Monday, December 8, 2008

Just Do It



Hooters in Beijing. Nike in Beijing. It's as if Beijing is being transformed into another America or something. Beer, girls, playing ball...is China being culturally imperialized by America? I know Beijing still has the Chinese culture, history and heritage, but small things like this, like the Hooters down the street or teenagers living through an American basketball brand, I can't help but wonder whether these intrusions of Americanism will (in the long term) detriment or benefit the Chinese culture, disrupt traditions or create new and positive types of change.

I learned in my communication/sociology/development classes at CUHK that globalization is bringing cultures together whether they like it or not. Cultures are hybridizing (the east with the west, the north with the south) and new types of cultures are being created. Some people reject and protest the changes globalization brings to their cultures while others embrace it because it's different and new and more contemporary than the traditional way of thinking. I don't know exactly where China is just yet. It seems like it wants to embrace the change because it wants to get a better global reputation, but at the same time, it doesn't want globalization to change the way its people think (maybe because they're concerned it will eventually lead to greater democracy in the country).

It's weird because Americanization is on the one hand embraced in China, while on the other hand, it's kept at a distance. If there's anything I learned from my classes at CUHK, it's that there is really no telling which way a culture will go. There is no way to determine how cultures will be affected in the long run by other cultures, and that's why China is so nervous. It just doesn't know where it's going to end up.

Cars or bikes?



Bikes were how people used to get around Beijing. Now cars are the big thing. Whatever form of transportation you fancy though, it seems like there is always traffic or gridlock or something in the city. The old and the new keep clashing in this city trying to figure out whether it's something of the past or the new thing of the future.

A dark cappucino with no foam please


Here is a Starbucks in Beijing. Pretty similar to the ones we have in America right? It was really interesting to be in Beijing, to be in China, a country known for its strict authoritarian control over its citizens...and to step into a Starbucks and feel like I was back in Los Angeles.

The Beijing-ers inside the Starbucks could have passed for everyday Americans getting their cup of joe. They were on laptops, sitting and chatting, reading the newspaper. It seems like the culture of Starbucks gets carried wherever the chain goes. Though things on the outside may be one thing, stepping into a Starbucks seems to make those things disappear and people can just enjoy the Starbucks feeling.

Does that mean that transplanted American companies can help people forget about their country and escape into American culture? Or could this be a sign that people would rather be American?

I thought the whole situation was interesting because I know that when McDonalds entered China, lots of things about the way the company was run and how it interacted with its customers changed. There was more focus on family-style meals, it had closer relationships with its customers, and it was less about fast food and more about slow eating.

But for Starbucks, it was like America in Beijing. Almost like how an embassy feels in a foreign country.

Tourists only


One of the destinations in my Beijing trip was a stop at the Olympic village, which is pretty much a shopping mall with Western stores and a Western feel. So that explains why there was almost no one there except for other people from my tour.

I feel like a lot of the time, China and Hong Kong adopt the Western way of doing things, the American concept, like these types of shopping malls. They do it to make themselves feel and look more Western, more American, because they think that's the what they need to do to become more modern.

I think it ultimately hurts them. I mean, these buildings look pretty and everything is nice. But local people know that this isn't what their country or city stands for. They know it is a sham, which is why they will never end up going. It's just a place for tourist to come, to look and see how "developed" things are now.

These types of mall rarely have any business. I guess that is the return on profit for trying to become more Western and less of who they actually are.

Out with the old and in with the new


I knew before I arrived there that Beijing had developed into a modern city since the 1990s. But I was still surprised when I got there and saw skyscapers and office buildings dominating the sky. I felt like it could have passed for Toronto or Los Angeles or Chicago. An ancient city with so much history and heritage? And all I see are Western designed and shaped buildings? Oh how Beijing has changed...

Cranes in Beijing


This picture was taken from the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. I know I should have been focusing more on the ancient kings' sacrificial ways to the heavens, but I got distracted when I saw five cranes from this one point inside the Temple of Heaven.

The thought that came back to mind was how China has been rapidly growing and building these past couple years. I learned in my Crisis of a Planet class at USC that this rapid growth is seriously straining the world's natural resources and it's burdening the rest of the world. China's rapid construction and building efforts are burning through natural resources faster than the world can compensate. And that's why our world is in a crisis (well, amongst other things). China is developing at such a fast rate, it's polluting the air immensely, making its river systems undrinkable, and making its lands sustainable.

China is so focused on its economic development, working its way into the global trade world, and scaling capitalism that it's lost focus on everything else - social problems, the environment, etc. It's letting its capitalistic desires take over every other part of its infrastructure because it so desparately wants to be included in the group of elite countries.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Hong Kong's Hidden Social Inequality



When people think of Hong Kong, they think of cheap shopping, good food, and swarms of people all around. And yes, Hong Kong does have all these things. But underneath Hong Kong's bustling surface lies enormous social inequality. Contrast the bankers in Central to the beggars lying on the streets of Mong Kok. Compare the shoppers at Causeway Bay (as shown in the first picure) to the workers at the side of the street in Quarry Bay (as shown in the second picture).

Every city has its rich and its poor, but the divide between the two in Hong Kong is particularly strong because a dollar can go a long way in this city. Though it is no longer on the World's Bank list of top countries with income inequality, Hong Kong was on the list in 2002; it was number 17, right behind Zambia, Sierra Leone and Nicaragua.

With its economy continuously expanding and with more young people getting post-secondary education, the upper-middle class of Hong Kong has grown. However, at the same time, those whose parents or who themselves did not take advantage of the 1980s and 1990s economic boom are now falling behind.

If we move across the border into mainland China, a similar situation is brewing. The country's economy has taken off in the past decade and its global influence has expanded. But it is growing too fast and too quickly for its citizens to catch up. A socio-economic divide has already emerged within the nation, and it is up to China to act swiftly to make sure the social inequality of its citizens doesn't become too far gone.

Hong Kong-China Tensions


The golden bauhinia flower in the bottom left of the picture was a statue given by the Chinese government to Hong Kong when it was returned to the mainland after the island's 150-year loan to the British. Under its "Special Administrative Region" status (Hong Kong SAR), Hong Kong is legally considered a part of the People's Republic of China, but politically, it is self-governed. Hong Kong will have at least 50 years of autonomy before it is integrated back into the mainland.

It has been 11 years since the handover, and many Hong Kong people are already dreading their island's return to the mainland. Students in the Journalism program at CUHK told me that news in Hong Kong has slowly been changing. News stations are now more politically sensitive and careful when reporting about the mainland because of China's authoritarian and Communist government.

Hong Kong Chinese are also very deliberate about differentiating themselves from mainlander Chinese. There is a certain pride in their voices when they say they are from Hong Kong, and they are quick to point out that they are not from mainland China. In Hong Kong, being from mainland China holds connotations of spitting on the street, squatting, being loud and being dirty. Generally, this is the way the average Hong Kong Chinese perceives mainlanders.

Though many mainlanders are now moving into Hong Kong, they are being met with cultural tension and oftentimes hostility. Many Hong Kong Chinese are frustrated with the inability of mainlander Chinese to speak Cantonese, and they are annoyed that mainlanders are invading and taking over their city. Hong Kong Chinese want to keep their city protected from mainland China, but once its autonomous period is over, there is no telling what might happen to this
island.

The Rise of Putonghua

There is a common saying that you don't need to speak Cantonese to get around Hong Kong. And it's true. Hong Kong is an English friendly city. Street signs are in English. The MTR is laid out in Chinese and English. Hong Kong is a bilingual city.

But now, it's being pushed (maybe even forced) to become a trilingual city: Cantonese, English and Putonghua/Mandarin. With the rapid growth of China knocking on Hong Kong's door and the opening up of the Hong Kong-China border, the city is seeing a huge influx in immigrants from China, and in some places in Hong Kong, Putonghua is the more dominant language.

To cope with the changing language scene, primary schools are putting a greater emphasis on Putonghua education. Whereas before, schools focused on Cantonese and English, they are now placing greater importance on Putonghua. In fact, the "Teaching in Rural Hong Kong" program I'm doing through my school, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), not only had high demand for English teachers but for Putonghua teachers. All the locals seem to know that Cantonese will die out soon and Putonghua will become the dominant language.

Similar scenes of mainlanders overpowering Hong Kong-ers are happening in other Chinese hot spot cities around the world. Toronto, San Francisco, New York, Vancouver and Los Angeles were once settling spots for Cantonese-Chinese, who are defined as being from Guangzhou or Hong Kong. But now, these cities have become overrun by mainlander Chinese, many of whom are now rich enough, thanks to China's open economy, to move across the Pacific.

Cantonese-Chinese people in the above cities are now being outnumbered by mainlander Chinese, and they have no choice but to adapt to the changing language scene, whether they like it or not. My grandparent's generation refused to learn it, my parent's generation knows a little, and the younger generation in Hong Kong knows enough to get by, most can understand it even if they can't fluently speak it.

But overseas Chinese and Hong Kong-ers aren't the only ones who need to learn Putonghua. People around the world seem to be realizing that, with 1/6 of the world's population, China and Putonghua will probably soon take over the world. The future of business is in China so that's why everyone is flocking there.

China has set up Confucius Institutes, which are centres that specifically teach Putonghua, in many cities around the world in response to the interest and demand in learning the Chinese language. With centres set up in South Korea, Serbia, and Rwanda, amongst other countries, the Chinese government is hoping to teach 100 million non-Chinese the Chinese language and culture. However, another result of these Confucius Institutes could be the growth of China's soft power. Soft power is when a country has influence through its culture and language, and with so many Institutes around the world, China is really building up soft power, which is going to help it in issues of public diplomacy...but could this mean that foreign countries will become less strict towards it, its problems with human rights, and its ignorance of social development?

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Surviving the Typhoon

I woke up from my nap...to a level 8 typhoon raging in Hong Kong.

Buses stopped running. Classes ended early. The canteens closed.

How was I supposed to eat dinner?

I've never been in a typhoon before, and I only had a couple apples, some crackers, and coconut bread. Luckily, some local girls invited me to eat with them and we made noodles with lettuce, sausages, and dumplings. It's amazing how good simple food will taste when you really have no other option.

Outside, winds shook up Hong Kong. The strong winds are cool and are actually a nice relief from the humidity we've been having lately. They were so strong I could lean against them, and they almost blew me away (cheu jao). The sky is dark and grim, and there is virtually no activity going on outside. The only sounds are of the trees being tossed and knocked around.


I was scared because the typhoon sounds so powerful, but around me, no one is scared. The locals are used to it; typhoons come three to four times a year and it's no big deal to local Hong Kong people. Me, I thought at least one thing in my hostel was going to break.


Lights and Electricity in Hong Kong

Every night at 8 pm, Hong Kong presents "The Symphony of Lights", a light show at Victoria Harbour. It's best viewed from the Kowloon side because most office buildings are at Central, on Hong Kong Island. The light show mainly consists of buildings lighting up and laser booms shooting across the harbour. It's a pretty sight...the colours are nice and it's fun to see lights criss cross buildings and light up the night sky.

But how much this light show costs Hong Kong. It's done every night, for about 15-20 minutes. And lots of buildings participate in this show, let's say roughly 30 buildings.

30 buildings X 15-20 minutes of electricity/day X 365 days/year X the electricity rate in Hong Kong, which I don't know = a heck of a lot of money

Why do they put their money towards this when they could be allocating it towards ESL, since speaking good English is highly coveted, or environmental programs to clean up their air? Actually, I know the answer to this: aesthetics. Asians are all about aesthetics and making themselves look good to one another and to foreigners. But could they be indirectly hurting themselves by focusing on the way the foreigners and the rest of the world perceive them?

Speaking of which, is this what China did to itself during the Olympics?

Filipinos in Hong Kong

Many Filipinos come to Hong Kong to find work. I heard they need at least a college degree to get out of the Philippines, but most end up working as maids in Hong Kong households. I don't understand why they have such low-level jobs if they received that much education...

Well regardless, Sunday is the only day Filipinos have off work so they congregate at and around Victoria Park (the first picture) and Central Station in Hong Kong (the second picture). In both areas, they bring out blankets or even cardboard, and just sit around, talking with one another, playing cards or napping.



People in Hong Kong are used to them, it's just the way things are here. Being in Central on Sunday means being surrounded by Filipino maids on their day off. Sometimes I compare the way Filipinos are in Hong Kong to the way illegal immigrants are in Southern California. The Mexican migrants are so integral to helping Southern California, particularly LA, run because they do the jobs that no one else wants to do. If they were suddenly not there one day, LA would probably stop running.

So what about Filipinos in Hong Kong? If they weren't here anymore, lots of Hong Kong households wouldn't have caretakers for the elderly or maids for their houses. Lots of the small things would not get done. It makes me wonder whether Hong Kong would stop running...

First Sights of Hong Kong



These pictures were taken when I first arrived in Hong Kong, 12 hours after I was originally supposed to arrive (thank Typhoon Nuri). These were the first things I saw when I landed - a calm and serene Hong Kong after the storm of the typhoon. I don't really know what to expect of Hong Kong, that's ok, it's going to be a crash course.

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About Me

Originally from Canada. Transplanted to LA. Lived and worked in Kentucky, Toronto, now Kelowna and who knows where next! Let the adventures begin!