Remembering the Cultural Revolution

Frank Dikotter's (umlaut omitted) new book The Cultural Revolution: A People's History dropped a few months ago.  Usually the Chinese government considers the Cultural Revolution a taboo subject and glosses over it or omits it entirely from history.  This makes books like Dikotter's newest release all the more important, especially considering his place as one of the world's foremost sinologists.

Many of China's top party leaders faced persecution during the Cultural Revolution, including future paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and the father of the CPC's currently leader, Xi Jinping.  Despite this, China occasionally roles out the nostalgia for the period in the form of song and dance numbers during large public events.  I will admit, I often find this nostalgia for a period market by human suffering distasteful.

During the period between 1966 and Mao's death in 1976, Chinese citizens labeled class enemies faced persecution as the CPC attempted to erase the vestiges of China's past.  Priceless artifacts and buildings were destroyed as the communists attempted to eliminate anything relating to the country's past and "foreign influences" (except communism).  Douzheng (loosely translated as "struggle") between Maoist fervor and the "Four Olds" tore the country apart.

In China today, many claim there seems to exist a sort of collective amnesia about the Cultural Revolution.  I for one would classify it more as collective silence.  "Amnesia" implies that everyone has forgotten it.  Speaking with anyone who lived through those turbulent years will make it clear that no one has forgotten them.  People choose not to talk about the horrors and excesses of the period because the pain and suffering of the time remain a part of everyday life.  You still see its effects from the highest level of the government to the peeling paint from Maoist slogans fading on the sides of buildings.  

Though I haven't got a chance to read Dikotter's most recent work, I would definitely recommend his other books The Tragedy of Liberation and Mao's Great Famine.  Only by understanding the country's past, and examining how it is portrayed in the present, can foreigners ever hope to understand this complex country.  

Jack Ma - Face of a Changing Nation

The face that launched a 1000
delivery packages

While browsing at the New Orleans Public Library I stumbled across a copy of Alibaba: The House that Jack Ma Built.  The book is a great, easy read and sheds light on one of China's most important cultural exports, the eccentric business mogul.
 
In recent years, Chinese businessman Jack Ma has become ubiquitous.  You can see him everywhere.  From television to the internet and everything in between, Jack Ma is there.  In many ways he has become the face of Chinese business around the world.  Mostly for the better.  Say what you will about Ma, he is a fascinating individual.  His position at the forefront of China's economic expansion has done a great deal to bolster opinions of Chinese business abroad.  Ma projects what few other successful mainland businessmen do; a sense of transparency.  The man loves to joke and laugh, and his fluency in English goes a long way in projecting an image that translates well outside of China.  Just compare him to Chen Guangbiao (that guy who said he'd buy the New York Times).  Chen's downright buffoonish behavior has made him a laughingstock outside of his home country, despite his amazing professional success.  In many ways Ma serves as the antithesis of Chen, portraying a pragmatic and humble image that makes him something akin to China's Warren Buffet.

I recommend this book, but you
don't have to take my word for it.

Jack continues to battle it out with Wang Jianlin for the title of Asia's Richest Person.  In some ways, the two men couldn't be more different.  Ma has made a name for himself creating business practices that take advantage of circumstances in China, such as learning to work around the country's fractured supply chains.  Ma once called Alibaba a crocodile in the Yangzte River and compared his foreign competitors to sharks in the ocean.  Wang's relationship with foreign business is much more confrontational.  His recent, notorious spat with Disney shows this in spades.  His company recently acquired Legendary Entertainment.  The studio behind such blockbusters as The Dark Knight and World of Warcraft, demonstrating his "if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em" style of business.

His personal image and his reluctance to intentionally cultivate a cult of personality has distinguish Ma from his Chinese contemporaries and made him more accessible to a foreign audiences.  Ma's story is exceptional and inspiring.  I recommend this book for anyone trying to pierce the veil of Chinese corporate culture.    

想北京

Sometimes I miss Beijing, not often but I do.  I miss the Bookworm, I miss chuaner （串儿）, and I miss all the free time.  But most of the time, I am glad I moved to New Orleans, and I am certainly glad I married the greatest person on earth, 唐奇。

My mom never ages!

Classic Uncle Gary!

你好后海

From the street!

Classic Effie!

Keep your eyes closed during important photos.

她非常漂亮

I am a lucky man!

漂亮！

No caption needed!

#can'tdivorcemenow!

Married in Algiers! (not the capital of Algeria!)

Don't ask how much the tiki glasses cost!

＃balloonglow

Noble House

Cover from an old
edition

For the last month and a half, I have trudged through the task of reading James Clavell's Noble House.  The book is fantastic and that's quite possibly the understatement of the century.  I say "trudged" only because the book's length makes it a daunting task for any reader.  After a month and a half of reading, I am only on page 1010 out of 1400.  That makes it over 200 pages longer than Clavell's more famous behemoth, Shogun.  Even for an avid reader like myself, reading a book longer than many series can be a labor of love.

The book is a direct sequel to Clavell's Taipan, one of my favorite books from last year.  Set over the course of only one week in 1963, the book chronicles the intrigue surrounding Hong Kong's Noble House and its current enigmatic leader, Ian Dunross.  The excitement hasn't let up since the prologue where an illegal shipment of jet engines, bound for Red China, sinks in a storm at the very same moment Dunross is sworn in as the new Taipan (leader) of the Noble House.

From the TV miniseries, starring
Pierce Brosnon

Though no one will ever accuse me of sharing Clavell's belief in a benign China, buried by its Soviet neighbor, he writes about Chinese characters in a way no other waiguo author does, explaining cultural differences accurately and with an unflinching and unapologetic eye.  Today most would probably call his representations of Chinese characters as something less than PC.  However, I find them to be spot on, and I think he does a wonderful job of falling into the trap of a homogenous Asian continent.  Also the fact he is not Chinese eliminates the point most readers pounce on when reading Chinese books.  Many readers try to attribute baffling cultural differences or inconsistencies to translation errors, a point no one can make against Clavell.

I think the wonderful job Clavell does making the motivations and characteristics of Asian societies different from their "western" counterparts has certainly played an important role with how I have enjoyed his work.  I was unable to finish Shogun because I found it monotonous and boring, though comfortable and quaint.  The Japanese lust for power for the sake of status made the Japanese characters seem difficult to analyze.  They were just too different and difficult for me to relate to them.  However, I have loved both of Clavell's books that are set in Hong Kong for the very opposite reason.  My familiarity with Chinese culture has made the book interesting, funny, and tragic in ways that would have went over my head only a few years ago.

Despite my apprehensions about Shogun (that no one else seems to share), Clavell has proven himself to be a wonderful window onto Asia for the wider world.

Unintentional Propaganda and Chinese Films

Take a look and Chinese video streaming sites and you'll notice something about the international films.  Sites like Sohu and Youku feature many big budget Hollywood movies from the past several decades.  Nearly all of movies from foreign countries violate China's mysterious film code in some way, such as containing strong violence, nudity, or cursing.  So why do some films get passed the censors while others are kept out.  These films always convey a message that reinforces party doctrine or portray their respective country of origin in a negative light.  Basically they serve as unintentional propaganda.    

Many of the films, documentaries, and television shows produced in the United States and elsewhere get used in China as propaganda.  Some examine social and economic problems in the United States.  Shows like House of Cards have become very popular with the well-educated in China due to their high production value and their discussion of topics taboo in China.  Of course having a show in China that focused on lying and cheating by government officials would never see the light of day.  The effect of these shows/films is threefold.  They make US officials look corrupt and incompetent.  The films and shows make the United States seem unsafe.  And finally they make the US seem unstable.

The importation of these forms of entertainment due result in some uncomfortable questions for the CPC regarding why China censors its domestic entertainment so rigorously, but doesn't seem to care what's imported into the country.  A big controversy arose a few months ago when a drama set in the Forbidden City needed to have scenes of some cleavage removed.  That's right, they cut cleavage, but a foreign film with countless deaths will usually make it through the censors as long as the message fits the mold or part of the production is in some way linked to China.

People in China clamor over themselves to pack into movie theaters and see American blockbusters.  Most non-animated movies aren't translated, forcing the audiences to read subtitles.  Despite the subtitles, people still come in droves.  Of the 10 highest grossing films in China, 6 are American blockbusters released in the last 8 years.  After living here for two years, I can't blame Chinese audiences for flocking to foreign films, American films in particular.  American blockbuster, with their plethora of explosions, mean that audiences don't need to understand every word of the dialogue to follow the plot.

You have three main choices when choosing a Chinese television show or movie; fighting the Japanese, fighting the Nationalists, or a new retelling of Journey to the West.

  

  

Shanghai: Pearl of the Orient

Tang Qi on the Bund

Let me begin this post by paying Shanghai a very backhanded compliment.  Shanghai is the poor man's version of every great Asian city.  It doesn't have the important historical sites Beijing has, it isn't nearly as dynamic or exciting as Hong Kong, and it doesn't have the livability of Tokyo.  It does everything well and nothing great.

However Asia is a land of extremes, and while Shanghai might not score top marks in any of the above categories, it doesn't have their severe drawbacks either.  I love Shanghai because Shanghai loves itself.  It's proud of the fact its unique and not perfect.  Nor does waller in self pity like many Chinese cities.  I am talking to you Beijing, and your "civilize Chaoyang" posters.  Not quite Chinese, not quiet foreign, and not quite global, its at a sweat spot for budget travelers like myself.  If you can call Shanghai anything, it's gargantuan.

I am hiding my hat behind me

Shanghai's lack of tourist sites make it great for relaxing weekend getaways.  It was nice to visit an important Chinese city and not have a laundry list of historical sites to checkoff.  Lucky for you, its lack of sites will prevent me from going Rick Steves on my readers in this post.
We spent the majority of our time strolling down Shanghai's streets and enjoying the atmosphere.  The city encompasses many distinct neighborhoods, each with its own vibe, and provides a welcome contrast to the homogeneity of most Chinese cities.

Your average Shanghaier has a laid-back attitude.  Compared to Asia's more hectic cities, like Hong Kong, life moves at a slower pace.  This despite all the hype surrounding the city.  The only thing speeding you by are the motor bikes, and there are a lot of them.  Watch out!  Ducking down a side street can make the place seem a lot less oversized.  Outside the main shopping areas I thought Shanghai felt much less crowded than the streets of Beijing.  Not bad for a city of around 24 million and the largest city in China.

Balls of steel

If you are willing to forgo foreign food, Shanghai won't decimate your wallet the way some other cities are fond of doing.  Even with its relatively low cost compared to Asian money pits, such as Tokyo, the service quality in Shanghai puts other Chinese cities to shame.  It was nice to go to a restaurant or buy something at a store and not have the staff treat me like a criminal.  Also, people were much more receptive to speaking Chinese with me.  I even made it out of a Starbucks without the staff bombarding me with English.  An flat impossibility in Beijing.      

My girlfriend and I stayed in the old part of Shanghai.  The area east of the river boasts many European style buildings, built during the beginning of the last century.  The unique style of each building makes the narrow streets surprisingly easy to navigate.  Don't worry about getting lost.  With all the skyscrapers for landmarks you won't have to worry about getting disoriented.

The buildings of Shanghai's now iconic skyline lie across the river in the Pudong district.  I recommend visiting this side of the river, but be warned.  Expect a large amount of walking and not a lot to see.  There isn't anything except offices and the new Disney store.  The Pudong skyline is best admired from The Bund on the other side of the river.  

I had an entire train car to myself north of Nanjing to Beijing
on the way home....creepy but relaxing

The two distinct sides of the river give Shanghai a pleasant form of split personality disorder.  The west, old city resembles the streets of a European capital and the east, new city remind me of a Chinese caricature of New York or Chicago.  Shanghai proved itself as a great weekend destination, and you can pretty much do everything it has to offer in three days.  Not bad on a budget.        

European style clocktower

The "bottle opener" (l) and the world's second
tallest building (r)

The Boxer Rebellion

I remember learning about the Boxer Rebellion in my high school world history class. The only things I remember being told were, "1900.  Boxers thought they could catch bullets. Eight Power Alliance invades China."  I spent last month reading about this interesting historical event.

China's relationship with the Boxer Rebellion is much different, though no less complex, than its relationship with the Opium Wars.  Chinese governments have fallen in and out of love with the Boxers and their anti-foreign sentiments since the beginning of the movement in the late Qing Dynasty.  Even the Qing themselves didn't know whether to treat the Boxers as friend or foe, eventually siding with them in hopes they wouldn't turn their outrage against the Qing government.  

Today the Chinese Propaganda Machine treats the Boxer Rebellion like a cheaper, less entertaining sequel to the Opium Wars, letting it languish in historical memory.  It doesn't get near the amount of attention awarded to other "acts of foreign aggression", probably because Chinese history books look less kindly on the Qing Government of 1900 than of 1840.  Fanatical Boxers are a harder sell than inept Chinese crusaders against opium.  Also it's rather had to defend a movement which only accomplishment was killing defenseless missionaries and leading a genocide against Chinese Christians.

During the Cultural Revolution, Mao and other Chinese leaders praised the Boxers as patriots and leaders, sometimes painting them as proto-communists.  This isn't surprising considering the parallels between China during Cultural Revolution and China during the Boxer Rebellion.  Both movements attempted to rid China of negative, internal elements and expel all foreign influences.  Unlike China in the 1960's, China in 1900 still had a large contingent of foreigners, living, working, and preaching in China.  Sadly these foreigners proved an easy scapegoat for China's internal problems and many lost their lives during executions in villages and the sieges of the foreign legations in Beijing.  

As the smoke cleared and the siege lifted, the foreign armies, along with the general Chinese population, looted everything that wasn't nailed down.  Many Chinese treasures ended up in the hands of private collectors and European Museums.  Considering what happened to many historical relics during the Cultural Revolution, this has probably been a good thing for their preservation for future generations.  Despite Communist fervor for the cause of the Boxers during the Cultural Revolution, the extremism of the movement usually resulted in the opposite outcome of what the Boxers attempted to do in 1900.  The extremism of the Red Guards famously led to the decimation of traditional Chinese culture and the destruction of countless priceless artifacts.