New post on The China Beat

I have a new post up at The China Beat on Chinese reactions to foreign criticism, “Prejudice Made Plausible: Foreign Criticism and Chinese Sensitivities.”

Why does concern about the Olympics, criticism of Chinese government policies, or even a news story about the effect of air pollution on athletes, provoke such a visceral response from many Chinese?

Obviously no one set of reasons can cover the gamut of reactions, everybody perceives issues in different ways, but in perusing the comments section of China blogs and the threads on Chinese BBSs, I sense three main themes: the close integration of state/nation/party in both PRC ideology and the minds of the Chinese people, genuine pride at China’s rise in the world and a belief that many countries in “the West” seek to undermine China’s development to satisfy their own selfish strategic goals, and finally, barely smoldering resentment born out of a history of foreign imperialism in China.

Enjoy and let me know what you think.

(Mainland link)

February 27th, 2008

A Timeline of media coverage on the construction worker deaths at Olympic Venues in Beijing

The Chinese government and BOCOG desperately need to start listening to all the really smart, well-paid foreign PR firms they’ve hired if they want to avoid continually getting caught with their pants at ankle-height:

To whit:

January 20

The Sunday Times publishes an article claiming that at least 10 workers had been killed in the construction of the Olympic “Bird’s Nest” Stadium here in Beijing. The Times arrives at this figure through interviews with employees from the site.

Witnesses have told The Sunday Times of seeing workers plummet to their deaths from the perilous heights of the stadium, which was designed by a consortium including Arup, the British engineering firm, and Herzog & de Meuron, the Swiss architects.

The bodies were swiftly removed by police, who sealed off accident scenes with orange tape and cleared other workers from the area while the dead were loaded into police vehicles, witnesses said.

Managers and police ordered the workers not to mention the deaths to anyone and not to talk about the accidents among themselves.

The usual-suspect trolls show up in the comments section of the Times article:

This is yet another cheap shot at running down the China Olympics, disguised

January 29th, 2008

Morning Tea: Unintentional Comedy on CCTV…Adventures in China PR…Chiang’s Diaries…cheng’guan…and stolen fruit

It’s been a busy week here in Beijing. The Olympic year is not yet two weeks old and China is already doing its damnedest to serve up a whole stir-fry of crazy.

First off, 2008 has thus far not been kind to CCTV. While the state-run station has never really considered itself either yellow or violent, this reliable source of unintentional comedy for those of us living in Beijing has done its best to force that phrase into the cultural lexicon. (Plastered T-Shirts needs to get on this right away, how could they not?) EastSouthWestNorth has also provided a handy list of the top ten ‘very yellow, very violent’ websites for your surfing convenience.

Not to be outdone by the news division, CCTV sports, or, as it is now known, The Olympic Channel, staggered out of the gate when the amorous wanderings of sportscaster Zhang Bin drew the ire of his wife at the official kick-off ceremony. Hell hath no fury like a women scorned with access to cameras, microphones, and a soundstage. The money quote in my book: “Until China is able to start exporting its values, it won’t be able to become a great power. For us to

January 11th, 2008

Beijing’s century-old brands receive new English names. Sorta.

The Beijing translation campaign long marches on. Afraid that visiting Olympic tourists might try to order roast duck at Tongrentang or attempt to buy herbal viagra from the waitresses at Quanjude, the translation board has given six of Beijing’s oldest brands new English monikers. Sort of. Actually, what they did was use the old pinyin name, mention the product offered for sale, and tack on an approximate founding date for good measure.

Thus Quanjude is now known as “Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant–Since 1864″ and Tongrentang is now “Tongrentang Chinese Medicine–Since 1669.” Four other brands got a similar makeover, but I wonder: Why stop there? Some suggestions:

“Old Guy on Jianguomenwai Pirated DVDs and ‘Roleks’ Watches–since 2001″ “Tiαnαnmen Tank Repair and Wash–Since 1989″ “Mao’s Family Tomb and Taxidermy Studio–Since 1976″ “Pure Girl ‘Liquor’ and Underage Drinker Emporium–Since 2003. And 2004. And 2005. And 2006.” “Hutong Barbershop & Soapy Massage Relaxation Spa–Since the last time we got busted for forgetting to grease the local cops.”

More suggestions welcome. Please send them to:

“Granite Studio Chinese History, Punditry, and Adolescent Humor–Since 2005.”

January 9th, 2008

BBC: The Politics of Guidebooks

Welcome to Tiαnαnmen Square. Note the museum on the east side and the Great Hall of the People to the west. The increasingly skinny old fellow in the glass case in the center used to run the place. Oh yeah, and on Jυne 4, 1989 nothing happened here. It was just another summer day in the Olympic City. Birds chirped. People sang. Deng Xiaoping played a round of bridge with the boys.

That’s basically the take as Harper Collins borrows the CCP’s airbrush and plans to sanitize its newest guidebook on China.

From the BBC Magazine (blocked in China):

Hotels are a must. So are tips on the local cuisine. A few key phrases. Some maps. A list of the best tourist sites and their opening hours. Perhaps some cultural do and don’ts. All are key ingredients of a typical guide book. And yet many also feel the need to offer something more – a grounding in the history of the place that can help flesh out its culture, architecture and art. Take Nuremberg. You could describe the city’s medieval architecture, its beautiful perch on the River Pegnitz and its role in the German Renaissance.

But many travellers might

September 21st, 2007
« Newer Entries