China and Mongolia

I recently took a trip to outer Mongolia.  A few reflections on the trip relative to its neighbor, China.

Population:

Mongolia has a population of only a few million, small compared to even a modestly sized Chinese city. Traditionally, the people lived a nomadic lifestyle, sprinkled throughout the countryside as they cared for their herds.  Like China, it is experiencing massive urbanization (now some half of the country's population is living in the capital, Ulan Bator).  For a view of Mongolia's changing demographic and economic landscape, Foreign Policy published a moving photo essay.

However, Inner Mongolia (the Chinese province) is experiencing a different dynamic.  Population pressures in the east and supportive policies have brought many ethnic Han Chinese to the area, vastly changing the racial dynamic and has become a source of tension between ethnic groups.  This should come as no surprise given the recent tensions there.  

Rural-Urban divide

With rapid urbanization, both China and Mongolia are experiencing a vastly changing  dynamic between the countryside and urban areas.   As higher paying jobs have shifted to the cities, both countries have rural workers coming to the cities to find work.  A brief walk around Ulan Bator reveals the sharp contrast between the slim, chic urbanites toting brand name bags, next to scruffy workers fresh from the grasslands, clothes tattered and torn, and skin worn from the sun.  

In China, this has been a trend for decades now.  Even today, country dwellers are evident through not only their dress, appearance, mannerisms and language, but also through their residential registration, which allocates resources such as education and healthcare to the populace based on geographic location.  

Hangovers from economic miracles

In the past few years, China has woken up to the bitter realities of its break-neck economic growth.  In addition to massive inequalities, corruption still permeates every aspect of the system, there is rampant pollution, poor city planning and to top it off, the food is unsafe.   Now that the source of China's economic miracle, its sea of cheap labor, is starting to dry up (see the Economist's recent report), these social and political problems present daunting structural problems that will need to be addressed in the coming years.   

While Mongolia's growth may be more recent, it is also adjusting to its newfound growth.  The influx of foreign mining companies into the country has sparked a debate of the role of foreign companies and capital in the country's development as well as how all of this recent wealth should be used.  Like China, wealth needs to be managed, especially given the rising inequality in Mongolia, as well as the need for services and infrastructure, especially in the rural areas.  Both countries need to be prepared for the next step in their development. For what does happen when minerals and low cost labor dry up?  At best, the societies will undergo difficult political and economic changes.  At worst, the societies will wake up to the disturbing reality that they have been fooled by the promises of economic openness and progress.

Thoughts on China and Egypt

The protests in Egypt have garnered considerable press all over the world, and China is no exception.  However, it is not for the same reasons.  Media such as CNN are quick to emphasize popular dissent, broadcasting vivid images of a people discontent with an oppressive regime and taking to the streets in protest.  A quick glance at CCTV shows a clearly different story.  A recent Chinese media story describes the movement as chaotic, and focuses on the economic repercussions such as the downturn in the Egyptian stock market and tourism market.  Laughable? Maybe.  Effective? Yes. 

Many a friend has come to China expecting to encounter a population yearning for democracy.  While there has been enough popular discontent to keep the government on its toes, there is certainly not enough dissatisfaction to inspire a popular revolt.  Part of this is due to the government's control over the media.  The government has been effective about controlling the debate over democracy.  Democratic processes (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) are broadcast as protests, chaotic and disruptive.  Instances of corruption in democratic societies have been touted as institutional flaws, causing, for example, a good friend of mine to call democracy in America simply a game for the rich.  Calls for reform and human rights abroad are responded to with appeals to nationalism and anti-imperialism. 

In addition, the government has carefully studied the lessons from its socialist neighbors.  It watched as a combination of economic and political freedoms tore the Soviet Union apart, and as a result, even though there have been waves of economic reforms, the Party's reach and the political institutions that govern the country today have remained largely unchanged. Wary of its potentially precarious situation, the government maintains policies aimed at assuaging the economic concerns of the socially mobile: keeping the currency low (China is still by far a manufacturing country), pumping liquidity into the economy, expanding educational opportunities, as well as maintaining growth and employment.  With this kind of Party, who wants to ruin a good thing?

The question of whether the events in Egypt will spill over in China has begun to surface.  The word around the blogosphere is a resounding no (see entries from the New Yorker and the Peking Duck).  The reasoning is simple: while the protests in Egypt are new, in China, it's still the same old song.  

Being Mixed Blood in China: A Year in Reflection

Recently, this blog passed its one year anniversary.  And so, I thought that the most suitable post to write would be to take a step back and reflect on the very question of why I write, or particularly why I write here.  

George Orwell, in his piece Why I Write, points out a few qualities that motivate writers everywhere.

He describes traits such as a desire to seek out truth, an urge to push the world in a certain direction, an appreciation of literary beauty, and, in all honesty, for the sheer purpose of one's own ego.  

In a recent piece by the New Yorker entitled An Inspirational Letter to My Students, Roger Rosenblatt describes the art of writing to his students.  True writing, he states, is not about selling more books, or about dwelling over the intricacies of style, whether one has used the right verb or adverb.  Writing must strive for greatness, must form an opinion, and most of all, must be useful to the world.  

I write for these reasons and more.  

I write not because I see myself as the writer of a "China blog," a blog about China by some enlightened foreigner who can explain China to the world. Aside from hubris, opinion, a desire for greatness etc., I write because I believe (and hope) I represent a different opinion. 

While I am close with both China and America, I do not belong in full to either one.  I am not viewed as fully American or Chinese.  At the same time, I do not need to defend one side against the other.  So in a way, I have a certain degree of objective distance to both.  

I view this as not a better opinion, or a more informed opinion.  It is simply a different opinion.  It may not be great, but hopefully, it is of use to this world.  

And this, is why I write. 

New Words in the Chinese Language

Last week the Ministry of Education and the National Committee on Language and Characters issued a report on newly added words to the Chinese language during the year 2009.  In total, there were 396 new words found commonly used in radio, print media and on the internet.  The news coverage can be viewed here in Chinese, and I will highlight a few of the top words below.  The new vocabulary illustrates the discussions in China that satirize life, society, and government. 

Bei Ju (cup set): this is homonymous with a word meaning tragedy and is used to often jokingly refer to something one feels is terrible or tragic.

Duo Mao Mao (hide and seek): the word originated when a 24 year old man name Li Qiaoming was arrested for illegally chopping down wood.  He was arrested on January 30th, and was released and hospitalized on February 8th.  He died four days later due to severe head injuries. The local police stated that his injuries were sustained while playing 'hide and seek' with a cellmate.  During the course of the game, he fell and hit his head against a wall.  The course of events spurred disbelief and anger among Chinese, and heated discussions filled online forums.  The widespread anger helped to encourage the local authorities to open a formal investigation, the result of which was that he was, in fact, beaten to death.  The word is synonymous with police abuse and official deception.  

Pin Er Dai (second-generation poor): similar to fu er dai (children from wealthy families, often spoiled and without a concept of money), this describes people born to poor families, often the migrant working communities who work in construction or services in Chinese cities.  These children often have very few options in life due to limitations in educational opportunities. 

Bei + verb (grammatical marker -passive voice): bei marks the passive voice in Chinese (bei + verb = was verb-ed). I have covered this topic previously here, as has the Language Log.  Currently, it is also used with words not commonly used with passive voice to criticize official cover ups and manipulation, i.e. bei+suicide implies being beaten to death by police and having it declared a suicide. 

Yi Zu (ants): this is a caricatured term to describe fresh graduates working in urban China.  This group characteristically works for low wages (a typical graduate can earn around 2000RMB/300USD per month), is unable to pay high rent charges, and shares crowded quarters with other recent graduates far away outside the city.  

Xian Yu Zu (salty fish): this is a play on words, xian (salty) is homonymous with xian (free/nothing to do), yu (fish) with yu (spare-as in spare time).  This describes the group of people at any given workplace with no ambition, no goals, and who is content doing the bare minimum and to have at least a job.  In China, those in this group stereotypically fill their days chatting online and playing online games.  For those who might find this an exaggerated claim should realized that the American Chamber of Commerce surveys for years found that HR is foreign companies' largest obstacle in China. 

Subway strategies

For a long time, Japan was known as the crowded country where people are prodded into subway cars by attendants armed with poles.  Truth be told, Beijing is no different.  A sprawling metropolis, Beijing's workers crowd into subways and buses from far away to travel downtown.  For most, the commute to work is a grueling process, in which one must muscle through crowds, wait pressed against others with questionable personal hygiene habits before emerging gasping for breath, all before the start of the work day. 

Recently, I discussed some strategies of riding the subway with a colleague.  

1. Do not stand in the middle of the car (in the  middle where all the seats are): the reasoning is simple, when it's your stop you are surrounded on both sides by crowds of people making it difficult to exit.

2. Do not stand in front of the door:  throughout the ride, there will be a lot of people entering and alighting, all of whom will push past you.  

3.  Do not stand next to someone with a large bag:  anyone carrying a bag of a significant size will fit awkwardly into the subway.  Anytime they turn or move, they will hit someone, most likely you if you are standing anywhere beside them. 

4. For girls or those of smaller stature, it is wise to stand next to a large man who is alighting:  in this case, he can push through, making an opening as you as you get off. 

The list leaves one with few options.  Of course, the best place to be is in a seat, if you are lucky enough to get one.  Otherwise, my favorite is leaning against the crevice next to the door.  You have a place to lean, and at the very least, it is easy to get out when you arrive at your destination.  

US Midterms and Other News in China

In the run-up to the midterm elections in the US, New Yorker writer Evan Osnos wrote a piece entitled A Chinese View of the Midterms, in which he states:

But dig into the Chinese view of this election and you'll find that all of this blather has been refracted in some telling ways. Take "The Chinese Professor," the political ad produced for the Citizens Against Government Waste, that depicts a Chinese lecturer, twenty years in the future, cackling over the red-white-and-blue and crowing, "now they work for us." This might seem like prime red meat for China's "angry youth,"—and, indeed, it has attracted its share of predictable comments in that spirit...

While this advertisement has generated some attention, the election overall is not something that weighs heavily on the Chinese mindset.  Apart from producing an interesting video, it is simply an obscure election far away.  However, below I have highlighted some events that have been prominent in China recently.  

-Xi Jinping's ascent to the vice-chairmanship of the influential Central Military Commission, which effectively solidified his bid to be China's next president.  This announcement came with little of the celebration that comes with say, an American election.  The American electoral system, and most open ones for that matter, is one that allows for and encourages outsiders offering dramatic calls for change.  In China, however, as there are no real political outsiders in politics, the aim is continuity and stability.  In addition, given its history with demagogues, China's government is wary of iconic and charismatic leaders, and has a tendency to pick rather unexciting leaders.  As a result, Xi's appointment was met with mostly tacit acknowledgement.

-An explosion in Dong zhi men (east side of Beijing).  Dong zhi men lies on the northeast corner of the 2nd ring road, and is a major transport hub, as well as being in close proximity to numerous high rises, skyscrapers, and to the state-owned PetroChina's imposing headquarters.  One late October afternoon, a loud noise was heard throughout the area.  Reports came filtering in about a possible explosion in the subway, or in nearby buildings.  Other reported witnessing neither smoke nor fire.  Right as these reports started to emerge, they were quickly shut down. Now, news reports have stopped and searches for "Dong zhi men explosion" among Baidu forums are blocked.  Whether this is an instance of a broken pipe, a bomb or possibly one of the few but growing instances of gun violence is unclear, but without a doubt the reaction is one of a government concerned with the image and stigma of violent unrest.   

-Tensions in the Sino-Japanese relations. The imprisonment of a Chinese fishing boat captain on the Diaoyu Islands, or Senkaku Islands, depending on  your politics, led to the resurfacing of long standing tensions over the territorial ownership of small islands in the East China Sea.  Aside from sparking diplomatic tensions, this event has caused protests in both countries, and, without a doubt, hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.  

September

September is a unique time in Beijing.  For one, it is a break.  It is a break from the humid and smoggy weather that hangs over Beijing summers, and stands right before the city delves into its long, dry winter.  It is when residents close their eyes on a warm cloudless day, sighing, wishing that every day could be like this one.  In the expatriate community, there is a massive shuffle of people.  Students leave their summers abroad and internships and return to their campuses an ocean away.  Scholarships and fellowships run dry as summer days fade and autumn beckons.  The season also eats away at the sojourning community of long-term expatriates as well, with some moving on to different cities, different careers or to further their studies.  With this change comes new groups, new individuals coming into the imperial capital for the first time for new opportunities.  

However, as much as it is a time of change, it is also a time of constancy.  Weathered residents have grown accustomed to the summer cycle of going away parties and welcomes.  For locals, it is a time long anticipated.  The summer misery of packing into sweaty and crowded subways will ease in the coming months, and couples will take advantage of their last opportunities for quiet walks into the night.  It also brings the National Holiday in the beginning of October, which, along with the sentiments of national pride, also come with its own unpleasantries.  Time off is mandated by the government, but so is the need to compensate for it by working weekends later on.  Traffic control is tightened, and major roads cannot be crossed at certain times.  It is also a time when the government is more conscious about dissent, reminding us here that behind the facade of change and reform, some things move much slower than others in China.