China 2/5--2/8 or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Harmonization

Thursday, the 5th
Today, the nation of McDonald's statistically savvy secretary of treasury confirmed the existence of a "financial crisis" chimera. To wound the very real, shadowy beast, Mckey D's announced a unilateral stimulus plan for China, which includes the establishment of 175 new branches, creating more than 10,000 jobs. According to the The New York Times' Bettina Wassener, a Mickey D rep said the move is "in line with the [Chinese] government's direction to stimulate domestic demand" and "help build a stronger economy." The super-sized stimulus package also includes a near 33% price reduction on mainland meals. No news on whether the nation of McDonald's plans a similar bailout for the U.S.

In less earth-shattering news today, some scientists have suggested that maybe last year's Sichuan earthquake (see recent photos here) was man-made, caused by a seismic shift beneath the weighty water of the Zipingpu Dam's Reservoir. (Last year, China spent almost 200 billion USD on natural disaster relief.)

Meanwhile, China's worst drought in half a century suddenly became news today. The AFP noted that "the increased alert level was made official at the same time as the central government sent out specialists to all eight major drought-hit regions..." A CCTV9 report said the government ordered "all-out efforts."

None of the news above, however, was nearly as titillating as the Chinese netizens' satirical mooning of the governments' recent porn crackdown or the Shanghai man in court "for performing a 'sexorcism' on his girlfriend's mother."

Friday, the 6th
Nothing important happened today unless you count the sparks of what will likely be another fiery, polarizing debate of "truthiness" between shaky western journalists and indubious Chinese netizens. The Mutant Palm blogger translated what appears to be, so far, the first response (in Chinese here) to the "Western media's linking of natural and man-made disasters." (Note to the western media: stop making links.)

Saturday, the 7th
More jellylike reporting from the western media today as the AP reported that China's official data obscures the reality of just how deep its sunk because of the financial tsunami.

Chinese media today commented on two instances of corruption--1.) public anger over hefty bailouts and 2.) femme fatale Lu Jiali, rumored ex-mistress of seven Shanghai swine.

Also today, Animals Asia rescued injured moon bears from their bile-bootlegging captors.

Sunday, the 8th
How to combat drought? Call the in the troops, of course. Following Premier Wen Jiabao's order for "all-out efforts" against the drought, Chinese weather officials relieved drought-stricken areas today by dispatching planes from Guangzhou armed with "rainmaking tools including cloud-seeding rockets."

Meanwhile, Reuters published a powder keg of a story today about "John Rabe," a film based on an expatriate Nazi who saved the lives of around 200, 000 Chinese in Nanjing during the Japanese invasion of 1937. "The Rape of Nanking" is historical flash point for Chinese nationalism because conservative Japanese continue to deny that the holocaust ever happened.

Grow with Guangzhou's Seedy KFCs？

"The best choice for you to mature and develop" reads this advertisement outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken adjacent the Gangding (岗顶) subway exit. The rest of the poster is about where and when applicants can come in for interviews.

I wonder how employees "mature" and "develop" under KFC. Just last year, the Guangdong labor bureau investigated KFC, of YUM Brands Inc. which also owns Pizza Hut and Dongfang Jibai (which incidentally means vulva in Singlish--careful with that one), for paying part-time workers--mostly students--less than minimum wage. Other past scandals include: using the cancer-causing red dye Sudan Red IV and using the toxic vegetable Sweet Leaf Bush. And while unions have since been established, I couldn't find any articles about pay-raises at KFC (although I did find an article about pay-raises at McDonald's, which was also accused of short-changing employees). I did write to KFC and if I get a response I'll update this post.

KFC itself, with its Chinese characteristics, continues to be the most profitable and ubiquitous fast-food chain in China. Until it improves its record, however, I say don't eat KFC. 别吃鸡吧。

Guangzhou's Censored Announcement About Unfettered Journalism

"... Beijing will allow journalists..."

That was all I heard before the Pearl News update was preempted by a propaganda clip about thwarting thievery. In Guangzhou, censorship of controversial issues broadcast by Hong Kong news stations is commonplace. Sometimes an entire story is preempted by propaganda, sometimes only a sentence. Either way, like tonight's interruption, the censorship switch is often pulled part way through the first sentence, delayed just long enough to reveal what the controversial topic is. Tonight's topic was--ironically--Beijing's promise to loosen reporting restrictions for foreign journalists in China.

On October 17th, Chinese authorities kept their pledge to extend the temporary journalistic freedoms allowed during Beijing Olympics. Tini Tran, in this AP article, writes that foreign reporters are no longer "required to get government permission to travel within the country or to interview Chinese citizens." In the Wall Street Journal, Mei Fong writes, "critics note the liberalized rules don't apply to Chinese journalists who aren't allowed to work as journalists for foreign media organizations and whose work is liable to control by the state." Okay, so domestic media control remains unchanged. But why censor a report about loosened restrictions for foreigners?

China is opening up. Yet while you can flip a switch to censor, you can't (and perhaps shouldn't) flip a switch to open up completely overnight. It might be a controlled opening up, but an opening up nonetheless. As Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Liu Jianchao said, "[this is] a big step for China."

Perhaps that's why I took particular pleasure in typing "China journalism freedom" as bookmark tags on my delicious.com account.