Tides of Change

My parents picked up a copy of National Geographic's Journey Into China, which was published in 1983. I haven't gone through much of the 500-page book, but I immediately flipped to the section on South China to read the writer's impression of the region as well as look at the photos of places I've been. I'm not surprised that two of the most prominent parts of South China are Gulangyu and Xiamian--islands in Guangzhou and Xiamen that are home to colonial-style structures.

On the journey through Guangzhou, the author, David Pearce, mentions that it is the center of a growing import and export industry--at the time they produced bicycles, watches, and radios. He also mentions that Beijing eliminated customs duties to and from Taiwan in 1979. The quote that accompanies this is that "There are no politics in business." Quite a change from what is in the news lately.

I'll have to read through more to see how some of my favorite destinations have changed in 27 years.

Mobile Homeless

Shenzhen Daily is taking an interest in the plight of the migrants. It highlights the difficulty of finding affordable housing in the region, even though many new buildings have no residents. People who can afford housing tend to purchase multiple apartments and seem unconcerned when they can't find tenants--a lack of flexibility during rent negotiations leads to many empty apartments. This has led to workers, such as the ones in the article, to live on the streets.

It was not uncommon to see laborers all around my neighborhood in Nanshan district--they picked through trash for recyclables or potential building materials; they offered one-time services to residents and businesses. But many of these people seemed to disappear at night. Most of these people could be found by the reclaimed land of Shenzhen Bay--they slept next to piles of styrofoam and other reusable materials on a road that was inaccessible to traffic. Along side streets in the neighborhood, people slept on cots hidden by bushes and trees. Down the main road, next to the Guomei parking lot was a shack set up against a small power station--no one seemed to notice the family living inside, and they never bothered anyone on the street.

While there are still many opportunities in Shenzhen for the migrant population, it has become less popular. With more factories opening in the interior of China, migrants are choosing jobs closer to their hometowns, thus creating a job shortage in cities like Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The minimum wage in Guangdong has risen over the past few years (in Shenzhen it was 800 RMB/month in 2005, it's now over 1000 RMB/month), but the cost of living has skyrocketed.

You're to Blame

I don't know why I read opinion articles anymore--they just make me want to bang my head against a wall. Political commentaries are the worst with mangled and bastardized "facts" and statistics that suit the particular writer's point of view while ignoring any contradictory argument no matter how well-supported it is.

But the opinion piece I'm referring to today has nothing to do with politics. It's about how Peter Hessler has ruined another foreigner's experience of living in China (yes, there have been others with this complaint). China Daily ran this article yesterday (which was posted elsewhere online a week earlier):

Peter Hessler singlehandedly ruined my life in China.

I've never seen Hessler, author of the bestsellers Oracle Bones and River Town, but I eke out a bitter existence every day in his footsteps.

Sounds rather harsh. Fortunately, the writer added a little bit of what passes for humor in some circles. The real complaint is that all the stories expats love to tell their friends back home have already been told by Hessler in one of his three books. There's nothing left for foreigners in China to do to impress the folks back home. Hessler previously issued an apology for "ruining" the China experience for everyone else.

After reading his books (I'm almost done with Country Driving), I can say that he didn't ruin anything for me as an expat in China or as a writer. I have many stories to tell that Hessler never experienced (or at least didn't write about). With the size of the country and how quickly it changes, there will be plenty of tales for foreigners to regale us with.

I met Peter Hessler at an author event at Asia Society last month and have exchanged e-mails with him (he is a very nice guy). He admits that there are still books to be written about China--but writers have to search a little deeper to find them now.

Not Quite Chinglish

The worst trend I have noticed over the last few years is the lack of appreciation for the editor and proofreader. I frequent freelance job boards and see a preponderance of job posts that pay less than minimum wage for editing, proofreading, and writing. These are no longer viewed as skilled positions. Businesses believe that anyone can do these jobs and are starting to outsource the work to non-native English speakers. These businesses end up with text that reads like gibberish.

The other day I started looking at the descriptive tags for wines in Jersey City. Here's one that I found:

Delicate notes of mature fruit and floral emerge, while the sapore is fresh thanks to one balanced acidity, very supported from one good wealth of body and structure. For its fragrance the wine is ready to the commercialization and to it since drinks the successive spring to the grape harvest.

 Does this make any sense to anyone? The copywriter for that winery should be ashamed and unemployed. And there were other tags and labels that were almost as disgraceful as that one.

For the Women

Today is International Women's Day, which doesn't mean much around here as most women still have to work. In honor of the day I thought I'd share a few sites managed and written by women (particularly sites I find interesting).

Solo Travel Girl -- Written by Jennifer Huber, a world traveler who has frequently stopped by this blog.

Freelance Writing Jobs -- Created by Deb Ng, a fellow New Jerseyan who is also a friendly and helpful writer. She also published one of my articles on the site back in November.

Aimee Barnes -- A New Yorker who spends a lot of time writing about China. She writes some fascinating articles, and she's one of the few bloggers I have met.

China Sports Today -- News of sports around China, written by Maggie Rauch.

Thechannelc -- Mostly tech posts, but some other interesting posts as well. Written by the humorous and friendly Carolyn Chan, whom I met in Shenzhen.

Going Slow

It's been a busy week since I last posted. I've finally gotten myself back into a reasonable creative writing routine and I'm trying to work my way up to consistently higher daily word counts. Rather than going about in my usual fashion of working on a dozen manuscripts at once, I'm taking the time to focus my attention on one until it's finished. This also means that I will limit my distraction time on this blog and social networks.

Though it was finished a few weeks ago, the new issue of Terracotta Typewriter is online. As always, I'm looking for new work to publish in the next issue, which I hope to have complete in May.

I've also been refocusing my attention on my Chinese studies. Listening to Chinesepod as background noise and reading the same chapters of my textbooks again and again have not helped me make progress since returning to the states. Since Jia convinced me to start a new Web site to teach non-Chinese cooking to the Chinese, I've decided that I need to learn more vocabulary and grammar related to cooking (mostly because Jia doesn't have a lot of time to translate the site between work and studying). So, I'll do my best to start translating the posts at Laowai Kitchen on my own and ask Jia to edit my attempts at written Chinese. A lot of the posts on the site are about traditional foods that we take for granted, but I'm also experimenting in the kitchen--usually with positive results.

And because it is Friday, here's a photo of the inspiring beauty of the Fujian countryside. This group of tulou on the hillside was our first stop on our morning journey through the region. Most tourists have photos from above and below the group--the Chinese think it looks like four dishes and a soup from above (I agree, it does resemble a Chinese table setting).

End of the Festival

Today is Lantern Festival, the end of Spring Festival and the lunar new year celebration.

We had a nice small dinner at home after making a trip out to the Asian market--it was quite crowded, but I'm not sure if it was because of Lantern Festival or just a normal Saturday as we usually go on weeknights. I was told that I had to eat the traditional 元宵 (yuan xiao), glutinous rice balls filled with sesame paste (though this year I only had to eat two). These little balls of goo are not high on my list of enjoyable Chinese delicacies--they're a little more pleasant than mooncakes.

The rest of my Lantern Festival was spent doing laundry and watching the US-Canada gold medal hockey game. I predicted yesterday that it would be a 3-2 overtime game, but I got the winner wrong. It was still a great game to watch.

Snowed In

It looks hell has frozen over, which means the government must have compromised on healthcare reform (yes, I know it would take more than hell freezing for the government to compromise on anything).

In the last two weeks, I think Jersey City has had more snow than the Winter Olympics--it's certainly been colder than Vancouver. And it is still snowing with no end in sight. The back yard attached to the art gallery next door is filling fast and the snow is almost up to our window.

Once again, I am trying to think warm thoughts and planning to move to warmer climates. This photo is from a new park in Bali, Garuda Wisnu Kencana--the plan is to produce a cultural history of the island through enormous sculptures. What we saw was the progress on the largest statue of Vishnu (Wisnu) riding Garuda. Judging from the parts that weren't yet combined or finished, this statue will be a few hundred feet tall.

Eye of the Beholder

I was a bit misled by the title of an article that proclaimed "Shanghai World's 2nd Most Attractive City." I thought it was article about aesthetics, but it was really about attractiveness to businesspeople--the ratings were based on political stability, economic situation, and security. But, it got me thinking about aesthetics and city rankings (of course, it's all subjective).

I do think Shanghai is a beautiful city--I spent a week there during my first Spring Festival holiday. However, it's difficult to judge the city's beauty based on my experience as I only saw a fraction of it. The sprawling city would be impossible to see in just a week (especially considering how quickly buildings are demolished and constructed).

I'll admit that I'm a sucker for older styles of architecture in cities, but I do enjoy some of the modern designs that fit in among the older buildings. It's why I like walking around New York--though I still think the Westin at Times Square is ugly. It's also why I like the view from the Bund in Shanghai--the beautiful colonial-style buildings across the river from the modern towers of Pudong.

Confusing the Advertisers

I think the tracking of activities online has become confusing to advertisers. Or perhaps they need to refine the process.

I noticed the banner ad at the top of my email was for the 2010 US Census. I'm not surprised my government is wasting money on such advertising, but I am surprised that the ad is in Chinese. And I'm almost certain that I haven't sent any emails with Chinese characters through that account. Maybe they're just tracking the sites I visit and decided that I must read Chinese because 1% of the sites I visit are in Chinese.

Revaluing the Yuan (Again)

A post at China Law Blog and an article in China Daily reminded me that I wrote about the possibility of China revaluing its currency and the effects that it may have on the Chinese and American economies.

The China Daily article quotes IMF economist, Olivier Blanchard as saying that a revalued Yuan will improve the US economy, but will not solve the severe economic problems of the country. However, Blanchard also said that China should appreciate the currency by about 20 percent.

Looking back on what I previously wrote, Blanchard's statement makes sense. I still believe that if China allows its currency to appreciate it will help businesses in the US as they will be able to sell more products at lower prices in China. But, it will not create jobs in the US. In the long term, it won't help enough.

It is possible that China will act soon on the Yuan. The country is in a strong position to do what it pleases with currency. The reason I believe the Chinese government may act soon is because it sold off $34 billion in US Treasury debt. It may look like it is economic retaliation for arms sales to Taiwan, but it may also be that China wants more profit. If the Yuan appreciates 20 percent, the Chinese government will lose money on the US Treasuries it purchased. It's smart financial planning to cash in those holdings early.

Even with signs that the Yuan will be revalued, it's anyone's guess if it will happen. I doubt it will appreciate 20 percent in the near future as China prefers to slowly adjust the exchange rate.

Happy Tiger

春节快乐！(chūnjiékuàilè) Happy Year of the Tiger!

It really doesn't feel like Spring Festival without fireworks. But at least we'll have a nice feast at home tonight.

Trains vs. Planes

China's two largest airlines claim that they are losing business because of the emergence of the high-speed rail network. It seems that short flights are being replaced by the train service because it doesn't take any longer to travel by train in such instances. This argument makes a lot of sense when considering that airports in China are in the outskirts of cities and require more time to check in and go through security. The trains are usually more centrally located and don't require as much time at security checks. Also, the trains cost less than plane tickets.

In contrast, the US train network still sucks. We have one high-speed rail line between Boston and Washington, D.C. And it's not a cheap ride. We've been promised more high-speed rail lines across the nation, but progress is painfully slow. Even the other train lines aren't worth using. Back in July, I wanted to take the train from northern New Jersey to Pittsburgh (or towns nearby). The train ride would have taken almost twice as long and cost three times as much as driving. It would have cost about the same to fly to Pittsburgh.

If the US ever builds a decent high-speed rail network, we may finally stop hearing about United's horrible customer service because they'll go out of business instead of filing for bankruptcy again.

Snow Day

The Mid-Atlantic states are still digging themselves out of the huge snow storm from late last week that somehow completely missed us here in the New York City area (we got a dusting at most). And we got hit with another storm that was predicted to be another 20 inches of snow. We didn't escape this one, though it looks like there's only about an inch or so on the ground (it's still coming down though). Yet, plenty of schools and businesses are closed for the snow day.

A college friend reminded me that our university never closed for numerous snow and ice storms during our tenure. We all grumbled about the policy, but attended class nonetheless. I even had a professor who broke an ankle in an icy parking lot--but the university never cancelled classes for any reason.

Our time at the university reminded me of working at the graduate school in Shenzhen and how classes were never cancelled. During my last year and a half we were hit by a few typhoons. Each of those storms closed nearly everything in Hong Kong, but absolutely nothing in Shenzhen. I did have to reschedule a class because of one of those typhoons, but that was because the school bus got stuck on a flooded street and didn't arrive at campus until well after the class ended.

A Game of Chicken

It's time for another round of tit for tat.

After my first year in China, the government imposed new restrictions on visas for Americans (among others). Americans were charged more than other nationalities for visas, and the multiple-entry and long-term tourist visas were eliminated. The reasoning was that Chinese citizens had difficulty obtaining US visas and the price was higher than for other nationalities. Of course, that didn't bother me much because I didn't have to pay for my visas through work (though obtaining Jia's US visas were difficult).

Now, because the US imposed dumping tariffs on Chinese-made tires, China is now doing the same for US chicken parts. I already knew that the US exported large quantities of frozen chicken feet to China, but I didn't realize chicken wings were also included (I thought Americans ate enough Buffalo wings to keep those parts at home).

The article claims that the feet and wings are "virtually worthless" in the US. As I've never seen chicken feet for sale at the major grocery stores, I would agree with that statement. However, wings are usually sold in packages for about 99 cents a pound, which is cheaper than other parts of the chicken, but more expensive than chicken leg quarters.

The article also states that individual companies can appeal the tariff, thus significantly reducing it for that particular company. Therefore, larger companies like Tyson will have lower tariffs on their chicken parts. I'm not sure if this is standard practice in such situations, but what would happen if every chicken part importer appealed the government's ruling?

Warm Thoughts

With yet another day in New Jersey below freezing I'm forced to think warm thoughts in the hopes that I won't freeze (coffee, tea, and strong Christmas beers that are now on sale help keep me warm too).

About this time last year, Jia and I were keeping warm in Bali. It was nice to be able to wear shorts and t-shirts in the middle of winter. If we could, we'd move there permanently. The weather was great, the scenery stunning, the food delicious, and the people friendly. Looking at this photo of Tanah Lot makes me feel warm inside...or maybe it's the radiation from my computer.

I hope everyone will send donations to the "Get me out of New Jersey before I freeze" fund.

Retreat

I was talking with an American poet and professor in China, and he mentioned wanting to set up a writers' retreat in China. Of course, he made a reference to having the retreat above the clouds as a source of inspiration for the ancient poets. While I knew that was impossible, I figured I could suggest a location that would be close enough.

I do think Tian Chi in Xinjiang would make a great backdrop for a writers' retreat in China. I just hope Jia and I can save enough money to travel out there this summer (even if there are no other writers to meet).

What I Learned from the State of the Union

Of course, I didn't learn much because I lost interest after the first half hour, but I did take a few things away from Obama's first attempt at rallying the nation around his policies and plans.

1. Obama made some good points, but most of the speech was BS and filler. He could've cut out an hour of it. He should hire me to edit his speeches.

2. There is way too much unnecessary applause from the audience, but it's only the President's own party. Just eliminate applause from the State of the Union and save some time.

3. Anecdotes and poor attempts at humor do not belong in important political speeches.

4. America needs to be more like China. Unfortunately, he forgot to mention in what way.

5. It's always important to blame the previous guy in charge for every problem.

6. Beer does not make long political speeches any more interesting.

7. Obama thinks there's too much petty partisan bickering. The only solution to this problem is reintroducing duels among politicians. This will also create job openings in Washington.

8. The Republican rebuttal was even more boring than the State of the Union. I can form my own opinions about the speech without being told what to think by a corrupt politician.

Sporting Corruption

Over the last few years that I've been paying attention, China has taken on corruption in the government and corporate world. There have been a number of public trials, but citizens still see people in positions of power as corrupt (and you thought they were different from Americans).

Today, China Daily reports that the government is now targeting corruption in the domestic soccer leagues. Apparently gambling and match fixing has become a problem.

More interesting than the crackdown on corruption in sports, is that domestic sports leagues have become more popular and profitable since the Beijing Olympics (something that wouldn't happen in a country that already has popular and profitable sports leagues). Seeing this provides an argument for the International Olympic Committee to consider developing countries as hosts for future Olympic Games--this is a surprising long-term benefit that other cities and countries have not experienced.

Unfortunately, the article only mentions soccer. Does anyone know if other sports have become more popular?

The Rights of Animals

This was news I didn't expect to read in China Daily. The government has passed a law to protect animals by imprisoning and fining people who eat dog or cat. However, the law seems to be aimed at protecting animals from being inhumanly killed.

The article doesn't say anything about the enforcement of this legislation, but it does raise a few questions about animal rights. Why is China focusing on dogs and cats when the illegal trade of endangered animals is huge business (especially in Guangdong)?

I suppose this law means that Shenzhen will have to close down the hot pot restaurant I ate at, which seemed to have decent business. But it seems the other restaurant that advertised fried rat will be safe.