GZ Expat, Part II

Earthquake

You've all read and heard about it.  Just browse down through the past few days of news clippings I have been saving since the big quake in Sichuan.  I only have a few comments to make on the whole thing...

• I believe the Chinese will be more open to receiving help and charity from foreign agencies and governments, unlike their friends in Burma.  Both disasters are on an unimaginable scale for many of us from relatively safe Western countries (California and Florida notwithstanding).  China's leadership right now is on the offense to make themselves look good in the wake of the Tibet riots...they won't turn down any offer of help.
• Initial reports of the earthquake were coming out of Beijing and Shanghai.  Everyone knew the epicenter of the quake was in Sichuan, near Chengdu, but nobody was hearing anything from that region, as power and telephones were knocked out by the disaster.  Instead, initial news reports were of people that were able to Twitter from effected regions...very short messsages.  Longer blog posts were of people in Beijing and Shanghai freaking out about their buildings swaying and being evacuated.  My initial thoughts were angry at this.  'How self centered' I thought to myself.  We had not yet heard of the scale of the problem in Sichuan...yet, people were all up in arms about their buildings moving about a bit.  How about your building falling on top of you?
• I had read a rather sensational blog post about how the scale of the death toll is the fault of China's economic boom.  Uhhh...right.  OK...after reading a little further, there was some validity to the point and that being, the shoddy construction standards (are there any??) in place here.  I have long told family and friends, the greatest fear I have living in GZ, is an earthquake.  It will all come crumbling down, similar to the movie from the 70's (in sensurround!).  The highway overpass from GZ to Shenzhen collapsed...TWICE...without an earthquake.  Imagine what would happen with the help of the earth!  Remember this when you are attending the Olympics and you are sleeping in your newly built hotel. 
• We live a long way from Sichuan, we did not feel the quake.  Reports of people feeling the quake in Bangkok are pretty far fetched to believe...but you never know. 
• I will wait until I see a need for a charitable contribution.  Maybe I am a heartless American that is unfeeling towards the country I live.  Hardly.  I work with several people in which this disaster has touched personally.  But, this country is awash in disposable income.  The tax rates here are confiscatory...and I do my part on that end.  It's now up to the people of this country, whom have profited off the labor of the people of Sichuan (and other poor inland provinces) for 20 years to pay their respects by digging deep into their pockets and giving what they can in relief efforts.  The day I see the millions and millions of renminbi flowing into Red Cross and other aid agencies from the locals, will be the day that I dig into my pocket and make a contribution.  Until then...my prayers are with the people and families of the struck regions.

If you would like to donate, here is some information on the Red Cross of China

Day Trip

Tai-Tai took me out for a quick trip to an old Chinese house in Panyu, Yi Yun.  She had been there about 3 years ago and had misplaced the information on it...until she found it the other day.  Her impression of it back then was somewhat run down but very interesting in how it had fallen into disrepair.  Little did we know that in the three years since she had been there, they have done some extensive renovation to the place.  It only took about an hour to explore...but it was very good. 

I really enjoy the traditional Chinese homes...the open air corridors and the surprises around every corner.  A vast contrast to the Chinese architecture of today which is square, cement and built with virtually no crafting skills whatsoever.  These old homes are a testament to different times in China.  I mean, look at that front entrance to the house in the picture to the right...amazing.  Pictures here.

Other than that, we've not done a whole lot over the weekend...just lazing.  Yeah, I haven't blogged much, which I thought I would do more of when I was off.  But, meh...that's the way it goes. 

Enjoy the pictures...

The Final Word on the Tibet Riots

I've always admired the Imagethief...but this long essay on Tibet and China's struggle to handle the PR and information flow in its wake is a must read for everyone...

While there are elements of truth to China's version, China's ability to sell it internationally has always been hampered by the government's time-honed credibility gap with western audiences. This is exacerbated by the difficulty of getting independent points of view. Reporting from Tibet was heavily controlled even before the riots. Furthermore, International opinion is subject to an effective PR campaign run by Tibetan exile groups and the charismatic Dalai Lama. It's safe to say that International audiences will never be entirely convinced by a Chinese state narrative that doesn't even allow for the possibility that there might be genuine discontent in Tibet. China is much better at dictating ideas to a captive audience than at selling them to an open one.

I've been wanting to write a longer piece on Tibet, but this just does it for me...there is nothing more to be said.  Read the whole thing.

Scooting Around the Neighborhood

Tai-Tai was contacted by a friend that was moving from their house in our compound...'Would you be interested in buying our scooter?'

The compound we live in isn't that big...it is a horseshoe shaped chunk of land with the homes and apartments lining the slingshot shaped lake at the center.  The problem is...each level is a staircase away from each other.  Not sure what the 'grade' of the road would be...but they appear to be at least 20%.  The clubhouse for the complex is located at the top...and we are near the bottom.  Needless to say, we never used the clubhouse that much, because it was such a pain in the butt to get there.

With the addition of this mean machine, we have found a bit more freedom getting to and from the shop and up to the clubhouse.  There is no license, as scooters are illegal in GZ...but, its OK here on private property. 

So, Tai-Tai asked me what I thought, and I didn't really care one way or the other.  Asking price was RMB1500.00 (about USD210.00) for a scooter that had only 180 kilometers on it.  It's not a Vespa or Paggio...but, it runs quite well and it gets the job done.

*The photo to the right:  "Specializing in noble model street bike for noble life..."  I feel noble, that's for sure*

What Will They Do During the Olympics?

Nothing much more to say when you read this...

One especially excited group was Cub Scout Pack 3944, which is comprised mostly of Beijing-resident American kids under the age of 10. About fifty of them arrived at the game in blue uniforms bedecked with American flags and merit badges, accompanied by their den mothers and scout masters. The night before, they'd learned that the Dodgers had invited them onto the field after the game to meet the players.

But just before the game, the Haidian district police barred the scouts from the field. Why? Because thousands of kilometers away, in the Himalayas, monks and others in Tibet had launched protests against Chinese rule. The government apparently feared that the young Americans would use their moment on the grassy infield to agitate for Tibetan independence. This fear that a pack of cub scouts would politicize a baseball game drove the government to politicize the event more effectively than any Tibetan splittist could hope for, and disappointed a group of bright-eyed kids in the process.

Incredible.  This is Chinese crisis management at its best.  Again...what are they going to do when people show up for the Olympics and stage protests and the like in and around Beijing.  As Ronald Reagan used to say...'You ain't seen nothin' yet.'

The Yelling Man

This past week was a brutal, busy week with two sets of visitors coming in to work on product and generally take up all my time.  I had many early mornings and late nights keeping track of these people.  On one particular morning, while quickly checking the inbox and the latest Twitter-ings...I heard this noise...faint.

I kept plugging away at what I was doing and then I heard it again.  It was 6:45am...a decent day outside...but not too many people or cars about at that time.  So, I decided to investigate a little further and headed to the back door to step into the garden to see if I could see/hear what the noise was.  After a couple moments in the calm of the morning...

"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

And a return to the silence.  WTF what that?  Sounded like someone yelling. 

"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

There it was again and it was coming from across the complex.  There was someone yelling at the top of their lungs.  Did they lose their kid?  Their cat?  Dunno...so, I headed back inside and thought it strange.

Fast forward to the next morning...same 'bat-time'...

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Huh??  A few moments later...again...and again...and again. 

If this guy were living next door to me, I'd be having some words with him. 

The other night we were at a quiet dinner party with some friends in the complex and someone mentioned they had heard a guy yelling in the early morning.  'Yeah...I heard him too.'  The guys sounds like 'George of The Jungle', my friend says.  A good laugh...but still a mystery as to why he is yelling at 6:45am every morning. 

Another China moment...cultural differences and all that.  Very strange place to be at times.

The Wild, Wild West

This past week saw the Chinese government's imitation of its closest allies around the world, Myanmar and Sudan, as the government brutally suppressed demonstrations by Buddhist monks in Tibet.  Some people may be shocked by what has gone on, but really, they shouldn't be.  It is consistent behavior for a ruling class that is desperate for 'stability' and 'harmony' in society. 

While watching the television news the other day with the events unfolding, the talking heads were quick to link the events with the upcoming Olympics this summer.  I couldn't help but have a sarcastic chuckle as maroon clad monks are being pummeled in the streets of Lhasa...and all anyone cares about is the Olympics and China's image.  But it's usually that way, isn't it?

So, lets talk about that a moment.  Will this have an effect on the Olympics?  Doubtful.  The Olympic Games are not about gamesmanship, sportsmanship and the grand spectacle of sport to bring nations together...its all about money.  The Olympic Committee's around the world that have invested millions to train athletes and subsidize these games have too much at stake.  The companies from around the world that have invested millions on advertising and outfitting the games have too much at stake.  Nobody will boycott these games on the basis of principle...just as nobody boycotted the 1936 games which were a stage for Hitler's vision for nazi Germany.

If there is any sort of move to 'boycott' the games, or to disrupt the games, it would have to be up to the individual athletes.  But, alas, they too sign big contracts to play in the games and they are all under pressure to lose big $$ if they don't win or disrupt the games in any way.  Somebody is going to have to step up and take a stand...much like the maligned Steven Spielberg did a few weeks ago over China's (non) participation in Darfur.

The Olympics once had a shine and luster that gleemed amateur athletics.  Small arenas...limited advertising...it was all about the sport.  It all began to change in 1980 when the US and several western countries decided to boycott the games being held in Moscow that year due to the commies Soviet's invasion of Afghanistan (and simply the fact that they were commies).  The commies Soviets completed the cycle by boycotting the 1984 games held in Los Angeles.  An entire generation of athlete was denied the chance to compete with their peers around the world on that stage.  From that point on, the games changed.  With the allowance of professional NBA players for the 1992 games...its been downhill ever since. 

If you are planning on visiting Beijing during the games (and are prepared to shell out the $1500 per night for a hotel room), be sure to take a look around you at what has been built and what has been done to host those games for you.  The streets have been cleaned...literally...of as much refuse as possible.  Are you prepared to fully understand what you are supporting with your dollars?

Ka-Boom!

Every lunar new year it is the same...although it seems to be getting bigger and bigger each year...the neighbors pull out the pyrotechnics and turn the neighborhood into Baghdad for a day.  It usually starts after 9pm and goes on for about an hour, from one house to the other. 

The first house to start the show was two doors down from us, so the explosions rocked our house and then you could see the trickle of sparks falling into the garden.  Back across to the other side for more (and they had the most and the best stuff too), then around to the side of us for some Roman candles off the rooftop.  On it went...irritating, but also pretty cool too. 

Happy New Year.

Matt Stever - Update

I have been amazed at the number of people in recent weeks that have visited this blog to read and view my post on the death of Matt Stever.  So, I thought I would throw a bit of an update on items I could find around the internet for those, such as I, that are sort of on the outside looking in.

Again, I never knew Matt.  I just heard about his death in a bit torrent forum and saw that he played for the Taiwan Typhoon, which I saw play last year.  After scouring my photo's and matching up numbers, stick and gloves with other photos posted of Matt, I found only one...and it was pretty good at that. 

• If you are a member of Facebook (which I am not, but I borrowed the Tai-Tai's login id), you can get the latest updates on various fundraisers to help out the Stever family with medical expenses, as well as the very high cost of transporting Matt home.
• There is a very good Flickr set of pics of Matt in action...including the photo I took.
• If you would like to help out...there was some information in the original Taipei Times article regarding Matt's death...

Admission is free, but all donations and proceeds from the tournament will go to help the Stever family pay for their son's considerable medical expenses. Donations can also be remitted to Fubon Bank, account number 621168042293.

Once again...all the best to the Stever family.

Back Home and Frozen

Well, we arrived back home last night.  This is what we left...

And this is what we returned to...

And...I completely forgot that my wireless router crapped out on me the day we left...so I have to head out a do a little shopping, so we can get the house back to normal working order. 

Maybe by the time I return, the house would have warmed up a bit.  Brrr...