Back in Beijing, and back in cyberspace

Whew - the last month has been a whirlwind for me, but I think that I can finally start updating my blog regularly again! I arrived in Beijing yesterday afternoon. In Kunming, my luggage was over the 20 kg weight limit due to all the surveys I had completed. So I had to pay almost 600Y (slightl less than 100$) in overweight fees. The price of the luggage was almost as much as the price of the airplane ticket itself! Sigh, looking back, I shouldn't have done so much shopping in Yunnan, because a pair of cute, cheap shoes in Yunnan becomes another 30Y i have to pay in overweight fees. Oh well, a lesson learned.

When I arrived in Beijing, I felt so good, because I had not been in Beijing for so long! I really almost consider Beijing my home now, I feel so familiar in it. I really missed it, and was upset that I had been away during the Olympic fever season. In hindsight, the first time I heard that the ILO was pushing back the trip, I was still in Nanchang, not in Yunnan. I should have just went from there to Beijing, and went to Yunnan later. But, I will try to get a feel as much as I can for the Olympic atmosphere while I am here. There are a few main venues for Olympics: 1. Bird's nest for track, 2. aquatics cube for all water events, 3. Chaoyang park for beach volleyball (Across the st from my house), 4. the Olympic Ping Pong Stadium (right next door to my office), 5. the workers stadium for hockey, etc. 6. Peking U Gymnasium for Gymnastics. I have already seen Bird's nest, Chaoyang, and PingPong, and before the Olympics end - I want to see all the other venues.

So on the way from the airport to my home, I started chatting with my cab driver about the differences in Beijing due to the Olympics. I asked him if he had more customers, especially foreginers, due tot he Olympics. He said no, it's pretty much the same as before, the customers are mostly Beijing people who are not here for Olympics. Those who come especially for olympics all have their own rented cars. I thought that was interesting because after all that effort Beijing government made to make the cab drivers learn English, they don't really use it. Also, we talked about how the price of gas increased, traffic in Beijing (on even days, only even numbered license plates can drive, etc.).

Last night I also found out about a dinner that my research center was having to send off two of the fellows - by the time I found out about it, they had already started eating. It takes me at least an hour to get to the office, and by the time I arrived, they had already finished eating and told me to meet them at the office. I had hoped to meet the two fellows they were sending off, because I had never met them before, and also to talk to my professor, but two of them had left after dinner. Sigh, I made such an effort in vain. Afterwards, I went to my parents' friends house to spend the night because my parents dont trust me to live in an apartment by myself. I'm really annoyed, because I'm already 20 years old and they still treat me like a kid. However, it didn't turn out to be that bad, because that family is really nice, has a nice house, has a nanny who can cook, clean for me, and also I haven't seen them in a few years. The only draw back is that - I have to come home relatively early, at least by 10:30 - and sometimes, as a college student in a big city, I just want to have fun at night.

Last night I stayed up until 3 am - partly because I needed to register for classes and because the internet connection at their house is way too slow. Also the keyboard is so annoying. every other word disappears so that if I wanted to type: this is a sentance - it looks like: tasc
Also reading up on Olympic news -

First and foremost, Liu Xiang's dropping out: I don't think anyone in the US can understand the importance of Liu Xiang to this Olympics. He is the face, the symbol of the olympic spirit- the strive for excellence despite the preexisting circumstances. He is a national hero - representing the triumph of Chinese in areas traditionally dominated by western and African athletes. Without him even being able to qualify for the finals, there is no more excitement to this Olympics. So many Chinese have already given up on following the Olympics. Today, I looked out my window and found Beijing overcast with a burdensome fog and a mournful light rain, meanwhile I find myself overcast with an unbearable sadness.

The underage use of Chinese female gymnasts - I have no idea if it is true or not, and I would suspect that it is true. I think it is pretty dishonourable of the Chinese to do that - to use younger smaller athletes who have an advantage over their clumsier, pubescent, colleagues. However, if I had to guess, I would guess that it is the athletes themselves who covered up their ages, and not the nation. Thus, if we were to blame anyone, we can only blame the athletes themselves, and let them carry the burden of having received a gold medal under dishonorable circumstances.

The fatal stabbing of an American - Although he turned out to be related to the olympics, it doesnt seem to me like this was targeted at the Olympics. It seems like the guy was just crazy, randomly stabbing two foreigners and then committing suicide. Perhaps he is in the camp of those who resent western influence in China. However, I would have to say that China is one of the safest places I have ever been. Everyday in the Washingtonpost, I don't even bother to read the numerous articles with titles such as "homocide in northeast dc", "woman dies due to random gunshots". So many in American don't pay attention to the abundant violence in their own country, but balk at Chinese when one isolated instance occurs.

The protests - the Chinese government, in response to criticism surrounding the strict repression of freedom of speech in relation to protesting, set up designated parks as protest zones. The protests all have to be approved beforehand - and so far, not a single one has been approved. Two Chinese elderly women whose homes were destroyed to make way for the Olympics applied to protest, and were turned down. Some media say they were sentenced to one year of labor reform, but according to Chinese media, they were given a warning, and if they do it again, then they will be sentenced.

This whole experience of reading different news sources reporting on the olympics and China has made me realize how amazingly biased media is. It just seems impossible to find one reliable source, where you can always count on the information to be the truth. That goes both ways - western media reporting on China, and Chinese media reporting on itself and on the west. However, reading a lot of the newspapers, i just find it amazing that those journalists were ever allowed to write in the first place - using facts that simply aren't true, and always bringing up unrelated things simply to criticize.

My thoughts on the issue of human rights and the olympics: human rights and the olympics have no place together. it's like religion and government. The olympics are about sports, and that is all. It's about athletes coming together, regardless of race, religion, the political system of their country, politica, sexual, etc. orientation, performing at their best, uniting the entire world in watching and cheering own the athletes. Such controversial issues such as human rights, where depending on what part of the world you come from, you have a widely different view than another, should be totally absent from consideration of who should host the Olympics.

Now what about the argument that - hosting the olympics improves a country's economy, and thus supports human rights abuse. I bet you that if you track economic progress and human rights record, you will find that the richer countries have a better human rights record, while the poorer countries do not. One does not have time to worry about human rights, when people are starving and dying. Also I bet you will find that as a country's economy grows, that the human rights abuses decrease. Human rights is a progressive line, it is impossible to go from all to none. Just like in the US, where the fight for human rights has started since the Revolutionary War's fight for freedom, to the Civil War to abolish slavery, to the umpteen amendments added over time to protect our rights. None of those could have been done in a single day. Similarly, China has made huge progress in human rights, adding new laws to protect its citizens and esp its minorities. There is definitely still a long way to go. I have to remind you that the US government got to where it is today over more than 200 years. How many years has the Chinese government been in place? Only 59 years. When governments are first formed, there is of course a period of authoritarianism - look at Taiwan, the west's hail to of democracy and human rights in asia - the first regime was also ruled by tyrants. Gradually, as the country becomes more stable, only then can one start to worry about things as abstract as human rights.

With that being said, it does not make sense that only countries with clean human rights records should host the olympics. that means, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. The human rights abuses in the poor countries get worse, and no one wants that. Why not improve a countries economy so that it can improve the living standards of its people, bring people out of poverty, make sure everyone can survive first - that way it can finally afford to focus on human rights. On the thought of those protesting by not watching the olympics - watching does not support the chinese economy, rather the TV station that airs it -- the AMERICAN tv station. Unless you are in China, well that is a different story, but I'm guessing that if you are in China you are also too in the olympic spirit, too caught up with the amazing athletic skills and intense competition, to think about anything else. I don't think that Michael Phelps, (well maybe Phelps can given the margin of victory of some of his races, very calmly compete) but - let's say gymnast Nastia Liukin, or Yang Wei - neither of them are thinking during their competition - oh, the Chinese, what a horrible human rights record - they are only focused on what they came here to do, compete, as an athlete, not as a human rights advocate. I guess it just comes down to this - the olympics are about sports.