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Published: November 30th 2010
Foreigner as rock star!
This was an amazing exeprenece, I found myself overcome with laughter at the exuberance and playfulness of these students, perhaps viewing their first foreigner up close!Part 1 Political Analysis
The fervor and intensity of the anti-Chinese rhetoric in the US grows, even as the Know Nothings are ascendant in Washington. The narrative states that China is using “unfair” tactics to cement its role as the engine for the world’s economic growth. These include using government direction to allocate investment, such as picking winners in the drive to develop new technologies, (solar panels being one often cited example). Liberal and neo-liberal economist howl in protest as the Chinese “violate” the norms established in the post-World War 2 period, norms that were imposed on the world by the overly dominant US economy. That imposition allowed the US, and its capitalist and financial class, to reap profit from the world by various devices. For example, the US dollar became the de facto world currency and that one factor allowed the US significant control over other nation’s economy by limiting national autonomy in areas of inflation, interest rates and exchange rates.
As the US capital and financial class moved its attentions to overseas markets in the 1970’s, a rapid de-industrialization of the US took hold. These interests owe no allegiance to any national government and, while still standing
They do smile a lot
I have observed that a default expression of smiling seems to be a norm in many situations to attention at the sight of Old Glory snapping in the breeze, while still sporting the required flag lapel pin (this display has unfortunately spread and meetings of diplomats might someday resemble auto racing, with commercial patriotic decals slapped on the clothes and accessories of national leaders) they ultimately go where they can make money.
For the past 30 years, China has been one of the best places to do so. The old dream of the British textile industry was to “Get each Chinaman to increase the length of his shirt tails one inch”. The modern version of this has been to sell China all sorts of equipment, capital goods and means of transportation. This has been very good business for Western companies; Boeing reports that China is its second biggest market for aircraft, after the US. European train manufacturers rushed in to supply subway cars and high speed trains to the Chinese. But this rush came with a cost; if you wanted to sell these goods to China you were required to transfer the technology to them, allowing then to become self-sufficient. China now produces its own high speed trains and is even hoping to sell then to
They are doing well with what they have
Hoisting up the wheelbarrow full of concrete, they have devised a workable solution. the US, if high speed rail ever becomes a reality there. Within the next three years China will be producing aircraft that compete with Boeing and Airbus, the two dominant manufacturers. As Marx said, the last capitalist we hang will be the one that sold us the rope.
It is not just the Chinese that are changing the rules of the game; the international capitalist class has paved the way for their spectacular economic growth, growth that has bestowed real improvements on the lives of hundreds of millions of Chinese, while de-industrializing large swaths of the US. But none of those who denounce China have any vitriol left for the barons of industry and finance who made this all possible. None of the red, white and blue waving panjandrums of industry are denounced by Summer, Krugman, Geithner, or Bernake (not to mention the certifiably right wing coterie of experts) as they dissect the woes of the American economy. Hypocrites or ignorant, it is hard to know which is worse in this case.
At the same time, all is not well here in the PRC. For all the absolute growth in the economy, inequality now equals or exceeds that
Home, home on the street
This was one of the villages with a social worker presence. There was indoor plumbing but this restaurant used the street to wash the vegetables (and your dishes!) of the US and is “progressing” to the Brazil zenith. Labor unrest grows, with over 100,000 important incidents each year. Futile attempts by Western companies to manage their image by announcing Corporate Social responsibility efforts are undermined at the local level, often with the connivance of these same Western companies. The recent events at Foxconn, the largest electronic manufacturer in the world, are illustrative.
Last spring there was a rash of suicides at Foxconn, located in Shenzhen, about 150 kilometers from here. Foxconn produces for many of the big name electronic companies including Del, HP, and Apple. With great fanfare, Apple announced that it had directed Foxconn to double the wages of the employees (this would add about $9 to the cost of a $1500 MacBook.) After public attention moved elsewhere, Foxconn deployed its version of the Apple directive. First, it limited the offer to employees who had been working at least 6 months. With the high turnover at these plants, this cut those qualified significantly. Those eligible would need to take a test to earn the new wage and if they failed the test, they would be fired. You can guess that the test was stacked against the
New school, post earthquake
Various cities, provinces and corporations donated money to rebuild parts of the devastated area. This school was paid for by Haier, the large appliance maker in Qingdao workers, many failed at first and this served to discourage others to apply out of fear of being discharged. In the end, very few of the Foxconn received the much ballyhooed increased wages. This is yet another indication of the utter bankruptcy of so-called corporate responsibility efforts. After the monitors depart, after the news turns its focus elsewhere, the factory owners simply go back to their old ways, facilitated by the nods and winks from the multi-national corporations that make the purchases. It is only when the workers on the factory floor are allowed to represent their own interests, free of the corrupt or ineffective leadership of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions that things will change.
At the same time, China is reaping the consequences of its cheap yuan policies; inflation is a serious problem and stickers covering prices in menus are widespread. Wen Jiabao got on TV the other day to denounce “hoarders and speculators” for the increase in food prices. I am not sure where taking advantage of the market ends and speculation begins, but if Wen is serious about ending these practices (I think he is not) then it would dramatically change the economic and
Downtown Chen Jia Ba
The road was new, the re-construction was ongoing, and my colleagues were returning from breakfast political landscape here and elsewhere. Just this week there was a large protest at a high school in Guizhou Province when the dining hall contractor raised the prices of lunches. Food was thrown around, students threatened a boycott and quickly the government intervened to force the prices down. The great fear in China, wrought out of centuries of scarcity, is the return of food hardships.
Part 2-Travelogue
Last Thursday I began a four day trip to Sichuan, where my local sponsor has established social work programs in areas hit by the 2008 earthquakes. After a 2 hour flight to Chengdu, we descended through a thick bank of clouds and smog. Once one the ground one could hardly see 200 meters before the smog closed you in. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province has absolutely no appeal (great food excepted); it is grimy, it is unattractive and it does make Guangzhou look like a sylvan paradise.
We met up with our colleagues and then took about 2.5 hours to arrive at an elementary school that had been established by a Hong Kong newspaper; apparently they took up a drive among readers and then built this school, located on
Social work in action
In this area of temporary housing, this morning was an occasion for social work activities for all ages the grounds of an old SOE (State owned enterprise) munitions factory. Arriving at the school gates we saw the usual scene of parents waiting behind the locked gates while their children were engaged in some organized sports and field events, races, tug of war and the like. I walked in with my three Chinese colleagues and within 30 seconds, the news of a foreigner’s arrival went viral. I was surrounded by 700 screaming/exclaiming/laughing/gesticulating students all wanting to touch the foreigner. It was so unexpected and out of my experience, I broke out into almost uncontrollable laughter as I tried to meet the shrieking demands of all the students. The headmaster was very perturbed, thinking that they were going to bring a bad reputation to the school (I later learned) and my efforts at calming her down were fruitless. It was one of the more incredible personal experiences I have had, and for all its innocence and exuberance, there was a hint of the sinister in it.
This was undoubtedly on my mind as I had read the day before of the 387 people killed in a human stampede in Cambodia. I had a small sense that the scene could
Low key bowling
Roll the soccer ball and knock down the water bottles, simple, low cost and you can drink the water afterwards! turn dangerous if someone were to fall down, risking being crushed by the swarm of youngsters. As a consequence, we canceled a walk through the neighborhood that was scheduled after our school meeting. Instead we got back into our vehicle and drove off for dinner.
The dinner is worth a mention, the restaurant was one that attracted truckers and our driver was a former trucker and was met with familiarity and warmth. To say it was down-market understates things; it made our usual hole in the wall restaurant in Guangzhou look like the Ritz. Fortunately, this my first meal in Sichuan, did not disappoint. All was hen la (very spicy) and I had a vegetarian MaPa Dofu for the ages. All the food was outstanding and fortified me for the hour drive to our very modest lodgings.
Friday’s major activities included visits to three villages in the town of Chen Jia Ba, an area hit very hard in the 2008 earthquake. We arrived after dark so there was little to see, so when I got up before my colleagues, I headed off on a walk through the immediate area. Evidence of massive destruction was still evident, as much
The elderly
There are many old people in this region, the working aged people fleeing to cities where they earn the income for the family. for the huge re-construction that was present as for the fresh scars on the earth. Everything in the village was new and there remained large tracts of temporary housing, little more than shipping containers, the same housing afforded migrant construction workers in Guangzhou. Many people had spent the first winter in tents and plastic sheet shelters so this was a marked improvement, but still a fairly grim existence. Others in the region have not been so fortunate and remain living in plastic tarp tents more than two years later. This is a climate that never freezes but gets very close, winter temperatures in the mid 30’s with a cold, wet wind. Not only is nothing heated, but it is de rigueur to keep all the windows open lest the air inside get stuffy.
Apparently my early morning walk set off some alarms for as soon as we headed off to the social work office, we were met by two Public Security cops who had been informed that there was a large foreigner walking the streets, taking photos. After a brief consultation, with my well-regarded local colleagues, we were waved on our way. This was to prove the first of
Lots of babies too!
With the loss of life in the earthquake and the single child policy in effect for some, many couples were left childless and got to work on having another child three security interactions.
We visited three villages, two of which had activities planned to coincide with out visit At one there were outdoor games for children and their parents and although there was some curiosity about my presence it did not reach the earlier pandemonium. A second village had senior women doing dance, an activity that they have been organized to do by the social worker. Everywhere I went the four social workers were greeted with warmth and enthusiasm, they have clearly integrated their presence into their respective communities and have set the foundation for more dutiful work in the future, if the government permits it.
The next interaction with security occurred the following day, when we were entering the destroyed and unreconstructed town of Beichuan. There were gates across the road that were not temporary and two of my companions got out of the vehicle and had a discussion with the Red Army soldiers; Beichuan experienced almost total destruction and around 10,000 people were killed. The government decided to keep it as it was in May, 2008 and the scene is as if the quake had happened only 48 hours earlier. We were permitted to drive through
Babies 2
As part of the effort at quelling discontent, the government made great efforts to help couples have a child, reversing many sterilization procedures for example. but were told not to stop, even though it was clearly intended to be an in situ museum, with signs explaining the catastrophe. We later learned that one of the former residents had organized reporters to the site of the collapsed school, the site of his child’s death. There are widespread credible reports that local officials were bribed by construction companies and then approved substandard earthquake proofing on the buildings. People who have been most vehement in their protests have been arrested and jailed for “creating a public disorder”, in a move that warrants universal condemnation.
My next constabulary interaction was later that day when we visited the new showcase tourist town of Shuimo; our headquarters was in a very large elementary school and when I was offered the chance to stay in a motel, I grabbed it, thinking that I would find a bed that fit, a bed that was softer than granite and the possibility of heat. I was really after heat, but I got the other two. In any event, a call to the local Public Security Bureau revealed not only did I need to get myself down there to register, but we all needed to
What a history they could tell
For many of the elder generation, leaving their village was nearly impossible. be out of the area before 9:40 AM the next day as Jiang Jemin (past leader) was to make a visit and 2000 Red Army soldiers were arriving at 10 to scour the area for any non-residents.
Everything in Shuimo was rebuilt, including the schools and hospital, which were the priority.
On my last day in Sichuan we visited Wenchuan, the epicenter of the quake. Many people who died remain undiscovered as an entire hillside settlement was swallowed by the earth. Some of the eye witness reports indicate a huge crevasse, 2 km long, opening up and the ground sinking 10 meters. This town is being totally rebuilt, although there was a debate about the wisdom of doing so. In the end, it remains unclear if this is a zone of ongoing danger; the last quake of this magnitude in the area was around 1500 years ago.
After a last meal we headed back to Chengdu and the airport, where security is much less intrusive than in US airports. I have been reading about the full body scans being implemented there and in China is a very different story. Shoes remain on, computers in their bags and
Social work in action
In this re-constructed village, social workers had organized the elder women and helped them teach one another some of the traditional dances the metal detectors are not set off my trivial objects such as belt buckles. The it was back to Guangzhou, where temperatures in the 70’s allowed me to relax once again!
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jean
non-member comment
Wow.
Wow, what a helpful analysis. What great detail with your usual bringing together of ironies. I wish more people could read it - in this US atmosphere of " we love to hate the china". It seems like you could publish this - the Nation even if it is the choir, other places? I look forward to the next installment.