December 2005
Beijing 2008
The Summer Olympics are scheduled for August, 2008
in the capital city. The Games in Beijing will be more than just a gathering of the world's finest athletes. This event is widely seen as the coming out party for the New China. From the counterfeit "Beijing 2008" baseball caps sold in every store to the electronic countdown timer in Tiananmen Square, it is tough not to get caught up in all the excitement. So how are the plans progressing?
read more...
It is difficult to avoid the cliche that Beijing is undergoing a complete makeover. The transformation of the city began shortly after Beijing won the bid in 2002. It hasn't slowed down much despite the fact the International Olympic Committee asked the government to scale down the level of the spending last year.
Yeah, we could tell you about the new airport that is being built that will be larger than Heathrow, has over 30,000 laborers working three shifts around the clock, seven days a week.
Or we could talk about the
7,000-plus construction sites around the city erecting everything from new buildings, new shopping centers (Beijing currently boasts the largest in the world), a massive transportation center at the northeast corner of Third Ring Road, and no less than SIX new subway lines. Combine all that with the seemingly never-ending repaving, refurbishing, digging, sanding, hammering, welding, and hauling and you have semi-controlled chaos. Or so it seems at times.
We could talk about the complete renovation of the Summer Palace (it's about half way completed and the contrast is stunning) and the museums, but that's not the real story. No one doubts the Chinese will hit their goal of having everything completed and functioning eight months prior to the lighting of the torch on Opening Night. No one is more efficient at pouring concrete than the Chinese.
The interesting story is will the Chinese people be ready. The human preparations
go far beyond learning a few simple phrases in English. This concern was addressed in 2001 and spawned a cottage industry in learning English. The Beijing municipal government focused on some different issues through a series of news reports this month. Specifically, they called for some behavior modification on the topics of public phlegm-removal techniques, jostling other people in queues and buses, refuse-disposal habits, "light" observance of traffic laws, applauding an opponent's defeat, talking on cell phones when requested not to, etc. Seems there is some real concern here.
Will the Beijingers stop spitting, littering, jaywalking, pushing, shoving, talking in upper-decibels ranges on their cell phones, or booing when the Japanese take the field? Will the taxi drivers greet everyone in English and take them straight to their destination without their infamous mini-tours of the city? It's possible, but not probable. These are generational changes.
So does this mean the 2008 Olympiad will not be a success? We predict they will be wildly successful. The cultural differences are what will make them interesting. This is what makes China interesting. It would be a very boring world indeed if we were all the same.
Viva la difference!
« Close up this article
Blogging in China
The media in China is tightly controlled by the government. Edicts are issued to the radio and television stations, newspapers, and magazines. Failure to follow them can carry serious penalties. Witness the example of a reporter who received an eight-year prison sentence this year just for revealing the contents of one such set of "guidelines" to the foreign media. And if the government had its way, the internet would be just as tightly controlled. That's where the bloggers come into the picture. They operate outside the mainstream media and give visitors an "inside" glance.
read more...
The bloggers in China (the English-language blogs anyway) come from many different backgrounds. Journalists, public relation writers, teachers, statisticians, consultants, and the unemployed have all found followings on the internet. Collectively, they offer a fascinating insight into China that is very hard to come by in the mainstream media.
The blogs come in all shapes and sizes.
Some are aggregators. That is they scan the traditional media (and also other blogs) and provide links with minimal comments. Some bloggers are commentators on the China scene. Some prefer hard news, some focus on the daily craziness of living and traveling in China. Some post daily, some go weeks between posts.
Here are our Top 10 China Blogs, in no particular order, along with a brief description of each.
China Daily Times is not a blog technically, but rather an outstanding effort from the Graduate School of Journalism at UC-Berkeley. They compile a daily list of news articles that deal with China, primarily from the print media around the world. Lots of hard news here.
EWSN derives its name from the manner in which the Chinese understand the points of the compass; east, west, south, north. The site is run by a statistician from Hong Kong. He does a great deal of translating from the mainland media and bulletin boards, unavailable anywhere else
Danwei is a multiple-poster blog that focuses on the media in China. This site along with EWSN must hold the record for being the most plagiarized by the government's English language newspapers.
Image Thief is written by an American PR guy here in Beijing. He offers hilarious and insightful commentary on events and issues in China.
Simon's World is probably the best aggregator blog on China. Think of it as a portal. It is particularly strong on financial and economic news about China.
Running Dog is run anonymously by a journalist that has spent a long time in China. He may go two or three weeks without posting to this site (although he also posts at Danwei) but when he does, it is worth reading.
Angry Chinese Blogger is a single-source blog run by...well, we don't know whom. His posts are serious, in-depth looks at issues facing China.
Peking Duck is managed by an American who used to live in Beijing. He offers great links and thoughtful commentary. And his readers' comments are always worth a peek.
TalkTalkChina is run by three guys that post on the "cultural" differences one encounters in China. Hilarious sometimes, fun-to-read all the time.
AsiaPundit has multiple authors and follows other countries in Asia. It is rather new to the blogging scene but if the initial efforts are any indication, this blog offers much promise. It is currently being blocked here on the mainland.
There they are. Give them a quick perusal, read their archives, start following the links, bookmark them, sign up for their RSS feeds, whatever. They offer a fun and interesting way to keep up on the news from China.
« Close up this article
Bird Flu Update
In response to a reader's question, we thought it was time to address the issue of bird flu. We do have a little experience with (possible) epidemics in China, having lived through SARS in 2003. So here is our ground-level assessment on bird flu in the Middle Kingdom.
read more...
Unless you have been in a cave for the last year or so, you are undoubtedly aware there is a new strain of flu, H5N1, which has health officials around the world on full alert. It was first identified in Hong Kong in 1996. There have been gallons of ink and millions of keystrokes involved in covering its development. If you have been in a cave, you can go
here and
here to get more information. Both websites are devoted exclusively to the Avian Flu and carry links that are updated daily.
Without a doubt, it is deadly. 
To birds mostly. Hundreds of thousands of chickens, ducks, geese, cockatiels, etc. have either died from the disease or been culled to prevent its spread. Since December 2003, a little over 100 people have died from this flu. Out of a population of over 3 billion people in the affected areas, that is about...well, very a small percentage. One of the biggest concerns is how it can cross borders effortlessly. It's extremely difficult to use infrared thermal scanners on migratory geese.
But it is significantly different from the SARS scare two years ago. The primary reason is the H5N1 strain has still never been transferred human-to-human, although it seems as if journalists are sitting by their keyboards just waiting for that first case. In each and every case, the victim contracted the disease directly from an animal. And until it does mutate, it cannot be termed an epidemic or pandemic, by definition. Much more is known about the H5N1 virus and in fact, the Chinese announced this week the first vaccine.
Contrast this with the fact that SARS was killing people in the south of China and nobody knew what was, where it came from, how it was transmitted, how it affected its victim, or how it could be cured. In fact, it didn't even have a name. And what really aggravated the situation was the Chinese government's decision to first cover up its very existence and then to deliberately deceive international health experts as to its severity. These decisions perhaps cost some people their lives, brought parts of the country to a virtual standstill, and caused a severe loss of face for the new government in the international community.
Regarding H5N1, the government has done a complete about-face. It has been broadcasting news reports, cooperating with foreign health officials, setting up border controls with its neighbors, isolating affected villages, and most importantly, killing one hell of a lot of birds. The central government also announced plans to vaccinate 14 billion birds. (Why can't they vaccinate 1.3 billion people instead?)
Should you be concerned? Yes. You
should also be concerned about an asteroid hitting the earth. Scientists have been predicting it for years and no nation is prepared for it. The same situation exists for H5N1.
Should you defer a vacation to China, or Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, or Indonesia? No. Until it has been demonstrated H5N1 passes from human to human, simply avoid slaughtering chickens with your bare hands while on holiday. Stay away from animal markets or bringing your pet chicken along.
If it does mutate into a human-to-human form, simply exercise basic hygienic precautions while traveling. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based cleanser. Keep your hands and fingers away from your mouth, nose, and eyes.
The key here, we think, is to keep an eye on what the World Health Organization (WHO) has to say. If they issue a travel warning, take heed. Taking heed doesn't mean blindly canceling travel plans. It means read what THEY have to say and not a newspaper's interpretation of what they said. You can click here for their website.
DISCLAIMER: Yes, we do have a vested interest in wanting people to visit China. But we have never, and will never jeopardize our health (let alone our lives) or yours for a few dollars. Read more about the WHO and Red Monkey Travel, by going here.
« Close up this article
What, More recipes?
Here is a recipe that contains two simple ingredients that are found in markets everywhere. We had just never seen them combined in quite this fashion until arriving in China. It is a northern China favorite and also of many foreign visitors.
read more...
It is called, surprisingly, "Tomato Eggs" (Xihongshi jidan,
西红柿鸡蛋). Here is how
to prepare it.
Ingredients: Tomatoes, eggs, sugar, and salt. Some suggested quantities are pictured in the photo on the right.
How to Cook: Cut the tomatoes into melon ball-sized pieces. Scramble the eggs without any water or milk. Add the oil to the pan and gently cook the eggs. Don't overcook. They should be nice and fluffy. Remove from the pan.
Add a touch more oil and add the tomatoes. You don't really want to cook them as much as you want to thoroughly heat them 
. Add the eggs to the pan and reheat. Add a dash of salt and just a little sugar to taste. Serve in a warmed dish.
P.S. Our cooking ability exceeds our photo-taking ability.
« Close up this article
