Archive for July, 2008
July 27, 2008 at 7:23 pm · Filed under Uncategorized, China News
Last week’s China News roundup.
Increasing restrictions to broadcasting from the Olympics
Why the Chinese people are so proud to host the Olympics
China’s internet propoganda army
Sex + Criticism + China = Book Deal
Places you can protest during the Olympics
China is offended
Polite conversation
“One poster focuses on “etiquette when communicating with foreigners.” Locals are instructed not to ask foreigners personal questions about their age, salary, love life, health, income, political views, religious beliefs or personal experiences.”
So that leaves what? The weather?
Buying their Silence
July 20, 2008 at 10:50 am · Filed under Uncategorized, China News
You’ll notice I’ve added a new category to my blog: China News. I’ve decided to highlight some of the week’s best news stories related to China. So here goes with the first week of news –
Media, Advertising, & Entertainment
Foreigner Newspapers to be available in BJ during games
For subscribers, overseas newspapers usually arrive late in the day wrapped in a blue plastic envelope. Chinese censors often remove or paste shut pages of newspapers and magazines that contain stories or other content considered sensitive or unflattering to the communist authorities, including several pages of a recent National Geographic special edition devoted to China.
China’s 50-cent Internet Commenters
Recently featured on Danwei, Thomas Crampton’s video interview with Oiwan Lam about the ‘fifty cent army’ of online commenters who allegedly do Party propaganda 2.0 caused some controversy in Danwei’s comments section.
Too much advertising in China
In addition to the proliferation of tall buildings, subway lines, highways and overall incredible improvements in infrastructure, there has come a proliferation of media, especially in places where, to be frank, I would rather not see media.
No more private rooms for ‘entertainment’
[M]ost nightclubs, discos and karaoke venues have private rooms for rent which play host to business soirees and social gatherings and sometimes involve all those things your parents told you not to do which, despite what the man on the street chanting “pretty girls” into your ear would have you believe, are illegal.
Olympics
Plenty of security fun at the Olympics 
While athletes from around the globe make use of years of intense training at August’s Olympics, Beijing’s law enforcement will be hoping their own preparations will pay off too. According to a report by the U.S. trade group Security Industry Association, China spent approximately USD 6.2 billion on security between 2004 and 2007. With all its new toys and rigorously trained personnel, Beijing’s security teams should be well prepared to beat records at their own set of Olympic events.
Big brother in Beijing
When traveling to China for the Olympics this summer, leave any expectation of privacy at the border. Instead, prepare for possible eavesdropping and surveillance–from listening devices in hotel rooms to bugged laptops and personal digital assistants to informers posing as friendly strangers.
Banning of Blacks from Beijing bars for Olympics?
Beijing authorities are secretly planning to ban black people and others it considers social undesirables from entering the city’s bars during the Olympic Games, a move that would contradict the official slogan, “One World, One Dream”.
Miscellaneous
Shanghai playing second fiddle to Beijing
Shanghai is home to the country’s most spectacular skyline, its most exquisite cuisine and, Beijing chauvinists would say, a lot of snobs.
China-US Relations
They are fond of George W. Bush in China. There are not many capitals around the world where foreign policy practitioners say hand on heart that they will miss the US president. Beijing is an important exception. Sino-American relations, I heard several times during my trip, have been consistently steadier than at any time since the door to dialogue was opened by the ping-pong diplomacy of the early 1970s.
An after-shock of the Nuclear type?
A high-level Chinese military source secretly disclosed last week that the recent earthquake in Sichuan Province caused a chain-reaction of explosions in the Sichuan mountain areas. The explosions destroyed Chinese army’s largest armory, new weapon test bases and part of nuclear facilities including several nuclear warheads. This information is considered China’s top military secret.
Special thanks to all my Twitter friends who share interesting news stories about China.
July 19, 2008 at 8:49 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences, Learning through Foreign Cultures
I have a theory about why Americans downplay their culture of hugging when living as expats in China.
In the US, it is customary for female friends who are close or who haven’t seen each other for a long time to hug as greeting or farewell; the same is true between a male and a female friend. (Male friends shake hands.) Friends who are not close, will usually wave or say hi; in more formal situations they may just shake hands.
In the 2 years I’ve been in China, I’ve noticed that American expats whether in Beijing, Shanghai, or elsewhere have completely abandoned this cultural norm.
Americans have adopted the practice of kiss-kiss, or kissing the air while touching first the right cheek then the left cheek. Two girls, and a girl and a guy will do it. (Two males continue to shake hands.) They don’t even need to be close friends, mere friends or familiar acquaintances are given over to the kiss-kiss greeting.
This kiss-kiss greeting is common in Latin American culture and European culture. Notably, French and Italians do 2 kisses, while Argentines and Dutch do 3.
I, as an American expat in Shanghai, have become accustomed to doing the kiss-kiss greeting and farewell to such an extent that when Americans who are in town visiting hug me I am shocked and feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Anyway, on to my theory… My theory is that, largely due to the current administration, because Americans are so hated abroad, we try to diminish our American-ness by adopting other cultural styles. We try to make ourselves seem less American by acting like Europeans or Latin Americans. We attempt to show that we are citizens of the world and embrace other cultures by adopting them as our own, rather than beating them down, much as has been done in Afghanistan or Iraq. Obviously, this more of a necessity and common practice in expat life since daily we seek to be accepted by associates and friends from around the world who are frequently not fond of America. As expats, we are attempting to minimize our American-ness in the presence of a global community and seek acceptance among our kiss-kiss-accustomed peers.
I’m curious to know, if this is just a phenomenon of expats in China, or if this happens among American expats elsewhere in the world. Comments on the expat experience elsewhere and agreements (or not) with my theory are welcome.
As far as whether I like the practice, in some ways I do, as it feels refreshing and somewhat less awkward than the standard American hug. However, sometimes I do miss the benefits and closeness of a hug.
July 11, 2008 at 4:26 am · Filed under Uncategorized
When I first heard the commercial declaring “Hangzhou: The Most Beautiful City in China” I scoffed, thinking, leave it to Chinese marketing people to make outrageous claims that can’t be proven. After my recent trip there, I’m beginning to think the Chinese phrase “shang you tian tang, xia you su hang” roughly translated meaning ‘Above is Heaven and under Heaven are Suzhou and Hangzhou’ isn’t all hype. While I can’t comment on Suzhou because I haven’t been there (yea, surprising, I know; maybe that’ll be my next weekend trip) Hangzhou is a lovely place. It definitely qualifies as one of the nicest cities in China.
Hangzhou derives its beauty from the natural landscape, particularly the famous lake known as West Lake. West Lake is surrounded by hills that are good for climbing and viewing the lake and the city from afar. In the many parks and hills surrounding Hangzhou, you’ll find people singing, dancing, playing instruments and practicing tai chi. West Lake is noted for its many small islands, some of which have mini Chinese pagodas or other small decorative Chinese architecture, creating a classic Chinese image. It is a certainly a picturesque setting, as the wedding couples having their photos taken would attest to.
Hangzhou is also famous for tea and traditional (Chinese) medicine. Hangzhou is said to produce the Mainland’s best tea since the hills, ample rainfall, and humid climate are conducive to growing quality tea leaves. It’s possible to walk around the tea plantations, though I didn’t have time. Hangzhou is also one of the famous centers of ancient Chinese medicine. One of country’s the earliest pharmacies, at the time only devoted to caring for the emperor, began in Hangzhou. Chinese medicine is on display in the museum and available for purchase at one of the largest pharmacies I’ve ever seen in China on the Old Street in Hangzhou.
Other notable highlights of Hangzhou include the wetlands, which are great for bird watching according to my hosts, Al & Jane, a sizable Courtyard House, the Six Harmonies Pagoda, history museum, and YueFei’s mausoleum. Unfortunately, some of that will need to be reserved for another trip. That trip will just have to wait until Jane & Al get back, because they were excellent tour guides who brought me to their favorite restaurants and Hangzhou’s hidden treasures; plus, HZ just wouldn’t be the same without all their Russian family jokes.
Just in case you’re worried that Hangzhou is all old stuff and the great outdoors (did I mention there are LOTS of parks??), never fear, Hangzhou also has some fantastic shopping. The Old Street has everything from Chinese medicine to tourist souvenirs to clothes and silk scarves. I bought 2 cute dresses and a full length Chinese coat for less than $40. There’s also premium shopping in the form of international luxury brands and…well read the next paragraph to find out!
Before I left for HZ, I asked friends what they recommend I see/do there and one said to me, “Hangzhou is the Palm Springs of Shanghai.” I said blankly, huh? Palm Springs is of course the recreation, shopping, and retreat center for LA urbanites. What he meant was, Hangzhou functions much the same way for Shanghai urbanites: it is much more relaxed than Shanghai, with far fewer sky scrapers, with a much more calming feel overall. However, the analogy was nicely rounded out when I saw the Ferrari Store! Not only does Hangzhou have the refreshing, get-away-from-the-big-city feel equivalent to Palm Springs, it has the ritzy shopping as well.
The relaxed pace of Hangzhou makes it well worth the escape from Shanghai; it’s a great weekend escape at only 1.5 hours away on the highspeed train. It also seems to be the ideal place for expat families, safe, comfortable, accessible, less frantic than Shanghai, but still with the necessary comforts for foreigners (like Western food), very green, and affordable. There’s even a Sunday book market with English books and a small bar/nightlife scene.
Recently I heard about people going hang gliding off the hills in Hangzhou, maybe I’ll have to be more adventurous and try that on my next trip…
Pictures from this Hangzhou trip
July 10, 2008 at 6:25 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Tourism, Traveling
On more than one occasion I’ve been asked: “How do I get from the airport into downtown Shanghai?” While a simple Google search reveals ample suggestions, I will list the options for traveling from the airport to Shanghai and point to my preferred method (taxi).
From Pudong International Airport
1) The Best Way — Take a taxi. Go straight out of the airport, find the taxi queue, stand in it, then show the manager where you want to go. Have your hotel or destination address written in Chinese and English! It’ll cost about CNY160 ($24); make sure the driver turns on the meter.
2) The Most Expensive Way — Arrange ahead of time to have a car & driver (or minivan/bus if there are a lot of you with luggage) pick you up at the airport. Roughly $100 for a car. Similarly, organizing a private guided tour usually means the tour guide, car, and driver will pick you up at the airport.
3) The Cheapest Way — Take one of the airport buses. They range from CNY18-20 ($3) per person, depending on where you’re going. After you get off the bus, unless you’re familiar with the city or very adept at reading Chinese maps, you’ll need to hail a cab and let the driver take you to your final destination. Again, you’ll need the address in Chinese.
#1 - Between Pudong Int’l & Hongqiao Domestic Airports
#2 - Jing’an Temple
#3 - Xujiahui, last: Galaxy Hotel (Gubei/Hongqiao) (and others)
#4 - Hongkou Football Stadium (and others)
#5 - Pudong, Middle Yan’an Road, Shanghai (main) Railway Station
#6 - Many stops including Shimen Rd, Huashan Rd, ending at Zhongshan Park
#7 - Shanghai South Railway Station
Most buses run until 9pm.
4) The Most Exciting Way — Unless you consider the terror of riding a cab into downtown Shanghai during rush hour a thrill, the most exciting way to travel from the airport is to take the Maglev. This highspeed train (270mph) costs CNY50-100 ($7.50-15) per person and takes you to Longyang Subway station. From there you will need to grab a cab or transfer to Subway Line 2 and get off at the stop nearest your hotel. When you get off the subway at either Longyang (Pudong) or elsewhere, you’ll need to take a taxi to your hotel. Make sure you have the address in Chinese!
From Hongqiao Domestic (and in some cases international) Airport
1) The Best Way — Take a taxi. Supposedly the taxi queue at Hongqiao airport has been cut drastically: a waiting time of up to 3 hours has now been reduced to 10minutes (20 during rush hour). Depending on where in the city you’re going, the taxi should be less than CNY50 ($7.30). Have your destination written in Chinese.
2) The Most Expensive Way — If you’re in a hurry and can’t wait in the taxi queue, no matter how long it is, call ahead to have a car and driver pick you up. It’ll cost you about $70.
3) The Cheapest Way — Take the public bus. CNY4-30 depending on which bus you take. After you get off the bus, unless you’re familiar with the city or very adept at reading Chinese maps, you’ll need to hail a cab and let the driver take you to your final destination. Again, you’ll need the address in Chinese.
#1 - Pudong Airport
#2 - North Shaanxi Road
#806 - Shanghai Jiaotong University, Xujiahui, and more
#807 - Jinshajiang Rd, Meichuan Rd (and others)
#925 - W. Zhongshan Rd, Jiangsu Rd, N. Shaanxi Rd, N. Chongqing Rd, People’s Square
#938 - Xujiahui area, ending in Pudong
#941 - Hongxu Rd (Gubei), Zhongshan Park, Shanghai Railway Station
Bottom line is, regardless of which airport you come into or which method you plan to take, make sure you have your destination written in Chinese characters; you never know what might happen. Taxis are readily affordable, but drivers can’t read or speak English, so make sure you can show them something in Chinese. If it’s a small hotel or a hard to find place, have the phone number as well so the driver can call if he’s lost.
July 9, 2008 at 7:43 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Earlier in June, China launched a week-long series of anti-terrorist drills called “Great Wall 5″, in preparation for the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games. The drills involved emergency responders, “police forces, the People’s Armed Police, the People’s Liberation Army and the health, environmental protection, meteorology and transportation departments.
You have to look at these pictures. Some are funny and others just downright scary.
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