Archive for August, 2009
Scars
A performance artist was sewing Chinese chracters on cabbage (don’t ask me why)
It made the Lao Taitai’s from the neighbourhood committee worried and angry: “But what will you do with the cabbage later? Would anyone still eat it?” They thought it was shamefully wasteful.
I grew up in a community where many were holocaust survivors (or holocaust victims. I’m no longer sure “survivors” is an apt name for them). It was only during the seventies that holocaust remembrance in Israel was shaping up into something respectful for victims and their families, and it was not until the eighties that the ordeals of the “Second generation” – ie children of survivors - begun to get acknowledged. Those are people who did not experience the war first hand but who have grown up in families and homes haunted by its memories. It was an important lesson for society, something that is essential in order to understand certain patterns in people’s behaviour.
It took me seven years of China experience to fully realise the obvious: That the people of the PRC are either holocaust survivors or second generation. I wonder how long it will take for public opinion here to realise that as well, let alone deal with the consequences.
Home sweet home – the writing on a Beijing wall
Posted by: Rachel in Mysteries of the Big Jing on August 25th, 2009
Taken few weeks ago near Tonghui, south of the 3rd ring road
The building was declared for Chai (拆), according to workers who hung around there, to build a park along the Tonghui river bank. Someone crossed the 拆 and wrote 宅 (zhai) which means “Home” (it is not actually anybody’s home, but a furniture shop named (for whatever reason) Ilinoi
Itay over at Bad Panda has some more on the Tonghui project
preparations
Posted by: Rachel in East Vs. West on August 24th, 2009
paramilitary police in the streets every night. One policeman at every street corner in the streets close to Zhongnanhai. They stand with their back to the traffic, basically facing concrete walls which just looks a bit strange.
On the city neatness front, streets are being washed at night, with A LOT of water being sprayed from water-tank carrying trucks. Our municipal government makes a point of doing this exactly 10 minutes before it starts raining. What is it more, pointless or wasteful? having a hard time deciding.
six weeks to anniversary
US government in a drive to spread pornography among harmonious Chinese
Posted by: Rachel in Cinternet, East Vs. West on August 16th, 2009
This is the kind of headline you’d expect from the China Daily, wouldn’t you?
Well, surprise surprise: CD report on the new US initiative to promote FOE – a new system that bypasses internet censorship in China and Iran is actually quite balanced, bringing several voices – both inside and outside China – who oppose government censorship.
Yeah I know, it presents the issue as if the main reason for web filtering is to keep porn out, but anyone with half a brain can understand what this article is all about.
Here are two of the very sensible quotes:
The US government wants to send a message to countries applying strict control over the Internet that people have the right to access any information they want, that is why FOE is developed by the US government, said Pan Wei, a professor in Peking University’s School of International Studies.
“China should be confident enough to be transparent and take criticism. It’s about time China loosened its control over the Internet,” Pan said. “It actually damages China’s international image.”
Charles Mok, chairman of the Internet Society of Hong Kong, said: “It would probably be more ideal if civil society’s efforts within the community gathered resources to come up with a similar sort of implementation rather than being government driven.”
There is also a lively discussion over at the comment section
Danwei’s Jeremy Goldkorn is also quoted in the article. I’m taking a wild guess here, that Danwei itself will be accessible again pretty soon.
Could find nothing on Chinese websites though, except this blog (in Chinese) stating: “The US is a really good guy. Now they even care about my web/surfing”
Breaking News: Rio Tinto employees arrested
Posted by: Rachel in East Vs. West on August 12th, 2009
So informs this Xinhua Newsflash 00:39 am August 12th .
BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) — Four employees of the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. have been arrested on charges of trade secrets infringement and bribery, according to a statement of China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate late Tuesday.
They included Stern Hu, general manager of the company’s Shanghai office, who was also in charge of the iron ore business in China, the statement says.
If you missed it by any chance, Rio’s executive Stern Hu and three other employees have been have been in detwntion since July 5Th.
Sometimes it is simply comical.
Anyway, guess the meaning is there are formal charges now
Besides to point: something about the whole Rio Tinto business doesn’t compute. I have nothing but speculation but am I crazy to think there is more there than Chinese business interest/ China trying to bully companies into cooperation?