Today's Confusion

Please don't think too long after reading the following links--your head may explode or you will have fits of rage.

1. Where are your tax dollars going now? To China, of course. No, the US government is not paying off its debt to the Middle Kingdom. (article)

The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is handing out a $2.6 million grant to Dr. Li of Wayne State University School of Medicine to study alcohol abuse among prostitutes in China (specifically, Guangxi province). Dr. Li will attempt the rampant alcohol abuse, which he claims will bring about more conscious decisions of sex, such as condom use.

The theory of the intervention is that reduced alcohol consumption by prostitutes will lead to lower STD rates. There is no mention in the article about the fact that prostitution is illegal in China and the Chinese government claims that it doesn't exist.

The question taxpayers should be asking is who profits from this "research"? Will Dr. Li be promoting American-made condoms? Will his paid assistants be American citizens who are in desperate need of jobs? Will they choose Tsingtao or Budweiser?

2. China is upset about foreign countries' claims that the Chinese are hacking into computer systems that contain sensitive information, such as military secrets. (article)

A Chinese scientist refuted the outrageous claims by saying that it's impossible for someone to hack into those computers (has he tried?). "Networks containing sensitive intelligence are impenetrable," Fang Binxing claims.

Considering there are documented instances of hackers breaking into government computer networks over the years, Fang's statement is rather naive. If we read deeper into Fang's comments, it appears Chinese hackers are inept.

There Is No Sex in China

Looks like China's planned sex theme park celebration was premature. It seems the Chongqing government had performance anxiety and pulled the plug on the project after a good portion of it was erected.

According to The New York Times (always known for truth in news), government officials blushed at the idea of having a "vulgar, ill-minded, and misleading" theme park in their backyard. This from the same government that merely fined one of its own for sex with a minor because he didn't know how old she really was. I guess this means everyone will have to go the usual massage parlors and KTVs for sex education.

Note: This is the Waiguoren's 500th post!

A Bridge Too Far

It's a double photo Friday. We came across this bridge on our way through Sichuan during the first May holiday. It was an extra long bus ride from Chengdu to Songpan with half the bus chain-smoking the entire 12 hours (even the driver was smoking). We arrived late in the afternoon and took a walk through the old part of town--a beautifully maintained walled town with traditional architecture. We picked up spicy dried yak to eat as wandered.
The bridge was an accident--we were walking aimlessly. The bridge led us to a quiet area of town, into the mountains toward a temple at the summit. We made our way to a small temple set into the side of the mountain, but were unable to continue to the larger one that loomed over Songpan because it was getting late and we had no flashlights to find our way back to town.

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."

Zodiac Balloons

A unique sight (at least I've never seen it anywhere else) on Jingli, the main tourist street in Chengdu, was the balloon animals--a small, inexpensive treat for the children.
The vendor inflated the sugary substance with a straw and molded it into on of the twelve Chinese zodiac. He probably would take requests for other animals for the right price, and I wouldn't be surprised if he made the Fuwa during the Olympics.

I believe the animals are edible, but I have no idea if they taste good.

Fun in Chinese

I'll admit that I've been slacking off a bit when it comes to studying Chinese. I desperately need a class to motivate me (I've needed a class for the last three years).

Studying Chinese is much more difficult now that I'm in the US. At least while living in China I could've just walked out the door and started up a conversation with the locals. It was even possible to try to talk with my mother-in-law. But that's all gone now. It's even difficult to talk with my wife in Chinese because she's become more motivated in studying English and trying to neutralize her accent (which I didn't really think was a problem).

Yesterday I had my chance. Jia told me to go to the Asian market off Route 10 to pick up some food for dinner(and it's a really nice Asian market--but they don't have a great selection of rice). I walked up to the prepared food section, and the man behind the counter greeted me in English. I responded with, "请给我一直烤鸭"(Please give me a roast duck). Without even a comment as to my non-Chinese appearance, the guy asked in Chinese if I wanted him to cut the duck. Back in Shenzhen my requests were usually responded to with, "You speak Chinese very well" (a common compliment for speaking even the most simplistic of Chinese phrases).

Having this friendly Asian market and the amazing Sichuan restaurant has at least provided me with some motivation to kick myself in the ass and start studying more seriously. I have plenty of Chinesepod lessons on my hard drive that I should listen to more often.

Also, the roast duck was really good. Jia just had to make some dipping sauce. All it was missing was the little pancakes to wrap the duck in.

Review: The Mao Case

I should begin with a disclaimer: I have not read a mystery in a very long time, and I've never been an avid reader of the genre. I have also never read the other novels in this series.

Qiu Xiaolong's The Mao Case is an overtly political story with hints of poetics and history that fall flat. There is a mystery in the story, but it arrives too late in the novel to maintain interest.

The mystery begins with Chief Inspector Chen of Shanghai investigating a case from China's Internal Security about a woman who could possibly release information that could humiliate the memory of Mao and the communist party. As flimsy as a premise as that may sound, the story continues with tales of a movie star, Shang, who was one of Mao's secret lovers, and the tragedy of her family. The history provides Shang's granddaughter Jiao with a motive and possible material for the plot. Chen's role is to infiltrate an intellectual group that meets at an old mansion in Shanghai and parties like it's 1930. There are also some subplots--mostly about Chen's lost love who gets married in Beijing. 

There are many times that lines of translated poetry is quoted by Chen and others. These lines should provide the reader with insight into the mystery that is unfolding, but they often do not. The politics is so overwhelming in the first few chapters that it feels like Qiu is hitting the reader over the head with his views. There are many conversations about the Cultural Revolution, and its impact on how people live today.

The real action of the story doesn't arrive in the novel until almost 200 pages into the 289 pages of the book. Even when the mystery finally comes close to its end, it sounds rather half-baked--almost an afterthought thrown into the mix. 

While the story itself isn't engaging, Qiu does show some glimmers of hope in his prose. There are passages that sound poetic and descriptions that grab the reader. 

Again, Chen was lost in a recurring dream scene--of an ancient gray gargoyle murmuring in the twilight-covered Forbidden City, in the midst of black bats flapping around the somber grottos--when he was awakened.

Unfortunately, those moments of literary beauty are not consistent and get lost in The Mao Case.

Walking On

In between the rain showers that have plagued the area (and will supposedly continue until next week), we took part in the Revlon Run/Walk to fight cancer. (You can visit their Web site to donate to the cause.) My family has been part of it since I left for China, and this was my first year to take part in it. The event holds importance in my family as my aunt is a cancer survivor and we lost my uncle shortly after I left for China. The others on our walking team were all friends of my aunt, some of whom have also lost loved ones to cancer.

The walk itself wasn't long--only two and a half miles--but the pace was very slow with the huge crowd. We also had to walk a while to get to the start of the official walk, and then quite a bit more to get to the brunch afterward. And, of course, we also walked more after brunch before heading back to Jersey City and our Sichuanese dinner.

Now I'm looking forward to the rain stopping long enough so I can take a day out hiking at the Delaware Water Gap.

Reasons I Need a Job

This post is sponsored by Alaska Denali Tours

As anyone who reads this blog can tell, I love to travel. I particularly enjoy adventures centered around culture and nature. Vacations are more enjoyable when the two are combined.

A few years ago, my family took a cruise to Alaska for my grandfather's birthday. It was definitely cool going fishing in Juneau, canoeing near Skagway, and hiking through Tongass National Forest in Ketchikan. Unfortunately, the cruise only included the Inside Passage, but it whetted my appetite for more Alaska travel.

Now that Jia is a permanent resident and can travel anywhere in the US, I've been thinking of where I'd like to take her. I know she'd enjoy seeing Alaska, and I'd like to see more of it. One of the places I'd like to travel to next time is Denali National Park.

Searching through AlaskaDenaliTours.com, I can plan a great trip to Alaska (not just Denali). They have a lot of options that sound really nice. There are so many options on the site that I may have to reconsider convincing Jia to move to Alaska (not an easy task--I've already tried). It's either that or we better start making a lot of money because those trips up north aren't cheap. But at least I now know there are options for us when we decide to travel Alaska.

Sichuan in Jersey

I have finally found authentic Chinese food in the US--tonight was 100% better than last year's encounter with a Chinese restaurant that promised us authentic food because we were living in China.

Grand Sichuan (大四川) on Grove St. and Newark Ave. in Jersey City is a great meal. They also have a few locations in New York City. With six of us in the small restaurant, we ordered a small and spicy feast.

We started with spicy sliced beef (麻辣牛肉) and some cold noodles. The 麻辣牛肉 was great--not as neatly sliced as it usually was in China, but the beef was tender and the spices were just right. I'm not a big fan of cold noodles, but Jia enjoyed them.

For the main course, we ordered sweet & sour fish (糖醋鱼片), dried string beans (干煸四季豆), spicy beef (水煮牛肉), spicy frog and vegetables, and smoked tea duck (樟茶鸭). Everything was great, but the fish wasn't quite what I was used to in China (still enjoyed it though). I don't recall trying smoked tea duck in China and now I think I should have because I really enjoyed it at Grand Sichuan. Everything that was supposed to be spicy was about as spicy as I remember them being when Jia and I visited Sichuan.

In Jersey City, Grand Sichuan does not have a liquor license, but you can bring your own Tsingtao (or baijiu if you really want it). They also have an "American Chinese" menu page for those who don't want anything really spicy or tasty.

Reasons To Not Eat Brussel Sprouts

Greenpeace really isn't telling me anything I didn't already know...four years ago.

The aggressive environmental group released a report that says it found an extremely poisonous level of pesticides on common fruits and vegetables in China. This would be the reason why my mother-in-law insisted on thoroughly washing all our fruits and vegetables with purified water and baking soda. She certainly kept me healthy during my time in China (and very well fed).

The only surprising part of the report was that the pesticide levels were higher at major chains such as Wal-Mart and Vanguard than they were at local markets (where the prices are sometimes lower for the locals).

Changing China

I was always amazed at the speed of progress in China. New buildings popped up overnight (at least it seemed that way if you weren't paying attention). The status quo was broken with every journey through the neighborhood.

On our trip through Xi'an in the summer of 2006 my father and I witnessed the changing city on a walk on the city wall. They were tearing down whole neighborhoods with sledgehammers--I never once saw a wrecking ball in China. I have no idea what they were going to replace the old buildings with. I'd like to think that they were replaced with something that appeared traditional, but I doubt that as most of the time the traditional was replaced with dull modern eyesores.

I suppose my hopes for seeing a resurgence in traditional architecture is just the artistic nostalgia talking. Maybe someday more cultures will modernize old designs to aesthetically appease people like me.

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.

The Final Trip

Before leaving China, Jia and I took a final trip to Guangzhou--primarily to pick up our plane tickets. We had planned to stay the night and attend Web Wednesday to help promote Terracotta Typewriter, but that got canceled.

After we got our tickets, which took far longer than expected, we headed over to Guangxiao Temple. Jia decided it was important for her to visit a Buddhist temple before our flight to New York, and I was interested in seeing it again. My first trip outside Shenzhen was to Guangzhou on New Year's Day--and Guangxiao Temple was on our list of sites to visit.

I remember being impressed with the almost 1700-year-old temple on the first visit. I wasn't so impressed the last time. For one thing, I've seen plenty of temples (you might say I'm templed-out), and this one didn't have any features that really stood out. Also, Guangxiao was going through renovations this time around, and much of it was closed off--I couldn't even find the really nice turtle pond.We headed to lunch at Danny's rather late where we met up with some Twitter friends, @JohnInGZ and @JWKirkland and his brother. As Jia and I sat longer with JohnInGZ, Danny showed up to talk with us--and time just flew by. Before we knew it, the restaurant had closed for the afternoon and was almost ready to re-open for dinner.

We parted ways with our friends and walked around Tianhe district for a while before heading to the bus station to catch our ride back to Shenzhen.

Things I Couldn't Do in Shenzhen

Yesterday, while my wife spent the day in NYC, I went for a bike ride in beautiful 70-degree weather with my brother and his girlfriend.

For the record, the last time I rode a bike was about four years ago when I visited Israel and took a short bike tour along the Jordan River (I think the trek lasted a whole 15 minutes). Prior to that, I hadn't been on a bike since freshman year of college.

My brother decided we should take a ride through Liberty State Park. I forgot how nice this park really is--great views of the Jersey City and New York skylines, plus the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Unfortunately, I didn't learn my lesson from China and forgot to bring a camera.

Back in Shenzhen there weren't any bike trails quite like this, and I would never have attempted to ride a bike on a city street (or even sidewalk). Here in Jersey City, everyone obeys the traffic laws and the drivers were polite to the cyclists.

Scaring the Demons

I've been quite busy looking for jobs (would anyone like to hire me?) and finishing up the first issue of Terracotta Typewriter. You can read the first issue online in PDF format.

For today's photo Friday, I decided to try and scare away all the evil spirits that may be plaguing my endeavors.
This is one of the gates to Wat Pho in Bangkok. I was told that the black coming from the temple guard's mouth is coffee grounds, which is used to make it look like blood. I suppose it works considering how peaceful it is inside the temple.

Artistic Monday

Yesterday Jia and I took a short trip to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City--we were fortunate enough to have free guest passes that my aunt got with her membership, and we didn't have to wait on line.

The special exhibits were well worth seeing. Into the West: Photography's Image of the American West was wonderful. The photography spanned about 150 years, with images of nature and the old west juxtaposed with modern urban and suburban landscapes.

Next to "Into the West" was an exhibit about photography printing. I'd imagine many people wouldn't find it interesting, but I like learning about the printing process--partly from the days in the printing press class in grad school.

Martin Kippenberger was a surprise to me--I hadn't previously heard of him. I was amazed by the skill of his work as well as the sheer amount of completed work in his short career. I enjoyed seeing his out-of-focus acrylic paintings--he showed great skill with the paint and subject. Some of his work was more poetic with long titles (some of which were meant for shock value).

There was also the exhibit of Tangled Alphabets: Leon Ferrari and Mira Schendel. Jia and I were not impressed. Ferrari had some interesting, imaginitive work, but much of it was inaccessible to the average person. Schendel's work resembled gibberish with a lack of creativity.

We ended our long day out at Cooper Union, listening to the poetry of C.P. Cavafy translated by Daniel Mendelsohn and read by Mark Doty, Olympia Dukakis, and Maria Tucci.

The Last Picture Show

I just finished Larry McMurtry's The Last Picture Show. This was the first time I picked up one of his books.

Published in 1966, McMurtry's novel follows the lives of a select few in the town of Thalia, Texas, a rather small and dull town. The main characters, Sonny and Duane, are high school seniors who go through a routine that involves the movie theater, cafe, and pool hall--just about the only things to do in the town in the 1950s. While the story revolves around the two friends, it is intertwined with others in the town who impact both their lives. In the span of a little over a year that takes place in The Last Picture Show great changes occur in Sonny and Duane's lives--there's romance, sex, and heartbreak and altercations.

While the novel takes place in a small Texas town in the 1950s, the story is rather timeless and its themes universal. There are emotions of characters and situations that almost anyone can relate to. McMurtry's prose sin't complicated but conveys the mood of the situations, and the dialogue reflects the regional dialect and education level of the characters.

For those who don't want to take the time to read The Last Picture Show, there's always the 1971 film with Jeff Bridges.

Chinese Passover

This is the first time in four years that I'll celebrate Passover in the states (and first time in six that I'll be at my parents' house).

During my first year in Shenzhen I wondered how I would manage the holiday. My father managed to find the contact information for Chabad in Hong Kong--I was willing to go into Hong Kong for the first time if I had to. It turned out that Chabad had just (I mean, within a few weeks prior to the holiday) assigned a rabbi to Shenzhen and there would be a seder in Shekou for the first night.

I took my friend, Winnipeg, to the seder at the Nanhai Hotel--he was interested in participating in his first Passover. I wasn't sure what to expect--I hadn't met any other Jews since arriving in China, and wasn't sure how a Chabad seder would go. I was still used to the family seders with my grandfather, who would read the Haggadah in less than ten minutes. I also wasn't sure if I'd get along with the people from Chabad as I was raised with a conservative synagogue and saw myself as more of cultural Jew.

To my surprise, there were close to forty people in attendence for the first seder in Shenzhen. That night I met other Jews from all over the world--most of whom spoke English.

Though the night wasn't well planned, and the seder didn't go as smoothly as I'm sure the rabbi would have liked, it was good to connect with other people in Shenzhen--especially those who lived outside of Bao'an district. Winnipeg and I took a taxi back to the school sometime around 11. He joined in the seder the following year as well.

The next night, I hosted a smaller seder in my little apartment. I invited Jia, V. (my course coordinator), and her boyfriend J. None of them had any idea what was involved in a seder and I had to explain quite a bit of it--fortunately J. spoke Chinese quite well to help with translations and understanding.