natural and humanistic characteristics of Ganyu coastal areas.

Highlight the benefit of the people and the convenience of the people, and describe the beautiful colors of the city with ingenuity. The Bureau has vigorously built a "park green space+"slow-moving system, insisted on inserting green in cracks, demolishing illegal buildings and changing waste land into green, and paid attention to "micro-transformation and fine upgrading" of small and micro-spaces such as street corners, old residential areas and "corner areas" in urban areas, and built 24 pocket parks with small area, full functions and strong characteristics according to local conditions and people’s needs; At the same time, the park squares such as Qingkou Ecological Park and Heanhu Wetland Park will be further transformed and upgraded, and infrastructure such as health trails and intelligent lighting monitoring will be added, as well as sports facilities along the river such as basketball courts and table tennis tables, which will connect the old and new cities, parks, public transport hubs, commercial blocks and residential quarters, forming a 10-minute service circle of park green space, allowing residents to go out 300 meters to see the green scenery and 500 meters to enter the park for fitness exercise. "In the past, I used to walk and play ball in the park. Now it is great to add healthy trails and these fitness equipment to exercise." Uncle Li, who is exercising on sports equipment in qinglong river Park, said happily.

The Bureau also combined the landscape design of green plants with the needs of urban landscaping, carefully designed and built green sculptures along the main roads, important nodes, park squares and other sections of the city, and built 31 flower borders along the forest, waterfront, island and roadside according to local conditions, beautifying the city with flowers and plants gardening, showing the landscape effect of flowers in three seasons and evergreen in four seasons, which comprehensively improved the quality of life of citizens.

Highlight fine management and protection, and show the beautiful scenery of the city for a long time. The Bureau strengthens fine management, divides it into 15 first-class grids and 53 second-class grids according to five park squares, 24 gardens, roads and riverside green spaces in the urban area, and defines the responsible person and keeper of each grid, so as to ensure the "three implementations" of personnel, responsibilities and tasks. "We deepen precision maintenance, pay attention to the combination of learning and training and inviting experts to guide, formulate standards, and manage and maintain them to ensure the realization of the goal of’ three modernizations and nine noes’." Wu Lihua, head of the Landscaping Management Section of the District Public Utilities Development Center, said. The bureau also pays attention to the intensive special supervision and examination, standardizes the formulation and implementation of the Measures for Assessment, Reward and Punishment of Green Space Maintenance Management in Ganyu City, organizes business departments to assess and score garden management enterprises every month, and introduces the Standardized Management and Maintenance Plan for Infrastructure Outside the Red Line of Urban Roads, which brings the landscaping outside the red line of urban primary and secondary roads into the scope of management and maintenance, further expanding the coverage of greening and maintenance.

In the next step, the District Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau will focus on the goal of "increasing green quantity, improving quality, adding color and fine management", take the development direction of building a "park city" with high quality, devote sufficient efforts to embroidery, continue to create the characteristic landscape of coastal cities, and strive to build a "beautiful tree, green grass, gorgeous flowers and comfortable" beautiful homeland for the citizens.