Boring Beijing

This may sound really strange given all of the attention and excitement focussed on Beijing right now, but this city is really boring right now.

The Olympics are a lot of fun, but strangely the city is REALLY boring right now except for the Olympics. The streets are bare and kind of quiet & orderly (VERY strange for Beijing), I can't go to work because they closed campus for the Olympics, and almost everyone I know left town to avoid the chaos (which really isn't chaos). All of the fun bars, clubs, sidewalk cafes, are all closed (to maintain an orderly environment for the games). And to add to the boredom, the Chinese TV shows the most boring events, like weightlifting, badminton & ping pong, ALL DAY LONG!!!!!! I haven't seen one of Phelps swimming competitions yet (and NBC has locked down Youtube!).

I did gather at an American bar one night to watch USA pound the Chinese basketball team on satellite TV. I am sure I will be trekking it to the ex-pat bars more as more medal rounds come up. tomorrow I am taking my neighbors to baseball, then Friday I go to Tianjin for women's quarterfinal soccer. Pathetic as it may seem, I don't have anyone to go with yet. One of my friends is asking her boss for the day off, so by tomorrow I may have a mate!

Can we play sports now?

Guarding the street so the motorcades could pass, post ceremony
The PLA soldiers looking quite stern

八月八日0八年

A collective sigh of relief was breathed here in Beijing as the Opening Ceremonies went off with out a hitch. Spectacular - yes. Memorable - thankfully not especially, just as no other Opening Ceremonies have been save for those that encountered some disaster. Mostly significantly from my perspective, they are over and they were impressive for the domestic and international audiences. And finally the sporting events and athletes can take over the attention.

On 8月8日08年 8/8/08 I was feeling a bit ill from my ongoing flu I battle here in China and was undecided till the last moments about whether and where to witness the grand event. I got a call late in the day from my French - Chinese friend Annie who invited me to eat Peking Duck with her family at Da Dong, one of Beijing's top duck joints. As I took the subway downtown to Da Dong, Beijing was sooooo quiet. The government requested that people enjoy the ceremonies from home, and also step up stop points on the perimeter roads to restrict entrance into the city for residents only.

That evening, For the first time I remember in Beijing, the subway had lots of open seats, we didn't need a reservation at Da Dong, the streets were literally bare! We enjoyed our duck then walked next door to a bar where again, despite their big screen presentation of the ceremonies, the place was dead empty and the staff were very happy to see us!

The hardest part of the night was crossing the street to get home as I live near a main boulevard that connects the Birds Nest to Tiananmen district where China's central leaders and dignitaries stay. The photos of the street blocking are above. Excitement was certainly in the air that night, however a stronger feeling was that of restraint as foreigners and Beijingers alike minded the law and basically tried to stay out of the way so the ceremonies could proceed smoothly.

Mens Volleyball China vs. Bulgaria

And now we can actually watch an amazingly talented and well trained group of athletes do their thing! Sunday night (8/10) I attended men's volleyball Beijing's Capital Gymnasium. The venue was great and the crowd of about 90% Chinese and 10 % foreigners showed up to see Bulgaria punish the Chinese men's team in 4 sets. Although security was supposed to limit political expression in the athletic events. I guess yellow sloganed t-shirts announcing "we support and cheer for the workers of Beijing" did not count as political, poor Marx would be disappointed to hear of that!

The match was good and it actually just felt good to be putting attention to the game, to the athletes, and not all of the other crap that surrounded the lead up to the games. It was surreal to just be in an Olympic event. For this event I invited my professor from CAS, and she sent along her mother and brother to attended the event with me. It was good fun, although I really felt I had to hold my applause for Bulgaria amidst my Chinese boss & in the Chinese dominated crowd! I have seen what fervent nationalism can lead to in athletic events!

Let the Games Begin

China's New National Stadium, called "the Birds Nest"

It is very exciting here, people are super excited for the Olympics, but everyone seems very nervous that the opening ceremonies go off without a hitch. My taxi driver and I were chatting last night and he just kept saying "no problem, no problem" referring to Friday's opening event, in that sort of way you say it as if you are wishing it on something or someone. Policing and authority here is delegated to neighborhood-level watch groups and paranoia is increasing as the Opening Ceremonies get closer (T - 1!), so every micro-level of jurisdiction is over - reacting to everything lest something go wrong on their little patch of Beijing, and tarnish the "Glory of China".

But the city is squeaky clean, and geared up, even the taxi drivers are shiny looking. The taxi drivers are all decked out in matching outfits. The government bought them all new clothes to wear for these 2 weeks. Matching button downs & trousers, and with a tie! they each received 2 yellow dress shirts, 2 pair of navy trousers, and a striped tie. they are so proud to be representing the nation in their new clothes. its very cute!

I am attending 2 baseball games, one mens volleyball, and the men's quarterfinal soccer. can't wait to see some events. Still trying to decide where to spend the insanity of the opening ceremonies. its a national holiday here tomorrow, every choice is sure to be hectic but amazing. Feels reminiscent of New Years Eve planning.

Catching the Olympic Spirit

Today is my last day at the CAS offices for a while as they are sending all students on vacation during the Olympics. We are literally across the street from the broadcast center, and adjacent to the Olympics Village, about 1/2 km from the Birds Nest, so it is getting harder and harder to actually reach work.

For example, today the Torch came down the big avenue by my house. I could hear a lot of "jia you" and some other chanting from my apartment, and I thought it was a parade. The I remembered, THE TORCH! It was very celebratory and fun but only a glimpse of the crowds and craziness of trying to navigate the city streets, and actually get around during the Games. By the time I reached my bus stop and got to work, the trip was 1 hour 20, usually a 45 minute ride.

Last night I took a walk near the Drum Tower and was feeling so impressed by how clean and beautiful the city looks. Beijingers are SO excited and merry. Despite my recent grumpiness over what a pain in the ass all the OLY-craziness has been, I really felt the depth of pride and energy while walking around yesterday.

I can't decide whether to watch the Opening ceremonies with my foreign friends near Sanlitun (foreign bar street), or to head to Ditan park and watch on the JUMBO screen with the locals. I really do want to hear how / if the western journalists restrain their tongue-lashings of the government which requires satellite cable.

Can't We Just Have Some Fun?

This sign says roughly, "We and the World in Harmony.
Through the Beijing Olympics, the World will love China"

having fun with some of the "Olympics Volunteer Security"

And the Rules just keep on coming....The Olympics officials continue to announce new rules everyday to attempt to keep all of its expected visitors in line. What will be the outcome of this particular strategy to impose authoritarian order on the world's crazy sports fans?

the government is trying to treat all of the Olympics tourists like 18 years olds in their freshman dormitory. No yelling, no pornography, no drunkenness, no falling asleep on the sidewalk, no Mongolian Hookers -- NO FUN! Of cource, I never had the experience of living in a freshman dormitory, but one can imagine such oppressive measures to ensure order will be met with the most coy attempts by fun-loving foreigners to break free of the control. What the government sees as uncultured, many regard as mild and harmless entertainment. But people's reaction to this form of rule-enforcement is something I have disagreed with my Chinese friends about for a long time. They see rules as a good way of imposing order & harmony, I see them as obstacles through which I must navigate to break free.

Following the recent bus bombings in the West, the bus matrons have been paying a lot more attention to me and my big lap top bag. I try to accede to their inspections, but it is annoying.

Schizophrenic Olympics Days

Many have asked - what is really going on over in Beijing? I really have no idea as we all try to wade through the propaganda, mud slinging (from ALL media sources!), and absolute loss of perspective that seems to have taken hold with these games.

To convey my own perspective on these 2008 Olympic Games, In coming weeks I will try to slice through this mud-pie with doses of my own experiences here Beijing. Old fashion on-the-ground blogging - yes!

On daily life in Beijing
to sum up - Beijing is crazy and overwhelmed with Olympics crazed activity with a strong dose of authoritarianism and paranoia thrown in. I have heard Olympics are always a pain for local people, and that is certainly true here as life is getting very inconvenient in terms of transportation, restrictions on businesses, and heightened security.

I work adjacent to the Olympic Village and across the street from the International Broadcast Center, so one can imagine how busy it is around here, and very secure! However, our research team is undaunted and everyone is working with out interruption. We have new magnetized name badges, but other than that, us researchers can't be bothered.

On the media

I see the media situation as more complex than is being reported. For one thing, China is royally making an ass of itself by pissing the media off to the extent that the oppressive lack of freedom of press has become the only story they find worth reporting. But I really see another facet of the story that adds complexity that goes back to the last year of perception, within China, that western media continues to bash China and impose great bias on all stories. The Chinese see this as sort of "sour grapes" reporting as the US economy is tanking and they see such bias as displaced jealousy over China continuing to thrive. And so now with the Olympics, China has control and is punishing the western press by not letting them access to anything. Its a continuation of the anger here over press coverage throughout 2008.

On Schizophrenia

This comment pertains to the ongoing confusion over conceptions of hospitality.

What is different here than in other Olympics Cities perhaps is how the Olympics organizers are also making life incredibly difficult for foreigners and visitors. there are 1000s of neighborhoods guards posted watching your every move, hotels are bugged, and your every move is being watched. And over 1/2 of my friends were deported on July 1 with a sweeping visa policy that really screwed up a lot of people's lives.

Yes, it is nice to deploy 20,000 "volunteers" to help visitors navigate the games, the city etc.

No, it is not nice to chase after foreigners on the street to ask them if that want to talk in English.

Yes, its nice to see "welcome to Beijing" signs, topiary, and broadcasts everyone in the beautified Beijing.

No, its not nice to have a throng of guards, volunteers, and others descend upon you every time a foreigner gets near an Olympic site, Tiananmen Square, etc and start to yell at you not to get too close.

Yes, its nice that the municipal government published 8 "don't asks" to help people know how to chat with foreigners:

Beijing's 2008 Olympics "Eight Don't Ask Questions" include the following:

Don't ask about income or expenses.

Don't ask about age.

Don't ask about love, life, or marriage.

Don't ask about health.

Don't ask about someone's home or address.

Don't ask about personal experience.

Don't ask about religious beliefs or political views.

Don't ask what someone does.

But again, no, we aren't fooled by face-value hospitality when the city continues to send messages around warning of highly suspicious foreigners. As long as eye balls are constantly watching our every move as if every blondie is the next shoe bomber, I can't say I feel especially welcomed.

I heart hong kong

Aside from the lovely break from the Olympics frenzy of Beijing, my trip to Hong Kong was fascinating from so many different perspectives.

The conference was excellent and I got to know a huge number of Chinese students and professors from throughout the Pearl River Delta.

As the conference was held in Hong Kong, students felt more comfortable to express themselves freely and not did not practice the self-censorship that makes many student discussions so formulaic. We had many "cafe sessions" in small groups to discuss issues of the environment, health, and development. The students were awesome and my group, the water pollution group even won a prize (see our photo!).

Following the conference I met with a colleague on our Green Supply Chain project with the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs and a had great, and again, CANDID, discussion. I must have been craving direct and blunt conversation, as it is a rare treat to encounter on the mainland. This is not to say I do not understand the reasons for more careful and closed discussion on the mainland. In fact I understand them all too clearly and monitor my own words and opinions at all times. The stakes for being too openly expressive are high given the political and nationalistic climate in Beijing / China. For me, my risks do not compare to those of normal Chinese citizens. The worst consequence I would face would be be being asked to leave, and thereby jeopardize my academic progress and future research opportunities. For the Chinese, they risk their jobs and future livelihoods, reputations to their family, and in the worst case, detention in the Chinese penal system which is full of political dissidents.

Being in Hong Kong for only one week provided a wonderful glimpse of this fascinating east-meets-west culture. Imbued with the British legacies of etiquette, bi-lingual culture, and rampant capitalism, yet fully Chinese as 95% of the inhabitants are Chinese. In fact, Hong Kong at times feels more Chinese than China as the people are free to worship traditional gods and ancestors, speak openly regarding political issues, and have found great success as entrepreneurs under the last 99 years of market-based economy.

During my time in Hong Kong I went to the movies! Hung out at Page One bookstore! Shopped! and Toured the outer Islands which are tropical and beautiful with interesting markets and sea-side towns. It was a great trip, and thankfully, I crossed back over the Hong Kong - Shenzhen border with no problems, and flew home to Beijing late Sunday.

To note, Hong Kong Cinema is fantastic - Hong Kong Movie Stars: Tony Leung, Jackie Chan, the Hui Brothers, Bruce Lee, Chow Yun-fat, Cherie Chung and Stephen Chow.

As for the current Olympics craziness here in Beijing, its NUTS! And there is much to show and tell. Do stay tuned for another posting when I get a moment to digest all that is happening around me!