TripDingo

Happy Chinese New Year! For many Chinese, it is now officially 2008.

The usual round of Chinese merry-making is well on its way, an endless cycle of spending money to buy presents, spending money to buy new clothes, traveling somewhere (hah, that was funny), family and friend meet-n-greets, dining, drinking, smoking, mah-jong (ma jiang), card-playing, red-pocket (hong bao) giving and receiving, well-wishing, paying your respects, toasting your elders and each other, and lighting the motherfucking fire-crackers, baby!

Unlike the United States where it often legal to own a firearm but not play with firecrackers or fireworks, the Chinese blast that shit nonstop for something like 2-3 days straight. It is not just loud, it is pervasive…so much so that the Chinese even gleefully wonder aloud if the Koreans to the north and those despicable Japanese can hear all of China celebrating in glorious unison painting the streets red (with spent firecracker shells, not blood, that is). Crack-crack-crack through the night (which is qualitatively different from bang-bang-bang *ahem*) and even through the days, it isn’t just noise, but is also plenty of beautiful fire flowers (yan hua) amongst the residential buildings throughout the city. No silly fire-safety codes here, there’s no problem with a nice big firework exploding right next to your window to shower the facade of your tower with bright gleeming burning particles of celebration.

To say Chinese New Year is festive would be an understatement.

I’ll be honest, it is far easier being a critic than an advocate. It is easier to rip apart something than to build something up. It is easier destroying than creating.

In science, we call it “peer-review.”

And it’s a good concept, fully embraced by all those warm-fuzzy notions of democracy and freedom of speech.

So I’m going to keep on doing it.

About.com recently made a stab at that huge (but often elusive) China market pie by launching a Chinese version of their basic preimse named Abang.com. In doing so, they ostensibly figured out a few things that would improve their chances of success. I’ll repost them below with my comments:

1- Chinese don’t trust professional-looking sites
While US-users tend to trust a professionally put-together site, Chinese users have the opposite reaction and are highly skeptical. Chinese users presume that a professional-looking site was put together to promote a product or service. “Chinese have suffered from propaganda and soft content for so long that they are very savvy,” Roberts said. “Instead of believing what a professional site says, users in China prefer to ask a bulletin board to hear what anonymous users post in reply.”

I’m going to disagree with this and mostly due to the use of adjectives. What is “professional” anyway? What we’re really talking about here is subjective aesthetics and, yes, different cultures with different backgraounds often have different tastes. Can we say that the “Chinese have suffered from propaganda and soft content for so long” and that’s why they like one type of “design” over another? Yes, but that’s not really capturing the full picture.  

I used to (still do, actually) say the Chinese prefer “cluttered” websites, with such a “jungle” of text and links on each page that I don’t even know where to begin looking before being overwhelmed by the “Where’s Waldo” of it all. Like most Westerners, I don’t mind having a lot of content on a single page as long as it is all organized in a logically digestible fashion. The problem is, what is “organized” and what is “logical” to me may not be the same things for Chinese users.

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I’m going to take some time to dissect and respond to a recent opinion/commentary article published recently on China Daily by a certain Huang Qing, whose authority comes from being a “council member of China Foundation of International Studies.” Titled “The world warms to China’s peaceful rise,” it is already thick with the suggestive rhetoric that is common with most headlines and narrative reeking of propogandic origins. What really ruffles my feathers isn’t just the language, but also the manipulation of information presented throughout the article. The piece is reprinted in full below with my comments should you not want to jump to the original article:

It is a media tradition to look back at what has happened in the past year and how things will go in the year ahead. For Western media in general, a popular topic in the recent year-ender and prediction season is China.

The Independent (daily newspaper) of Great Britain, for example, ran a series of articles about China on its online edition earlier this month. The authors described China as the world’s newest superpower, the third largest economy in the world, the leading consumer society and an engine of economic growth. They said China’s contribution to the world economy surpassed that of the US, that “Owned by China” will one day be as common as “Made in China” and that China’s culture of innovation will spread to the rest of the world, and so on.

Uh….

1. It wasn’t a series of articles. At best, it was two articles and two authors in a sea of articles about the circumstances surrounding the death of Pakiston’s former Prime Minister Bhutto.
2. Only one article discussed China as an emerging superpower while the other focused on arts and culture.
3. Despite the glowing summary given above, it isn’t too difficult to read the actual Independent article itself in context, which leads us to…
4. “Hungriest (and most polluting) consumer” does not mean “leading consumer society” and…
5. There is not a single mention of “China’s culture of innovation” much less it spreading to the rest of the world…”and so on.”

…so, not exactly.

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Just because this sort of nonsense deserves to reach as many people as possible so everyone can collectively be annoyed or have a jolly good laugh, I’m reposting an article fresh off Danwei here:

CCTV is making up news stories again with a report titled Olympic press freedom hailed by foreign media:

It’s been a year since the government issued regulations giving foreign journalists more freedom to cover stories in the country.

China will provide better assistance, a better environment, and better access for foreign reporters to work in the country. Senior officials reiterated this commitment at an annual reception for journalists from around the world.

Liu Jianchao, Foreign Ministry Spokesman said “Throughout the year, we’ve found the journalists have enjoyed better access to information. We expect more journalists to come to China provide better assistance for them.”

Read the rest here.

Many foreigners might read that and think the Chinese government must think we’re all idiots. Not exactly. This sort of nonsense, albeit digested by you in English, is all available first in Chinese where it is read by, well, the Chinese. Duh, you say, right? Well, wait a second there. The import of that fairly obvious statement is that the vast majority of the Chinese honestly don’t have much exposure or experience with information and opinions that differ from what is fed by the government and the government controlled media. Moreover, do you think there are more Chinese people reading that report (in Chinese) or foreigners (in English)?

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As an expat in China, I’m accustomed to many foreign men being secure in their assessment that Chinese girls are “easy” and that China is a great place to get laid with satisfying frequency. Every once in awhile, however, I do encounter the odd newbie who has just arrived, is largely ignorant of what things are like here, and admirably naive idealistic in their notions of romance, dating, and love.  

Image shamelessly stolen from Billy Law’s Shisso. 

I ran across this forum thread quite awhile ago. A young man from a “country with rather mild income differences and [where] personal wealth is not the first thing to consider when people look for a relationship” posts several questions asking about where he can find a “proper well-educated and financially independent” Chinese girl. He even says: “We want to find ‘the match between souls.’”

Hilarity ensues. 

3. No one in China gives a $#!t what people in your country look for in a relationship, “match between souls” or not. Okay, not no one, but very few people. You have to understand that you likely come from a country where your income or personal wealth is vastly different from those here in China. It doesn’t matter if there’s “mild” disparity in your country, there is large disparity between you and them HERE. You can operate by whatever principles of love you wish, it is your life, but do not fool yourself into thinking that they’ll eschew their own priorities and mindsets to adopt your’s. You may find yourself horribly disappointed when she responds to all your “soulmate” talk by asking when you’re going to buy a house for her, whether or not you’ll let her handle all the finances, and how much allowance she should give you per mounth.

There’s even a good breakdown of the types of girls any guy is likely to meet at the bars and nightclubs in China…and more importantly, how to identify which is which.

4. If the girl is with a group of older or shady looking men, possibly dressed provocatively, probably with other girls of similar appearance: probably “xiao jies” whether hired at the venue or brought by the guys in the group from outside. They’re here to enjoy a free night of partying and drinking on someone else’s coin by looking pretty and giving their attentions to the males in the group. They’re there to stroke egos and may be paid for it. Any activities between them and the men afterwards may or may not be negotiable and may or may not be definite. Do not try approaching these girls, no matter how hot they are, mostly because the guys will think you’re poaching their women. The women themselves will not likely be receptive to you anyway because they’re there for the other guys and not as free-agents. 

With all of the responses on the thread (some of which include plenty of tough love) and when I find myself teaching such lads the ropes, I’m reminded of the movie, “A World Without Thieves.” But…would I be Andy Lau (Wang Bo) or You Ge (Uncle Bill)?

“Asia’s first ice bar” opened in Shanghai late last June 2007. About six months later, by January 2008, it was gone, its signage boasting the venerable Absolut brand removed and its pseudo-crystaline carcass still adorning a cranny of the Infiniti complex that is probably better known for being home to Shanghai’s Babyface nightclub.

Image shamelessly stolen from SmartShanghai…because I’m a bitch. 

I remember walking along Huai Hai Zhong Lu that day when it first opened. It definitely had a big opening as far as decorations were concerned but I don’t recall there being a steady stream of people waiting to get in. Of course, I could’ve just been passing by too early in the evening. It wasn’t until much later in 2007 that I actually opted to venture to the venue and check it out. There was some special event featuring a fashion show. Mildly curious about seeing the ice bar in person, I arrived only to find out that the ice bar itself wasn’t part of the event. Instead, it was held in an ajoining bar and dining area that, well, isn’t made entirely of ice…and therefore a much less interesting novelty. There certainly was a lot of people at the venue there, but after enduring a magic show and a lame fashion show with the ugliest models you could imagine, the place emptied out pretty quickly.

Yeah, not going back anytime soon.

Now, it appears I’ll never get a chance to see Shanghai’s Absolut Ice Bar either, which once issued a press release promising to “remain the coolest and trendiest place in the city.”

Yeah.

Okay, I don’t begrudge them the usual optimistic marketing jargon but the restaurant business (bars and nightclubs included) has always been a risky business. In a city like Shanghai, venues come and go, popping up and shuttering with enough quickness for one to wonder if money laundering was what it was all about. I’ve covered Pegasus here before but beyond that, there’s a never-ending list of failed party-places of all sizes and shapes: Arena, CK Why Not, Club G-Spot (I kid you not), etc. etc. etc. Who knows, maybe big bad Attica on the Bund may be next, judging by the poor turnout it had this past New Year’s Eve when compared to a packed house the year before when it was still fresh and new. I can definitely say I’ve dropped by a few times only to promptly leave upon finding a relatively empty venue…and it isn’t a party when you have a big space with few partiers.

The echoes of Absolut’s failure in Shanghai can be found on the internet. Their official website (www.absoluteicebarshanghai.com) is gone, registered as it was late last February and still valid until 2009. Google hasn’t even fully updated its cached search results for the website, still showing a link inside the website that no longer exists.

The whims of those vice-seekers are hard to pin-point. Some businesses succeed, others fail, and the possible reasons for this or that are always legion.

Stephen Chow, a relatively recent (to many Westerners) Chinese funny-man famous for Shaolin Soccer (er, football, yeah) and Kung-Fu Hustle, made an appearance in Shanghai today to promote his new film, ??7? (”Chang Jiang Qi Hao” in Mandarin, “Cheung Gong 7 Hou” in Cantonese, or CJ7 for the non-Chinese inclined). I wouldn’t have known had I not literally walked into the premiere’s red carpets, barricades, security guards, and the gathering crowds at Shanghai’s Daning Plaza on my way to a very late lunch dinner at the plaza’s local Ajisen Noodles.

Despite onsetting frostbite and emaciating starvation, I decided to wait around to catch a glimpse of Stephen Chow after being told by a security guard that he’d be arriving at 5:00pm. After all, my watch was reading 4:59pm and it’d be nice to add Stephen Chow to my list of “famous people I’ve been in close-proximity to” (which includes thus far includes Leslie Nielsen in a Minneapolis elevator and William Shatner at a Hollywood cafe and…uh…yeah). Plus, while Kung Fu Hustle was a bit of a letdown, I thoroughly enjoyed Shaolin Soccer (watch the original, do not watch the American bastardization) to the point where it is definitely on my Top 10 Favorite Comedies list. I mean, the goal keeper got his knickers blown off. That’s 100% awesome.

Judging by the lack of human density at the time, I knew it would be a while yet before Stephen Chow would show up. Walking down a red carpet with the cameras recording and without a respectable throng of humanity crowding around to get a peek at your precious mug would be pretty embarassing for any celebrity. However, when you’ve managed to get a spot right by the carpet and more and more people are gathering about, you feel obliged to stand your ground despite better judgement (or a growling midsection). The event organizers also do silly things (albeit not entirely intentionally) that always gives you the false hope that something is going to happen soon…anytime now…like turning on the lights or amping up the music or having someone semi-important looking walking by and gesturing to the guards that it’ll just be a few more minutes more, shit like that.

I waited there for over an hour. Snow began falling. I was so hungry.

At about 6:12pm, Stephen Chow showed up, long graying hair and all. As short as I imagined, he walked by with his co-stars as I repeatedly snapped lousy blurry cell-phone pictures in futility when I should’ve just savored the moment and gotten a good look (or reach out and grope him for extra points).

Over one hour of waiting with frozen fingers and toes and all I got was a bunch of lousy blurry pictures. Fantastic.

He and the stars were due on a nearby stage but I couldn’t really be bothered to go watch. The mass of congregated humanity had already started migrating towards the stage and I wasn’t at an optimal section of the red carpet to ensure that I’d get a nice viewing spot. So, as the tide surged towards the stage, I clawed my way in the opposite direction…like the mighty salmon swimming upstream towards the promised land of survival (for food, not for reproduction in this case).

CJ7 looks to be another fairly humourous Stephen Chow production with plenty of family-entertainment appeal.

…which, to be honest, is actually pretty much true everywhere…but many of us just like thinking how barbaric the Chinese are when they provide a fine example of this regretable truth.

So, as many some of you already know, there was a Chinese guy who got his ass beat to death by some government representatives (”city inspectors”). He was driving by when he noticed about 50 of these “city inspectors” (think pseudo-police) beating up some villagers who objected to having truck-fulls of trash dumped near their homes. So, he took out his cell phone and began snapping some pictures. Apparently, the 50 some bastards were somewhat displeased with him documenting their ruffian tactics and decided to kick his ass for a good five minutes before he passed out and died on his way to the hospital. 

As soon as this news broke, Wei Wenhua (pictured), the dead guy, was hailed as a martyr for being a “citizen journalist” around the China blogosphere and amongst Chinese netizens. A few days ago, it even received some major coverage by CNN, thereby showing yet another sore sight of China’s to the ever critical West.

Having not visited CNN.com recently, I happened to catch the article yesterday while hanging out with a good friend of mine. Bemused by the news hitting a layman’s news portal like CNN, I pointed it out to my friend thinking we’d connect on this bridging event between China and, well, the outside world. Much to my dismay but perhaps not to my surprise, she barely glanced at the CNN article on the screen and nearly interrupted me to have me to switch windows over to her stock ticker and graphs.

You see, yesterday was something of a Black Monday here in China, with the index dropping over 5%, and much of her stock investments suddenly saw losses (which are depicted in green here instead of red, because, well, red is a more prosperous color than green for the Chinese). Now, that’s a big deal for sure, for her and for many people, and far more important and close to their lives. Wei Wenhua and the tragedy that surrounded him was old news, January 7th  news. As far as she was concerned, knowing how bad the market was doing now was more important than his death, the abuse of power by low-level government employees, and how such news would further give ignorant Westerners a bad impression of China.

I’ll be fair: Her more immediate concern with yesterday’s stock market performance doesn’t necessary mean she doesn’t care about human life or systematic corruption and abuse or the global image of her beloved nation. Likewise, simply not caring about the Chinese stock market sinking (for good reason) doesn’t automatically mean I care more about life than money and I’m somehow more human than she is. In fact, this turn of events ultimately says nothing about either of us.

I want to say the Chinese are far too quick to dismiss some horrible tragedy or injustice as being out of their control or none of their business. Saying so would let me hop on a soapbox and condemn them for really just being lazy and apathetic. Part of me even might pity them for being so demoralized with their own self-worth and individual potential for “doing something” and pontificate on the subjugation of the individual for the collective. I’d even throw in a few mockeries of “mei ban fa (???)!” for good measure.

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