The Japan that Can Beat China
I decided to print this from the Shukan Post (Weekly Post) because it seems like the English-language media only print what he says out of context. While I don’t agree with the man, he does have some provocative things to say that make it obvious why he’s so popular. Take a look:
Foreign Relations, The Economy, Territories — How long can Japan stand being the country that everyone dumps on? Continue reading A Very Special New Year Interview with Your Friend Ishihara Shintaro
Category: China
Dalian, China – Photos
March 10 2004
Taken on a dust clouded day in the port city of Dalian, China while I was visiting my friend Li Jin.
I’ve been asked if the white balance on the camera was off when I took these photos and no, the dust storms actually do make the sky this opressive color.
Gmail Fever Hits China Social Networks
Thousands of Chinese Internet users are queuing for Gmail accounts up on a BlogChina bulletin board called “Googler.” Despite the fact Gmail users have to hang in limbo for a couple of day, the site has seen hundreds of applicants roll in. A group of Chinese Gmail account holders started the forum to spread Gmail invitations on regular basis. Users who receive invitations are then encouraged to send invitations to fellow bloggers. A number of local social networking sites, including UUzone, have also opened Gmail communities to get the ball rolling. Pacific Epoch managed to sign up for a Gmail account but like many China based Gmail users can only sign in to the site – all other actions generate a “Report bug” response.
B eijing, The Summer Palace
Here is what Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China (as seen in the film by Bernardo Bertelucci), says about the Summer Palace in his autobiography.
When he was made responsible for the founding of a navy my grandfather misappropriated a large part of the funds to build the Summer Palace as a pleasure park for the Empress Dowager. The busiest stage in the building of the Summer Palace coincided with exceptionally heavy floods around Peking and in what is now Hopei Province, but a censor [a kind of eunuch advisor] who suggested that the work should be temporarily suspended to avoid provoking the flood victims into making trouble was stripped of his office and handed over to the appropriate authorities to be dealt with. Prince Chun, however, said nothing and worked his hardest to get the job finished. When the Summer Palace was completed in 1980 he died. Four years later the so-called navy he had created came to a disastrous end in the Sino-Japanese War, and the marble boat in the Summer Palace was the only one left on which so many millions of taels (ounces of silver) had been spent.
March 7 2004
We did eventually make it to the Summer Palace.
Unfortunately, due to being lost we arrived quite late and didn’t have enough time to get inside any of the museum buildings. Still, there were some excellent pieces outside within the grounds.
The sun sets, the palace grounds close.
Bird Flu in Beijing
Beijing West Station
April 4 2004
After I took the train from Shenzhen to Beijing (a dreadfully boring 24 hour ride) I found these wonderfully informative signs in the lobby. Take special note of the crying bird in the lower-right section of the second photograph. I can read quite a lot of the words in this sign, but I don’t know nearly enough about the actual grammar of Chinese to do more than a dodgy and innacurate translation, so I won’t even try, aside to say the obvious, that it warns against birds that have not been disinfected and explains the nature of bird flu.
Snacks
Treats in a Beijing market.
March 6 2004
I’ve done a closeup as well so you can clearly see the seahorses. There was another stall later on that had actual whole starfish on a stick as a snack food, one of the most horrifying things I have ever seen. When I tried to take a picture the stall owner blocked my shot, so I just went on.
Interestingly there are two different kinds of similar food stalls on this street in the market. One is like this, with a variety of meats and … things that you could charitably call meat. The other is stalls run by Uyghur, the Muslim minority of the Western Xinjiang province of China. As muslims they would never eat or sell something as un-halal as a seahorse. I can’t say I blame them.
Shenzhen
Office Building Face in Shenzhen
March 3 2004
Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China
Construction visible from Shezhen University.
China has a reputation as being constantly under construction and from what I saw this is more visible in Shenzhen than anywhere else. Here we actually see five identical large buildings in a row in the same stage of construction.
Shenzhen University Dorm Room
Standing in the middle of the room is my friend Henry, who studied here at Ritsumeikan University in Japan for a year. This is the room he lived in before he studied abroad in Japan; he now lives in a much roomier room actually intended for foreign students, which he got into because he works part time for the international office.
Mourning The Patriotic Chickens
Mourners honor chickens killed in wake of bird-flu outbreak
Dressed in a black suit and tie, a man asked a roomful of mourners to bow their heads. For a minute, they all stood and faced the brightly lit altar in silence.
On a stage, piled in a pyramid and surrounded by white daisies and lilies, sat the dead — dozens of eggs in clear, plastic cartons.
Having been arranged by the agriculture ministry and poultry industry officials, this solemn sendoff Wednesday at a Tokyo hotel honored hundreds of thousands of chickens slaughtered since bird flu was discovered here in January.
Back to Japan
Since the last update Ashle, I and both Chads took a plane to Urumqi, met up with Ablajan (who was the guide of Chris and I last year) and went with him to Turpan and back, then Ashle and I left the Chads in Xinjiang while we took a 24 hour bus ride to Kazakhastan, spent a week in Almaty, and flew back first to Urumqi and then to Beijing. Now all three of the them have left Japan, Ashle and one Chad back to Japan (although Ashle is leaving there for the US shortly) and the other Chad back to Canada while I finish my time here in China. Before they left we went on a trip to the Great Wall, and after they left I finally went to the Forbidden City by myself yesterday. I’m taking a sleeper train to Shanghai tonight and then on the 30th boarding the Osaka bound ferry.
I have a lot of journals, information and photos to post, but that’ll all wait until I get back to Japan when I’ll start doing so gradually. It’s been a good trip, but I’m tired and feeling about ready to go home.
China/Kazakhstan Free Trade Zone
While walking around Beijing today I picked up an issue of a smallish English language paper called “Beijing Today（今日北京)”. There were several interesting articles, but considering my upcoming intinerary this one particularly caught my eye:
China and Kazakhstan Extablish Free Trade Zone
Yu Shanshan 03/05/2004
The Ministry of Commerce confirmed Sunday that China’s first free trade zone will be established along the border with Kazakhstan.
The China-Kazakhstan free border-trade zone will lie between Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, in Xinjiang, and Alma-ata, Kazakhstan.
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Jia Yisheng, secretary of the CPC committee in Horgos, Xinjiang, told China News Agency last Tuesday that the two sides have agreed to build a Sino-Kazakhstan world trade center in the 200 hectares between Horgos and Kazakhstan. China has offered 130 hectares while Kazakhstan has contributed 70 hectares for the free trade zone.
According to Jia, the Chinese side is mapping out a plan for the free trade zone, and the scheme of Sino-Kazakhstan free trade zone put forward by China has received a positive response from Kazakhstan. Under the plan, the zone would allow for zero tariffs and the free flow of people and goods.
You can read the full text of the article here on their web site.