Asian History Carnival #14 (Straight Outta Beijing…)

There’s been quite a lot going on over the past month in the news and in the blogosphere and it’s a real honor to be this month’s host for the 14th installment of the Asian History Carnival. If I hadn’t spent the last month scouring the internet for worthy entries (seeing as I received exactly one submission) I would have been wasting my time with things like teaching, dissertation research, and the all-to-real possibility that I may never spend a day without ramen. Without further ado:

 

Always great to stop by The Useless Tree. Sam Crane can be counted on to channel the sages in his commentaries on the contemporary. As most people know, the Chairman’s portrait here in Beijing got a little scorched when somebody threw a burning object at the painting last Saturday. Sam references the ‘Madman of Chu’ in his insightful commentary on the incident. (Sam’s gift for the classics extends also into the world of sports. Check out his posts “Derek Fisher: Confucian Gentleman” and “Manny Ramirez: Taoist Sage.”)

 

Andrew Leonard’s column “How the World Works” at Salon.com is always a good source of China commentary. Andrew’s connections to

May 15th, 2007

Renovations at the Palace

As part of the facelift for 2008, Beijing’s star attraction is getting a much-needed makeover. CCTV reports (with video) that the Palace Museum (better known to laowai as “The Forbidden City”) is undergoing its “biggest renovation in 600 years.” While the palace has withstood the Boxers, 1911 Revolutionaries, Imperialist armies, Japanese troops, Red Guards, and hordes of tourists in funny matching hats following a flag on a stick, the ravages of time (not to mention what we politely call “air with Chinese characteristics”) has taken its toll. The goal is to keep preserve the look of the buildings while protecting the structures. Work has already begun at the very heart of the complex, “The Supreme Hall.”

According to renovation expert Li Yong’ge: “The purpose of the renovation is to keep fit of the buildings. We hope there won’t be any big problems for those main architectures in another 300 years.”

Seeing as the power of the Manchus and the Mongol cavalry is pretty limited these days, 300 years sounds like a safe number.

May 15th, 2007

Parking increases in Beijing

Something has to be done about the traffic situtation in Beijing and the idea of raising parking fees seems at first glance to be a good start. But the increase is only from 2 RMB to 5 RMB per hour which begs the question: That’s it? This means you can drive your US$80,000 BMW downtown and park all day for about 40 RMB (US$4.50). WTF? If the Beijing city government was serious about controlling parking they’d increase the fees up a bit more. How about 100 RMB per hour? If the guy with the man purse can’t park his Audi on the sidewalk for an extra hour while he takes his 3-erguotou and 2-xiaojie lunch break then boo hoo.

According to China Daily over 1000 vehicles are added to Beijing streets EVERY DAY. I’m not even sure 100 RMB parking is going to stop anything. Let’s get those parking attendants who work Fenway out here, I’m talking about jacking prices to “Yankees are in town on the same day as Boston University freshmen move-in and this is the last spot” kind of rates.*

Beijing is rapidly turning into a car town, but it’s not built for cars. Sidewalks are used

May 15th, 2007

"Sexy Beijing" on CNN.com

Glad to see that longtime Granite Studio favorite Anna “Su Fei” Loewenberg and the gang at Danwei.tv are getting some well-deserved props. CNN.com today has a story on Anna and the “Sexy Beijing” series. I know the whole thing has its detractors (check out the strong responses, pro and con, in the comments sections on YouTube–also instructive for anyone wanting to get inside the head of the knee-jerk defensiveness that passes itself off for ‘patriotism’ here).

YJ and I think the episodes are great fun. It’s all done with the tongue firmly in, ahem, cheek–and they even slip a little information in here and there, too. Anna & the guys: keep doing what you’re doing.

May 15th, 2007

Lampton versus Mann: "What’s Your China Fantasy?"

David Lampton, dean of faculty and a professor at SAIS, takes Jim Mann to task over Mann’s recent book, The China Fantasy: How Our Leaders Explain Away Chinese Repression. In the book, Mann argues that the two dominant competing schools on China, one arguing that China is on a path of increasing democratization, the other (think Gordon Chang) arguing that China’s growth obscures some deep systemic problems that will lead to a “collapse,” have missed the point. What if, Mann wonders, China doesn’t change? What if it we wake up in 2050 with a rich, powerful China still under the one-party authoritarian rule of the CCP?

This week, Lampton and Mann went toe-to-toe in the online edition of Foreign Policy.

Lampton accuses Mann of playing the same cards as the 1950s “Who Lost China?” crowd in blaming China hands for the current state of affairs in China: “It’s like the foreign-policy equivalent of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle: For describing what they see, observers of China are somehow blamed for the events that follow.”

Unsuprisingly, Lampton ascribes to a theory of incremental change, arguing that China observers have far less power to influence policy than some (including Mann) seem to assume:

May 15th, 2007
 
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