Ryu2.mind

Our first major deadline is encroaching... lots of work for me on both the engine and tools side. If you don't hear much from me during the next 2 weeks, you know why...

On a more upbeat note, I'll be back in the USA from May 7th (at least) to the 9th. There's a WCC PC meeting in SF, and I'll also be visiting GrX for sure... the rest is up to you guys, so give me a holler if any of you want to meet up! =)

Unlike the USA, the pedesterian crossing lights at crosswalks here in Shanghai are at best, merely advisories and at worst, random red/green lights with no information value. Vehicular traffic turns into crosswalks regardless of the state of these lights, so relying on them solely is something foolish.

I suppose just having them is still better than other cities in China (even Beijing last I checked).

So, when crossing the streets during busy times of day, I've adopted the "When in Rome" mentality, ie, cross when the others are crossing. And... I try to make sure that there are several other people off to my side such that if a car comes in a certain direction, the first to be hit will be them and not me. In other words, I'm using them as "human shields".

Yeah, kinda morbid thinking of it that way I guess... but TIC, where it seems the Chinese themselves in their daily living seem to love enjoy life but not so much go to similar lengths to preserve it.

To put it another way, they view individual life as just "another thing", not a inviolable and sacrosanct notion to be guarded at all costs, like Westerners do in their mindset. The Schiavo case would be a good hypothetical illustration -- basically, I agree with esyu, they'd have pulled the plug a long time ago were she in China... no protracted debate here.

Welfare and prosperity -- yes, it's here to stay and the Chinese have embraced capitalism with a vengence, but this society is still behind the West on valuing life itself. Safety and health are slowly improving, but one gets the impression it is done as a byproduct of China's push "keep up with the Joneses" (eg, achieving face on the international stage) rather than being proactively motivated. If the question is money and expedience over safety, guess which will almost always win?

Like so much of China though, change seems to be hanging in the air, but how fast and definite will it be? Food for thought, and one of those questions that only time will answer, but which makes it all the more exciting for those with eyes on this place...
--------

This is sort of wrong... but nevertheless funny as well... =)

Courtesy of PennyArcade.

4/29: SHA-XMN-BKK (yay for ghetto SE Asian low-cost airlines; 515 RMB to fly from Xiamen to Bangkok, and I was able to still get a seat yesterday!)
* Hanging out with lindajchoi, cndbanana, and the rest of the Thailand folks.
* Getting LASIK surgery (thanks for the tip Linda!)

5/3: BKK-KUL
* Relaxing with the SMIC folks; props to chiedog.

5/6: KUL-PEN

5/6-5/7: PEN-BKK, BKK-ICN-SFO
* WCC PC meeting
* GrX visit

5/8: SFO-PVG

5/10: PVG-BKK
* LASIK followup exam
BKK-PVG

I wonder if this (still largely tentative) itinerary will finally make me sick of flying... happy May Day to you too!

Add one more thing to what I've done so far in China: joined in a internationally-covered protest. Yes, it was against US (and most other countries') embassy recommendation -- but, boy, it's a story to tell the kids! =)

I'm sure most of you already know the background and motivation behind these protests, so I won't repeat here; go to your favorite international news source for more info.

Anyhow before I go on, I have a feeling this topic might spawn some heated comments/debate, so this entry is to serve as a disclaimer and an explanation on my stance; please read this first.

Japan is a country near and dear to my heart. I have a good number of Japanese and Japanese-American friends, some of which read this blog. I own a significant amount of Japanese consumer electronics, camera equipment and video game hardware/software. I know some Japanese (barely enough to survive in Japan, if even that, but I do want to get better), have visited Japan on several occassions, and hope to have many more chances to do so. Heck, I even worked for a Japanese company for the better part of a year.

My "participation" (insofar as only walking along and snapping pictures can be termed as such) was motivated not by my (non-existent) anti-Japanese sentiment, but solely by curiosity -- curiosity to see what a rare government-condoned protest here is like, and on a higher level, a desire to see the Chinese mass psyche in action. For me, seeing people do what they did that morning and afternoon gave an insight into what makes the groupthink here tick and how it fuels behavior -- much more so than reading any book or newspaper.

Having said that, do I personally have misgivings with what the Japanese are teaching their kids in history classes? Yes, I most certainly do.

But likewise, I have similar personal beefs with both the American and Chinese governments, because heaven knows that they are far from blameless when it comes to 'sweeping things under the rug' as far as their public history is concerned. Really, any government on Earth and run by human beings is guilty -- from Vanatu to the Vatican -- for we all have our own agendas to promote, after all.

Furthermore, I realize a government and the governed are different things, so my views on the policies and actions of the {Japanese/Chinese/American...} government is not going to affect my love for things from {Japanese/Chinese/American...} culture nor my friendships with those from said country or ethnicity.

Therefore, if it were just up to me, I'm not going to get so worked up about this particular issue (nor the other ones, eg Diaoyutai/WW2 reparations/UN security council membership) and Japan specifically that I take to the streets, let alone boycott Japanese goods or trash Japanese property. But TIC, so I just wanted to see how the Chinese act, and see I certainly did.

Anyhow, that's my two yen, jiao, or cents -- take your pick -- about the political aspects of this protest.

Narrative and pictures coming up next...

As promised, here is my account of last Saturday, and some last thoughts. If you haven't already, please read my previous entry on this matter before you comment.

All the full-size pictures are here. Apologies for them not being up to the usual quality here; due to an (ultimately unfounded) fear for the safety of my Canon gear, I decided to forego it this once. Oh well, better safe than sorry...

So, esyu and I had previously decided to go to the Shanghai Museum on that day, as both of us had never been there.

I hop on good ol' line 2 of the Metro at around 9 AM, and the first sign that this wasn't like any typical Shanghai Saturday was the announcement (in Chinese only) that access to People's Square station was restricted, and passengers should consider using other stations. Not coincidentally, that happened to be the epicenter of most of the protests (that day, the Chinese exclusively used the term 游行, youxing a general term meaning parade, rather than any more specifically suitable term for protest, e.g. 抗议, kangyi. That alone, to me, shed a good deal of light on what the Chinese viewed it as in their minds...)

Anyhow, I was interested in seeing what "restricted" meant, so I decided to get off there. There is a massive queue of people snaking out of the station. Then, I notice that most of the exits have been shut. I could only find 1 exit, which happened to be exit 8. I guess 8 really was lucky. Anyhow, I came to the surface, and headed south through People's Park to hopefully rendevous with Eric at the museum.

What greeted me:

It didn't look like we were going to get in. I texted Eric, and told him that much, and asked him where he was. He was still a bit off, and by that time, I had grown a bit curious, so I just decided to go with the flow of people a bit for about 10 minutes or so. I had a burning desire to go and see where they were going, but ditching Eric wouldn't have been nice, so I went back.

We decided to go to Cloud 9 up in Jin Mao instead and enjoy the view from mainland China's tallest building, which we did. Afterwards, we figured the protesters would have moved on by now, so we decided to give the museum another try. Well -- so much for that, it soon turned out. People were still forming into a group, even hours later.

Then, Eric and I decided at the spur of the moment to just go and see what would happen. We had a day ahead of us, and I knew if we didn't, at least I'd probably be kicking myself in regret later. So, we became one of the estimated 30,000 Shanghainese to take part in the "parades" that day.

Despite reports of isolated violence and vandalism, the group we were with was rather peaceful. There was chanting: "Boycott Japanese goods!", "Protest Japan!", "Return the Diaoyu Islands!", "Koizumi resign!", and variants thereof were the most popular. Signs ran the gamut -- see esyu's entry for a sampling. Strangely, there were very few signs written in Japanese... wasn't the point of this protest to tell the Japanese something, then? Apparently, not really.

As Eric pointed out, many of the folks seemed just there, treating it as just another Saturday stroll around the city... (I'm sure going through the minds of some was something akin to: hmmm... who are we supposed to hate today? Is it the Americans? Japanese? Or maybe the Taiwanese... lemme check the paper...)

Conversely, we did have our fair share of vocal student types as well. The people-watching aspect, seeing all these diverse Chinese, was in and of itself worthwhile for me, and would have made my day.

When we were at a loss for words, someone would break out singing the national anthem (written during the 1930s and whose lyrics refer to resisting the -- Japanese, of course -- enemy), and invariably, everyone would join in. I suppose peace and quiet were in hiding in that day, like the Japanese themselves.

The route took us west along Yan'An Lu for about 3 hours before reaching Hongqiao and the consulate. We had a "helpful" police escort in front of us, and tons of onlookers cheering us on along the sidewalks and the overpasses. Our "leaders" would shout "加入" -- jiaru, add to our ranks, to them, and we over time, swelled significantly.

The most we ever did was harass drivers of Japanese cars, and occasionally spit in their direction or throw plastic bottles at their vehicles. Some people wanted to throw rocks, but our leaders told them -- "No, no, don't throw rocks. :et's be civilized... after all, they're being driven by our fellow Chinese. Now, if a Japanese is driving, then we'll throw rocks" in a half joking tone. Well, guess there are limits to politeness. =P

Of course, we got thirsty, so I'm sure the convenience stores and impromptu bottled water vendors along the way made good money that day. Of course, we were reminded during our "breaks" to not buy Japanese brands. Sigh... no Suntory Vitamin/Amino Supli for me... =P

We reach Hongqiao and find "helpful" police blocking the way, and essentially making it impossible for us to get lost. While the consulate front entrance was sealed off tightly with policemen lined in a perimeter 200 m or so, the back door was a different story!

We walked into a sea of people. Traffic in most of central Hongqiao was non-existent, and we had the streets to ourselves. And then, we saw the Consulate -- with a rather interesting new color scheme!

Besides it looking like a Cubist piece of abstract art with paint splatters, windows were broken, and bottles and eggs were flying everywhere. It was perversely like watching a game of basketball, with the baskets being the consulate windows. While the emails all advised against throwing rocks and hard objects, people still did so anyway. We stood transfixed for a few minutes, and then, people started shoving, and shouting "rush the entrance!".

That was when I actually started getting a bit concerned. I was fighting a current of people, with riot police on the other end. Luckily, Eric and I were able to resist. They tried several more times, and thankfully, the police were able to hold them off without resorting to violence. Then, someone takes a long bamboo pole and tried to topple a guard post over. I was mesmerized, and wondered if they would actually manage to trash it, but the police repelled that was well.

Someone with a megaphone climbs a lightpost and tells us to sit down. People start chanting and waving again. Smoke can be seen, and I know, somewhere, a Japanese flag is meeting its fate.

Cameras could be seen in abundance during this whole time -- including more than a few Canons, Nikons, and Sonys; not just point and shoots, but (D)SLRs as well. No one seemed to care. Maybe it was the police presence, but somehow, the irony was too much for me. =)

After a while, it was apparent it would be a stalemate, so we went our merry way. Since we were in the area, we decided to grab a bite at Carrefour in Gubei. Eric took off for fellowship, and I stayed to buy some necessities which I had been putting off for a while.

The day had a final effect for me -- I had to wait over an hour in the underground parking area for a taxi, where normally, it would take 10-15 minutes at most. The reason, the Carrefour staff told me, was that traffic was severly curtailed in this area on account of the "parades". One final reminder of the extent of the day's activities, I guess.

What was most memorable about the whole afternoon was not the cause or messages themselves -- but it was just seeing the passion and energy of the (if only somewhat) unleased masses, young and old, male and female, wealthy and not-so-wealthy, all with one voice, one heart, and one cause. Whether it was from their hearts or not, I couldn't judge -- although I observe that probably 99.9% of the folks there didn't actually live through that time of history. Still, it didn't make a difference.

These types of protests are, as already pointed out, an exceedingly rare event in this country; the only other times according my local friends where the government has condoned these types of events were shortly after the 1999 bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, and the 2001 incident with the US spy plane.

Yes, one can debate whether this cause and the extremism was justified or not, and one can rightly note the somewhat hypocritical context of their actions vis-à-vis the practices of their own government... but what can't be denied for me was the force that I got a taste of... forces that can -- and have in the past -- toppled governments here and elsewhere.

Passion and enthusiasm for the cause du jour are things the Chinese people do not lack. May this passion be harnessed and channeled by the Chinese into passion for what matters -- eternally speaking, and effect change in this area, just as it has effected worldly change in the past... that is my hope. That is my wish.

For good and for ill, this spirit will continue to drive, guide and to influence this country in the future... may the direction be that of the former.

--------

Shanghai is without a doubt, the most cosmopolitan and expat-friendly city on the mainland, and a lot of the fun in being here is just meeting and hanging out with new people from all over at various venues -- sometimes friends of friends, but sometimes even strangers, sharing about our lives, homes, and stories to an extent I never did during the US.

Almost always the question of 'why China', or similarly, 'what brought you here?' comes up during these conversations. It's a question where the answer has several layers... the reflexive responses of 'business', 'school', 'holiday', etc. being the topmost one.

Of course, from there, the second 'layer' naturally follows: of all the places in the world to do whatever it is that you're doing, why China in particular? For most, it's more or less because of China's prominence as a growing (for now at least) business and cultural powerhouse. Additionally, it's a fascination with the whole Orient thing (especially for non-Asians) as well as the contrasts and variety inherently present in a country developed and developing at the same time.

Additionally, for those of us who are overseas born Chinese, the whole "returning to the motherland" bit and the fact that it's (hopefully) not a complete culture shock is an admittedly big draw.

And then for a number of us, there are certain other personal reasons why we feel called to China... but pretty much in a nutshell, no matter what your occupation or nationality, one's presence here has something to do with China's status of an growing player in the world.

Mainland China is great, but it's certainly not the only place in the world satisfying the above criteria. And I'd certainly enjoy living and working in plenty of other places as well... why the mainland and not Hong Kong or Taiwan? Or for that matter, Japan, or Mongolia, or Singapore, or Thailand, or Australia... all places I considered at some point in time?

I've been thinking about this on and off since coming here, and I realize that while I never conciously thought of it as such... the modern history of the People's Republic since the 1940s parallels my own life story in many ways.

Going through struggles of identity. Dealing with internal conflict and strife. Slowly and cautiously opening up to outsiders. Acceptance into the international community. Finally being recognized and beginning to flourish in some areas, and more importantly, realizing the need for further change and reform in others.

Perhaps -- just perhaps -- on a tertiary subconcious level, this is why I feel connected with the PRC, and why I largely empathize with the government's current push to be a contributor to the international community in so many ways (e.g. Olympics, Expo, WTO membership, manned space program, 6 party talks...). Ultimately for them, it's about achieving face, and being recognized as an equal amongst peers in the community... just as it was for a long time for me as well.

In a way, I identify and am fascinated to some extent with the themes that come up in China's modern history, especially the diplomatic aspect... for they are in many ways, the same themes of what I've dealt with for years, and even now, older and wiser, still wrestle with here and there in my own imperfection.

Deep down, perhaps this subconcious "connection" helps sustain my interest in all things China, even as they change all the more during this time.

If you were thinking of me at about yesterday morning China time (about 5-7 PM on 4/26 Pacific time), I just want to say thanks -- because for the first time in a while, I felt a struggle being slowly lifted from my heart...

(Yay, finally a "short" entry! Gleefully, you're probably happy as well, huh? =) )

Since coming to China, I've noticed that a lot of the locals, coworkers and otherwise, have the phrase "Sincerely," or "Best regards" automatically in their email signature block, so it automatically gets appended to every email they send. In fact, while I was in school, a lot of the foreign grad students in the CS department did the same thing.

I guess they think of these phrases as lines that always ends correspondence written in the English language, without knowing its true meaning.

While one might argue that it's a time saver to put it in, and that's certainly a valid point, my line of thought is that it's a bit cheesy. How can you be honestly sure that you're "sincere" about what you write or be giving your "best regards" if that phrase is automatically included by a computer in each email message you write? To me, being sincere is a concious act of thought, and to type it out signifies that to the recipient.

But even amongst native English speakers, have we paused to think just about what the true meaning of our words -- even the routine greetings -- are, or are we just issuing them reflexively? Food for thought...

--------