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Published: October 28th 2011
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Making pizza in LA
That is me with Katie on the left and Mia to the right, we turned out 6 or 7 pizzas that night and they were well received. I arrived in Guangzhou about ten days ago after an absence of 9 months. Our departure last December was precipitate, on the news of my mother’s unexpected death. Returning here reminded me of that time and realized that after almost six years of annual trips to China, this was the first one that did not warrant some of our attention being diverted to elderly parents back in the US. This led to a jumble of contradictory and enervating emotions including a stark awareness that we were now that older generation, no longer on the on deck circle but up at the plate and facing some "chin music" [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chin_music). Mostly it has led to a determination to double down and re-focus attention on what needs to be done. And in China, we are always aware of all that needs being done while having a sense of some instrumentality (this admittedly comes and goes) in making it all happen.
Ellen has been here for six weeks and met me in Hong Kong upon my arrival. My travels here were punctuated by a short visit to LA, where I visited with my niece and her family, including my two adorable (I am sorry,
Cooling of, Guangzhou style
A common site, the shirt rolled up to cool the ever expanding bellies that IS the word to describe these two great girls) grandnieces. That visit included a command performance of making pizza, concluded with the enthusiastic assistance of the youngest generation.
Our stop in Hong Kong was occasioned by a family reunion that our daughter-in-law Julia’s family was having. It was an opportunity to meet with some of her Korea and Hong Kong-based relatives and I believe was a successful next step in weaving together the lives of Eli and Julia. Some informal time as well as a more formal dinner allowed some “getting to know you” to transpire and we look forward to further interactions of the sort.
Two days later we were on the train to Guangzhou and two hours later we had left the relatively polished Hong Kong for the grittier, city on the make environment, that grips all the cities in the Pearl River Delta. As the years go by the two areas are converging in some significant if superficial ways; everywhere there is the glitter of colorful neon signs, the spread of Mandarin to the Cantonese dominated Hong Kong is quickening (Cantonese is the mother language in the PRD as well, but proficiency in Mandarin
At home in the Lilliputian kitchen
Wash dishes she does, but no one is THAT short to warrant the dollhouse counters characterizes the post-Liberation generation), and the local cuisine is still characterized by the not too tasty (for me) Cantonese penchant for bland if fresh flavors and not to be believed body parts piled high on plates.
But beyond the superficial, the integration of Hong Kong with the mainland has some obstacles more significant than the drive on the left culture of that former British colony. They are most pronounced in the political real where some basic freedoms and prerogatives are maintained in Hong Kong as part of the 50 year transition negotiated with the Brits and implemented in 1997. A small but illustrative example recently surfaced with the divergent handling of the reporting on Chinese support for the Occupy Wall St. movement in the US and elsewhere. In Hong Kong there was open reporting on the events around the world and there were some local demonstrations raising similar issues, of which there are many that could be localized. On the Mainland, the initial reporting was very sympathetic, couched in an anti-capitalist (!), revolutionary context, to wit: This shows the utter failure of the capitalist system to produce needed goods for its people and the grabbing of resources by the
Zippers on sale
We went through the nearby textile district, this was a wholesaler for all sorts of zippers, usually the weakest link in Chinese garments well-connected ruling circles in the US. One not so hidden purpose was to further criticize democracy as being unable to provide for its citizenry. One doesn’t need to be an expert on China to see the irony in this, given the opaque financial and legal system that exists here and the corruption and self-aggrandizement that characterize the ruling elite in government and industry, often on and the same.
But some here took this early reporting as an invitation to stage some sympathetic demonstrations, and, unlike the anti-Japanese demonstrations that are frequently used by the elite to channel and manipulate dissent, these were not tolerated for long. As soon as connection started being made between the local economic difficulties and those elsewhere in the world, the machinery of state went into action. Internet searches for information would come up “Site not available” and bloggers were discouraged from reporting, these latter efforts not always successful. This reveals the conundrum facing the rulers here; blogging is seen as a useful relief valve for the discontent that is widely shared among people, but there is the danger that these electronic forums will lead to something like the so-called Arab Spring. The Party keeps
It is 1960 again
The cast off mannequins are alive again in Guangzhou a careful eye on a wide range of media, yet our students and colleagues report little difficulty in getting the information they need. Some observers attribute great sagacity to the leaders and believe that they will slowly open the process to more people with different ideas, thus avoiding more traumatic change. Others doubt that this will occur and fear a more dramatic chain of events. We should all hope that they get this right, for if they succeed we will all benefit and if they don’t’ we are in for big trouble.
As to the work… Ellen, with her five week head start, is deeply involved in a variety of activities. Hosting foreign labor luminaries, leading reading groups on neo-liberalism, providing an alternative narrative to the neo-liberal cant that dominates the airwaves here, she is focused on exposing a generation of Chinese students to alternative analyses of the dominant themes of today’s China. She has reason to believe that she has had some success as the enthusiasm for alternative views increases as the failures of socialism with Chinese characteristics become hard to ignore. She has developed a coterie of fellow travelers within academia here and perhaps her most salient
Baby and Mom
Proud of her young son, mother shows him off contribution has been to give them the intellectual confidence to challenge the dominant narrative.
I have just gotten started, taking my usual time overcoming jetlag. This week I began a round of visits which included one of the first hospital-based social work programs in southern China (working on oncology and pediatrics) and a methadone maintenance program. I will be providing ongoing consultation and training in those programs and additional training in Motivational Interviewing skills and a Supervision 101 for very green supervisors. Things promise to be dynamic to say the least.
One last story; while at the aforementioned hospital this week I met with a doctor, mid-30’s or so and her first question to me regarded an incident that occurred in the community a week or so earlier. A toddler had wandered off from her mother and was struck by a car; 18 or so passerbys ignored the child and the driver of the vehicle stopped and ran over the child a second time. The doctor wanted to know what I thought of China in light of that story. As with all social illnesses, the acts of the individuals are embedded in an economic, social and political context
Chinese fashion
Or so it seem to some. so it was hard to give her a simple answer, although I did assure her that I did not think worse about ALL Chinese people as a result.
The larger context includes a fragmented and poorly deployed medical system, a cultural context that people outside the family or the clan were of no concern, and a litigation system that is easily manipulated. For example, there have been numerous cases reported where a Good Samaritan, coming to the aid of an injured person, is then sued by the rescued for the injuries. Awards of $15000 are not uncommon and the plaintiffs are usually older people without any means who see a chance to win the lottery. They are motivated by a system that has progressively marginalized older people, rural residents and people without the education and connections to gain access to the “China Miracle”. The driver stated that he ran over the child a second time because he knew that if he were sued, he would pay less for a death than for the lifelong care of a disabled person. You can read more about this here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/19/foshan-incident-unspoken-illness-china)
OK for now, we always welcome comments, emails, from our friends.
How many gross gross do you want?
The textile district is filled with these small storefronts that move huge quantities of goods to manufacturers around China and abroad
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Jack
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Chin music
Is "Chin music" a new Chinese art form or have they lured Bob Gibson over there to keep you white "round eyes" in line? Interesting reading as always. Let's Skype sometime soon.