Blogs » Society » People Have Officially Lost Their Minds Over A Bunch Of Rocks

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• People Have Officially Lost Their Minds Over A Bunch Of Rocks
• What You Need to Know About Getting Botox in Shanghai
• To No One’s Surprise, Gu Kailai Given Suspended Death Sentence
• Shanghai's Tastiest Seafood Congee
• ‘Raw Video: Panda Births Twins’: AP
• Miss China wins Miss World pageant... in China
• Realtors In Beijing Stage Massive, Possibly Turf-Related Brawl
• Photo of the Day: Flying together
• Nationalism aglow
• The Situation Is Excellent: The Week That Was At Beijing Cream
• What US Candidates Need to Know About China
• Follow Shanghaiist Food & Drink on Facebook and Twitter!
• Watch: Panda gives birth to twin cubs
• Foreigner Allegedly Slaps And Spits On Local Woman In Henan, Nearly Starts Riot
• Yu Wenxia, From China, Is Your New Miss World
• Chinese Nationalism – The Root of Hong Kong’s Pain
• Quiet On The Set, Please: Chinese TV Show Visits Rock Climbing

People Have Officially Lost Their Minds Over A Bunch Of Rocks Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:54 PM PDT Save the lecture about historical context. We're talking about rocks. Uninhabited rocks. If indeed there's black gold inside the set of rocks known as the Diaoyu Islands, governments should mine 'em together and split the profit, as was proposed once upon a time ago. But nooo, that would be too elementary a solution. We have to act like children, because we are, in the grand scheme of things. Children whose children behave like — shock! — children, flipping over police cars and boycotting products. You reap what you sow. The government here — and, in the interest of fairness, the right wing of the Japanese government, which incited the latest round of street protest in China by sending 150 lawmakers etc. toward Diaoyu/Senkaku, then watching 10 activists land on them — has sowed nationalism, and reaps this shit: The Chinese state news media portrayed the demonstrations as fairly small, each involving fewer than 200 people, and not extending to inland provinces. But photographs posted on Sina Weibo, the country's most widely used microblogging service, suggested that the crowds had been far larger. In one photo said to be from the southwestern city of Chengdu, deep in China's interior, the number of protesters appeared to be in the thousands. "Defend the Diaoyu Islands to the death," one banner said. Another said, "Even if China is covered with graves, we must kill all Japanese." The excellent South Sea Conversations adds about the dangers of nationalism: The ICG's Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt recently commented that the leaders of China and Japan have little "political capital" to spend on defying "nationalist or populist sentiment". In this excellent interview, SKA identifies nationalist sentiment as a constraint on governments' ability to compromise or back down during a dispute. There are counter-examples, such as Noda's governament's speedy release of the recent protagonists, where Chinese and Japanese leaders have appeared to defy pressure to be uncooperative and confrontation. But the two countries' recent record suggest this has beendifficult in the past. Public opinion offers an explanation for what learned observers consider to be China's counterproductively hardline stance in the previous Diaoyu confrontation in September 2010 (itself a response to Japan's abnormally trenchant action in detaining an infringing Chinese fishing boat captain for several weeks rather than releasing him swiftly, as they did yesterday). The ill-will on the part of both publics may have had a lot to do with the non-implementation of a deal negotiated back in 2008 for cooperative development of some of the oil and gas deposits in the area. Nationalist activists on both sides are true believers in their cause, so even where their actions may be deliberately incited and/or tacitly sanctioned by their governments, they nonetheless impact the dispute by necessitating responses from the other side. Once the Qifeng-2 escaped the clutches of the Hong Kong authorities and got beyond PRC territorial waters, for example, Beijing had little or no control over whether the passengers of the Qifeng-2 would actually manage to set foot on the island last Wednesday. The "true believers" are manageable when they're slinging virtual rocks on the Internet, but once cars get overturned — police cars – then shit has gotten real. Look: So, good luck, governments. Keep on fiddling with the people's emotions and watch as your self-interests are cut from under your feet. Yay nationalistic fervor and all that garbage. Mobs are always great until they stop listening — the biggest fools are those who believe they ever listened in the first place.

What You Need to Know About Getting Botox in Shanghai Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:15 PM PDT Date: Aug 20th 2012 11:08a.m. Contributed by: sfriedman Want to get Botox in Shanghai. Make sure you read this first, before you freeze your face!

To No One’s Surprise, Gu Kailai Given Suspended Death Sentence Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:13 PM PDT In the most non-suspenseful verdict ever, a court in Hefei, Anhui province (read: the Party) has officially sentenced Gu Kailai to "death with a two-year reprieve" for murdering Neil Heywood, as expected. What this means is that Gu will not be put to death, assuming she doesn't commit another crime in the next two years. And then it's off to a plush retirement home — sorry, prison – and no one will remember any of this. With all due respect to Heywood's family and associates, if you're related to a high-level Chinese official here and want to kill someone, make sure the would-be victim is insignificant, has few connections with other Chinese bosses, and, oh yeah, it helps if you have friends within the CCP. Gu Kailai obviously does. She'll be just fine — though we hear cancer is less forgiving than the Party. Reuters: "We respect the court's decision," said He Zhengsheng, a lawyer for the Heywood family. He and another witness to the hearing – which was barred to all but a few journalists from official Chinese media – revealed the verdict to throngs of reporters waiting outside the court in eastern Hefei city. They both also said Zhang Xiaojun, an aide to the Bo household, was sentenced to nine years in prison for acting as an accomplice to the poisoning of Heywood. As for what this means for Bo Xilai, that is the real mystery. Will he face criminal charges? Could he possibly? We're about to find out whether he has stronger friends or enemies. Stay tuned.

Shanghai's Tastiest Seafood Congee Posted: 19 Aug 2012 07:43 PM PDT Date: Aug 20th 2012 10:38a.m. Contributed by: mengsta eafood shaguo zhou (砂锅粥, clay pot congee) has been a popular late night supper choice since it was first invented in the Chaozhou and Shantou.

‘Raw Video: Panda Births Twins’: AP Posted: 19 Aug 2012 05:26 PM PDT I have been pouring over economic, political, even cultural issues (Miss World 2012) for what to write about today. And, for the life of my, I can't stop thinking about this video from AP about  the birth of panda twins. I am not an Animal Planet fan, but I am a sucker for pandas (and bulldogs). I had never watched a panda giving birth before, and I found this, well, riveting. After viewing this video, I went back on YouTube for more like it–trust me, if you've seen one panda giving birth you've seen them all. But, you should see it at least once. Here you go: One unkind viewer commented: 'looks like she gave birth to a baby rat LOL.' Harsh. Very harsh.

Miss China wins Miss World pageant... in China Posted: 19 Aug 2012 03:48 PM PDT Miss China Yu Wenxia beat 115 other contestants to be crowned the 2012 Miss World in Ordos, Inner Mongolia on Saturday evening. After the jump, watch Miss China's crowning moment, the introductory profile videos of the three Chinese representatives, as well as a clip of contestants cruising down Shanghai's Huangpu River. [ more › ]

Realtors In Beijing Stage Massive, Possibly Turf-Related Brawl Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:00 PM PDT We don't know what caused employees of two realtor companies in Beijing to stage this public brawl, with white-shirted men on one side and light-blue-shirted men on the other (except the white-shirted one attacking his own, which just confuses everything), but we do think all participants of group fights should different colored outfits, or uniforms. Just a modest proposal for anyone else out there planning a get-together at fight o'clock. Youku video for those in China after the jump.

Photo of the Day: Flying together Posted: 19 Aug 2012 01:28 PM PDT Want to see your picture here? Share your photos with us on Instagram or Flickr using the tag #shanghaiist! [ more › ]

Nationalism aglow Posted: 19 Aug 2012 01:02 PM PDT The embers of anti-Japanese sentiment are always smoldering in China. It doesn't take much by way of political oxygen to bring them forth in full flame. Thousands of Chinese took to the streets on Sunday across several cities to protest … Continue reading →

The Situation Is Excellent: The Week That Was At Beijing Cream Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:59 AM PDT August 13 – August 19 RFH's piece on Chris Devonshire-Ellis is this site's most-commented so far. Go read it if you haven't yet, but please keep the comments civil. Zhou Kehua, who we liken to American gangster John Dillinger, was shot dead on Tuesday morning after a citywide manhunt in Chongqing. "My family runs the Public Security Bureau" may well be the new "My Dad is Li Gang," after the son of the deputy political commissar of the Jiangsu Province Public Security Bureau was caught on camera knifing a woman. The Olympics are over — here's our selection of the Top 10 China-related moments and storylines from the London Games. A foreigner allegedly slapped and spat on a woman in a traffic dispute in Henan recently, nearly inciting a riot. And what are Chinese orgies actually like? We asked someone who's attended one. A haunting suicide was caught on tape as a 20-something-year-old man jumped from a building, ignoring his girlfriend's pleas. A vengeful eagle has persistently, amusingly terrorizing two men who kidnapped and ate her child. Another hostage-taker with a knife was shot down. A woman with only one smile was crowned Miss World on Saturday, and she's Chinese. Xinhua announced the date of the 10th annual Guangzhou Sex Culture Festival. This "four-year-old" Asian on the piano is amazing and incredible. Here are highlights of WWE Smackdown's house show in Shanghai, a dog caused a three-car accident (with fire), and firefighters got called in to dislodge a kid's head from a concrete balustrade. Finally: Pyongyang Style remains the best Gangnam Style parody yet. Comment of the Week: E, on the Devonshire-Ellis post: After reading the article and all the comments I merely offer the words of the bard: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts," China is without a doubt a grand stage — may we all play our parts well. |Week in Review Archives|

What US Candidates Need to Know About China Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:39 AM PDT This weekend, I was quoted in The Weekly Standard about what Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan need to know about what is happening in China.  It begins by noting that Paul Ryan, Romney's surprise VP pick, came out swinging the other day on President Obama's handling of China: "Free trade is a powerful tool for peace and prosperity, but our trading partners need to play by the rules," Ryan said. "This challenge focuses on China. They steal our intellectual property rights, they block access to their markets, they manipulate their currency. President Obama promised he would stop these practices. He said he'd go to the mat with China. Instead, they're treating him like a doormat. We're not going to let that happen. Mitt Romney and I are going to crack down on China cheating and we're going to make sure that trade works for America." Soon after the Ryan pick was announced, I had an email exchange with my old boss Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard and one of the most prominent voices to urge Ryan's selection.  In it, I outlined a few key points that are likely to shape the discussion about China in the months ahead and in the next president's first year in office: 1) China's economy is not just slowing, it is entering a serious correction.  The investment bubble that has been driving Chinese growth has popped, and there are no quick "stimulus" fixes left.  There is the very real possibility of some form of financial crisis in China before year's end. 2) China is in the midst of a once-in-a-decade leadership transition that has not been going smoothly.  The transition will take place, but it has paralyzed the Chinese leadership's ability to respond to the country's growing economic troubles.  China's leaders believe time is on their side; they do not "get" how serious and urgent the situation is, and that what has always "worked" is no longer working. 3) China's economic problems spell trouble for the U.S. on several fronts. First, China is flirting with devaluing its currency to boost exports—a move that will put it in direct conflict with Mitt Romney's commitments on this issue. Second, China is already dumping excess capacity in steel and other products onto the export market, a tactic that is likely to inflame trade tensions and reinforce imbalances in the global economy. Third, in a worst case scenario, China may be tempted to provoke a conflict in the South China Sea to redirect popular discontent onto an external enemy. My advice is not really partisan in nature.  The points I outline are equally relevant for any other candidate, Republican or Democrat, to take into account.  Nor are they meant to inflame China-bashing rhetoric.  In fact, they reveal that fears of an unstoppable Chinese juggernaut are misplaced or outdated.  What we really should be worried about is a China that is stumbling badly and doesn't know what to do next. There's an interesting personal history here as well.  Back when I worked for Bill Kristol in the early '90s, Paul Ryan — who is my age and, like me, was fresh out of college — was my counterpart working for Bill Bennett and Jack Kemp at Empower America.  We were colleagues, and I always thought he had a bright future ahead of him. At the time, it occurred to me that there were really two issues that would define America's future in the 21st Century, which were worth devoting oneself to.  The first was entitlements.  The second was China.  The former poses the greatest internal challenge to America's potential and its place in the world, the rise of the latter poses — for better and for worse — the greatest external challenge.  Paul's mastery of the entitlements debate has taken him far.  My path led me to China — "far" in a more literal sense.  It certainly is interesting, where life's paths lead. Apologies to readers who have been waiting patiently for the next installment(s) of my in-depth analysis of China's summer real estate "rebound."  I have been busy writing several articles for publication and — I admit it — enjoying summer with my family.  It is coming, and (I hope) will be worth the wait.

Follow Shanghaiist Food & Drink on Facebook and Twitter! Posted: 19 Aug 2012 05:33 AM PDT Hey all you foodies, just letting you know that the Shanghaiist Food & Drink desk now has a Facebook and Twitter page with which we'll provide updates, share food links and photos of exotic chow, and better interact with readers. So make sure to "like" Shanghaiist Food & Drink on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. [ more › ]

Watch: Panda gives birth to twin cubs Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:35 AM PDT A double bundle of joy for six-year-old panda Sixue at the Wolong Giant Panda Wild Breeding Centre as she gives birth to twins, one male and one female. [ more › ]

Foreigner Allegedly Slaps And Spits On Local Woman In Henan, Nearly Starts Riot Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:07 AM PDT A foreigner nearly incited a riot in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province on Friday evening after he got into a physical confrontation with a Chinese woman on the road. The foreigner, riding a BYD, apparently thought the female had hit his car with her electric bike, so he got out and slapped her twice across the face, according to an eyewitness interviewed in the video (subtitles are mine, along with any errors), and then spat in her face. A very angry mob surrounded the vehicle for hours, puncturing its tires. Finally, with crowd emotions still high, stoked by nationalism, a squadron of cops smuggled the foreigner into a police vehicle and drove away. Before we go any further, let us warn against slinging accusations that only serve to reveal your personal prejudices. Whenever these foreigner-Chinese confrontations arise — and they do more often than we'd like — there's a tendency to rush to conclusions, leading to gross generalizations, misguided anger, and paranoia. It's obvious and goes without saying that slapping and spitting on someone is an act worthy of condemnation across cultures, but so too is mob violence. Regarding the Friday incident in Zhengzhou, we can only agree that hardly anyone comes out looking very good. The story continues. With the alleged assailant trapped inside his car, someone outside shouts, "When you're hitting a person you play hero, afterwards you play the coward." Another man, on his bike, says into the camera, "He sits inside strangely nice and cool, comes to China to hit Chinese people. Too crazy." The most angry comment that's subtitled: "Come out, fuck him, handcuff him to a tree." One man sees a Walmart card poking out of the foreigner's breast pocket, and wonders, "Walmart is American, right?" (It appears that there's another passenger next to the foreigner, but we're never told who he is.) For whatever reason, people want to know his nationality. "I just want to ask what country he's from," one man angrily demands. "So fierce!" Relatively high-level officials — or at least those with the authority to make important decisions — get called in to settle the stalemate. One of them decides that the foreigner needs to be hauled away (arrested), which would "be like a victory for us," by which he means the laobaixing, commoners who were demanding street justice. After the foreigner is hauled away, the mob turns its attention to the BYD, with someone imploring, "Smash his car!" If there is anyone who comes away from this incident looking all right, it's the official who, in the center of a still-incensed pack, tells the people, "Listen to me. This situation, I'm taking back, I'll handle it properly. If I don't handle it properly, I'll resign. I'll make my position known to everyone. Don't worry!" The people actually cheer him and appear to disperse soon after. As always, we'll keep you updated with details as they become available. (H/T Alicia)

Yu Wenxia, From China, Is Your New Miss World Posted: 19 Aug 2012 01:25 AM PDT If you're wondering why the new Miss World's smile looks so robotic, you might find the answer in this Forbes article about cosmetics mogul Yue-sai Kan, who is the national director for Miss Universe China. Granting that Miss World and Miss Universe are different, it's still telling that Kan operates a "boot camp" that winnows out women until a select few candidates — the world beauty pageant ideal — remain. And what of their traits? Tall and able to smile, as far as I can tell. Not a total disaster on stage. Not ugly. Everything else — the softball questions about platonic ideals, the two-handed wave, the strut — can be taught. Yu Wenxia, 23, five-foot-eight (177 centimeters), won the Miss World beauty pageant yesterday in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, in an event marred by the city's ham-handed attempts to restrict journalists from investigating the city. (You'll not hear about that in any official media reports, of course.) I didn't watch the show, but this quote from Yu, which appears in several places, about sums up the experience, I think: "When I was young I felt very lucky because so many people helped me, and I hope in the future I can help more children to feel lucky." That is, quite simply, about as cliche-ridden and terrible a sentence you'll see anywhere. And here's a snippet of the finale: But you know what? Good for her. Let us set aside the fact that beauty pageants are relics of another time, with objectives that ring as hollow as a tin pan, and these days serve more as platforms for male schmoozing and corporate smuttiness. (Has it occurred to anyone to wonder why this "global" event is held in an Inner Mongolia mining town that has mountains of money and glitz but little else? Wait, actually that sounds like the perfect home for the Miss World pageant.) Congratulations to Yu Wenxia, only the second Chinese woman to win the Miss World crown. If you're wondering what Yu Wenxia looks like when she's not smiling, here: Finally, something I found interesting: Yu's official introductory video on the Miss World page has been viewed nearly 100,000 times, and it's gotten 670 dislikes to only 123 likes: The Youku version of the show's snippet (longer form) is here: An extended intro, for those who can stream Youku:

Chinese Nationalism – The Root of Hong Kong’s Pain Posted: 19 Aug 2012 01:19 AM PDT Netizens critcise that Hong Kong Baodiao (保釣, defending Diaoyu Islands) activists, despite their pro-democratic stance, have hurt Hong Kong. They believe that this Baodiao action is to shift focus away from Hong Kong internal problems, especially when awareness of defending Hong Kong is growing. Hong Kong Baodiao Actitvists: Pro-democratic Pan-Chinese Nationalists No. 2 in the picture is Tsang Kin-shing 曾健成 aka Ah Ngau, which means "ox" in Cantonese and is a common nickname for men from the grassroots. (Facebook) Tsang was being arrested by the Japan Coast Guard Tsang is a member of the League of Social Democrats 社民連, an aggressive pro-democratic political group. The most prominent member of the party is Long Hair, Leung Kwok-hung. Tsang was mourning the death of dissident Li Wangyang in front of LOCPG in Sai Wan (Source) No. 5 in the picture is Yang Kuang 陽匡 (Facebook. He calls himself "Why Yang".). Yang Kuang was sentenced to jail after leading Guangzhou labour movement in 1989. (Source) Yang, wearing the flag of the Republic of China, stood in front of the flag of the People's Republic of China on Kai Fung No. 2 Yang protested with a "Free Tibet Now" shirt when Hu Jintao was visiting Hong Kong. Yang stood behind a banner "Request to rehabilitate (victims of Tiananmen Massacre)? It would be better to rebel" Meaning of the Flag of the Republic of China In the eyes of pro-democratic pan-Chinese nationalists, the flag of the Republic of China means a democratic united China. The history of the flag in Hong Kong and its idea are unknown to many Taiwanese. The flag of the Republic of China was not a rare sight in colonial Hong Kong. Hong Kong used to celebrate the national day of the Republic of China on Oct 10, aka Double Ten Day. No.6 in the picture is Koo Sze-yiu 古思堯. Koo Sze-yiu was being arrested by the Japan Coast Guard Koo always makes protest props like coffins for Long Hair. (Source) He burned his homemade Chinese flag (*the 5 stars are on the right) in front of LOCPG during the protest for the death of "suicided" dissident Li Wangyang. Source "Best Mockery" 馬德里: [Today Best Mockery] is by Nick Lee: Burning 5-star flag in Hong Kong Island, Raising 5-star flag in Diaoyu Islands, Serious split personality disorder! CY Leung and His Supporter, Liu Mengxiong, Sponsored Hong Kong Bao Diao Activists From 2011/6/11 East Week Magazine, The printing version of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", which was donated by the president of the Executive Council, CY Leung, was sold for $33,000 dollars. The evening party raised $1.3M in total. Member of the national committee of CPPCC, Liu Mengxiong (left 2), donated $1M dollars to support Baodiao action. This donation is the largest of the evening party. From 2012.8.26 Yazhou Zhoukan (Weekly), Liu Mengxiong, member of the national committee of CPPCC, is a powerful supporter of Hong Kong Baodiao action. In recent years, he has donated more than $3M dollars (about four hundred thousands USD) to Baodiao action. Liu told Yazhou Zhoukan that the ship of Baodiao going into the battle of national sovereignty is the best "national education". Liu Mengxiong (red tie) welcomed Koo Sze-yiu (greenish blue shirt) and Tsang Kin-shing (on the right hand of Koo) in the Airport (from Tsang's Facebook) Liu Mengxiong celebrated "the success of landing Diaoyu Islands" with Tsang Kin-shing (left 3) and Long Hair, Leung Kwok-hung (in Che Guevara's shirt). Source "Hidden Hong Kong Separatism" In an essay titled "Hidden Hong Kong Separatism" by Tianda Institute, it suggests that related departments can unite with Hong Kong opposition parties to battle with Hong Kong right wing. Chin Wan and many of his supporters are Hong Kong conservative right wing. The mainstream of the Hong Kong society does not agree with Chin Wan"s "Hong Kong City-State Theory", even people from the opposition side like Leung Kwok-hung do not agree with it. Related departments can consider uniting with some of the Hong Kong opposition parties to condemn Chin Win's "Hong Kong City-State Theory" for inciting racial conflicts. "…these Baodiao gropus, in this critical period of Hong Kong, are still giving a hand job to China?" From 2012.8.18 Apple Daily's Editorial by Li Yi (Original Link) On the day before yesterday, on the comment page of Apple Daily's headline "Landing on Diaoyu Islands", a female reader wrote like that, "I am Honkonger. I only love Hong Kong. I only concern about the land of Hong Kong. When the land of Hong Kong is about be robbed (Northeast New Territories Development Plan), when the next generation of Hong Kong is about to be brainwashed…When our Hongkonger identity is not tolerated…I want to question these Baodio groups, in this critical period of Hong Kong, why are they still giving a hand job to China? Shaming Hong Kong? Displaying the flag of fascist power?" This is not an individual's view. In comment sections of all the Baodiao news, the similar view is very common. This illustrates that even though Baodiao heroes are very brave, not only is this action unsuitable to the current situation of Hong Kong, but also hurts the vigorously rising rights-defending social movements. (*More in a day or two. The essay is too long.) Northeast New Territories Development Plan (Concern Goup's Blog – Anti Forced Integration) The green side is Hong Kong and about to be ceded to Shenzhen – in the form of visa-free cities in Hong Kong, signifying the complete end of one country two systems. Chaos from Yesterday "Consultation Forum" for the Plan (*I created a music video to introduce the land about to be ceded. This video is for Hongkonger so I don't add subtitle directly. For English subtitle, please view in Youtube and click "interactive subtitle".) Netizens' comments T: This essay of Li Yi is very good. It's so straight-forward. These Baodiao activists used the 5-star flag to Baodiao when Chinese human rights are suppressed and Hong Kong autonomy is under threat, stirring up crazy pan-Chinese nationalism. This is extremely stupid. 2012.8.19 Anti-Japan Protest in China: "Long Live the Chinese Empire" ****More netizens comments later****

Quiet On The Set, Please: Chinese TV Show Visits Rock Climbing Posted: 18 Aug 2012 10:05 PM PDT The Good Doctor, who wrote about rock climbing last month, apparently isn't the only one who believes rock climbers are "fucking cool." Last week, while climbing at Ritan Park, the crew of a Chinese game show showed up to film at the wall. Contestants climbed in pairs — neon team vs. fuchsia team — and we're told that for the most part they did not do very well. I know I've seen a game show like this before on Chinese TV, but the name escapes me. If you recognize it, please let us know. Youku video for those in China after the jump.

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