Posts Tagged ‘Japan’

On Beijing’s Anti-Japan Protests

Posted: September 15, 2012 in Politics
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Today saw huge demonstrations in front of Japan’s Embassy in Beijing to protest Japanese claims over the Diaoyu Islands. Two years ago when tensions last flared over this issue, I checked out the Japanese embassy in Beijing, where there were no more than about 50 people. This time, turnout was exponentially bigger and more serious.

I got to the embassy at about 1:00 this afternoon. The roads around it were all closed off to traffic with a few hundred riot police, regular police, public security volunteers and lord knows how many plain clothes officers. I estimate there were at least 2,000 people while I was there, although it’s unclear how many actively came to protest and how many were just curious onlookers.

In the middle of the street there was a partition with police directing people to parade around it in long circles. People had huge Chinese flags and banners saying things like “Fuck little Japan.” What I was most surprised by were the number of Chairman Mao posters floating around. I asked a few people about this and the consensus was “Mao would never let Japan get away with this.”

As the crowds paraded around, they sang patriotic songs, chanted “Little Japan, fuck your mother,” “Chairman Mao 10,000 years,” “China 10,000 years” and most significantly “Communist Party 10,000 years.” (“10,000 years” basically means “Long live…”)

This mass outpouring obviously had official sanction. The police’s presence was to direct the protests rather than try to hamper them in any way.

Later things started to get a bit more intense. While the crowds circled around they were allowed to stop briefly in front of the Japanese embassy itself. It was guarded by hundreds of riot police with helmets and shields. At first protestors threw water bottles and eggs at the embassy, which police made no attempt to stop. But gradually rocks and (I assume Japanese) cell phones started to be thrown. Many of them hit the Chinese police, who were covering themselves with shields.

One man brought a bucket full of rocks, which police came and confiscated somewhat violently. After a man chucked a rock, an officer wrestled him away and said, “Enough, they’re Chinese.” He then let him go. I caught up with the man and asked him what had happened. He said, “I just wanted to fuck Japan.”

Finally I went to interview a man on the side of the road holding a sign. As I was speaking with him a police officer grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. “What are you doing,” he asked forcefully in English.

I said I was just talking with people and taking pictures. He pulled me toward a small police post on the side of the road and demanded my passport. He looked at the visa page, handed it back and then seemed to get distracted with something else. I slowly but steadily walked away.

It was very strange. It seemed like coverage was being encouraged. I didn’t notice any of the other foreigners who were taking video/pictures being hassled. I’m not sure why I was singled out.

That was about the time I headed home.  If you didn’t understand what the people were chanting, the whole atmosphere of the protests seemed very festive. People chanted things, others laughed. Families with little kids were out, young people, old people. It kind of felt like a 4th of July parade…until things began to be thrown at the embassy.

This whole uproar is a godsend for the Communist Party. I never imagined I’d see people marching down the street with pictures of Mao Zedong chanting “Long live Mao, Long live the Communist Party.” It was a bit surreal. (Though several people were chastising the government for sitting by too idly)

It’s interesting to speculate on how much of this was deliberately egged on by the CCP. The whole thing erupted when the Japanese government bought some of the islands from a private owner. The move was intended to put the islands under national control so Japanese activists could be prevented from planting flags on the island and stirring up tensions. But it seems that was a huge miscalculation by Japan on the eve of China’s 18th Party Congress.

The Chinese media could have lauded the move as an attempt to ease tensions and work toward a peaceful solution, but it went hard in the opposite direction, portraying it as an illegitimate slap in China’s face. It’s no wonder so many are riled up.

It is important to note that when you see Mao posters being paraded, it’s probably a pretty poor representation of Chinese people. And it’s hard to say how many people present at the protest were active nationalists, how many came because they thought it’d be cool or interesting, and how many just happened to walk by and stuck around.

But there was a lot of intensity. Whenever someone started a chant, most joined in. This is clearly the most serious clash between China and Japan in a long time, and it could be far from over. A few days from now will be September 18th, the anniversary of Japan’s invasion of Manchuria. Unless there’s a police clampdown, the protests are likely to continue through at least that day.

With Xi Jinping back and all this intense anger directed toward Japan, I predict China’s leadership transfer can now go off without a hitch.

[Update: Below is a video I threw together of the protests with subtitles. See the rock chucker and hear a "Fuck the USA" chant]

 Pictures

“Angry eggs, free to take (everyone take 2)”

Notice the egg stains on the embassy

[If you want to use any of these pictures for anything, please either leave the watermark on or contact me to send you the original]

On Flag-Burners and the National Interest

Posted: August 17, 2012 in Politics
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For the past few days I’ve been following the latest installment of “China territorial lunacy.” This is where someone goes to disputed rocks barely sticking above the ocean surface (that global warming will undoubtedly soon submerge), at which point opposing country’s authorities throw gas on the fire by ramming a boat or arresting people. Nationalists in both countries proceed to scream for boycotts/military intervention/nuclear annihilation of the other side.

In this particular case, Chinese activists went to plant flags on Diaoyu Island rocks and Japan opted to create martyrs by arresting them.

I don’t have an opinion on ownership of the Diaoyu Islands, nor do I care to form one. But I always take interest in the consistently childish and baffling reactions by the concerned governments and nationalistic citizens.

This also happened in 2010 when Japan arrested a Chinese ship captain who ventured into Diaoyu territory. As it was unfolding, I got on my renren (Chinese Facebook) account and noticed one of my old students had posted a picture of people burning a home-made Japanese flag.

I left a comment on it saying, “Still so much stupidity in the world.”

He responded saying, “Not stupidity. Attitude.”

I’d originally just glanced at the picture and assumed it was something he’d found online, but after he said that, I noticed that he and a few more of my old students were actually in the picture.

I pushed further: “An attitude of ignorance?”

“No. We’re showing them our attitude,” he replied. “About the fisherman and for what they did to us in Nanjing. You’d feel the same way if Japan attacked your country [the US].”

I mulled how to explain all the things that were twisted about that statement, but at that point in my China life I had the sense to realize it was pointless. So instead, over a long series of posts, I basically said this:

Let’s say you’re 100% right on the fisherman issue. Diaoyu 100% belongs to China and it’s the Japanese who are 100% out of line. Let’s ponder what you’ve just accomplished in burning that flag (or for that matter, screaming obscenities, waving hateful banners or throwing things at embassies).

In your mind, do you imagine people in Japan see that and think, “Golly gee wilikers! The Chinese sure are serious about those islands belonging to them… even though we’ve been led to believe our whole lives that they belong to us. Now that they’ve burned the symbol of our nation, let’s capitulate!”

Outside Japanese embassy in Beijing, September, 2010

Imagine seeing them burn the Chinese flag. Of course you wouldn’t think that and neither do they. Seeing their flag in flames only makes them angrier, strengthens their resolve and drives them to take more extreme measures to get their way. No one likes to feel defeated. And if there were any Japanese who didn’t care about the issue before, they’ve now been given reason to care and support leaders who oppose your cause.

Now let’s think about the rest of the world. TV cameras don’t tend to focus on the 99.99% that just stay home and don’t do anything antagonistic. They focus on you flag-burning, banner-waving nationalists because it’s an exciting image. So you’ve just become prominent representatives of China.

Like me, most people outside the two concerned countries couldn’t care less about the Diaoyu Islands. But after they see you hatefully burning a national symbol, those who are indifferent or unknowledgeable about the issue now sympathize with Japan and get the impression that China is a bunch of ignorant crazies. To those who know better, you’ve at least made yourself look incredibly stupid.

So why don’t you try something that requires a bit more intelligence than painting a red circle and setting it on fire? For instance, you could write a calm and well-reasoned commentary, then submit it to outlets where it will be read by Japanese. Then the pressure would be off your own leaders and they too could take a calmer, more peaceful approach.

But no. You took the lazy mindless route and call yourself a patriot for it. Patriots think things through and do things that actually SERVE their country’s interests. People who blindly do things that HARM the interests they claim to fight for are called idiots.

On a Japanese cyclist’s special treatment

Posted: February 24, 2012 in Chinese Culture
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A few days ago this story came out about a Japanese cyclist who was trying to ride around the world, only to have his bike stolen in China. When he described his plight on the web, netizens and Wuhan police snapped into action and his 13,000 yuan bike was recovered days later. Predictably, many Chinese weren’t so pleased with this happy ending.

It was a relief to see very few comments gratuitously invoke the Nanjing Massacre, but there were plenty of responses like, “A foreigner losing his bike and appear on television and become news, but what about when a local Chinese person loses his bike? Who would report that?”

People’s Daily urged local authorities to serve the needs of the common Chinese people in the same way that they did the Japanese cyclist. And Global Times ran piece saying, “A simple bike has seemingly reflected an embarrassing situation, namely that Chinese still cannot view foreigners equally. People are still too sensitive to foreign evaluations of the country and confined to an inferior mentality.”

People’s Daily is absolutely right that authorities should extend much more effort for common Chinese. Since the media usually isn’t free to expose police ineptitude or corruption, many forces are lazy do-nothing outfits that won’t raise an eyebrow unless there’s something in it for them.

But the anger over this particular story has gotten a bit out of hand. First of all, the way the story unfolded was very tongue-in-cheek. Bored netizens found their cheeky cause of the day and managed to deliver on their largely satirical mission – which is what made it newsworthy.

Also, this wasn’t just an everyday bike theft. This was a foreign traveler who lost his means of transportation an ocean away from home. I often travel in this way and dread the day when my bike gets stolen in the middle of nowhere. You can’t just go to the local bike shop and pick up a new one. In Nanjing it took me weeks to find and soup up a bike capable of long-distance travel. And the logistics of just returning home would be a nightmare. There’s awkward-to-carry gear, unexpected costs, and who knows how many legs of travel would be required.

If I heard a foreign cycler was travelling through Kansas City and had his bike stolen, I’d expect police to devote more attention to the case than a standard local theft. He’s alone and stranded in a strange land. The bike’s importance is much more than its cash value.

Still, there are plenty of Chinese in much more desperate situations that go completely ignored. But I don’t think the case of the Japanese man paints a very realistic picture of foreign vs. local treatment. In Nanjing I once had a 2,000 yuan electric scooter stolen. When I reported it to the police they filled out the standard paperwork and went about ignoring it just like they did with the Chinese.

Yes, foreigners in desperate need of help from authorities probably are more likely to get it in most situations; but that’s not really unique to China. Police are typical human beings. A person in trouble who’s alone and can’t speak the language or navigate the cultural complexities will usually elicit more sympathy than a local with family, friends, and a grasp on how things are done.

But are foreigners given special treatment in general by Chinese because of an inferiority complex?

We’ll look at that tomorrow…

 

 

China’s English Bubble Almost Ready to Pop

Posted: May 3, 2010 in Business
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Global Times – March 3rd, 2010

Last December the employees and students of the Kai En chain of English training centers in Shanghai arrived to their schools to a very rude surprise: After 13 years of operation, one of the oldest and best known English training companies in Shanghai had suddenly gone out of business.

The directors had fled the country, leaving the employees of the five branches owed months of back-wages and customers without refunds for their expensive pre-paid courses.

When looking at this in the context of Chinese and international trends, it could be a preview of things to come for China’s English language industry.

Most indicators seem to show that China’s English industry is booming. According to the Social Survey Institute of China (SSIC), it’s a 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) per year industry and a survey of eight large cities showed that 55.4 percent of the Chinese respondents had received English training, with another 21.2 percent saying that they planned to.

However, the survey also showed that there are over 50,000 private English teaching institutions throughout China, with more opening constantly. So while the English pie may still be expanding, the pieces are becoming smaller and more numerous.

English centers with business models similar to Kai En’s are the most vulnerable. These centers rely on big facilities, highly paid but often unqualified foreign teachers and high tuition fees from students. They are facing growing competition from cheaper and often more effective resources.

In recent years China has expanded public school English education to begin as early as first grade, where it had previously begun in fifth grade or later in much of the country. This has cut off a significant chunk of the children’s English market.

Other sources of English learning are also becoming increasingly available and affordable, such as Skype-lessons with overseas teachers, podcasts, private foreign and Chinese tutors, and even a barrage of fly-by-night schools promising to take students from no English ability to exam-ready in 30 days.

While some of these options aren’t always legitimate, they’re grabbing market share nonethe-less. The ever-increasing foreign population in China also means English learners will need less and less to rely on expensive training centers to meet and practice English with native speakers.

Of course, as long as there’s strong demand in the industry, those centers that offer a quality education at a reasonable price will stay afloat so long as they can adapt their business model to the increasing supply of other English learning mediums.

However, by looking at past international cases, an impending decline in the demand side of the equation leading to mass closures of these centers seems very likely.

During the economic boom of the 1980s, Japan also went through an English learning boom similar to that of present-day China. Across the country English training centers sprouted up and the industry thrived. It seemed a guaranteed way to make money in Japan – for about a decade.

In 1996 the first major English company collapsed. The American Club English School, much like Kai En, had been delaying employee payments for months and eventually the owner fled the country, leaving the employees and students hung out to dry.

In the late 1990s, Japan’s English schools marketed and competed aggressively with one-another over share in an industry that was sinking fast. Many managed to stay afloat – for about another decade. In 2006, the 10th largest English company in Japan, Nippon NCB Co., collapsed under circumstances almost identical to Kai En and the American Club.

Then in 2007, Nova, the largest English school in Japan, with 900 schools and 15,000 employees throughout the country, went belly-up. Upon the collapse, many of the teachers (who had lost months of withheld wages) flooded to the remaining English schools. In one case, 400 foreign teachers applied for one job opening at another company.

While there are differences between Japan’s and China’s markets, the similarities are hard to ignore. Much like in present-day China, Japanese businessmen of the 1980s and 1990s thought English was a “can’t-lose” industry and foreign teachers enjoyed plentiful, secure and high-paying jobs, often with no real qualifications.

Though China’s English industry still appears to be thriving, the collapse of Kai En and the ever-growing competition in the market could be the warning signs that China is following the Japanese trend. Many economists have already observed that the industry is forming a bubble. It’s just a matter of how soon that bubble will burst.