My 7 Links

This post was forced on me by Jen at Solo Travel Girl (I wasn't actually forced, she asked politely). I agreed to this because Jen has been a long-time reader of this blog and we met for dinner and drinks in Chinatown last summer. This post is the idea of TripBase (but not all participating blogs are travel related). Unfortunately, I have go back through six years of posts to find seven that belong in this list. I also broke the rules and posted more than seven links.

My Most Beautiful Post:


I have a few posts I could call beautiful. I suppose the stories of dating Jia or our wedding would rank up there. However, the best memories I have with my wife are from our trips--she's been my favorite travel partner since we began dating. Though it wasn't the most comfortable of trips, our tour through Jiuzhaigou was beautiful, and it is one of my fondest memories of China.

Most Popular Post:

This is a difficult one. Looking at six years of traffic to this site, I probably get the most consistent traffic on a review of Peter Hessler's Oracle Bones. However, I've decided to look at one-time popularity instead. Oddly enough my most popular post was a simple description and photos of a t-shirt Jia had made for our first anniversary. I got noticed by a few people and passed around. It generated a few thousand hits in a few days. Unfortunately, that shirt is not as funny in the US.

Most Controversial Post:

Do I really generate any controversy on this blog? I suppose a have a few that could at least be considered thought-provoking. I forgot I even wrote this post about internet censorship in the run up to the 20th anniversary of the incident in Beijing that never really happened (no, really, China Daily is now calling it a myth).

Most Helpful Post:

Kind of like the controversial post, I don't know how helpful I am. There were a couple posts on the mentality of students in English classes in China that might be helpful to prospective ESL teachers. There's one about the work ethic of some students in my graduate classes and another about the similarities between spoiled American and Chinese students.

Most Surprisingly Successful Post:

I had a post about the Beijing Olympic English handbook, from which I had to teach 40 English-speaking police officers in Bao'an district, that got picked up by Global Voices. Of course, I wasn't the first person to write about the handbook, but I didn't know it at the time. I had three posts about this, but this was the one that got picked up. I happen to think part 1 of the series was better.

Most Disappointing Post because it didn't get enough attention:

Everyone needs to show this old post some love and attention, otherwise it might turn to a life of drugs and crime. I'm a little disappointed that my post on the Li River cruise didn't get more attention. I think I'm going to cry...OK, I won't, but you should still read the story--it includes a lot of photos.

Finally...The Post I'm Most Proud Of (you know, TripBase should've looked into parallelism of the category headings--I tried fixing the others, but got lazy on this one): 

This is too difficult to choose. Therefore, I'd like to honor the memory of Danny with my post about the first time I visited his restaurant in Guangzhou (back when he still called it Danny's Bagel and not Danny's Italian-American Restaurant).

My nominations for blogs to participate in this little project are Far West China and One Man Bandwidth,

My Chinese Wedding

A few days after Jia and I obtained our Chinese marriage certificate, we celebrated our wedding in Urumqi with family and friends (mostly hers).

Before the celebration, we had a few more things that needed to be prepared. Jia had already booked the hotel--the Yindu Hotel, which was one of the nicest hotels in the city. To save some money, she contacted a friend who worked at another hotel to supply us with soda, wine, and baijiu (he agreed to buy back any unopened bottles). After picking up the drinks, we went in search of firecrackers--we had to set off a long line of them before we entered the hotel for the reception--and purchased a roll of 1500. We also had to purchase cigarettes to be places on each table--I didn't want to buy them, but I was told that guests would be very disappointed if we didn't have them (fortunately, most of Jia's friends were kind enough to smoke outside).

Jia stayed with her aunt and uncle who lived just down the street from our hotel, so it was easy for me to pick her up. Because my Chinese wasn't too good, I didn't have to play all the painful games that grooms must endure on their wedding day. Traditions include refusing to open the door until the groom answers questions and slips hongbao under the door, hiding the bride's shoes, and other obstruction tactics courtesy of the bride and groom's friends. The worst test I had to endure was carrying my bride down four flights of steps to the car (why couldn't they have lived in a building with an elevator?).

The firecrackers were lit as our car arrived at the Yindu Hotel. We stood at the entrance, waiting to greet our guests as they arrived over the course of an hour. We got to see how other people in Urumqi celebrate their wedding as another couple hosted a ceremony next to us. We had a bit of a laugh as we saw the bride in her Western-style white wedding gown next to the groom who wore dress slacks and short-sleeve shirt and tie. I was tempted to offer my services as a stand in with a tuxedo--they could later edit the photo with his head.

Before I arrived in Xinjiang, Jia also hired a photographer and MC for the day. I was a little confused about the MC, but Jia explained that he was just there to host the reception and provide a little humorous fun. To prepare me, she told me what questions the MC would ask so I could prepare my answers. Unfortunately, he spoke too quickly and didn't go in the order I was told--Jia had to translate a lot for me. He asked me questions like "How tall is your bride?" and "What size shoe does she wear?" The MC also came with a local musician from the university--she played a few instruments and was quite impressive.

After being roasted on stage and exchanging rings, dinner was served. Jia and I didn't get to enjoy dinner as we made our rounds and toasted our guests with wine and baijiu. My brother was disappointed as he thought he'd have to drink for me, which is the custom for the best man. After we toasted everyone, my brother made his rounds and tried to toast Jia's friends who became scared by the foreigner who wanted to drink baijiu.

I finally got to shovel some food into my mouth after two dozen drinks. I wish I could've eaten earlier because the food was excellent (or so I was told).

It was still early when the celebration ended. We decided to continue the party elsewhere after changing at the hotel. We rented a huge room at the local KTV--it had a projection screen and foosball table. We enjoyed more drinks and a buffet for a few more hours with about half the guests.

A Wedding Story

Jia returned from her business trip to China, and it was just in time as we celebrate our anniversary in a couple days (the Chinese wedding anniversary). And I realized I never wrote anything about our weddings (Chinese or American--yeah, we had two).

The summer before I started working at the graduate school, Jia and I planned our wedding--actually, she did most of the planning as I had no idea what needed to be done in China, nor could I communicate effectively in Chinese to know how to plan a wedding. All I had to do was set a date for my family to fly to China and pay for the whole celebration. The date was one of three lucky dates my mother-in-law obtained from a monk at a Buddhist temple.

A month prior, I had to visit the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou to obtain a notarized document stating that I was not currently married to anyone else, which then had to be translated and notarized in Shenzhen by a disgruntled government employee who questioned why he should notarize such a document even though we were paying for the service. After pleading with the notary for almost an hour, he agree to stamp the document so we would stop bothering him.

I met my parents and brother in Beijing and we flew out to Urumqi, as Jia's hometown is a two-hour bus ride from there. Before we could have our wedding reception, we had to visit the government office to obtain our marriage license. We only had four days between the license and the reception, unlike Jia's friends who waited almost a year for their reception. While my family was treated to an extended foot massage, Jia and I took a bicycle taxi across town with her friend (it was her job to take photos).

The government office was not what I expected. The first room had a lot of wedding decorations for sale--this was where we got our forms to fill out and our photos to be included in the marriage license. We then entered a larger room to wait our turn. We were the only couple getting married. The room was split in half by a banister. Jia explained that our side, which had rows of chairs in pairs, was for weddings, and the other side, which had a line or chairs around the perimeter was for divorces. I think the setup would be a great idea in Vegas.

When we were finally called to the desk for our marriage license, the clerk reviewed our documents to ensure everything was in order. She then insisted that we read a statement that claims we are not related--I thought it was funny, but the clerk insisted that I read the Chinese, which Jia had to help with as I only recognized every third character. A simple statement that should have taken two minutes took ten. The clerk disappeared for a few minutes to prepare our marriage license. When she returned, she proclaimed us husband and wife (or so I assumed considering my limited Chinese abilities). The first thing I did was look at our marriage license, which is written in Chinese and Uyghur. The clerk looked amused as Jia and I posed for photos with our marriage license in front of a large government emblem.

That night we celebrated with a banquet with Jia's relatives and friends--it was partly to make up for those who couldn't travel to Urumqi for the reception. We finished off the evening with a night out at Clone City--a large club featuring plenty of shanzhai (counterfeit) alcohol. Jia's friend had a ticket for a free bottle, and I was excited when it arrived at our table as it looked like Jack Daniel's. However, it turned out to be Jack Conte and it smelled like baijiu (my brother and I didn't drink it). They did have real alcohol, which was sold next to the shanzhai bottles (the price difference was a few hundred Yuan for the real thing and 10 Yuan for fakes). We decided to settle for Tsingtao.

New Theme and Such

This blog is almost five years old (it will be in a little over a month). When I began, it was because I wanted to write book, TV, and movie reviews. I wasn't even contemplating a move to China at the time. And then I left for Shenzhen three months later.

So, now I have a new reader-friendly theme. The first one was boring and I was lazy about changing it because I really didn't know how to use the editor on Blogger effectively. The second one was better, but was still lacking. This one is a great improvement, but I still want to make a few changes and need to find where the code is to change those parts.

After browsing some of my older posts, I decided that it would be a good idea to start tagging a few posts as "waiguoren's picks" so new readers can find some of the better posts among the more than 600 that are currently here. Please be patient, it will take me some time to find my favorites.

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.

Places to See

The New York Times recently published its list of 31 places to go in 2010. Number 20 on that list was Shenzhen. I'm still trying to understand why anyone who doesn't work in Shenzhen would want to go there--there are a hundred other places in China I would recommend visiting before ever setting foot in Shenzhen. The article mentions the impressive rate of modern urbanization and witnessing the new China. But it sounds like the reporter only took the time to see the nicer areas of Luohu and Futian and neglected to visit the outskirts of the city that are outside the Special Economic Zone.

Sure, there are some great new luxury hotels and shopping malls, but there isn't much else. The art scene in Overseas Chinese Town isn't all that impressive and is nowhere near affordable. As for entertainment, visitors can always visit one of Shenzhen's many cheesy theme parks, like OCT East, Window of the World, and Splendid China. Even the Chinese call it a cultural desert. The most cultural destination in Shenzhen is the Hakka museum in Longgang district.

This seems to be the selling point of visiting Shenzhen in 2010:

Affordable luxuries extend to shopping and eating. The jumble of stalls at Dongmen are clogged with pirated DVDs and knock-off handbags, while there are new fashionable restaurants in Shekou, a leafy district with an expatriate flavor. Shenzhen is getting greener, too. The city recently welcomed the first LEED-certified building in southern China: the aptly named Horizontal Skyscraper, billed to be as long as the Empire State Building is tall.

Yes, you can buy a knock-off of anything in Shenzhen. In fact, it's more difficult to find the genuine article in the city. I bet the reporter didn't stop in the Starbucks or any bars when he visited Shekou, or he would've found enough expats who begin conversations with "You know what's wrong with China..." to want to get out of that neighborhood fast.

While unbreathable air days like the one above are less frequent than they used to be, the city still has a long way to go to become green.

My friend J., who still lives out in Nanshan district commented on this excerpt: " 'Dim sum joints and illicit massage parlors gave way to gleaming shopping malls and faceless skyscrapers.' Not in my neighborhood; illicit massage parlors stil outnumber gleaming shopping malls 20 to 1."

Pop Culture MoMA

We visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York this afternoon for the sole purpose of seeing the "Tim Burton and the Lurid Beauty of Monsters" exhibit. I regret to inform you that photos are not allowed at the exhibit, so I don't have any to share. You have until April 26, 2010, to see the Burton's work for yourself.

This was definitely one of the best art exhibits I have ever seen (and I've seen some impressive ones of Dali and Miro). The exhibit contains a chronology of Tim Burton's work--some early cartoons that include an unpublished children's book about monsters, character sketches from his films, and original drawings from his published book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories. Not all of the work is Burton's, some of it is costumes and storyboards from his movies that other people made.

Entering through the mouth of demonic circus monster, visitors see some of Burton's cartoons as they're led into a dark room of glowing paintings and an alien carousel of sorts. Then visitors can enter to the doors to the full exhibit.

I'm fairly certain we went through the exhibit backwards--to the left of the door is Tim Burton's earlier work. His paintings and drawings remind me of a twisted and colorful Charles Addams with a few more clowns and aliens. The color and ridiculous shapes of his monsters are what make the grotesque images humorous--exactly what Burton has made his living on through his films.

Though Jia didn't know who Tim Burton was prior to the exhibit, I did introduce her to some of his movies in China--Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, and Charlie and Chocolate Factory. Now I have to make her watch Mars Attacks (one of my favorites because I love sci-fi B-movies).

And for the movie buffs, MoMA will be showing some sci-fi and horror films until the exhibit closes. When else will you be able to see Plan 9 from Outer Space at an art museum?

Revaluing the Yuan

Since Obama planned his trip to China there has been speculation as to whether or not he'd press China to revalue the Yuan. Rumors of revaluation pop up at least once a year, and occassionally the rumors are true (when I first moved to China at the end of 2005, the exchange rate was a little more than 8 to the dollar; when I left it was about 6.8 to the dollar--I should've saved more money). The value the US would like to see is probably along the lines of the standard of living, which would be around 2-3RMB to the dollar, but that is unlikely to happen for a long time.

Revaluing the Yuan is a touchy subject in China--many view it as pressure from Western powers to slow the Chinese economy or just a plot to destroy the economy (I had more than a few students write essays about this subject with little to no supporting details). Many Americans believe that a stronger Yuan will help the American economy, while many Chinese believe that a stronger Yuan will hurt the Chinese economy.

In the short term, a revalued Yuan won't do much of anything. It will improve the Chinese buying power of non-Chinese products, which are extremely expensive when considering the standard of living in China. But, it will also make Chinese products more expensive abroad, which could lead to people spending less on Chinese-made products. It is not likely to make Chinese products more expensive in China, which is the real fear of the working class there.

The fear that the Chinese government has is that a revalued Yuan will force foreign companies to move to cheaper countries. Some companies have already done so, but it was more about the rise of minimum wage in areas like Shenzhen (minimum wage is 1000RMB per month). Most companies can't move to countries with cheaper labor because those countries don't have the infrastructure or number of laborers that China has. Also, it costs money to build a factory and train new workers. The exodus of manufacturing jobs from China will not happen quickly--it's more likely that it may happen gradually over the next 10 or 20 years. This gives Chinese companies ample time to adapt to the changes.

The greatest fear should come from American businesses. With a stronger Yuan, Chinese businesses will have more money to spend abroad, which they would happily spend on acquiring foreign businesses and product lines (such as Hummer). Acquiring such companies and product lines will improve the image and quality of Chinese products abroad. And, Chinese businesses are not likely to keep manufacturing units in the US, thus costing more jobs in the American economy.

Some Wedding Traditions

Chinese weddings can be a lot of fun. And some of the traditions seem unbelievably strange to foreigners. And others just should be avoided. (I was fortunate enough to only endure the fun traditions.)

According to a recent online post (in Chinese), a bride went a little too far.

Part of the wedding tradition is that family and friends of the bride are supposed to make it difficult for the groom to pick up the bride and take her to the reception--I've heard of playful beatings, bringing gifts for relatives, hiding the bride's shoes, and other shenanigans. This particular wedding was held up by the bride who would not allow the groom to enter her home until he purchased a new flat-screen TV for their home, which he apparently promised to buy beforehand.

After being held out of the home to take his bride to the wedding, the groom gave up. Not only did he call off the wedding, he went out and found another girl he went to school with and proposed to her. And she accepted.

I guess some people can only push the wedding traditions so far before it all goes horribly wrong. At least the groom found someone new quickly.

Statistics

I was perusing Shenzhen Daily and came across a harsh reminder of the worst statistics of China--and it doesn't involve the environment. A sophomore at Shenzhen University committed suicide. Worse than just that single university student is the mention that two younger students committed suicide in Shenzhen in the past week--they were only 12 and 14 years old.

This subject has been discussed by colleagues and expats on forums for the last few years (that I've paid attention to). I've heard many stories of teachers who have taught students who committed suicide. I've been fortunate enough that all of my students were accounted for throughout the time I taught.

The statistics aren't good for China. According to the WHO the suicide rate in 2003 was 13 per 100,000 for men and 14.8 per 100,000 for women. This does not include Hong Kong, which also has a high suicide rate. Only Lithuania and Sri Lanka had a higher rate for women. An article on Asiaone from year ago claims that China has between 250,000 and 300,000 suicides per year.

I've heard a lot of talk about improving mental health services around the country, but I haven't seen any evidence. I hope stories like this force the government to put money into mental health services for everyone in China.

Pagodas on a Lake

There were quite a few beautiful sights around Guilin and Yangshuo, most of which are natural. One of the few non-nature sights we were shown by our Red Army guide was the pagodas at Banyan Lake. Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to go into the pagodas--we had to settle for taking photos from a single location across the lake.

The only more impressive pagoda I've seen in China was the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, which was not as ornate as these in Guilin. I just realized I haven't posted any photos of the pagoda in Xi'an, so I will be sure to post a story or two soon. Until then, enjoy the pagodas at Banyan Lake in Guilin.

Improbable Tour (part II)

During our Red Army tour of Guilin, we were taken to Yangshuo via a five-hour cruise (our guide drove 45 minutes to meet us at the dock) that would have been much more enjoyable had the weather been more cooperative. (My post about the cruise.)

We were given the option of heading back to Guilin that night or spending the night in Yangshuo--not wanting to head back to our hotel in middle of nowhere in Guilin, we opted for the hotel overlooking the Li River in Yangshuo. (Technically, my room had no windows while Jia's room was twice the size with a balcony overlooking the river, which was very pleasant the next morning.)

After our cruise, our PLA guide drove us around the countryside for some sightseeing. As any traveler who has spent some time in Yangshuo will tell you, the countryside is not what it seems. Even the quaintest of villages in the area are prepared for tourists--they'll have souvenirs and food ready. Still, it's beautiful to see the mountains that jut out--it's typical of many Chinese paintings, including the hand-ink painting I bought at Chen's College in Guangzhou.

For dinner, our guide had a small surprise lined up for us--he found a local guide who spoke English. And they took us to a restaurant in Chinatown. Three years later and I'm still confused how there can be a Chinatown in a town in China, but that was what our English-speaking guide told us.

Part of why we wanted to spend the night in Yangshuo was to experience the nightlife. Also, by staying there our guide was without a superior officer present and, therefore, could drink with us. He spent the first few days of our tour talking about all the things former president Bill Clinton saw on his tour through the region, and he was eager to show this foreigner how much fun Guilin and Yanshuo could be.

The following day we were supposed to have a bike tour through the town with our English-speaking guide, but the rain make that idea a little less desirable. Instead we walked the streets with umbrellas in hand (I'm still thankful I brought my water-proof Campmor coat that was purchased for my stay in London years before). I enjoyed walking the narrow streets where very few cars were allowed--it was quite a contrast to the chaotic streets of Shenzhen. Every storefront was welcoming, though overly touristy. Still, I enjoyed some of the cheesy souvenirs being peddled in Yangshuo--this was my first big trip out of Shenzhen afterall.

This young man was making a ginger candy that you can only buy in Yangshuo (supposedly)--it was quite tasty.

Improbable Tour (part I)

My first big holiday journey in China was Spring Festival (Year of the Dog) 2006. Jia and I had been dating for almost two months, but weren't telling anyone about our relationship. She contacted some relatives who hooked us up with a People's Liberation Army tour of Guilin and Yangshuo. By the end of our stay, word had gotten back to Jia's mother that we were dating (but that's not the fun part of the story).

We landed late in Guilin and were greeted by an official in a suit and PLA soldier who would be our driver and guide. I hadn't been informed that I would meet anyone from the Chinese military, and they weren't informed that Jia would be traveling with a waiguoren. It certainly made for a nice surprise upon our arrival.

We were taken to a greasy spoon with only three walls to sample the Guilin's specialty noodles. I was exhausted and didn't care what we ate--no food would have been memorable at that time. I was much more excited about seeing our hotel rooms. I was certainly a little disappointed to see that my room was simple, yet clean while Jia was given a suite. The next day I realized how far out of the way our accomodations were--there was nothing nearby except for a very dirty Internet bar which we used a few times (it was a dark, smoke-filled concrete room with old computers that hadn't been cleaned in years). Every day we had private meals at the hotel--just Jia, myself, and our PLA guide.

On our last night we met the official who organized our tour of the area. He asked what I'd like to drink, and, being the naive foreigner at the time, I said I'd drink whatever he'd like. He got a bottle of some local baijiu (although it was not clear, but rather a slightly yellow hue) that tasted a bit like a smooth scotch. This was the only time in nearly four years that I can say I enjoyed drinking baijiu. Throughout the meal, we drank casually and my host and others toasted me. I remember dinner being very good, but not much afterwards. Jia says I was speaking Chinese the whole way back to the hotel.

The next day was painful. Even though it tasted better than other baijiu, it still produced that horrible day after result. To complicate matters, we were treated to dinner before our flight to Shanghai, at which time the official brought out a bottle of Moutai baijiu--which I still consider the worst tasting baijiu I have ever had despite it's great reputation in China.

Review: Waylaid

The title has a dual meaning that can make you laugh and cringe at the same time.

Ed Lin's Waylaid focuses on the life of a vulgar, yet intelligent adolescent who is forced to live and work at a sleazy motel at the Jersey Shore, because his parents own it. The unnamed narrator has an obsession with sex and getting laid at an early age. He's exposed to these thoughts by the Bennys (city dwellers from the North Jersey/New York area) and the johns that frequently rent the hourly rooms at the motel.

Fortunately, Waylaid goes deeper into the narrator's life (as Samuel R. Delany once told a class, "Hell is having to read other people's pornography."). Lin deals with the concept of being "other"--the narrator is the American-born son of Chinese immigrants. While his parents still embrace their Chinese heritage while assimilating into society, their son is very Americanized (he doesn't even eat Chinese food). One of the challenges they face is that they are the only Chinese family in the town. To complicate matters, the narrator has to cope with being the kid whose parents own the sleazy motel. All of this means that he has next to no social life outside of school.

The narrator, like many adolescents, resents his parents for controlling his life. He also brushes aside almost any adult who shows him kindness--he tolerates talking with them, but hates to listen to what they have to say.

Lin writes about racism toward Asians, but he doesn't include a serious tone when writing about it. Most it comes off as being comedic--it sounds so unbelievably ignorant that some might laugh at the characters' stupidity.

This novella (it's only 168 pages) lives up to Lin's description of it being his "dirty book." If it wasn't for his humor and bizarre situations (it is the Jersey Shore after all), this would be trash. If you can get past the profanity of the adolescent narrator, this is an amusing read.

Translated Advertisment

My wife pointed out an amusing little ad while she checked her gmail account (makes you wonder what Google accepts as advertising).

美国生子=美国公民 一人公民=全家移民
一万美元=百万美元 多子多女=心想事成

Translation:
Give birth in the US = American citizenship. One person as a citizen = the whole family can immigrate.
Ten thousand dollars (cost of giving birth in US) = $1 million (American citizenship). Have lots of sons and daughters = your wish will become true.

Hate to burst the company's bubble of claims, but this is no longer true because the US altered its immigration laws.

Up the Yangtze

It's not often one finds an insightful documentary about China that isn't overtly political (Wild China comes to mind), but director Yung Chang achieves just that Up the Yangtze.

Chang opens his film reminiscing about his grandfather's stories of life in Sichuan province. He wants to see the China that his grandfather lived in. He embarks on a luxury cruise up the Yangtze before the Three Gorges Dam is complete--he encounters plenty of Western tourists on the cruise who "are here to see an ancient version of China that doesn't exist anymore."

Chang shifts his focus from the travels of the tourists to two employees on the ship--one is a 19-year-old boy from the city, the other is a 16-year-old girl who lives in a shack on the river. The aspirations of each is different--the boy, Chen, wants a high-paying job rather than going to college, while the girl, Cindy, is forced to work because her parents can't afford to send her to high school.

There are also scenes mixed in about the cities and towns along the Yangtze being affected by the flooding. He speaks with a shopkeeper who is trying to sell everything before he is forced to move--he breaks down talking about how he's not being compensated or treated fairly. Outside the store, residents complain about harassment by thugs and not receiving the proper amount of compensation. As the shopkeeper says, "China is too hard for common people."

However, Cindy's family is optimistic about the future because they have food and a roof over their heads. Cindy begins her career on the cruise with slouched shoulders and a constant frown. But, as she is helped along by co-workers, she opens up and begins to smile and enjoy her work.

Up the Yangtze shows the complexity and contradictions of China. It doesn't mention anything about the environmental impact of the Three Gorges Dam, but rather focuses on the human cost--in some cases improving lives while ruining others. It also portrays views of tourism--from the poor English phrases the ship's crew is taught, to the propaganda tours, to manufactured traditional shows.

Hard Labor

Jia and I were talking about summer jobs, spurred by the article in today's Star-Ledger about dwindling opportunities for teenagers. I told her about my time mowing lawns and other yard work, manufacturing, warehouse work, and other adventures in temporary labor. Any difficult or boring labor I endured was easily topped by my wife's tale.

From high school and on into university, Jia joined her classmates and worked the fields of Xinjiang--they needed students to do the work because they didn't have enough local or migrant laborers. Most of those expeditions involved picking cotton, though she also had to harvest barley. Sometimes it was just for a weekend, other times it was for two-week stretches. The students slept on hay in a barn with rats running about. They drank from dirty plastic barrels of water that were dragged out to the fields by exhaust-spewing tractors. And they drank thin soup and ate bland mantou (steamed bread).

Jia said they had no running water--just a large trough in the field to rinse the dirt from their hands. And the field was their toilet. It wasn't so bad when the work was only on the weekends, but for the longer stretches it was difficult to live without a shower.

Early into her time at university, Jia and her classmates staged a protest--the upper-classmen told the younger students to stay in their rooms when the teachers came to take them to the fields. When they were finally dragged to the farm, they refused to work. They wanted to at least eat some meat if they were to work so hard. In response, the farm slaughtered a single pig to feed the group of hundreds of students. Jia doesn't recall even seeing meat in the soup that day.

For their hours of hard labor, the students were expected to meet daily weight goals for their harvest. Those who didn't meet the daily goals were fined. This led to some students adding water or small rocks to their sacks. Jia says she lost money every time they made her work in the fields.

Northern Exposure

Josh at Far West China reminded me of part of my journey through Xinjiang in 2006. On my first summer holiday in China, my parents visited. I planned to take them to Xinjiang for the sole purpose of meeting Jia--I had no idea what there was to see and do at that time.

After our trips through the bazaar, provincial museum (still one of the best museums I saw in China), and Heavenly Lake, Jia took us to walk up Hongshan (红山) or Red Mountain. She told us that anyone who visits Urumqi has climb the mountain, which was more of a hill.
Like most parks in China, there was a bit of a cheesy carnival atmosphere by the entrance. Visitors could rent boats to go around the man-made lake, pay to have their photos taken in front of fake rocks that are next to real rocks, and even play carnival like games (but not whack-a-mole).
We first hiked up the steps to the tower at the top of Hongshan to take in the beautiful views of Urumqi on a bright August day with the much larger mountains in the background.


Wandering around other parts of the park, we came to temple. Unlike any other Buddhist temple I've been to, this one was surrounded by small, noisey carnival rides. It was hard to imagine finding inner piece with all that racket outside the temple walls, but I suppose it was good practice for the monks. When we entered, a woman tried to sell us incense, telling Jia that if she got her "tour group" to buy it at an inflated price she would kick back a few kuai (this was a common theme on our trip through Xinjiang).

We followed up our little hike with dinner on the street near our hotel--there was a line of restaurants to sit in or to pick up some barbecue and walk along. It was a great way to spend our last day in Xinjiang before heading to Chengdu and the hottest weather I have ever encountered.

Worst Alibi Ever

A government official in Yibin county, Sichuan, gave the worst alibi for charges of underage prostitution. And the worst part is that the courts let him off with a 5000 Yuan fine! (article)

Lu Yumin paid two men 6000 Yuan so that he could have sex with a 13-year-old girl (by comparison a typical prostitute in the region costs 100 Yuan, according to China Daily). His defense at trial was that he didn't know the girl was underage. Apparently the threshold for child rape in China is 14, and that's what Mr. Lu thought he was getting.

I'm not sure where to begin to describe how unbelievably disgusting this whole situation is. It's bad enough that a government official is caught paying for sex; it's worse that he was actually looking for a 14-year-old, who turned out to be a year younger. And that he was let off with a slap on the wrist because it is a reasonable defense to claim he didn't know her real age.

This case is saying that it's OK for government officials to pay for sex with minors as long as they "believe" the minors are older than 14.

Fortunately, there is quite a bit of outrage from the citizens. From the message board: "This excuse is insulting to the intelligence of Chinese people and the world."

Things I'll Miss About Shenzhen (4)

Public transportation in New Jersey is awful. Supposedly, it's not so bad in the more densely populated areas, but it's awful around my hometown.

There are no bus stops nearby to go anywhere--I would have to drive at least 10 minutes to find a bus stop (which is not well marked) and then figure out what buses stop there (there are no lists at the bus stop). And to top it off, the buses don't run frequently.

In Shenzhen, I had a major bus stop right outside my apartment (at all the apartments I stayed in over the years). I could take buses to go just about anywhere. It was great to be able to find the lines that were rarely crowded, which happened often because I avoided the rush hour at all costs. The subway was severely limited, but that'll change in a few years.

Two of my favorite bus lines in Shenzhen were 113 and 19. The 113 seemed to have the friendliest riders--I heard "excuse me" in Chinese and English often. I also once had to pay the 2 Yuan fare with a 100 Yuan bill...and the ticket girl actually had enough change. The 19 was the quickest and most comfortable bus I got to ride--mostly because it was near campus and stopped by my apartment. For the extra 5 jiao it was worth riding the nearly empty bus.

Now the only time I get to use public transportation is when I see my brother in Jersey City. I have to drive about 30 miles to his house, walk 15 minutes to the PATH station that goes into New York City, and then I can get on the subway. I wouldn't mind the walking and the PATH if it wasn't for the fact that I have to drive. I really hate driving. New Jersey needs more public transportation.