Beijing Today (January 21, 2011)

33.5 MB·English

by  Beijing Youth Daily Group

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Page 14 Hardboiled author speaks Page 8 Expat life on stage
American crime novelist Lawrence Beijing International New Short
Block promises he might have a role for Play Festival is presenting a new col-
his Best Actor Award-winning fan. lection of plays about expat life.
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Online charity shop

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PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
January 21 2011-January 27 2011
NO. 502 CN11-0120
HTTP://WWW.BEIJINGTODAY.COM.CN
CHIEF EDITOR:
JIAN RONG
NEWS EDITOR:
YU SHANSHAN
DESIGNER:YANG GEN
Shopping online can help to build a free, heated bathroom for these children in Qinghai Province, saving them from having to bathe in
water colder than -10 C even in mid-summer.
Time for Year
A new online charity store aiming to tap the popularity of business-to-consumer shopping opened last week. Based in Shanghai,
of the Rabbit Buy For Two is run by young men and women who dream of creating a social enterprise.
Page 16 Read more on Page 15
Municipal Housing the Bona Films Inner voice
meetings put top problem puts its hopes found in
livelihood fi rst for youth on Nasdaq photography
Page 2 Page 4 Page 6 Pages 12-13
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January 21 2011
2
Two Sessions put livelihood
s issues fi rst
By Han Manman
w
The annual sessions of the Beijing Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and
The Beijing Municipal People’s Congress (MPC), commonly known as the Two Sessions, ended today.
e Livelihood issues such as soaring housing costs, traffi c congestion and overpopulation were the top
concerns of lawmakers and advisers during the week-long sessions to address the bottlenecks in the
N city’s social and economic development.
This year’s sessions were especially important as the city discussed its 12th Five-Year Plan
(2011-2015), which sees the coming years as decisive in building a moderately prosperous society.
Other hot concerns
Changing growth
pattern
Beijing will aim for an
8-percent per annum GDP
CPPCC members exchange opinions with netizens. growth rate in the 2011 to
Gov talks tunnels 2015 period: the last fi ve years
had an average annual GDP
Huge underground avenues are ing to the Beijing Municipal Com- growth rate of 11 percent.
to be planned to relieve the capi- mission of Transport. “Beijing will slow its
tal’s chronic gridlock. Mayor Guo The time is right to pass laws growth rate to ... focus on
Jinlong told local lawmakers at the for the citywide operation of school quality and effi ciency rather
annual legislative session that build- buses, said CPPCC member Liu than sheer quantity of devel-
ing tunnels under the city center Yongtai, who has been pushing for opment,” Mayor Guo said.
will be a priority for 2011. bus legislation since 2004. While maintaining stable
The mayor said easing conges- Bills proposing school bus reg- GDP growth, Guo said Bei-
tion remained a pressing job for ulations failed to pass the city leg- jing will keep its unemploy-
the city with 20 million people and islature the past seven years, but ment rate below 2.5 percent
4.8 million vehicles, but vowed in 2010 many legislators began and CPI at around 4 percent.
to “effectively curb congestion” in to see school buses as a solution He also said he expected
fi ve years. to the city’s pressing traffi c prob- the city to see a 7-percent
In what Chinese Internet users lems, Liu said. rise in incomes for urban and
called “the toughest congestion- Some 30 percent of Beijing fam- rural residents and a 9-per-
tackling measures in history,” city ilies drive their child to school every cent rise in fi scal revenue.
offi cials capped the number of day, so school buses could take a
new license plates to be issued in bite out of morning and afternoon Dongcheng homes
2011 at 240,000 – a third as many gridlock, Liu said. Funding would must clean up or be
as were issued in 2010. not be an issue, as the government
demolished
Since January 1, car buyers in has plenty to spend, he said.
Dongcheng district is pre-
Beijing have had to apply to win a Beijing CPPCC member Ren
paring for sweeping redevel-
number in the license plate lottery Zhiqiang, a controversial prop-
CFP Photos opment, Beijing MPC deputy
before purchasing a vehicle. erty tycoon, criticized the quota
Yang Liuyin, the district Party
Another promising solution policy, advocating instead that
Two Sessions’ background secretary, announced during
may be a pilot school bus program the city raise the cost of private
expected to start this year, accord- car ownership. The Beijing Municipal People’s Congress (MPC) is the leg- group deliberations at the
islative organ of the municipality. MPC session on Monday.
Reducing the population The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Low-rise old apartments
(CPPCC) Beijing committee, a political advisory body, con- and other buildings from the
Beijing’s booming overpopula- lapse one day,” Yu said. sists of independent members and those from political parties 1950s and 1970s will be either
tion has been a big headache for To reduce the urban popu- and organizations. demolished or renovated,
the local government. Having far lation, Beijing CPPCC member Both the MPC and CPPCC Beijing committee sessions Yang said.
exceeded its expected growth, the An Jianjun proposed raising the are held during every first quarter of the year before the Adding new fl oors on top
city is now suffering from over- cost of living to force out poor national sessions. of old apartments is another
crowding and a shortage of medi- migrants who don’t have legal CPPCC members discuss and submit suggestions for the option, according to the plan.
cal and education resources. Beijing residency. city’s development to the government, and the MPC decides Yang did not reveal time-
During the 12th Five-Year Plan An proposed that the gov- on important policies. The recent Two Sessions included the tables for the plan’s exe-
n period, one of the local govern- ernment slash its support of 4th Session of Beijing’s 11th CPPCC and the 4th Session of the cution, but identified three
a
Y ment’s main tasks will be to “curb education, health and public trans- 13th Beijing Municipal People’s Congress. areas that will be affected:
ao the overly fast and disordered portation and distribute the money Hepingli, Dongzhimen and
Zh increase” of the population, said to proper residents who contrib- Yongwai, part of the former
er: Yang Zhongqi, deputy to the MPC. ute to the city’s development. Reining in housing costs Chongwen district.
n “Every year, for the past three His proposal would exempt
sig years, about 500,000 people have non-residents who have decent Beijing will strive to hold down keep housing prices from soar- City to start on new
De relocated to the capital,” said Zhai jobs, pay taxes and have basic soaring housing costs and pro- ing further. airport this year
n Zhengwu, head of the School of insurance. vide more affordable housing to He said the government also Beijing is preparing to
a Sociology and Population Studies The concept of a “greater capi- ensure stable growth, Mayor Guo plans to build more affordable build a new airport to alleviate
m
n at Renmin University of China. tal area” would help Beijing with its said at the Two Sessions. houses for low-income groups. rising air traffi c pressure on
Ma “The population is already overpopulation problems, CPPCC Beijing reported 10 percent “We will build or buy 200,000 the Capital International Air-
n beyond the city’s optimum capacity member Wu Yongping suggested. GDP growth in 2010, and despite affordable apartments this year port, according to MPC ses-
Ha and something should be done in He said a greater capital area widespread complaints of price and hopefully half of them will sion records.
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Y closely linked to other issues such tralized within that area. “The to stabilize housing and other residential properties could help improve Beijing’s external
A as traffi c, the environment and the population would then spread out retail prices, and optimize invest- with the capital’s housing prob- transportation capacity and
demand for water and electricity. over the whole area and not be ment structure, now that a com- lem if the owners would rent them build an international avia-
D
Beijing CPPCC member Yu Dan, concentrated in the urban core of paratively high proportion of out, CPPCC Beijing Committee tion hub and gateway to Asia,
O famous for her modern interpreta- Beijing,” he said. investment is going into the real member and Chinese-American the fi rst phase of the new air-
T tions of Confucius, suggested that Statistics show that Beijing estate sector,” Guo said in his gov- Xu Chengwu suggested Monday. port must to be completed in
the municipal party committee, started 2011 with a population of ernment work report submitted The government should the next fi ve years.
G municipal government and admin- 19.72 million, only 12.46 million of to the annual session of the MPC. encourage homeowners to let Additional air passenger
istrative departments should be whom had residency in the city. This year, he said the city their properties instead of leaving handling capacity would
N relocated to a new satellite city. The remaining 7.26 million government would take strict them vacant, Xu said. total 40 million. The plan
I “Beijing is not only a city: it people were classifi ed as a fl oating measures to regulate the real Xinhua reported that more did not specify a location,
J is the heart of China. With only population that had lived in the estate market, ensure stable than 40 percent of all private
investment size or expected
I inward movement and nothing capital for more than six months and orderly land supplies and properties in Beijing were found
E opening date.
moving out, that heart will col- but without residency. curb speculative investment to to be unoccupied last year.
B
January 21 2011
3
Driver’s draconian sentence
Paid video on
demand to form
new market
puts focus on tolls, plate swaps
By Zhang Dongya s
Video sharing websites
w
Tudou and Youku rolled out
new pricing schemes for cer-
By Chu Meng tain videos this week. Insiders
e
Shi Jianfeng, a truck driver are already whispering that the
from Yuzhou, Henan Province, blockbusters of 2011 may fi nd
N
was released from what would as much as 20 percent of their
have been life imprisonment for earnings coming from online
fraud last Sunday. viewings.
His crime: evading 3.68 mil- On Tuesday, box offi ce sensa-
lion yuan in highway tolls. The tion Let The Bullets Fly became
time frame: nine months. available for pay at the two web-
The ruling sparked an outcry sites, as well as at the Web por-
across the country against the tals Sina and Sohu.
court for its excessive punishment, Users can purchase 48-hour
against the Ministry of Transpor- access to the high-defi nition
tation for its excessive tolls and video stream for 5 yuan. Audio is
against the police for their poor available in standard Chinese and
supervision of privileged vehicles Sichuan dialect, a popular option
– a hole Shi took advantage of for people who had already seen
when he mounted military plates. the fi lm in theaters.
Weng Mengyong, the national But with so many illegal chan-
vice minister of transportation, nels to obtain the fi lm for free
said at a press conference Tues- online, many users said the paid
day that current road tolls are The Higher People’s Court of Henan Province is ordering a retrial because of the lower court’s failure to option was not appealing. Other
“reasonable.” investigate other involved parties. CFP Photos said the current 5 yuan price
“Without decades’ worth of could not compete with pirate
income from tolls, we wouldn’t DVDs, which do not come with a
sonal use. Yet they are lending
have been able to complete the 48-hour time limit.
them to relatives and renting the
extraordinary highway we have An employee of the website
plates. The army should be more
today,” he said. said Let the Bullets Fly is only
open about which vehicles it con-
At the press conference, the being used as a trial run.
trols so local supervision can spot
Higher People’s Court of Henan “We do not expect high
frauds,” he said.
Province announced that it had income from online videos, but
But for many in the public,
ordered a retrial, citing the lower most movie producers are opti-
court’s failure to investigate other the real source of outrage is the mistic about the potential of an
involved parties. incredible privilege the govern- online box offi ce. Its existence
ment has granted to military alone might help revitalize the
Toll evasion no crime vehicles. domestic fi lm market,” he said.
Shi Jianfeng, a 43-year-old “In Hong Kong, government To promote the new option,
farmer, made 2,361 trips along offi cials have to suffer through Tudou and Sohu have been enter-
the Zhengzhou-Yaoshan high- tolls and traffi c jams just like ing paid viewers in a raffl e for
way between May 2008 and everyone else. In Japan and iPads and gift certifi cates.
January 2009. Korea, even ministry-level offi - Youku offers a paid monthly
Lugging his truckloads of cials take the subway or bus to viewing package for 20 yuan,
sand should have cost him 2.68 Shi Junfeng (left), Shi Jianfeng’s younger brother said he was the work,” Mo said. which gives access to two paid
million yuan in road tolls. It trucks’ manager not his brother. “Think about this: 2,361 trips channels for fi lms and educa-
did not, because his cars were over nine months racked up 3.7 tional programming. Most fi lms
bearing military plates: the Min- While the government does feng, an offi cer from the depart- million yuan in tolls in a sec- are domestic and foreign clas-
istry of Transportation exempts criminalize tax evasion, with a ment, said. ond-tier city in Henan Province,” sics like The Truman Show (3
military vehicles from complying maximum prison sentence of The toll system has created a said Zhang Wenjie, researcher from yuan) and Inception (5 yuan).
with national road tolls. seven years, no legislation has black market for forged licenses Logistic Management School of Bei- The educational channel offers
For his “fraud,” Shi was fi ned criminalized toll evasion, he said. for all manner of privileged vehi- jing Transportation University. video courses to teach profes-
2 million yuan. His total earn- Considering the extent of social cles. Military plates are preferred, “These sky-high toll fees are sional skills and language.
ings – 20,000 yuan in nine harm, the former is obviously far as the State Council has kept obviously one of the main reasons A Baidu user said some videos
months – were garnished by the more severe than the latter. Tax them exempt from road tolls and ordinary truck drivers, who earn a in the educational courses are
court last Friday. evasion is also only criminalized parking fees since 1997. living by driving these roads, are worth paying for because they
But the day after sentencing, when someone fails to pay after Since 2000, they have also seeking military plates,” he said. were original productions not an
Sahphe piw Jeuaarsne ftdehn aegt ,tt rhhuiesc ckyo’osuu rmnt gasetnara tbginreogrt thahneardt, bbeigin “tTgh oec lasl uuegmvha,ts ,ii soh nfea ,sr na fiordo m.ma mtteerr ihtionwg vsbiieooenlna tbiimoyn mtsh,u efno ePll oetowop ifinl eng’se a s L jfoiobirne trt radateifocfi inc- ptor op“fi aItfy oS3fh .7i2 o0mn0li,yl0l i0eoa0nr nyyeuudaa nnh ibisn us ttt aohtlaelsdd, awvialli“ lsIa ebetl hem ifnookrv fireiense a etnhlsdee wTfhVuet urderr.ea mwaes Zhao Y
tfprhloeam’ts t Ahar elm olicecadeln Pdsoievlsii csweioe anrne od pf t uthrhecerh ePafsoeeorde- ap rloifIvefe ssteh naeut settnhacemen,pt”i cCo,n ht ahtnhegan ts atchioden. tc r aascet Aecarralm lD Sye’tspa aHffr etamanddeqn tutha.er tGeresn oefr athl eP Goleitni-- hshoiwpA p winroegup blodur sth inep eubsbse? li”as bshlaeeid dt oZb hyrau nntgh ae riInte liesca iasne ewdm infia -srw stia nno ddn ilsiontrnei ,b utaetnlieodvn i stpihoaentn-. signer:
not fake. should be about how the armed These privileges have created World Bank in 2009 said that tern for all the industries, but De
Shi Junfeng produced a one- police illegally provided a license an incentive for rampant abuse: 100,000 of the world’s 140,000 it’s unclear how it will affect box n
year contract signed by Zhang swap – not toll evasion, he said. offi ce returns,” a Sohu employee a
Xintian and Li Jinliang, the two No vehicle in border towns, military plates kilometers of highways are surnamed Gao said. m
armed police offi cers carrying are used to provide cover for located in China, and these One Hong Kong movie, Lov- an
mhimili ttahrey pidlaetnetsi.ty cards who sold suOpredrinvairsyi toruncks are required dru g aInn d hJuumnea n 2tr0a0f9fi ,c kear s.joint roof adwsh raetq udirriev etorsll sp faayr inev eexnc eisns eLre’tsv D’si spcaoidu rcshea, nwnaesl s ocnre Jeanneuda orny an M
the Adcicvoisridoinn ga lltoow etdh ef oucro notfr aSchti, tkoil opmaeyt etro, lalsc coofr d0in.4g5 t oy tuhaen c hpaerrt cdaempapratmignen tbsy i nl aGwu aenngfdoorcnegm aenndt dev elZohpaendg n astaioidn s.the logistics 1in5 ,c tiwneom waese. ks after it appeared or: H
Junfeng’s trucks to carry mili- published on the website of the Zhejiang provinces and Beijing industry is booming, and in the According to industry statis- dit
tary plates, CCTV reported on Henan Highway Department. broke up six groups that report- coming decade it may account tics, China made 500 fi lms in E
Y
Monday. Shi Junfeng, in turn, But a special rate exists for edly produced and sold more for the top 10 percent of eco- 2010: only 260 of these made it to
would make yearly payments of overweight trucks. A truck car- than 5,000 fake military plates nomic growth. the big screen. Blockbusters tend A
1.2 million yuan to the division in rying a full load of sand, slag or to customers in more than 20 “But the ill management and to monopolize cinemas, making D
exchange for the privilege of driv- rock may be billed 15 times as provinces. high costs, including oil prices fi lm offering monotonous. The
O
ing specifi ed stretches of high- much as an empty truck, turn- Mo Jihong, a constitutional and tolls, have been eroding the low cost of online screening may
way under military plates. ing a 100-kilometer trip on the professor at the Law Institute growth of our logistics sector. become a new channel for non- T
“The illegal use of offi cial Henan highway into a bank- of the Chinese Academy of Eventually it may be a barrier to mainstream fi lms to fi nd viewers.
signs, such as armed police vehi- breaking 2,700-yuan excursion. Social Sciences, said the prob- the development of all business,” Currently, most of China’s G
cle plates, only carries a max- “Our rates are in line with lem stems from the military’s he said. video sharing websites profi t N
imum sentence of seven years the average rates nationwide. But secrecy and loose management In the meantime, drivers across from advertisement exclu-
in prison,” said Chang Yanbo, many truck managers are paying of its vehicles. the country are eagerly awaiting sively. Paid media is expected JI
an attorney at law from Henan off military units to borrow plates “Army offi cers should not be Shi’s retrial to learn whether toll to become a major source of I
Bangji Law Firm. and get around this,” Shi Yin- using its vehicles for their per- reform will ever come. their income in the future. E
B
January 21 2011
4
No country for young men
e A profi le of perplexed youths fi ghting for homes
r
u
By Huang Daohen
t Every generation
believes it faces greater
a
challenges than those of
its parents. In a way, they
e
are right – the young
F generation confronts a
relatively different envi-
ronment and has to con-
tend with problems their
parents or grandparents
never faced.
While predecessors
may have struggled with
poverty, young people
nowadays face a slightly
different crisis: unafford-
able homes. They have
to choose between fi nan-
cial independence, bank
loans or dependence on
their parents.
Beijing Today talked
to three young couples
who settled down in
the three major cities
of Beijing, Shanghai and
Guangzhou.
A street performer carries his house on his back like a turtle. Wenzi/IC Photo
Borrow a home and rent it
Beijing
“If you don’t buy now, there will be at Tsinghua University. Soon after grad- housing costs,” Li said. lar rush to take on the expensive burden
no hope as income will never catch up uation, he got married and found a job Li purchased an apartment in Chaoy- of a house payment. A recent study by
with housing costs.” at an IT company. At the time, Li had ang District for 24,000 yuan per square the property agency Homelink shows that
– Li Ling, IT engineer, Beijing not thought about buying a home even meter last month. He currently sublets the capital’s new home buyers are mostly
though the prices were much lower. the space at 3,500 yuan per month to from the young.
“Even then, it was a signifi cant amount cover his payments to the bank and rents The report said the number of people
Li Lin, a 28-year-old from Chongqing,
of money for newlyweds. We felt it was a 50-square-meter apartment near his under 30 applying for mortgages has
decided recently to buy an apartment in
better to rent a house,” Li said. offi ce for 2,000 yuan. risen 14.4 percent in the past three years:
the capital: he preferred to use the word
But surging prices and infl ation made “Our new home is too far from the most fi rst-time home buyers were 27
“borrow,” because his parents and in-laws
his family worried. “Prices go up every year, company and we are used to walking to years old – 15 years younger than appli-
helped pay the down payment.
and if you don’t buy now, there will be no work,” he said. cants in Germany and Japan, and three
Li came to Beijing in 2002 to study
hope as income will never catch up with Many couples in Beijing are in a simi- years younger than those in the US.
Raising a family
Guangzhou Shanghai
n
e
G Career comes fi rst “I will not put pressure on the last decade. He bought his and my family tried to support
ng my parents.” home three years ago without my university study. That’s why
a
er: Y ban“kI wlooann’ts .g Ie tw trilal pwpaedit btyo sTohfotwugahre b fuosri nseosms ew awse dbissimteasl. car salesm–a nD,a Snhiaanl Bghaaoi, borAroftweirn gg rfardouma thinisg pfarroemn tsa. uni- II dbiedgna’nt atsok ltohoekm foforr ah ehlpo mweh einn
n versity in Hangzhou, Bao and his Shanghai,” he said.
g buy everything until after at fi rst, the two began to turn
hen Desi I have a go–o dS icmGaoruenae nZrgh.”za hnogu, ataop p arHwrotafimo iwtte iennvot e.2n rW0 , 0pZh9uhil.raecn htgha esdyine ccgoi duaelndd dShaialSDnyu gahrhnagaibiaini lt gas .nBpdrao opw, earwst yhb opo rrincli evsien sh athvinee gtlahitreelifBrrr iaafeononr’ddst u bwfneaeegmn.a tTinl thy ro ee wSynh atmiasnn agprg roahi oeahrdio t uaoast sy eete.heaker pBaaroe“T’Isnh twwisn,iog”fen sB ’cbta heopac usanatmg iedped.r p einsres 2ug0nre0a n6o twn, ahmnendy
Dao Others, like Simon Zhang ahfofmored, aa n midoedaels tlhy omprei ceind 1in9g7 0osf, “Hsaayvse tyhoeu ceoamtemn oyne t?g”r eheats- tainmde t–h eh ifsa mfailtyh erre lwieads oan f aBrmaoe’sr hexep daencdidinegd ftaom biulyy. a home for his
Huang ian p GrLiuoaasrtin tyygezahro, uZ,h amnagk, e2 7c, amreaerr- Greuqau“nWirgeze h ao louda enci.d wedou ldn ot sttilol ma hoorBpmahoee, dyea it n?lt”ooc a“Hl acavre ysoeull ebro, uwgahst psycoohurotn ogale fr–t e srbi sutsteh rte h feofiy rn fisi stnhilaeln dmc iaamnl iasdgudeplde- ipnugr,Ac Bhftaaesore dwtw aaos hgmroamonnette hdfso rao f8l o0sae0na, 0rac0nh0d-
ditor: r2wi5ee-dby seiatheri.-s oB lodwt hiwf eah roeD fwruoo mrQk osin uftgos,ri d aae bmoornroewy far olmar gteh ea mboaunnkt. oItf bhoasrn b iene nZ hleivnignjgia ning SPhroavnignhcaei afnodr to p“aIy afporp rheicsi eadteu chaotwio nm.y father ylouaann a. hLeaasdt oyfe sacrh, edhue ler.epaid the
E doesn’t make sense to take
Y Guangzhou, and they decided
A to wait on buying a home. out a loan for an unaffordable Escaping the triad Graduates fl ee the big cities
house,” Zhang said. “It’s like
“We are very satisfi ed
D we are prisoners of the bank.
with the home we rent. I We won’t get trapped.” While Lee, Bao and Xiang may say they prefer to fi nd work in a titled “Getting out of Beijing-Shang-
O focus on my work because The couple takes advan- feel lucky to have settled down small- to medium-sized city. hai-Guangzhou,” more than 85 per-
T I believe that if I have a tage of their current fi nan- in China’s top three cities, many The survey said college stu- cent of respondents said they would
G gthoiondg c–a rienecrlu, Id iwnigll ag ehto euvseer iyn- caibarlo afdre.edom by traveling yreotuunrgne hr ogmraed uoar ttersy atrhee iorp ltuinckg tino disetnict,s aarned berceoamliziningg mtohraet retahle- pthraenfe sr ttrou lgegalvee. these big cities rather
the city – sooner or later,” “We may not own a second-tier cities like Taiyuan, crippling costs of life in the big The inability to afford a home
N Zhang said. home, but we are comfort- Hefei and Wuhan. city will make it diffi cult for many and being excluded from the
I Zhang started a business able and enjoying our lives,” A recent report by the Minis- of them to get ahead. household registration system
J with his friend after gradu- Zhang said. try of Education said that more A similar poll by Sohu backed up were cited as the top concerns
EI ation. They develop online than 60 percent of new graduates the ministry’s fi ndings. In a survey driving many talents back home.
B
January 21 2011
5
Mommy wars
Is Chinese mom superior to American mom? k
o
A week after it was published in the book review section of the Wall Street Journal, Yale law professor
Amy Chua’s essay arguing the superiority of strict Chinese parenting continues to stir debate over the merits o
and demerits of family education between China and the US. The 60-second national publicity video is
expected to air on CNN untill February 13. l
Xinhua Photo t
u
Publicity vedio
O
conveys China’s
overseas image
New Yorkers have been drawn closer to
China this week through a video shown in
Times Square.
The 60-second video, with red as its
theme color, will be shown 15 times each
hour until February 14 and is expected to
air on CNN from January 17 to February 13.
On top of the six screens in Times Square is
a billboard saying “Experience China.”
Dozens of Chinese people appear in the
video, including celebrities like basketball
star Yao Ming, astronaut Yang Liwei and
producer John Woo.
The video also features ordinary people
like Alipa Alimahun from the Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region, who was shown
standing in a scarf and yellow robe. Over
more than half a century, the 71-year-old
woman has adopted nearly 20 orphans
from 10 ethnic groups.
“We hope the video can give the Amer-
ican people a panorama of China and let
them feel the readiness of the Chinese
people for making friends with them,”
Chinese moms are known to be strict and hard on their children. CFP Photo said Jason Shen, chief executive producer
of the video.
The argument – whether Chua’s their children’s psyches,” she writes. “Chi- and hugging her mother afterward, and Shen said it took him and his staff
approach to raising kids (no play dates, nese parents aren’t. They assume strength, wowing other parents at a piano recital a nearly two months to fi nish the video clip.
no sleepovers, no school plays, no TV or not fragility, and as a result they behave few weeks later. Also, several foreigners were invited to
computer games, no grades lower than A, very differently ... That’s why the solution Chua’s lesson: “As a parent, one of the give advice.
no class ranking less than No. 1 except to substandard performance is always to worst things you can do for your child’s Many countries and regions have videos
for gym and drama) is a tough-minded excoriate, punish and shame the child,” self-esteem is to let them give up. On the to convey their images to overseas audi-
response to a culture of chronic under- Chua writes. fl ip side, there’s nothing better for build- ences, some with the purpose of promoting
achievement or some form of well-inten- All of which Chua’s two daughters ing confi dence than learning you can do tourism. “Even Kosovo released a video to
tioned-but-misguided child abuse – has experienced. Chua recounts the time her something you thought you couldn’t.” show how beautiful the war-plagued land
generated 5,000 comments on wsj.com, then-7-year-old daughter Louisa couldn’t In a follow-up report about how Chua’s really was,” Shen said.
more than 100,000 comments on Face- master a piano piece and tore the score essay has been received in China, the Wall Jin Jing, a wheelchair fencer and Olym-
book and dozens of response articles else- to shreds when Chua forced her back for Street Journal remarked that unlike in the pic torchbearer, took part in the fi lming last
where on the Internet. more practice. “I taped the score back US, higher education in China is consid- August. Although the video was short and
Chua makes the case that Western par- together and encased it in a plastic shield ered a highly precious resource, available her image appears for only a couple sec-
ents, with their emphasis on self-esteem, so that it could never be destroyed again. to a minority of people and accessed for onds, the woman was proud.
free expression and individuality, pro- Then I hauled Lulu’s dollhouse to the car most by means of an intensely competitive “I appear in the video as a member of n
duce soft, coddled children with substan- and told her I’d donate it to the Salvation national exam. Add to that the pressures the handicapped, a member of the young Ge
dard achievements. While Chinese parents, Army piece by piece if she didn’t have ‘The of the one-child system and you have the generation born in the 1980s,” she said. g
Chua argues, understand that a strong Little White Donkey’ perfect by the next perfect recipe for hard-line parenting. In the past, Jin said that maybe China an
fdoruennd’sa tsiuocnc ecsasn ahnedlp t hgeuraerfaonrete eta tkhee iorn c hthile- ddainyn –er I, nthor Ceahtreisntemd ahse orr wHitahn nnuok lkuanhc hp,r enso- midYdelte mclaanssy, ihna vCeh ibneag,u ens ptoec idaellvye lionp tahne wagarsi cjuuslttu ar ev aagnude wwoorrkde eras.sily associated with er: Y
weighty responsibility of ensuring their ents, no birthday parties for two, three, interest in the more freewheeling child- “Through this video we want to tell the gn
children’s academic and extracurricular four years – I told her to stop being lazy, rearing practices of the West, seen as pro- world that we have talent in all fi elds, like esi
achievement – whatever it takes. cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.” ducing more creative, socially capable and high-tech industries.” D
“Western parents are concerned about In the end, Lulu did it, snuggling with happier children. (Agencies) David Tool, a professor with the Beijing n
e
International Studies University, had not h
o
seen the video, but he believes in the idea of a
Expert’s view D
showing it in the US. g
“Americans need a better understand- n
Either American mom or Chinese mom can be excellent a
ing of the Chinese, and they (Yao Ming u
H
By Li Zhixin families have different ways of educat- method in accordance with the child’s uanreds ,Y” ahneg s aLidiw.ei) are popular, great fi g- or:
Education is a cultural phenomenon. ing their children. When we compare the personality. The project, he noted, shows that the dit
Different educational modes refl ect dif- American family education and Chinese Confucius said parents should teach E
“Chinese government is paying attention to
ferent cultures. The mode that fi ts a Chi- one, we should take the social, historical, their children to “cultivate moral char- Y
publicizing Chinese culture to foreigners.”
nese family is not necessarily best for the cultural and economical backgrounds of acter, put family affairs in order and A
He said that it was good for the video
American family, and vice versa. the countries into account. bring happiness to the country and
to involve ordinary people, and that Ameri- D
Both Americans and Chinese moms Authority dominates family educa- peace to the world.” As a result, Chinese
cans actually expect to see more common
can be exceptional; what’s important is tion in most Chinese families due to children’s accomplishments are directly O
people, “even the poor, who are struggling
that they all expect their children to grow Confucian values. Many Chinese parents connected with their parents’ educa-
for life and working hard, to show their T
up and become productive people in think their children are their property, tional methods.
good personality and real life.”
society. The tactics they choose to instill while American families stress indepen- We can’t easily say which method
He also said movies can be used to pro- G
these principles are associated with their dence, competition, equality, democracy is superior. In my opinion, whatever
mote Chinese culture.
respective social environments and cul- and liberty. methods are adopted, parents need to N
“American TV shows like Desperate
tural traditions. Chinese parents attach more impor- teach children how to be responsible Housewives and Prison Break are popular I
Family education is as important as tance to how to make their children human beings. J
school education and social education, better adapt to society, while American – Huang Heqing, senior editor of [around the world],” he said. “It is better I
but even in the same country, different parents can adjust their educational Family Education magazine in China for China to make some movie ads or TV E
ads for exporting.” (Agencies) B
January 21 2011
6
The road to Nasdaq
2010 sets record
for foreign
s investment
Bona turns to Hollywood for
s
Foreign direct investment in China
e Paramount dream hit a record $105.7 billion (696 million
yuan) last year, the government said
n Tuesday, highlighting growing confi -
Nasdaq IPO rapid development,” Yu said. dence in the economy even as the central
i “The overseas IPO won’t be easy for By Huang Daohen If every Chinese person goes to the government seeks to rein in growth.
s Bona, but we already became the fi rst When Yu Dong fi rst landed at New cinema at least one time per year, China Investment by overseas companies
domestic fi lm company listed in the US,” York in 2007, he was stunned as he would be the second largest movie market rose 17.4 percent year-on-year, with
u Yu Dong said. gazed up at the Wall Street sign. in the world with annual box-offi ce returns more than a fi fth of the money fl owing
Yu, a graduate of the Beijing Film “It is a kingdom of capital,” he said. of 30 billion yuan, Yu said. into the red-hot property sector, Minis-
B Academy, had his fi rst job at the country’s Three years later, with actress Gong At the end of last year, Bona had try of Commerce spokesman Yao Jian
l“aIr lgoevset mfi lomv iceosm, apnlde xt,h Be efi iljmin gin Fdilumst rSyt uisd iaon. Li at his side, Yu, founder of Bona Film caonndt orapcetrsa twedit hsi x2 c5i naecmtraess siens B aenijdin ga.c tTohres saidC ahti na ap raetstsr accotnedfe r$e1n4c eb.illion in for-
industry full of dreams,” Yu said. Industry, rang the bell in New York to company plans to invest 500 million eign direct investment (FDI) in Decem-
Later, Yu was assigned to head up open the fi rst day’s trade. yuan to build 20 more cinemas with 200 ber alone, up 15.6 percent from a year
domestic distribution at China Film Group But Yu’s Hollywood journey has yet screens across the country in the coming earlier, Yao said.
Corporation for several years before to begin: Yu hopes that his Bona, known five years. “The improvement in the invest-
branching off to start Beijing Bona Cul- as the Chinese Miramax, can grow to When complete, Bona would be among ment environment has become a new
ture Communication in 1999. The com- become the next Paramount. Asia’s largest movie studios, Yu said. driving force of China’s FDI,” Yao said.
Blistering growth in the world’s sec-
pany was backed by Poly Group in its
ond-largest economy and expectations
early days.
for a stronger currency have attracted a
Bona became the fi rst private com- Dialogue
growing number of foreign investors to
pany allowed to distribute fi lms. It was
China, hoping to get a better return on
also granted the right to distribute fi lms
their money, analysts said.
from Europe and throughout Asia. Q: What do you think of the quality
“The strong full-year FDI fi gures
Yu’s policy has changed little since of Chinese movies today?
show that the world is still largely sold
those fi rst days: he emphasizes building A: They are generally unsatisfying.
on the China growth story, viewing
goodwill with cinema managers and using Nowadays, the domestic fi lm industry is
China as a high-growth, high-returns
screenings to show that Bona fi lms are trying hard to develop marketable fi lms
location,” said Alistair Thornton, an
capable of getting people into the cin- that will generate cash. But the problem
analyst at IHS Global Insight.
emas. Under his leadership, Bona has is that these Chinese movies lack inter-
“Tepid growth prospects in the euro-
become one of the country’s most suc- national infl uence. During the week-long
zone and United States have only served
cessful distribution fi rms. briefi ng in the US, we can see that even
to heighten this,” he said.
But comparisons to Miramax alone if American (investors) were optimistic
The data were released ahead of
are not enough to attract American inves- about China’s fi lm market, they doubted
key figures due later this week that
tors. Before Bona’s Nasdaq debut, Yu its quality.
are expected to show the economy
and his team spent more than a week In the past, some Chinese fi lms, such
expanded by a rapid 10 percent in
briefi ng US institute investors and fund as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and
2010.
managers about the country’s promising Hero, have attracted global audiences,
Beijing, alarmed by soaring food
movie market. but few movies have won international
and property prices, has been trying to
However, investors were still hesitant awards or become globally successful in
reduce the volume of money fl owing
to buy in. recent years.
into the economy – in November, infl a-
Yu said Nasdaq was one of the hard- Q: What can the Chinese fi lm indus-
tion rose at its fastest pace in two years.
est ways to go about being listed abroad. try do to compete abroad?
The large amount of foreign funds
Before Bona’s IPO, many industrial A: The country’s film industry is still
into the real estate market – 22.7 per-
experts told Yu to list on the domestic in the early stages of development and
cent of the total FDI – will likely be a
A-share market or the Hong Kong Stock has a long way to go. Currently, domes-
“concern” for Beijing, Thornton said.
Exchange. tic film companies like Bona need to
FDI slowed sharply in August, rising
“It should have been relatively easy, as learn from and cooperate with Holly-
1.4 percent year-on-year compared
two fi lm companies have already set prec- wood. That’s the reason we chose to get
with 29.2 percent in July and 39.6 per-
edents,” Yu said. listed on the Nasdaq.
cent in June.
Indeed, Bona has a good reputation in One tendency we need to pay attention
But in September it picked up again,
Hong Kong having arranged the distribu- to is this obsession with commercializa-
increasing 6.1 percent year-on-year,
tion of many Hong Kong fi lms. tion. Many directors believe big name stars
while in October it rose 7.9 percent and
But Yu said Bona’s goals are more than are the best way to attract viewers. But big
Gen fin nesaen ccoiauln: hteer dpraerat mtos P oafr baemcoomunint gP itchteu rCehsi.- sstuaprps odsreivde tuop bper oad uccutlitounr aclo setnst. eMrtoaviniems eanret thenT hleea dpatt 3a8 in.2c lpuedrec iennvte isnt mNeonvte bmyb oevre.r-
ang proTduhcet iUonS hmaasr kmetast.u rSee eckaipnigta la aUnSd fiI PlmO phraovde uacnt abratissetdic oqnu aalirttyis otrry n. oWt ihs eatnh eimr tphoery- smeaans ucfoamctuprainnige,s r einal einsdtautset,r sieersv iscuecsh a nads
Y agriculture but exclude money put into
er: pforromvi dtheadt B coonuald w sieteh caono ipnetreartniaotnio wniatlh p blaigt-- tmanovt iwe ianyd tuos tmrye.asure the maturity of the banks and other fi nancial institutions.
gn name US studios like Warner Brothers Q: Did you expect that Bona’s price China’s investment abroad in non-
si fi nancial sectors also set a record in
e and Paramount, Yu said. would fl op to $6.59 per share on its
D 2010, rising 36.3 percent on year to $59
hen ianwtea“rrInetn’aste iaso scn haaaml nsoctnea gnt oda anpru disnsh ta eonrundra tcriaooimnseap la banruaydn tido- dweabsAu :i tsI sdtu aweyad,s ? duonwexnp e$c1t.e9d2, bfruot mw ew ahree nn oitt bmilolinoeny ains toth eo vceorusenatsr y epnuermgyp,e dm minoinrge
ao ence,” he said. disappointed. There are several reasons and agricultural projects.
D Despite the sharp increase, Yao said
ng SheYnu Nsaanidp evnegn’st uSreeq ucaopiait aCl agpriotaulp Cs hliinkae fmora sth he oslliudmayp . iFni rtsht eo f UalSl,, ita w baasd th tei mCher ifsotr- China wanted even greater access to for-
a eign markets and highlighted the recent
u said Bona should list overseas. Under cur- investments. Secondly, as I mentioned,
H obstacles encountered by Chinese fi rms
or: rreencet ivlae wfo, rCeihginn einsev efis trmmesn ct:a ngnetottin dgi rliesctteldy tqhuea liintyv eosft otrhse aCreh isnteilsle c fia ulmti.o uWs ea balosuot htahde when trying to invest in the US steel,
dit abroad is one of the best ways to pull ven- some problems with technical miscon- manufacturing and telecom sectors.
E “China is improving its investment
Y ture capital into China. duct as the fi rst domestic fi lm company
environment and legal system. We hope
A Before its debut, Bona raised $11.5 to get listed overseas. It turned out that relevant countries will further open
million (75.7 million yuan) from Sequoia Xiong Tao/CFP Photo overseas investors didn’t understand our
D Capital and SIG Asia and 100 million shareholder structure and profi t model, their markets and areas available for
About Yu Dong foreign investment,” he said.
O yuan from Matrix Partner China. and that our focus is long-term returns.
Overseas investment through
T Future investments Yu Dong, 40, is a Chinese fi lm pro- Q: What’s your plan in the future? mergers and acquisitions totaled
A: Now that we’re listed on Nasdaq,
Now listed in the US, Bona said it ducer and presenter. He is also the I will be working hard for my unknown $23.8 billion, accounting for 40.3 per-
G would keep investing, fi lming and releas- founder and CEO of Bona Film Industry, cent of the total.
American bosses. We’ll invest more in
ing fi lms. a newly Nasdaq-listed fi lm company At the end of 2010, the country’s
N domestic cinema expansion and fi lm pro-
Last year, the world produced about that has distributed and co-produced accumulated overseas investment in
duction. I hope we can make another
I 5,000 fi lms: one in 10 of these were pro- 139 fi lms, including 29 international non-fi nancial sectors stood at $258.8
J duced in China. “We are confi dent that releases such as Confession of Pain, 100 quality movies. Then I can retire and billion, Yao said.
I become a teacher at my alma mater, the
E the Chinese fi lm industry is in a period of Dragon Tiger Gate and Flash Point. (Agencies)
Beijing Film Academy.
B
January 21 2011
7
Property tax – should we levy or not?
e
Comment
t
Common practice abroad
a
The levying of real prop-
erty tax and inheritance tax is
b
a common practice in the US
and Europe. The Chinese gov-
ernment has long been protect- e
ing its people from it, but a
small portion of the populace is D
taking advantage of the system,
speculating on the market for
its own benefit. I fully support
plans to punish these specu-
lators. The punishment should
even be heavier.
– Wang Jun, professor,
Peking University
Unreasonable
We are not wealthy as
Americans and Europeans. It
is not easy for most people to
purchase and maintain homes.
A real estate tax is unreason-
able.
– Yang Jinwen,
engineer, EDF
Protect the working class
The Communist Party tradi-
tionally protects the fundamen-
Potential home buyers line up to look at apartments. CFP Photo
tal benefits of its people, but it
By Zhao Hongyi told the municipal congress in its In fi rst-tier cities like Beijing, China’s central government, in has also never shied away from
Over the past two months, as annual meeting that the govern- Shanghai and Guangzhou, prices an attempt to appease the public, punishing speculators. I believe
a result of rocketing real estate ment has no plans to implement a of sophisticated units have risen as has ordered local governments to it must levy high taxes on those
prices, fi erce debates have risen tax in the foreseeable future. high as 40,000 to 100,000 yuan build a certain amount of “eco- who own too many houses and
over the possibility of levying prop- In the 30 years after the People’s per square meter. Prices in second- nomic houses” – cheap but high- have too many transactions.
erty taxes to discourage speculators Republic was established, China tier cities like Hangzhou, Chongq- quality apartments – to fulfi ll But it’s not right to impose
from buying multiple properties. distributed housing to its urban ing and Nanjing are catching up. housing demands. taxes on middle- and working-
Municipalities like Chongqing dwellers, a practice in line with An apartment in the center of these Still, prices are going up. class families who only own
and Shanghai say they believe most Communist countries. cities might even cost more than Another idea that has been one flat.
taxes will counteract the effect of But the practice stopped in some apartments in New York, bandied around is levying an – Lao Song, supervisor,
speculators who drive up hous- the mid-’90s due to population Moscow and London. inheritance tax to prevent irra- Qingdao Harbor Authority
ing prices by purchasing multi- pressure. The country opened up Accelerating urbanization and tional purchasers from buying Curb speculations
ple properties. Chongqing targets its real property market to inves- industrialization is driving the more than one apartment for Speculating on the market
high-end property owenrs with a tors, developers and individual fever as well. Every year, 10 to 15 their children. is a common phenomenon. I
tax estimated at 0.5 to 1.5 per- purchasers. million rural residents migrate to “I don’t think the tax will be think it is better to use the
cent. Shanghai focuses on houses But due to a huge shortage cities, and this trend may continue effective in curbing speculative market to punish these specula-
bigger than 70 square meters of supply, housing prices have into the next decade, experts fore- house purchases unless supply tors by increasing the supply of
with a rate of 0.5 to 0.6 percent. been soaring. Wealthy people have cast. China’s State Council antic- and demand are in balance,” land and housing under care-
Beijing, meanwhile, has been taken advantage of easy loans ipates as many as 400 million said Ren Zhiqiang, chairman ful planning.
reluctant to enact similar measures. from commercial banks to specu- people will move into cities over of the Beijing-based Huayuan – Roderio Garay, Chilean
On Monday, Vice Mayor Ji Lin late on the market. the next two decades. Property Company. student studying in Beijing
Chongqing initiates ‘civilized
n
e
G
tables’ to combat extravagance g
n
a
Y
er:
By Zhang Dongya gn
It is common for Chinese rev- Comment si
e
elers at banquets to over-order, as D
it’s considered a sign of courtesy. A good start The proposal is necessary, n
Leftovers are then discarded. In the last two years, taking but it is hard to say whether the he
Last week, some restaurants in leftovers home has become measures will work because ao
Chongqing launched a campaign popular. For one, price hikes these eating habits were D
called “civilized tables” to combat have forced people to be more formed during childhood. ng
this extravagance and waste. economical; second, more – Holy Feng, 28, teacher at ua
Twenty-fi ve restaurants are people realize the consequences Southwest University H
participating in the movement. of wastefulness. The new cam- Probably just a show or:
As part of the commitment, they paign requires restaurants to There is always a tre- dit
are not allowed to mislead cus- take the initiative, which will mendous amount of waste at E
tomers about dish servings; all encourage people to order tables, especially from big Y
servers are required to remind what they can eat. meals billed by companies and A
diners to order an appropriate Restaurants in Chongqing will begin encouraging people to fi nish – Lolo Guo, 29, units. When a company feasts D
amount of food. their food. Zhang Zhi/IC Photo native in Chongqing in China, it is always for
To encourage more people to Habit and custom are lavishness and extravagance. O
fi nish their food, restaurants will diners leave as much as 10 per- Chongqing governors will pro- tough to break I’m guessing companies won’t T
return 5 or 10 yuan to tables that cent of their orders uneaten. In mote the campaign in 1,400 res- Most people will refuse to choose restaurants that pro-
have empty plates. If food is left, 2010, Chongqing had a turnover taurants. They plan to promote it pack leftovers when they eat mote saving and thrift G
servers will ask diners to take it of 44 billion yuan in the catering citywide in March. out with colleagues. Others because they will cause
home in doggy bags, provided for industry. Accordingly, the waste Chongqing became China’s who are wealthy seldom con- embarrassment when the N
free. Those who pack their left- is 4.4 billion yuan. fourth municipality in 1997 and sider boxing up food. Though waiter reminds the boss that I
overs will be given a gift: the cam- The country as a whole wasted has taken many effective mea- things have changed a little bit he ordered too much. J
paign’s mascot, called Rice Doll. about 200 billion yuan’s worth of sures in the city’s construction in recent years, I feel those old – Woai, netizen on EI
According to a survey, Chinese food last year. and security. habits still persist. cq.people.com.cn B
January 21 2011
8
A fi sh out of water
still has to survive
s
w
American theater producer presents expat stories in
e
Beijing and New York
n
By Liang Meilan

Foreigners in China are here for many different reasons. Some are here to make a fortune, some want to help the disadvan-
t
taged, while others want to experience an exotic culture.
a Though their intentions vary, they all contribute to the ongoing mosaic of Chinese-foreign interaction. Interesting cross-
cultural stories emerge every day.
p The 2011 Beijing International New Short Play (BINSP) Festival, which lowered its curtain on Sunday, provided two weeks of
thought-provoking plays that dealt with many of these cross-cultural issues.
x The festival’s producer and chief director, 31-year-old Anna Grace from the US, defi nes herself as an honest recorder of expat
lives. She says China has provided her the right track to accomplishing her theater goals.
E Anna Grace Photos provided by Anna Grace
A well-received
festival
The festival has been con-
ducted for three years. This year’s
theme was “Fish Out of Water.”
“Here, ‘fi sh’ in some sense
refers to expats living in China
who encounter numerous cross-
cultural problems,” Grace said.
The festival teamed up 16 clas-
sic plays like Adam and Eve and
original plays refl ecting expats’
lives in China. Yet the latter
caused much more sensation in
the audience.
The audience’s favorite play
was a musical called Rent a
White Guy, based on an article in
the Atlantic Monthly by Beijing-
The audience’s favorite play was Rent a White Guy.
based journalist Mitch Moxley.
Grace, the playwright, said she
added some additional plot twists along with one another and their duced by Grace, was presented in “Sometimes you don’t always “In the fi rst year of the festival,
to make the play funnier. stepparents. the Midtown International The- get the chance to do the things we had a small budget and were
The musical is about an Eng- A fi sh dreams a ater Festival (MITF) at the Doro- that you love to do full-time,” she very careful about the money,”
lish major, Charlie, who cannot thy Strelsin Theatre in New York said. “I feel really blessed that I she said. But at last year’s festi-
fi nd a decent job in the US, so theater dream last July. It won an MITF award could do theater without starving val, they were able to fi nd adver-
he goes to Beijing. He ends up for Best Sound Design. to death.” tisers for the play Wit, and robust
When Grace arrived in China
being employed by a business- In recollecting her theatrical ticket sales boosted revenue.
in 2006, she also considered her- A boss but not a
man named Mr. Li just because experiences, Grace attributes a “We keep it simple because
self a fi sh out of water.
he has a white face. His responsi- large part of her success to her businesswoman the focus is not on the big
“A real fi sh out of water will
bilities are to go around shaking adventurous personality. fancy set, it’s about the writing
die, but fi sh like us expats have
hands and giving speeches. “I always think of going out- Near the Beijing Olympics in and acting,” Grace said. She
to survive,” she said, adding that
One thing leads to another. side,” she said. After college, 2008, there were still very few adheres to the principle “art for
she was lucky to fi nd ways to not
He is hired by a Chinese girl Grace took a year to hike the American-style community the- art’s sake.”
only survive but thrive – by living
looking to rent a white boyfriend Appalachians, going 2,000 miles aters in Beijing. Grace’s Beijing “I don’t make any money from
her theater dream.
for her birthday party. This part from Georgia to Maine. Actors Workshop was among the the performances, but I don’t lose
Grace’s life is somewhat
caused a stir in the audience. After that, she steered her fi rst community theaters in town, money,” she said.
linked to the stage and theater.
Grace said this was based on career toward music and philoso- all established by expats. Well- Liu Tao, the Chinese co-pro-
She was born and grew up in
a true story as well. “I just made phy, then to theater by becoming known ones include Playhouse ducer of the festival, holds a
an it shorter and exaggerated some Atlanta, Georgia, where she got a drama teacher at a small school. and Beijing Improv. different opinion. “To make the
Y her associate degree in vocal per-
o parts. All the plots in the musical formance and bachelor’s degree She directed for local community “With more and more for- festival sustainable, thus expand-
a are based on true stories,” she said. theaters around this time. eigners coming to China, Beijing ing the impact of community the-
h in religion and philosophy.
Z Grace said the things that In 2006, Grace made a crazy doesn’t lack talented theater ater in China, we should adopt
ner: hloaupsp”e n– ato nCohda rtoli et haer ei d“erai dtihcua-t earlSyh ein f ehlli ginh lsocvheo owli than tdh epaeterr- dzheocius iPorno vainndc ew inen sto utot hZwuensyti C, Ghiunia- abcottohr sp,r polfaeyswsiroinghalt sa anndd admiraetcetuorrs,”, sthoem sea mcoem tmimeer ceinasl utrriicnkgs t hweh qilue aal-t
sig real life is stranger than fi ction formed in many school plays. A and taught English in a high Grace said. “Community theater ity of the theater,” he said.
De sometimes – and she wanted to signifi cant portion of her life has school for a year and a half. provides a platform for them to “As a boss of two theater
n accentuate the ridiculous parts since been related to the stage. “I knew nothing about China. I show their talent.” companies in Beijing and New
a by making it into a musical. She started as a music major didn’t even know that Beijing was Beijing Actors Workshop York, Grace should have a busi-
nm In another scene, foreign par- in college and had lots of oppor- the capital of China. I saw no dif- features new plays concerning ness mindset,” he said, point-
Ma tygoers fl irt with Chinese girls in tunities to perform on stage. She ference between Beijing and Zunyi, expats’ lives. “The content is ing out that an attempt to
n a nightclub but stay away from was also an active member of a honestly. I just came for its seem- unique, but the method is localize American theater in
Ha the white girls. traveling debate team in college. ingly good weather,” she said. common,” Grace said. “The fes- China might be a breakthrough
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Y someone like that,’” Grace said. professional Broadway tours of gave up on her theater dream. Grace said the difference Currently, Grace is trying to
A “I accept their comments. I want Hairspray and Cinderella. But in Guizhou, she went between community theaters create a theater workshop in
just to write a play that is honest Now, the focus of her career is through a bitter divorce, and and commercial ones is the latter Chengdu, Sichuan Province. As
D but exaggerated to refl ect foreign- running a community theater work- around this time, in 2007, she choose plays they think can earn the one in Beijing, she plans on
O ers’ lives in China and the ridicu- shop (Beijing Actors Workshop) and decided to move to Beijing to them a profi t. “But I do plays that keeping the themes related to
lous things that happen to them.” a theater company called Brooklyn/ reconnect with theater as a way the writers and actors and direc- expat life.
T
Grace said the play will be Beijing International Theater Expe- of integrating herself with like- tors are passionate about, like “I think I have no business
rewritten and moved to the stages rience (BITE) with branches in New minded people. real-life stories about expats,” trying to tell Chinese people how
G
of New York, where it will appear York and Beijing. She opened a workshop she said. to do Chinese theater. But I do
N as a full-length play. The BINSP Festival produced introducing American-style the- “Then we have to fi nd people welcome Chinese people, as well
I Other plays that were well by BITE Beijing enjoys a favor- ater and training actors, writers to come and see them.” as people from other countries
J received included one about able reputation within China’s and directors. That is the challenge. The who are interested in American
I how a foreigner and Chinese expat community. Peking Rou- This was the start of the part BINSP Festival barely breaks theater, to join and learn from
E
kid in a combined family get lette, a cross-cultural play pro- of her life she calls “amazing.” even on good years. us,” she said.
B
January 21 2011
9
US embassy to open fi rst
consumer safety offi ce in Beijing
s
e
t
By Han Manman household chemicals. US and 90 percent of all toys lenge he is likely to meet in a
The US Consumer Product “Rather than rely on recalls come from mainland China.” the coming months is getting
Safety Commission (CPSC) is set- to help us enforce our standards The new offi ce, located within a more complete picture about l
ting up its fi rst overseas offi ce in the US, we will move toward the US embassy in Beijing, will how the AQSIQ handles prod- u
in China in an effort to improve being more proactive and pre- have just two employees to start, uct safety in China.
its coordination with the Chinese vent problems from occurring an attache and a safety specialist. China has been working to s
government and manufacturers in the first place,” Tenenbaum The Beijing offi ce won’t be test- improve foreign consumer confi -
to help reduce the recall of sub- said. “By taking a proactive ing or certifying Chinese prod- dence in its exports after a series n
standard products. preventative posture, we can ucts – these procedures will be of food and product safety prob-
The move is to “make sure reduce the number of recalls done by a third-party laboratory, lems, such as tainted fi sh and the o
manufacturers and importers and keep our consumers safe but will work closely with China’s use of lead-based paints in toys
know about our standards so and also prevent the loss of rev- General Administration of Qual- and other goods, Hilsgen said. c
that we don’t have to constantly enue and damage to a manufac- ity Supervision, Inspection and The number of CPSC recalls of
rely on recalls” that cost money, turer’s brand.” Quarantine (AQSIQ) and Chi- products from China dropped to
said Inez Tenenbaum, chairman She said choosing China for nese counterparts to help educate 220 last year, from 346 in 2008, &
of the CPSC. the organization’s first over- Chinese manufacturers about and recalls of toys from China
As an independent agency of seas office does not mean that American product standards, dropped to 44 last year from 172
the US government, the CPSC the US is showing more con- Tenenbaum said. in 2008, Tenenbaum said.
is charged with protecting the cern about the safety of Chinese Talking about his new job, “We’re seeing an improve- e
public from unreasonable risks products: it was a logical first The recall of Chinese toys drop this Jeff Hilsgen, the first US attache ment in terms of the quality of
from consumer products, such step “because 45 percent of the year thanks to China’s efforts. in charge of consumer product products coming out of China,” c
as toys, cribs, power tools and consumer products sold in the CFP Photo safety, said the biggest chal- she said.
r
Finnish academy launches Millennium e
m
Technology Prize
m
By Chu Meng tional Selection Committee, com- man of the International Selec- o
Technology Academy Finland prising a distinguished network tion Committee.
is now requesting nominees from of leading Finnish and interna- “The invention of the incan-
C
around the world for the 2012 tional scientists and technolo- descent lamp, radio and penicil-
Millennium Technology Prize, the gists. The selected nominees for lin are well-known milestones on
Finnish embassy in Beijing the fi nal round will be announced the path of technological devel-
announced Monday. next spring. opment,” Eriksson said.
Kimmo Lahdevirta, the Nominations in China will be The second prize in 2006 was
embassy’s minister, said the prize accepted until July 31. They can awarded to revolutionary new
is awarded every other year to be made by scientifi c societies, LED light sources. The third prize
individuals or groups who universities, research institutions, in 2008 was for innovative con-
improve the quality of human life companies, associations as well as trolled drug release. The fourth
and support eco-friendly sustain- individuals. Potential candidates was awarded for developments in
able development through tech- cannot nominate themselves. dye-sensitized solar cells.
Minister of the Finnish embassy, Kimmo Lahdevirta, and his wife,
nological innovation. “Ensuring adequate supplies The Millennium Technology
The fi rst prize was awarded in of clean water, using energy effi - Prize awards more than 1 mil- Pia Kaikonen Photo provided by Finnish Embassy
2004 to the UK’s Tim Berners- ciently and dealing with threats lion Euros for the fi nal winner.
Lee, director of the World Wide to human health are all chal- “The president of the Republic of to help Chinese nominees get tory workshops and lectures will
Web Consortium. lenges whose solutions require Finland is a patron of the prize,” more familiar with the prize be held at the embassy by offi-
Eligible nominations will be new technological innovations,” Lahdevirta said. and every step of the election cials from the committee in the
examined by the prize’s Interna- said Jarl-Thure Eriksson, chair- He also said that in order procedure, a series of introduc- coming months.
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January 21 2011
10
Who are the heroes of Event
Hutong School Sanlitun
opening party
modern China? Hutong School is opening
y
its second branch in Sanli-
tun. To celebrate its open-
t
ing, the school will hold a
i party for students as well
n By Liang Meilan self-centered. Another is that as people who are interested
Recently, The World of Chi- we can see they have confi- in the school. Foods pro-
u nese, a bimonthly English mag- dence,” he said. vided include canapés, Bel-
azine dedicated to Chinese Someone from the audience, gian beer, and wine.
m language and culture, began con- a Japanese and English teacher Where: Beijing Hutong
ducting a survey on “heroes in at Harrow International School, School, 8 Shuangsi Hutong,
modern China.” The magazine offered a thought-provoking idea Jiugulou Dajie, Xicheng
invited Raymond Zhou, a repu- that in the 1990s, as young Chi- District
m
table social critic and executive nese people began to learn how When: January 21, 7:30
editor-in-chief at China Daily, to to make money, their idea of –10 pm
talk on the topic at the Book- role models and heroes changed.
Tel: [phone]
o worm Wednesday night. But these heroes are not moral
Cost: 100 yuan
Zhou said Chinese and West- heroes. All the good attributes we

C ern understandings of hero some- see in people from old-fashioned UCCA media salon:
times overlap, but they are not movies no longer exist. Titanic, German
the same. “The sentence we hear “I think there is a vacuum,” satirical magazine
in Hollywood movies most fre- she said.
Ullens Center for Con-
quently is, ‘You are my hero.’ It She also gave an example
temporary Art (UCCA) is pre-
cannot be translated into Chi- of a China Daily article that
senting the year’s fi rst media
nese,” he said. reported two students helping an
salon centering on German
Zhou classifi ed Chinese old woman go to the hospital.
satirical magazine Titanic. In
heroes into three categories: “Sending an old woman to the
Germany, sarcasm not only
heroes of war, heroes who dem- hospital is an ordinary thing.
appears in literature, but is
onstrate courage, and heroes who But when it comes to young
also commonly used in mass
make sacrifi ces. “In the Chinese people, it’s considered special,
media. Former senior editor
mainland, when people talk about which means this kind of caring
heroes, they are usually referring is lacking in the younger genera- of Titanic, Christian Schmidt,
to revolutionary or nationalistic tion,” she said. will talk about the history of
heroes,” he said. Zhou nodded in agreement. the magazine and different
The topic then shifted to a Raymond Zhou, a social critic, discussing what it means to be a “Chinese youth are looking to formats of satire.
question about whether an icon hero in modern China Photo by Liang Meilan be rebels. The more rebellious Where: UCCA, 4 Jiuxian-
like Yao Ming or a pop singer you are, the easier it is for you qiao Lu, Chaoyang District
can be considered a hero of The World of Chinese, said in literature to be their hero.” to become a person that lots of When: January 22, 4-6 pm
modern China. China, the concept of hero or He said that he was surprised people look up to. One exam- Tel: [phone]
“Some icons can be heroes,” ouxiang (idol) is closely tied to to fi nd many Chinese people call ple is Han Han. But actually, Registration email:
Zhou said, but he added that being a role model that people themselves their hero. he can be a model because of [email protected]
“icon” and “hero” are different can look up to. Zhou considered the reac- his great skills in communica- Cost: Free
things. For instance, Zhang Ziyi, “In Western countries, hero tion natural. “It is typical of tion and writing,” he said.
the famous female lead in several implies superiority,” he said. the ‘me generation’ born in the The survey results will be pub- Basic fi rst aid training
movies, can never be called a hero “Heroes can also be fi ctional char- 1980s. There are two ways to lished in The World of Chinese SOS International Hos-
because she isn’t a role model. acters. Some Western kids take look at the phenomenon. One on Monday. The magazine can be pital is holding a one-day
Charlie Custer, web editor of the Monkey King from Chinese is to see the kids as selfish and purchased from the Bookworm. basic first-aid course that
will teach people the essen-
Open source, Beijing GNU/Linux tial skills needed in case of
an emergency.
Where: The Early Years
User Group’s constant pursuit Childhood Centre, Dulwich
College Beijing, River Garden
Villas, Houhaiyu, Baixin
Zhuang, Shunyi District
By Li Zhixin source software, especially Linux,
When: January 22, 9:30
To Linux enthusiasts, Beijing to make friends, share ideas and
am ¨C 4:30 pm
GNU/Linux User Group (BLUG) learn about new developments in
Tel: [phone]
is a paradise for those who want the open source movement,” said
Cost: 580 yuan
to brainstorm and share technical Derrick Sobodash, who joined the

advice. The group has been ramp- group in 2009 (Sobodash is also
Exploring Songzhuang
ing up efforts and activities to raise an editor at this paper).
Songzhuang is an impor-
n public awareness of open source He said the core idea behind
a tant art zone in town. It is
Y and attract more members. Linux is sharing. “When code is
o BLUG was launched in open, more people can help fi x home to many artists from
a
h November 2002 as a non-profi t bugs. You don’t have to wait for different parts of China who
Z
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sig munity in China. The original his own and share that fi x. It also travel agency is organizing
e founders were largely entrepre- gives you more to learn from so a trip to Songzhuang. A
D
g neurs who had one common ele- that when you create a program, look at artists’ studios may
n ment in their business: open you don’t have to start inventing Beijing GNU/Linux User Group members getting together provide people a unique
ei Yi source software. from scratch.” Photo provided by Peter Junge glimpse into the lives of Chi-
W The group now has more than Junge said BLUG looks to pro- of business than passion. “Many most powerful supporters.” nese artists and the living
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Y years, it has invited major players passion for the system. It also helps tality hinders sharing and, in ity work. The group collects the group.
A of the open source scene, such as show Linux as more than just a essence, counters any productive computers from embassies and Where: Meet in front of
Red Hat and the domestic Red tool: it’s a community. gains in the evolution of free soft- companies and donates them to the McDonald’s Ginza Mall,
D
Flag, and open source celebrities “If you would like to learn ware,” he said. migrant schools. 48 Dongzhimen Wai Dajie,
O to give lectures on the second about free software development, However, Julien Forgeat, an The group recently donated Dongcheng District
T Tuesday of every month. this is the right place. Here you Ericsson employee and group more than 100 computers to When: January, 9 am –
“Our members also give short can fi nd out how you can contrib- member, doesn’t quite agree. Chaoyang Hongqi School and 6 pm

presentations or demos of their ute to the free software commu- “There are some very passionate Changping Xinxing School after
G Tel: [phone]
current work to get some feed- nity not only as a programmer, open source superstars in China, equipping them with Linux, and
Cost: 390 yuan, 350 yuan
N back and suggestions,” said Peter but also in many other ways,” like Alibaba, Baidu, Taobao, open source educational software,
for children under 16
I Junge, the current president of Junge said. Kaixin001, Renren and Youku,” he Forgeat said.
J the group. Michael Iannini, a member, said. “China is making some really For more information about
I “BLUG is a meeting place for thinks that the open source move- big contributions in open sources Linux and meet-ups in Beijing, (By Liang Meilan)
E
people who create or use open ment in China is more a matter and is becoming one of Linux’s visit Beijinglug.org.
B