tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39698300868551771392024-02-22T01:19:37.168-08:00The Wang Way InThe Adventures of Wang Ai Li - an American Researcher - in ChinaAlex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-62475262901550334102009-06-30T09:18:00.000-07:002009-06-30T09:26:19.995-07:00Universal Norms of Hygiene?<span style="font-weight:bold;">Recently, I’ve been reading through the countless essays I wrote during my time at university. Below is one I wrote during the Spring of 2008 for a class called 'Sanitizing Culture: Hygiene & Sanitation in 20th century East Asia.' The course began with an investigation of the emergence of theories of cleanliness in Europe and America, and then traced how these theories became regimes of political and social change in China, Korea, and Japan. There was also examination of the role of Western medicine in how ethnicity, race, nationality, and gender were being defined in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This helped us young students understand how the regulation of health and bodies was a civilizing process central to colonial discourse and the spread of imperialism. Anyway, the essay:</span><br /><br />Modern structures and methods of public health administration, as well as standards of hygiene and sanitation, have been developed over millennia at the foot of pestilence and death. George Rosen, in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/History-Public-Health-George-Rosen/dp/0801846455"><span style="font-style:italic;">The Origins of Public Health</span>,</a> attempts to show that from one society to another, all people have been concerned with the acquisition of food and water, as well as the management of disease and the physical environment. It is from the basis of this shared purpose that Rosen continues with an account of the development of housing, hygiene, and the provision of medical care from ancient Egypt through the glories of Rome’s well-organized system of public health administration and services. Rosen’s version of things echoes the sentiment found in William Allen’s <a href="http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/action/jstor?doi=10.1086%2F211167">“Sanitation as Social Progress,”</a> in which Allen creates a developmental framework for what he implicitly argues to be the inherent, logical progression of sanitization reform over time. Allen depicts the evolution of hygiene and sanitation standards to be steady and unidirectional in nature, with certain intended ends. However, I strongly disagree with the idea that there are certain universal norms towards which hygiene and sanitation are practiced (beyond acquisition of food, water, and shelter). Rather, historians and sociologists ought to maintain specific knowledge of different ethnic, social, and political groups, which should include how historical and cultural factors vary between them. Furthermore, scholars should aim to produce writing consistent with the values of “the other,” in part by the use of culturally validated measures. Cultural factors must be considered - and celebrated - as these values have direct implications on how a society, region, or nation develops standards of hygiene and sanitation. The ultimate goal, which is hopefully reflected in this response, should be to produce culturally sensitive and competent prose through confronting false inevitabilities and superiority.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91f_HbaxYeBWIRUEwRw1hgy-QSFkox3RP6f2k5tw8hBj6JErLIl9slQQGCgGWbaifxN-CVjWIQhKY5gj_FRzdTNrtJvixzHETVZ5plTIfX5TEYH2HeTcR5LDaH5ivkl1i8_r5tt8ZLRg/s1600-h/export1.jpg" "class=snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91f_HbaxYeBWIRUEwRw1hgy-QSFkox3RP6f2k5tw8hBj6JErLIl9slQQGCgGWbaifxN-CVjWIQhKY5gj_FRzdTNrtJvixzHETVZ5plTIfX5TEYH2HeTcR5LDaH5ivkl1i8_r5tt8ZLRg/s400/export1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353157356293434642" /></a><br />The need for cultural and political sensitivity in the analysis of hygiene and sanitation standards becomes clear in even the most superficial of accounts. In Rosen’s 25-page outline of more than 2000 years of public health history across different continents, for instance, he writes that excavations of ancient Incan sewerage systems and baths testify to impressive achievements in public health engineering. However, in the following paragraph, he charges that reasons for this behavior among “primitive peoples…are not necessarily identical with ours.” This admission brings us one step closer to understanding the specificity and exceptionality of social development between groups. Another pertinent example culled from Rosen’s piece refers to the author’s identification of the divergence of public health between the Greeks and Romans as is evidenced by the relative complexity and scale of Roman sewage and water-delivery systems. How can these disparate standards of hygiene and sanitation be explained by anything other than specific cultures (availability of technology, geography, etc.) and politics?<br /><br />As standards of hygiene and sanitation developed in the Western world, so did concepts of superiority and dreams of colonial domination. More specifically, there was support from many leaders of the European ruling elite to travel and explore foreign lands in an attempt to inform the new sciences. Due in part to this distinct political climate, attitudes towards personal hygiene in Europe changed dramatically during the course of the 18th century. However, arguably the most dramatic (and traumatic) changes occurred outside of Europe. This change often came at the hands of imperialism and is described in Andrew Balfour’s 1926 address delivered at Johns Hopkins in commemoration of the opening of the new School of Hygiene and Public Health, entitled <a href="http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2523548">“Hygiene as a World Force,”</a> which passionately validates the “great march of public health.” Oddly, while Balfour claims that religion and hygiene are both instinctual and universal, he elucidates the power of modern (that is, European) hygiene and its fate in determining the future of mankind. As we know from history, the resistance of native populations to this “great march” serves as strong evidence that Western-defined universal standards of hygiene and sanitation are not truly universal; the cultural and social specificity of norms stand in great contrast to any attempt at cookie-cutter development and change. This sentiment is echoed in Dr. Reginald M. Atwater’s <a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/7702">“The Progress of Public Health in China,”</a> as he writes that sensitivity is needed in the promotion of social change in China and that progress is heavily dependent upon unique cultural and physiological features.<br /><br />When we talk about norms, we are referring to written and un-written laws that govern the behavior of individuals in society. Consequently, as societies differ, so must their norms. This is evidenced nicely by the claims made by Maynard Metcalf in his <a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/22442">“Science and Modern Civilization,”</a> which is an excerpt from a speech delivered to the Chinese Students Alliance at Oberlin in 1916. Metcalf asserts that both traditionalism and scientific spirit play a fundamental and beneficial role in balancing societies. However, according to the author here, China is the archetype of traditionalism, where “conservatism has long been too dominant.” But I ask “too dominant” with respect to what? Perhaps Metcalf senses a relative imbalance between the social standards of “backwards” China and “civilized” Europe. It is this false impression of superiority that leads Metcalf to ask how the scientific spirit can be introduced to save these people and resolve the imbalances of their cultural ideals. Insensitively and dangerously, he cites the need for the establishment of Western-defined industrialization and communal hygiene. This social theory, which explains the basis for the era of imperialism and dominance of colonizing power, is rooted not in the universality of norms, but rather in the highly narrow views (socially-, politically-, and culturally-specific) of the Western invaders. <br /> <br />Here I would like to address an issue that I previously gave attention to in one of my weekly response papers: scientific inquiry and the idea that “truth” can be discovered through experimentalism and laboratory-based scientific research. This Renaissance philosophical movement, known as humanism, was centered on the emphasis of humanistic studies, that is, the pursuit of knowledge via analytical, mathematical, and linguistic means. Humanism, as I have avowed earlier, represented the application of knowledge with the intent to make or do something, as opposed to simply understanding. And the implications of this approach can be seen in the history of personal hygiene and public health, as presented by several of this course’s authors, such as Smith, Notter & Firth, Balfour and Said. However, this absolute science, even with today’s knowledge base, is incapable of determining the appropriate balance between, for instance, a person’s liberty and privacy and the role of preventive authorities’ need for access to information, medical ideas of disease causation and intimate personal or community beliefs, or the role of education and legislation, which is why they remain enduring dichotomies. To this day, policy makers and civil society alike continue to engage in debate over why one mode of conduct or administration is favorable to another. So if agreement on the answer to these questions can not be reached within one state (between states, consensus is even more sure to diverge), how can we talk about “universal norms”?<br /> <br />Clearly, social standards of hygiene and sanitation do not develop in a vacuum; existing cultural norms, the political climate of the time, and available technology all play a role in guiding these practices. Additionally, as is illustrated by the historical need for the forceful application of the West upon the rest, European ideals of health are not suitable for everyone. By examining the progress of hygienic reform and its influence on colonization, we learn that universal norms toward the practice of hygiene and sanitation simply do not exist.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-31928679611620355912009-06-28T08:17:00.000-07:002009-06-28T21:41:22.250-07:00The Media, The TruthIn today’s post, I present to you my attempt at translating a good-sized Chinese news article. Published on June 26th, 2009 in Jiangxi Province’s <a href="http://www.jxnews.com.cn/xxrb/">Daily News,</a> this piece is entitled <span style="font-weight:bold;">Experts Refute Report of ‘Unprecedented Air Pollution at Beijing’s Olympic Games’</span> and is followed by a caption that reads: <span style="font-style:italic;">It’s pointed out that the foreign media’s method of reporting is irresponsible and disingenuous.</span> To fully enjoy, you should first read <a href="http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20090620/1662/ttc-air-pollution-at-2008-beijing-olympi.html">this</a> and/or <a href="http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1708575/unprecedented_air_pollution_at_2008_olympic_games/index.html?source=r_science">this,</a> which both summarize the findings of the study that are criticized in the article below (click the picture to get a clear, full-sized view of the actual article and not just be forced to read my jumbled translation). <br /><br /><blockquote>Recently, England’s <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/london2012/5597277/Beijing-Olympics-were-the-most-polluted-games-ever-researchers-say.html">‘The Daily Telegraph’</a> and other media sources have reported on the result of an environmental research project conducted by Oregon State University (OSU), in collaboration with some scientists at Beijing University. The findings of the study indicate that the air pollution during Beijing’s 2008 Olympic Games was Olympic history’s most severe, and that athletes and spectators had to deal with dangerous levels of smoke and dust.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3w8vFTJEDUIGvWCbkbiSzSqlSd97qaaalJEezxnbagF-D6Lo_PX0GjUxH-jAyQ_8mabmv5kbVFriqqZP2v7TyJc3uPV2j0LG1gBvFxV8PqxJBdYWUUsr5iplHdv35qcH55lvB6BsM38/s1600-h/P1140835.JPG" "class=snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3w8vFTJEDUIGvWCbkbiSzSqlSd97qaaalJEezxnbagF-D6Lo_PX0GjUxH-jAyQ_8mabmv5kbVFriqqZP2v7TyJc3uPV2j0LG1gBvFxV8PqxJBdYWUUsr5iplHdv35qcH55lvB6BsM38/s400/P1140835.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352401120259511106" /></a><br />On June 25th, scientists from an Olympic air quality and control research group, along with <a href="http://space.tv.cctv.com/act/image.jsp?imageId=IMAG1217421431333706">Professor Zhu Tong,</a> who was specially invited by Beijing University’s School of Environment and Engineering, declared that the foreign media’s deceptive attempt at indiscriminately using such a sensational headline is a reporting method that is wholly irresponsible and extremely insincere. <br /><br />Prof. Zhu Tong admits that during the Olympic Games, in one of Beijing University’s science buildings, OSU did in fact set up some air quality measurement equipment to conduct their research. “As far as I know, from a technical perspective, there is no problem with the observations made. However, their use of data collected in Beijing University’s monitoring building to extrapolate on the condition of all of Beijing’s air quality is in itself non-scientific.” Professor Zhu Tong believes the study was unsystematic and only looked at the air pollution phenomenon from one perspective. While the results of OSU’s survey may be used for academic exchange and reference, the problem is that the research team exaggerated the results of their analysis. The fact that this imperfect study, with its limited conclusions, was published in a scientific journal and is getting such enormous media publicity is careless and inconsiderate.<br /><br />According to our understanding, experts on environmental protection at Beijing University have also called into question what the OSU scientists have claimed with regard to Beijing’s air pollution being more severe than that of past Olympic host cities. Since there is not sufficient factual evidence, and because whether or not the use of OSU’s monitoring equipment was exactly the same as that of other research groups in prior Olympics, there exists at least a 30% systematic margin of error in the results. Moreover, it’s impossible for the data from just one survey to be worth comparing to the average survey results from a network of dozens.<br /><br />Other experts from Beijing University believe that, more importantly, the concentration of particulate matter is already very low, and even if the level of Beijing’s atmospheric particulate matter is slightly higher than that of previous Olympic host cities, that doesn’t constitute, or make up pollution. Comparing the intensity of pollution between cities at this time is just a way of creating sensationalized news. <br /><br />*The caption of the photo in the article reads: “During the Olympic Games, Beijing’s blue skies allowed people to feel carefree.” </blockquote><br />I won’t comment here on the content of the article or its implications, as I’m sure you are smart enough to draw your own conclusions. What I will do, however, is provide you with a few links and ideas if you wish to investigate further. First, a piece on <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7783640.stm">China’s internet ‘spin-doctors’</a> that the BBC published online late last year. Second, an analysis of Chinese President <a href="http://cmp.hku.hk/2008/06/25/1079/">Hu Jintao’s June 2008 media policy speech,</a> as well as its original Chinese text. Third, if you are able to read Chinese, you can google "舆论导向," which is translated as ‘the guidance of public opinion.’ And if you really love googling, you can try “China Control 2.0” for some other interesting results. Lastly, <a href="http://opennet.net/research/profiles/china">this link</a> to the OpenNet Initiative provides some good information. I find it quite ironic that I’m posting this entry while in China on a blogging service that is ‘officially’ blocked. <br /><br />Anyway, the moral of today’s story is that it’s important to be aware of the social and political context in which the things you read are published. You should also know who wrote what you’re reading, and what their potential aims may be. While the absolute truth may be impossible to find, this type of understanding will help you to construct a much more accurate picture of reality.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-14607657419599668842009-06-26T10:43:00.000-07:002009-06-26T10:49:06.627-07:00Finding EarsOn the way home tonight after a massive dinner, which only cost me $8 USD (yeah, I’ve been in China for a while, but the one thing I can’t get over is how awesomely delicious and cheap the food is), I stopped to chat with a pair of security guards outside my complex. We were chatting about the weather and the recently-minted championship 湖人, or Lakers (literally, lake people), when one of the guys asked me what my plan is for the summer. Less than 15 seconds before this point, another gentleman who had been walking by, enjoying the cool breeze of Nanchang’s summer evenings, saw that I was nodding my head in confirmation to what one of the security guards was saying. Could a white guy really understand Chinese? He had shuffled up to join our conversation and was staring directly at me. I could feel it. Anyway, I responded to the question asked of me: “我不一定,” I’m not certain. “Oh my!” the mystery man barked. “You can even say ‘I’m not certain’!” He then proceeded to push the security guards out the way, the same way an unborn chicken might do to the shell that’s keeping it from life, so that he could get up in my face and beg, “Chinese is ugly, eh?!” “Excuse me?” I replied. “Are you asking me if the Chinese language is not beautiful?”<br /><br />Yeah, he was. Our conversation then went on to last for more than hour. This man, who we’ll call Mr. Beiai for the sake of storytelling, was the first Chinese person I’ve met in mainland China to be so openly critical of the things that make China what it is and its people who they are. First, Mr. Beiai went on a long-winded diatribe about how inefficient and ugly the Chinese system of writing is. “China’s illiteracy rate is so high because of these complicated, messy characters. And it wasn’t until foreign-imported technology like the computer that Chinese people were able to communicate effectively, in writing, over long distances. What’s more, there would be no way to type if it weren’t for the Romanization of our language.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LyvPjM34ad6-ylKt0YAz4kXHZlSaITs_X_7vMh398ynJZF-__lvaMRJAimu5T_LxvZ02TeDcXcuFFmbTSEAGW5n21n2FGc1vNOxKEFs1CKy1plBH-sPjA3Ub8wyg_0tZP3G0aWVT_ws/s1600-h/mad+china.jpg" "class=snap_noshots"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LyvPjM34ad6-ylKt0YAz4kXHZlSaITs_X_7vMh398ynJZF-__lvaMRJAimu5T_LxvZ02TeDcXcuFFmbTSEAGW5n21n2FGc1vNOxKEFs1CKy1plBH-sPjA3Ub8wyg_0tZP3G0aWVT_ws/s400/mad+china.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351693946117500098" /></a>Mr. Beiai then went on to attack the 5,000 year history that makes most Chinese swell with pride: “Yeah, we Chinese are so proud of our long history and rich culture, but look where we are now…Why has America, with its short 200-year history, surpassed China on all fronts of development? Why are so many of us still uncivilized, uneducated, and poor? How come China’s 四大发明, or ‘<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Great_Inventions_of_Ancient_China">four great inventions,</a>’ are discoveries of long, long ago? All the new and good things in China are stolen from the West. The car, computer, electricity, television, cell phones…they are all imported.” I would like to note here that while I could see Mr. Beiai’s point, I disagreed with him then and I disagree with him now. First, ‘偷过来的,’ or brought over by stealing, which are the exact words used by Mr. Beiai, are a bit excessive. I wonder if Mr. Beiai himself recognizes the historical implications of maintaining this type of conviction…of perpetuating the concept of ‘other’ and the separation of East and West that has for too long stifled political, social, and economic progress. Anyway, I told Mr. Beiai that people in the West don’t feel that inventions or discoveries made by their countrymen have been ‘stolen’ by anybody. On the contrary, if I’m allowed to benefit from the work of Alan Turing, Benjamin Franklin, and Nikola Tesla (of which I obviously contributed zero to), why can’t the Chinese also? I suggested that 分享过来的 (shared) or 递过来的 (passed on) might be more appropriate ways to express the way in which China, like all countries of the world, has come to enjoy the spread of household, industrial, medical, and informational technology.<br /><br />At this point, by the way, the security guards with whom I was initially talking had long ago retreated back to their gate post. They only came out once to tell me 不要理他, or don’t pay any attention to him. I asked if they agreed with what Mr. Beiai was saying, and in customary Chinese fashion they avoided confrontation… “Every person has his/her own perspective, right?”<br /><br />Mr. Beiai continued: “Tell me why there has <a href="http://www.chinastakes.com/2008/10/why-no-mainland-chinese-nobel-laureates.html">never been a Chinese person to win a Nobel prize.</a> Tell me!” Well, I didn’t have an answer, but I did bring up the relatively indistinct point that based on what I’ve read and seen and been told by dozens of students, China’s education system does little in terms nurturing creativity and promoting innovation. I should’ve known I was opening up a can of worms. Mr. Beiai proceeded to speak louder, quicker, and flail his hands a bit more, all in an attempt to convey to me just how terrible China’s academic environment truly is. What he was saying became progressively more difficult to understand. One thing he kept repeating, however, was how senseless slogans are as a teaching method. According to Mr. Beiai, Mao Zedong’s famous quote ‘好好学习,天天向上,’ or ‘study hard and make progress everyday’ is nothing but worthless, empty speech. While every single man, woman, and child in China knows this phrase, it has no real value. It tells people nothing about how to proceed, move forward, or make progress. Mr. Beiai made his point a bit more clear with an example of how Western educators teach children to cross the road versus how Chinese teachers do it. In America, he avowed, teachers and parents tell you to look left, look right, and then look left again before crossing the street. In China, however, elders simply tell you to 注意安全, or be careful/safety conscious. The difference here is that the Western model of safety training provides actual tools that can be applied to any situation with similar circumstances. The Chinese model, again in Mr. Beiai’s words, is just an empty slogan. “You are forced to memorize everything that’s not important, and for what truly matters there is no education; just red banners with empty words.”<br /><br />Needless to say, this encounter was eye-opening. I’m not sure if Mr. Beiai was drunk, or if he was testing me. Perhaps he was just angry and looking for some one that would listen.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-9166208955924518262009-06-25T09:48:00.000-07:002009-06-30T09:26:33.918-07:00SARS to Swine Flu<span style="font-weight:bold;">Swine influenza was only recently raised to the status that all infections covet… pandemic! As such, the only real literature available on the topic deals with relatively boring stuff like transmission, symptomology, prevention, and treatment. We must be careful then, not to overlook the big picture issues of economic, social, and psychological impact that this disease may have on vulnerable populations. In the wake of a wave of global fear and government mobilization against swine flu, it may be helpful to look back and make sure we’ve learned the lessons of a similar public health concern, i.e., SARS.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzv-dAg8kfzVYYeMPDPTANC24Vwg8KLx_lzJW4shtIDifFHaHYO8EgK5NC8wOwPGNK9XBB6VSHuAjxXHDYdauv03umbgEIi4eKqpTxJrlGQ28G0u8aTHxEQMKI0NKiGnNWpvSVzhhuVcc/s1600-h/pig_mask__code-1.jpg" "class=snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzv-dAg8kfzVYYeMPDPTANC24Vwg8KLx_lzJW4shtIDifFHaHYO8EgK5NC8wOwPGNK9XBB6VSHuAjxXHDYdauv03umbgEIi4eKqpTxJrlGQ28G0u8aTHxEQMKI0NKiGnNWpvSVzhhuVcc/s400/pig_mask__code-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351308945522087490" /></a><br />The SARS epidemic of 2003 was a global crisis whose origin, unlike that of swine flu, can be traced to the belly of the Chinese rooster. Hong Kong was one of the most hard-hit regions by the disease, and serves as the geographic focus for editors Arthur Kleinman and James Watson, who, in <a href="http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?book_id=5313%205314"><span style="font-style:italic;">SARS in China: Prelude to Pandemic?</span></a>, have compiled a series of essays that successfully illuminate the economic, social, and political impacts of SARS on the former British colony. Issues of national sovereignty, the interconnectedness of the globe, and future public health crises are all addressed using an ethno-epidemiological approach. Current discourse on China’s political environment, as well as the culture of inter-disciplinary (medical, social, economic, psychological, etc.) communication places this volume at the cusp of evolution regarding internal and international foreign policy implementation.<br /> <br />The ten essays in <span style="font-style:italic;">Prelude to Pandemic?</span> elucidate the various experiences and affects of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) on the Chinese people. Moreover, in synthesis, they offer a perceptive glance at what the future holds may another epidemic surface. Low and behold, one has. By partitioning the book into four parts, each with two or three component essays, Kleinman and Watson create a highly readable book that appeals to the widest possible audience. By covering everything from the epidemiological background of the outbreak, to its political and economic consequences, and finally globalization issues, the contributing authors are able to demonstrate a vast pool of sources that include first-hand accounts, newspapers and periodicals, WHO reports, and Internet documents, to name a few.<br /><br />In part three of this book, which examines the social, moral, and psychological consequences of SARS, two essays alone manage to provide a quite comprehensive view on what it must have been like emotionally to live in Hong Kong during the 2003 outbreak. In the first piece (the one I have chosen to focus on in this post), written by Dominic Lee and Yun Kwok Wing, the two disciplines of psychology and medical anthropology are combined to present both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of how the general public responded to SARS. Sources include author-guided research, participant observation during outpatient sessions at the Prince of Wales Hospital, and materials collected from newspapers, radios, books, photos, Internet chat-room discussions, et cetera. The authors provide discussion on the reactions of the general population, as well as special interest groups including pregnant women and SARS patients. Interestingly, some text is devoted to the description of a ritual that had become common in SARS-affected Hong Kong, known as the “undressing procedure.” This rite of private space developed from the distinct segregation between “dirty public space” and a “clean personal environment.” In terms of the psychological impact that SARS had on the Hong Kong populace, this demarcation of personal space seems to be most significant, as it echoes the practices of neighborhoods, hospitals, regions, and the whole Chinese nation. Dirty and clean were assigned labels of utmost importance, as they signified the often artificial boundary between control and chaos. One of the greatest analytic strengths of this piece is the focus on what would normally rest at the periphery of an investigation into the psychological response to trauma – the resilience and maturation of those who transcend crisis. Eventually, Lee and Wing are led to question the basis of the half-million strong July 1, 2003 demonstration. This assessment and questioning of Hong Kong’s sociopolitical landscape offers unique context that may explain any positive effects that SARS, or a future outbreak, might have on Hong Kong society.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBWiYE0u2RlXvyHzwLV1yQsk_n_mr-5hcuc_ZV93FMGQS7BTO9Ct7G486yJ9KvxrZ09i6p32tSFs1DDHWzr5iivq16LVbVG1xJp1dlHBSSheGje3xLDcLXYYVpOsoDHOrR8hu1gT8YIM/s1600-h/pig_kiss.jpg" "class=snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBWiYE0u2RlXvyHzwLV1yQsk_n_mr-5hcuc_ZV93FMGQS7BTO9Ct7G486yJ9KvxrZ09i6p32tSFs1DDHWzr5iivq16LVbVG1xJp1dlHBSSheGje3xLDcLXYYVpOsoDHOrR8hu1gT8YIM/s400/pig_kiss.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351309269494423570" /></a><br />Despite the analytic edge presented by Lee and Wing, some limitations do exist. First, the authors repeatedly express the “extremely challenging” nature and difficulty of their work, describing it as “no simple task” and admitting that recorded experiences are “truly beyond words.” This type of confession does nothing except to set the authors up for failure, priming the reader to expect error. Perhaps in accordance with these initial declarations of inadequacy, Lee and Wing fail to mention that their Face Mask Index may be flawed – As the methodology of this study called for the surveying of persons walking outside, no weight was given to the fact many people chose to stay indoors all the time, or as much as possible, like the 37% of women in another study that reported they did not go outside during the SARS epidemic, or did so only rarely. This same finding calls attention to the mobilization of half-a-million people on July 1, 2003. How did people simultaneously negotiate amongst themselves the strong urge for clean personal space and the desire for protest at the height of SARS? No probable answers to this glaring inconsistency are provided by the authors, leaving room for a second essay that might also include the medium-range psychological implications of the outbreak.<br /><br />Anyway, as swine flu continues to spread both in terms of severity and areas affected, it will be interesting to see the way governments and their citizens react. More interesting, however, will be to see if we have learned from the past. For instance, have we learned <a href="http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/176/4/434">this lesson?</a> Or how about <a href="http://www.eturbonews.com/9039/applying-tourism-s-lessons-learned-sars-swine-flu">this one?</a> Or how about <a href="http://archive.naccho.org/documents/Quarantine-Isolation-Lessons-Learned-from-SARS.pdf">this 160-page one?</a>Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-36398951389744342042009-06-22T11:11:00.000-07:002009-06-28T09:12:41.164-07:00Mark Rowswell, Is That Really You?One reader, 大山, posed a handful of great questions in response to my last post on slogans. I will respond to them in the order they were asked:<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Question #1: How does one get a slogan banner in China?</span> <br />Just yesterday I walked across the street to a small printing shop and told the boss I wanted to make a banner. He looked a bit perplexed at first, but I simply explained to him that I like Chinese-style slogans and I wanted to make one for my room. He nodded and then asked me what I wanted the banner to say. It was as easy as that.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Question #2: They all look virtually the same, so I wonder if they're produced by one company or network of state-owned companies. Can any 单位 request one? </span> <br />If I can request and print a huge banner, then anyone can. I’d guess that the market structure of suppliers for this service looks something like the photo printing market; On the one hand you have Kodak, a large brand-name company who works with relatively high quality materials and on many relatively high-end demands. On the other hand, however, you have a countless number of private no-name shops that run on the exact same business model, just at a lower cost and with less resources/facilities, which means cheaper prices for the consumer. So, while some larger government bureaus may go to the Kodak shop of slogan banners, I presume most offices or departments visit the mom-and-pop variety. I did ask the owner of the shop where I printed my banner if government people come by for the same purpose, and he said, “sometimes.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQmmJ9amckqGuanwZ2DvqiPnFr6kVhnqlFwu0gxidmnagth-gW5o2d92ZqQJvv9gGRATr_pPkugSAWpzsut7-qUB0Wpg65BKwwkOlJf_G1jY__7S1v_ShIns7eFzgMulbLfE-sIbpfaY/s1600-h/P1140832.JPG" "class=snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQmmJ9amckqGuanwZ2DvqiPnFr6kVhnqlFwu0gxidmnagth-gW5o2d92ZqQJvv9gGRATr_pPkugSAWpzsut7-qUB0Wpg65BKwwkOlJf_G1jY__7S1v_ShIns7eFzgMulbLfE-sIbpfaY/s400/P1140832.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350217709069667954" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Question #3: Is there an approved list of slogans or can you propose your own?</span> <br />If you want to hang your banner on the wall of your living room like I did, you can print anything you want. If you intend on hanging the banner in a public space, however, and you don’t want to get arrested, then I’m sure you need to seek approval from the appropriate bureau. I’m pretty sure that all government agencies at a certain level have the autonomy to print and promote any propaganda within their district that conforms to their purpose or mission. I will investigate further on this though… <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Question #4: Is there a gov't agency that decides who gets what banner and how long they stay up for?</span> <br />I’m not so clear on the structure and hierarchy of the government at these local levels, but I’m sure the 宣传部, propaganda department (whether every office and bureau has its own, or whether it exists independent of other agencies), makes these decisions. Again, further research needed… <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Question #5: Who pays for the banner production?</span> <br />The cost of material and labor for printing banners is cheap, and we all know there is zero effort or money invested in design. In this light, I don’t think payment is that big of an issue for government bodies that want to hang a few red streamers of policy and truth. But again, I’ll see if I can find out that real answer…<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Question #6: How much does a banner cost?</span> <br />5 meters of the quality banner I got costs just 25 rmb. For that price, I’m thinking about decorating my whole house!<br /><br />And for those that are interested, my banner reads 饭桶不再大, 有胃则名. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Here, we can actually learn a good lesson about the value of proof-reading, editing, and corroborating. Especially as a non-native Chinese speaker, I should be asking my buddies if what I’m writing in Mandarin is correct or not. Most of the time, I can assure you there are no errors. But sometimes, as ‘apedant’ has so helpfully pointed out, I’m off. One of the characters on the huge banner should be 在, not 再. But anyway,</span> my attempted slogan is a play on words, or parody of part of a famous Chinese poem that begins, “山不在高, 有仙则名,” which means that a mountain may not be tall, but if there’s an immortal living on its ridges, or in its caves, or on its peaks, then it’ll be famous. The poem continues: “水不在深, 有龙则灵,” or, a lake needn’t be deep; it has supernatural power so long as there is a dragon in it. My version, which I think may be clever enough to force an amendment of the original poem, says that an eating machine doesn’t have to be big; as long as he’s got a stomach, then he’ll have a reputation.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-19873464292126005722009-06-21T11:52:00.000-07:002009-06-21T12:00:57.991-07:00Weekly Slideshow #9I’m not sure what kind of personal or career adversity Alexander Graham Bell faced in his lifetime, but he was aware and experienced enough to recognize that, “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” …And that’s my lame and clichéd attempt at introducing the theme of this week’s slideshow. Enjoy.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="580" height="373" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fhereyagoalex%2Falbumid%2F5349853561887448769%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCOrAhu7rvfPhbA%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">All photos were taken by me. If you want a copy of a certain shot, let me know.</span>Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-21406969963986766822009-06-20T03:00:00.000-07:002009-06-20T03:06:37.618-07:00Deceptive Advertising“Advertising is the act or practice of attracting public notice and attention. It includes all forms of public announcement that are intended to aid directly or indirectly in the furtherance or promulgation of an idea, or in directing attention to a business, commodity, service or entertainment” (<span style="font-style:italic;">quote taken from <a href="http://definitions.uslegal.com/f/false-advertising/">here</a></span>). Deceptive advertising, then, is the act of using false or misleading statements and/or claims in the promotion of goods or services. <br /><br />In China, deceptive advertising is a plague. I haven’t done any research to see if China has its own Federal Trade Commission-esque agency, but even if it does, it’s clearly not very effective. I’ve recently posted a few entries on this blog that touch on this topic, e.g., “<a href="http://thewangwayin.blogspot.com/2009/04/brain-good-good.html">Brain Good Good</a>” and “<a href="http://thewangwayin.blogspot.com/2009/05/blondes-might-buy-it.html">Blondes Might Buy It</a>.” One of my first personal experiences in China with this kind of outright misrepresentation was back in 2004 when I was buying some street dumplings in Shanghai. I asked the vendor if he had meat dumplings. He said yes. I asked for a little tray of meat dumplings. He said sure. I ate a dumpling or two before I realized that the filling was some kind of minced vegetable. I told him the dumplings he gave me weren’t meat. He said he didn’t have meat dumplings. I said welcome to China. He said 没办法, or tough luck. <br /><br />What set me on this rant was a recent visit to a restaurant called 云南•过桥米线, or Yunnan’s Over the Bridge Rice Noodles. The dish that this restaurant is named after, like everything else in China, has a history. The story goes that there was some scholar who secluded himself on an island relatively far removed from his home so that he could study for the imperial examinations in peace and solitude. Everyday his wife would bring him lunch. By the time she walked over the long bridge to the island, however, the food had become cold. It wasn’t until one day when she cooked a hen to make broth that she realized the layer of oil that rose to the top was tremendously effective at retaining heat. This accidental discovery allowed her to deliver piping hot soup to her husband despite the distance she had to walk to reach him. And so, this Yunnan classic got its name. And by the way, it’s delicious! You can check out <a href="http://www.yfao.gov.cn/Enshow2.aspx?id=157">this link</a> for more. Anyway, I walked into this restaurant hungry for a big bowl of the stuff. “I’d like one order of Over the Bridge Noodles,” I respectfully requested. “Oh I’m so sorry,” replied the soft-spoken waitress, “we don’t have any of that.” I was there for an early dinner, so I was a bit confused by this response. “Are you all sold out already?” I asked. “No,” she said matter-of-factly, “we just don’t serve that here.” Now I was even more confused. “Are you telling me that your Over the Bridge Noodles restaurant does not serve Over the Bridge Noodles?” She countered with a sheepish smile and a “Can I suggest another noodle dish for you?” <br /><br />I asked the so-called manager of this well-furnished two-story eatery what the deal was. He was equally as diffident as the underage waitress. Perhaps if this place had been just a little hole in the wall, I could’ve understood. Actually, no, that’s not true. If your restaurant is named after a dish, you should serve that dish. It’s like opening up a shop called Hamburger House and not selling hamburgers. Not only does it not make sense, but it’s not fair…especially if you’re dying for a fat cake of minced beef topped with crisp lettuce, juicy tomato, a melty square of cheese, and tangy bbq sauce, all on top of a toasted sesame seed bun. Oh man, get me to nearest Red Robin!!Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-35562827951915073632009-06-19T09:43:00.000-07:002009-06-21T11:17:23.748-07:00West Point Explained<span style="font-weight:bold;">While not a China-related post, there are applications of what’s in this entry to the analysis of China’s past, present and future. </span><br /><br />When people ask me about my military experience, I find it difficult to explain in accurate, succinct terms. On the surface, there are tales of the hardships of basic training and the rigors of freshmen year... the lack of booze and women... the marching, reciting, and myriad responsibilities... the strict dress-code, speech-code, life-code. A bit deeper, there are legendary hazing stories, or tales of character building, brotherhood, and honor. Beyond that – past the physical and mental adversity, the relative lack of freedom, and the principles of selfless service – there were the feelings of liberation and the sense that my time at West Point, along with the memories it left me/what it taught me, was overwhelmingly positive. Why? Like I said before, conveying the concept of character building and camaraderie, or communicating the idea of being tired and hungry and frustrated as hell are relatively easy things to do. It was the reoccurring impression that I was unbounded and free that I find nearly impossible to rationalize or make clear. How can someone with so little choice feel so liberated? <br /><br />I believe the answer to that question is addressed beautifully by a pair of TED Talk talks. Last night on <a href="http://www.ted.com/">TED</a> I watched Dan Gilbert, author of <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/gilbert/">Stumbling on Happiness</a>, discuss a concept that has helped me to understand much more clearly why I liked the most un-fun university in America so much. His point is made clear through a discussion of the research he has conducted on the question of ‘why do we so often fail to know what will make us happy in the future?’ And after just a minute or two of watching his video, I was reminded of a talk I watched a little while back by Barry Schwartz. For anyone who wants to understand the beauty of West Point, or even that of Singapore (<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=4097264&page=1">the happiest country in Asia</a>), I invite you to learn more about the notion of <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html">synthetic happiness</a> and <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html">the paradox of choice</a>.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-85740646889706001482009-06-18T06:19:00.000-07:002009-06-18T06:30:31.444-07:00SlogansDespite the recent death of my original research plan, my time in Nanchang has not been wasted. The five months I’ve spent here as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed American has taught me a few things. First, cultural adaption is absolutely necessary for research success. It is important, however, to understand that as a foreigner, unconditional acceptance is an impossible goal; being white in this city (and country) means that you will always be treated as an outsider. This often works in your favor, but it also severely limits the scope of topics/depth of conversation people are willing to have with you. In this regard, Mandarin skills are awesomely valuable and act as testimony to the considerable effort and tremendous energy you’ve invested into being a serious researcher/cultural ambassador. However, the hard work that earns you respect is the same thing that on occasion may also cause some to view you as a threat, i.e., the stupider you are, the fewer questions you are going to ask. Likewise, the worse your Mandarin, the less you are going to understand. It’s when you are dealing with politically sensitive issues such as schistosomiasis that being able to read between the lines is seen more as a danger and a menace than as an asset. As such, direct questions are not always the best way to get direct answers and a direct approach does not always yield the best results. Embracing this truth in combination with a generous curiosity and some newly created downtime has led to the development of my latest side-project.<br /><br />标语, or <a href="http://www.danwei.org/trends_and_buzz/slogans_with_chinese_character.php">slogans</a>.<br /><br />When people ask what I’m doing here and why my Mandarin is “more standard than most Chinese,” <span style="font-style:italic;">(see note #1 at bottom of post)</span> I tell them that I study public health and I’m here to help raise the living standard of those who call the edge of Poyang Lake their home. For those not satisfied with that answer, I mention that I’m here specifically to research prevention and control measures for schistosomiasis (at least that’s what I used to say). Without fail, I’m met with an inquisitive look and a question in the form of statement: “But this disease was eradicated back in Mao’s time.” “Well,” I answer, “that’s not right.” I suggest that those who doubt me log on to Xinhua’s website and search for the term ‘xuexichong,’ or schistosomiasis in Chinese. Easier yet, I offer to them the following challenge: If schistosomiasis isn’t an issue anymore, why does the Jiangxi Institute of Parasitic Diseases exist? <span style="font-style:italic;">(see note #2 at bottom of post)</span> Moreover, why is it that when I go to the countryside I can see newly painted slogans on the walls of houses warning residents that schistosomiasis is an epidemic disease that seriously threatens their lives?<br /><br />It is with these rhetorical questions that I recently realized there is great potential for a research project that focuses on collecting and cataloguing slogans from all across China. The logic of this approach is very simple. Clearly, sensitive issues such as schistosomiasis are not left unguarded. My research was blocked for a reason, and I doubt it was because I honestly wanted to help. Could it be that schistosomiasis represents a bigger problem than most believe? The slogans on the wall, I contend, provide a hint to that answer. In this vein, one might be able to generate a catalogue of sorts - by location - of government-acknowledged problems. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVolRDZsJ8aq4VA1YYYJrF7pBHRZ6mzpyfpOUP9T53SGNY06l8UCuew7BS-40wbccKrR3LARIBAckAAyzl63Ct1L8Ef3z6w5i8bS4d72uZlItVdMoHlsIaVsWlywvFjaCKTB-VvJnyVIs/s1600-h/P1140831.JPG" "class=snap_noshots"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVolRDZsJ8aq4VA1YYYJrF7pBHRZ6mzpyfpOUP9T53SGNY06l8UCuew7BS-40wbccKrR3LARIBAckAAyzl63Ct1L8Ef3z6w5i8bS4d72uZlItVdMoHlsIaVsWlywvFjaCKTB-VvJnyVIs/s320/P1140831.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348658104925343266" /></a>Let me provide a tame example: For someone who has never been to China before it would be impossible to comment on the state of traffic safety, or use of pedestrian crosswalks. One look at the slogan in the picture to your right (人过马路口,斑马线内走), however, and you immediately know that the Nanchang Public Safety and Transportation Management Office wants less people to jay-walk. While this investigation by slogan-hunting fails to provide any absolutely clear data on the degree to which a certain problems exists, it’s a good start. For further analysis, 1) frequency of the slogan’s appearance, 2) its hanging site (provincial and rural/urban location are revealing, as is the actual physical position of where the slogan is hung or written), 3) the size of the banner/lettering, 4) and most importantly the reaction and response of locals to questions regarding the slogan, would provide valuable insight from a novel perspective into the social, political and economic problems that China is currently facing. Also, in many rural areas, slogans from decades ago are stilling peeling slowly from brick walls. Time and economic development are their greatest enemies. In this light, a collection of slogan photos and associated stories are an invaluable contribution not only to understanding modern China, but to remembering its past. <br /><br />In order for this project to resonate with my intended audience (scholars of China, outside of China), it is necessary to develop an understanding of the historical significance of slogans in China, as well as the scope of their presence today. Perhaps I will address this in a later post. <br /><br />Also, it may be helpful to start by defining some terms. Well, at least one term…标语, or slogan. First, what 标语 isn’t (in both pictures and words):<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="580" height="373" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fhereyagoalex%2Falbumid%2F5348651076575311889%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCMfT8snV9Yn1BQ%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />The targets of my research are not signs or banners produced by a private company or organization to promote sales or raise awareness of some internal activity/campaign. This includes restaurant and storefront signage, as well as, for example, spirited English school advertisements. Additionally, while the slogans I will be hunting for may be painted on walls, they are not graffiti. They are also not signposts or road signs for construction sites, parks, museums, etc. Lastly, while often side-splittingly hilarious, the slogans I will be looking for will not be found on t-shirts or other articles of clothing. In cities, I will be looking specifically for red banners with white lettering that convey not only government-approved, but government-endorsed messages. In more rural areas, these slogans will often be found, as mentioned early, painted or drawn on the walls of buildings or houses.<br /><br />If there is interest in this idea, or blog post, I will periodically update The Wang Way In with related photos and stories. If not, I’ll save the work for post-Fulbright publication in some form or another. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Note #1:</span> Having spent a lot of time around foreigners who speak Mandarin at different levels, I’ve found a negative correlation between the amount of praise one gets for his/her Chinese, and the actual level of that person’s fluency. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Note #2:</span> 江西省寄生虫病防治研究所是江西省唯一省级寄生虫病专业科研及防治机构,系省卫生厅直属单位. 主要开展血吸虫病,其它寄生虫病和麻风病的科学研究和应用开发工作,结合全省寄生虫病防治工作实际,引进,吸收,推广国内外防治新技术,新方法.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-35976771119846538982009-06-17T06:34:00.000-07:002009-06-17T07:40:29.812-07:00I’m Back (this is a long entry)After a month-long break and a few e-mails asking where I went, I decided to start posting again. Sorry for anybody who has been waiting (that’s probably just you Mom). There’s no promise, however, as to how long this renewed sense of blogging purpose is going to last. Anyway, a lot has happened since mid-May. Perhaps the best way to catch up is in bullet-type format. Let’s begin then, in no specific order… <br /><br />1) <span style="font-weight: bold;">I performed on stage (twice) in front of at least 1,500 people:</span><br />Until a few weeks ago, I was unaware that June 1st is International Children’s Day. I don’t remember celebrating this event in the good ol’ U.S. of A., but then again, just about every day growing up at home was Children’s Day. Anyway, back in the beginning of May I was invited by the secretary of the School of Intercultural Studies at Jiangxi Normal University to visit his hometown, Yifeng County (宜丰县). At that time, all I knew is that later on in the month my presence was requested for a visit to a local kindergarten. Once there, I would give a self-introduction and watch some kids perform. When the weekend before June 1st finally arrived I was told that I would actually be spending 3 days in Yifeng County, leaving me 2 nights to perform – in the name of Children’s Day – on stage in front of a giant auditorium filled with government officials, parents, and their children. There were even banners around town promoting the event: 宜丰县幼儿园“园庆•六一”大型文艺晚会. Welcome to China. I was not alone, however, which made the whole affair much easier to handle. The alcohol at dinner on both nights before the show probably helped as well. While all I was asked to do was say a few things in Chinese and attempt to speak a few words of the local dialect, the children who took part in the festivities were clearly trained for months on end. Their performance was absolutely tremendous and far beyond what I initially considered the resources and means of the county to be. Watch a video of some very young kids dancing and singing:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cv_vTSW7e_g&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cv_vTSW7e_g&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />And how could I not post a game attempt of some youngsters to play part of the fourth movement of Beethoven’s final symphony, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2AEaQJuKDY">Symphony No. 9</a>: <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rg1aZryiLvI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rg1aZryiLvI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />2) <span style="font-weight: bold;">I had a near-death experience: </span><br />About ten days ago, accompanied by several Chinese researchers, I took a trip to the countryside for my research. Besides networking and getting to speak with locals, I helped to administer a test to fifth-grade students to gauge the extent of their knowledge on schistosomiasis prevention and control measures. Anyway, at about noon, after a 4-hour ride to our destination, several of us, including the driver, enjoyed a big meal with equal parts beer. Below is a picture I took of the driver passed out in his seat before driving us home. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg01qpVpsMAqqn-PFpF43WYMemFRiBNgfoTaFQDB8mxXbA3H0W35A-cPlfPvgCr2rye_dwbQz5f92Q_8YMk-zLLiM6iTmxRAQLXCQ330Re4NnoWXt3o4-3egsqqASxx6-swzgJnYgdIhfg/s1600-h/P1140780.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg01qpVpsMAqqn-PFpF43WYMemFRiBNgfoTaFQDB8mxXbA3H0W35A-cPlfPvgCr2rye_dwbQz5f92Q_8YMk-zLLiM6iTmxRAQLXCQ330Re4NnoWXt3o4-3egsqqASxx6-swzgJnYgdIhfg/s400/P1140780.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348287296462792818" border="0"></a> And believe me, given the normal conditions of Chinese roads (I’m not necessarily talking about how well their maintained, but about the manner in which people here drive), any impairment of your driver’s ability to steer, stop, or sound the horn can rightfully be considered a near-death experience. <br /><br />3) <span style="font-weight: bold;">I took an awesome picture of a bug and a leaf and a bead of water:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuIMN9zwpDqYwla1mHZ_ehwQQpHWrtsfl2HxPl_M3QN7vH7XHYWvzbonAc9_y0pFFnPSnahTDGC-BMs9YgCPMDu27-l4iksUC_3lUoR9CIIrrp73iA27R95g3DbO0wdpMaNUKRsJPqz0/s1600-h/P1140705.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuIMN9zwpDqYwla1mHZ_ehwQQpHWrtsfl2HxPl_M3QN7vH7XHYWvzbonAc9_y0pFFnPSnahTDGC-BMs9YgCPMDu27-l4iksUC_3lUoR9CIIrrp73iA27R95g3DbO0wdpMaNUKRsJPqz0/s400/P1140705.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348287036894647970" border="0"></a> <br />4) <span style="font-weight: bold;">I got a private hearing of some old-school revolutionary music:</span><br />In Yifeng County, this grandma/grandpa couple was nice enough to invite me into their home. On top of providing tea and snacks, the matriarch of the family sang a few songs that while I didn’t understand, I appreciated as much as one can appreciate something they don’t understand. Below is one of those songs:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pgj8dBgGUWc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pgj8dBgGUWc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />5) <span style="font-weight: bold;">I had my Fulbright research canceled:</span><br />Last week, out of the blue, the director of Jiangxi’s Institute for Parasitic Diseases (IPD), also known as my former research advisor, canceled my work. Without warning or explanation, my future in Nanchang as a Fulbright schistosomiasis researcher now virtually ceases to exist. “I am very very sorry to inform you,” the director of IPD said in an e-mail, “that Jiangxi Institute of Parasitic Diseases can not help you for your research and field work. Please cancel your plan. It is not necessary to come to my institute. Nothing you did wrong and I should apologize for this change.” The story of how and why and who and what is not so important in this context. What does matter, however, is that my detailed research plan - the plan that was originally authorized by the head of the institute (who also happens to be the highest ranking government official in Jiangxi that deals directly and specifically with schistosomiasis) - is now laying facedown in a pool of its own blood.<br /><br />6) <span style="font-weight: bold;">I started to work on a new side-project:</span><br />Given the obstacle that my research has crashed into, I must consider some follow-up strategies or alternative approaches that allow me to make the most of the time I have left on Fulbright. Ideally, I can come up with a legitimate way to shift focus off of schisto fieldwork and onto something else that still allows me to gain schisto-related knowledge and develop future research skills/contacts, but most importantly, help the people I originally intended to help. A harsh reality, however, is that without my connections at the institute and my ban on schisto-related countryside travel/data collection, it will be exceedingly difficult to fill my time with schistosomiasis work. As such, I have started work on a new side-project that I will write more about tomorrow.<br /><br />7) <span style="font-weight: bold;">I saw a man carrying something so important that he had it locked in a metal box attached to his belt:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0pBRljDJ_CnrJAO1AJxiILMUhLfV0SOpDVqpqgCIYiZfJ5hD_VQTWJrBHsEBym42kLXY3em9DzZ5IeK2R3Juc4tAveqlmvzE2SK5i0z7FmqjUCCsHt1XmAgEZBLLC8kBNxfKWuUTqGE/s1600-h/P1140583.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0pBRljDJ_CnrJAO1AJxiILMUhLfV0SOpDVqpqgCIYiZfJ5hD_VQTWJrBHsEBym42kLXY3em9DzZ5IeK2R3Juc4tAveqlmvzE2SK5i0z7FmqjUCCsHt1XmAgEZBLLC8kBNxfKWuUTqGE/s400/P1140583.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348288228477685218" border="0"></a><br />8) <span style="font-weight: bold;">I experienced one of the four great happinesses in life:</span> Let me share with you what Chinese traditional thought considers these four to be. <br /><br />久旱逢甘雨: Literally, sweet dew after a long drought. This bears testimony to the long, often anguished, agricultural history of China. Figuratively, to have a long-felt need finally satisfied.<br /><br />洞房花烛夜: The night of your wedding festivities. This specifically refers to the consummation of marriage. Remember, chastity before marriage is a traditional Chinese virtue.<br /><br />金榜题名时: Literally, when your name appears on the roll of honor. This here refers to the time when imperial exams still existed and one found his/her name on the list of those who passed the test, allowing entry into government or political office, which promised then exactly what it promises now; fame and power. Now-a-days this saying refers to being admitted after an exam, or figuratively speaking, accomplishing something after hard work and getting recognition for it.<br /><br />And finally, the one happiness I was lucky enough to experience…<br />他乡遇故知: Coming across an old friend in a place far away from home. This here refers to my meeting/travels with Edie, a dear friend of mine who I first met many years ago when I was teaching English in Yangshuo. Despite the time we’ve spent apart, we finally got to meet again. The Chinese, believe it or not, have a saying for this kind of thing too… It’s 有缘千里能相会,无缘对面不相逢. In English, roughly translated, it means that if two people have destiny on their sides they can meet even if they’re 310.69 miles apart (it sounds better with Chinese units of measurement, trust me). If there’s no destiny at work, however, then even if the two are right across from each other, they won’t meet. Anyway, it’s a pretty cool feeling when an Australian babe and an American dude can meet in China.<br /> <br />And last of my notable adventures in the past month (at least of which I'm willing to share on this blog)…<br />9) <span style="font-weight: bold;">I saw a dirty picture (the content below is not for kids):</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMAzq5tYntTJv6WS0J-RoZ_yAHvfTZIL2ykLcfICTwGumV7KIErdXmlMfYOHyNY3HAQ77iZqIU3dIkC23kBhZY-4QznUyKu8gIWC3-qiQyYmLuZOoVILBpfwJ4dd7kLiM7x1KjSF0dek/s1600-h/P1140616.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMAzq5tYntTJv6WS0J-RoZ_yAHvfTZIL2ykLcfICTwGumV7KIErdXmlMfYOHyNY3HAQ77iZqIU3dIkC23kBhZY-4QznUyKu8gIWC3-qiQyYmLuZOoVILBpfwJ4dd7kLiM7x1KjSF0dek/s400/P1140616.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348288632176723394" border="0"></a>Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-75891269246593481612009-05-14T09:40:00.000-07:002009-05-14T09:47:27.227-07:00Blondes Might Buy ItRecently I’ve been reading the Nanchang Evening Newspaper almost on a daily basis. It not only helps to improve my Chinese, but it makes me laugh. Within the past two days, I’ve come across a few ads that are definitely worth sharing. The first is an announcement for a cycling tour that’s being promoted by Nanchang’s department of housing facilities and most likely the city’s tourism board. As an American expat here, it’s simply irrational to miss an event that publicizes itself as the place “Where the United States found drunk.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqKuaOucH_H-2atfnSHeNzDguGY2ZuFkrRco7t3IPUpJDTEDlKCfk0IFt-_B-DLZ8QwBYalNK-vEUtW9eL9TZe58EESfR5DE6zw4_1QIR996bUA_B0x0K5NVZokwIargi8jcxMm1-AYU/s1600-h/bike.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqKuaOucH_H-2atfnSHeNzDguGY2ZuFkrRco7t3IPUpJDTEDlKCfk0IFt-_B-DLZ8QwBYalNK-vEUtW9eL9TZe58EESfR5DE6zw4_1QIR996bUA_B0x0K5NVZokwIargi8jcxMm1-AYU/s400/bike.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335720927561427426" /></a><br />The ads that really had me chuckling though are from the same hair replacement/re-growth company. While the global hair loss market must be gigantic (think about all the lotions, shampoos, serums, oils, drugs, books, transplants, and toupees that are available in the US alone), I have absolutely no sense of how balding is dealt with in China, or the scope of the market. If ads are being printed in the newspapers, however, there is clearly demand; perhaps just like the rest of the beauty market in this part of the world, as disposable income rises and foreign ideals of beauty invade, hair loss treatment will become more and more commonplace. Hopefully as this type of therapy gains popularity, some genuine testimonial photos will become available so that the designers of these advertisements don’t have to use photoshop to make their before and after shots a reality. Just take a look for yourself:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf231ShWWsblWYueMDHZ9aOWw8_Wet0eA4reh1V_DMgJpOFCd-VZ2wcp0a-yhg7rgPAEfWOL0xj_I91KAlymuUGWC_wW5SgugV8Bdkq-qMNaXj57Kp1GnerpoZ-xKfTkt2nUnAPKW2t9w/s1600-h/hair.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 379px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf231ShWWsblWYueMDHZ9aOWw8_Wet0eA4reh1V_DMgJpOFCd-VZ2wcp0a-yhg7rgPAEfWOL0xj_I91KAlymuUGWC_wW5SgugV8Bdkq-qMNaXj57Kp1GnerpoZ-xKfTkt2nUnAPKW2t9w/s400/hair.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335721211666066354" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRiMTus_k8NkmvQIQjtfMPYPl6GhhPvrcR_to4HLQfCF8q57E9tZlChA1z5_L0rEhO7W2GuvKBC77G8zGC94gjJZTEs7ecVfnATrCRkkhsef0ika-KNvgOnaVOIlMxv8EtBF8f5ePz78/s1600-h/hair1.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 374px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRiMTus_k8NkmvQIQjtfMPYPl6GhhPvrcR_to4HLQfCF8q57E9tZlChA1z5_L0rEhO7W2GuvKBC77G8zGC94gjJZTEs7ecVfnATrCRkkhsef0ika-KNvgOnaVOIlMxv8EtBF8f5ePz78/s400/hair1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335721450077474498" /></a><br />I tried to visit their website for pricing and stuff, but the web address they advertise as their own (<a href="www.tlbf.com">www.tlbf.com</a>) is actually that of a Dutch consulting firm. Fake pictures and a non-existent website, but hey, I’m sure their product is safe and effective!Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-3190757035935174102009-05-12T19:44:00.000-07:002009-05-12T19:59:32.627-07:00Cat vs. ChickenSo i've gotten a few comments regarding my last post about having eaten what was supposedly cat paws. Some people said that judging by the picture, what I ate looks more like chicken feet. Well, if we make a ruling based on probability, or my sincere hopes, I would also say chicken feet. If we come to a conclusion based on the name of the dish written on the bill, it was certainly cat feet that made their way through my GI tract. But if we want to make a judgment based on the photo in my last blog post, we ought to do a little comparison:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPCqjtK8Qc1mMkq-UkBb-zSHzsp1PLLyoyddcKHhxN9VoxGfYmO5CNQBpRwyTqRDRn6lICTmws9bgdozIvop-OdTSj7zkyRdFknUYpCgp4pzOviXZDLwjg5FgLvuBf4dVTr2oRAVXcgY/s1600-h/Desktop5.jpg" class="snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 440px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPCqjtK8Qc1mMkq-UkBb-zSHzsp1PLLyoyddcKHhxN9VoxGfYmO5CNQBpRwyTqRDRn6lICTmws9bgdozIvop-OdTSj7zkyRdFknUYpCgp4pzOviXZDLwjg5FgLvuBf4dVTr2oRAVXcgY/s400/Desktop5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335137442075501586" /></a><br />Unfortunately, as I'm sure you will all agree, what was sitting on my plate that day looks more like the image on the left. Sorry Binky!Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-4867519369886633382009-05-11T18:27:00.000-07:002009-05-11T18:34:03.813-07:00Memorable MealI have thousands and thousands of photos from my time in China. Last night, with not much to do, I decided to start with the first picture I ever took here and work my way forward. It was pretty interesting to see how my discretion with the camera changed over time. At first, it seems I was only interested in capturing tourist sites such as Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower and Yuyuan Gardens, Hangzhou’s West Lake, and the Great Wall in Beijing. As the days passed, my eyes apparently became more and more in tune with the human element (by far the most interesting part of China). I started photographing, for instance, <a href="http://www.sleepingchinese.com/">locals sleeping</a> in the most uncomfortable public places in the middle of the day, taxi drivers wearing white gloves, and street vendors preparing their stock. As I took time to get to know people, what I saw began to transform. I was hooked. I quickly learned the difference between tourist and traveler and decided to become to latter. My journey hasn’t ended since. <br /><br />One of the wonders of travel is eating like a local. I don’t mean eating food that is prepared local style by a nice hotel or delivered to you by some tourist company; I mean getting down and dirty where there are no signs or guides. So on October 22, 2004, about a week after my initial arrive in Shanghai, I sat on a stool in a small hole-in-the-wall and ordered this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLLQCgOfT4AJ-w-PnQc0UJBO-tDroMY_G2sdgHbiiqfVdGMVDChWmIqu2KqokkswrpBNcibXQp8Idp89Uzpa48lScASPqT0JgLiyIIDXtXZSnP0zjjRlV_kGm4DiVFNE2ogPbo0ogimk/s1600-h/IMG_0296.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLLQCgOfT4AJ-w-PnQc0UJBO-tDroMY_G2sdgHbiiqfVdGMVDChWmIqu2KqokkswrpBNcibXQp8Idp89Uzpa48lScASPqT0JgLiyIIDXtXZSnP0zjjRlV_kGm4DiVFNE2ogPbo0ogimk/s400/IMG_0296.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334744494370439506" /></a><br />What could it be? Well, it was certainly more exotic looking than the dumplings I ordered for my first ever meal in China. I had no idea what the three dishes sitting in front of me were. All I knew is that the characters in their names looked beautiful; that’s why I pointed to them and said 我要, ‘I want.’ I nibbled reluctantly at first, but found there was nothing to be afraid of. The new tastes and smells were exhilarating! The dish all the way on the right, however, I couldn’t finish. There was almost no meat on those fragile little bones. I paid the bill and brought the receipt back to my Chinese-speaking brother, anxious to find out what was sitting in my belly. “This can’t be right,” he said. He asked to see a picture of what I ate, which only confirmed his suspicions. “Dude, you just ate cat paws!” I’m sorry to all the animal-lovers out there (I’m one as well), but I had no idea what I was eating. And if it makes you feel any better, cat is not delicious so I won’t be eating it again. <br /><br />So yeah, be a tourist and you may be able to avoid such an experience. But be a traveler and make memories that few have; memories you are guaranteed never to forget.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-79490809173158909042009-05-11T03:29:00.000-07:002009-05-11T03:56:25.935-07:00Good MorningIn at least 3 or 4 posts on this blog I have alluded to the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnDdhYul7Ck">ubiquity</a> of fireworks in China. But not until you see/hear a symphony of firecrackers in the middle of a relatively lush housing complex at 9:00am on a Sunday morning do you really understand how common pyromaniacs are over here. So, as you watch this video, please feel a bit of sympathy for me. I rented an apartment in a corner of the city (and not the center, which would be significantly more convenient in terms of going to and from school/work) with the express purpose of enjoying a quiet environment without swarms of people and cars. I never did consider early morning bottle rockets though…<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxzFrGrIFoBis2gwZrKo2JbOlu61qX0YWpSuQdQoMaf7wrmC5f5YpHdP7d7ATnL2TL6YGeKq2nWRx1KHeo7dg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />If you don’t feel like watching the whole clip, just skip to the one minute mark. I don’t know what, or why, but something about the kid running through the smoke at the end makes me laugh.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-808799195038408772009-05-09T06:53:00.000-07:002009-06-30T09:27:37.792-07:00Lying-in<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgav0mgM4NrqY_xk5n-DJlZgEkDPcR-709ao2gDBO8HI3FkuyQjJAZ9i4FQitvKd6JEupYOJo0wYj9V-o9UB1wSMUU5gBatlAOeKQZuYYi3aN4fiJ7qe4QjC4HMbKv8VwjHLYxzc5qY674/s1600-h/P1140406.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgav0mgM4NrqY_xk5n-DJlZgEkDPcR-709ao2gDBO8HI3FkuyQjJAZ9i4FQitvKd6JEupYOJo0wYj9V-o9UB1wSMUU5gBatlAOeKQZuYYi3aN4fiJ7qe4QjC4HMbKv8VwjHLYxzc5qY674/s400/P1140406.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333823006409178418" /></a>I was on a subway with some of my Chinese friends when one of them grabbed his camera and shot the picture to the right. “It looks like you just had a baby!” he said with a roar of laughter. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. Was he still drunk from the night before? Did I look fat? Was it the way I was standing or the expression on my face? Did I have placenta hanging out of my pocket? Nope. It turns out that basically the only people in China who wear hats like the one I was wearing that day are post-partum women. Still confused? Well, let me introduce you to the traditional convention of 坐月子, also known as the ‘month of confinement,’ ‘lying-in,’ or literally, ‘<a href="http://www.womenofchina.cn/Lifestyle/Health/209151.jsp">to sit for the month immediately following birth</a>.’ <br /><br />Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a set of theories and principles, body of knowledge, and system of healing that has been around for thousands of years and still remains mainstream across much, if not all of China. The TCM ritual of - and practices surrounding - the month of rest after birth is a great example of this ancient philosophy at work in modern China. Young mothers today, in urban as well as rural settings, are apparently still quite likely to follow the advice of the 坐月子 period. Recommendations, which are taken from <a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/148.htm">this website</a> and corroborated by many friends, include (in Chinese): <br /><blockquote>1)不能吹风,因为产后气血虚弱、筋骨松弛,风寒湿邪易趁虚而入,引起感冒、风湿、关节酸痛、腹泻等疾病。<br />2)不能洗头,着凉以后容易头痛。<br />3)不能流泪或长时间大量阅读,否则会伤害视力。所以阅读时姿势要正确、时间不要太长、光线要充足,不看悲伤、火暴或是情绪激烈的内容,最重要是不影响休息,因为若没有适度的休息,容易造成出血难止、腰酸腹痛、精神不济。<br />4)尽量不沾水,也不能吃稀饭、牛奶、果汁等,不然将来会患风湿病或神经痛。<br />5)不能吃生冷的食物。因为产后体质较差,生冷食物吸收不好容易影响身体恢复和通过母乳影响婴儿肠胃。</blockquote>A quick translation into English of these recommendations:<br /><blockquote>1) Don’t catch a chill or rest in breezy places. Your vital energy is lacking and your body is weak during the post-partum period, so it’s easy to get cold, which in turn will generate symptoms such as rheumatism, sore joints, diarrhea, etc. <br />2) Don’t wash your hair; after getting gold it’s easy to get a headache.<br />3) Don’t cry or read for a long time, otherwise you will hurt your eyesight. Also, while you read, be sure to sit with correct posture and have ample light. Additionally, don’t read anything with content that’s sad, fiery, or emotionally intense. This is all because you don’t want to negatively affect your body at this time and if you don’t get appropriate rest it’s easy to start hemorrhaging, have abdominal pain, and lose energy.<br />4) Do your best to not come into contact with water or eat/drink porridge, milk, juice, etc. Otherwise, you will likely suffer from rheumatism or neuralgia (pain produced by a change in neurological structure or function).<br />5) Avoid eating anything raw or cold. Your body is especially weak after birth; eating raw and cold foods will negatively affect your body’s recovery and will potentially cause your breast milk to disturb your baby’s intestines and stomach.</blockquote>Apparently, part of the first recommendation above is to wear a hat at all times during this period. <a href="http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/58252714.html">This online forum</a> illustrates one expecting mother’s distress at the idea of being forced by her parents to wear long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, and a hat during the summer. However, thankfully so, those responding to her worries remind her it’s not the hat that is so important, but rather staying warm and avoiding open windows, air conditioning, electric fans, etc. <br /><br />It’s truly amazing how divergent Western and Eastern philosophies of medicine and health are. I believe it’s only of benefit to apply the scientific method of inquiry to these ancient Chinese beliefs/traditions and adopt what works. The future of health will be found at the interface of these two bodies of knowledge. While advanced medical technologies are indispensible in our battle against illness and pursuit of longevity, sometimes a hat is all you need. There’s no denying that ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-58897588795503812292009-05-06T10:08:00.000-07:002009-05-06T10:09:12.767-07:00Weekly Slideshow #8About 25 kilometers west of the center of Beijing in the Mentougou District (门头沟区) lies an historically significant and picturesque little village called Cuandixia (爨底下). The first character in this village’s name, if I remember correctly, is one of the most (if not the most) stroke-intensive characters in the Chinese dictionary. At 30 strokes, it may leave you amused to know this hieroglyph simply means ‘to cook.’ Or, as a noun, it refers to ‘an earthen kitchen stove.’ Anyway, the village itself, while slightly commercial, is a very welcome escape from the bustle of the big city. Enjoy some pictures from my trip there in mid-September of 2008:<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="580" height="373" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fhereyagoalex%2Falbumid%2F5332754716335627585%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">All photos were taken by me. If you want a copy of a certain shot, let me know.</span>Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-17361179622934913312009-05-05T09:45:00.000-07:002009-05-05T10:19:08.943-07:00Unique Faces<span style="font-style:italic;">“Don’t they all look the same?” </span><br />It’s a question I get from a lot of people in the States who have never been to Asia, or who’ve had only minimal interaction with Asians. The answer is no, and today’s post ought to be very helpful in clearing up any confusion as to why.<br /><br />Just yesterday, I stumbled upon an amazing image created by Lebanese designer and illustrator, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/11863963310866416974">Joumana Medlej</a>. What she attempts to accomplish in her “<a href="http://www.cedarseed.com/fire/tutorials.html">Artist’s Guide to Human Types</a>,” of which 'part 1' should distinctly interest Asia buffs, is develop a catalog of sorts for people that are confronted with the need to accurately portray the anatomy and physiognomy of different races. She put this together for, “anyone who aspires to create characters true to nature and not draw [for instance] Africans that looks like Europeans with dark skin.” She also stresses that her work is not an exact science, and her representations are simply average models of what she has researched and seen. <span style="font-weight:bold;">You’ll have to click on <a href="http://www.cedarseed.com/fire/humantypes1.html">this link</a> to view her 'Human Types: Asians' composition in all its awesomeness and detail.</span><br /><br />Compare, for instance, the work of Medlej to <a href="http://guildofscientifictroubadours.com/?p=273">this anthropological gem</a>, which was edited by Chandler B. Beach back in 1914. <br /><br />If you feel confident that you’ve learned something, you can go to this website: <a href="http://alllooksame.com/register.php?tid=1">AllLookSame</a> and take a test to determine how well you are able to distinguish between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean faces. I've already registered on your behalf. You can use my User Name (thewangwayin) and Password (thewangwayin) to take the test. For more fun, you can take the test once before studying Medlej’s handbook, and then once again after. I’d love to hear results from anyone that takes the test; you can simply leave a comment to this post.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-20742064039054576802009-05-04T09:14:00.000-07:002009-05-04T09:18:09.278-07:00When It’s Sleepy Time Down SouthI spent part of today’s sunny afternoon in the park adjacent to Nanchang’s Qingshan Lake (青山湖). Apart from being aggressively accosted and caressed by what must have been either a mentally unstable grandpa, or just an older gentleman overly-confident that I would be interested in a gay relationship with him, the day was really wonderful. My research proposal has finally been approved by my work unit (they actually have nothing to do with my research and were therefore quite confused as to why I was involving them in an official capacity, but the head of the research institute where I intend to work has stressed that this document from them is essential in moving forward – welcome to doing research in China), I ate an awesome lunch of spicy duck, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time to see a beautiful (but obviously sobering) traditional funeral procession. I was simply resting lakeside when I heard fireworks going off behind my head. This normally wouldn’t have even made me think twice - firecrackers and fireworks are literally a part of daily life here - but I heard the accompanying bay of trumpets and roll of drums, which eventually encouraged me to turn around and see what was going on. Below are two videos that show some of what I saw. In fact, I’m not totally sure if what I saw was a funeral march, but it’s my best guess. Anybody who knows better, please comment. I would love to know more about this custom/tradition, but I was too bashful to ask those participating. And soon after they walked past, the old mossback I mentioned above came to sit next to me, after which point my curiosity about the march fell temporarily to the back of my mind. Anyway, enjoy:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yFTlO5bk-PY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yFTlO5bk-PY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XXSJ7Q67J0A&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XXSJ7Q67J0A&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-7612194876550027992009-05-03T08:57:00.000-07:002009-05-03T09:10:35.457-07:00Articulate Musculature and Flourishing Hues (a long, essay post)By American standards, I’d say I’m more or less of average build. I like to work out, but I don’t think anybody would describe me as “too muscle-y.” In China, however, that is not the case. Here, people sometimes come up to me in the gym or even on the street (yeah, sometimes I wear cut-offs, so what?) and give my arms a squeeze. “Sooo thick,” or “are they real?” Now while this is awesome for my ego, I’m not satisfied there. I want to know, why is it that the concept of body is so different in China than in the West? Let’s explore…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3d5_RM5BxpHfaCLJgFxjbAm-FIvU8FLL_nyyme269iFHQlf8oTcyXzsXp-ldqafiIAl9PzhHQ_tMvQGDq5t-CvMS3l1WmnzEu0PUN3_KOyNXeGxjrrliYykU6BhuCXPM_VFvSNm8QfE/s1600-h/east+west+body.jpg" class="snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3d5_RM5BxpHfaCLJgFxjbAm-FIvU8FLL_nyyme269iFHQlf8oTcyXzsXp-ldqafiIAl9PzhHQ_tMvQGDq5t-CvMS3l1WmnzEu0PUN3_KOyNXeGxjrrliYykU6BhuCXPM_VFvSNm8QfE/s400/east+west+body.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331629964759813890" /></a><br />By comparing the two illustrations above (Hua Shou’s and Vesalius’), which are central to Shigehisa Kuriyama’s <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Expressiveness-Divergence-Greek-Chinese-Medicine/dp/0942299892">The Expressiveness of the Body…</a></span>, one major conclusion is made (one that we already know), i.e., somewhere along the course of history, Greek and Chinese medicine has diverged. Through the eyes of modern medicine, with regard to Hua Shou’s figure, Chinese doctors have made a flagrant omission of the body’s most prominent feature - its musculature. While one picture is viewed as anatomical, the other is not. Clearly, structure and function of the human body are not universally understood as being the same, which begs the question of ‘On what basis are alternative perspectives of the body formed?’ And ‘How is one to apply this disparity of perception in the context of medical history?’ In debating the struggle of “belonging to” versus “possessing” and “the body” versus “self,” Kuriyama asserts that different conceptions of the body owe to different ways of thinking, evident between the East and West.<br /><br />Clearly defined musculature, which on account of the traditions of Western art has accustomed us to imagining muscles as “salient perspicuous structures,” is something that Chinese medicine has all but neglected. So what is the true structure and function of the working body? Kuriyama provides insight in support of the fact that there is no “right” answer: As the 18th century art educator Charles-Antoine Jombert once asserted, novice drawing students must study anatomy in order to gain the ability to locate the whereabouts of the body’s muscles, as the average nude human figure has very few muscles clearly defined. This supports the idea that the eye perceives exactly what it is trained to perceive. Moreover, our current view of the human body is not so much seeing as it is projecting our imagination of what should be seen. One cannot ignore the influence of classical art and the media on the way we see, or want to see, the body. Ancient ideals of the sinewy and well-defined are continuing to be manifested in countless forms today. <br /><br />Greek ideals of body and self, as Kuriyama argues, may stem from the idea of “anatomical seeing,” which is rooted in the medical practices of dissection and vivisection, tracing back to Alexandrian times. But was the development of anatomy an inevitability, as it has been treated by historians? Does the desire to know about the body translate directly into the desire to dissect? Kuriyama argues that it does not. For instance, one may study the affect on the body of certain foods in certain circumstances, or exercises, such as yoga, meditation, and breathing. Further still, one may examine how the body acts as an environmental being, shaped by air, water, and the stars, or how it changes when burned, bled, or needled. Accordingly, Kuriyama avows, one does not need a dismembered corpse to learn of the body. So why does anatomy hold so much authority in Western medicine? While many ancient cultures scrutinized the insides of animals and humans, they didn’t see things in the same way, or have the same “visual style” as physicians of the West. That is to say that the development of the anatomy we know today involved a unique desire, or a “distinct urge.” As <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-Medicine-Erwin-Ackerknecht/dp/0801827264">Erwin Ackerknecht</a> affirms, dissection is nothing without the right “scientific spirit.” And it is this spirit that forms the nature of anatomical seeing. Kuriyama attempts to characterize this spirit, or drive, as a quest to exhibit nature’s perfection, i.e., the divinity of design, or God’s flawless will. As he testifies, “creation is guided by an image: it is the act of translating imagined forms into matter.” Thus, the anatomist or dissector wanted to see God’s image, eventually uncovering his ultimate design.<br /><br />As has become clear, there is a history to what Kuriyama calls “muscle-consciousness.” But the question remains, “What prompted the interest in muscles that normal men had not noticed before, and physicians had barely recognized?” This is an important query, as it’s evident that “muscle-consciousness” is not incidental of anatomy in general. Kuriyama traces the fixation on muscles to the idea of articulation, which, in ancient Greece and even today, is often seen as a mark of bravery and strong character. Articulation is basically the many differentiations that give the body its distinct form. Articulation to the Greek was seen as a strictly human characteristic, such as the articulation of the voice with the organs of speech. This was the common explanation given as to why only humans maintain the ability of speech. Muscular articulation, on the other hand, was seen as the product of struggle, or sustained exertion - something the Greeks admired. So, as Kuriyama details the “rich fabric of ideals woven around articulation,” he paints a clear picture of the opinion that, “visible joints…separate one part of the body from another, distinguish[ing] individuals from each other, [and] divid[ing] Europeans from Asians.”<br /><br />After some time, the Greeks developed the idea that muscles had function, or unique agency. Anatomy and medicine evolved into an art concerned not so much about how the body looked, but how it worked. This is where Kuriyama’s chief contention about the origins of muscle-consciousness can be found: “The rise of the preoccupation with muscles is inextricably intertwined with the emergence of a particular conception of personhood.” That is, muscles allow one to choose what to do or how to act, as muscles are the “organs of voluntary motion.” Moreover, the use of these “organs of voluntary motion” requires practice and training. One may take language as an example: While the articulation of voice requires certain anatomy, it also calls for a self-mastery of sorts. This is why children cannot speak immediately after birth - Time is required to discern how to use what has been given to them.<br /><br />It is this shift in thinking, from a “cosmic motion” (a soul, responsible for movement, derived from the divine ether) to the movement of an “autonomous agent” that provides for the basis of the Western understanding of self and its preoccupation with musculature. Kuriyama claims that “the obsession with muscles reflected the birth of a new experience of embodied life.” Specifically, the fixation on muscles cannot be understood without comprehending the history of Western culture and self-understanding.<br /><br />As someone who lives in the Sahara Desert cannot imagine abundant water, an Eskimo cannot imagine a place as hot as the desert. Nonetheless, these two places are indeed physically connected, with only some slowly changing geographic features between them. The difficulty is in linking, or connecting the two, and educating both parties about what’s there. This analogy helps to imagine the division between Western and Eastern medicine – both have acquired practices and developed modes of thought that are simply consistent with their cultural and physical environment.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-44233769184761280602009-05-01T01:40:00.000-07:002009-05-01T20:52:57.554-07:00Supply And Demand<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxvvCMIIhBs6KpVH847TsziHchk_meka2L88ZD98cYugpMU9hHQXU87eeP5r_DpRvIYXHa_vQFpcMP-7NTrgckPdthjT1SDd0ZAoJxp1ORVrFESRzSZYE-bsyUwlz41aZo9ZLa5RMC-Y/s1600-h/P1140488.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxvvCMIIhBs6KpVH847TsziHchk_meka2L88ZD98cYugpMU9hHQXU87eeP5r_DpRvIYXHa_vQFpcMP-7NTrgckPdthjT1SDd0ZAoJxp1ORVrFESRzSZYE-bsyUwlz41aZo9ZLa5RMC-Y/s400/P1140488.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330773491991595202" /></a>Starting from the right-hand side of the picture above and working left along the storefront billboards, there are some characters that you may benefit from knowing:<br />休闲: These two characters mean ‘to be at ease,’ or ‘leisure.’<br />婚: This character, depending on context, can act as a noun or a verb; marriage, or to marry.<br />性: Here, this character means ‘sex.’<br />保健: Again, these two characters are often found paired together. 保 means to protect, keep, or ensure, and 健 means ‘healthy,’ or ‘to strengthen.’<br />The leftmost storefront in this picture is a print shop for making posters, name-cards, etc. <br /><br />Anyway, you get the idea of what kind of shops these are, right? Well, there is a reason that along this random stretch of road near my home there are at least a dozen “massage parlors,” (not pictured above, but they can be found in the same area) each employing enough girls to fill an entire handball team roster (no pun intended). While some provide more comprehensive service than others, each shop shares the same purpose, i.e., fill the demand for unattached, cheap sex, or sexual contact. In China, this type of man/woman encounter - as has been expressed to me both implicitly and explicitly - is, apart from inside massage parlors, very hard to come by. Often times even within a marriage, I have learned, physical intimacy is the exception, not the rule. Cramped living conditions, demands/sacrifices of migrant labor, and relationships based on considerations other than true love may account for this phenomenon. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNUf2kHg3ANTUJBKPn7tUhktJ5FSIUwrI6EESTuN7FoQheLaE-AqdisNSP-U7oqRMOm6zF8CRlDnOT8gncEg7_L6Oe9ZI0Y-0Nrpqbn9ypG7QvRXnZprwyKN9iO7OtMDQvfU6OFH-NbM/s1600-h/P1140491.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNUf2kHg3ANTUJBKPn7tUhktJ5FSIUwrI6EESTuN7FoQheLaE-AqdisNSP-U7oqRMOm6zF8CRlDnOT8gncEg7_L6Oe9ZI0Y-0Nrpqbn9ypG7QvRXnZprwyKN9iO7OtMDQvfU6OFH-NbM/s320/P1140491.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330773211569974770" /></a>Anyway, a few weeks ago I made friends with one of the security guards that used to work at the complex where I live (he has since moved to Shenzhen in the name of increased economic opportunity). We bumped into each other one afternoon as he was coming off of his shift. He invited me to go for a cruise on the back of his motorcycle. “With pleasure,” I responded. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon, with the sun shining bright, and neither of us had any place to be. Just as an old bus driving in front of us spat out a cloud of hot, black exhaust, my friend pulled over to the side of the road. “Wow! How considerate,” I thought. “This guy really read my mind.” Within 10 seconds, however, we were off the bike and inside a huge room with dozens of curious, yet bashful looking teenage girls. “Ok, maybe he didn’t read my mind,” I said to myself. He instructed me to 随便挑一个, or, “choose whichever one you want.” Two o’clock on a weekday, inside a dank building, with a girl probably 10 years my junior, on a bed that’s been used who knows how many times, for about $5 USD; all the while being stared at and talked about as an oddity. Something about that proposition didn’t seem very appealing to me. To ensure that I didn’t make my friend lose face by sneering at his suggestion or inadvertently deriding his behavior, I just told him that I had a long night the night before and that I was too tired for another girl at the moment. He seemed satisfied with that. <br /><br />As we left the shop and drove back to my house (I conveniently remembered at that point that I was in fact quite busy that afternoon), I asked him if he frequented the place he had just brought me. “Unfortunately not,” he admitted. “I only make 40 RMB a day, and it costs 40 RMB per visit. If I went there all the time, I wouldn’t have any money to eat. Plus, I’m married.” I was curious whether or not he could find the companionship he needed from his wife. “Well,” he countered, “I like to go there with my friends. It’s fun. And it’s our culture.” I wasn’t sure whether he was referring to the culture of his group of friends, or his impression of Chinese culture, but given the supply of massage parlors around, I can take a guess.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-39887111830125546292009-04-29T03:30:00.000-07:002009-04-29T08:08:04.273-07:00Brain Good Good<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvk4aS2Jw4cAqTMrjLYJtM8OxKf3VcZxzSnYteD2CK4TvYPfKiNhqlHa5ZPTgooQhh2Bm28Cb9DfBlMq6sY1nxmwBToHtEbB36_rbJSSdHe-f-vGKcKOIQWBMX3jhvtnuAxStdAt3zVNo/s1600-h/5343_1.jpg" class="snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvk4aS2Jw4cAqTMrjLYJtM8OxKf3VcZxzSnYteD2CK4TvYPfKiNhqlHa5ZPTgooQhh2Bm28Cb9DfBlMq6sY1nxmwBToHtEbB36_rbJSSdHe-f-vGKcKOIQWBMX3jhvtnuAxStdAt3zVNo/s400/5343_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330060884151497778" /></a><br />The world of Chinese infomercials is a carnival of crazy. A good place to start your exploration of what’s sold on TV here is with an understanding of the language. While ‘infomercial’ is most commonly translated as 商业信息片 or 电视购物节目, there are actually several ways to express this meaning in Chinese. One of those alternative forms is 名人导购电视节目, which translates into ‘famous person giving shopping advice television program.’ It is important to place this in the context of cultural character; Chinese people learn from and are inspired by models (at least to a much greater extent than Americans). Chinese history is teeming with literary, philosophical, and military figures that until today are held in great esteem, and deservedly so. Government leadership and model workers/factories/villages/cities guide behavior and establish standards. In my opinion, with regard to concepts of family, general conduct, fashion, music, and television, there is a much greater sense of unity in what’s ok and appropriate in China than in the West. For instance, just about every adult Chinese male - whether in the countryside, second-tier city, or Beijing - wears the same belt and shoes. I referenced this in <a href="http://thewangwayin.blogspot.com/2009/02/chinese-strong-body-houses_19.html" class="snap_shots">an earlier post</a>. Also, at least 95% of all the teenagers/young adults that I’ve engaged with have asked me if I watch Prison Break and/or Gossip Girls. With only a couple dozen channels, most of which are dominated by terribly repetitious historical dramas, censored news reports, low production value soap operas, and music events, it’s no surprise that when Chinese TV broadcasts exciting infomercials (featuring famous people, of course) with promises of a more comfortable, profitable, and enjoyable life, people listen and buy.<br /><br />The advertisement campaign conducted by 脑佳佳微电脑醒脑助记仪 (literally, ‘Brain Good Good Clear-Mind, Memory-Help Microcomputer), or just 脑佳佳 (<a href="http://www.naojj.cn/">Brain Good Good</a>), is no exception. While running on a treadmill at the gym, I was forced to watch the ridiculous stunts and listen to the outrageous claims of those selling this product on TV (there was no remote within reach and I was in a groove, unwilling to get off the machine and manually switch the channel). After I got home, I decided I needed to do some research. How did people who bought this contraption, which promises all sorts of mental growth by flooding your right brain with α waves, react?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddo6vDdUJsmxo6nl_QMP2pIY7w4iXAavOx1YagfR4VZfeOMrvXGDWHH4283RfhrBzlpC80nGNpPqrwyxdFneoBZaJYetYLufmszZNFQw0Ptbtx9o1LyUg5CXp0HuH4UxKlUifW-UL0iQ/s1600-h/brain+good+good.gif" class="snap_noshots"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddo6vDdUJsmxo6nl_QMP2pIY7w4iXAavOx1YagfR4VZfeOMrvXGDWHH4283RfhrBzlpC80nGNpPqrwyxdFneoBZaJYetYLufmszZNFQw0Ptbtx9o1LyUg5CXp0HuH4UxKlUifW-UL0iQ/s400/brain+good+good.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330061565995696818" /></a>Before I go on with what I read in some Chinese online forums, I think you may get a kick out of knowing what this product promises. First, <a href="http://www.huibuy.com/GM-S_38_P_1817.html">Brain Good Good</a> says that your right brain is responsible for thinking in terms of images and has 1 million times the memory capacity of your left brain. So, whether or not a person is intelligent, artistically creative, and mentally agile all depends on the exploitation and activation of the right brain’s function. Employing the principle of 同频共振 (‘in-line resonance,’ whatever that is), Brain Good Good will apparently pump your right brain so full of α waves that you will no longer have problems with memory, stress, insomnia, mental fatigue, or paying attention. Brain Good Good will 让学习不好的孩子提高成绩,让学习好的孩子更优秀, increase poor students’ success and make good students even more excellent! All this can be yours for $75-100 USD and 15 minutes a day (not to mention the outstanding chance of having your head disintegrate!). I have no idea how when problems like <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/vinayak.nandi/china-poisoned-milk-must-know-for-your-own-safety">killer milk</a>, <a href="http://www.who-sucks.com/business/made-in-china-2007-danger-timeline">poisonous toys</a>, <a href="http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jan/08/lz1e8miller221626-dangerous-products-china/">counterfeit/unsafe medication</a>, and <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10156393-71.html">exploding cell phones</a> exist, people are still willing to shell out hard-earned cash for something like Brain Good Good!<br /><br />Anyway, on to people’s reactions: <br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">“Deceitful! I bought one and it doesn’t do a thing.”<br />“The production area is unknown and necessary accompanying materials are unclear or simply non-existent.”<br />“Totally false advertisement” <br />“If this thing really worked, you would see it being sold everywhere. Use it once and you’ll know, ‘forget it,’ it’s not worth spending money on. Just tell you kids to work harder!”<br />“I’m a city high school student and last year my parent’s bought me one. There weren’t any obvious effects except that my head hurt (it didn’t really hurt…just a little).”</span></blockquote><br />I read about 100 comments in 3 or 4 different online forums and the content was all the same. While cheap goods in China (and some not so cheap) are fun and all, let’s hope in the near future there will be some serious incentives to force quality- and safety-control.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-33433669877909285622009-04-28T08:57:00.000-07:002009-04-28T09:05:31.503-07:00Weekly Slideshow #7Despite being a second-tier industrial city, Nanchang can be quite beautiful. There is a newly built government district called 红谷滩 (Hong Gu Tan) in the northwest corner of the city which is especially clean and green. A few of the pictures below were taken there. And as you'll see, all of the shots were tweaked using <a href="http://picasa.google.com/">Picasa's</a> focal b&w effect.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="580" height="373" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fhereyagoalex%2Falbumid%2F5329771177417714001%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">All photos were taken by me. If you want a copy of a certain shot, let me know.</span>Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-88994712196401124872009-04-27T09:09:00.000-07:002009-04-28T08:56:11.476-07:00No Big DealJust an hour ago I was walking around in Nanchang’s 时代广场 (‘Times Square’) enjoying the cool nighttime weather. This shopping area is quite developed and seems to be a big attraction for lots of hip teenagers, young families, and dog owners. As I stood in line at a McDonald’s kiosk, I could hear the surge of life behind me; people hawking their toys on the curbside, boys lighting up their cigarettes, and cars honking. I ordered my 6 RMB ice cream sundae and all was fine. That was, however, until I took one small step back straight into a giant puddle of piss. “Oh, I wish people watched after their dogs,” I grumbled to myself. But no, it was the liquid waste of the little girl behind me waiting in line with her parents (well-dressed parents, I might add). Now I’ve been in China for quite a while and I’ve witnessed the phenomenon of people relieving themselves in public countless times, but is urinating at someone’s ankles while standing in line really ok? Who are these parents? <br /><br />Oh! I just remembered a story. The first time I came to Nanchang, which was a couple years ago, was to conduct a pilot study on whether or not the plan of my intended Fulbright research was feasible. Well, I’m here now, so I can say that on the whole, my trip was a success. That doesn’t mean, however, that I didn’t experience some China moments. Let me take you to one afternoon when I went to wash my clothes…<br /><br />I was staying in a hotel that had exorbitant laundry fees, so I brought a few articles of my dirty shirts, socks, and underwear to a neighboring laundromat. The women working there refused to take my underwear because, “there were little bugs inside.” I said there were no bugs, but she continued to doubt me. In angered response, I ripped off the underwear I was wearing, turned it inside out, and shoved it in her face to see, but she still didn’t believe me. (Ok, that didn’t happen). Anyway, I asked whether or not she used some sort of bleach detergent, but her only reply was that Chinese people are really careful about this aspect of their hygiene. Public health was my major after all, so I could at least support the aim of her weird “no undies” regulation. I walked out defeated.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflNys6H9K0psa3g1htDD8h7zHovWB14iKfgDBHazH_dE3qqmrCcNLxyQ7GzWnki3CsChKMAw3bqtLOMUTXSVRlIuSN26npL4oVkkZ5r0oE8Ltf0CgyUFBQgJqgyewbgOvplRoQXcolqk/s1600-h/P1010134.jpg" class="snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflNys6H9K0psa3g1htDD8h7zHovWB14iKfgDBHazH_dE3qqmrCcNLxyQ7GzWnki3CsChKMAw3bqtLOMUTXSVRlIuSN26npL4oVkkZ5r0oE8Ltf0CgyUFBQgJqgyewbgOvplRoQXcolqk/s400/P1010134.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329405151872342690" /></a><br />On my way out the door to head back home and wash my underwear in the sink, I decided to stop at KFC for a 老北京 (a very delicious chicken wrap). As I sat reflecting on the truth that life really is more delicious with KFC, I saw a woman changing her baby on the table across from me. The baby then started to pee all over the place. I was sitting right next to the cashier counter, so I called the attention of one of the cashiers to the matter. She in turn grabbed a pile of napkins and scurried over to the scene of the crime. “How cute!” she cried. Then, using her bare hands, she proceeded to soak up the pee, spilling some on the floor and inevitably getting some on her hands as the napkins reached their saturation point. She then went back to handling people’s money. I was having trouble processing the irony of what happened to me in just a 10 minute span of time. Later in the day I shared the story with one of my Chinese friends, but he couldn’t understand my confusion. He told me that even his mother refused to wash his underwear and that baby’s pee was totally clean. Everything made sense to him. I still scratch my head when I think back to that day, as well as my friend’s response, but then again, there must be truth to what the Chinese do and how they do it. How else can you explain that despite the environmental insults one’s body has to deal with here (pollution, food quality, pee and poop and spit and snot everywhere, etc.), one <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSPEK32846520070212">Reuters article</a> claims, “average life expectancy in China will jump 13 years to 85 years…by the middle of the century.” Maybe peeing on other people is no big deal.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-77761162952045447552009-04-25T09:26:00.000-07:002009-04-25T09:35:15.696-07:00MMA = Massively Motivational AthleteThis is a China blog, but it’s written by me and I figure there’s at least of some value to sharing a bit of my personality with my readers. Maybe not. Anyway, I love MMA (mixed martial arts) competition. In my opinion, it’s the most technically, physically, and mentally demanding sport out there, as well as being the most fun to watch. I wrote a post a few months back, which can be read <a href="http://thewangwayin.blogspot.com/2009/02/sokushinbutsu_13.html" class="snap_shots">here</a>, about what I consider to be some of the most entertaining fights in MMA history. It’s a bit of an unfaithful/deceitful introduction to the sport, as MMA has evolved tremendously over the past decade (since it burst into the mainstream) and now-a-days fights are rarely so mismatched or brutal. But if you’re not familiar with the world of mixed martial arts, get familiar; it’s growing remarkably fast in popularity. For instance, <a href="http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=fighter.detail&pid=330">George St. Pierre</a>, one of the icons of the sport, as well as one of my favorite fighters, was officially recognized in 2008 as the Canadian Athlete of the Year. Anyway, rules, history, and whatever else aside, I am honored to share an MMA-related video that will without a doubt inspire you. If it doesn’t, check your pulse to see that you’re still alive. Watch below (sorry to those in China who can’t access YouTube):<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WdlajKhoj9k&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WdlajKhoj9k&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Born a congenital amputee, trained in high school as a wrestler, and preparing for his mixed martial arts debut, Kyle Maynard does not know the meaning of “you can’t do that.” Many doubted (and still doubt) his capacity to fight, some worried (and still worry) for his safety, and others took (and continue to take) verbal cheap shots at his disability…but Kyle has clearly remained focused. In making his <a href="http://www.mmatko.com/kyle-maynard-and-opponent-bryan-fry-make-weight-maynard-looks-ready/">debut fight in Alabama</a> this Saturday against 0-2 fighter Bryan Fry, he teaches us the worth of dedicated training, the power of maintaining a positive attitude, and the value of not making excuses. His accomplishments have inspired – and will surely continue to inspire – others to do what they originally thought they couldn’t. Today, MMA stands for Massively Motivational Athlete. Whether Kyle wins or loses his fight on Saturday, we can all admire what he’s done and what he’s shown us that we all can do.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969830086855177139.post-55767436759909724462009-04-25T00:18:00.000-07:002009-04-26T06:06:16.191-07:00Inconsistency Pt. 1 –or– Law, Without Force, Is ImpotentIn Thursday’s 南昌晚报 (<a href="http://www.ncwbw.cn/">Nanchang Evening News</a>), I read the article pictured below. It’s a story of two cousins (17 year-old Zhou Tao and soon-to-be 14 year-old Tang You Jin) who jumped from an 8-meter bridge into a river to save someone from drowning. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76d6ktE8pjkm0A95DQ3NAuKg_Os-9Bq85nm64oWpsG3DCFnibSIUpzZQVokED0cnUxGPBaYAxj87OPYrZ_SiFhMCwZb7RFa8lFNSR9RHMpnDjinzBC5u2dC8wcJjxb9Gv8db4UpkE9xs/s1600-h/P1140440.JPG" class="snap_noshots"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76d6ktE8pjkm0A95DQ3NAuKg_Os-9Bq85nm64oWpsG3DCFnibSIUpzZQVokED0cnUxGPBaYAxj87OPYrZ_SiFhMCwZb7RFa8lFNSR9RHMpnDjinzBC5u2dC8wcJjxb9Gv8db4UpkE9xs/s400/P1140440.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328525312639491986" /></a><br />According to the article, on April 17th at approximately 7:20pm, as these boys were headed home over the Fu River Bridge on West Construction Road, they heard calls for help coming from below. They peered over the edge of the bridge and saw that a young girl was struggling to resist drowning. 毫不犹疑 – Without a moment’s hesitation – they jumped into the water to save the girl, who upon being dragged ashore, lost consciousness. They stayed with her until she came to, at which point they grabbed their clothes and returned to the bridge where a crowd had formed in nearly the exact spot where they had left their cell phones prior to jumping. During their brave rescue, they discovered, their phones had been stolen. …This is where the tone of the article changes… <br /><br />The police were so disgusted by this disgraceful treatment of the two young heroes that they organized a task force not only to capture the person who stole the phones, but to return the phones to their rightful owners. This happy ending is, of course, thanks to the high importance that the police placed on the crime, as well as their unrelenting efforts in delivering justice. For those that can read Chinese, the article, in reference to the stolen phones, says, “警方高度重视…在警方的努力下, 两名见义勇为的好少年不但被警方找到, 偷窃救人少年手机的嫌犯也被警方抓获.”<br /><br />Now let’s keep this idea of justice, safety, and rule of law in mind as I write <a href="http://thewangwayin.blogspot.com/2009/04/inconsistency-pt-2-or-pig-used-to-dirt.html" class="snap_shots">part 2</a>.Alex Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069191190462166402noreply@blogger.com