Archive for February, 2009
A very real shanzhai
Posted by: Rachel in Stories from the Countryside on February 24th, 2009
Farmer Zhao Tianyu filming a documentry. Photo by Huang Ying
So much has been written recently about the whole Shanzhai phenomenon, it’s easy to forget there are still some 地道山寨, or actual mountain fortresses out there. Just recently I came across the story of few such secluded villages in Sichuan province, who survived the earthquake and are being rebuilt.
I first heard about this project from my friend Geng Dong, a fantastic wildlife photographer working for the environmental NGO 山水 (Shan-Shui, mountain & water). The organisation (part of Conservation International) has been doing some research and educational fieldwork in five of Sichuan’s nature reserves for about five years.
The reserves, as well as the nearby villages, took a severe hit when the quake came, and the people of Shan-Shui were trying to find ways to both enhance the recovery of the reserves, and help the locals. Well, just like any other NGO in China, I suppose.
But what is unlike any of the other stories and reports I’ve heard or read or seen trying to narrate the Sichuan tragedy and the rebuilding efforts is that Shan Shui came up with a really great way to let the villagers tell their own stories – they gave them video cameras, some training, and the opportunity to make their own short films. thus was created “我们是主角“ – “We are the lead actors”, a collection of ten short films by amateur filmmakers/ Sichuanese farmers. You can watch all of them here (Chinese and a lot of Sichuanhua. No English subtitles, but there isn’t much talking in many of the films. They’re working on an English version and will appreciate some help if anyone has the time and linguistic skills).
The subjects for the films vary - rebuilding of a community centre, village meetings to discuss compensations and rehabilitation options, volunteers, road reconstruction, forest rangers in action, school activities, devastating flood, and more. One even dedicated the whole film to the life of birds around his village, with not a hint of the recent disaster. It’s not what you’d expect, it’s not really sensational, but hey, it’s his film!
In fact, none of the films is incredibly dramatic. They describe everyday’s life of ordinary people who have just happened to be going through a very extraordinary experience. They may never win any film critics award. They might, in fact, be boring to some. Personally, I find them fascinating.
Most of what we hear from Sichuan is either government propaganda or horror stories about corrupt officials and wronged parents who lost everything. Not that those stories aren’t important, but it’s just so refreshing to see and hear what some people in Sichuan are really going through, what are their interests and concerns and hopes, it’s so rarely you get a look through such people’s eyes.
ShanShui also made a short documentary on how the films were made, I’ll try to get permission and upload it here tomorrow.
Links:
Article in Hebrew if you’re readers of obscure languages or just want to see more photos
Geng Dong’s Blog (Chinese)
Now this I call fusion
Posted by: Rachel in Mysteries of the Big Jing on February 23rd, 2009
I have a little thing for lingerie shops, so you can imagine my delight every time I pass by this eclectic and somewhat bizarre place in Longfusi (in itself a very eclectic street).
What can be better than a combination of the kinky with the comfortable? Some day I’ll gather enough courage to try on one of those hutong pajamas together with the cop cap.
(Gasp shocking horror)
Posted by: Rachel in East Vs. West on February 21st, 2009
well well well. Hilary is in town and drawing fire from – you guessed it – Pro-Tibetan and Human rights group, who expressed “Shock” after reading the following quote:
But our pressing on those issues can’t interfere on the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis”.
Me, I repeatedly find myself shocked at the many things that shock people, even though they are about as surprising as the sun rising in the east every morning. No, really, what do these guys expect of Clinton? guess they wanted a re-run of her 1995 Beijing declaration of ”Women rights are Human rights and Newman writes on women rites” (Sorry, get a bit confused trying to make sense of that speech), or just wished Madam secretary would smack grandpa wen for not behaving himself, but seriously, does anyone really think the US should blow it’s China cooperation for the sake of making some empty gesture?
Guess some people do think exactly so. Because, you know, the right of Tibetans to live in a medieval theocracy is, after all, so much more important than everyone else’s right to clean air and water, not to mention the right of the planet not to melt away.
Why Chinese people don’t like Yugong yishan
Posted by: Rachel in Mysteries of the Big Jing on February 18th, 2009
I dunno why…
Last night, a friend suggested we go listen to Swedish singer Jose Gonzales at the Yu gong Yi Shan, because (quote from the shan’s leaflet) “he presents eloquent guitar playing and introspective songs”, and also she’d got free tickets we didn’t want to pass on.
As always, the Yugong Yishan’s crowd was 90% Lao wais’ and about 8% bored Lao Wai’s girlfriends. When Gonzales greeted the audience with “大家好我是 Jose Gonzales” I could hear someone behind me murmuring: “Dude, no one speaks Chinese here”.
Which made me wonder a bit: why wouldn’t there be more locals attending such a worthy event (supposedly, we left after just three songs as there was too much noise from the audience), performing in the Jing for the first time?
Some would say there isn’t much demand for non-Chinese culture here but this is clearly not true: When plays from the Edinburgh Fringe festival visited town last November, the crowd was 80% or more Chinese, and in theatre, of course, the linguistic and cultural barriers are much more considerable. I saw local audiences attending classical concerts, dance shows and public lectures by foreigners, so why not rock-indie-alternative music?
Is it the music? the venue? a PR problem? or is it just that the place is full of frightful Da Bizi’s?
Can anyone explain this to me?
Tiger Leaping Gorge revisited
Posted by: Rachel in Stories from the Countryside on February 16th, 2009
The Tiger Leaping Gorge Dam project is a story I’ve been following closely for about four years now. Can’t pretend to be an objective reporter with this one though. Not when it comes to Lijiang county, where I first became a “BendiLaowai, and is still the one place in China I call home even after settling down in the Big Jing.
I paid a visit to Lj few weeks ago to do (one more) story about the gorge and the damming plans. Regretfully, I haven’t found the time to translate the whole thing, so here are just few observations, plus some background:
The plan to build a dam at the scenic spot of 虎跳峡 (Hutiaoxia or Tiger Leaping Gorge) brought about one of the fiercest and most widely covered environmental battles China has seen. On December 2007, following a public outcry and an intervention by reportedly none other than Wen Jiabao himself, the provincial government of Yunnan announced it was altering the project and moving the dam 200 Kilomteres upriver.
Some more background can be found here, here, here and here
One year later, the project is being constructed at full speed. The gorge itself is not yet dammed, but the construction of three other dams downstream is in full swing, all part of yet another giant hydro power project which will eventually include whole eight dams.
The project is now called “Longpan Dam” which sounds innocent enough, unless you happen to know that Longpan village is located right at the entrance to the gorge, though far enough off the main road for most people not to notice it’s the exact same location that was planned for the dam according to the old and now supposedly obandoned plan.
A new plan is yet to be drawn and approved so all of this is allegedly illegal, but I don’t really see anyone protesting this right now: not with an economic crisis and the need for big state funded projects to keep those numbers up.
(the above is based on my visits to Lijiang, Longpan and Mingyin villages, as well as the Gorge reserve, and a conversation with Professor Yu Xiaogang in Kunming, who has been leading the struggle against the dam).
Again, I am not trying to be an impartial reporter here or argue whether or not this project is necessary for the region’s economic development, or for China’s emission reduction targets. I just want to stress two points:
The first and obvious: The problem here is not so much construction as secrecy, and the total darkness in which local residents are kept regarding their own future.
The second point was very striking and very personal to me. People often talk about how fast Beijing or Shanghai are changing, which they are, of course, but for me it was the first time to see a rural area undergoing a rapid transformation. Mingyin, a village on the north slope of the Yulong, at about 3000 metres, is a place I know quite well and have passed through dozens of times: To see it transformed from a sleepy village to a market town full of trucks and vans on their way to the construction sight was really striking. Seeing many of those vans carrying young ladies fresh out of the beauty parlour and down to the camps to keep the workers company, well that was disturbing. It’s not the way things were in there even one year ago.
Admittedly, no giant underpants or sky-scraping bottle opener are being built or ever will be built in Mingyin, but I think in a way, the change in people’s environment and in their way of life is even bigger.
(This is the full story if you are readers of Hebrew).
Fruits are good for you
Posted by: Rachel in East Vs. West on February 15th, 2009
Seen in "Fruit County" near Huai Ruo North of Beijing
Mass incidents in China – what do the numbers tell us (not much)
Posted by: Rachel in Stories from the Countryside on February 12th, 2009
Is China collapsing? Will economic downturn lead to social instability which will lead to mass rebellion that in turn will lead to a noisy collapse which will lead to many best-selling “aftermath” books?
Ah, Don’t we all wish we knew the answer, so that we could start working on that best-seller and beat other observers to the punch? The numbers, however, aren’t very helpful.
One widely quoted figure is the number of mass incidents in China: 74,000 in 2004, 87,000 in 2005, and supposedly even more in the following three years. These numbers, according to many, suggest wide-spread unrest in China, that is perceived as a real threat to the communist party.
What does the annual figure really represent?
Yesterday I attended a speaker event with Wang Erping, who is a psychologist at the Chinese Academy of Science. Professor Wang has been researching the psychological aspect of mass incidents and acts as an adviser to the central government on how to prevent incidents from occurring. He suggests a mechanism he calls “Social monitoring” that involves, as far as I understand, establishing a better system to address people’s grievances. So far – nothing very new or surprising.
What surprised me was Professor Wang’s explanation on what a mass incident is: According to the official definition the term applies to any “collective conflict with an administration or some powerful social group”. A mass incident can be any confrontation involving more than five people.
So if three families from a township in Guangxi have a problem with the power grid, they complain to the local energy department and some harsh words are said, this will end up right there on the data sheet, along with the Weng’an incident? Guess the answer is yes. Officially. (Professor Wand wanted to add here that there might be underreporting from some counties, which he thinks only report incidents involving more than thirty people).
The obligation for local authorities to report “Mass Incidents” was established by the central government in 2003. If I know anything at all about provincial and county level governments, there must have been an adjusting period and maybe some improvement in the accuracy of reporting over the last six years (or else an improvement in covering-up skills). So, is it possible that the “Sharp increase” in rural riots in China is partly due to increase in reporting?
Well then, about 80,000 “Mass incidents” in China per year and counting. What can we learn from this?
A. That the countryside is boiling with discontent and the collapse is near.
B. That the situation is improving dramatically as people become more aware of their rights.
C. That local governments keep better track of complaints or incidents which can be a sign of: a. improved governing standards or b. greater repression.
D. That, consider Local governments record of hiding or distorting inconvenient data, the actual numbers are probably higher (and the collapse nearer).
F. Nothing
G. All of the above
What do you think?
*seemingly, there is some confusion between the terms “public order disturbance” or 扰乱公共秩序犯罪 and “Mass incident” or 群体性事件, which Ronald Soong explains in this old post on ESWN. Professor Wang’s research deals with the later
Election Special
Posted by: Rachel in East Vs. West on February 10th, 2009
For some years now, Chinese is considered to be a language worth learning for those wishing to get ahead in life. Jim Rogers famously moved to Singapore and made his children fluent in Mandarin. He is by no means the only one.
Never wondered how Chinese people felt about their ancient language being made a tool for the business community, that is, until few days ago.
I sat with a young student from Beijing who asked me to meet him because he wanted some advice on how to become a Journalist (beats me…and anyway the better question is why, not how).
The boy has been studying journalism at a Beijing college, but curiously he’s also been studying Hebrew, and even spent a year on an exchange student programme in Tel-Aviv Uni. When I asked why he chose to learn Hebrew, he had this to say: “My dream is to become a war correspondent, so I figured Hebrew would be a useful language for that”.
Oh dear.
So that’s just it. My beloved, sublime mother tongue, the language of prophets and poets and the Song of Songs has become, in the eyes of a young Chinese, a perfect tool for a war correspondent. It was so sad I burst out laughing, much to his dismay, but just couldn’t help it.
Guess we (=Israelis) are only getting what we deserve for corrupting our own word in a way the great Tony Morrison so beautifully described:
A dead language is not only one no longer spoken or written, it is unyielding language content to admire its own paralysis. Like statist language, censored and censoring. Ruthless in its policing duties, it has no desire or purpose other than maintaining the free range of its own narcotic narcissism, its own exclusivity and dominance”
It was very painful to hear really. Admittedly, studying Mandarin for the purpose of making money isn’t quite as awful, but I still wonder if it ever bothers anyone here at all.
(hu kine lapoal ve’latoar ve’lashem)
Bed time stories from the Western Media
Posted by: Rachel in East Vs. West on February 8th, 2009
Hurling Frootmig, it is said, founded the guide, established its fundamental principles of honesty and idealism and went bust.
There followed many years of penury and heart-searching… He refounded the Guide, laid down its fundamental principles of honesty and idealism and where you could stuff them both, and led the Guide to its first major commercial success” (Douglas Adams, The Hitchhicker’s Guide to the Galaxy)
Last Thursday I spent a good 50 kuai to listen to some very prominent China journos giving their predictions for 2009. All speakers were Journalists from well respected publications, all with years of experience reporting from China, which means they have all been very wrong in their predictions many, many times in the past (I’m not just talking smack here, they said so themselves).
Nevertheless, it was an interesting discussion: It started with some predictions for China’s economy but naturally turned to the role of the legendarily vile Western Media.
One of the speakers was The Economist’s James Miles, who was the only foreign correspondent in Lhasa during the riots last year, and the one who probably gave the most accurate account of what actually happened in Lhasa on March 14Th. I think it was Miles who commented that the – how shall I call it – misreporting? many publications had been accused of stems not so much from a bias against China but more from the nature of the business and how is has evolved over the last few years.
Rebecca MacKinnon wrote something similar few weeks ago:
“A lot of errors happen because editors and reporters are under pressure to churn out volumes material on short deadline withinadequatestaff and funding. As a result… major mistakes get made by people whose work should have been checked before going out. Photos get cropped for websites without adequate thought. Agency material gets mis-labeled as being from one country when it was actually from another. Names of leaders get mixed up. Things get mis-translated. Errors go on air or get published online before somebody notices. It happens all the time“.
Well, it must be true, but I don’t think it explains it all, and I’m afraid we’re being a bit evasive here, pointing to tight deadlines and inexperienced interns. Yes, inexperienced people make mistakes, but the nature of those mistakes depends a lot on their previous knowledge, conceptions and prejudice.
Basically, and the very excellent Mutant Palm put it very well, we (reporters, editors, graphic designers and last but definitely not least – readers), are telling ourselves the same stories over and over again. Now anyone who has kids, or spends time around kids, or, in fact, anyone who has ever been a 4 year old knows how comforting it is to listen to a familiar story, so much less effort, so many more opportunities to express a well formed opinion. Who wouldn’t buy into that?
And so, the story of Tibet is always a story of peaceful monks protesting against despotic Communists. The story of China itself, at least for the last 20 years, is that of a student standing in front of a tank. Any new information will be entwined into these basic story lines, and possibly squeezed a bit so it fits.
It’s not only China reporting of course. The story of Africa, for example, is always that of hunger and some senseless trible wars (and please don’t ask me what te story of Africa really is. How would I know? I just read the papers).
So no, it’s not a conspiracy, just the comfort of the familiar. Will it change any time soon? Anyone who believes that must be underestimating the power of human lazines
PLA general wearing stars & stripes panties?
Posted by: Rachel in East Vs. West on February 4th, 2009
(Maarava mikan, yesh dvarim acherim)
Americans can take their national flag and wear it as underpants. When I was in America I bought a pair of stars and stripes underwear for myself. I wear them often. I wear them as an act of scorn, a way of letting off steam, a kind of psychological release and satisfaction”
Believe it or not, this is a quote from a Chinese army general.
David Bandurski of China Media Project translated and posted this article by Li Yazhou （刘亚洲, and shouldn’t it be Liu)? , a lieutenant general in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, titled: “What is it that truly makes America scary”?
And no, it’s not the panties. According to Li, it’s the strength and morality of the American people’s spirit as shown by people’s behaviour during the 9/11 attack. Li goes farther to suggest America derives it’s strength from the high intellectual quality of it’s political elite, as well as explaining this spiritual clout is demonstrated by the fact that Americans exercise so much (!)
Bandurski continues to translate another exert from a speech by poet Li Shahe, who also sings the praise of the American people stating that “Americans are our best friends”, based on a story he heard about a delegation from Oberlin College insisting on finding a way to fund a Chinese institution that was affiliated to Oberlin before 1949.
These two articles immediately reminded me of another one I’ve recently read, a speech by a Remnin University sociologist Zhou Xiaozheng (周孝正) titled “Israel is Definitely a good country” (Translated here by Alice Xin Liu of Danwei). Prof. Zhou based his own argument on a case in which the government in Jerusalem compensated the families of two illegal work immigrants from Fujian who were killed in a terror attack in Israel, even though it had no legal obligation to do so. Naturally the usual notion of Jewish people being smart and well edicated in’t missing from that speech.
In all three cases the authors draw far reaching conclusions about a country or the character of it’s people, based on specific incidents and somewhat dubious facts. Now I know these are by no means representative examples of what “Chinese people think” but maybe they are a bit representative of the highly stereotyped discussions that take place here. (Positive stereotypes are stereotypes nonetheless)
It’s too much really, almost as bad as the portrayal of China in certain western medias