Blog about life in the Middle Kindgom

Princeton the new #1.

Just a note, but I was wandering around on the internet and found that Harvard is not the number one university in the US anymore. Why does this matter? It doesn't much. I will never attend Harvard or Princeton, but what struck me is the idea that the number one university is able to change.

That’s right, change. I have been in China for 5 years and watching it for twice as long. For about as long as I can remember Peking University and Tsinghua have always been number one. Why?

If you do a little checking you will find that in recent years Peking University has been hiring more and more fraudulent professors that claim to be from big US universities. These professors are paid huge salaries and treated like local gods. All research has pointed to the recruitment being at fault and that the professors are in fact fake, but still Peking University remains number one.

On top of that, more and more of this year’s top College Entrance Exam students are going to Hong Kong universities. They are finding that Peking is not the heaven on Earth for universities anymore. They are finding that politics is really getting in the way of a real education. Some were quoted as saying that as many as 80% of the engineering students in China upon graduation do not have the relevant skills to practice in the field and that after 8 years most will go into other professional fields.

How long must this exodus take place before they decide to do some soul searching and get on the right track? Is face more important than education?

For more information, check the links below:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/02/19/nchina19.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/02/19/ixnewstop.html

http://www.danwei.org/scholarship_and_education/peking_universitys_fake_sea_tu.php

Posted by: stavrogin at 11:34 | link | comments

The "Real" China

You know it is really hard to put your finger on what the “Real China” is. I was in class today and talking to a student that teaches Chinese as a foreign language to foreign students. Most of her students are Korean and she has through time found that most Koreans look down on China. She is often confronted with questions like, “Do you have running water?” or “Have you ever watched TV?” She was offended by this and could not imagine how stupid the other person had to have been to ask such a question. But my question is, is it true that all Chinese have running water and watch TV? Are these perceptions untrue and if they are, why do they continue to be on the non-Chinese mind all the time so much so that we tend to look down on Chinese development.

 

I am sorry to say but it is a fact that at least 60% of Chinese are farmers or living on the land. Some put the number at 70%. That’s a lot of people. Now although they are farmers, it doesn’t mean that they are poor and have no TVs or running water, but for many it is a reality. Having visited rural Liaoning in China’s Northeast I know for a fact that there are people that have no running water, no natural gas, no electricity. This is still a reality for some. The people I stayed with were deer antler farmers. They were given a herd of deer to look after all year by a rich city business man and they are able to live there for free. They can grow their own food and he gives them a little money for the misc. items needed in life.

 I believe it is the media that shape our opinions about our world. The Chinese media is all about showing how the life of all Chinese people is changing everyday through the efforts of the Communist party. They work tirelessly for the needs of the rural farmers and workers.. Usually however the media concentrates on those of us living in the cities. The ones of us living and helping to create the new capitalist China with communist characteristics.

 

The media coverage of these changes are huge sweeping commercials about how great China is in the 21^st century. It shows economic growth and how great the workers are doing with the new reforms in labor and production. It shows the monumental achievements of the party with such projects as the three gorges dam, flood relief, and taking part in the UN army abroad. They cannot forget two of the greatest achievements of the party in recent years and that is the 2008 Olympic Games that will be held in Beijing and lastly the great Chinese space program. Nothing about being poor is mentioned. If they show the countryside at all it is always some happy farmers working the fertile Chinese soil. If it is about a worker, he is always a beefy smiling Chinese worker that looks to be well fed because he is always paid on time and in full. The media prefers to showcase skyscrapers and dragon dancers instead of the rural villages made of adobe and mud floors.

 

When is the last time you saw images like this about China in western or far eastern media? Frankly speaking they do not exist. The media abroad is usually concerned with the reality and many of these flag-humping communist commercials are far short of the reality. In the west we are bombarded with news that the workers are underpaid and cheated by local business men. We are told that there are still people without enough food in the western regions. We are told of the bad effects of the one child policy. We are told that China has the worst pollution in the world. Furthermore this is all because of the party or because of corrupt local officials.

 

So if we step back and look at it all, which one is the right one? Which one is easier to see? The truth is that they are both commonly found in China on any street on any day of the week, it just depends what you are looking for. They are the proverbial yin and yang of China. Without the one there is not the other. So when westerners, Hong Kongers, Koreans, and Japanese look at China maybe we don’t always see the quiet guy who is politely queuing up, we only see the country-bumpkin with the bad garlic breath and is staring at us. I think the same can be said for the Chinese. They look around and see great changes. Changes that have never taken place in China before. Not everywhere, but in many areas. Furthermore they have never lived in a fully developed country where the level of education for almost everyone is much higher. They don’t know how people “could” live, "could" drive, "could" queue. There is a difference between economic development and socieal development, the second one takes much more time. The old saying, you can take the farmer out of the countryside, but you can't take the countryside out of the farmer rings true, but for many the transformation has already taken place and they are putting the other less polite people behind them. 

 I think that this huge gap in perception will continue to haunt Chinese-foreign relations for many years to come the same way many foreign nations refuse to look at their own problems until confronted with Katrinas and mass demonstrations. We all have to be more perceptive, but for the Chinese living in a China full of pro-communist propaganda, this will be a little harder.

Posted by: stavrogin at 14:04 | link | comments (2)

The Cliques of Beijing’s University District.

When I lived in Liaoning and Tianjin I found that there were not many foreigners around. Dalian had a fair amount, but the majority of the English speaking foreigners in Dalian were Australians and their innate dislike of Americans kept us separated. In fact the Australians I did meet in Dalian always introduced us to their friends by saying, “They’re American, but they’re cool, really.”

This contrasted with the social life in a small city in any part of China like Tieling or Jinzhou. In smaller towns and cities foreigners need each other. They are some of the most diverse but most tightly knit communities I have ever seen. All beliefs and nationalities get along for the most part. It is a great chance to learn about the other side.

Beijing however is a different animal. In a small town you can see another foreigner and smile or give a head nod and get a positive response. Here in Beijing people look at you quite strange if you do that. As others before me have said, it is like if you talk to another foreigner you are ruining their “China Experience”. It’s ridiculous.

So living in the university district of Beijing I have met a lot of people. Most of them fall into the below categories. There is always the inherent flaw in categorizing people, but for general purposes I think this is a fair judgment of the situation here in Haidian. The biggest distinction between this area and other areas of Beijing is the average age of the foreigner living here. If you go to other parts of Beijing you will see foreigners of all ages, here it is not so diverse. The average age here in Haidian falls between 18 and 23. 

Tuff Guys:

Taking this age range into account it is easy to see the first group of people you will meet in Haidian. The same thing happens at most universities around the world. The young “Tuff Guy” crowd. You know the guys who always embrace when they meet while muttering their Ali G, “Sup’ man?” usually followed by some cool in-style hand shake. Usually thin, good looking, and good dancers. Always on the lookout for their next Chinese hottie. They are all about casual sex and drinking and the French and Italians seem to be more successful at the first. I guess this is mostly due to the romantic image the Chinese have of these two civilizations. They are usually language students with varied results. Some do well while some are too busy sleeping off last nights session to make it to class.

The Ivy Leaguers:

This group is the “Off on summer holiday for a month of Chinese” These are the future leaders of the western/Chinese business world. Most of these guys will spend anywhere from a month to a year in Beijing learning the language and “Getting to know the people”. Maybe they have a few token Chinese friends, but for the most part they find overseas Chinese or a Korean student to be their girlfriends. Western women in China for the most part steer clear of Chinese men. There are a few token western women that like Chinese men, but most just aren’t interested.  Upon return to the western world they will be flooded with job opportunities from their father’s golf buddies that are thinking about expanding into China. They study hard and usually are better students, but I fear most of them are under the “River Town” spell and will be as misinformed as Peter Hessler.  One word in conclusion: Guanxi.

The Koreans:

First a question: Are there any Koreans left in Korea?

 There are so many Koreans in China right now. Having said this I mean the South Koreans. I don’t think this needs much explaining. One has money the other doesn’t.

South Korea being a Confucian “I love Examinations and Certificates” society like China has seen a huge amount of young 20-something people flocking to China for the HSK (Standard Test of the Chinese Language). Studying to take tests rather than to speak the actual language being studied is the major difference between theirs and the other foreign communities. Again in this way they most mirror the Chinese.

Come to Wudaokou and you will see in many respects it is not China. It is the Little Korea of Beijing. Advertisements, restaurants, bars, KTV joints, and hotels, all set up to serve Koreans. You want bulgogi and kimchi, this is the place. Scooters with illegal license plates are everywhere. Fashion and Korean pop are huge here. Beijing Language and Culture University alone has about 4,000 Korean students and there are thousands of others at private Korean run schools in the area. They are a huge influence on the area. They are also one of the major reasons that rent and many services in the area are more expensive. Most Beijingers believe they are very well-off, so prices go up. For the most part they are right, most are here on Ma and Pa’s dime.

The Muslims:

Haidian has a sizable Muslim community. The community has both middle eastern Muslims and African Muslims. Many are here on scholarships. The Chinese government gives scholarships mostly to people from countries like Palestine and Sudan so many of the students here are not here because they want to. If you talk to many of them they will tell you that they have few Chinese friends and that most of their friends are studying in London. They do not want to go to school in China, but its free. Another part of this group are the diplomats children who are equally unimpressed with China. For the most part this is the quietest community. Strangely their relations with the local Uyghurs (Xinjiang Muslims) and Hui are not so close.

A brief aside: They are also the most picked on group. The Chinese can be quite racist and the first people they look down on are Blacks and Muslims from Xinjiang. This cannot be easy for many of them.

The Bible Thumpers:

When I talk about this group I am not talking about all Christians. Many Christians in Beijing lead very normal, quiet lives, but others have been sent here for an expressed purpose. That purpose is to save souls. This group comes in all shapes and sizes. Some are single, some are married. Some are young and in their twenties while others are older. This group has set up secret churches that are located in different locations around the area and most of their activities are for one purpose only, conversion. They are teachers, students, and tourists. You usually do not know who they are if you are a westerner because they will not tell you what they are doing, but if you are Chinese beware. They have books written by Chinese in Chinese distributed to all the universities in the area about how God and Jesus are the answer. They do secret baptisms in their apartments and hold services in secret churches. Furthermore each new convert is sent to convert their lost brothers and sisters in the universities. They prey on the weak and young the same way that a predator would choose its kill. The only difference is that after being caught, instead of killing their prey, they coerce them into finding more converts by spreading the word of God.

This is not a denunciation of all Christians. Normal Christians are allowed to meet and worship in China, but must have a passport and cannot bring Chinese with them. They lead normal lives and do quite well socially without always bringing up the topic.

Me?

Some will read this and say, “What about you?”. It is a good question. Yes I am cynical, yes I am critical, but the above for the most part are from my experiences true. I would be the same at home, I am an Amateur Socialist.

Posted by: stavrogin at 12:37 | link | comments (4)

Parting Gifts

Working in China I have been given many gifts from the universities I have worked for. I have received pictures, figurines depicting ancient Chinese characters, and I have even received fruit. Gifts come at different times of year in China. Traditionally the Chinese New Year and Teachers Day are the big bonus times for most Chinese. They will receive bonus’ of several hundred to several thousands of yuan or some thing like the last holiday at my university where the teachers were given a big bottle of oil and a red envelope with a few hundred yuan, This is Chinese teachers mind you, the foreigners were given a picture of Beijing opera characters

 So as I was packing up and getting ready to leave the university this semester I noticed that nobody had anything to say like goodbye. No kind words, no, “Thanks, you did a good job”. Nothing.

 Later when I was checking out of my apartment they found that one of the keys to the safe we were given was missing. I knew where it was and I told them I would bring it back. Well they said that was all well and good, but that I would have to give them two yuan for the new key to be made and if I returned the key they would return the two yuan.

 I talked to them about this for several minutes. This is how the dialogue went:

 Fascist Gate Guard #1 “You have to pay two yuan to have a new key made.”

 Irresponsible Foreigner: “Is two yuan so important, I worked here, I wasn’t a student. Is this how you treat your employees?”

 Fascist Gate Guard #1: “We have rules here and they are like this. <Mind you moments earlier they had to call to ask what to do because they did not really know how to deal with the situation.> What could I tell the leadership if they ask me where the key went?”

 Irresponsible Foreigner: “Simple, you tell them I lost it and I am very sorry that they had to get another one made. They expect foreigners to be irresponsible, just like you are treating me now.”

 Fascist Gate Guard #2 “That would be quite impossible. You have to give the money. When you bring the old one back, we will refund you the two yuan.”

 Irresponsible Foreigner: “Is two yuan really so important for the university?”

 Blank stares

 Irresponsible Foreigner: “Huh?”

 Again blank stares.

 Irresponsible Foreigner: “It seems that it is huh. Well I don’t have two yuan. What are we going to do?”

 Fascist Gate Guard #2 “Ask your friend.”

 I got the money and gave it to her. In the end I was given this wonderful memento of my time at the university. I reads as follows:

  “Received 304’s insurance money for the return of the small key for the safe, 2 yuan exactly.

Signed: foreign experts office.”

It makes me so angry to think that they would do this. I know it is only two yuan and I know they would give it back if I returned it, but like a million other things here in the Middle Kingdom it is the principle of the thing. Can you imagine a European or North American university doing this to a visiting lecturer? It would look so cheap.

 Do they not care that I will tell everyone I know how cheap they are? What is more important: a happy departing representative of their university or a two yuan deposit to make sure I bring back the key they already have one of and can make for free because they have the machine to do it themselves? If you want to live in China for a long time two things you will often find are totally lacking: logic and principal.

Posted by: stavrogin at 18:38 | link | comments (2)

A look at how the other side lives

I saw this and thought that more and more people should see it.

If you have a chance, have a look

zonaeuropa.com/20060724_1.htm

Posted by: stavrogin at 10:26 | link | comments

The New "Face" of China: Part Two

This post is about something that has been bothering me for a long time. I guess it is is my love of history and seeing how civilizations never seem to learn from each other or the past.

The thought starts here in 1974.




Wow did I loved this band when I was in junior high and high school. Who didn't like Detroit Rock City and Rock and Roll All Night? Well I guess many actually, but one of my earliest memories of childhood was seeing Paul Stanley the lead singer of Kiss on Good Morning America. It seems at the time that a lot of people thought they were satanic and had devil worship in their music. I remember little about the whole interview, but I remember Paul Stanley saying it was all about the music.

As I got older I started to listen to the music. It was the 80's and their heyday was over for the most part. My impression of their music was that they were really into sex, drugs, and rock and roll. All of the glam rock stuff the 80's is famous for with hair rock.

Well the part that stuck with me was the SS in the name. Why did they choose the Waffen SS's double lightning strike insignia? I never really got it especially considering that the bassist Gene Simmons was Jewish.

The Waffen SS for those that are not up on their war-crimes, was the wing of the Nazi leadership that commited most of the atrocities that are remembered today. Concentration camps were headed by the SS. The Death's Head SS divisions followed behind the German blitzkrieg into Russia and are credited with murdering Jews, Gypsies, Communists, and partisans mercilessly. At the Nuremburg trial it was declared a criminal organization and a large number of its leaders were executed. In most parts of the world you do not see the symbol much anymore. Maybe a few skinheads or WW2 buffs with have something with it sketched on their clothes.

2007in China it resurfaced again. Not in the form of some anti-semitic organization or some Anti-Japanese hate group, but rather as the symbol for "Made in China".

I was amazed to see it the first time, but it seems to be everywhere now. It is on every brand that is trying to make a name for itself here in China. I just don't get it.  Maybe I am over reacting, but it really looks the same to me and I do not know how the Chinese leadership could be so ignorant of the fact.  They have often advertised themselves as being the only friend to Jews in WW2 when nobody else would accept them. Kaifeng, a city in Henan, is said to be a city that in ancient times had a large Jewish population.

Another thing I feel is strange in China is that for millions Hitler was a great man. Books abound about his strategies for getting the people to rise up and work together. I have students who say their fathers admire the man more than anyone in history including the Great Helmsman himself. This coupled with the fact that for years the Chinese had a strange awe for Jewish people. It is common belief in China that Jewish people are smarter than normal people.

All this and there is a hatred for the Japanese that is no where near dying. They hate the Japanese for doing some of the same things that the SS was famous for. Nanjing in 1937 and Harbin's Unit 731 are the best examples commonly used by the party.

Perhaps P&G should use the WW2 Japanese war flag for it's "Made in America" label.  I am pretty sure it would shake things up.

So why this and now? I don't get it.  In a country where symbols mean so much , why do they choose this one? The official explanation says that the four marks represent four "number ones" in Chinese trade and quality. I hope it changes before 2008 because I am not convinced.

Posted by: stavrogin at 16:08 | link | comments

The Amateur Socialist

The Amateur Socialist, what is it?

It is a strange animal, but like many animals on this planet it still exists in small communities around the world. Go to most coffee houses that are not owned by Starbucks and you will probably see a few. They are the new breed of college-educated, anti-materialist, credit card owning people who learn languages like Russian and Chinese not for the "New Markets Emerging", but because they like to see the exotic and strange lives of those usually living behind the bamboo or iron curtains.

They do not drive SUVs or have 9 to 5 jobs. They are the guys that are serving drinks in the bars you like to tell your friends about when you go back to the office on Monday. You know the place, the hole in the wall where you can get really drunk and not have to worry about the frat guys hiting on your girl. The place you hope nobody ever hears about.

Most of these guys could not pass a drug test nor do they usually apply for jobs that would require it.

These are not the guys you see "Backpacking Europe" or coming to China for a summer program put together by Harvard. These are the guys who studied history and foreign languages even though they knew there were no jobs in that "field".

So these guys graduated and said. "OK, what now?" They know they don't want to buy into the "American Dream" and prostitute themselves to the desk their parents chained themselves to for 40 years and do not have much to show for it.

They seek adventure, they seek the same thing that Kerouac and Burroughs sought when they set out in the 50's for San Francisco and Tangiers. They are tired of the dog eat dog capitalist system and want to try something new maybe Marx and Engels style.

They find themselves accepting jobs in Moscow, Beijing, and Bankok. What are they going to do? They do not worry about it. They have a language that can get them a job in all of Asia, English.

So they set out and find themselves having the time of their lives in their new homes. It is strange, exotic, and they are the envy of all their friends back home that say, "Wow, I wish I could do that!". They usually only plan one year at a time and at the end of each contract to the amazement of their families they sign up for another year thinking why not. Meanwhile their families are ploting ways to lure them back home before they "ruin" their lives out in no man's land. They are the lotus-eaters

This is the lifestyle of the new Amateur Socialist. They are not toting a copy of the Little Red Book, but they hope for a better tomorrow. A tomorrow when maybe, just maybe things will be a little more fair for everyone.

Posted by: stavrogin at 23:20 | link | comments (2)

The New "Face" of Beijing: Part One

In this series I want to talk about the face-lift that China is getting at the moment. Those of us that have traveled or lived here all know that China is definitely in transition, but is it a real transition or merely a new "Face" that shows the world how glorious the party is?

In the first of this series I want to look at a small part of our lives in Beijing, the taxis. The fact that they are all new is a step up. A few years ago Beijing used VWs or Citreons for taxis, but now Hyundai has a plant in Beijing and as Beijing prepares for the 2008 Olympics, the taxis are also being modernized.  The new taxis are much bigger and roomier than most taxis in other places. The only complaint I have about them cosmetically is that they have changed the colors of the taxis from the Chinese traditional red to shades of poo. Thats right, poo. Depending on what company it is they all have different shades of green, brown, yellow,and the odd blue one that work to create two-tone poo taxis. It struck me as quite odd at first, but I got used to it.

Anyway, as I always digress I will get to my point.

As anyone who has taken a taxi in the center of Beijing will know, the taxis have all been outfitted with new TVs so that the passenger can watch the Beijing transportation network TV while on the move. This has also been outfitted on some subways and buses, but unlike the bus and subway TVs the taxi TVs have not been turned on.

I have asked several drivers about this and they all say the same thing, they are for 2008. They also have said that they will not be turned on until 2008. I had to chuckle upon hearing this. Could they really  want to install something two years early just to show how modern the city was even though the technology could not be used? I fear the answer is yes.

I suppose it is a small thing, but it just seems like many of the things here are just like the TVs that do not work. From a distance it all looks great, but upon closer inspection you will find that all things are a bit jerry-rigged. Furthermore, why is it that the local governement is so worried about what foreigners will think?

Should they not be doing these things for their own people? Should they not be making the lives better for Beijingers? Sterling Seagrave said it best when he said, "China, where ceremony is more important than reality." Maybe things have changed since he wrote that about the decadence of the late-Qing government, but I can't help but think that the "face" of China is merely cosmetic, completely lacking in any depth.

Posted by: stavrogin at 15:45 | link | comments (3)

Schools out for the Summer!

School is out and as the school year is ending for us in the university world for many of us it is a time to look back. A time to think about yet another year here in the Middle Kingdom. Things we have learned and things we have failed to learn. Many things come to mind when I think about this year. I think about the goals I had at this time last year. I think about the things that I wanted to, should have, or needed to do.

When I started writing this blog I wanted to put in place names so that readers could get a better idea about the specific places and institutions I was working for, but after five years of being a foreign teacher, I feel that most places are all about the same. Maybe this is my first realization for the end of my first year in the nation's capital.

Last year at this time I was in the northeast. Like many Chinese students, I had big dreams. It is often said that the small town is wrought with guanxi and corruption. My idea was to go to the intellectual center of Chinese universities, Beijing. With such a intellectual atmosphere, how could it be so clouded with bad omens like guanxi, graft, and corruption?

I got a job at a pretty good university. It wasn't the biggest, but it was top five for English in China. This for me mean't that I was doing as good as I will ever do without a Ph.D or a MA in China.  Beyond that I was excited to experience the international big city, much the same way I would in my own country by moving to LA or NY.

Having said all that, these are two lessons I have learned this year.

The state of universities in China is in decay. I don't know if I can say this because I do not know if they were ever really intellectual centers, but I hear that the mid to late 80's were pretty good. Anyway my point is that they are all diploma mills. Every single one without exception. Some will argue that the top two,and you all know who they are, are not, but the fact that all college students in China can graduate in four years without much of a hitch is proof enough. I will go more into this later, but for the moment I will not digress

The second thing I learned is that although the image of a city can become more international and the people living there are from more multi-ethnic cultures, it does not make the local population more international. In fact we can probably say that it can have the opposite effect sometimes. All the hype about 2008 has not made China more open to the world, but more so it is confirming its greatness as a 5000 year old country with a long history. In the last few years we have learned that the Chinese discovered the Americas, the Chinese invented football, China has the fastest hurdle runner in the world, and the Chinese invented golf. All of course to the glory of the party. This city is the party. I am ok with that as a amateur-socialist, but we have to remember many of the dictates of the party just less than 30 years ago were rabidly anti-foreigner.

So what is the point of all this writing. Not sure really. I guess partly I am just thinking out loud. Some will read the above and think that I am wrong, ignorant, judgemental, or just plain critical, but I think that we have to create more open dialogue. We need to say the things that people are afraid to say, even if we are wrong at times. In the weeks and months to come I will be writing on these topics and many more.  Comments are always welcome.

Posted by: stavrogin at 13:45 | link | comments (1)

Welcome to Kung Pao, Mao style.

I hope that this website will become something that many can visit to talk about whatever is on their minds.

Posted by: stavrogin at 03:58 | link | comments