Well it's farily safe to say I won't get a chance to make any comment closer to the event than this.
Brief apologies to anyone stumbling across this blog, it won't make sense.
I am writing this as an open letter to friends who can't be here and an aide-memoire for me.
Yesterday flew past in a flurry of airport visits, Schönefeld, Tegel, Schönefeld was the order of ceremonies. But it all went according to plan and thirty people were collected and deposited across the city without any major incident.
One guest is stuck without a connection to New York and thence to Europe,but fingers crossed he arrives tomorrow just in time, like windscreen wipers for a Nissan Micra.
We've had a birthday already and hopefully a successful job interview among our growing group. Another person is here, but without any return plans. All in all the usual melodaramas you'd expect from a group of 30 people over a normal week.
I remain in awe of Caroline's organisational skills and serenity under the beginnings of pressure. Collection, deposit and re-fuelling yesterday went remarkably according to timetable. I would strongly recommend this bar/bistro that we went to in Friedrichshain last night for their efficient handling of 30 non-German speeakers (well 29) good food and friendly service.
I'm off to collect some more people in an hour and then continue entertaining the guests and last minute preparation.
Tonight we'll be here. An inspired location for the polterabend, assuming the sun continues to shine.
Raise a glass to us tomorrow, if you can't be there, you can be sure we'll think of you during the day.
Thursday 30 July 2009
Thursday 23 July 2009
The Old Barber of Beijing
Another advantage of flying with Hainan Air, other than a direct flight, is the fact that the available movies forced me to watch something outside my comfort zone.
The Old Barber of Beijing (剃头匠) is a film which was made in 2006. It captures the life of an old craftsmen,a barber, living in a traditional siheyuan on a hutong near the centre of Beijing. Many of the scenes are no more than a twenty minute walk from the Forbidden City.
It's a slow moving film, directed in an artistic style, with a focus on the camera work and microphones recording the sights and sounds of old Beijingers living and dying in their traditional environment.
The main theme of the film is the contrast between old and new. Traditionalism and Modernity.
People living in this situation are absolutely still a common sight on the streets of Beijing, but for how long they and their homes will last, it's difficult to say. The debate about the preservation of Hutongs is covered more eloquently elsewhere. The only perspective I would share is that I try to avoid jumping to the conclusion that life in a siheyuan with no bathroom and questionable electricity and water supplies is necessarily preferable to a modern apartment, just because I like to cycle through 'authentic' parts of Beijing when cycling between my apartment and a restaurant.
Anyway, if you've got the patience, the time and the interest, check out these films. You'll see a very different view of our home town than I can easily show. It does have English subtitles.
The titles are hyperlinks in case the embedded video doesn't work.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
The Old Barber of Beijing (剃头匠) is a film which was made in 2006. It captures the life of an old craftsmen,a barber, living in a traditional siheyuan on a hutong near the centre of Beijing. Many of the scenes are no more than a twenty minute walk from the Forbidden City.
It's a slow moving film, directed in an artistic style, with a focus on the camera work and microphones recording the sights and sounds of old Beijingers living and dying in their traditional environment.
The main theme of the film is the contrast between old and new. Traditionalism and Modernity.
People living in this situation are absolutely still a common sight on the streets of Beijing, but for how long they and their homes will last, it's difficult to say. The debate about the preservation of Hutongs is covered more eloquently elsewhere. The only perspective I would share is that I try to avoid jumping to the conclusion that life in a siheyuan with no bathroom and questionable electricity and water supplies is necessarily preferable to a modern apartment, just because I like to cycle through 'authentic' parts of Beijing when cycling between my apartment and a restaurant.
Anyway, if you've got the patience, the time and the interest, check out these films. You'll see a very different view of our home town than I can easily show. It does have English subtitles.
The titles are hyperlinks in case the embedded video doesn't work.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Wednesday 22 July 2009
Life in China and life in Germany
Yang Liu is a designer born in China, educated in the UK and Germany.
The pictures below are taken from a book she designed for an exhibition contrasting different aspects of life in China and Germany commissioned by the German Government. These images are taken from a book to accompany the exhibition and while I'm sure she wouldn't thank me for posting these here, they are already available on Chinese Websites.
If you like them, follow the link above and buy the book.
Leaders
Fashionable Dining
Dealing with Anger
Attitudes towards Novelty
Problem Solving
Restaurant Decibel-level
Parties
Sharing Opinions
Idealised version of Other
Showering
Queueing
Tourism
Punctuality
Cure for tummyache
Image of Beauty
The Place of Children
Weekend Street Scene
The Ego
Life of the Elderly
Transportation 1970-v-2006
Lifestyle
Moods and the Weather
Personal Relationships
Three Meals a Day
The pictures below are taken from a book she designed for an exhibition contrasting different aspects of life in China and Germany commissioned by the German Government. These images are taken from a book to accompany the exhibition and while I'm sure she wouldn't thank me for posting these here, they are already available on Chinese Websites.
If you like them, follow the link above and buy the book.
Leaders
Fashionable Dining
Dealing with Anger
Attitudes towards Novelty
Problem Solving
Restaurant Decibel-level
Parties
Sharing Opinions
Idealised version of Other
Showering
Queueing
Tourism
Punctuality
Cure for tummyache
Image of Beauty
The Place of Children
Weekend Street Scene
The Ego
Life of the Elderly
Transportation 1970-v-2006
Lifestyle
Moods and the Weather
Personal Relationships
Three Meals a Day
Monday 20 July 2009
if cool(n) ≠ loaded(l) + profligate(p), what is n?
Maybe some words of interest for our impending guests in Berlin.
We arrived yesterday late afternoon on the Hainan Air direct flight from Beijing to Berlin. The flight was fine although uneventful. However I didn't appreciate their attempts to darken the cabin and encourage sleep on a day flight. It's relatively easy to avoid jet-lag when travelling East to West as long as you stay awake, then go to sleep in the evening as usual.
Anyway, watched a few movies and grappled with an uncooperative controller to play some pointless hands of video poker. The food was fine although average, as was the service.
I must admit ("divvin't call me a mustard mitt") that although travelling through Heathrow is nary pleasant, BA do have pretty damn good service.
Anyway, for our purposes, we couldn't beat the convenience of a direct flight.
So I thought that the theme of this post could be a few observations I have made on the six or so visits I have made here since associating with the blog-betitling tuton.
The weather tends to be warmer than in the UK. I attribute this to continentality, but then any weather I cannot explain which does not affect the UK, I attribute to continentality. (This is the combination of an enthusiastic, but insufficiently focused interest in geography and coming from an island nation). Consequently we have high hopes for a warm and sunny day a week on Friday.
Berliners hate to waste money. Despite being the capital city, Berlin is not a rich place. In fact the BBC last week ran quite a sobering report about child poverty in Berlin. If I've spoken to you about one of the main reasons I like Berlin, I probably said something along the lines of it having all of the culture and vibrancy of a capital city, without the price-ruining effects of having a large finance industry (which in Germany is based in Frankfurt). So the social scene has none of the look-at-how-much-money-I-can-waste-having-funnedness which is certainly prevalent in parts of Beijing for example.
Actually in a brief aside, I've already recognised that I very rarely have a bad word to say about life in Beijing. Now as I've commented before, this is mostly down to my natural optimism, but also becuase it genuinely is a bloody brilliant place. However, in the continued interests of balance, here's another crticism to file next to crap driving. There are too many people in Beijing that think their rapidly acquired wealth awards them some kind of special status and abilities. Actually, it's not difficult at all to see that this criticism is intrinsically linked to the driving problem. Too many people think having a car makes them 'better' than other road users and they act accordingly. You also get a degree of this in bars and restaurants around the city, however, the sad but true fact is, because we are foreigners, it is assumed we have cash to burn and therefore more often than not, we are awarded what I feel is false respect and deference in this regard. This post is not about Beijing, so I'll get back to the focus, but this is a useful point to juxtapose attitudes in Berlin.
So if cool(n) ≠ loaded(l) + profligate(p), what is n?
(That's awfully geeky I acknowledge, but amusing too, so there we are).
Mostly the social scene here seems to comprise knowing where the fleeting zeitgeist (see what I've done there?) is currently denoting as 'the place to be' and then being there. Dressed casually to indicate that no effort has been made and then drinking delicious and relatively inexpensive beers, supplemented by weg biere or biere der faust - literally (on the) way beers or beers of the fist, bought in local convenience stores. Smoking remains almost obligatory, although having a dog-on-string and 'white-boy dreadlocks' are optional but encouraged. (Think the Tanners Arms) The drinking speed is slow, to allow for involved discussion, but the road is long, night out being a literal term. Warning, this is something that has caught me out, specifically on NYE 2007 when I reached my drinking zenith far too early, brought up as I was on 23:00 hoying out times.
Reggae is popular, with home-grown bands doing some good stuff and happily seeming to avoid the burning gay people obsession that characterises the music actually coming out (not in that way - don't burn me!) of Jamaica these days. But the music scene is pretty eclectic of course recognising that Berlin is the spiritual home of Techno.
Food is always a regular feature of this blog and this post is no different. The food here in Berlin is very good. There are a large number of reasonably-priced restaurants serving food from all over the world. Just in case you were unaware of this urban (not-)myth, the döner kebab was actually invented in Berlin. Currywurst and bratwurst are two other 'weg snacks' to be enjoyed, both on a night out and when exploring the various parts of the city for sightseeing, shopping and checking out the museums and galleries.
As a student of politics, it is difficult not to be enthralled by Berlin. It has played a momentous and difficult role in the political history of Europe and the rest of the World. Walking around the city, even for the first time it is easy to feel like you recognise some of the sights and streets, whether from fiction or the news.
It remains something of a split city, the East and the West are no longer physically divided, but in people's perceptions a gap still remains. Don't be distracted by the superficialities of which 'green man' tells you to Walk or not, despite having visited a number of times, the only time I've been to the west of the city was to visit KaDeWe on Ku'Damme. Not that Caroline is at all prejudiced... (she'll probably knack me for writing that).
If you want some visuals to accompany this über-lightwieght introduction, then check out this set of mine on flickr.
Assuming you're coming to our event, I hope this whets your appetite a little. We'll provide you with more detailed information, suggestions and recommendations when you arrive. If you're not able to come, then I'll be on here ruminating, fulminating and cogitating in the build up and summing up and posting pictures in the follow up.
Follow up to "What's Going On".
Just in case anyone is interested, the Guardian have posted this fairly balanced video report on the troubles in Xinjiang. But although things seemed to have calmed down and despite reading as many reports, commentaries and analyses, I remain far from an understanding of what happened and why.
(This is my relatively uninformed thoughts on the city, helpfully I have avoided getting any detailed input from any of the three hospitable Berliners I am currently staying with.)
We arrived yesterday late afternoon on the Hainan Air direct flight from Beijing to Berlin. The flight was fine although uneventful. However I didn't appreciate their attempts to darken the cabin and encourage sleep on a day flight. It's relatively easy to avoid jet-lag when travelling East to West as long as you stay awake, then go to sleep in the evening as usual.
Anyway, watched a few movies and grappled with an uncooperative controller to play some pointless hands of video poker. The food was fine although average, as was the service.
I must admit ("divvin't call me a mustard mitt") that although travelling through Heathrow is nary pleasant, BA do have pretty damn good service.
Anyway, for our purposes, we couldn't beat the convenience of a direct flight.
So I thought that the theme of this post could be a few observations I have made on the six or so visits I have made here since associating with the blog-betitling tuton.
The weather tends to be warmer than in the UK. I attribute this to continentality, but then any weather I cannot explain which does not affect the UK, I attribute to continentality. (This is the combination of an enthusiastic, but insufficiently focused interest in geography and coming from an island nation). Consequently we have high hopes for a warm and sunny day a week on Friday.
Berliners hate to waste money. Despite being the capital city, Berlin is not a rich place. In fact the BBC last week ran quite a sobering report about child poverty in Berlin. If I've spoken to you about one of the main reasons I like Berlin, I probably said something along the lines of it having all of the culture and vibrancy of a capital city, without the price-ruining effects of having a large finance industry (which in Germany is based in Frankfurt). So the social scene has none of the look-at-how-much-money-I-can-waste-having-funnedness which is certainly prevalent in parts of Beijing for example.
Actually in a brief aside, I've already recognised that I very rarely have a bad word to say about life in Beijing. Now as I've commented before, this is mostly down to my natural optimism, but also becuase it genuinely is a bloody brilliant place. However, in the continued interests of balance, here's another crticism to file next to crap driving. There are too many people in Beijing that think their rapidly acquired wealth awards them some kind of special status and abilities. Actually, it's not difficult at all to see that this criticism is intrinsically linked to the driving problem. Too many people think having a car makes them 'better' than other road users and they act accordingly. You also get a degree of this in bars and restaurants around the city, however, the sad but true fact is, because we are foreigners, it is assumed we have cash to burn and therefore more often than not, we are awarded what I feel is false respect and deference in this regard. This post is not about Beijing, so I'll get back to the focus, but this is a useful point to juxtapose attitudes in Berlin.
So if cool(n) ≠ loaded(l) + profligate(p), what is n?
(That's awfully geeky I acknowledge, but amusing too, so there we are).
Mostly the social scene here seems to comprise knowing where the fleeting zeitgeist (see what I've done there?) is currently denoting as 'the place to be' and then being there. Dressed casually to indicate that no effort has been made and then drinking delicious and relatively inexpensive beers, supplemented by weg biere or biere der faust - literally (on the) way beers or beers of the fist, bought in local convenience stores. Smoking remains almost obligatory, although having a dog-on-string and 'white-boy dreadlocks' are optional but encouraged. (Think the Tanners Arms) The drinking speed is slow, to allow for involved discussion, but the road is long, night out being a literal term. Warning, this is something that has caught me out, specifically on NYE 2007 when I reached my drinking zenith far too early, brought up as I was on 23:00 hoying out times.
Reggae is popular, with home-grown bands doing some good stuff and happily seeming to avoid the burning gay people obsession that characterises the music actually coming out (not in that way - don't burn me!) of Jamaica these days. But the music scene is pretty eclectic of course recognising that Berlin is the spiritual home of Techno.
Food is always a regular feature of this blog and this post is no different. The food here in Berlin is very good. There are a large number of reasonably-priced restaurants serving food from all over the world. Just in case you were unaware of this urban (not-)myth, the döner kebab was actually invented in Berlin. Currywurst and bratwurst are two other 'weg snacks' to be enjoyed, both on a night out and when exploring the various parts of the city for sightseeing, shopping and checking out the museums and galleries.
As a student of politics, it is difficult not to be enthralled by Berlin. It has played a momentous and difficult role in the political history of Europe and the rest of the World. Walking around the city, even for the first time it is easy to feel like you recognise some of the sights and streets, whether from fiction or the news.
It remains something of a split city, the East and the West are no longer physically divided, but in people's perceptions a gap still remains. Don't be distracted by the superficialities of which 'green man' tells you to Walk or not, despite having visited a number of times, the only time I've been to the west of the city was to visit KaDeWe on Ku'Damme. Not that Caroline is at all prejudiced... (she'll probably knack me for writing that).
If you want some visuals to accompany this über-lightwieght introduction, then check out this set of mine on flickr.
Assuming you're coming to our event, I hope this whets your appetite a little. We'll provide you with more detailed information, suggestions and recommendations when you arrive. If you're not able to come, then I'll be on here ruminating, fulminating and cogitating in the build up and summing up and posting pictures in the follow up.
Follow up to "What's Going On".
Just in case anyone is interested, the Guardian have posted this fairly balanced video report on the troubles in Xinjiang. But although things seemed to have calmed down and despite reading as many reports, commentaries and analyses, I remain far from an understanding of what happened and why.
(This is my relatively uninformed thoughts on the city, helpfully I have avoided getting any detailed input from any of the three hospitable Berliners I am currently staying with.)
Thursday 16 July 2009
The Last Post
...before we return to Germany for a month.
So this week we are mainly trying to see everyone before we leave.
Trying to do all the things which we'll miss while we're away.
And for me I have to confess that mainly revolves around eating.
But even though I'll miss some things, they'll all be here when we get back.
Well probably most given how quickly buildings, businesses and bars come and go here.
Most of all though we're both very much looking forward to seeing everyone.
Other than ordering a few books, I was trying to order some things on-line that we can't get here and I couldn't actually think of anything.
I'm seriously lacking in inspiration today, so I'll leave it there and get back to you from a different time zone.
So this week we are mainly trying to see everyone before we leave.
Trying to do all the things which we'll miss while we're away.
And for me I have to confess that mainly revolves around eating.
But even though I'll miss some things, they'll all be here when we get back.
Well probably most given how quickly buildings, businesses and bars come and go here.
Most of all though we're both very much looking forward to seeing everyone.
Other than ordering a few books, I was trying to order some things on-line that we can't get here and I couldn't actually think of anything.
I'm seriously lacking in inspiration today, so I'll leave it there and get back to you from a different time zone.
Wednesday 8 July 2009
What's going on?
If you're watching the news in the UK at the moment I'd guess there's not much coverage of Iran any more?
Somewhere between randomly selected people climbing onto a plinth and more people crying in an American sports' stadium since Hurricane Katrina, you may some reports about violence and unrest in China. Last year the focus was on Lhasa in Tibet, last Sunday it was Urumqi in Xinjiang, the westernmost province in China. A quick bit of background for those who watch the BBC or other 24 hour news channels, 'cause they seem to have 24 hour coverage, but insufficient time to give each story a decent context.
Xinjiang (means new frontier in Chinese) is also known locally as East Turkestan. The local language is Turkic, which they also speak in Turkmenistan (formerly ruled by the magnificently monickered Turkmenbashi). The ethnic majority in Xinjiang are called Uyghurs and follow Islam. Central Asia is an historic cross roads of Europe and Asia and the site of the historic Silk Road explored by Marco Polo. Consequently as well as Uyghurs there are also Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Uzbeks, Pakistanis, Afghans, Mongols and other ethnic goups and nationalities living in this area. In recent years (at least since '49) there has been an influx of Han Chinese - unsurprising since they make up approximately 1 in 5 humans. This movement has been attributed both to a desire to exploit the natural resources which can be mined in the 'wild west' or as an attempt to overwhelm Uyghur culture, a criticism which has also been levelled at the Han moving into Tibet.
Recently our friends here in Beijing took a couple of weeks trip to Xinjiang. We would also have gone, but it clashed with exams I had to give. And with our recent visit from Berlin. Considering it takes 24 hours+ travel to get to some parts, it didn't seem like a feasible trip for a week-long visit. However, if things don't calm down out there, we may well regret the opportunity to see it while we could. It really does look very beautiful and as you could imagine from such an multicultural crucible, there are many different influences, cuisines, costumes, architectural styles, languages, etc. My advice would be to make friends with Steven, Carol and Sunnia who will be at the wedding in Berlin, then you'll be able to see their photographs on facebook. Oh yeah, they're also great peoples, interesting, amusing, etc.
So from what I have read thus far, violence started last Sunday in response to an event in Guangdong province which is essentially at the opposite end (South East) of China. Beijing apparently has a policy of 'encouraging' businesses to employ migrants from poorer parts of China in order to iron out income disparities. But obviously when this occurs with people of different ethnicities, care has to be taken otherwise it's all to easy for mistrust and enmity to emerge. According to the story I read in the Times, a Han worker who lost his job at a toy factory, harboured a grudge against the Uyghurs, who received accommodation and food at the factory, as well as jobs. They were stealing 'his' job (Need any other evidence why the BNP winning euro seats is something to lament?). This disgruntled employee started on-line rumours of rape and sexual attacks by the Uyghurs. And nothing gets peoples' goats like the idea of 'others' threatening their women.
I remember a few years back in Birmingham, (the original, not Alabama for transatlantic readers) a similar situation led to violence between Pakistani and black minorities that led to one man being killed. Needless to say the accusations were in fact false.
In Guangdong these rumours also led to violence. 2 Uyghurs were killed, (Xinhua - Chinese press) and dozens of others (Han and Uyghur) injured. The difference however is that unlike the UK, China doesn't seem to have a very developed policy of community cohesion. Consequently, in Xinjiang, where the demographic balance slightly favours the Uyghurs, things kicked off.
After this relatively undisputed introduction, here is where the confusion sets in.
Did Uyghurs attack blameless Han Chinese?
Was this simple spark all that was needed to light the 'powder keg' atmosphere and cause the oppressed Uyghurs to riot?
Was heavy-handed Chinese policing to blame?
Have the Han Chinese now fought back and killed and injured more?
Basically no matter where you go for your news, it's pretty much impossible to tell what's going on. 'Western' press (as if there was such a consensus) used headlines like "Worst violence in China since Tian'anmen" and if that's not evocative and leading, then I don't know what is. And obviously the Chinese media instantly follow the well worn path of blaming 'outside influences'.
Youtube remains blocked, Twitter gets blocked, Facebook gets blocked.
You then have the worse than useless choice of Western media, who have an on-going narrative towards China which is economically positive, socially negative. They spend such a short time explaining the story that they have to refer to cultural reference points and suddenly everyone assumes it is another example of a authoritarian government exercising their control. The Chinese press simply look for the road of least resistance, since the most dangerous thing in China seems to be the people themselves - they must be appeased and made to feel cohesive at all costs. Of course the traditional way to do that is to blame 'outsiders'.
Look on the Internet forums and discussion boards and all you see is that people fall into a fairly small number of discussion points and use references to 'their' media to belligerently back up their 'facts'. Nobody knows what's going on, but it doesn't stop a lot of arguing and general entrenching of positions and confirmation of stereotypes. And if there were two groups you didn't want on either side of an argument it would be Chinese and Americans, as neither side are well known for their propensity to back down. (That's not particularly an insult - I'm not well known for that trait either).
So this blog post is not an explanation of what is going on.
It's recognition that I don't know. And what's worse, despite the proliferation of news sources brought by the Internet, I feel that as events like these continue to occur all over the world, I am less likely to know what is going on. And how are you supposed to make judgements and decisions if you don't know what's going on?
It's almost enough to make you ignore politics.
Just a few words in closing.
Mother - don't worry, Beijing is very safe. It's the centre of an empire, nobody would dream of rocking the boat here.
If students were to revolt today, I wouldn't be able to make a judgement on what the Government would do.
But if any 'outsiders' threaten the geographical cohesion of China, then I think there will be a swift and unrestrained response.
Look at Russia in Georgia and then imagine if that army was well equipped.
So the best that can be hoped for in Xinjiang would seem to be a negotiated truce, perhaps with the Uyghurs having won a reprieve for Kashgar old town and some further cultural freedoms. Which is perhaps the goal after all...
If anyone is interested in a brief, but reasoned exploration of different media responses, this blog is pretty good. Just don't get caught up in the flaming and trolling on the comments board.
Somewhere between randomly selected people climbing onto a plinth and more people crying in an American sports' stadium since Hurricane Katrina, you may some reports about violence and unrest in China. Last year the focus was on Lhasa in Tibet, last Sunday it was Urumqi in Xinjiang, the westernmost province in China. A quick bit of background for those who watch the BBC or other 24 hour news channels, 'cause they seem to have 24 hour coverage, but insufficient time to give each story a decent context.
Xinjiang (means new frontier in Chinese) is also known locally as East Turkestan. The local language is Turkic, which they also speak in Turkmenistan (formerly ruled by the magnificently monickered Turkmenbashi). The ethnic majority in Xinjiang are called Uyghurs and follow Islam. Central Asia is an historic cross roads of Europe and Asia and the site of the historic Silk Road explored by Marco Polo. Consequently as well as Uyghurs there are also Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Uzbeks, Pakistanis, Afghans, Mongols and other ethnic goups and nationalities living in this area. In recent years (at least since '49) there has been an influx of Han Chinese - unsurprising since they make up approximately 1 in 5 humans. This movement has been attributed both to a desire to exploit the natural resources which can be mined in the 'wild west' or as an attempt to overwhelm Uyghur culture, a criticism which has also been levelled at the Han moving into Tibet.
Recently our friends here in Beijing took a couple of weeks trip to Xinjiang. We would also have gone, but it clashed with exams I had to give. And with our recent visit from Berlin. Considering it takes 24 hours+ travel to get to some parts, it didn't seem like a feasible trip for a week-long visit. However, if things don't calm down out there, we may well regret the opportunity to see it while we could. It really does look very beautiful and as you could imagine from such an multicultural crucible, there are many different influences, cuisines, costumes, architectural styles, languages, etc. My advice would be to make friends with Steven, Carol and Sunnia who will be at the wedding in Berlin, then you'll be able to see their photographs on facebook. Oh yeah, they're also great peoples, interesting, amusing, etc.
So from what I have read thus far, violence started last Sunday in response to an event in Guangdong province which is essentially at the opposite end (South East) of China. Beijing apparently has a policy of 'encouraging' businesses to employ migrants from poorer parts of China in order to iron out income disparities. But obviously when this occurs with people of different ethnicities, care has to be taken otherwise it's all to easy for mistrust and enmity to emerge. According to the story I read in the Times, a Han worker who lost his job at a toy factory, harboured a grudge against the Uyghurs, who received accommodation and food at the factory, as well as jobs. They were stealing 'his' job (Need any other evidence why the BNP winning euro seats is something to lament?). This disgruntled employee started on-line rumours of rape and sexual attacks by the Uyghurs. And nothing gets peoples' goats like the idea of 'others' threatening their women.
I remember a few years back in Birmingham, (the original, not Alabama for transatlantic readers) a similar situation led to violence between Pakistani and black minorities that led to one man being killed. Needless to say the accusations were in fact false.
In Guangdong these rumours also led to violence. 2 Uyghurs were killed, (Xinhua - Chinese press) and dozens of others (Han and Uyghur) injured. The difference however is that unlike the UK, China doesn't seem to have a very developed policy of community cohesion. Consequently, in Xinjiang, where the demographic balance slightly favours the Uyghurs, things kicked off.
After this relatively undisputed introduction, here is where the confusion sets in.
Did Uyghurs attack blameless Han Chinese?
Was this simple spark all that was needed to light the 'powder keg' atmosphere and cause the oppressed Uyghurs to riot?
Was heavy-handed Chinese policing to blame?
Have the Han Chinese now fought back and killed and injured more?
Basically no matter where you go for your news, it's pretty much impossible to tell what's going on. 'Western' press (as if there was such a consensus) used headlines like "Worst violence in China since Tian'anmen" and if that's not evocative and leading, then I don't know what is. And obviously the Chinese media instantly follow the well worn path of blaming 'outside influences'.
Youtube remains blocked, Twitter gets blocked, Facebook gets blocked.
You then have the worse than useless choice of Western media, who have an on-going narrative towards China which is economically positive, socially negative. They spend such a short time explaining the story that they have to refer to cultural reference points and suddenly everyone assumes it is another example of a authoritarian government exercising their control. The Chinese press simply look for the road of least resistance, since the most dangerous thing in China seems to be the people themselves - they must be appeased and made to feel cohesive at all costs. Of course the traditional way to do that is to blame 'outsiders'.
Look on the Internet forums and discussion boards and all you see is that people fall into a fairly small number of discussion points and use references to 'their' media to belligerently back up their 'facts'. Nobody knows what's going on, but it doesn't stop a lot of arguing and general entrenching of positions and confirmation of stereotypes. And if there were two groups you didn't want on either side of an argument it would be Chinese and Americans, as neither side are well known for their propensity to back down. (That's not particularly an insult - I'm not well known for that trait either).
So this blog post is not an explanation of what is going on.
It's recognition that I don't know. And what's worse, despite the proliferation of news sources brought by the Internet, I feel that as events like these continue to occur all over the world, I am less likely to know what is going on. And how are you supposed to make judgements and decisions if you don't know what's going on?
It's almost enough to make you ignore politics.
Just a few words in closing.
Mother - don't worry, Beijing is very safe. It's the centre of an empire, nobody would dream of rocking the boat here.
If students were to revolt today, I wouldn't be able to make a judgement on what the Government would do.
But if any 'outsiders' threaten the geographical cohesion of China, then I think there will be a swift and unrestrained response.
Look at Russia in Georgia and then imagine if that army was well equipped.
So the best that can be hoped for in Xinjiang would seem to be a negotiated truce, perhaps with the Uyghurs having won a reprieve for Kashgar old town and some further cultural freedoms. Which is perhaps the goal after all...
If anyone is interested in a brief, but reasoned exploration of different media responses, this blog is pretty good. Just don't get caught up in the flaming and trolling on the comments board.
Thursday 2 July 2009
Off the wall
Good evening everyone.
Here in Beijing it is 08:30 in the morning.
I never get bored of thinking about the time difference.
We got up early this morning, Caroline has a busy day at work.
So anyway, up at 06:30 I realised that back in Newcastle it is only 23:30 and 00:30 in Germany. It feels strange looking out at a beautiful sunny morning, feeling ready to meet the day ahead when a lot of people back home are about to go to bed in the dark of night. Maybe you're thinking this is all a bit pedestrian and I should just get used to it and shut up - well don't worry, I probably will, just at the moment, the idea of it still interests me.
I haven't blogged since April. As Caroline has helpfully been able to point out, that's because this website, along with youtube and other less useful sites, have been blocked by the so called Great Firewall. Censorship is better discussed elsewhere, but I will say that if I can set up a free VPN in order to circumnavigate the GFW, then it can't be too difficult. It often seems to me like the Internets exist to get around any restrictions people invent to prevent or limit its potential.
And what has happened since then? Well we've been home to Europe and seen most of you reading this. I wouldn't kid myself that my observations are sufficiently insightful to attract any readers that don't know us. Not yet anyway, China/Beijing like most places seems like somewhere it takes a little while to get beneath its skin.
But we're getting there and learning more every day.
I'm still fascinated by the differences and enjoy every day, seeing something new, understanding something a bit better, overhearing snippets of conversation I can now understand - at least parts of.
We've also been to Hong Kong and Macau, which I enjoyed immensely. Hong Kong is at least as cosmopolitan as Shanghai, but in my opinion the difference is that Hong Kong has character. Mostly because it's a pretty beautiful city (I like urban landscapes) built on beautiful hillsides and bays. I definitely feel like there's more to see there. The combination of Chinese and British architecture, conventions and culture is also a big selling point. However I'm so familiar with the British stuff that it almost doesn't register. It simply looks like buildings, roads, buses, etc. Just as I'm used to them. Not so in Macau however, which also has this cultural schizophrenia, but this time the Portuguese influence still stands out in strong relief for me. Great mix of food too. Especially little custard tarts - which amusingly when I worked at Asda Bakery I thought were the ultimate in bland elderly British taste, always bought by the pensioners, little did I know their exotic provenance. I did of course have a brief gamble in one of the huge casino's in Macau and thanks to Stanley 'Wagons' Ho (my addition to his name) I came away a winner - yes I do still remain lucky.
We have also welcomed our first major visitors from Europe. Sven, Martin and Adam made the trip from Berlin to come for an 8 day sprint introduction to China. We didn't give them much chance to relax, but I do hope they had a chance to see some of the conflicting faces of Beijing and China. We also enjoyed a return (for me) trip to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors. A lot of people are unimpressed by these, especially since there is more than a suspicion they've been somewhat repaired in recent years. I've always been susceptible to my imagination though, so for me, the story of the Qin emperor, his hubris and the ultimate destruction of the army is one of the great stories. Especially when supported by the fantastic visual spectacle.
Other than that we have been working and enjoying our day-to-day lives in Beijing. The weather is beautiful at the moment and we're making the most of it whenever possible on roof terraces. When it's particularly hot we/I am often the only person on a terrace as all of the sensible people luxuriate in the air conditioned interior. I'll get used to the sunshine eventually - just not yet.
The outdoor pool at our apartment opened yesterday too and I intend to spend a couple of hours enjoying that tomorrow morning.
I've had a few job offers recently, but am limiting myself to the two. Still teaching business classes at my original university coupled with some part-time work at the microfinance / non-profit organisation. This allows me to combine excellent working hours and holiday which are absolutely necessary to match Caroline's 12 weeks off. I certainly didn't come here to be stuck in an office while she is off exploring China. However, job #2 importantly allows me to maintain a policy / governmental focus and I'm learning so much being involved with a start-up enterprise with strong Chinese characteristics.
Caroline's work remains stressful, challenging and as far as I can tell brilliant. She works very hard, but I am forever impressed by the experience she is gaining and how quickly she is able to adapt to the large demands placed on her. It's no stereotype to say that the Germans I know have a damn strong work ethic.
You can see photographs of our latest trips on flickr. A slideshow should be playing just to the bottom right of this page.
I realise I haven't yet mentioned the relatively large and important event which is looming (can good things loom?) on the horizon. I think that probably deserves it's own post.
So, here I am, back on-line and with no excuses over the summer, I'd better try and keep this slightly up-to-date, particularly if I want to attract back our seven regular readers.
See you all soon.
Here in Beijing it is 08:30 in the morning.
I never get bored of thinking about the time difference.
We got up early this morning, Caroline has a busy day at work.
So anyway, up at 06:30 I realised that back in Newcastle it is only 23:30 and 00:30 in Germany. It feels strange looking out at a beautiful sunny morning, feeling ready to meet the day ahead when a lot of people back home are about to go to bed in the dark of night. Maybe you're thinking this is all a bit pedestrian and I should just get used to it and shut up - well don't worry, I probably will, just at the moment, the idea of it still interests me.
I haven't blogged since April. As Caroline has helpfully been able to point out, that's because this website, along with youtube and other less useful sites, have been blocked by the so called Great Firewall. Censorship is better discussed elsewhere, but I will say that if I can set up a free VPN in order to circumnavigate the GFW, then it can't be too difficult. It often seems to me like the Internets exist to get around any restrictions people invent to prevent or limit its potential.
And what has happened since then? Well we've been home to Europe and seen most of you reading this. I wouldn't kid myself that my observations are sufficiently insightful to attract any readers that don't know us. Not yet anyway, China/Beijing like most places seems like somewhere it takes a little while to get beneath its skin.
But we're getting there and learning more every day.
I'm still fascinated by the differences and enjoy every day, seeing something new, understanding something a bit better, overhearing snippets of conversation I can now understand - at least parts of.
We've also been to Hong Kong and Macau, which I enjoyed immensely. Hong Kong is at least as cosmopolitan as Shanghai, but in my opinion the difference is that Hong Kong has character. Mostly because it's a pretty beautiful city (I like urban landscapes) built on beautiful hillsides and bays. I definitely feel like there's more to see there. The combination of Chinese and British architecture, conventions and culture is also a big selling point. However I'm so familiar with the British stuff that it almost doesn't register. It simply looks like buildings, roads, buses, etc. Just as I'm used to them. Not so in Macau however, which also has this cultural schizophrenia, but this time the Portuguese influence still stands out in strong relief for me. Great mix of food too. Especially little custard tarts - which amusingly when I worked at Asda Bakery I thought were the ultimate in bland elderly British taste, always bought by the pensioners, little did I know their exotic provenance. I did of course have a brief gamble in one of the huge casino's in Macau and thanks to Stanley 'Wagons' Ho (my addition to his name) I came away a winner - yes I do still remain lucky.
We have also welcomed our first major visitors from Europe. Sven, Martin and Adam made the trip from Berlin to come for an 8 day sprint introduction to China. We didn't give them much chance to relax, but I do hope they had a chance to see some of the conflicting faces of Beijing and China. We also enjoyed a return (for me) trip to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors. A lot of people are unimpressed by these, especially since there is more than a suspicion they've been somewhat repaired in recent years. I've always been susceptible to my imagination though, so for me, the story of the Qin emperor, his hubris and the ultimate destruction of the army is one of the great stories. Especially when supported by the fantastic visual spectacle.
Other than that we have been working and enjoying our day-to-day lives in Beijing. The weather is beautiful at the moment and we're making the most of it whenever possible on roof terraces. When it's particularly hot we/I am often the only person on a terrace as all of the sensible people luxuriate in the air conditioned interior. I'll get used to the sunshine eventually - just not yet.
The outdoor pool at our apartment opened yesterday too and I intend to spend a couple of hours enjoying that tomorrow morning.
I've had a few job offers recently, but am limiting myself to the two. Still teaching business classes at my original university coupled with some part-time work at the microfinance / non-profit organisation. This allows me to combine excellent working hours and holiday which are absolutely necessary to match Caroline's 12 weeks off. I certainly didn't come here to be stuck in an office while she is off exploring China. However, job #2 importantly allows me to maintain a policy / governmental focus and I'm learning so much being involved with a start-up enterprise with strong Chinese characteristics.
Caroline's work remains stressful, challenging and as far as I can tell brilliant. She works very hard, but I am forever impressed by the experience she is gaining and how quickly she is able to adapt to the large demands placed on her. It's no stereotype to say that the Germans I know have a damn strong work ethic.
You can see photographs of our latest trips on flickr. A slideshow should be playing just to the bottom right of this page.
I realise I haven't yet mentioned the relatively large and important event which is looming (can good things loom?) on the horizon. I think that probably deserves it's own post.
So, here I am, back on-line and with no excuses over the summer, I'd better try and keep this slightly up-to-date, particularly if I want to attract back our seven regular readers.
See you all soon.
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