Advertisement
Published: November 16th 2010
The Forbidden Zone
The meat market more nearly resembles a body parts market; it might be enough to scare anyone who regularly indulged. I endorse keeping out of the zone, but thought others might like a look, from a safe distance.2010_11_13_Blog
Social Courtesies
I had an experience earlier this week that highlighted the traditional indifference to the travails of strangers. I was waiting for an acquaintance to meet me and was standing in a busy pedestrian area when a young woman threw the chain on her bicycle. She was wearing 5” high heels and had her two young children with her on the bike (this is not at all an uncommon sight in any of the particulars, including the lack of helmets on anyone!) She was “dressed” and was reluctant to get her hands greasy on the chain so she snapped a twig off a nearby shrub and proceeded, with a notable lack of success, to try to nudge the chain back onto the chain ring. Watching her fumbling for a few minutes, and the lack of assistance the passerbys offered, I approached her and pantomimed my willingness to get the chain on. She looked confused at first and then tried to dissuade me, telling me that the chain was greasy and I would get soiled. I persevered and quickly got the chain in place. When I got up from the ground I saw that she and her
The new China
Coke, credit cards, and lots of things wrapped in plastic children had the most incredulous looks on their faces. In the minutes I had watched her efforts, likely two hundred people walked by, none barely deigning to glance her way.
She was effusive in her thanks and handed me tissue to wipe my hands (got me wondering why she didn’t use the tissue herself to re-align the chain, but hey!) and then rode away her children looked back and gave warm smiles and hearty “bye bye(s)”. The connection to be made is that for traditional Chinese thinking the problems of your neighbors are none of your concern. This includes the sounds of domestic violence next door and the troubles a family might be having with an obstreperous child. This “value” has implications for the establishment of social services as in order to receive services you need to both ask for and accept help from strangers, both stances that tradition eschews.
New Activities
We both have acquired some new responsibilities the past two weeks and the work is taking us both in directions that are most suitable. When we first arrived at Sun Yat-sen University in February, 2006 we were largely restricted to teaching in the social work
The Chinese Miracle
It really is a miracle that the "sick Man" of Asia has, in one generation picked itself up from fairly basic survival to give many urban dwellers access to a world of goods. The rural areas, where most Chinese still live, lag seriously behind in all measures of social well-being department. This was particularly unsuitable for Ellen and over the years she has managed to establish her credibility in Sociology and Politics. This fall marked a real turning point and she facilitated the establishment of a joint project between SYSU and UC-Berkeley, whereby they set up a shared labor center. In addition to her various study groups with a widening circle of students, both graduate and undergraduate, this labor center might provide a stable platform for her future activities her in China. She recently attended a conference in Shenzhen and was immediately invited to provide lectures at their labor studies program. The next three Saturdays will see her catching an early morning train to that program, lecturing most of the day and then returning to Guangzhou in the late evening. Once again, in an early decision of the Awards Committee, Ms EDF will be honored with the Stakhanovite medal.
My pace has always been some what more leisurely, as is my wont, reserving time to observe random acts of Chinese life and relish the near pandemonium in commercial locations such as the computer mega centers. But I too have seen the move away from teaching as necessary and helpful.
Shopping as recreation
When we ask students what they do with friends when they have time off, the inevitably include shopping on the list. Shopping is fun, so they say. After all, if our goal was to help establish social work in China, and if they are now able to hire (ill-prepared) Mainland PhDs to do the teaching, it seems a signal to move on to participate in the establishment of the organizations and services that all these newly trained social workers are engaged with. Accordingly, I have begun providing consultation services in two locations to community programs providing services to the aging, the disabled population, and youth. Weekly seminars and “salons” are the forum and it looks like this will keep me busy for the duration. In addition, I have resumed my work at the Children’s Palace (think of Boys/Girls Club on steroids) helping to develop mentoring groups for the parents of children in special education.
Asia Games
Friday evening I took a walk to another district in Guangzhou and met long-time friend Glenn for dinner at one of the five or six identified vegetarian restaurants here in GZ. Crowds had begun to form along the river as early as 4 PM, with the opening ceremony still four hours away. Throughout the city there was a great deal of pedestrian traffic as many people were given the
In response to customer demand...
Some have made the point that there are never pictures of the author so, here is one with a young student (Si Yun) who has decided that she wants to be a social worker, even though she is enrolled in public administration. On this occasion we met to prepare her for her English competency test, a prerequisite for admission to a Hong Kong university day off so that they might get to their volunteer jobs for the games.
The larger than usual sized crowds on the street required that I click into my GZ street rhythm and it has become so second nature to me that I barely registered its “on” status. It becomes especially relevant when crossing a street and you encounter those walking in the opposite direction. In less heavily traveled environments there is a seamless weaving, a back and forth movement that seems effortless. In the more heavily trafficked areas, unless I get my GZ street smarts activated, I am always getting wrong footed by those approaching. The intersections pose special challenge and I have learned to find someone moving in my direction and follow closely at a slight angle. My “leader”, well versed in Cantonese street smarts resembles an Arctic ice breaker, shearing the layers of opposing traffic aside and leaving a clear path for me in its wake. Works for me!
After a superb dinner (mock eel, tofu/peppers on sizzling pan, Hunan eggplant on sizzling pan, “chicken” and hot peppers) I ventured to take the bus home, not knowing if Asian Games opening ceremonies, scheduled to start
Korean influence
I have been told that Korean students are the must numerous of foreigners studying Chinese here at Sun Yat-sen University. There has been an up tick in availability of Korean food, for which we are often grateful. momentarily, would disrupt traffic. I got to my bus stop and was lucky to find a seat, although I did need to sit sideways, the leg room making the seat on People Express look cavernous by comparison. There are TVs on all the buses and metros, usually playing inane shots of beauty pageants and the like, but on this occasion there was a live feed of Opening Ceremonies. As I crossed over the Pearl River I looked to my left, where but a mile or so downstream was the actual event. Returning my gaze to the TV I was bewitched by the site of Wen Jiabao making his entrance, followed closely by a varied palette of other Asian leaders with the Saudi leader in his akaru, the Indian in his silken splendor and so forth. Wen then turned to the crowd and made waving gestures, first stage left and then right, only slightly rotating his wrist in a pale imitation of a full blown campaign wave. In China very little is known about the personal lives of the top leadership and it is only in recent years that their spouses (Jiang Qing aka Madame Mao excepted) have been shown in
Have I got a deal for you
Real estate speculation is rampant, with some "investors" buying up t a dozen apartments that then are kept empty. Walking around at night you can spot the many dark apartments. This phenomenon allowed me to clarify the difference between investment and speculation to Si Yun. the press. The pale imitation of the campaign wave that Wen exhibited was as ill fitting as his well tailored, but thoroughly Western businessman suit.
Wen has been in the news for recent comments he has made about the need for greater democracy and transparency in China. He came to Guangdong a few weeks ago and his speech on that occasion was seized upon by others seeking reform as a cause for optimism. Wen has always been seen as Uncle Wen, the avuncular half of the Hu-Wen leadership team. The brief hopefulness was soon crushed when a pseudononymous editorial in the People’s Daily, the organ of The Party, denounced the sentiments he expressed, although it did not name him directly. Some commentators speculate that there is a feverish debate going on in the State Council (this is usually where all the big decisions are made) about the matters Wen raised, while others suggested that it is all a considered effort to distract and confuse reformers. As usual, I don’t have a clue.
I do know that many of the actions, especially at the provincial and local levels, appear so knuckleheaded to my Western eyes that it defies belief.
Do you want that Mao suit in blue or gray?
Consumer choice has come a long way, but the focus on the wants of consumers still sometimes conflicts with the traditional de-emphasis of the needs of the individual in favor of the family or the clan. For example, this past week Zhao Lianhai, the father of one of the children poisoned in the 2008 melamine in the milk scandal, was sentenced to 30 months is prison for his role in publicizing the plight of his child and others and organizing them to demand compensation. The state prosecutor in his trial argued that Zhao's actions of organizing a meeting of parents with sick children in a restaurant, holding up a protest sign in front of a court and a factory, and giving media interviews were proof that he was inciting social disorder. It remains unclear whether this was an example of local officials run amok or the highest authorities demanding this harsh treatment as part of the general campaign at stamping out dissenting voice. In any event, this was not a shining moment for the Middle Kingdom.
In conversations with students I reflect my belief that, having embraced a market economy (in the past, I had called it a capitalist economy but that terminology always gets puzzled looks from my companions, this is, after all, socialism with Chinese characteristics)) it has also embraced inequality, an iron-clad consequence. With inequality necessarily comes dissent, social turmoil, and agitation.
Civilized Guangzhou?
As part of the campaign for a Civilized Guangzhou, efforts, apparently with but small success, have been made t discourage people from walking around in the PJs. Not sure what it is about, but you see all ages, mostly those better off than most, roaming the streets in their slumber wear. If the authorities seek to remedy this with further suppression, I think they are bound to fail. One of the contradictions here is that there has been a massive investment in education, internet availability is widespread, and people are encouraged to travel and see the world. They have seen with their own eyes other examples of how you organize society. This is not to say that the upcoming generation seeks campaign hoopla, tweedledee/tweedldum choices, and endless debate and inaction. But they will seek to be respected and to be consulted on the things that matter to them in their lives and if efforts continue to repress those instincts, I predict serious consequences. This should matter to all of us, for if China doesn’t get this right, we are all in for some serious difficulties.
Left and Right
In China the Left is divided into two segments; one might be considered ultra-leftist who regard the Mao era as a reflection of a time when society was more equal, when concerns about education, access to health care, and other basic requirements were attenuated. For them the fact that society produced a very small amount and thus had little to equally
Civilized Guangzhou, part 2
OK, a bit blurred (they were moving as was I) but I submit it as proof of the failure of the campaign. divide recedes in importance. They are also dismissive of ideas for democracy, holding some belief in the value of centralized rule by an overwhelmingly dominant Communist Party. Sometimes, you here this tendency described as conservative. This group has been repressed by the government and when some of its followers demonstrated to commemorate Mao’s birthday and denounced the current government as “imperialist revisionists”, they were arrested and sentenced to jail time.
There is also a post-modern left and this sector is heavily influenced by ideas imported from the West, regarding democracy under capitalism as a tool of the capital owning class and hankering after something else; what they seek is unclear to me, with the barriers of language and a lack of a shared political glossary, not to mention that their work is largely limited to academic circles. More recently these two groups have been described as revolutionary Communist in an attempt to discredit them while reminding people of their philosophical connection to Mao and the excesses of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.
The right is peopled by New Labor types on the left edge but dominated by neoliberals of the Friedman/Hayek/Wolfowitz school. These are often described as the
Granny and Grampy
At dismissal time the school yards are filled with grandparents, as are the parks and streets with them tending lovingly to their pre-schoolers. liberals in the political debate. The default position for many of our university students, most especially those who are among the brightest, is within this latter camp. Fortunately, Ellen’s work is picking them off one by one; it is arduous work but over the years has borne some very positive results. The siren call of foreign companies still attracts many for the opportunity to learn, to be able to experiment with new ideas, and the experience a more merit based environment. The road is long!
OK, we are off to dinner at a newly discovered vegetarian restaurant, housed in a faculty apartment right here on campus. A report will surely follow!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.101s; Tpl: 0.036s; cc: 5; qc: 46; dbt: 0.0507s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Annie T
non-member comment
hello and an address change
Hi Stuart and Ellen! We so enjoy your blogs and have great images of you at weddings, fixing bikes, and making your astute observations on culture, politics, and life in China! Here life in VT is pretty much the same. I'm preparing to teach my spring semester photography class at UMass, mostly online, and it's quite a process. Hey, when you get a chance to amend your address book for sending these wonderful blogs, please change my address to my "permanent" address (really, how much is anything permanent these days?!) which is: annie@AnnieCameronPhotography.com as the one you're using will go dead some day. Thanks much, and travel safely. Warmly, Annie T