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AnonymousThe new Chinese New Year is going to be the year of the Dog. On the News it showed people in China lined up w/ their dogs, to have their dogs fortune told 
I was sharing this interesting tidbit with another student in class this evening, when our Professor let us know that U.S. stamps featuring dogs, have been selling like crazy in China as a result as well.
AnonymousThere was an interesting article in yesterday's LA Times about the U.S.-South Korea relationship souring. It speaks of how Bush is strengthening ties in Asia, to try and "contain" fast-rising China., yet he is ignoring our old alliance with South Korea. The administration plans to begin new diplomatic initiatives, to "breathe" new life into the relationship. There is a worry that if the relationship is not maintained it could easily fall apart (they are comparing it to a marriage). Very apt I would say. It is a difficult area with China, and North Korea. Bush continues to expand his alliance with Japan and is now building new realtionships with India, and nurturing a relationship with Viet Nam. The Secretary of State is meeting with representatives from South Korea this week, in order to explore the relationships of the two countries. The U.S. has already pulled out 1/4 of our troops once stationed in South Korea, but this was mutually agreed upon. The South Koreans look forward to maintaining their own security, and we do also, according to the article.One of the factors that has lessened our ties with South Korea is the economics of the situation. Economically our importance to South Korea has been diminished, and China is now Seoul's largest trading partner, and biggest single source for private direct investment. Since our invasion of Iraq the U.S. is seen by the South Koreans as a greater threat to them, then North Korea. South Korea is the 3rd largest contributor of military forces to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, and they are feeling unappreciated. In November, they announced they were pulling 1/3 of their 3,200 troops from Iraq---embarressing Bush, who was in South Korea for a summit. We seem to have an image problem in South Korea also. The older generation was grateful for our help in the Korean War---the younger generation is more self-assured, strongly nationalistic, and is skeptical of the view that South Korea's stability stems from the security of its alliance with the U.S. This was really an interesting article.
AnonymousAmerican Perspectives presented by Toyota, will be having an event at the Armstrong Theater--Torrance Cultural Arts Center in Torrance on Sunday, January 22nd at 4pm.
The Title of the Presentation:Change, Hope and Equality for Asia-Americans. Legendary Broadway Actor, Author (Finding Foo),and star of "Law and Order":SUV, B.D.Wong is the Headliner. Adults$30/Students$15. (310) 781-7171.
AnonymousSo Saturday and Sunday, February 4-5 there will celebrations in Chinatown for the new year.
I want to go to the Golden Dragon Parade, the Los Angeles one is supposed to be very good. The parade is Saturday from 2-5. Of course it draws huge crowds and I bet parking is crazy, but it sounds like fun.
The parade has its own website -- http://www.lagoldendragonparade.com
Also if you can't make it to the parade there are all sorts of other festivities you could check out the Chinese Chamber website at http://www.lachinesechamber.org.
AnonymousHave you guys seen all the articles out this weekend about the new book on how China "made" Yau Ming? The book on Houston Rockets 7-6 Yau Ming, says that he was knowingly bred. His very tall parents were "encouraged" to be together. By time he was 8yrs, he was at 5-7, the average height of a Chinese man. Against he and his parents wishes, he was put into the national sports system to play a game he hated and wasn't good at--basketball. He spent years in the soviet style boot camp, drilling and being fed mysterious concoctions to make him taller. This may lead people to start asking questions about the Chinese "manufacture" of athletes--with the Olympics coming up so soon...
AnonymousI am finally catching up on my reading. There was a good article about the Chinese film market in the LA Times in late December (30th). It seems that major film companies and ready and willing to produce films in China if the world's biggest market comes out from behind Communist rules and rampant priacy. It seems that Walt Disney Productions was filming in a Shanghai soundstage the week before Christmas. They were filming "The Secret of the Magic Gourd". It is specifically aimed at a Chinese speaking audiance. A modern day fable about a magical fruit that bestows special powers, and the moral burdens that come with them, on a young boy. What is interesting is that the film is being made FOR CHINA. It is a Chinese story, shot by a Chinese director, with a Chinese cast and crew. Unlike "Memoirs of a Geshia" which many of us saw. Disney is making a Chinese movie. Faced with shrinking US audiences at home, studios are rethinking how they operate in foreign markets. There thought being, markets do not come any bigger then China with 1.3 billion people, one-fifth of the world. The Chinese economy is now bigger then that of France or Britian the Chinese believe. Warner Bros. just found a Chinese partner to build 2,400 state-of-the-art multiplexes with. There is a lot more to this article and it is fasciniating. Do look it up if you have the time.
AnonymousWow--this article from the BBC today is bad news for the U.S. Beef Industry. Robert Zoellick in a meeting with Japans Agricultural Minister in Tokyo, expressed "sincere regret" for an incident Friday. After a 2yr. embargo on U.S. beef(costing billions--Japan being the biggest buyer of U.S. beef) over fears of BSE, Japan started importing select beef just months ago. Outlawed spinal material was found in a batch of veal from New York on Fri. A team of experts is to meet with Japanese officials trying to persuade Tokyo not to re-impose a total ban...
AnonymousI also found this interesting. I have long been moaning the loss of American manners (I think the last blow for me was when a man slammed a door in my 8-month pregnant face) but I also thought that Asia was the last great refuge of good manners. I wonder how much of that is based on based on the Westernazation? TV and movies?
AnonymousThere was a very interesting article about Charter Flights between Beijing and Taipei. I guess that these direct flights are only permitted about the Lunar New Year. Apparently 10's of thousands of Taiwanese people living in China travel home for the holiday.
Other than around the Lunar New Year Taiwan has a ban on direct flights to China, this dates back to the Chinese Civil War (1949). The history is that Taipei was worried that Chinese bombing and troop planes would be disguised as passenger planes and would be used to attack Taiwan. This is only the 3 year that flights like these have be allowed.
It is articles like this that once again show how much I have to learn about the long and detailed history of just this last century.
AnonymousLike others have said before me -- I really am not just replying to myself. I just thought that I would try and jump-start the board. I know it is finals and everyone is probably working hard on their sites.
I thought that I would mention a recent current event regarding China and how Google now has a search there. It was an interesting business decision that became somewhat political. The company has had to defend the decision to do business in China and as such limit their searches. For example an search of the Dal Lama automatically comes back as a forbidden search. Google, whose company motto is “Do no evil” Has countered the criticisms of censorship with the argument that the Chinese people deserve their superior search technology even it if is limited to a degree. I thought that these stories should be interesting for students to read when I am explaining the Capitalism/Communism/Democracy tensions in China today.
AnonymousLast Saturday a front page article in the LA Times caught my eye ... and yes, finals and the endless stack of papers to grade have prevented me until now to get caught up!
The article profiles the near completion of the "largest Chinese garden outside of China", at the Huntington Library in San Mateo. The region, the namesake of the library and the contents of the library have "virtually embodied the image of and aspirations of California's ruling elite". While this sentiment is not as strong as it once was, the article did catch my eye and surprised me. Is LA still stuck or was the article simply reiterating how awful life was for the thousands of Chinese railroad laborers in the mid 1800s?
And so I read on ... San Mateo is today an Asian majority, mostly Chiense. China's booming economy is bringing in affluent Chinese to the posh neighborhoods of Pasadena. The journalist suggests that this garden of epic proportion is an attempt in PR to connect with its local residents but more importantly, secure donors to keep the library/museum vibrant.
It will be great to visit when the $80 million project is complete!
AnonymousI've been buried in the "stacks" as well, what with Finals this week/grades next...
I found this current event on China while grading my students current events. In Guangdong in South China there have been increasing protests with the rising price of land. Some have been evicted and left desparate. Villagers in Sanjiao were promised $2,500 per 1/7 acre. They received much less. Last weekend a teenage girl was beaten to death by police during one of the demonstrations. The village was outraged. The family was paid $25,000 to say that she died of a heart attack...
AnonymousAs most of you probably know the lunar new year has just begun -- Year of the dog. But something you may not know is that this was the first New Year in the last 12 that was celebrated with Fireworks. Yes, 12 years ago fireworks were outlawed due to so many fires and injuries caused by fireworks in the past. I was really surprised I just naturally associate the Chinese New Year and fireworks. I would imagine that outlawing them was tough to enforce.
AnonymousI was just reading a good article on Chinese New Year. It came up on my home page tonight. Turns out it's off of Encarta. The date falls between Jan. 21st and Feb. 19th--since it's determined by the Lunar Calendar-- the festival begins with the new cycle of the moon. It's the most important and longest running of all Chinese Festivals--it lasts for 2 weeks! Families start preparing a week beforehand:"spring cleaning"/bright banners/lanterns/flowers/feasts/good behavior--in hopes of good luck and prosperity.
AnonymousAn update to the story on U.S. Beef Industries trade W/ Japan. The ban on U.S. beef was re-instated after finding banned subtances in a recent shipment. At this point Japan is saying that U.S. beef trade will only be considered in American beef factories allowing Japanese inspectors to come in and inspect their plants.