It's Really Over

The 2008 Beijing Olympics have finally ended. They ended last night in grand fashion that wasn't quite as grand as the opening (then again, why should it be?). The show was interesting, but quite confusing. The beginning looked like something out of Dr. Seuss. And why were the drummers wearing bicycle helmets? All jokes aside, the acrobat bit, acting like the Olympic flame was quite impressive.

Then there was the hand-off of the Olympic flag to London. They had a nice musical dance number that really confused most people. They perpetuated the notion in China that everyone in England carries an umbrella everyday. And thanks to Jimmy Page playing the Led Zeppelin classic "Whole Lotta Love," the 2012 Olympics will forever be associated with sexuality...or maybe just aging legends. It would've been more amusing if they got The Rolling Stones to do "Sympathy for the Devil."

We just have to wonder what CCTV9 will fill the newscasts with now that the Olympics are finished.

Tale of a Swatch

Swatch came out with a line of Beijing Olympic watches a while back. I didn't realize it until about a month ago when I passed by the shop in Coastal City. I picked up a nice one with a Beijing opera mask design for my mom.

While in Hong Kong, I was talking with my parents and uncle about them. We found that every Swatch store in Hong Kong was sold out. Upon my return to Shenzhen, I headed over to Coastal City again to buy a couple more. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that they don't take credit cards, only Chinese bank cards. I walked home in the heat and got my bank card. Again, I had problems. I forgot that prior to my vacation I emptied most of my account to deposit my pay in our savings account, leaving me with only enough money to purchase one watch. Fortunately, I went back the following day with cash to buy a second one. I think it was worth the hassle.

Now I have one Olympic souvenir that isn't a fake.

Surprised?

I'm amazed at the reactions I've read about Internet access as it relates to journalists during the Olympics. Everyone is shocked that China will not provide complete, unfiltered access. Of course the government doesn't want reporters doing research for politically sensitive topics during August. And I'm sure that all the volunteers in the Olympic Media Village will be monitoring every computer for poxy servers and other undesirable material (careful, don't surf for porn on Chinese government computers).

The bigger story is that the harmonized access to the Internet will be expensive. According to Andrew Lih and Slashdot, Beijing is charging US$1131.20 for Internet access in the Olympic Media Village. That fee is for one month of Internet access. To put this in perspective, I pay about 700 RMB for six months of harmonized access to the Web. At this time the exchange rate is approximately 6.8 RMB to $1; you do the math.

And then there is US Senator Sam Brownback, who is berating China over its alleged attempts at spying on foreign guests in hotels. Does Sen. Brownback think that tourists are carrying state secrets to China during the Olympics? How does the Senator feel about my own government listening in on my weekly phone calls with my parents? I bet Homeland Security is bored every time they listen in.

Sen. Brownback, have you met Mr. Kettle?

Fake Fuwa

Over the past couple years I've been collecting fake Olympic merchandise. The only authentic Beijing Olympic merchandise I own is a pen that was given as a gift. I've also purchased a few genuine articles for others.
This set of rather ugly Fuwa toys for 30 kuai comes from Children World--a huge market near Haiya Baihuo that's logo has a knock-off of Woody Woodpecker. This set looks like a rather good fake--there are no hugely obvious mistakes. In the top right corner, however, it says "Chinese Olymepic Cmmittee."

It's not as amusing as the Beijinag 2008 pen I bought a while back.

Olympic Fighting Words

From the official Olympic Security English handbook comes a lesson on "Frighting." That is not a typo, they actually have two lessons for frighting. Oddly enough, the scenario appears to involve a fight and not a fright. In lesson 13 (pages 143-48), the scene is set up as an interrogation into the cause of a bar fight (there is no lesson on breaking up a fight or calming a situation that could lead to one). This is the lesson of "Frighting (1)" which I had to teach to the class of police. I had to alter it significantly so it would be useful for future reference.

Police: You've hit and injured another person, you know.
Foreigner: He's also hit and injured me.
Police: He's been injured very seriously and taken to the hospital.
Foreigner: It's unfair! Why are you only questioning me?
Police: We'll question him when he comes to.... How did you come to fight with him?
Foreigner: I couldn't bear his insult!
...
Police: Why did you fight with him this time?
Foreigner: Because he took too many liberties with my girl friend.
Police: Did you try to keep away from him?
Foreigner: Yes. At first, we kept away from him, but not very far.
Police: Why didn't you leave the bar?
Foreigner: Who could tell that he was so impudent? Not long afterwards, he came close to my girl friend and held her in his arms!
Police: Did your girl friend resist him?
Foreigner: Of course she did. She tried hard to push him away. But he was very rude to her. He even kissed her by force. What a rascal!
Police: Did you try to stop him?
Foreigner: Yes, I did. I tried to push him aside.
Police: Did you succeed?
Foreigner: No. On the contrary, he hit me in the face with his fist.
Police: Why didn't you call the police at once?
Foreigner: I was very angry. How could I stand such an insult? I hit him on the head with a bottle.
Police: As a result, you wounded his head.

The conversation continues with some boring details after this point. What I'd like to know is, who actually speaks like this? I told the class that no one would ever use the word rascal, but if they did find someone who said this they were to contact me immediately so I could meet this person.

Read part 1 and part 2 of this series.

Really Overreacting?

Over the past few weeks, everyone has commented on the seemingly paranoid response by the Chinese government to ensuring a safe Olympics. The Financial Times published an article titled "Threat of 'no-fun' Olympics" with former Olympic marketer Michael Payne stressing that China needs to have a festival atmosphere and "smile" more.

There is ample evidence of over-planning in Beijing. The enforcement of old and new rules for obtain visas, as well as the difficulty for some to even stay in the country for the summer, has certainly cut down on some of the fun around the country. This goes with Beijing's decision to close entertainment venues by 2 am (and I thought the bars never closed), and putting restrictions on outdoor seating for restaurants, bars, and barbecues. Some of the biggest stories of paranoia deal with the threat of terrorism during the games. Beijing has sent out the comically-equipped Segway paramilitary and deployed anti-aircraft missiles outside the Bird's Nest.

Is this really just paranoia on the part of Beijing? I'd say, in some ways it is--the government is afraid of losing face in the event that anything doesn't go as planned. However, much of the preparation is more a sign of the times. As disturbing as it sounds, there are quite a few people in the world who don't care about the Olympic tradition of peace and ceasefire. Unfortunately, this is how some people act.

The Olympics is the world's greatest stage. One can make a huge political statement, even if the outcome isn't entirely successful. Personally, I have no problem with people using this time to make a peaceful political statement on the world stage. But, there is a line that too many are willing to cross for their message. The hope is that Beijing will be able to tell the difference between these groups and act accordingly.

加油 Olympic Preparations

With fewer than 30 days before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, China notifying the world of ever more preparations.

Yesterday, China Daily published an article about rules for spectators at events. Beijing wants to have a fair games for all athletes. It sounds like the BOCOG wants to avoid its home field advantage. Spectators are banned from having banners (so, no "加油中国！ Go China!") or flags of non-participating "countries." I wonder who that last regulation was pointed at (here's a hint: they're not in South America or Africa). It is also not advised to bring babies to events. If you're unsure of the rules when you get here, you can call 12308 and supposedly someone will inform you in English. If you're really confused, I suggest sitting quietly with your hands folded.

In another story, Reuters reports that the government will crack down heavily on pirated goods. There is no word on how widespread this crackdown will be, but the rumor is that it will only affect the host cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Qingdao. If they brought this to Shenzhen, almost the entire Luohu shopping mall would be closed, as would a large portion of Huaqiang Bei. Maybe Shenzhen will consider this when it hosts the Universiade in 2011.

Olympic Communication Part 2

Direct from the Olympic Security English textbook comes lesson 10: Interrogating People （pages 107-109). In this lesson, the police officer encounters a minor out at midnight. The youth is stereotypically rude to authority figures and rather unwilling to provide information when asked. They provide no reason to interrogate the juvenile other than it being so late. The beginning is quite dull, so we'll jump right into the middle of the conversation:

Police: You seem to have a bad temper. Is it because you quarreled with your parents and left home?
Minor: Leave me alone. I don't want to go home.
Police: Then come along with us to the police station.
Minor: No, I won't.
Police: We can't leave you alone here. Tell us your name, your home phone number.
Minor: How annoying! All right. My name is Helen. I live in Jian Guo Men Apartments for Aliens.
Police: Good! Now we'll take you home and leave you under your parents' care.

I really like the name of the apartment building. Apparently, the translator decided that 外交(wai jiao) is aliens rather than foreign affairs. I suppose this is what they think of the apartments that foreigners rent--they're really meant for extra-terrestrials. Or, it could just be another reason why so many people stare at the foreigners around here.

The other lessons on "How to Stop Illegal News Coverage" and "Frighting" are posted here and here.

Bonerific Olympics

It's probably better that George Carlin isn't around to hear the news. It seems that the Olympics doesn't need to worry so much about steroids anymore--there's a new human growth hormone (excuse the pun) to improve performance--Viagra. That's right, the blue pill does more than help men have sex.

It seems Viagra can increase blood flow to the lungs, which may aid athletes in competition. However, there is no evidence yet as to whether it really does improve athletic prowess. Therefore, it will be legal for use during the Beijing games. I'm not sure how many competitors will really want more blood flow to the lungs while breathing the Beijing air. Anyway, while the Olympic committee will not be testing for Viagra this summer, rest assured that it will be obvious which athletes are using the new doping technique.

I'm starting to wish for the old days of steroid use.

Fueling Change

Thursday, Beijing announced a 17% rise in fuel costs for private cars (12 cents per liter), 18% increase for diesel, and 25% increase for jet fuel. There will also be an increase in electricity prices. Most people were expecting that the cheap gas (approx. $2.50/gallon) would last until after the Olympics. Beijing decided that the price increase would take effect midnight Friday, which caused long lines at gas stations across the country of drivers trying to save money. The government will also offer subsidies to some industries affected by the new policy (i.e. taxis, buses, grain producers).

This is certainly a good move by the Chinese government. Gas prices are extremely cheap here. The people who own cars tend to be the wealthy elite of the country who could afford an increase in costs. With any luck, this price hike will change some driving habits. If those habits change, the air quality in and around Beijing may improve slightly prior to the opening of the Olympics. This will also help ease the strain on supply here in Shenzhen as many Hong Kong drivers have been crossing the border to the Mainland to fill up on cheap gas.

This move comes on the heels of the plastic bag ban from June 1. If these policies hold, China will be making great strides toward improving the environment. The international community will have to wait and see what further moves Beijing makes for benefit of everyone.

However, not everyone is pleased with this decision. Many Chinese citizens believe that this move by the government will seriously harm many industries, thus destroying the national economy. Personally, I have seen a lot of waste in business (i.e. opening windows and doors with air conditioning running on high) , and believe that this should change many habits that will improve business in China.

Olympic Communications

Last year I had the opportunity to teach English to 40 police officers in Bao'an district. This was the entire foreign affairs department of the district's public security bureau. The training center's staff was instructed to teach from Olympic Security English by Wang Sheng'an. This is apparently the official handbook for China's police to learn English.

The small textbook covers topics ranging from lost tourists and missing property to natural disasters and terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, I found it rather lacking.

The book is filled with out-dated English and rather dull dialogues. One of the major problems I found was that all the foreigners in the situations were extremely honest idiots--they easily broke down and confessed their crimes.

One of my favorites is the chapter on "How to Stop Illegal New Coverage". You can make your own judgments about press freedom. Here's the dialogue (pages 20-22):

Police: Excuse me, sir. Stop, please.
Reporter: Why?
Police: Are you gathering news here?
Reporter: Yes.
Police: About what?
Reporter: About Falungong.
Police: Show me your press card and reporter's permit.
Reporter: Here you are.
Police: What news are you permitted to cover?
Reporter: The Olympic Games.
Police: But Falungong has nothing to do with the games.
Reporter: What does that matter?
Police: It's beyond the permit.
Reporter: What permit?
Police: You're a sports reporter. You should only cover the games.
Reporter: But I'm interested in Falungong.
Police: It's beyond the limit of your coverage and illegal. As a foreign reporter in China, you should obey China law and do nothing against your status.
Reporter: Oh, I see. May I go now?
Police: No. Come with us (to the Administration Division of Entry and Exit of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau).
Reporter: What for?
Police: To clear up this matter.

Read part 2.
Part 3

Olympic Chances Missed

The torch relay went by my apartment this morning on its way through Shenzhen. I missed it because I had to work. Almost half of my first class skipped out to watch. I really didn't care to watch someone jog a few feet with a torch, surrounded by crowds.

What I did miss was my chance at some Beijing Olympic memorabilia. A few days ago they put up some flags and banners along the relay route. I was tempted to swipe them, but decided it would be better to at least wait until after the whole hoopla. When I arrived home around 5:30, I discovered that the flags and banners were already gone. At first I thought the crowds might have taken them home. Then I noticed that the garbage cans were filled. All those nice flags are now in the trash and covered in filth.

I guess now I'll have to continue with my dream of owning the largest collection of Olympic knock-offs. I now have some metal key chains, baby toys, a shirt, a misspelled pen, and a bunch of other little pieces of junk that cost about 25 cents. I'm still searching for more misspelled items to include in my collection.

Boycott the Boycotts

I think I need a scorecard to keep track of all the boycotts and pissing matches. First, Chinese netizens decided to boycott Louis Vuitton, Carrefour, and anything else French because of the Olympic torch relay debacle. Then the French decided they had nothing to lose, so they gave honorary citizenship to Dalai Lama and Hu Jia.

Then there was the case of the American volunteer who was allegedly harassed for going to Carrefour and accused of being French (Shanghaiist story). After the initial report, it seems that it wasn't too bad and the man wasn't hurt. If incidents like this are repeated or involve violence, there is sure to be more backlash to follow. Of course, Shenzhen has yet to see such a protest--Carrefour is only slightly less crowded than usual.

Speaking of other boycotts, apparently there are people boycotting the Olympic sponsors (i.e. McDonald's and Coke). These people feel that sponsorship of this year's Olympics makes these companies evil in some way, despite the fact that they've sponsored the games for as long as I can recall.

I've also heard a rumor that some Chinese are boycotting KFC. I don't know the reasons, but I'm sure it's petty and confusing.

Views on a Friday

I'd like to share a story from my trip to Jiuzhaigou in the Tibetan region of Sichuan province. On our first day through the park, we spoke with college student who was home for the holiday. She was very honest with us about the villages in the area. She said that since 1986, the park opened, the village became increasingly wealthy. Most of the people were happy to use the money to send their children to the cities to get a better education. The only downside that she saw from the changes was that the government banned livestock (sheep and yak) in order to protect the area, thus completely shifting their means of living. She didn't see all of this as being government repression, but she did see some of the traditions of her people fading.

Today, one of my students asked about the whole problem between Western media and China. He's not the best spoken student I have (I'd probably place him in the middle of my 300), but he managed to get his point across. Unlike the nationalist comments I've read online or heard about from friends, this question was rather simple yet thoughtful.

He, more or less, asked, "Why do the newspapers in France and Germany hate China and the Olympics?" At first I responded that it was too complicated to answer it in a short time. After class I tried giving a small answer. "I think part of it is a cultural miscommunication on both sides," I said. He agreed. I then explained that part of the problem was that the Chinese government restricts journalists from doing their job the way they should. Therefore, many journalists will write negative stories and ignore the positive as a way of responding to the restrictions.

I'm not entirely sure if he understood that mentality, but he listened for the point of view and passed no judgment on the answer. I'm sure if I gave this answer to some students that they'd be upset and get defensive in some way. Having students like this one makes me feel much better about my job.

After this short exchange he asked if I was going to Beijing for the Olympics. I answered, "Hell, no." He thought it was because of the crowds, but I gave him other reasons why I don't like the city that much. He agreed with me. "I don't think Beijing people are friendly," he said, "I like western China much more." I told him I thought the places I've been in the west were also friendlier than Beijing--Sichuan and Xinjiang have had some of the nicest people I've met in China.

Chinglish-lympics

Yesterday I came across this interesting piece of Beijing Olympic memorabilia--I know, it looks rather ordinary. But you have to take a good look at it to appreciate its wonder.
At first glance I thought it was a real product, but quickly realized it was just a funny knock-off. Since it's difficult to see the details from the photos, here are the descriptions: At the top, it says "Beijing 2008 Olympics" in Chinese. The English below reads, "BeiJinag 2008" with a poor rendition of the Olympic rings below that (it's only four rings and they're all in a straight line). The store had this pen in three colors. I doubt I'll try to collect them all.