The Chinese Protest

Today there's an interesting article in The New York Times about Tibet, Chinese protests, the western media's response and all of the conflicting values surrounding the issue. A lot of people are very angry over here over some sloppy journalism covering the Tibetan riots where pictures of Nepalese and Indian police brutality were portrayed as actual pictures of the riots in Tibet. One thing that the NYT article points out that I find particularly interesting is that part of this backlash against the western media comes from disappointment since American and British news outlets have been perceived as an objective beacon of truth when compared to China's state controlled media. Cafferty's remarks didn't exactly help their reputation.

America's love affair with the Dalai Lama should acknowledge the controversial historical connection to Tibet, which has been a suzerain of China on and off since the Mongols took invaded it back in 1244. But then again, the Dalai Lama just wants more autonomy and not independence, which is very different from his portrayal here as a separatist terrorist in exile. If only there was a more educated and objective media outlet to match an overly sympathetic American media...cuz Xinhua definitely doesn't cut it.

A couple of years ago I read a great book on the issue called The Snow Lion and the Dragon: China, Tibet and the Dalai Lama by Melvyn Goldstein. It's less than 200 pages and briefly covers the history of Tibet and its connection to China.

I plan to go to Carrefour tomorrow to hit up some of these killer deals. However, a friend of mine forwarded me the following article that's making me think twice.

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2008/gb20080422_316128.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily

"According to several accounts, a 22-year-old American was attacked by protesters over the weekend as he came out of a Carrefour store in Hunan province. The man, who was not identified for fear of reprisals, was said by colleagues to be working in China as a volunteer teacher. Local news media are starting to urge calm. On Apr. 22, the official English-language China Daily editorialized: "Over-the-top nationalism is not constructive but can do harm to the country."

No Mentally Impaired Allowed

On Wednesday I took a cab home after going up town for dinner and a drink. It was probably 11:00pm and when we turned into my neighborhood, the driver found that the street was closed off by the police, for an accident I presumed. I walked the short distance to my residence, and was surprised to find that not just a side street was closed off, but the entire boulevard running along the river was taped off. One person I asked said that it was closed off for a race. I crossed the street to my complex and anxiously waited to see if some runner, bicyclists or speeding cars would come racing by...at 11 at night. After a while I got impatient and asked one of the policemen what was going on. He shrugged as if he didn't understand me. When I asked him a couple of more times, he still refused to answer. Must be some big officials coming by! Receiving a non-answer in situations like this is pretty common in China regarding official motorcades and anything else that is deemed so important that not even the answer "I can't tell you" is considered confidential information.

I arrived at my house and asked a couple what was going on, I finally got my answer, preparations for the Olympic torch relay next month. Cool! It's coming right by my house.

Friday when I came home from work, I found the following notice wedged into the outside door of my apartment. I think item #2 is especially interesting.

Resident Notice

Hello!

To ensure the smooth operation of the "Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay Event", we request that each resident be aware and cooperate with the public security for each of the following tasks:

1. Each resident needs to perform a self-check (check that your electricity use, oil use, fire use and gas use is safe). From your balcony, sun deck and window, please collect any flower pots, poles, trash and any clothes hanging out to dry. This is to avoid any high altitude, heavy falling objects that might hurt pedestrians below.

2. Families with members that have a mental disorder or members that are unable to restrain themselves need to contact the neighborhood or public security bureau. They will be forced to live in the hospital for treatment or be kept away until the event concludes.

3. During the event, do not climb on the balcony, guard rails, roof or tree lattice. Setting off firecrackers is strictly forbidden. To the best of one's ability do not invite family, friends or colleagues to your house to watch.

4. Heighten your vigilence, prevent against anything that might sabotage the event. If you discover suspicious situations or suspicious people, please immediately make an official report to the public security bureau.

Haizhu District People's Government Chigang Street Office
Haizhu Public Security Chigang Street Police Station
April 20, 2008

住户须知

尊敬的各位居民住户： 您们好！ 为确保“北京2008年奥运会火炬接力活动”传递的顺利进行，请各位居民住户自觉配合公安部门做好以下工作：

一、个住户要开展自防检查（检查用电、用油、用火、用气安全），把阳台，天台，窗户放置的花盆、竹竿、杂物及晾挂的衣物收好，以免掉下砸伤行人，预防高空坠物；

二、家属中有精神病人而又无力约束的，要及早联系街道或公安部门，将其强制送住医院治疗或隔离至活动结束；

三、活动期间，不要攀爬阳台、护栏、层顶、树木棚架，严禁燃放烟花爆竹，尽量不要邀请亲戚朋友或同事到家中观看；

四、提高警惕，防止种破坏活动，发现可疑情况和可疑人员，请及时向公安机关报告。

海珠区热敏政府赤岗街道办事处
海珠区公安分局赤岗街派出所 二OO八年四月二十日

Whew! Nothing about hanging a gigantic banner with streamers of Tibetan flags against a backdrop of Falun Gong symbols juxtaposed against a "Taiwan Independence" sticker on the forehead of a caricature of Mao Zedong off my sun deck. I guess I'm in the clear!

Carrefour Conspiracy!

With state controlled media in China, everyone knows that the newspaper and TV broadcasts need to be taken with a grain of salt. Luckily there is still a reliable source of information: gossip, the most fact worthy source of information known to man.

In China gossip is loved and treasured. SARS was rumored to be started by the CIA to destroy the China economy, the riots in Tibet began with a rumor (this is of course, controversial) that some monks were beaten up by policemen in front of a temple. This has led to the most recent string of rumors, which has led to a movement to boycott Carrefour, a French retailer.

The Carrefour boycotts began with a rumor that LVMH (Louis Vitton), a luxury goods company, donated money to the Dali Lama. The connection to Carrefour is as follows: the chief manager of LVMH is Bernard Anault who is also co-owner of Blue Capital with Colony Capital. Colony Capital owns 10.7% of Carrefour. So by association, Carrefour is supporting the Dalai Lama clique!

An official statement by LVMH says "Neither LVMH nor any individual shareholders have ever supported any organization or act that opposes the interests of the Chinese government and the Chinese people."

Now a new rumor started a few days ago that, as a response to boycotts across China, Carrefour is having a mega sale, slashing prices by as much as 50% for the May 1 labor day holiday. I haven't been able to confirm this sale, and the Carrefour China website does not have any information since it is undergoing a "website upgrade and maintenance" (rumored to be sabotaged by hackers).

The follow-up to this rumor is that the sale is part of some gigantic French conspiracy. It's mostly been spread via text messages, QQ, chat rooms and forums.

Below I've translated it from the Chinese:

Important news: The French government has appropriated 20 million USD, with Carrefour putting forth five million USD for the use of holding discounts on the May 1 national holiday. I've heard that upper echelons of Carrefour are very presumptuous, they want the Chinese on May 1 to stampede to Carrefour for the discounts, ideally resulting in a couple of deaths. The French TV stations are also actively making preparations. They want to film shots of Chinese people going crazy in Carrefour to shop. They want the Chinese to be seen as hypocrites.

Please send this message on to your family and friends, don't go to Carrefour to shop. Don't, for the sake of getting something cheap, lose your dignity, lose the aspirations of our race. Don't let the foreigners laugh at us. And don't let foreigners look at us like a disease of East Asia. It is not worth mentioning all the hard work we've done, but we definitely want to unite to let foreigners see our strength.

重大消息: 法国政府准备拿出二千万美金，家乐福自己再拿出五百万美金，用于五一降价促消，听说家乐福高层很狂妄，让中国人在五一降价中挤破家乐福，最好踩死几个人．法国电视台也在积极做准备，拍摄中国人到家乐福疯狂购物的镜像．让中国人自打自的嘴．
请把此信息传给你的亲戚朋友，不要到家乐福购物，不要为了丁点的小便宜，而丢了尊严，丢了民族志气，让外国人笑话．再不能让外国人把我们看作东亚病夫了.虽然我们的努力可能微不足道,但大家团结起来一定要让外国人看看我们的力量。

taken from http://bbs.onlylady.com/thread-313463-1-1.html

The authenticity of this rumor is definitely dubious, and it's safe to say that there are many Chinese who don't believe it. Why the French and Carrefour would put up 25 million bucks just to embarrass some Chinese shoppers is beyond me. I wouldn't exactly call the boycott of Carrefour widespread. People in the cities would much rather go to a store that's controversial yet convenient, then trek half an hour away to go to Carrefour's (inferior in my opinion) competitors (i.e. Walmart, Park and Shop). Still though, there's enough nationalist sentiment for this latest rumor to take hold, even among some people who I consider to be very smart. Only next week on May 1, when the packs descend upon the "sale," will we know for sure...

What do girls care about the most

A friend of mine sent me a funny story related to the whole China row over France. I've translated it to English from the Chinese.

What do girls care about the most?


MM: "I love you."
My face turns red, I don't want to hurt her. "I don't have anything, I don't have a house or a car."
MM looks into my eyes. "I know," she says.
"I only make fifteen hundred yuan a month."
MM continues to gaze at me undaunted, "You will make more later."
With trembling hands I pull out a cigarette and put it in my mouth. "I need to smoke a pack of these a day, and when I drink I become belligerent. "
MM laughs, "I will be with you, you don't have to worry."
I feel a tingling up my spine, like there's a nip in the air. I stammer to her "Actually...actually I just want to be a gangster..."
Before I'm done speaking MM collapses in my arms, her soft voice is a like a small bird: "if I'd only known how hot you are, you would've stolen my love a long time ago." I can feel blood swell up, embracing MM's tepid and dainty frame makes a feeling of indignation rise inside me. In this moment, I suddenly remember something very important. I must tell this to MM.
Five seconds after I tell her she turns to me: "really?" she asks.
In grief I slowly nod my head. MM silently throws off my hug, raises an open hand and slaps me across the face. She glares at me angrily and yells "What?! You bought the cigarettes at Carrefour?!"



女生最在乎的是什么? www.6park.com

MM说：“我爱你。”
我脸红了，我不想害她：“我没，更没有房子和车。”
MM盯着我的眼睛：“我知道。”
“我的月薪只有一千五。”
MM的眼光仍然坚定无比：“以后会多的。”
我用颤抖的双手拿出一支烟*在嘴上：“我每天要抽一包烟，一喝酒就闹事。”
MM笑了：“以后有我在，你放心。”
我的脊梁上冒起一阵寒意，结结巴巴地对她说：其实……其实我很流氓……
MM没我说完就软在了我的怀里，声音细若蚊鸣，：“早知道你好色，你老偷偷瞄我胸”
一股鼻血喷涌而出，我抱紧了MM温热娇小的身体让我热血沸腾。这时我忽然想到一件很重要的事情，我决定把这事告诉MM。
五秒钟后MM抬头问我：“真的？”
我悲愤地点点头。MM沉默片刻挣开我的怀抱抬手给了我一个耳光，愤怒地朝我喊道：“什么，烟是从家乐福买的?!!”