While most laowai are probably familiar with the phenomenon of the “ant tribe,” a recent article in The Economist introduced a number of other “tribes” of stressed-out young Chinese struggling to survive in the urban jungle. Perhaps the most unusual is the “crush-crush tribe” (捏捏族), who release their frustrations by hiding in supermarket aisles and [...]
Chinese Politics & News Posts
One Child Policy — the great pro-life/pro-choice unifier?
A recent submission over at the Hao Hao Report has stirred up a bit of conversation about China’s One-Child Policy (OCP) and specifically an American organization that strongly opposes it.
For most of my life the OCP debate was completely absent in my daily dialog. I don’t know that I ever gave it a moment’s thought before coming to China. Living here though, and watching as China-centric headlines increasingly fill Western news cycles, it’s a topic that repeatedly finds its way into my thoughts — particularly now that I’ve filled my quota.
In the reverse, prior to leaving North American soil, the great Pro-Choice/Pro-Life battle regularly found its way into my readings, discussions and thoughts. Since coming to China, not so much.
The Pro-Life/Pro-Choice discourse, in my admittedly limited understanding, primarily boils down to a Religion vs. Liberty debate. The religious feel that it is murder to have an abortion, and the libertarians believe women should have the decision to do what they wish to their body. What I find interesting is that the All Girls Allowed organization mentioned above, and others like it, while being aligned with the ‘pro-life’ camp, are primarily forwarding an argument of liberty: The OCP is immoral because it forces women to murder their unborn babies. It removes choice, and not for a fetus (as I’m sure someone is just itching to poke a hole in my description with), but specifically for the women involved. They are pro-choice.
Xinhua featuring weird science, poor grammar and hybrid boobs
It’s tough being a Chinese press agency. It’s even tougher being the Chinese press agency. Everyone’s just waiting for you to stumble, people label you as a “mouthpiece”, call you “unethical” and “biased”, and dub you “pseudo-journalists”; but through it all you staunchly hold your head high and publish this:
Laowai lockout of Tibet
Chinese authorities have stopped the issuance of permits for foreign travel to Tibet due to chilly weather and over-crowding. Probably has nothing to do with this.
People’s Daily: The temporary measures on restricting foreign tourists to Tibet were mainly due to the current cold winter weather, limited accommodation capacity and safety concerns, a high-ranking official said on Monday.
The plateau region is still in deep freeze in March and lots of religious activities will be held. Local authorities do not hope there is something wrong with foreign tourists, said Zhang Qingli, Party chief of Tibet, while attending the annual parliament session in Beijing.
It’s hard being a seal clubber these days — Chinese animal rights group calls Canadians ‘racist imperialists’
There are no shortage of ways to trip yourself up in the emotionally saturated mire where animal cruelty meets cultural relativism. I’m usually happy to leave such mine fields alone, but rare is the opportunity for me to talk about my homeland, my nowland, and clubbing baby seals all in one breath.
This past week Canadian Fisheries Minister Gail Shea was in Beijing to announce a long-fought for deal to open up the Chinese market for importing of Canadian seal products. The deal was made all the more important after the seal products industry lost a huge portion of its market after the European Union banned seal products in ’09.
The news sparked a tirade of outcrying from animal rights groups everywhere, but none so sound-bitey as professor Lu Di, director of the China Small Animal Protection Association, who said:
“Seal products have been rejected by the majority of Canadians and people in Europe and North America. It is insulting for Canada to market these products in China. The perception of Canada’s sealing industry that the Chinese eat everything and the Chinese people do not care about animal suffering is indicative of the racist and cultural imperialistic attitude towards non-western societies still held by some Canadians.”
Explaining the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands “dispute”
If you’re wondering why Japanese business in your neighbourhood have broken windows, or why that mob just marched by shouting anti-Japan slogans and you’ve not got the foggiest idea what the hell the “Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands” dispute is all about, Kyle, aka The Manchurian Candidate, does a damn fine job of laying it all out here.
Kyle goes into a lot more detail, but the gist is:
- In 1894, during the first Sino-Japanese war, Japan surveyed and incorporated into Okinawa Prefecture an uninhabited and unclaimed set of islands between Okinawa and Taiwan.
- Japan got their ass handed to them in WWII and had to give back all war-gained lands from the previous 50 years of expansionism. They didn’t hand back the islands, as there was no one to hand them back to.
- For 30 years post-war, despite massive propaganda of Western Imperialists banging at the door, nothing was mentioned about the Japanese sovereignty of the islands.
- In fact, both the People’s Daily in ’58 and a PRC-produced map in ’69 both refer to the islands as “Senkaku Islands in Okinawa”.
- In 1969 oil is discovered under the islands and suddenly ears perk up.
Amazing Dalian Oil Fire/Spill Photos
No matter where we end up in China, or out, the first port of call any laowai makes in this country surely stays near and dear. Such is Dalian for me. I lived in Dalian for my first 18 months in China and return at least once a year to visit inlaws and friends.
The city is constantly touted as a clean and beautiful city, so, to see it suffering through one of the country’s worst oil spill disasters sucks. To catch anyone up who hasn’t caught this on the news, two crude oil pipelines exploded in Dalian’s Xingang port last Friday. The fire took 15 hours and thousands of firefighters to quell, but over the following few days has caused an oil slick that extends more than 180-square kilometers off the coast — stopping it from reaching the open sea is a top priority.
Boston.com has collected a number of striking photos chronicling the event in vivid detail. Many of the photos were captured by Greenpeace activists on the scene to assess the damage. Photos after the jump..
Is China buying Canadian politicians?
CSIS director Richard Fadden on CBC
With the first of this year’s two G20 summits set to kick off tomorrow (half hour later in Newfoundland), big black shiny busloads of politicians from around the globe are descending on Toronto for a few days of intense protester dodging (it really is an under-rated sport). And just a day before Hu Jintao’s 5.0-magnitude landing in Ottawa, CSIS announces that China’s infiltrating Canadian politics at all levels.
CSIS, for the non-Canadians in the house — and for a good number of Canadians I imagine, is the Canuck version of the CIA (why we didn’t name CSIS the CI-eh is a grand mystery to me) and they are famously tight lipped. In fact, with few big budget espionage movies about the secret underworld of Canadian spies, most Canadians are probably pretty surprised to learn we even have an intelligence agency that spies on people.
China, might be time to let the DPRK slide into the DARK
Half the sunken Korean ship -- that's a big crane!
I’ve been operating with newsblinders on lately as I try to keep everything on the rails with a new baby in the house (apologies for a lack of updates, but that’s why). As such, it hit me off guard when I read this Guardian article moments ago about South Korean findings that point to the North having sunk their ship back in March.
The short recap — military South Korean ship on routine patrol near disputed maritime boarder between the two nations blows up and sinks, killing 46 crew. Joint investigation with British, U.S., Swedish and Australian experts finds that “The evidence points overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the torpedo was fired from a North Korean submarine. There is no other plausible explanation.” DPRK, hearing of the report, announces loud and clear that should the South retaliate, it’ll be all out war. Keeping things in perspective, they issue the same warning when South Korean media makes fun of “Dear Leader”.
What the hell’s with all these primary school attacks?
What the hell is going on? I know times are tough, I know there is huge economic disparity between the rich and the poor, I know nobody likes you, I know your boss made you lose face, I know society looks down on you, I know your parents beat you. But why the fuck do [...]
