Eric's Beijing Diary

Last night when I checked into the hotel, they told me that they would need to hold my passport until I checked out. I refused (of course). At first they told me that I could not stay there. It was awkward, because it was getting late, but I will sleep in the streets before I will surrender my passport to a complete stranger. I think they could see that. Harry was with me and he told them that I would be leaving in the morning, so they settled for a photocopy. I am not sure what the big deal was, because I have never had a hotel ask me that before. Harry told me that this hotel was not legally certified to house foreigners. But if that was the case, I would think they would not want to even see my passport, because they wouldn't want a record that I had stayed there. So I'm confused. But I am not confused at all about the inappropriate nature of their demand. Never give up your passport.

This morning, I told them I was wanted to stay another night, but they said that I would have to give them my passport until I checked out. I decided to check out and go to the Captain Youth Hostel. I was getting on the subway, and was just picking up my bags from the scanner, when the security guy stopped me and asked me if I had a knife. I told him I didn't and he asked me to open my computer bag. He saw my Bible, said "Shenjing (Bible)," and let me go.

I'm still curious about that, though. I can't imagine what could have made the guy watching the monitor think I had a knife, unless they saw the little pair of scissors that I usually carry in my backpack. I think he should have been a little more persistent with the guy right before me. He asked that guy if he had a knife, accepted his answer, and turned to me. I think the other guy had the knife.

When I got to the People's Square station, I met a couple young people from India, who asked me if I knew where the Phoenix Youth Hostel was. I told them I did not. But I offered to try and help them find it, because they said it was supposed to be right near the square, and I figured we could go out there and ask a few people. But they said they had information on their laptop. After they left, I started thinking about it, and decided to stop at a coffee bar so I could open my laptop and check it out. Turns out the Phoenix hostel is not on the China youth hostel list, which probably means it is not a licensed Hosteling International hostel. It came right up in Google, but the problem with those listings is that they all have exclusive agreements. So they don't give you the phone number. This time it didn't matter. The street address was all I needed, because I was sitting right on the square.

I walked down the street to take a look at the place. It's new and small and simple, but that's actually good. I like simple youth hostels. Staffed by eager smiling young people, excited about being able to practice their English with so many foreigners. Helpful, and friendly. This place is not as fancy as the Captain Youth Hostel, but the Captain Youth Hostel is a bit of a rip off, and you get tired of that after awhile. The youth hostel had a Halloween party tonight. I was tired, and not in the mood for coming up with a costume, so I went as Santa Claus. At least, that's what everyone called me.

Amy asked me to come to her wedding. I was about to say I couldn't make it, but I realized that if I left a week earlier, I could pretty easily stop by on my way to Hong Kong.

Weddings in China have a pretty standard format. It should be noted that Chinese weddings do not normally include wedding vows, because when the people have their wedding, they are already legally married. This is where Chinese weddings differ significantly from those in America. In the United States, the pastor of a church performing a wedding ceremony is acting as a legally designated officer of the state. Not so in China. In China, people go to a government office to register their wedding first, and then any ceremony they wish to have is pretty much up to them and their families.

Another thing that is very interesting about China, is that there are no wedding pictures. Couples take pictures, but they take them before the wedding, and often display them at the wedding. So the wedding pictures are not pictures of a wedding at all. They are pictures of two people dressed up in wedding garb assuming various poses. I have often wondered about this, but I think the reason is that in the past, many people could not afford a wedding, so they settled for the pictures. So any pictures you may see of an actual Chinese wedding would have been taken by guests of the event. The official "wedding pictures" are taken before the wedding, and are often displayed at the wedding.

That being said, it was a very nice party, and the weather cooperated enough to allow an outdoor ceremony.

Took the Line 4 subway to Beijing South Station this evening to catch the train to Shanghai. I have been in Beijing for almost seven years, now, and I have never been to Beijing South Station. That's not as impressive as it seems, because Beijing South Station is new. It didn't exist when I first moved to Beijing. But even after it did exist, it was not popular, because it was located so far from the city center. Several years ago, when the Beijing to Tianjin high speed train opened, it was trumpeted as a significant achievement that would almost make Tianjin a part of the Beijing community. But in fact, friends I know from Tianjin told me that they didn't use it, because it ran from the Beijing South Station, and it took longer to get from Beijing proper to the Beijing South Station than to get from Beijing South to Tianjin on the high speed train.

The Line 4 Subway has changed all that. Line four cuts across the old Line Two (which is a circle around Old Beijing) twice, going from up by Fragrant Hills to down past the Beijing South Station. Now it is just a few extra minutes beyond the lower part of the Line 2 circle. As a matter of fact, the new South Station was never that far away, it's just that there was no direct way to get there. But now, I would predict that it will see a lot more use, because it is incorporated seamlessly into the subway system. Get off the Line 4 subway at the Beijing South station, and you're almost ready to board the train. The gate is right up the stairs.

Last night I was climbing up the steps to the old Tang Dynasty temple site. I usually go to the park after the crowds have gone home, so it was pretty peaceful. Suddenly, a group of working ladies came running up to the steps. I think they were probably trying to squeeze in an outing after work, and were not able to get to the park until just before dark.

As they approached the steps, part of the group broke off and started walking up the winding road that runs back and forth along the old stone steps. One of the ladies who had started climbing the steps yelled at them, "Why are you going that way?"

"Because the steps are too steep."

"Nonsense! The old man is climbing them, why can't we?"

Like I said, reminders.

Troubling article in the Global Times about the plight of migrant workers. As if it were not enough that migrant workers should have to put up with low wages and poor working conditions, they often have to put up with no wages at all. Poor migrant workers are hired by companies that have ties to the very government agencies which are charged with protecting those workers. The workers don't get paid until the money comes in. What that means is that companies can hire workers when they don't really have the money to pay them. They don't have to worry about the government enforcing the rights of workers, because they are the government. The word "corruption" does not appear in this article, but corruption is a very big part of this problem. This is the main difficulty the Communist Party has in this country. There is a fear on the part of the leaders that they may not be able to control the anger of poor people in the countryside, which may be why there is such a push for urbanization. But the real problem in China is the inability of the party to control corrupt officials. This problem is so widespread in China, that corruption has almost become the expected standard, which is why this article, which clearly points a finger at corrupt officials (without naming any) was allowed to be published in the primary Communist Party propaganda rag (Global Times).

Corruption dies in the light. If corruption is allowed to be exposed, it dies very quickly. In China, they are trying to deal with corruption while still keeping the specifics secret. It's not working, and it's not going to work.

Interesting article about Taiwanese reaction to the awarding of the Nobel Prize to Liu Xiaobo. I don't know quite how to react to this. It is doubtful that many of the politicians reacting to this are really that aware of what Liu Xiaobo stands for. In the case of Taiwan, it appears that his name has become sort of a political football for politicos to kick back and forth, each blaming the other for not taking a stronger stand.

But I think there is some lack of understanding among the Americans also. Liu Xiaobo was not merely imprisoned because he expressed is feelings about some things. He is viewed with deep contempt by the party because he is actively pursuing a course of reform that would clearly require them surrendering power, or at least submitting that power to the will of the people (which would be the same thing, basically). So I guess I can understand why the Party doesn't like him. But my point is that they asked for the problem, because they have continually cultivated the image of a country that is moving in the direction he advocates.

This, I guess, is the difference between the way I see this, and the way this matter is viewed by most foreigners I talk to. They are interested in his stand on democracy, and critical of the Party for resisting it. I don't care that much about democracy. Democracy is just a form of government. But I do think that we should be passionate about freedom, and also about honesty and integrity. It is not the lack of democracy in China that bothers me. It is the lack of honesty. If the Communist Party doesn't want to implement democracy in China, they should just say it. But when they talk about how democratic and open China is becoming, and then arrest a university professor for actually trying to implement what they pretend to believe in, it makes them look foolish.

As I have said before, I don't know if Liu Xiaobo is quite the hero he is portrayed as in the West, but he does have a lot of good ideas that need to be talked about, and for that it is only fair to give him credit. But would that that credit were given by people who actually know what he stands for, rather than by opportunistic politicians.

A guy came up to me in the park the other day and said, "Are you 80?"

I guess it's the beard. I told him I was 56.

Seniority does have it's benefits, but I haven't seen any need to hurry it along. Still, once in awhile reminders like the one above do tend to wake me up to the growing reality. I guess it's the sincerity of his question, you know. He obviously wasn't joking. When friends call me "gramps," it goes in one ear and out the other; they're just giving me a bad time, right? But when little kids in my village call me "ye-ye," it's kinda hard to blow it off, you know what I mean? So it starts to sink in.

But, as I said, the passing of the years does have advantages, and I'm not talking about the senior citizen's discount at Denny's. There are no Denny's restaurants in China. But when I get on the bus and the ticket lady says, "All right, somebody get up and give the professor a seat!" it is kinda nice. I still feel uncomfortable, though, if a young lady stands up to give me her seat. Really caught me off guard when I first came to China. A young lady would stand up for me on the bus or subway, and I would quickly motion her to sit down.

But as time goes on, you know how it is...you just sorta get accustomed to the world in which you live. Then one time you get on the bus and a young lady is sitting there with her ear phones in her ears, chewing her gum, and pretending not to see you, and suddenly a posture that I would not even have noticed in America, presents itself as quite rude within the context of this society. By the same token, when I get on the bus and a young lady who is obviously from a good family instinctively jumps up and runs shyly to the other end of the bus so that I cannot make her sit down again, I am more likely, now, to respect her than to be shocked or flustered.

Some Chinese have asked me if I am offended when a young person stands up for me. Stuffy foreigners have occasionally taken umbrage at the courtesy, I guess. It doesn't offend me at all. I just feel a little guilty, because I'm not really old. If I am riding the bus and I am getting ready to climb the mountain, and a tired working lady gets on the bus, it just doesn't make sense that she should have to stand while I sit down. She needs the rest more than I do. I wonder if I will feel the same way when I really am old.

Some time ago, there was a special program at Haidian Church. Lots of people. Packed to the gills. I came in and one of the greeters motioned me to a chair. I was pleasantly surprised to see a chair still open and was about ready to sit down when I saw Claire walk in. I told her to sit down, but she refused, and pointed to the sign on the back of the chair. It was in Chinese, of course, so I hadn't paid attention to it at first, but when she pointed to it, I read it. It said (in Chinese) "Reserved for the elderly." I don't know. Maybe if you're an old person, that wouldn't seem that funny. But if you're a young person who just happens to look old, it's hilarious.

Forced abortion. The dark side of China's one child policy. You need to watch this video, because it gives a very clear picture of how the one child policy is enforced. Contrary to what many in the West believe, the one child policy is widely supported in China, especially in the cities. But you always have to ask yourself, "What happens if a woman who already has a child gets pregnant?" I have asked many people that question. I have gotten many answers. I guess it is left up to the local government to solve this problem. I heard of one community where, if you had another child, they would come to your home and tear down a room in your house. Sometimes, people who have more than one child get off with a fine. But other times, it is this.

In some places, there will be forced sterilization after the first child. Many times I suppose it is requested. But it is by no means universal, because after the 2008 earthquake, couples who had lost a child were allowed to have another one, which, of course, would not have been possible if the mother had been sterilized after the first pregnancy. It is almost, certain, though, that the poor woman in this story was sterilized after her baby was born dead. God have mercy on China!

Well, they're trying. The Global Times today published a survey that they claim indicates 60 per cent of Chinese people think that Norway should apologize for giving the Nobel Prize to Liu Xiaobo. The details of the survey are not nearly as significant as the fact that they took the survey in the first place. Can you imagine any other country in the world doing this? Surveys in China are always suspect, because the government controls the results, and there is no way for anyone to check the responses to see if the numbers reported are accurate. The other problem is that in China, public opinion is carefully crafted by the government. So you can pretty much guess what the results are going to be before you ask a single question. I have experienced this at the English corner. As the government position on a given issue changes, the responses I get from people at the English corner tend to follow. It is not completely uniform, because of the Internet. Some people (not many, but some) do take the initiative to become informed, and they disagree with the government's position. But that is still the exception.

But even assuming the numbers are accurate, look at the table. They took the 41 per cent who said they should just forget it, and simply subtracted that from the total, assuming that the other 59 per cent wanted Norway to apologize. But there was no question on the survey that mentioned an apology. So the results of the survey do not match the headline of the article at all. Shouldn't be surprising, coming from the Global Times, which is one of the main propaganda arms of the Party here in China. Still, the contrast between what the headline claims and what their own data shows is so striking, it makes you wonder how they dared to publish the results. Interestingly, they were left out of the print version.

The Global Times is a pretty good barometer of how the Party is feeling about a given issue, because as soon as a question arises, the Party will issue an order to the Global Times to say something about it (and tell them what to say). So it is clear that the Party is really super annoyed with Norway for giving the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo. Norway's repeated statements that the Nobel Committee is independent mean nothing in China. China is looking for someone to blame, and Norway is the obvious target.

But the Party doesn't seem to have caught on to the fact that this award reflects the feelings of a whole lot of people both in and out of Norway. Personally, I think Liu Xiaobo's ideas are unrealistic. He is advocating democracy, and I don't believe in democracy. I am not opposed to democracy, of course. I just don't think American style democracy would work here in China. Democracy is just a form of government. There is no inherent virtue in it. Democracy means "rule of the people." So if the people are virtuous, then a democracy would bring virtuous rule. But if the people are not virtuous, democracy would usher in the most virulent form of tyranny.

Think about it. If you have a hundred people, and fifty-one of them decide that the other forty-nine should be tortured to death, is that justice? It passes the test of democracy with flying colors. But living in such a society would be horrible indeed. But if all one hundred people are inculcated with a deeply held belief that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, and that among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then those one hundred people will be motivated to protect the rights of the minority even as they pass laws that are not necessarily favored by everyone.

So it is clear that democracy requires an underlying belief system. It has no virtue in and of itself. Democracy is God's gift to a free people. It's as if God is saying, "OK, you guys, since you are living right, and following after truth and justice, I am going to let you rule yourselves."

But what has happened to day is that America has forgotten God, and decided to worship democracy as the source of their freedom. Freedom does not come from democracy. Democracy comes from freedom. Modern Americans are busy dismantling the moral foundation of their society even as they enjoy freedoms made possible by that foundation, and turn to Godless values that never would have produced the freedoms they take for granted.

And in China, intellectuals who have been educated in the United States think they can implement American style freedom and democracy in China without paying any attention to the moral foundation necessary for that sort of democratic government to produce a free society. China is not a Christian country (yet). There are lots of really nice people in China, and the church is growing very rapidly. But Christian values have not permeated to the extent that would make democracy a viable option at this point.

So I don't agree with Liu Xiaobo. Is he a hero? I don't know. I guess you'd have to say he is one way, because he was willing to pay a price for taking a stand. If he were running for office, would I vote for him? Maybe. I would certainly be inclined to give him an ear. I don't know. But one thing is for sure. If I were a student on his campus, I would sign up for every class he taught, because he is a clear, creative thinker, and he is bringing up stuff that needs to be talked about in this country. This is a good man, and I think he should be set free.

The drama that gripped the world is over. The miners have been rescued. CNN has put together a video montage for those of you who didn't get a chance to see the rescue as it was happening.

In China, the drama has grabbed the attention of the Chinese people, but has also been a source of profound embarrassment for the Chinese government. It just hasn't been a good week for China's international image. First the Peace Prize, and now this.

In China, the annual death toll for mining disasters usually numbers in the thousands. It is almost accepted as the cost of getting the coal out of the ground. Maybe it isn't exactly a fair comparison, because I remember talking to a couple hard rock miners from Colorado one summer when I was working in the fish cannery in Alaska. They told me that coal mining is much more dangerous than hard rock mining. Hard rock mines are usually much more stable. Still, the cost of coal in China was once reported as 4 lives per million tons. That's a lot--even for coal mining. Government officials had to be wincing every time one of those Chilean miners was brought up out of the ground to such extraordinary personal attention. In China, mining disasters tend to be quite impersonal. I guess it's just that the numbers are so great here. It haunts one to think of all the many miners who have been stuck down in some dank cavern alive, daring to hope that they would be rescued, but never again seeing the sun...slowly dying as hope faded. It was almost that way in Chile too. But the ability of individual citizens to make their case without fear of being sent off to a labor camp is much better in countries like Chile. Openness. China is changing ever so slowly. But this extraordinary drama has once more contrasted the secrecy which so often surrounds events like this when they happen in China. They are announced of course, but the details of how things turn out is often hidden.

BBC radio interviewed the President's chaplain, who, interestingly enough, is English. He said that several of the miners were Christians, and several who were not became Christians down in that mine. It is a story that I think we will hear more about in the days to come.

For me, the most compelling moment was at the very end, after all the miners had been rescued. There were still several rescue workers left in the mine, and they were pulled up one by one. When the last one was left, the camera down in the mine showed him talking on the phone to the folks up on top--I think they wanted to keep him from getting panicked, since he was down there all by himself. He kept talking until the capsule descended for the last time. Then he got up, bowed to the camera, and made his exit. The scene of that empty deserted cave that held those men captive for so long was something I don't think a person can ever quite forget.

After the last rescuer had reached the surface, the president gave a little speech commending the rescuers. Typical politician, he went a little overboard in his closing remarks: "On the Day of Judgment, we will call you guys to come and rescue us from where some of us are going to end up." I think that would qualify as hyperbole.

How is China going to handle this? Liu Xiaobo has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. Liu Xiaobo is the primary author of the Charter 08 document, which advocates democracy, and particularly (I think this is the part that has caused him the most trouble) an end to one party rule.

It does appear that China's decision to make a criminal of Liu Xiaobo is coming home to roost. He was sentenced last year to eleven years in prison on Christmas Day last year for the crime of "inciting subversion of state power." Here are the main points of the Charter 08 document that got Liu Xiaobo in trouble:

Amending the Constitution.
Separation of powers.
Legislative democracy.
An independent judiciary.
Public control of public servants.
Guarantee of human rights.
Election of public officials.
Rural–urban equality.
Freedom of association.
Freedom of assembly.
Freedom of expression.
Freedom of religion.
Civic education.
Protection of private property.
Financial and tax reform.
Social security.
Protection of the environment.
A federated republic.
Truth in reconciliation.

China's problem is that most countries in the community of nations would see these values as laudable, not criminal. So China's contention that the award is being given to a criminal is not impressive. When Liu Xiaobo and others put out the Charter 08 document, the government had a challenge to face. Certainly it was a threat to their power, but I'm not sure how much of a threat. I think they made the wrong call this time. I don't know if I would call Liu Xiaobo a hero or not. When he was a guest scholar at Columbia back in 1989, he quit his job and rushed back into China to get involved in the demonstrations. So I guess I can understand why the government sees him as a bit of a trouble maker. But a criminal? I think that's going to be a problem for the government. Most people just don't see him that way. He is a scholar, and a very smart man, and he has brought up some ideas that most people feel need to be talked about. When they decided to make him a criminal, they pretty much bought the farm. This is going to be tough to back out of. I think China is going to lose the propaganda war on this one.

Disgusting. My new crown broke off yesterday. I pulled a biscuit or something out of the fridge that turned out to be hard as rock when I bit into it. So this morning I took the bus to the McDonald's near the Hills here (yes, same song--over and over and over) and called my dentist, whose office is nearby. Used to be kinda inconvenient to go there, because his office is way out at the Air Force hospital. But now I live way out on the other side of the Air Force hospital, so it's just a ten or fifteen minute bus ride. He spent about an hour or so cementing it back in again, and didn't charge me a thing. Nice guy.

I don't know how that tooth is going to go, though. It is one of my two front teeth, so it's hard not to use it. The good news is that there is really no reason for it to come loose if I can remember not to bite into solid rock.

The older I get, the more crowns I seem to have. So far, though I have been lucky. Most of them are glued to solid roots. If the root goes, then you have to make a bridge, and that can be tough if every other tooth is a crown. My other front tooth is an old root canal that has never been crowned. And the tooth on the other side is also a crown. It can't be used to support a bridge. I guess I'll just have to be really careful. All it takes is once. Fortunately, my dentist is quite a craftsman, but this one is turning out to be quite a challenge for him.

I do have an old bridge on the right side in front that I have had since I was in high school. Fortunately, the tooth it is glued to is solid as the rock of Gibraltar. I have never had any trouble with it. If something should happen with that, I'd be in trouble. So far I have never had to have dentures. My teeth function like normal teeth. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Click picture for larger image.
Just got back yesterday from a leadership retreat at Beidaihe. I had debated about going. I wasn't in the mood to spend a bunch of money on a trip, especially a trip to Beidaihe on National day. During the early days of New China (Communist China, in other words), Beidaihe was the vacation place for national leaders. So everyone in China has the idea that this is one place they must see. Consequently, it is very crowded on holidays. I didn't look forward to it. In the end, though, I didn't really feel right about not going either, and I am glad I agreed to go. We found a cheap hotel, and the church kicked in some money, so in the end it only cost 150 RMB for each person. That's about as close to free as one could expect something like this to be.

The English Fellowship at Haidian Church has been going for a couple years now, and the volunteer group is developing into a strong organization. It is good to see so many people from various countries working together for one purpose.

One couple who are both involved in the volunteer group had brought their little boy along with them. They both studied English in University, and speak pretty well, as do most university students who really apply themselves to learning language. When they got married, they made a decision to only speak English to their child. It's quite interesting. The kid is a native speaker of English even though his parents are not native speakers. He speaks Chinese of course (as any kid would who grew up in China), but never to his parents. To his parents he always speaks English, because they won't accept anything else. I am sure it must be a bit of a challenge for them to keep up this discipline, but I think it will pay off. His English is really quite good. Once in awhile, you can hear him doing literal translations from Chinese--sorta like when Josh was little and he would say something like, "I forgot because."

We were divided into groups and each group was assigned to prepare one meal. Mostly Chinese food of course, but the last night, some BSF folks from Canada came up with a menu that had more of a western flavor--complete with chocolate pudding. It was really nice.