Overseas Chinese Web Guide

Tag: China

  • Google Books Ngram Viewer: Peking v. Beijing

    Google Books Ngram Viewer is an interesting application for looking up the frequency of phrases in books over time. For example, I recently ran a search from 1800-2000 for the different spellings of 北京: Peking, Beijing, Peiping and Beiping.

    As expected, Peking is the dominant English name for 北京. Peiping appeared at some point in the mid-1920s, but that spelling has since disappeared. Interestingly, the rise of Beijing coincides not with the founding of the PRC in 1949 but with the normalization of US-China relations in the mid-1970s. Beijing finally eclipsed Peking in the late 1980s.

  • China 2010

    I first visited China almost 30 years ago. Back then, China was defined more by its past than its future. Everything that amazed me during that initial trip had an age that could be measured in centuries if not millennia. During that visit, the economic gap between the United States and China could not have been more self-evident. At each stop light, the drivers would turn off the engines of their cars, whose design came from another era, presumably to conserve gas. The Friendship Store was not really that friendly, and sparsely stocked to boot. And, foreigners visiting the standard tourist attractions had to pay the higher outsider price not in 人民券 (RMB) but in 外汇卷.

    Alas, those were the days. Now, repeat visitors, including me, witness in amazement not how old China is, but how new China has become. What defines China today is not the Forbidden City or the Great Wall, but the ever present construction cranes that stands sentinel in every major metropolitan area. While the United States is mired in a recession that has stifled its construction industry, China is busily building away. Mind you, construction in China does not occur a building at a time. Instead, it goes block by block. Absolutely breath taking. What really is amazing is the pace of urban sprawl. As each city expands and absorbs the surrounding areas, the line between the city proper and the 鄉下 slowly blends away, such that it can become indistinguishable. Furthermore, homes in the countryside are no longer distinct from their urban counterparts. Once you have electricity, water, gas and telephone service, the living conditions between city and rural folk become more similar than different. I also noticed a lot of solar hot water installations perched above homes in the countryside throughout China. Plus, electricity and telephone service = internet access! The last place I expected to find a computer and internet access was in the 鄉下, but there it was even if you cannot access Facebook inside China.

    I also had the opportunity to ride on the Shanghai and Beijing subways, both of which offer an experience similar to the Hong Kong subway. Riding a Chinese train also was a pleasant endeavor: modern, air-conditioned, clean and comfortable. An absolute delight.

    So, what are the short-comings? Traffic, pollution and smoking. Yeah, we don’t have an answer to the traffic problem in the United States, so the Chinese cannot look to us for solutions. But, China’s traffic problem is two-fold. Not only are the roads congested, but the way people drive leaves much to be desired. That unyielding chaos and the constant honking of horns frightens both passengers and pedestrians alike. As for the smog, absolutely disgusting. I could not take a proper photo in China because of the persistent haze. Mind you, this is not the LA type of haze that is only noticeably when viewing objects afar. Chinese haze obscures buildings a block away. If you keep thinking about all the particulate matter you are inhaling while in China, it will give you quite a fright, so don’t think about it. Finally, despite all the no smoking signs and no smoking posters displayed in preparation for Expo 2010, smoking was every where: in restaurants, in hotels, in enclosed elevators (with no smoking signs), in hotel rooms, etc.

    Of course, China offers a unique way to promote “No Smoking”: a placard from the Beijing Patriotic Health Campaign Committee. Bravo China. Next time I return, I really want to see no smoking in public places.

  • President Obama’s Controversial Inaugural Address

    During the broadcast of President Obama’s inaugural address, CCTV panned out when the President said the “c” word – communism. Not exactly one of the seven dirty words. However, if you read the inaugural address, you will realize that CCTV overreacted. President Obama said:

    Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

    Of course, the fascism comment refers our victory against Nazi Germany in World War II. As for communism, I’m pretty sure that Obama was talking about the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union collapsed. Again, we won, they lost. I’m not positive that “faced down” applies to the Korean War where the US fought to a standstill or the Vietnam War where the US departed in defeat. So, just because Obama talks about communism, it doesn’t mean he’s talking about China.

  • Chinese Auto Safety

    New York Times: Ford in Talks to Sell Volvo to Chinese Rival, Report Says. Ford Motor is in talks to sell its Volvo car business to its Chinese partner, Changan Automobile Group, the National Business Daily reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed source at the Chinese company.

    OK. The country that gave us melamine milk, pet food and candy may also acquire the automotive brand synonymous with product safety? I’ll believe it when it actually happens, but I see nothing but a total destruction of goodwill. I already don’t trust the Volvo brand as much under the care of Ford. I will trust it even less in the hands of a Chinese automotive company. Trust is earned, not purchased or sold. If you want to be the caretaker of the Volvo brand, you need to share their same passion for driver and passenger safety. Otherwise, you are just producing knock-offs.

  • Melamine Contaminated Chinese Food Products

    Each day, government officials worldwide are announcing that more and more Chinese food products contain melamine. The good news is that someone is testing all the products, obvious or not, for melamine contamination. The Voice of America reported that latest products recalled include Koala brand chestnut and chocolate flavored cookies, Nabisco Ritz cracker cheese sandwiches and rice crackers. The lesson here is that nothing is safe. Rice crackers contain milk? Even I wasn’t expecting that. Time to be extra careful.

  • Don’t Follow the White Rabbit

    A few days ago, I spotted this post: Tainted Milk in China; No Threat in US. However, that headline is not entirely accurate. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a Health Information Advisory that “there is no known threat of contamination of infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell such products in the United States.”

    1. No Known Threat. First, “no known threat” is not the same as “no threat.” We are talking about milk production here and not terrorism. Some farmer is not going to release a video threatening to poison the milk supply with melamine. So, the government and the public, more often than not, will not become aware of specific threats to the food supply until someone has already been seriously injured or killed.
    2. Infant Formula. Secondly, the Health Information Advisory was limited to the contamination of infant formula and not to other milk or milk-based food products. So, while infant formula may be “safe,” that doesn’t mean that melamine contamination posed no threat in the United States. In fact, right after I read that, my immediate thought was to wait and see. I did not believe that melamine contamination was an isolated incident. However, I wasn’t expecting the situation to unravel that quickly. Today, the FDA announced the recall of my beloved White Rabbit creamy candy (小白兔奶糖) because of melamine contamination. Fortunately, I had not indulged in those in quite a few years. The FDA also announced the recall of Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea, also because of melamine contamination.
    3. Met the Requirements. Finally, the FDA didn’t say that all infant formula was not knowingly unsafe. (Yes, that is a double negative, but not knowingly unsafe is not the same as safe.) Instead, the FDA limited its declaration to infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell such products in the United States. So, infant milk formula produced by companies that have followed applicable laws and regulations is not knowingly unsafe. But, we really have no idea which companies are following the “requirements to sell such products in the United States” now, do we? Is the Health Information Advisory less reassuring than when you first read it?

    This melamine contamination issue is very serious because there is no meaningful way to distinguish between safe and unsafe food products. Take for example the Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea recall. King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd. produces Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea. King Car is a Taiwanese company that used a non-dairy creamer manufactured by Shandong Duqing Inc., a Chinese company. Let the implications of that sink in a bit. First, the melamine contamination scandal implicates products made by companies outside of China. Secondly, the source of contamination was a non-dairy creamer. So, either the “non-dairy” wasn’t really non-dairy, or products other than milk are also contaminated. Yikes. So, even if you wanted to boycott food products manufactured in China, you will not necessarily be safer because companies located outside of China may be using China-sourced ingredients.

  • Melamine Contamination in Infant Milk Powder

    Last year, Caroline Smith Dewaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees and stated, “We see the pet food recall as a warning sign for the government that they need to do more to protect the food supply. It could easily happen to an ingredient used in human food as well.” Now, 17 months later, the warning sounds more like a prediction.

    One incidence of melamine contamination may be an “isolated incident. However, we now have two data points. A trend, perhaps? This time, we don’t have to search for melamine on Google to figure out what it is.

    In a prior post on melamine contamination, a reader suggested that I look at Zhou Qing’s What Kind of God: A Survey of the Current Safety of China’s Food. The translated excerpts made my stomach turn. I will never view Chinese food the same way again, and neither will you.

  • An Unfortunate Choice of Words

    TIME: A Tibetan Intifadeh Against China. Whatever the outcome, though, it seemed to be a turning point in the history of Tibet and perhaps also China. “This is massive,” said one Tibet specialist who was in touch with many Lhasa residents, “it is the intifadeh.”

    Nothing more inaccurate than the Western media plotting turning points in modern Chinese history. Sometimes, China doesn’t turn despite the wishful thinking of the West. Why? Media bias.

    Here’s another statement from the same article:

    Chinese already outnumber ethnic Tibetans in Lhasa, and many Tibetans felt that they might end up as strangers in their own country, a fate suffered by Mongolians in Chinese-administered Inner Mongolia.

    Chinese-administered Inner Mongolia? I’ve never been to Inner Mongolia, so I cannot speak about the environment there, but I suspect that TIME is manufacturing conflicts in this instance. Perhaps, a more appropriate conclusion would be that many Tibetans felt that they might end up as strangers in their own country, a fate suffered by Native Americans in the United States. However, if TIME starts printing stories like that, they’re not going to sell too many magazines…in the United States.

    China should not be so obstinate and follow the American model. In America, Native Americans can achieve economic independence by building and running casinos. Tibetan stud poker, anyone?

  • KMT: The Pro-China Opposition Party?

    Christian Science Monitor: Opposition Win May Bring Taiwan Closer to China. The resurgence of Taiwan’s opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), which picked up a majority in Saturday’s parliamentary vote, could usher in a significant thaw in cross-Taiwan Strait relations with China, especially if it goes on to win the presidency in March.

    It’s all relative, I guess. If someone had asked me to name the pro-China opposition party in Taiwan, I don’t think I would have guessed the Kuomingtang. For some reason, the American media does not apply the term “opposition party” to American political parties. Despite President George W. Bush’s contentious term in office, we still refer to the “other” party as Democrats or the Democratic Party. Certainly, not the Democratic opposition party.

    As for being pro-China, I think that is a misleading description. Sure, they may not harbor strong Taiwan independence sentiments, but as far as accepting a seat as a mere province of the People’s Republic of China, I’ll believe it when I see it. One possible road map to eventual unification is the Hong Kong model. We are 10 years past 1997 and Hong Kong is as vibrant and successful as ever. However, Hong Kong and Taiwan do possess vital differences in population and history. Hong Kong has a population of close to 7 million people, while Taiwan has over 3 times as many. Additionally, Taiwan has a history of true democracy and self-rule which Hong Kong lacks, both in the present day and under British rule.

    Basically, since neither China nor Taiwan is looking for a bail out, both parties are negotiating from a position of strength. You don’t give something up, especially your freedom and right to self-determination, unless you can get something as or more valuable in return. So, as I see it, the real question isn’t whether the President of Taiwan favors unification with China, but whether the Chinese Premier so desires unification that he (or she) is willing to surrender one-party rule. That’s the price of being pro-Taiwan.

  • Beijing Olympics: Table Tennis

    Chris Anderson calls the partnership between NBC Universal and Microsoft to broadcast over 3,000 hours of live and on-demand content at NBCOlympics.com the first “Long-Tail Olympics.” This should be great news for table tennis fans in the United States. Sure, we can catch our regular basketball, track and field, swimming, diving, and gymnastics events on television, but I’ve never seen Olympic table tennis before. Hopefully, this will be one of the sports that will fall within the 3,000 hours of coverage.