Chinese Nationalism

After spending 2 nights in westernized Hong Kong, I have come to the conclusion that I am a socialist.  Spending 8 months in Mainland China can have that effect on someone.  Maybe it was all the visits I made to Tiananmen Square, or all the time I spent talking to cab drivers about the wealth gap.  Whatever the causes are, the result is still the same: I feel more at home in Mainland China than I do in Hong Kong.  While I am used to seeing local life, Hong Kong seemed entirely commercialized.  Also, it felt as if the only thing any one cared about was shopping or stock quotes. I have grown to appreciate the more crude aspects of local life in Mainland.  The fact that everything was so clean and perfect in Hong Kong only turned me off.  I am not used to people waiting patiently in line and understanding English wherever I go.  Ironically, going to Hong Kong only made me appreciate Mainland China.

Ever since the international community began criticizing China’s handling of the protests in Tibet, Chinese nationalism has been steadily on the rise.  Naturally, most Chinese only became more patriotic after seeing the Olympic torch protested all over the world.  They were especially upset with France because they had considered it a very close ally.  Paris recently declared the Dali Lama an honorary citizen, and French President Sarkozy has decided to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. The situation has escalated to the point that the government is doing whatever it can to control the anti-foreign sentiment.  For example, many Chinese have boycotted the French supermarket chain Carrefour.  Moreover,  this past week an American student was attacked in a town in the Hunan province.  A mob assumed he was French and started punching his head.  The student then ran to the nearest cab, but it was surrounded by the mob while people chanted “Kill the Frenchman!”  Police intervention saved his life, and he left China shortly after. 

These type of anti-foreign movements seem to occur periodically in Chinese history.  In 2005, nationalist Chinese students took part in passionate Anti-Japanese protests, while many Chinese were angry with America after the 1999 accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.  Going even farther back, the Boxer rebellion was a much more intense anti-foreign movement in the early 20th century. 

Most Chinese that I have spoken to seem somewhat rational about the whole situation, but almost all plan on boycotting Carrefour.  To help cool things down, my university has demanded that no students take part in any protests. 

I will be traveling to a small mountain town in Fujian tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see how local people treat us.   I’ll post pictures when I get back next week.

Only in China

After spending over 7 months in China, I have basically adjusted to Chinese standards and customs.  Besides adapting to Chinese culture, I have also become very comfortable here.  While I used to worry about crime or sanitation, I now feel a little strange going to a clean restaurant.  I have no problem eating on the street or walking down an alley late at night.  Also, I now feel comfortable complaining at restaurants, and expect people to treat me the same as everyone else (or a little better).  To put it simply, I feel at home here. 

While this sounds great and like an example of cultural tolerance, it is not always a good thing.  I’ll give you an example.  Last week I planned to meet my friend for dinner in the city at 7:00.  She gave me the restaurant’s phone number, so I called and asked for the specific address.  Unfortunately, the man who answered the phone was Indian and spoke very poor Chinese.  As a result, I took the subway in the wrong direction, and found myself 20 minutes away right before 7:00. 

It was rush hour and I couldn’t hail a cab.  A man on a motorcycle came up to me as I was waiting for a cab.  He told me that I would be waiting for a long time until I finally got cab, and I should ride with him.  I explained to the man that motorcycles are not especially safe, and Shanghai traffic is dangerous enough in a car.  The man kept on pushing until I told him that he doesn’t even have a helmet for me.  Out of nowhere, the man pulled out an extra helmet.  So, I did what any rational person would do in Shanghai, ride on a foreign man’s motorcycle across town. 

The ride lasted a total of 20 minutes, and we passed several groups of foreign tourists along the way.  I couldn’t stop thinking about how shocked they would be if they found out the guy on the motorcycle was a Laowai or foreigner. 

Its interesting what China does to someone.  When I first arrived, I had to force myself to be more relaxed and not worry so much.  Who could have known that I would be comfortably riding around with strangers on a motorcycle.

Life at Chinese University

 In order to help students focus, the main campus was moved to the Minhang Developmental Zone.  This area is not much better than it sounds, and I am only 3 subway stops from most of the factories.  However, the district has a very authentic feel to it.  Most everything is cheaper in Minhang, and the government doesn’t have strict control here.  There are more “black” taxis here than anywhere else I’ve seen in China.  I met a driver who told me that illegal taxi drivers make on average 30,000-35,000 Yuan a year.  He also told me that the government will fine a driver 10,000 Yuan each time he is caught.  Surprisingly, he’s been caught 3 times.  He told me he has no other option to earn decent money.
 
I am living in the International Dorm, and the students were very different than what I was expecting.  First, the students are from countries all over the world; except the Western Hemisphere.  The majority of students are from Africa, Korea, Singapore, and the Middle East.  Even more exciting, I live on the same floor as 8 North Korean students.  If you would ask me to describe someone from an Asian Communist police state, I would describe my North Korean neighbor.
 
There are 3 other white students on a campus of over 20,000 students.  As a result, I attract plenty of attention wherever I go.   
 
I’ll post more tomorrow.

Xiang Qian Zou (Running Towards Money)

As my time in Beijing is beginning to end, I feel like I am just now starting to realize so much about China.  Thankfully, I have another 7 months in China to come to many more realizations.  This week in our Chinese class we learned about the Cultural Revolution and the reforms under Deng Xiao Ping.  What makes China so exciting is that only opened up to the world 30 years ago.  China was one of the poorest countries in the world at the time, and now has more billionaires then every country but Japan and America.

Our teachers talked to us about life during the Cultural Revolution and all the hardships they faced.  They had to use stamps to buy food.  The stamps were for grain and oil; almost no one could eat meat.  What really blew my mind was that the stamps were still being used as late as 1993.  In the nation’s capital.  Until 14 years ago, people were still rationing food in Beijing. 

I met someone who came to Beijing in 1994 for business.  He said Beijing literally had no restaurants at the time.  The rich ate at hotels and the poor ate at home.  Now, Beijing is filled with restaurants.  Every corner has some kind of restaurant.  You can find any type of restaurant in Beijing.  Italian, French, Japanese, Tex-Mex, Korean, Middle Eastern, etc.  Beijing even has a kosher restaurant. 
 
As much as I complain about China’s pollution and family planning policies, the country is incredibly efficient at developing the economy.  China has no elections or labor unions to worry about.  No free press.  Weak private property laws.  No interest groups worrying about pollution or human rights.  Sounds horrible.

But, when you want to build a skyscraper it makes everything a whole lot easier.  This  Authoritarian-Capitalist idea isn’t new, it more-or-less happened in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.  Those countries had pollution levels just as bad as China’s today.  But those countries don’t have 1.3 billion people.  In fact, those 4 countries combined don’t even have 1/4 of China’s population.  Its cool to see a country so big and people with so much history becoming relevant again.

On a lighter note, Chinese students are not very professional.  Especially the girls.  It seems like no one takes the girls seriously here.  Most young girls have no opinions on any important issues and tell you politics are for men.  Students in general have a hard time appearing professional.  For example, I went to a formal event held by students this weekend.  A speaker wanted to show us a video but he couldnt find the file. Two girls quickly ran to try to solve the problem.  They ran with their arms waving up and down and as if their feet were still bound.  They then starting panicking until someone else came to help them.  I don’t get it.  A Chinese friend of mine decided to start jogging recently.  I saw her getting ready to go jogging wearing a cashmere sweater and jeans.  She isn’t the only one.  My roommate occasionally works out in a suit jacket

Worlds Colliding

I feel like I have reached a big point in my relationship with China.  I am no longer the naive, overly optimistic tourist.  I am finally sick of eating the same food wherever I go.  I’m starting to realize that I’m taking years off my life span just breathing the air here, and that the restaurants would fail every standard set by the US Health Department.  While restaurant kitchens may not be so clean in the states, most places at least appear to be clean.  If they don’t look clean, they at least cover up their kitchen e.g. Veggie Heaven. 

Here, sanitation is secondary.  I have seen a waiter pull a fish out of a disgusting fish tank, then throw it onto the filthy floor and get ready to cook it.  This all happened right in the front of the restaurant where all the customers could see.

At the same time, Beijing is the only place that I can call home on this continent.  And I am starting to fit in much more.  I talk to cab drivers as if I were one of them, slurring my words and refusing to use more than 3 words in a sentence.  I follow the politics and sometimes know more than some of my Chinese friends.  Most importantly, I am finally starting to pick and choose what I like about Chinese culture.

My roommate has introduced me to Chinese movies and music, and I introduced him to Seinfeld and the Arab-Israeli Conflict.  Great times all around. 

He loves George.  From all of the well-known American TV shows, I would think that Seinfeld would be the least likely to translate well into different cultures. 

I was wrong.  My roommate relates to George over-analyzing every situation.  Chinese culture is full of subtle actions that symbolize and hint at a much deeper meaning.  

He likes Seinfeld so much that he is going to buy the DVDs.

 

Mini-Update

My roommate and I have a very laid back friendship.  He uses my stuff as he pleases and vice versa.  I was looking through his books today and I found this: The History of Jewish Culture.  The book was writtenby the famous Chinese historian Qian Cheng Dan.  It looks like a legitimate book, but I was pretty surprised that Chinese historians would research Jewish culture. 

I’ll post more this weekend.  Shabbat Shalom

People’s Congress

One of the most interesting things about China is how it can be so many different things at once (Communist, Capitalist, Free, Repressive, Developed, Developing, etc). After spending some time in Beijing, you would think China is a free country. Beijing’s younger population wears Western clothing and reads trendy magazines. They follow the N.B.A. closer than most Americans, and love to watch American television shows; specifically Prison Break.

In daily life, China would seem like a Democracy, right? But then you realize you are still in China.

This week is 17th National Congress Assembly Meeting. Delegates from all over China come to Beijing to make policy. A hotel next door to us is hosting many of the delegates. The government has decided to shut down every restaurant or store that has a view of the entrance of the hotel. They also decided to close our cafeteria since we are foreigners and could use it to spy on the delegates while they are in their rooms.

Everything on our street is closed and deserted, with the exception of one obscure restaurant. This small restaurant is open because it’s owner has guanxi, or connections. He has a large painting of Mao at the entrance, and is always wearing a red armband. The armband means that he is a People’s volunteer. Now, they will have a very busy two weeks since they are the only restaurant in the area. Whenever I hear People’s Republic, People ‘s Monuments, People’s leaders, etc; I can’t help but the think of the Rock and the People’s Elbow.

The other funny thing is that the hotel that the delegates are staying at is not so impressive. I went to use their bathroom a few weeks ago and was very disappointed. It seemed more like a construction site than a hotel. The hotel smelled horrible, and it took me 5 minutes to find any one who actually worked there. I’ll post more tomorrow.

Mao and Now

Today I went to visit my roommate’s university, Beijing Capital Normal University. Campus was beautiful and the trip made me realize a few things about China.

On the lighter side, Chinese people generally are much more open about using the bathroom. The restrooms generally have Chinese-style squat toilets and generally have locks on the doors. These locks are almost never used. For example, today I decided to compare the bathrooms at my roommates university with those at mine. When I went the first time, I saw that all of the stall doors were slightly open and decided to check out the toilets. Unfortunately, I opened the door to someone squating and smoking a cigarette.

If this happened in the states, the person in the stall would probably try to close the door as quickly as possible. This guy didn’t even blink. It was like I wasn’t even there.

Later in the day I went to a different bathroom to wash my hands. As I walked in to the bathroom, I found myself standing directly in front of another squatter. His stall door was wide open.

Another interesting aspect about China is how it fuses the past with the present, Communism with Capitalism, Eastern and Western culture, etc. For example, I went to visit my roommate’s old room. The room is roughly 1/3 the size of my room in China, but it houses 7 students. They stack beds together and cram every possession they have into a small cubby.

I was especially interested by the diversity of the posters on the wall. One student had a huge Mao poster praising the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution that led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Chinese intellectuals, and the suffering of many more. The same Cultural Revolution that caused people to be sent to labor camps for the sole reason that they used American can-openers. No entertainment was allowed during the Cultural Revolution. Not even Beijing Opera.

What was next to this poster? Another Mao poster? No. Above the Mao poster was a poster of the movie “Faceoff.” Yes, that “Faceoff.” John Travolta and Nicholas Cage.

Who would have thought, Mao and John Travolta sharing a dorm wall. I dont even know any American’s that own a “Faceoff” poster. Is it possible to embrace Mao and Western pop culture at the same time? Which China is the future China? Mao’s China or John Travolta’s. These are the contradictions of modern China.

Ni chi fan le ma? Have you eaten?

I hope everyone had a meaningful fast. The last week has been awesome. The more I see China’s faults, the more I love it. With the exception of two things: Cabs and pollution.

I spent over an hour trying to hail a cab on Friday at 3:30. Unfortunately, Beijing has no system to hail cabs.  Whenever you ask someone where to go to hail a cab, they always point straight and tell you to walk straight ahead.  I had one person direct me to a construction site.

I feel like they tell me where to go without really thinking.  When you ask a stranger any question about where to find something, the answer is always the same: walk straight ahead.

I could walk into a grocery store and ask where to find the razors. The sales person would point straight ahead. I could then ask the same person where to find the laundry detergent. The sales person would still point to the same vague area. Its as if they assume we are so stupid, that we need to be told to walk away from the wall and toward the products.

China has many of its own little quirks. For example, a restaurant will never turn you down. Never. They will always find a way for you to be seated. I went with a party of 3 to a restaurant today. The place was absolutley packed and had no tables available. They did have one empty seat at a few tables throughout the restaurant.  They didnt tell us to wait 10 or 15 minutes for a table. Naturally, they told us they could seat us right away.  They led us each to a different table.

Nevermind that we are apart and joining the conversation of three different Chinese couples.

If you reject this awkard offer, they have always have an empty unused room in the back. Why do they need these secret back rooms? What deals are being made in these rooms?  I think the government should be checking this out. (They are probably reading this right now). 

Also, China is the only place that consistently has more people working at a restaurant then eating at it.  Every restaurant has six or seven chefs, and only three are working at a specific time.  The other three sit outside and stare.  At least they have the company of another three waitresses. 

If these waitresses are working, they are looking to help you in ways that aren’t necessary.  For example, they won’t just tell you where the bathroom is, but they will actually follow you there to make sure you arrived.  And guess who is waiting for you as soon as you come out. 

You Know You are in China When…

Today I went to a retail outlet to buy some winter clothes. It is similar to a mall except that all the merchandise is fake and the prices are anything but set. Every floor sells one type of product. The second floor is nothing but shoes. I was surprised to see Adidas, Nike, Air Jordan, and Converse shoes all in this outlet. As I got closer to the shoes I realized something was a little bit off. The shoes that looked like Adidas shoes were actually “Diads.” Air Jordan’s were “Ju Ran.” Converse shoes were “Converce shoes.”

 I just can’t stop thinking about a factory somewhere in China producing millions of Diads shoes. What if Diads overtakes Adidas? With 1.4 billion Chinese people, anything is possible.

I’ll give a more detailed update over the weekend.

By the way, in case anyone was wondering, I DO have hot water.

Tsom Kal!