Archive
December 2, 2003
特别策划：民工兄弟，我们的生活如此不同:
Special Report: Rural Migrant Brothers, We Live A Different Life
In our daily lives, we can often see the presence of this community. They do all of the heavy work on construction sites, work as nannies or deliver milk for city residents, serve in all manner of restaurants; in other words, they do all of the dirty jobs and live the tired and bitter life that city folk aren't willing take on. In everything they do, of the prosperity of the city is intertwines itself with their contribution. These people are the migrant labor force (流动的劳动力) that has come from the countryside to the cities and towns of China. They are called nong min gong (农民工), or min gong (民工) for short. But, in reality, how many of people are watching out for the survival of this community? Are they living well, or barely getting by?
In an unrelated article, 军事专家谈反“台独”战争:六条代价 战犯必惩 (Military Specialist Discusses anti-Taiwanese-Independence Conflict: Six Prices to be Paid), major general Peng Guangqian of the Military Academy of Science reveals that Vice-Premiere Wen Jiabao is willing to pay six prices in case of a military conflict with Taiwan, prices which include cutting relations with certain countries, risking armed conflict on the south-eastern coast of China, and loss of the 2008 Olympic Games.
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December 3, 2003
Chinese Officers Say Taiwan's Leaders Are Near 'Abyss of War':
Chinese military officers said Wednesday that Taiwan's leadership had pushed the island toward an "abyss of war" with its talk of independence. They made it clear that China would consider a popular vote on Taiwan's political status — which a faction of Taiwan's governing party recently urged — as a cause for war.
The PRC is really giving Chen Shuibian a boost with this retoric; I suppose they realize that this threatening talk only grows support for Chen, but I don't think they care. And let me point out that I scooped the New York Times on this one; plus the fact that they clearly sourced only the English version of the article, which does not mention actual warfare on the mainland as one of the costs that the Chinese government is willing to bear if an armed conflict happens.
The United Front Work Department
In class this evening, James Lee mentioned that the United Front Work Department's budget has increased several-fold over the last couple of decades. Curiously, the main title of the Xinhuanet news service this evening talks about an unprecedented news conference given by this department at which Liu Mingkang, chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, answered questions, and at which it was declared that the United Front Work Department (UFWD) was going to resume playing an active role in China; this coming from a department that has largely been put on the back burner during the Reform era.
When asked about the purpose of the department, department chief Chen Xiqing made several observations. First he linked the purpose of the UFWD today to its purpose in post-1949 China: to keep the spirit of the revolution alive. In the new era of reform, he said, it is especially important to maintain a united front. Maintaining this unity is especially important in a country where only 5% of the population is a communisty party member. Since the Chinese Communist Party has worked so hard to become the party of all the people, the different groups of people in China should strive together to build the middle-class society (小康社会). The UFWD will serve all levels of Party committees in four functions: gathering opinions, formulating policy, coordinating intra-committee relations, and fulfill various personnel duties. Finally, Chen stresses that the UFWD is not a branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
There are two points here that I find interesting. When he calls on the people of China to unite in building the new society, Chen illustrates by naming different political, religious, and ethnic pairs: Marxists and non-Marxists, atheists and religious people, and Han and ethnic minorities. This is an acknowledgement of the different interest groups that co-exist in today's China, and expresses the willingness of the government to listen to their views and synthesize them into a single national policy. The first part is new, but the second harkens back to the process of forming the mass line through consultation and discussion. The second part that struck me was the final and rather abrupt denial of being a "united front command post" of the PLA (解放军的统一作战指挥部). I imagine there is a historical precedent specific to the UFWD that he wants to dispel in emphasizing that this is a civilian operation.
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December 7, 2003
Via the Rice Cooker, China's middle-class children grow up quickly:
Under traditional Confucian teachings, respecting and obeying one's elders was paramount. In today's urban China, it is increasingly children who guide their parents through a fast-changing world. When the Zhous bought a new television last year, Bella chose the brand. When they go out to eat, Bella insists on Pizza Hut. She teaches them the latest slang and shows them cool sites on the Internet. Her parents usually call her by her English name rather than Zhou Jiaying, her name in Chinese.
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December 8, 2003
Nations Chafe at U.S. Influence Over the Internet:
Because the Internet first took root in the United States, it may be understandable that American interests have tended to prevail. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, still has more Internet addresses than all of China, according to Lee McKnight, an associate professor at Syracuse University and an M.I.T. research affiliate.
By 2007, though, more than 50 percent of Web users will be Chinese, according to some forecasts.
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December 12, 2003
Via TS Chang, China to Help Create Classes for U.S. Schools:
The majority of students in China study English, but only 50,000 American students study Chinese, a language spoken by 1.5 billion people, according to a statement from the College Board. In contrast, 1 million American students study French, which is spoken by 70 million people, the statement noted.
How come they didn't have this stuff when I was a kid? I guess that's what happens when you're ahead of the curve.
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December 18, 2003
I think that if Orville Schell wrote a comment to one of my weblog posts, I would die of smugness. Oh, and check out the China Digital News weblog, out of UC Berkeley.
Reading List 2004
Richard, of the China Weblog is requesting ideas for his 2004 reading list. This is my response:
Just today, I saw your post about China-related books. I can't say that I've read any China books recently that have been genius, but a few have stood out and so I'll mention them to you:
1. "China Wakes" by Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn – one of those "I lived in China for a year, here are my impressions" but of the highest caliber. This book turned me on to Kristof's writing, and I'm now I'm a faithful reader of his columns in the NY Times and IHT.
2. "The Chinese Emperor" by Jean Levi – Levi comes from the French tradition of Sinology, a tradition with a long if not revered history. This book is a piece of historical fiction covering the rise of the boy ultimately destined to become Qin Shi Huang Di, the first Qin emperor, and the cast of characters that surrounded his rise—mainly mercant-turned-politico Lu Puwei, and ruthless Legalist advisor Li Su.
3. "Governing China" by Ken Lieberthal – this was actually the main textbook for my "China Under Communism" class this semester. It was in manuscript form, so look for it to come out sometime next year. It covers Chinese history since the turn of the century, the structure and functioning of chinese government, and the major issues facing the Chinese government today. Ken is a great communicator: his knowledge speaks to the China experts, and his casual tone speaks to the layperson interested in modern China.
Another good book we used in the class was "The Paradox of China's Post-Mao Reforms" edited by Merle Goldman and Roderick MacFarquhar, a series of essays on topics relevant to the Reform Era: military, the NPC, village elections, labor relations, migrant workers, intellectuals. Of course, this is pretty academic, so if you're looking for fun reading you may want to pass it up.
The next book I'll be tackling (though not exactly a long or difficult read—hey, I'm on vacation!) is a book/pictoral of a trip by American playwright Arthur Miller to China in 1980. I picked it up at a used bookstore for seven dollars having never seen it before, so I can't vouch for its quality. Anyhow, it's on my list.
Good luck, happy reading.
—Micah
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December 25, 2003
With all the attention lavished on the Asia Weblog Awards organized by our man in Hong Kong, it's only fair to point out that our mainland cousins have put together a vote of their own, the 中国年度十佳blog评选, "Best Blog of China" award, organized by the folks at We Snap City et al. Prizes include a one-year subscription to E-Time Weekly, a special BLOG sweatshirt from CNBlog.org, premium internet access from Freeland, and a copy of the current issue of ESPN magazine from the staff of We Snap City. Note that there is also a vote for best English-language blog.
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December 30, 2003
From the China Daily, Ad posters, billboards seen around late Chinese leader's statue in SW city:
Right behind Mao's statue, a banner streamer is hosting 10 meters above Sichuan Exhibition Center, where a large-scale shopping fair for traditional Spring Festival goods is in sight.
In Mao's era, food supplies were rationed in China for some two decades and the people had to use coupons issued by their government then to buy food and other daily necessities in short supply. Now they can buy whatever they like and afford anything to their taste for the imminent New Year and the ensuing Spring Festival, or the Chinese lunar new year, at this fair. A variety of other goods fairs were held all year round. And a wide range of commodities were shipped in from all over China and elsewhere in the world like the United States, Japan and the ROK for consumers' choices.
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December 31, 2003
From Stan Abrams' China Blawg, New Year's Resolutions for Expat China General Managers:
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Hold at least one real Board of Directors meeting instead of avoiding tough decisions.
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Make sure that all of my employees have written labor contracts.
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Start paying attention to what my distributor in Nanjing has been doing behind my back.
Twenty five resolutions in all.
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