Quitters Sometimes Win

The real never ending story

We all know the tired convention of quitters never win, winners never quit.  If you haven't figured it out for yourself yet, this phrase isn't always true.  For example I spent years hacking it out in little league, not having fun and being an all around terrible baseball player.  Finally after enough arguing and rebelling, my parents let me quit a sport that I didn't like to play and had no nature talent for.  The end result 15 years later is that baseball is my favorite sport mainly due to the lack of resentment I have for it.  By quitting 15 years ago, I was able to win in the long run and enjoy a lifelong hobby.  I was never going to play in the pros, but I am now an armchair enthusiast.  Stay tuned for a blog about this year's offseason by the way.  

After my baseball career ended (Thank God), I continued my indentured servitude playing other sports that I didn't enjoy.  My lack of enjoyment for these activities stemmed from other factors besides a dislike of the sport.  In fact I will publicly announce that I liked the sports, but people older than me always found a way to suck the fun out of them.  Mainly it was overbearing parents channelling their broken dreams into the athletic endeavors of their children.  Going to a youth sporting event remains a bittersweet affair for me to this day, watching a handful of "baseball dads" pervert something that should be fun for their children into their own accomplishment.  I am glad I am not a father, its the toughest job out there, and the retirement package is certainly not guaranteed.  Usually every youth sports team has at least two overbearing parents ruining the fun for the kids and the other parents.       

I recently encountered another fine example of the quitters never win paradox in my personal life.  The novel Shogun followed me to China from my grandpa's bookshelf back in Indiana.  My old roommate and good friend here in Beijing had recommended Tai-Pan to me, another novel by James Cavell, and I thought Shogun would be a great chance to get aquatinted with the author and learn about Japan before my trip there in October.  The novel certainly comes with high acclaim.  It also came with over 1200 pages, but I had no fear about finishing the book.  I had read other massive novels before, and with such an interesting subject I didn't think anything of cracking open this tome about feudal Japan.

Three months and one trip to Japan later I formally take this opportunity to formally announce I am quitting my quest to finish the book.  I made it through 750 pages, and I simply cannot go any further.  My trip to Tokyo in early October did nothing to spur my interest in the book.  I stopped reading it after getting back from Tokyo.  During that month and a half intermission, I managed to read four books, very good books at that.  Yesterday I picked Shogun up again, but I knew I couldn't go any further.  And why should I?  Why should I waste hours reading a huge book I don't really like or find interesting?  Why should I keep reading this when I could read other books that I actually find engaging?  So in the end, I had to quit in order to win.

The Shogun miniseries 

Oh well,  I can always watch the miniseries.    

Tomb Sweeping in Tangshan

I accompanied my girlfriend back to her hometown over the weekend, participating in the ancient Chinese tradition of "tomb sweeping".  While the actual holiday, "tomb sweeping day", is in April, we went to Tangshan for the anniversary of her grandmother's passing.  First a little background on the practice of tomb sweeping.  The main point is to honor your deceased relatives by giving them gifts for the afterlife and caring for their grave.  Part of the practice is literally sweeping the headstone of your relative, hence the name "tomb sweeping day".  Paper money, and occasionally clothes, are burned for relatives to receive in the afterlife.  This practice was very puzzling for me last year when I noticed a bunch of people burning stuff in the streets of Beijing.  No one told me about the practice, and I literally thought people were burning trash (Beijing's garbage collection services aren't so good).  Now I know better.

We traveled to the cemetery early in the morning.  Along the road to the cemetery venders sold various fake flower arrangements and the paper money (not really money).  Inside the cemetery were countless rows of graves buried military style.  The cemetery looks like an ancient Chinese palace and contrasts strikingly with the modern high-rises and factories of Tangshan.  Tangshan is sort of like the Pittsburgh of China and is home to the headquarters of the state steel company.  We walked to Tang Qi's grandmother's tomb and swept the headstone and did some bowing.  Afterwards, we filed through the cemetery to a row of ovens.  Each oven was represented by a animal of the Chinese zodiac.  A fire was promptly lit, and we began burning various forms of fake paper money to honor the deceased.  

The whole experience is eerily similar to western burial practices.  It sort of makes you realize there's a common sense aspect to honoring and burial of the deceased.  Obviously no photos were taken.              

Beijing Mushroom Vents

Vent poking out from a meridian

Beijing has gained a deserved notoriety for its unusual architecture.  So much so that President Xi Jinping made a statement a few weeks ago saying, "No more weird architecture."  That's right, the city that gave us the lovable pair of boxer shorts (CCTV Building) probably won't enjoy its title as the unusual architecture capital of the world for long, but its one to the few things we have going for us that isn't overtly humiliating.  Beijing boasts a long history of strange architecture dating back 1000's of years.  Some architectural feats are just more conspicuous than others. Longtime Beijingers might recognize one of the city's less prominent and more unique features dotted around the center of the city.  Beijing's Mushroom vents can be seen popping up in places from Dongzhimen to Fuxingmen.  The vents are usually green or red and often vent some sort of steam.  Initially I was unaware of the capital's fungus problem, but once you see one of the toadstools you start seeing them everywhere.  Most people rushing about their day don't seem to notice the Mario Bros.-esque toadstools, but I felt the need to share them with the outside world.  I have no clue what they are for, but if I had to guess I'd say they're vents for the Beijing Subway's Line 1 and 2.  Most are about the size of a grown man in height and wide at the top (like most mushrooms).  No one really seems to know much about them, and my extensive research (Googling the problem until it goes away) didn't turn up anything.  They seemed to be pretty old.  Some of the ones of Changan Avenue are discretely hidden behind metal casings, but its easy to still see the intact mushrooms underneath.  I hear that if you eat one you'll grow to twice your normal size.    

A mushroom from the 16th floor of a building

A mushroom chilling late at night

  

APEC: Air Pollution Eventually Controlled

As the temperature continues to drop outdoors APEC fever has descended on Beijing, and the capital is enjoying some unwanted attention from foreign media sources.  Yes folks, all the old "whipping boys" are making their appearance in the western media from poor air to China's infamous social decay.  In an effort to combat it's less than stellar image abroad, the Chinese government has stepped up "face saving messures", and it's the citizens of Beijing who are benefitting most.  Some great APEC related externalities are making the lives of Beijingers easier.  This phenomenon was highlighted in a recent article in the South China Morning Post where the paper referred to us a "long-suffering".  While I wouldn't go that far, it is nice to finally see somethings work right.....or some people work (at their jobs) for that matter.    

VACATION - APEC isn't just a meeting of important word leaders.  To millions of Beijingers it is a bona fide holiday.  Non-essential government personnel and students all getting the week off for the event.  However, the resulting babysitter shortage is really putting a crunch on working class Beijingers.  I am taking the opportunity to write a few blogs and read now that baseball season is over.  It also might be fun to watch the political chess game unfold at the conference, considering I have a ringside seat to the event.  I am very curious to see what Chinese state media has to say about the Taiwanese delegation (if anything), considering the comments of the nation's president regarding the Hong Kong democracy protests.          

AIR QUALITY - The title of this post comes from a joke circulating on the Chinese communication app, We Chat.  Think the Chinese carbon copy of What's App.  Beijingers awoke yesterday to the first blue-sky day in a long time.  I am taking the opportunity to breath as much moderately clean air as possible before the smog returns.....which will likely be in ten minutes.  The clean air initiatives have been so successful that there are already calls for holding a BPEC, and if need be, a CPEC.

CROWDING - Those stories you hear about homeless people in Beijing disappearing before the 2008 Olympics are probably true considering the evaporation of the city's street people in recent weeks.  They are cleaning up everything here, including people.  There are so few people in Beijing right now that I actually go to sit down on the subway for 10 whole minutes yesterday.....which leads me to my next point.  

SUBWAY SECURITY - Travelers to the "Big B" are usually shocked when they learn you must go through airport-style security every time you enter the city's expansive and terribly inefficient subway system (now the world's longest).  My loyal reader (that's correct...reader) will know that I have no love for Beijing's subway as explored in the post Trainspotting.  It should come as little surprise that security has increased for the event.  However, the situation isn't all bad.  The security screening staff are now actually doing their jobs.  It's sort of like the equivalent of going to 7-11 everyday and the woman behind the counter makes you checkout your own items and make your own change.  Then one day you come in and suddenly they actually do it for you.  Crazy idea right.   Trays have appeared at most of the subway screening machines, meaning I no longer have to place my items on the disgusting conveyer belt.  I also witnessed a security person check the x-ray screen when my bag was going through the machine.    

Yeah times are good here in Beijing thanks to APEC.  It's up to the livability of Chernobyl outside the immediate fallout zone.  So anyone contemplating a visit to the capital should certain consider visiting during BPEC.  I'll keep you posted on the upcoming dates.

     

Royals vs. Giants: All Cards Are Wild

The World Series starts today, or yesterday depending on where you are in the world, and I am excited for this year's matchup.  Both wild card teams will meet in this year's Fall Classic and their respective paths to the postseason highlight all the things that make the sport so great.

Kansas City enters the series undefeated in this year's postseason.  Amazing for a team that had the longest postseason drought in any of the Big 4 sports.  Royals fans had to wait 29 years for a trip to the postseason after Kansas City's victory over their instate rival, the Cardinals, in the 1985 World Series.  The Royals finished last in home runs during the regular season and usually rely on stolen bases to score runs, making them both incredibly exciting and boring at the same time.  The team barely escaped an all-or-nothing wild card playoff game with the A's that went into extra innings.  They then swept the Angeles, who had the best regular season record in baseball, and went on to sweep the heavily favored Oriels.  The Royals have earned the title of "America's Team" this year.  A scrappy bunch of players you couldn't pick out of a police lineup who don't look old enough to buy beer for the post-game party have captured everyone's hearts with their run for the Commissioner's Trophy (Bud Selig's last by the way).  

The Royals opponents, The Giants, are no strangers to this situation.  They are hoping for their third World Series in five years.  This is the point in the post where I formally declare my support for the Royals.  The Giants, along with a handful of other clubs like the Yankees and Red Sox, seem to have it all.  Sustained on field success, a gigantic fan base, and what many consider to be the best stadium in baseball, if not all of sports, make it difficult to support the Giants in this situation.  Especially when you consider the underdog Royals are such a young team in a mid-western city starved for sports success.  

Certainly looking forward to watching this one.  Sorry there aren't any pictures for this blog.  I failed to secure written consent to retransmit images from the MLB and not both written and oral consent....sorry.          

Tsukiji Fish Market

Tuna (Or maybe something else.  I don't know).

Something fishy is about to go down!

On the edge of Tokyo's glittery, expensive Ginza district sits Tokyo's best tourist attraction.  It might surprise you to learn it has nothing to do with Japan's Emperor or up-market retail stores selling the latest fashions.  I know that the idea of visiting a fish market on your vacation might not seem like a traditional or exciting choice.  Trust me on this one.  The Tsukiji Fish Market earned its place atop Time magazine's list of things to do in Tokyo for a reason.


I don't know much about the market, but rumor is that it's moving soon.  Make sure to arrive early.  The market only allows about 120 people to see the start of the auctions.  We arrived at 4 in the morning, and about half of the spots we gone.   We waiting in a giant holding tank before they let us into the "fishbowl" to watch the auctions.  I don't really have much else to say, so checkout the pictures and enjoy.

Auctioneers going a mile a minute.  The only person we
heard raise their voice our entire time in Japan.

The "Holding Tank"

Out of focus shot of  ice in a fish's belly

Lined up and ready

The hustle and bustle of the loading
docks

Buyers in the "fish bowl"

Inspecting the tuna

They literally had fish "coming out the ass" here

Fish heads sold separately 

Seventh Inning Sushi

Ironic sunset in the the "Land of the Rising Sun"

The Japanese wife of Comic Book Guy, the iconic character from The Simpsons, once said, "In Japan, no one ever says what they think.  We know our game shows are degrading and our baseball fences are too close.  But no one says anything."  

The Girlfriend and I travelled to Japan last week and seeing a Japanese baseball game sat number one on my list of things to do.  Most Americans know the league for its famous differences from its American cousin; team names are corporate sponsors not cities, choreographed cheering sections, and ties after 12 innings.  Tokyo's home to six of the 12 teams in the league, and most foreigners with a vague familiarity of the league will know the Yomuiri Giants and the Yakult Swallows.  Many people consider the Yomuiri Giants to be the Yankees of Japanese baseball, and the team has a strong rivalry with the Hanshin Tigers.  I decided to checkout a Swallows game for a few reasons.  One, I didn't want to indirectly support a team labelled the "evil empire" of Japanese baseball, and second the Swallows have a great stadium.  Only one of three remaining professional stadiums left where Babe Ruth played, the stadium sits next to a large Shinto Shrine dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife.  

It isn't baseball without cheerleaders

One of the official cheer coordinators 

I got tickets in the outfield section for around 15USD a seat for a game between the Swallows and the DeNA (sic) Baystars.  Warning, I don't advise buying outfield tickets to a Japanese baseball game.  While it seemed like a good idea at the time, the outfield bleachers are home to the choreographed cheering sections.  Tickets here mean standing while the home team bats.  The cheers are, of course, in Japanese, so don't expect to pick them up halfway through the game.  We ended up moving about halfway through the game, but it's certainly worth a trip to the outfield bleachers to checkout the spectacle.  The sections even boast full-time cheer coordinators.  Its here you can see some of the game's great quarks.  For example the people sitting in front of us wore matching Swallows kimonos.    

Awesome team kimonos

Aside from the differences that I expected, some other things peeked my interest. The seats in the ballpark fill up the opposite they do in the United States with tickets for the outfield (cheap seats) selling first.  Not many people sat in the grandstand at the game we attended.  Also, the teams downplay individual stats.  I don't remember seeing anyone's batting average or ERA posted on the jumbotron.  The event truly reinforced my perceptions of Japanese society as "collectivist", though I stress this isn't a bad thing.  They play as a team, win as a team, and lose as a team, and the fans share in the success or failure of the team.  

After the home run

The game we saw was awesome.  Down by one run in the bottom of the eight, bases loaded with two outs, a Swallows player hit a home run over the right field fence.  I let out a loudly obnoxious, "YEEEEEahh," only to hear my voice echo in silence for a full second before the choreographed home run cheer started from the Swallows fans.  That is the great thing about Japanese baseball, the game is the same, but the atmosphere made it sometimes felt like they were playing on another planet.  

Post game cheerleader show

So maybe the fences are too close, but the game ended up being the highlight of my trip.  It really got me excited for the start of the Royals-Giants Worlds Series next week.  But more on that in a future post.   

        

From Beijing Without Love: The Hong Kong Protests

Protestors outside a government
building

You might be wondering how the Hong Kong protests are being covered in mainland China.  The short answer is that for the most part they aren't.  However, yesterday the party mouth piece, The People's Daily, published a front page editorial about the protests.  It's significance cannot be understated due to its prominence and reactionist tone.  Shortly after the protest began last weekend, people began to post news items on my We Chat feed (We Chat is the Chinese carbon copy of What's App).  It didn't take long before these were deleted by the state censors.  The "Great Firewall" is legendary, but Chinese censors have been forced to work overtime as mainlanders start to ask just what the Hell is going on in Hong Kong.  Unsurprisingly, the Chinese government suspended travel group trips to the territory a short time ago.  The South China Morning Post ran a great editorial cartoon about the suspension.

Love this cartoon

Rhetoric from the party and Beijing loyalist isn't surprising, calling the protests the product of foreign conspirators and chaotic.  The only words missing from the party's news coverage of the event and Tiananmen in 1989 is "counter-revolutionary".  The main argument of Beijing loyalists stems from the fact that Hong Kong didn't enjoy a form of representative democracy under the British.  This isn't entirely correct considering Hong Kong has a tradition of elected local assemblies.  I don't buy the argument because it rests on the assumption that something denied by one party should be continually denied by another, and that Beijing's election plan should be embraced because it is a slight improvement.  The only group the election plan pleases are those in power.  This shouldn't come as a surprise.  The week before the protests started, Chinese president Xi met with a group of notable Hong Kong billionaires, showing once and for all that the Communist Party of China isn't the party of revolution, but the establishment.

The last thing the Chinese ruling elite want right now are photos of young, umbrella holding students being tear gassed by the police, particularly during a slowing economy and political "corruption crackdown".  I am curious to see how the relationship between Hong Kong and the mainland affects the events.  Having worked and lived regularly with groups....let's just say the bitterness runs both ways across the border.  The days ahead will test the relationship between Hong Kong and the mainland politically and culturally.  I unabashedly support the protests.  I am proud to see a group stand up and demand their voices be heard.      

After living here for over a year, I have had several things repeated to me over and over again.  "The Chinese don't care about politics", "The Chinese people can't handle democracy", and "the Chinese people worry more about what they can buy than freedom" appear commonly at dinnertime political discussions.  I have heard these same phrases multiple times, always from wealthy, male Chinese who are well-connected with the party elite.  One even went as far as to try to tell me that it was racially ingrained into the Chinese to unquestionably obey their superiors.  The official stance of the party explicitly rebukes the idea of universal rights and the "western" style democracy.
These protests show this provincial, racist thinking doesn't hold water.  Now the same people who routinely say these lies must either admit the statements are untrue or that Hong Kong is fundamentally separate and different than the mainland, and it is highly unlikely they'll do the latter.   

  

Beijing Mysteries: Hutong Weasels

I know that at first glance stories about weasels thriving in Beijing's hutongs might not seem very plausible or interesting.  A breed of weasel adapting to Beijing's hallmark hutong alleyways?  Sounds like a bad joke.  Especially for those of us that experienced the right of passage "Snipe Hunting".  However, you know this one is true because the Chinese government officially doesn't acknowledge it.  The image of a fleeting weasel scurrying through the hutongs at night has taken on a cult mystic for many Beijingers.

Let me state on record that they do actually exist.  The real reason this topic is making an appearance in the Beijing Mysteries series is that most expats don't know they exist and the government officially doesn't recognize that they exist.  Most people have seen a hutong weasel, but many might not know it. This is due to the fact they look like long yellow cats.  Usually the pointed nose of the weasel is only difference.  They often live in downspouts and pipes, likely due to Beijing's scarce rainfall.  Most longtime Beijingers have a good weasel story or two.  Supposedly it isn't unusual for them to find their way into hutong houses, particularly if you live on the ground floor.

The elusive hutong weasel has had a lasting impact on Beijing's hutongs.....at least until they tear the rest of them down.  Many of the locals say seeing a weasel is good luck.  One travel agency even had a contest to see who could snap the best weasel picture.  This reputable news source wasn't able to secure a satisfactory photo of the creature.  Despite being unphotogenic, the weasel population has spawned its own subgenre of expat folk tales.  Beijing's most prominent ( and as far as I know only) square dance band takes the name Hutong Yellow Weasels in honor of the local mascot.  So the next time you're strolling through the hutongs at night and see a yellow cat run by, remember it might be one of the city's famous hutong weasels.          

For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls

The Bride on the big day

I attended a Chinese wedding over the October 1st holiday, and I must say, I found it interesting, surprising, and enjoyable.  Thoughts about the Chinese wedding traditions I might see during the wedding ceremony dominated my thoughts the day before the event.  I hoped for crazy and unique traditions that might perk up the tired formula of the old "here comes the bride" style wedding that I am used to back in Indiana.  The pre-wedding festivities certainly delivered the goods.  I tagged along with my girlfriend to the bride's hotel room at the terribly early time of 7 in the balmy Beijing morning.

Tang Qi having a bit of fun

We arrived to discover the bride sitting on her bed dressed in a western-style wedding dress.  In one hand rested her cell phone, in the other sat an apple.  After a volley of photos and congratulations, the door of the hotel room slammed shut and things became quieter.....though still loud by most standards.  The groom and his groomsmen showed up at the hotel room to claim the bride.  A symbolic bargaining session transpired with the groomsmen slipping "hongbaos", or traditional monetary gifts in red envelopes, under the door.  Eventually the goodnatured negotiations broke-down, and the groom and his groomsmen politely forced their way into the hotel room, handing out hongbaos to the bride's entourage with complementary smiles thrown in for good measure.

Getting ready for the reception

The groom carried the bride to the elevator and out to a waiting car, because the bride's feet aren't supposed to touch the ground before the wedding ceremony.  Both entourages filed to the ground floor where a fleet of black Audi's waited.  Note: A black Audi is the official car of party cadres and symbolizes power and status in China, so it was little surprise what kind of cars were waiting for us.

The Bride and Groom meeting in the aisle

Friends and family greeted our arrival at the groom's apartment at 8:30 in the morning.  Another wave of pictures followed after we made landfall at the groom's apartment, and the atmosphere was smoky as a honky-tonk, but very amicable and excited.  Again the bride sat cross-legged on a bed, clutching an apple.  Next we moved the party to the venue at the Hepingli Hotel.  Here is where the traditional Chinese wedding stopped being so traditional, and became more "western", or at least what passes for "western" in mainland China.  If you can't tell by my condescending tone, the way the term "western" is applied to everything in mainland China as a substitute for "new", "foreign", and "popular" has started to wear on my nerves.  The ceremony resembled an abbreviated version of an American wedding reception.  Speeches were made, food was eaten, toasts were made, and an MC (I don't know who the guy was) presided over the event.  The only traditional part was the food, and it was worth the price of admission.  I was a little worried by the cold, meat appetizers.  They are very common in China.  Despite a year here, I haven't adapted to them.  I just find it difficult to eat cold meat, but my fear were silenced by the great shichime and squirrel fish.  The menu boasted some great gastronomic surprises.  I didn't know the country of Georgia produced wine, but do yourself a favor and go pick up a bottle.

By western standards, Chinese weddings are short affairs, and this was no exception.  The entire thing, ceremony and reception, lasted about an hour and a half.  On a personal note, I had a great time, and it was interesting to see the melding of Chinese wedding traditions and western television weddings.  The bride and groom looked happy, and there isn't much else you can ask for.



          

            

Average "Jiu": Navigating the Complicated World of Chinese Baijiu

Moutai Baijiu on the shelves

Chinese baijiu doesn't have the fame of its close cousins Japanese sake and Korean soju.  This is probably due in large part to the fact that it is usually unpalatable.  You might ask why I'd chose to write an article about it then.  The simple answers are that its the world's most consumed spirit and a huge part of Chinese culture.  No trip to China would be complete without sampling some of this crazy liquor that the locals love.

The Chinese relationship with baijiu and foreigners goes hand-in-hand.  As a foreigner they will constantly pressure you to drink it, while simultaneously telling you how terrible it tastes.  After you drink it, they will usually think both less and more of you as a person.  The love affair with the spirit means you'll likely be forced to drink it at some point during a dinner.  While I wouldn't say any baijiu is good, even the expensive Maotai brand, some brands are worse than others.  I recommend putting your bottle of baijiu in the fridge before you drink it.  This will make it more drinkable.

Baijiu making an appearance in the contemporary
classic Cocktail

People often drink the spirit out of tiny baijiu goblets that have the added bonus of making me feel like a giant when I drink from them.  A round of drinking includes lots of people saying"Ganbei".  Ganbei is the Chinese word of cheers, and no meal is complete until it is said at least 50 times.  The Chinese love their baijiu, so make learning about it a priority.  Tucked away in one of Beijing's quickly disappearing hutongs sits a entire museum dedicated to the liquid.  Make sure to check it out before it gets "restored" in a few weeks.  

Bad baijiu usually exudes a smell like finger nail polish remover.  The statement you just read is not a joke....finger nail polish remover.  It is very distinct to put it lightly

.  So maybe baijiu deserves its bad reputation, but I still strongly recommend you try it.  Just warn others about it before they pop their bottles of souvenir "Chinese sake".           

Epilogue to Empire: Scottish Referendum

Millions go to the polls today in Scotland.  Voters will be asked a Yes/No question to decide if Scotland will become an independent country.  The media circus surrounding the event blew its top last week after a poll showed a lead for the Yes Campaign.  So what does this referendum mean for Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the rest of the world?  The answer is "it means a Hell of a lot" particularly to nations with active separatists campaign (both peaceful and violent) such as Spain and China.

I for one don't buy the Scottish National Party's argument for independence, especially the economic arguments that serve as the cornerstones of the Yes campaign.  Let's begin by focusing on the currency union the SNP hopes to continue with the United Kingdom if Scotland votes for independence.  The plan is eerily similar to the Republic of Ireland's position until it joined the Euro Zone.  Under the SNP plan, Scotland would keep the pound as its currency with interest rates and monetary policy set by the Bank of England across the border.  Basically keeping the status quo intact, but with a newly independent Scotland using the pound, and no central authority over taxation and public spending, the value of the pound is likely to fall due to economic uncertainty north of any newly created international border.  The uncertainty has already caused the value of the pound to take a dive.

Scotland's uncertain future in the European Union and the issue of trade deals also muddies the water.  Though an independent Scotland would likely become a European Union member following a vote by European Union member states, don't expect countries with separatist groups and sharp ethnic devisions to welcome Scotland with open arms.  It should come as little surprise that Spain continues to reiterate the fact that Scotland will need to apply to become a European Union state rather than just grandfathering in like the SNP originally hoped.  Alex Salmond's response to statements made by the Spanish government earlier in the week was simply to quote figures about Scotland's share of Europe's fishing and oil industries.

Outside the common market, Scotland's position is even more uncertain and confusing.  Will British bilateral trade agreements still stand apply to an independent Scotland?  No one seems to have an answer.  It's also important to remember that any agreement must be consensual anyway.  Again, don't expect countries with their contrary political agendas to cut Scotland any slack, particularly China.  Only a few weeks ago, the Chinese government expressed support for the rejection of independence.  This should come as little surprise considering the increasing unrest in Xinjiang and its monolithic white elephant Tibet.

Watching the situation unfold from Beijing has proven quite entertaining.  Six months ago, few people, least of which the Chinese media, would have predicted the surge in support for the Yes Campaign.  Initially Chinese media printed stories about the referendum in a sly effort to mock the once all powerful British Empire.  The same Empire that "lost" Hong Kong and fought two opium wars against a rotting Qing Dynasty.  Most of the stories read like a bad Mad Magazine article.  The main idea was usually "the British can't even hold Britain together anymore".  A few weeks ago media stories over the issue dried up faster than spilt Artic Ocean (Beijing's favorite orange soda) on a hot summer day.  The very nature of the vote shakes current Chinese politics to the core.  A nation that is part of a union is voting whether to leave that union.  Crazy notions for a country where any talk of independence is labelled separatism, and the offender usually disappears.  Just ask prominent Uighur academic Mr. Tohti who was jailed earlier this week.  Usually the entire democratic nature of the issue gets brushed aside likely because you need to live in Hong Kong or Macao to vote in China, and even then, you can only vote for "Patriotic" CPC approved candidates.  

I am not Scottish, and I don't live in Scotland.  From the perspective of the outsider looking in, the whole Yes campaign seems jingoistically nationalistic.  Kilts and Saltires for everyone.  As immigrants continue to come to England from Europe and elsewhere, I am not surprised that the demographically stagnate Scotland is facing an identity crisis.  But no one has done a very good job of convincing me that independence will fix any of Scotland's problems.  The nation would likely just have to face the harsh truth that they held their future in their hands the whole time.  Wether they fly the Union Flag or the Saltire over Holyrood or not.         

        

Burger Counter

I just finished my first week of Chinese classes, and I am enjoying the mooncakes from Mid-Autumn Festival probably a little too much.  The classes are pretty much exactly what I expected them to be.  You sit in a room with a teacher and some other students and repeat after the teacher while writing notes.  It's standard stuff.

The classes have started to affect my ability to operate in everyday life here in Beijing for the better.  Although I am still reluctant to let the locals knows that I speak Chinese.  Contrary to popular belief, not knowing the language will usually get you farther here in China.  My newest endeavor to adapt to Chinese culture has shifted my dietary tastes.  After class Tuesday, I couldn't stop myself from visiting Beijing's best kept secret for western cuisine.  Burger Counter is exactly what the name implies, a counter where you eat burgers.  As opposed to what it explicitly states....a counter made of burgers.  The tiny one-room establishment probably couldn't hold 10 people on a rainy day, but what he place lacks in size, it makes up for with great burgers at reasonable prices.


You might be wondering why I have chosen to highlight Burger Counter instead of one of Beijing's great Chinese restaurants or one of the super-deluxe western places that continue to proliferate like rabbits.  Burger Counter deserves notice because the lady behind the counter fixing the burgers doesn't speak English, making this place a welcome addition to my restaurant rotation.  At a time when every American place in town is owned by some overly charismatic 40-something expat, Burger Counter cuts through the blandness with original burger creations.  Do yourself a favor and try the Chili Con Carne Burger.

Visiting Burger Counter is always a pleasure, and its great selections of beers and sodas makes it a must stop for anyone homesick and visiting Beijing.  Just make sure you don't invite too many people to eat with you, because they won't be able to fit in the restaurant.              

Beijing Mysteries: The Underground City

The entrance when it was open to tourists

Despite a brief period as a tourist attraction in the late 00's, Beijing's system of underground tunnels remains as secret as it did during the days of the Sino-Soviet border skirmishes.  Few tourist strolling through the Qian'men neighborhood even know the series of underground tunnels and vast rooms lays just below street level, and many locals seem to know even less about this wonder of Beijing.  

The entrance now

The government opened a large section of the former shelter to tourists about the time of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.  Since then the cavernous tunnels have again become something of a mystery.  I traveled with Beijing's favorite tour guide to try to get to the bottom, both literally and figuratively, of this Beijing mystery.  We found a nondescript door that once served as the tourist entrance to Beijing's underground maze in a quiet Beijing ally.  A spooky staircase was visible through a broken window leading to a cool, dark basement-like entryway, but other than this fleeting glimpse of Beijing's mythic underworld, we were unable to see anything else.

The larger bricks on top came
from the city wall

The history of the tunnels is quite interesting, but I spare you the details.  It's basically a giant bomb shelter.  You can find out more by just googling it.  Yes this is half-ass journalism, but I have places to be so there.  One of the coolest things though is that many bricks from the original Ming Dynasty city wall were used during the construction of the tunnels.  (see the top part of picture left)  

Knowing no good mystery is ever easy to solve, we asked some of the locals wondering around the area about the tunnels and the locked entrance.  We got a good number of conflicting and outlandish statements from the neighbors about the status of the tunnels, including they'd collapsed, been taken over by the government again, flooded, and closed because the tours didn't make enough money.  The truth is.....in true China fashion.....no one seems to know anything about why they really closed.  Officially they closed following a safety inspection, but if I had to guess, they closed for the extension of Line 8 through Wangfujing and the southern portion of Beijing.

So maybe I wouldn't hack it as an investigative journalist, but getting straight answers here is next to impossible.  I am going to do some long-term research and work on solving this mystery soon.


       

Beijing Mysteries: Ghost Skyscrapers of Dongzhimen

Ghost Towers seen from other building

China is renowned for its shadiness the world over.  From counterfeit nikes to expired meat, the middle kingdom's got it all folks.  My first entry in the Beijing Mysteries series seeks to highlight one of the city's more charming and mysterious shady wonders.  So if you're like my mother and still smarting about being ripped of by vendors while buying a mahjong set, sit back, relax, and learn that sometimes China's shadyiness isn't all bad and usually only mildly hazardous to your health.

Ghost Towers at the end of the airport
expressway 

Dongzhimen is one of Beijing's most important places and the largest transport hub in Asia (title disputed).  Across the Second Ring Road from the colossal China Petrol Headquerters stands a monumental mall and twin-tower complex.  Towering 35 stories in height, the buildings lords over almost every other structure in Beijing (Beijing isn't that tall on average.  Sort of a forest of 10-15 story structures).  Through some impressive detective work, I learned the complex has been vacant for seven years.  The structures stands topped out with the highest five floors completely open.  From ground level, it's easy to see the large number of missing windows that have either been broken or fallen out.

Ground level

Countless buses and the chaotic Beijing subway rumble underneath the unfinished structure, but few commuters seem to wonder about the giant white elephant at street level.  Occasionally I'll catch the curious foreigner snapping photos of the building, but on average almost know one seems to know any details about the structure.  This is insane considering the prominence of the thing.  The structure stands at the terminus of Beijing's airport expressway and is literally the first major thing that most visitors to the city see when they arrive in central Beijing.       

Built but never used

Beijing's largest movie set lets foreigners and native Beijingers get that oh-so-missing taste of North Korea-eque showmanship that China's economic modernization continues to stamp out.  With the ongoing political purge, it's little wonder most in Beijing don't stop to ask why a 600,000 square meter building that was supposed to be finished for the 2008 olympics still stands partially completed.  At least you can still shop at one of the intersections two completed mega-malls for all your needs.      

Demolition in Gulou

Gulou (Drum Tower in English) is a centuries old tower in central Beijing that happily lends its name to the surrounding neighborhood.  Together with the Bell Tower directly to the north, the Drum Tower was used for centuries to announce the time to Beijing's residents before western timekeeping made it obsolete after the fall of the Qing Dynasty.  Some of the hutongs surrounding the Drum and Bell Towers date back to the Yuan Dynasty and give this otherwise bland megacity a few points for livability and originality.

Beijing tour guide pointing out Gulou

Sadly the drums are eerily silent now.  The neighborhood named after the city's largest timepiece appears to have run out of the valuable commodity it kept track of for centuries.  The historic neighborhood that surrounds the towers is one of the city's main tourist destinations because it remains so well-preserved, but the city seems intent on changing this fact.  

Beijing might be my temporary home, but outside the second ring road it is a lame, desolate cultural wasteland.  Imagine a never ending vertical suburb that is unlivable and lacks any sort of defining characteristics.  Places like Gulou are few and far between in mainland China.  Most people from mainland China seem oblivious to the fact that development and construction don't necessarily make a neighborhood more livable or raise quality of life.  As a result, you'll find many housing developments in China that are tens of stories tall, but still miles away from anywhere.  Living in a neighborhood like Gulou is far closer to what life is like in the United States where convenience is king.  Even if most of the structures are older than dirt, at least a list of errands doesn't take 10 hours

.      

Old ladies playing mahjong in the rubble

But now it looks like the neighborhood's days are numbered (Probably numbered 4 because it sounds like death in Chinese).  Last week the Drum and Bell Coffee Shop, a Beijing institution known for its great Americano, closed without warning and is slated for demolition soon.  You might be wondering why the Chinese Government is demolishing one of the city's most historic neighborhoods, and the answer might surprise you.  It is planning to build a Disneyland-esque copy of the current neighborhood.  That is right, tear down the old buildings and simply reconstruct copies of them in their place.

Officially called a "restoration", the destruction of a historic neighborhood in Beijing is nothing new.  Both Qianmen and the Houhai district went through "restoration", with Qianmen now resembling a Chinese version of Disneyland's Main Street USA, complete with every bland American, Taiwanese  and Japanese chain-store that you can imagine.  The funny thing about it (at least from the perspective of foreigners) is that they destroy the entire historic neighborhood to rebuild a cartoon version of what stood before.  And as you can guess, in mainland China, there isn't any public dissent against this travesty.                  

Hong Kong: Democratic Crossroads

Crowd at the protest last week. 

Last week, mass protests erupted across Hong Kong as pro-democracy advocates took to the streets.  With 2017 fast approaching, it remains unclear how or if Beijing will be able to implement its plans for universal suffrage in Hong Kong.  The protests occurred on the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from the United Kingdom 17 years ago and have become a kind of annual event.  Organizers estimate than over 500,000 people participated in the protest, but police estimate the number to be around 98,000.  Over 500 protesters were arrested, and coverage of the event by state news agencies in China remains almost nonexistent.  

Protestors being detained by police

Unrest in the world's 3rd financial capital are nothing new.  Riots in the 50's and 60's brought the colony to a standstill as it attempted to cope with mass migration across the border from China during the Great Famine and Cultural Revolution.  Last week's protests are something different, and very few would ever compare Hong Kong's "repatriation" to America's Fourth of July.  (By the way, my fourth here was alright.  Had barbeque)  Hong Kong remains relatively unique among former British colonies because it didn't receive independence, it just became part of another larger entity.  It is worth noting that pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong often carry Hong Kong's former colonial flag, complete with the British ensign in the upper left-hand corner.    

From 2013.  Notice the old colonial flag.  

The protests prove something very important to me that I already knew.  Political apathy isn't ingrained in the Chinese through some inherited trait.  This might sound ridiculous and slightly racist, but I have heard it many times over the last year.  During my time in China, I have had several people (exclusively mainland Chinese, always wealthy, and usually party members) tell me that the Chinese people don't care about politics in any form.  This argument is of course absurd, especially considering the Communists fought a war to win power and that usually the person telling me this is a member of a political party.

As the situation down south continues to develop, it remains to be seen how Beijing will deal with its politically unruly, financial hub.  A clampdown likely would not go well for any of the parties involved, especially Hong Kong's pro-democracy advocates.  However, their moral victory last week proved human rights don't discriminate based on ethnicity or what passport you hold.    

Global Epidemic: World Cup Fever

Suck It Ghana

I am very excited for the start of the World Cup this week in Brazil.  Like all red-blooded Americans, I have a very minimal interest or knowledge of soccer, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying America's 2014 campaign.  You kick the ball around, it's boring, and I usually just wait for it to end.  My favorite part of the match is timing how long the announcer can yell, "GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL," before he runs out of air in his lungs.  However, cities across the United States continue to start professional teams, so it will become my duty to support Indiana's new minor league soccer team, even if I don't have much interest.  I think of it as the summertime equivalent to caring about the Indiana ICE hockey team.  So even if I don't understand why they occasionally kick the ball in from the corner of the field, I plan to catch every second of this year World Cup....at least until the United States gets knocked out, then I can go back to not caring.  But until this happens, it's my patriotic duty to support the 美国 team. 

去美国 (Go USA)

I will certainly own up to the fact that I wouldn't feel obligated to watch any of the event if America didn't make the tournament.  Team USA involvement is my sole motivating factor for waking up early to watch matches, and my non-American roommates find my attitude towards the global game hilarious.  Who even won the last World Cup????  I have no clue, because it wasn't America.  My personal attitudes sit at the polar opposite end of most educated Chinese.  China didn't qualify for the tournament, and support for the team seems solely based on their success rather than any kind of patriotism.  It is an interesting cultural difference.


Most of the people I've talked to about the national team claim to support the national squad from some other nation, such as Brazil or England, rather than that of their home country.  I wholeheartedly expect to see many Chinese sporting England, Brazil, and Spain jerseys over the next few weeks, and there is no doubt in my mind that sales for the winning nation's jersey will skyrocket here in China following the event.  This has shown me a great deal about how China's educated view their homeland.  Wearing the jersey of some other nation would probably get you heckled, or worse maybe even beat up, in the United States.  Justifiably so in my opinion (supporting the heckling not the beating here).  No matter how bad the Untied States soccer team might be compared to other global powerhouses is irrelevant to the vast majority of us.  It's the United States squad, and it deserves support regardless of its national ranking.  The whole phenomenon has shown me that I and my fellow countrymen are far more patriotic than I though before my move to the Middle Kingdom.  

I can't even make this stuff up people

I found out recently that North Korean soccer fans at the 2010 World Cup were actually paid Chinese actors (not a joke).  I am considering hiring a few of them to give me the motivation that I need to finally clean the dishes in my sink, but their newfound fame after the event has raised them out of my price range.


The World Cup is one of the few international events where it is probably more American to lose.  I stress "probably" here.  We'll start worrying if Puerto Rico defeats the US basketball team again (God forbid).  I mean, how do you celebrate a World Cup victory anyway?  Half the time, I don't even know what is going on during the game.  However, until the final whistle blows, here's to hoping America dominates Group G.  And even if they don't, "Meh."  I wouldn't really know if no one told me anyway.