Opening up
There was something momentous in the air as the 1000-strong crowd huddled around two suitably large screens set amidst red lanterns and luminescent Peking Opera masks in Beijing’s Ditan Park. A sense of expectation at the forthcoming opening ceremony, yes, but also a feeling that what was about to come heralded a new phase in global politics, and perhaps also a shift in global power. At 8.08am, US President George W Bush had opened the new US embassy, the largest in the city, which he said stood as testament to the “solid foundations underpinning [US-Sino] relations.” Yet this was China’s time to showcase itself an emerging power that could soon vie with the US for world supremacy, a challenge it will take more than grandiose embassies and endorsements to reform human rights records to meet.
The ceremony itself was awe inspiring, and hard to describe without recourse to clichés. References to the Cultural Revolution or anything that really could be called part of the New China were notable by their absence, but who needs the last 59 years when you have over two millennia’s worth of culture to call upon for inspiration? Planners in London will be left scratching their heads, but would be well advised not to try and follow this.
On the ground, the world’s multifarious cultures and ethnicities displaying their colours was heartwarming, but more interesting was the crowd’s reactions to the flags as the parades began. Canada was greeted with a deafening roar, prompted by the appearance of Da Shan, who’s fluent Chinese has led him to become his country’s greatest cultural ambassador to China. The contrast with Japan could not have been greater, a deathly silence meeting the appearance of the Rising Sun, before embarrassed foreigners gave the team a token cheer. Iraq and Iran’s emergence triggered ripples of applause and the occasional shout, which begged the question how the US and Britain would be received. In the end, the entrance of both nations was heralded with resounding clapping — a cavorting American brandishing a CND-stylized Stars and Stripes ratcheting up the fervour on behalf of his countrymen. The same could not be said when President Bush came into shot, the cheers rapidly turning to boos, perhaps an encouraging sign that the assembled Beijingers could readily distinguish the difference between a people and its leaders.
Perhaps the most raucous celebrations, apart from those for China itself, were reserved for Chinese Taipei. It is hard to judge whether the Taiwanese themselves would share this perceived sense of solidarity, but it was a deep and moving expression of a people’s desire for unity, one which often feels remote when left to the staid language of national leaders. As for North and South Korea, the North edged it by a nose. Lee Myung-Bak’s courtship of the US has perhaps left a bad taste in the mouth of Chinese observers. Again though, whatever North Korea’s political faults, it was on behalf of its people that the international gathering in Ditan Park was voicing its support.
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A Sarko slap-down
You’ve got to feel for the French. A full two months after a handful of rag-tag protesters made a grab for the Olympic flame as it edged its way through the streets of Paris, they’re still feeling the wrath of China - despite a groveling charm offensive to try to make amends. The numbers of Chinese tourists visiting France are down, Beijing taxi drivers continue to express relief when they discover that the foreigner they’ve picked up doesn’t hail from the land of baguettes and beret’s, and yesterday a gloating China Daily ran a front page splash telling President Sarkozy that he’s “not wanted” at the Games - 88% of those who responded to an online survey said they found his remarks about boycotting the opening ceremony “unfriendly.” Sarko has said that he has yet to decide whether or not to attend.
Quite why France has become the focus of such ire, when there were equally vocal protests in Athens, London and San Francisco, remains unclear. Wu Yikang, chairman of the Shanghai Institute of European Studies, was quoted in China Daily saying Sarko (and therefore the French) deserve a kicking for “linking the Games to politics.” Wu obviously missed a recent rant by Tibet Communist Party chief Zhang Qingli during the Lhasa leg of the torch relay where he said China would “totally smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai Lama clique” and that “Tibet’s sky will never change and the red flag with five stars will forever flutter high above it.” You don’t get much more of a clear linking of politics and the Olympics than that. At least the IOC picked on the hypocrisy.
The Olympic body has remained muted, however, on another glaring demonstration of hypocrisy being exercised by China. Despite insisting that foreign visitors will be embraced to Beijing’s heaving bossom like so many split-pant wearing Little Emperors, many waiguorens are getting the cold shoulder. Following the visa crackdown (one friend living in Dubai was told, on applying for a tourist visa to watch the Games that, yes, of course he could have one - as long as he was a member of the United Arab Emirates’ Olympic squad), the banning of most outdoor activities in the city (including park-based matchmaking sessions and concerts) and the shutting down of two prominent expat magazines, the authorities in Beijing have resorted to stopping foreigners in the street and checking their papers. All perfectly acceptable says China Daily columnist Ashis Chakrabarti in this glowing commentary on Beijing’s Olympic preparations. Not of course that anyone has to worry about security when these guys are guarding the Games.
Hooray for Hollywood
What happens to Hong Kong B-list bubble-gum pop stars after a spectacularly raunchy fall from grace? They try to break into Hollywood. Twins star Gillian Chung, now better known for her private soft-porn photo shoot with Edison Chen than for her seven years of sugary pop songs and chaste image, has announced she’s splitting from other Twins member Charlene Choi to try her luck in Tinsel Town. She has apparently been learning dancing and English to prep for the venture, and she’s had lots of spare time to do it – she hasn’t worked since the scandal broke earlier this year. Strangely, it’s not the scandal itself that’s fascinating – it’s that it absolutely refuses to die, with random tidbits popping up months after about what key players are doing now. Before Chung announced her Hollywood plan, news came through of fellow scandalite Cecilia Cheung’s upcoming divorce from Nicholas Tse and stories circulated that Edison Chen, wracked with guilt, re-discovered God. Who knows what we’ll hear about Bobo Chan in the coming months.
Bye bye, Wai Wai
Wai Wai was a gross yet engrossing section of the Mainichi Daily News website that featured articles ripped from the Japanese tabloids and translated by the alliteration-loving Ryann Connell (classic headline on a story about the former Japanese PM’s love life: “‘Quickfire Koizumi’ still premier of premature pervert pronouncements”). With stories like that, many of us at Asia Weekly would visit Wai Wai every week, though admittedly some of the material was a little embarrassing to read in the office.
But sadly, Wai Wai is no more, killed off after a campaign launched by members of a Japanese Internet forum upset that the stories were “too vulgar and debauching Japan by sending around the world information that could be misunderstood.” In other words, how dare Ryann Connell take articles from terribly salacious yet highly popular Japanese tabloids and translate them into English for prurient people like us to read. The Mainichi also cites “inappropriate depictions made when the staff writer in charge quoted ribald articles” - to be fair the stories did seem torqued (or is “fur burger” a direct translation?). But then again, Japanese tabloids can be pretty darn racy.
Mainichi Newspapers issued “three months’ disciplinary leave” to the writer in charge of the column - the legendary Connell, we assume - and supervisors were also punished. Full apology from the newspaper here. I think it would have helped us get over the loss to at least see a photo of embarrassed Japanese executives bowing.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/culture/waiwai/
Japanese stocks: false security?
Japanese stocks generally did well in the second quarter, as inflationary pressures boosted sentiment. Sound weird? I mean, as Reuters’ Taiga Uranaka points out, inflation usually drives shares down, not up. But in Japan — where for the past several years, deflation has weighed on stock prices, corporate earnings and consumer demand — the prospect of rising prices has been welcomed by many investors as a positive development. Sounds like a great time to invest in Japanese shares, eh? Think again, says Uranaka.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7613359
