Comments on: Disturbing Violence in Kunming

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 04:33:56 +0000

Ligaya,

Well said. I think a likelier cause to the Salvadors bombing might have been that the place has a high profile within the city because of its foreign-owned status, more so than the bomber wanted to kill as many foreigners as possible.

By: Ligaya

Ligaya — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 04:23:02 +0000

Both of those stories are really awful. I’m glad almost nobody got hurt. I do think it’s useful to keep in mind the differences between a planned terrorist attack and a bunch of drunk guys beating up a bar. Anti-foreigner rage is clearly the motivation for the latter. The motivations for the former are much more complex. I reckon this suicide bomber wasn’t solely motivated by anti-laowai hate. If he really is connected to the bus blasts, he was probably targeting foreigners to get more press. This is still awful, but it’s awful in a different way than “f*ck-you-laowai-scum” awful.

By: Sharity

Sharity — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:38:19 +0000

I’m local here in Kunming,can not be more shocked by the bombing incidence (it’s like kunming’s 9 11 for me)…I always walk passed by the street when I was in high school. I literally saw they opened up Salvadors all by their hands day by day.I came back to China for Christmas holiday…didn’t really expect something like this to happen during this time,it also concerns me because my German friend has a bar called Hong xing (red star) ,it attacts laowai and chinese just like Salvadors.Kunming has been a peaceful and laid back city before all these crap.I wish everyone is well.I hope I can go when they re-open before I fly back for school .I will still love and enjoy the days in Kunming as much as I did like always ,I hope your time in Km is not ruined by all this Matt.

P.S. haha LOL at “not just Chinese girls trying to hook up with Western guys” I don’t talk to western guys to hook them up,I talk to them because I simply like to talk ,and I bet some chinese girls were just trying to get their english improved.some were trying to get a green card~(no comment on this one)

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:44:31 +0000

Great post. Really.

By: Matt

Matt — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:27:44 +0000

I’d guess most incidents of violence occur at nightclubs. When I lived in Fuzhou in 2006, a foreigner was stabbed to death there in a dispute with a few Taiwanese mafia guys. I’d guess most clubs on the mainland are fairly mobbed up which is pretty much the case everywhere else in the world.

What made the incidents in Kunming a little strange was that they occurred in cafe/restaurant/bars, places that attract a fairly clean clientele and are frequented by both foreign and Chinese people, and not just Chinese girls trying to hook up with Western guys.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:09:17 +0000

I guess the moral of the story is don’t go to places named “Box” in China. I live in Harbin, which also has (well, had) a club named Box which was more or less the only foreigner nightspot here. A bunch of foreigners I know were attacked there over a dispute about coats (someone said “操你妈“, one of the foreigners said it back, and then a ton of chinese people attacked them) a while ago. Then earlier this year, some Chinese guys got into a dispute with some off-duty police. The police beat one of them to death and left his corpse on the street outside the club to freeze overnight. (The only person arrested as a result of this was the club owner. The club is now closed).

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 04:24:57 +0000

Thank you everyone. I haven’t heard anything new about this case in the last two days, but when I do I will post an update here. For more immediate news, please read http://www.gokunming.com.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 03:37:00 +0000

Wow, that’s some scary news Matt – I’m glad everyone is alright.

I’ve not witnessed much violence here in China, but have heard plenty of stories. Some fights deserved, some very undeserved.

It’s unfortunate that the would-be bomber wasn’t able to give any motive before dying. Hopefully it was just a personal beef that died with him and Kunming can go back to being the peaceful, laid-back place it’s always seemed to me.

By: china pasticcio

china pasticcio — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:55:32 +0000

I’ve been in China almost as long as you, Matt, but I’ve never encountered anything remotely resembling this. I spent two years in Guangzhou, which many Chinese claim is a den of thieves and robbers. And two years in Hubei. I’ve traveled to a number of cities: Beijing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan, Yichang, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Macao…and been known to roam and explore late at night, inevitably finding myself in some rather seedy looking neighborhoods.

I keep my eyes open and stay aware of my surroundings, but not once have I ever felt threatened or subjected to any kind of hostility.

My heartfelt thoughts to you and yours in Kunming, as well as wishing all a prosperous…and peaceful…New Year.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:26:37 +0000

Thank you for this well written post. Matt, you obviously love living in Kunming and are shocked by these recent attacks, as we all are. To think that Salvador’s, a place that acted as a home away from home for me when I lived in Kunming and which is a common meeting place for Chinese and westerners, was targeted by terrorists I find to not only be shocking but deeply scary as well.

I’m afraid I can’t say that I have never seen hatred and violence break out between Chinese people and foreigners. Last spring there was an incident with an American teacher in Hunan that while totally exaggerated by the American suggested a whole lot of ill feeling that could develop into violence. However it is all very rare and generally any hateful feelings from either side seem to stay hidden from the people they would hurt. What has happened in Kunming is extraordinary. We can only hope that Kunming remains the lovely peaceful city it has been for so many foreigners trying to live in, work in, and understand China.