I read this piece recommended by hello laowai's Wayne. He correctly pegs her as an Amy Tan wannabe. I really hate how every farang hack in China writes about their encounter with some fucking cab driver; as if that gives them instant legitimacy and proves that they are getting to know the 'real' China. It's like all the China Hand poli sci bigshots here in the States--their latest kick these days is to go on about how they read the pulse of Chinese youth by scouring Internet message boards. They then make some credulous predictions and assumptions based on what they see. C'mon--Internet message boards? Those are the tag playgrounds of the cyber bullshit artist. I'm on Yahoo all the damn time writing the most crazy far-out anarchist shit I can come up with. I have a bevy of aliases. I can't bear to break the news to them that I do the same thing on a number of Chinese message boards. As do thousands of Chinese, if not more. I'm just waiting for the day I see one of my own extremist creations quoted in some guy's article or lecture. It never ceases to amaze me how people check all prudent judgment at the door when it comes to what they read on the Internet. But never fear--you get nothing but the head's up truth here in the Realm! ;>)
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/29/2003 04:56:00 PM| |

 
BILLY MAYS UPDATE!!! Billy Mays Mayhem, the finest Billy Mays fan/hate site on the Internet has updated comments and most importantly a new Billy Mays mix. This one is a bit more sophisticated--you'll notice the techno influences. I haven't seen much of Billy these days. I run across his commericals every now and then but the sad thing is he's really mellowed out on his delivery. I guess he's trying to broaden his appeal. Soon he'll be like all the other dime a dozen hucksters. Generic and dull. He's also either joined the gym or started the Atkins diet as he's slimmed up noticeably. I'm sure his wife is pleased, but I wonder how his bear worshipping fan base feels about this?
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/29/2003 03:41:00 AM| |

 
And Now For a Word About Beer Etiquette As long as I'm getting things off my chest I should say a word or two about Chinese people and beer. For some reason they think that Budweiser is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I can't tell you how many times I've been to a Chinese person's home (in China) and they break out a 633ml bottle of Bud to celebrate the occasion. It happens here in the States too---where they should know better. We hosted a firepot (huoguo) dinner not too long ago and we went to the big Ranch 99 in the San Gabriel Valley to buy all the fixings. My wife told me to get a couple of six packs of Tsingtao beer, but I replied "Nah---Mr. Lu said he was going to bring the beer." I should've listened to her. Mr. Lu brought the beer all right--a six pack of Bud Light. I was crestfallen. Lucky for him he also had two San Miguels--or Modelo Dark, I can't remember which. Hear me and hear me well, my dear Chinese friends: BUDWEISER IS GARBAGE. CRAP. In fact, we call it "Butt-Wiper" (ca1 pi4 gu3). I am embarrassed as an American that my nation's main exports to China are cigarettes and bad beer. If you are a Chinese in China and you want to impress an American/Western friend then treat them to Tsingtao---or any Euro beer. Guinness is the best. If you are in the States then bring over a microbrew. If it has to be a big US brewer then Sam Adams is probably your best bet. But by all means try to avoid the big breweries. Imports are almost always safe. I've been drinking quite a bit of Red Stripe lately. This is a fine Jamaican lager that will go very well with any summer BBQ fare. You can't go wrong here and you are sure to impress your American friends as having discriminating taste. I also think it has the most aesthetically pleasing label design. Beautiful in its simplicity yet unique in that it is painted on the amber glass. The shape of the bottle is perfect as well. It fits perfectly in the hand. Budweiser's Chinese name is bai3 wei1--which means 'mighty'. The literal translation is [hundred + strength]. The Chinese language often uses numbers to denote scale so the 'hundred' here means more like 'great' or 'enormous'. Whoever came up with this name did a fine job. But if they were being completely honest they would have chosen a different character--the homophone wei3, meaning 'fake' or 'bogus'. The Chinese government in its infinite wisdom blocks my humble site so I am charging you Westerners quarantined in China to get the word out. This means all you Sinosplice and Hello Laowai Hello people and their affiliates. I also hope "Fwger" sees this so he can tell all his mates back home. If we act together we can help millions. America exports many worthy things to the world but our beer isn't one of them.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/28/2003 01:22:00 PM| |

 

There's something that's been bugging me for a couple of years now that I have to get off my chest. It's women's shoes. More specifically it's the epidemic of pointy-toed shoes. I was really hoping that this would turn out to be one of those flash-in-the-pan phenomenons, but it appears that it is not going away. So I'm just going to give it to you straight: Ladies, you look ridiculous in these. Just like you did with those godawful shoulderpads in the 1980s. Take a look at the shape of the human foot. It does not end in a sharp point. I'm curious, do women wear these shoes because they think their feet look smaller in them? If anything though, pointy-toed shoes only accentuate the boats of the wearer. The wife of this guy I know wears these all the time. She's a pretty big gal and nothing is more disconcerting than to see her pitiful dogs crammed and wedged into a shoe seemingly designed for the footbound women of traditional Confucian gentry. In fact, why not just resurrect the custom of footbinding? That would surely be more comfortable than walking around in these eyesores all day--for everyone involved.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/28/2003 05:16:00 AM| |

 
Hot and Spicy Domestic Quarrel---Sichuan Style From the that'll show him department, yesterday's print edition of the Zhong Guo Daily News, via the Huaxi Dushi Bao [West China City News*--the link seems to be down--I've tried to access for several days] carries a story with fascinating legal implications. A young peasant couple from the countryside near the town of Nanjiang in Northeastern Sichuan wound up in court over an abortion. The two got married in October of 2001 and everything was bliss. The husband Wang Dajun went off to work in the county seat (Nanjiang) and evidently stopped going back to visit his wife, Zhang Xiaoqian, who by this time was pregnant. On his increasingly rare visits home the two fought and the marriage became rocky. At this point Zhang decided she had enough and moved back to her parents' village. Wang was unperturbed, and kept doing as he pleased [wo xing wo su], making no effort to go bring his wife home. Zhang became extremely pissed whereupon she promptly marched to the village health clinic and aborted her five-month old fetus. This news didn't sit well with our hero Wang, who then filed suit in the Nanjiang County court, claiming that Zhang had violated his reproductive rights. His brief stated that both spouses enjoy reproductive rights, and Zhang's unilateral abortion without his consent infringed on his rights. He demanded compensation of RMB 20,000 (US$2410). Zhang's position was that it was her personal decision whether or not to give birth, one in which her husband had no right to interfere. The court handed down its decision in mid April. It concluded both parties had entered the marriage freely and willingly; the pregnancy was the joyful result of their union. Thus Zhang's action did violate Wang's reproductive rights. But because Wang had been acting quite the inconsiderate ass throughout his wife's pregnancy and due to Zhang's economic situation, the court granted Wang just RMB 1000 (US$120) for his emotional loss. The article doesn't say if the couple remained married. This raises an interesting question: Has a spouse ever sued in a US court over abortion without consent? I recall some cases where a boyfriend sued his girlfriend over a unilateral abortion decision--those were all losers, though. My guess is that Roe vs. Wade would protect the married woman because of the substantive right of privacy, but it would be interesting to read some actual decisions--can anyone point me in the right direction? UPDATE: I finally remembered that we had a case that dealt with precisely this issue in my 1L Con law class. The case is Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833. It was a 5-4 decision in which the court held that a wife's privacy right in her reproductive decisions trumped those of the husband. See also Planned Parenthood v. Danforth, 428 U.S. 52. *read this interesting paper describing China's changing media increasingly geared towards consumer market share.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/26/2003 03:44:00 AM| |

 
Well, that's that. I had my final class of law school today. But I still have to get through three final exams. I don't have any sentimental feelings in any sense of the word---still I spent three years in this place so it's kind of weird to finally be done with it. I'm sure the school won't be all bent out of shape seeing me go. I'm probably the world's worst law student. But there's no love lost from my end either. Can you believe we have to buy tickets ($15) to attend our own freakin' graduation party? Just hold mine for me at the door. I'm good for it, I promise. The desert town of Indio, CA is having its annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this weekend. There will be something like 75 bands playing. The LA Times rated the top 50 acts. I don't know whether this is due to the hermetic environment of law school or I'm just really out of touch, but I've only heard of eight bands on their list. This may not be as bad as it sounds though. It's true I don't know these bands by name, but I'm sure I've heard a lot of their music, because the only station I listen to is KXLU. It's a college station out of Loyola University with only student DJs and they play nothing but cutting edge. I just don't buy any records/CDs--and I sure don't listen to mainstream corporate crud. By the way, for all its rep as the capital of American culture LA has by far the worst radio of any place I've ever lived. The 'famous' idol-maker station here is KROQ. KROQ is nothing more than a shill for the record industry. It is such a crap station I'm not even putting up their link.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/25/2003 02:41:00 PM| |

 
Yesterday was a record day for visits to the Realm, smashing the previous high by well over 100%. I had no idea why all these people were stopping by, but it seems that someone stumbled on my April 2 post in which I provided a link to a US Supreme Court quiz and he posted the link on a Yahoo message board. Oddly enough, the message board is for a story about the evolution vs. creationism controversy. There it languished, until now when this news item announced that the Bush administration is dropping an investigation of a Texas university professor who is an adamant supporter of evolution. If the previous report piques your interest, visit the homepage of the professor Michael Dini here. I can't believe evolution is still an issue in this day and age. I don't agree with those who think the science classroom should give equal time to evolution and creationism. Science is not a democracy. Only a theory that can withstand the scrutiny of the scientific method belongs in a science curriculum. And a proponent of creationism cannot prove its validity using the scientific method--its central tenent is that God created life (and in particular human life) supernaturally. Anyway, 47% of Americans believe that God created humans as is. Scary. The whole brouhaha with Professor Dini is that he had required students seeking a letter of recommendation from him to affirm a scientific answer (evolution) to the question of how humans came about. Now he's changed that to where they don't have to 'affirm' evolution, but they do have to demonstrate they understand how it works. This is a fair compromise--he can't force anyone to believe in evolution, but he can require that they explain how it operates. However I do agree with him that evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology, and it would be highly troubling if a majority of medical practitioners and researchers rejected such overwhelming evidence.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/24/2003 04:07:00 PM| |

 
Chengdu SARS Update Actually my info is from Shuangliu, a suburb about 30 minutes outside of Chengdu proper, but anyway that makes this news all the more valid because it is the town in which the Chengdu International Airport is located, and it's where my in-laws live. We called back tonight and the first words out of my mother-in-law's mouth were "Tell 'Prince Roy' not to go to Beijing under any circumstances!" She also said that the Chengdu PSB (Public Security Bureau) is implementing a quarantine policy in which all residents returning from outside the province have to remain in their homes for several days to ensure they are not infected. Don't ask me how they expect to enforce this. Apparently there is a run on household disinfectants in Shuangliu too, even though the price has increased several fold. If you can read Chinese here is a story from the 04/20/03 Chengdu Evening News reporting how retailers are taking advantage of the SARS scare to engage in a little consumer price gouging. So that pretty much says it all; China seems to be in the grips of full-blown SARS panic. The Chinese government really botched this one, though I don't at all agree with the criticism you see here in the West that China is responsible for the disease reaching the outside world. I may write more on this in the next few days. I've decided I'm not going to China no matter what IUP-Qinghua decides, though if they hold the program now they are bloody fools. That means I'll be looking for a job this summer--I won't take the bar until February if at all because a major non-legal related career move is in the works. Taking the bar would entail an outlay of a few thousand dollars, and I don't see the point of spending all that money for something I will probably never use. So until I get the final word on my dream job I'm afraid it's "Would you like fries with that?"
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/24/2003 03:04:00 PM| |

 
I think I chose the wrong profession. We're doing mock negotiations for this "Doing Business in China" class I'm in. We are in teams of two--one plays the foreign party and the other the 'Chinese' party--we have to negotiate a joint venture contract. OK, I know we're supposed to take it seriously and try to come up with the best deal for our 'client', but at the end of the day it's still just a game. Yet it astounds me how wrapped up some people get in this. One guy in the class who is also taking a whole course on Negotiations told me how he had to physically separate two of the people in that class because they were about to resort to fisticuffs. They had progressed past the stage of screaming at each other and hair pulling. Really. Then today in my class one student who is in the party my team is negotiating with had a freakin' meltdown at the professor because she felt he revealed 'prejudicial' information that would hurt her side. In reality, all he did was set the price of the 'Chinese' party's real estate holdings to help speed along the negotiations. She just freaked. They shouted at each other and she stormed out of the class. I think she over-reacted. In the first place the value of real estate in these deals ends up being non-negotiable anyway. Here's how it works in the real world: The Chinese company usually always lacks any significant cash to offer the JV. But they do have land and buildings to contribute. They will always put a ridiculously high price on the value of these assets. The foreign party then responds with a absurdly low value. The two sides bicker back and forth ad nauseum. Finally what they'll do is agree to have an independent appraisal on the property's value. In effect, that is all the professor did here, because other issues are far more important in this exercise, and we only have three days to complete it. So anyway, I know a lot of law students are hyper-competitive A-types, but to lose composure in something as meaningless as a law school mock negotiation is just screwy. Just imagine how these people are in the real world where real money is on the line. That is not a world I want to be a part of.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/23/2003 07:12:00 AM| |

 
Law School---Breeding Ground of Pestilence? I once read somewhere that epidemiologists believe every flu/cold virus originates in southern China. This is both due to population pressures and because the peasants live in such close contact with their livestock---pigs, poultry, water buffalo, ducks, etc. The use of nightsoil as fertilizer and feed, along with the less than optimal overall sanitation conditions contributes to an ecological viral petri dish. SARS is merely the latest in a long line of coronaviruses--perhaps this is part of the karmic retributive cycle created from the culture of carnivorism, which violates the First Precept. Be that as it may, if SARS ever takes hold in the US maybe we shouldn't 'blame' the Chinese, but Law School, or more to the point, Law Students. I doubt a more unsanitary place exists in all of America. Law schools, for the most part, are self-contained entities within their greater university communities. They have their own classroom buildings, offices and libraries. I have classmates who in three years have never ventured beyond our tiny corner of the North Campus. We have many classrooms, but a few major ones in which all the big classes are held. Almost everyone uses one of them at some point in the day. And most law students, at least for the first two years, attend class without fail. Law students generally are also probably the most unhealthy of all students. People are so afraid to miss class that they will come to school no matter how sick they are. Even our school's policy of taping all lectures does not dissuade them. That's why so many people here are sick all of the time. Chances are someone in your class is running a 100 degree fever. But rather than stay home like they should, they just have to make that tax class. I think two factors contribute to this--first, many law students are worry-warts by nature. Law school is a highly competitive environment, even at our school, which has a reputation for being 'laid-back'. And the crap economy hasn't helped. Second, law school is by its very nature a stressful experience--particularly for the 1L and 2L students. Grades are determined by a one-shot final exam, and many classes are curved (all are in 1L and those with over 40 students are for 2L and 3L). So these two conditions feed upon themselves--a classic vicious circle. I have never gotten so sick so many times within such a short span as I have in the past three years. And I'm one of the few that stays home when I get sick. It got so bad I started carrying around a bottle of waterless hand sanitizer in my backpack last semester. I use it before and after each class and every time I use a public computer terminal. A lot of my friends thought I was a germophobic freak, but how they changed their tunes after SARS hit. Now they come up all the time begging for a squirt. Lucky for them I don't hold a grudge!
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/22/2003 02:21:00 AM| |

 
Words to Live By... The following passage is one of my favorites of American literature. Every time I read this I get famished, even if I have just come back from a Taipei Mongolian BBQ (you haven't had Mongolian BBQ until you have it in Taipei). It is from Chapter 15 of Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick:

...And so it turned out; Mr. Hosea Hussey being from home, but leaving Mrs. Hussey entirely competent to attend to all his affairs. Upon making known our desires for a supper and a bed, Mrs. Hussey, postponing further scolding for the present, ushered us into a little room, and seating us at a table spread with the relics of a recently concluded repast, turned round to us and said- "Clam or Cod?" "What's that about Cods, ma'am?" said I, with much politeness. "Clam or Cod?" she repeated. "A clam for supper? a cold clam; is that what you mean, Mrs. Hussey?" says I, "but that's a rather cold and clammy reception in the winter time, ain't it, Mrs. Hussey?" But being in a great hurry to resume scolding the man in the purple shirt who was waiting for it in the entry, and seeming to hear nothing but the word "clam," Mrs. Hussey hurried towards an open door leading to the kitchen, and bawling out "clam for two," disappeared. "Queequeg," said I, "do you think that we can make a supper for us both on one clam?" However, a warm savory steam from the kitchen served to belie the apparently cheerless prospect before us. But when that smoking chowder came in, the mystery was delightfully explained. Oh! sweet friends, hearken to me. It was made of small juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazel nuts, mixed with pounded ship biscuits, and salted pork cut up into little flakes! the whole enriched with butter, and plentifully seasoned with pepper and salt. Our appetites being sharpened by the frosty voyage, and in particular, Queequeg seeing his favourite fishing food before him, and the chowder being surpassingly excellent, we despatched it with great expedition: when leaning back a moment and bethinking me of Mrs. Hussey's clam and cod announcement, I thought I would try a little experiment. Stepping to the kitchen door, I uttered the word "cod" with great emphasis, and resumed my seat. In a few moments the savoury steam came forth again, but with a different flavor, and in good time a fine cod-chowder was placed before us...

I swear, I never really even liked chowder before I read that passage, but now it's my second favorite seafood stew after Louisiana gumbo. The reason I bring this up is because I used to hate cabbage too. But that sure changed after I tried it the Sichuan way. I still hate Western-style boiled cabbage, btw. It ranks up there with brussels sprouts on my list of distasteful, most vile-smelling foods. Let's just face the facts--the Chinese simply put most American culinary techniques to shame. If George Bush the First had been born in China would he have hated broccoli? I rest my case. The Sichuanese do cabbage right--you owe it to yourself to try suan la baicai [spicy cabbage]. If you ever visit LA, specifically Monterey Park, the best place to try this is at: Yunan Garden Inc. 301 N. Garfield Ave., #D Monterey Park, CA 91754 626-571-8387 This is the place I wrote about before--the English name used to be "Hua's Garden". It is ostensibly a Yunnan-style restaurant, and they do make an excellent "Over the Bridge Noodles" (guo qiao mi xian), but their Spicy Cabbage is simply outta this world. They make two kinds--one with Chinese bok choy cabbage and one with regular green/white cabbage. DO NOT ORDER THIS DISH WITH BOK CHOY/CHINESE CABBAGE!!! Make sure you get it with normal cabbage--in Chinese just say you want it with juan3 xin1 bai2 cai4. This is one of those dishes, along with the noodle dish chao pian made by the Uighers in Xinjiang, that I could eat every single day and not ever grow tired of it. It's that good. The chef is from Chengdu--we know the guy and his skills are amazing. This dish is deceptively simple--it's only cabbage, sugar, salt, vinegar, lao chou (dark) soy sauce, and dried chili peppers. That's it. But don't bother trying to make this at home--it simply can't be done. Lord knows I've tried. You need HIGH HEAT for this dish to come out right, and non-commercial stoves just don't pack the BTUs. Many Sichuan dishes are like that--for instance gan bian siji dou--sauteed green beans. So all we can do is just shell out the $5.95. Oh, one last word--never get Spicy Cabbage 'to go' unless you live across the street from the restaurant--you should eat this right out of the wok. It does not travel well. By the way, the owner of Yunan Garden Inc. is from Northeast China. What is it all of a sudden with Northeasterners and Sichuan restaurants? The owner of Jia Wei (Best Sichuan), another excellent San Gabriel Valley Sichuan restaurant, is from Shenyang. And in Beijing it seemed like every Sichuan joint I went to last summer had a Northeastern owner. What gives?
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/21/2003 10:50:00 AM| |

 
It's looking worse and worse for my anticipated summer program in Beijing. According to a story in yesterday's LA Times, most California universities have cancelled their current study abroad programs in China and Hong Kong. No California exchange students have come down with SARS, but the disease has reached the Haidian district of Beijing, home to the country's top universities. In fact, SARS has stricken a professor at Beijing University, and many schools in China are ending their semesters early. The disease has also reached China's southwest, as there are now reported cases in Chengdu (this info is not from any of the Chengdu media but from contacts I have living there). As I noted previously IUP-Qinghua has announced it will make a final decision about the summer program by May 15, 2003 but I think there is no way they will continue at this point. SARS is nowhere near being under control, the situation in Beijing is even worse than health authorities previously feared, and I can't imagine UC-Berkeley opening themselves up to that kind of potential liability. If they dare go ahead with the program they are surely going against the advice of their counsel. No attorney worth his/her salt should put their client in that kind of dangerous position. That's just asking for an action in malpractice. I'll hope for the best, but this is very disappointing. I was really looking forward to another summer in Beijing. If this does end up falling through I'll have to find another way to occupy my time. Well there's always that shift leader position over at Jamba Juice. Damn.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/19/2003 04:09:00 PM| |

 
One of you out there sent me an email a while ago letting me know you actually tried one of my dishes and really enjoyed it. That absolutely made my day! And all along I thought I was merely casting these recipes into the cosmic cyber-void. So this one's dedicated to you--you know who you are. Today's Recipe Dongbei Tudou Si [Manchurian Shredded Potatoes] Two large potatoes Two large carrots (julienned) 1 green onion (chopped) 3-5 minced garlic cloves 3-5 dried red chili peppers 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking vinegar* salt 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil--any is fine except olive oil; I use canola cayenne pepper (optional--mandatory if you're from Louisiana) IMPORTANT: peel the potatoes. Julienne and soak in a bowl/pot of water for around 10-15 minutes, then drain. This removes starch and prevents them from sticking to the wok. How thin/thick you julienne the potatoes depends on how crispy you want the dish to be. I like crispy, so I julienne them thicker. If you prefer a softer taste then slice the potatoes thinly. It's all a matter of personal preference. Experiment. On high heat add oil to wok. When it begins to smoke add the dried chili peppers. The first time you make this dish I suggest that you add them whole. It may prove flavorful enough this way. In the future you can try breaking them in half if you would like to add more kick. When the peppers change color add the potatoes and carrots. Stir fry vigorously. Add salt to taste--I find the more salt the better. Sprinkle cayenne at this time--only if you want to take it to the next spicy level. Add vinegar. Stir. VERY IMPORTANT: when the potatoes have just about reached your desired consistency add the garlic and stir-fry thoroughly. Do not add the garlic before this point. In other words, add the garlic no earlier than about two minutes before you plate the dish. About one minute later--add the green onion--no longer than one minute cooking time for it. Keep stir frying. That's it. Serve immediately. If this is part of a multi-course meal prepare this last--it is best eaten right away fresh out the wok. It's a wonderful, really easy dish to prepare and I hope you enjoy it. Why do I call this 'Manchurian' Shredded Potatoes? Actually you'll find variations of this dish all over China--it's extremely popular. But not all versions include vinegar. Once you've had it with vinegar, though, you're pretty much stuck--it never tastes right without it. The person who taught it to me was one of my earliest Chinese teachers and she was from China's Northeast. So as a tribute to her I call it 'Dongbei Tudou Si', which translates to Manchurian Shredded Potatoes. The only thing I've added is the cayenne. This should go without saying but NEVER EVER use anything but FRESH garlic. DO NOT use the pre-minced canned kind you can find in the supermarket. Please. If you do stoop to this kind of culinary heresy then I forbid you to tell anyone you got this or any other recipe from me. Also, the first time you make this I would suggest trying only two or three cloves of garlic. It may be enough, because it retains a stronger flavor since we add it at the last stage. *Not All Vinegars Are Created Equal The overall success or failure of this dish largely depends on one thing: the type of vinegar you choose. It is really important you get a good Chinese cooking vinegar. I have yet to find a Western variety that works. Maybe it's because most Chinese vinegars I'm aware of are rice vinegars. If there is an Asian grocery store in your area it should be no problem to get a decent rice vinegar. The most famous Chinese vinegars come from Zhenjiang, a city of 420,000 people in Jiangsu province. The best I've ever used is Gold Plum [Jin Mei] brand. It has a yellow label and yellow cap. The label says Chinkiang Vinegar and beneath this is the French "Chinkiang Vinaigre". The distributor is W.Y. International Inc. I've used other Zhenjiang vinegars, but Gold Plum is far and away the best. If you know of a better one, by all means let me in on it.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/19/2003 01:38:00 AM| |

 
Drop whatever you're doing and RUN, DON'T WALK to your nearest video store. You absolutely have to see this documentary, Daughter from Danang. It is simply outstanding, but I have to warn you it is heart-wrenching. It's about the reunion of a Vietnamese woman and her long-lost Amerasian daughter, who she gave up for adoption at six years of age in 1975 because she was afraid of how the victorious North Vietnamese would treat racially mixed children. The girl came to America where a single spinster adopted her. The girl Hiep, renamed Heidi, grew up in Pulaski, Tennessee but it may as well have been the Bugtussle, Tennessee of Granny, Jed, Ellie Mae and Jethro. She was raised in a completely American Deep South environment right down to her 'kiss my grits' country-fried accent. She had only the vaguest, foggiest memories of Vietnam. After she has grown up Heidi finds out that her mother is searching for her, and the documentary records Heidi's trip to Vietnam to meet her mother for the first time in 22 years. All sorts of hell breaks loose because Heidi is completely unprepared for how her Vietnamese family reacts to her and their expectations of (modest) financial support. It is a case of culture shock gone beserk. Very, very sad because now Heidi wants absolutely nothing to do with them. The mother is shattered and devastated--I think she is the most tragic figure of all in this because now she has lost her daughter TWICE. You may not agree with me, but I came away very pissed off at T.T. Nhu, a journalist who married an American and has lived in the US for several decades. She facilitated the reunion between mother and daughter, got the film-makers involved, and went along on the trip to act as Heidi's interpreter. Then she inexplicably left early, basically abandoning Heidi to her own devices. I think her behaviour was incredibly irresponsible because she was the only one there familiar with both cultures--she was the bridge. She did not prepare Heidi at all for what she was in for, and should have never left her to fend for herself. Much of this tragedy might have been avoided, and this mother and daughter would probably not be estranged today, if Ms. Nhu had remained. The film reminds me of a family story where my great-grandmother, who came to the US from Sicily when she was about 10 years old in the early 1900s, went back to the old country shortly after WWII. The relatives there were still very poor and just mobbed her for money; even distant relations came and they all took everything she had. As an immigrant herself, my great-grandmother was not wealthy by any means--she was not able to get much of an education because as the eldest daughter she had to stay home and take care of her siblings, but obviously she was better off than those who stayed behind. Anyway, the story goes that when she returned to the US she stepped off the plane and kissed the ground, swearing she would never go back. And she never did.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/16/2003 01:26:00 PM| |

 
I forgot to mention that yesterday was something of a milestone. In exactly four weeks (May 11) I will graduate from law school. Well, at least that's the day of the graduation ceremony. My last exam is on May 6. I will have taken 87 semester hours in the past three years (84 in law school) and of those 84 hours I can honestly say I've only truly enjoyed 12 of them. That's only three professors out of some 20 (I had some for more than one class). I'll be writing up those professors in a future blog because I believe they are outstanding individuals and I am fortunate to have received their instruction. Do those four classes make up for the mind-numbing drudgery of the rest? That's a question I can't answer yet. Yeah, part of this is my own fault--I get that. Like so many before me, I fell into the typical law student trap where I felt I had to take certain courses even though I didn't really want to--we do this because the bar exam includes some subjects other than those in first-year courses, and there is a lot of pressure to take as many of those as possible. Also, the legal world considers some subjects 'practical', like tax, business associations, or real estate finance, etc. And after all, the idea is to come out of this place with a good job. The only required courses are those of the first year--and they're the same for practically every law school in the country. For the second and third year we can take whatever we want, with the exception of a required professional responsibility class (thank you Richard M. Nixon). But now that I look back on it, I think that even if I had just taken what I wanted it would've been hard to have completed the 87 required hours. The one class I most regret not taking was a seminar on the history of the US Supreme Court back in my 2L year. The professor who taught it clerked for Sandra Day O'Connor. Unfortunately he did not offer it this year. More on law school later... I'm winding my day down now with a couple of nICE cold bottles of Tsingtao (Qingdao) beer. They are the big 630ml bottles--the kind you get in China. Only difference is in China they cost 30 cents each while here they set me back a cool $2.19 apiece. SO if I sound too wordy it's prolly cuz a nice buzz is kicking in and I tend to yap when I imbibe. Getting back to Buddhism for a minute--one of the five precepts is that there be no unreasonable use of drugs or alcohol. That sounds like something an 'enlightened' lawyer wrote. Just what is 'unreasonable'? Total abstinence? Probably not--they would've just said so. Refrain from getting drunk? But Chinese history and lore are replete with monks who got snockered and then tore up the place. Those guys inevitably are the most beloved and admired. No one remembers teetotaler monks. So I'm not sure what to make of this one. In Sunday's Dharma class we went over the question of whether it is necessary to be vegetarian. This particular order recommends it, but it is not a requirement. I was vegetarian for a number of years but when I got married (almost five years ago now) I started eating meat again--it was just too much of a hassle to cook separate menus. But we eat very little meat anyway--no more than twice a week and usually only once a week. One of the things that I find so attractive in Buddhism is its tolerance compared with Western/Near Eastern religions. Yet the zealotry of the convert is present even in Buddhism, especially in the Westerners who take it up. Many of them get very aggressive, in-your-face, holier than thou when it comes to eating meat. In other words, highly judgmental. I find it quite fascinating. Is this a manifestation of rigid Western philosophical/religious influences lurking beneath the surface in all of us--a fundamental part of our Western psyche? Interestingly enough, I've noticed that many Asian converts to Christianity exhibit the same behaviors, so maybe it's the nature of the beast in Occidental thought. And I've never seen such fundamentalist evangelical fervor in Asian Buddhists.

I guess what I'm really asking is this: is there a Buddhist equivalent of Paul and Jan Crouch?
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/14/2003 03:43:00 PM| |

 
Adventures in the Dharma Just got back from my first-ever Dharma class (in English) at the Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights. The temple holds these classes every Sunday at 9:00--I was supposed to go last week but that's when we had the time change for daylight savings, and I forgot to set the clock ahead. So I overslept. Did I ever feel like the jackass... I was surprised at the turnout today--there were over 20 people in attendance. A Chinese nun informally leads the class--she is from Hong Kong and speaks very good English--there is also an American nun who sits in and clarifies things--she's been a Buddhist nun for 13 years--I spoke with her a bit. She lived in Taiwan for five years (but does not speak Chinese) and in South Africa where the order also maintains a temple--it has over 100 worldwide. This temple practices Chan (Zen) Buddhism and is part of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order. I'll be the first to admit I know next to nothing about Buddhism--at this stage I can only describe my interest as intellectual, or even academic. Buddhism is one of those things I always meant to study in university but never got around to doing. The East Asian Languages and Lit department at my university is offering a class this quarter on Chinese Buddhism that I really wanted to take, but it conflicts with one of my law classes. However the Master behind Hsi Lai Temple, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, also founded Hsi Lai University. This school has many great classes, so this may be an option down the road. I'm particularly interested in studying Canonical Chinese, as I would at some point like to read the sutras in their Chinese translations of the original Sanskrit and Pali.

If you ever visit LA and have a car I highly recommend a visit to Hsi Lai Temple. It's very Taiwanese in appearance. There is a monastic order in residence (both monks and nuns, Chinese and Westerners). You can take a free guided tour on weekends--try to come on Sunday for the 11:00am tour because that is when James (Boquet?) leads it. He's worth calling ahead for to see if he'll be in. James is a first-year doctoral student in Comparative Religion at Hsi Lai University, and in a 'former life' he studied to be an Episcopalian priest. He's at the temple as part of his work-study; he looks like the Western manifestation of the Maitreya Buddha (see left), i.e. the fat, happy Buddha (Mi Le Fo)--and he'll be the first to tell you. The Maitreya Buddha is the 'Buddha to Come'--so you can understand why he's so happy--he's got a great gig lined up. Anyway, take James' tour because he is a veritable storehouse of Buddhist knowledge--he'll explain the statues and what they all represent, he's got great anecdotes, and his grounding in Western religious faiths is extremely deep, so you'll get a lot out of his tour. The temple also has a museum that contains many relics--one supposedly is an actual bone fragment of Siddhartha Gautama which it has on display. It also has a beautiful tapestry depicting the Buddha's life that is a gift of the Dalai Lama. And oh yeah, you'll definitely want to eat in the cafeteria--for a donation of $5 you get a delicious all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/14/2003 09:46:00 AM| |

 
UPDATE--China's Most Wealthy List--UPDATE It turns out there is a "New Fortune" magazine after all. Visit the website here. If you can read Chinese the complete list is available here. Twelve are women. One funny note: A visit to the "Editor's Desk" reveals that the magazine lists www.newfortune.net as its website (look on the banner). But a visit to that site makes it immediately clear that it is definitely not the website. I guess the magazine business is a little slow these days and they are trying to 'spice' things up a bit!
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/11/2003 06:33:00 AM| |

 
A quick question for any in China or who study Chinese: Are you familiar with the phrase wuya zui [crow's mouth]? As near as I can gather, it means to jinx or put a bad luck hex on someone.

A: Xiao Zhang wasn't in class today. B: Why not? A: She wasn't feeling well. B: Maybe she came down with SARS. A: Hey, don't be a wuya zui!

I had almost that exact conversation with someone a few days ago--I was 'A'. Later I related the incident to another Chinese friend who said she had never heard of this term before, although she could guess its meaning (crows are inauspicious signs in Chinese culture). So my question is: Is it a common Mandarin term or is it more regional? This friend is from Nanjing. Every other Chinese I've spoken with has heard of it, so I'm wondering what's going on. My wife joked that my friend hadn't heard it because she's such a bookworm. Any thoughts?
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/11/2003 03:13:00 AM| |

 
The SARS Come Out in LA OK, that was a really bad pun; you have my apologies. Hopefully most people won't even get it. Latest reports are that there have been some 130 confirmed cases of SARS in the US--no fatalities as of yet. California leads the nation with 37 patients. Here in Los Angeles we've had anywhere from 7-12 depending on the source. But some people are beginning to freak. The UCLA Daily Bruin carried a story in the 04/08/03 print edition reporting that many universities have cancelled summer study/travel programs to China and Hong Kong. Question: Are they doing this out of concern that SARS is really serious, or because they are worried that some hysterical parent will sue them for an arm and a leg if their precious baby comes back with the sniffles? Hint: those boilerplate indemnity waiver clauses that everyone makes you sign these days often aren't worth the cost of the ink used to print them. I'm planning on studying at the IUP-Qinghua summer program in Beijing and they have sent out an email stating that the program is a go, but they are allowing people to back out and receive deposit refunds if they are concerned about SARS. The reaction to SARS in the Chinese-American community here in LA has been nothing if not entertaining. It's all over the local Chinese papers, while the LA Times has largely ignored the local effects of the SARS scare. We did our usual shopping trip to the San Gabriel Valley last weekend and some people are wearing those surgical masks. The restaurant community is also up in arms over a local Chinese radio call-in show in which the host recommended that people avoid eating in restaurants and going to wedding banquets (always at upscale restaurants) until the crisis blows over. The Restaurant Owners Association went on the attack and has initiated major damage control. They are threatening to pull all advertising at the radio station in question. The radio station has released the host, but it offered the rather lame excuse that his show had already ended. The Association has held press conferences in an attempt to persuade the public that it is safe to eat out. There are major rumors flying around that one restaurant's top chef died from SARS and that another restaurant with four locations was shut down by health authorities. I also heard another rumor that one of the big Chinese groceries, the Hawaii Supermarket, had to close early Friday afternoon because several of its staff came down with SARS. I can totally understand the efforts by the restaurant owners to quell the panic. Chinese restaurants are BIG BUSINESS in the San Gabriel Valley of Greater Los Angeles, home to more Chinese than any other city outside of Asia. If you've ever been to LA and the San Gabriel Valley on any weekend you'll realize how much money is at stake here. Well, my wife is exhibiting the typical Chinese pragmatism/conservatism and she doesn't want to take any chances. No trips to Hua's Garden or Jia Wei (our two favorite restaurants) for us for the foreseeable future.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/11/2003 01:42:00 AM| |

 
To Get Rich Is Spurious Actually the correct quote, often attributed to Deng Xiaoping, is �To Get Rich Is Glorious� from the early years of China�s economic reforms. But as will become clear I think my version is the more accurate one. An upstart Chinese-language newspaper in the San Gabriel Valley, the "Zhong Guo Daily News" reports in its 4/05/03 print edition that a Mainland China magazine called �Xin Caifu� [New Fortune] has published a list of the 400 Richest Mainland Chinese in its April issue; the first time the Chinese media has ever done so. I have never heard of this magazine before, but it may be the newspaper has made a mistake and meant �Fortune� magazine, which publishes a Chinese edition, �Fortune China� (Cai Fu). On a side note, if there really is a �Xin Caifu�, Fortune may have several possible actions in trademark, not only on the name, but also on its method of listing wealthy individuals and companies (this must be the law student in me coming out). Anyway, the magazine states that the wealthiest individual in China is a man named Rong Zhijian, who is worth RMB 6.1 billion (US$ 735 million). He is one of seven people in China with a net worth over RMB 3 billion. The magazine goes on to say that all 400 people on the list have fortunes of at least RMB 200 million (US$ 24.1 million). Most on the list made their fortunes in real estate speculation, rather than retail, software, high-tech or media as in the case of the richest people in the US. Keep in mind that the per capita GDP in China is around US$ 900, though the figure for coastal urban areas is considerably higher at approximately US$ 1400. I should add that the people listed are certainly worth significantly more, since economic data from China is notoriously untrustworthy. The State Administration of Taxation suffers major enforcement problems with the result that both individuals and companies vastly underreport their true incomes. Just for comparison, the richest person in the US is (still) Bill Gates at US$ 43 billion. You can see the complete list here. And the per capita GDP in the US is around US$ 30,000. So perhaps we should add capitalism to the list of famous Chinese inventions like the compass, gunpowder, moveable-type printing, paper currency, distilled liquor and the wheelbarrow (among many others, according to Joseph Needham). Long famous for their commercial acumen, the Chinese put the �C� in Capitalism. Well, more accurately, the Chinese put the �Cs� in Crony Capitalism. What we are largely witnessing in China is no Horatio Alger rags-to-riches making of the Chinese Dream, but a potentially destabilizing situation of massive enrichment by people taking advantage of their positions or connections, not through their inherent abilities. There is a HUGE undercurrent of popular resentment in China at the outrageous fortunes obtained by the children of elite cadre, called �princelings�, and the government officials and State Owned Enterprise personnel who used their authority to gain access to raw materials, land and other valuable commodities at the start of reforms. The People�s Liberation Army was especially notorious in its business dealings, with the result that Jiang Zemin put his foot down in the mid-1990s and successfully pushed through a policy to force the PLA to shed its commercial activities and get back to the business of national defense. I interned in the real estate section of a Chinese law firm last summer, and many of our clients engaged in real estate deals were former military personnel. These guys are stupendously wealthy by any standard. Everyone in China is aware of the growing gap between the haves and have-nots, and one of the biggest problems facing the Chinese government is common perception that the immense wealth created in China is largely illicit. People are pissed. Further attempts by the government to privatize the economy will only add fuel to the fire, especially if working people and the peasants continue to suffer while witnessing a very small segment of the population reap enormous profits.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/09/2003 08:25:00 AM| |

 
True Lies--Maoist Style On a recent foray into a Monterey Park Chinese bookstore I ran across an old dog-eared copy of "Prisoners of Liberation" by Allyn and Adele Rickett. I immediately snatched it up and highly recommend it. The Korean War period and 1950s Chinese history are among my greatest amateur scholarly interests. The book is about how the Ricketts, who had gone to China as Fulbright 'students', were arrested during the Korean War as American spies. They ended up spending over four years in PRC prison and in the book they write an absorbing account of the Maoist process of thought reform. While they definitely do admit to collecting and passing intelligence, as well as recruiting native sources for American and British agencies, the line is a little blurred to my mind. From their accounts in the book the 'intelligence' they gathered was merely information about the living/social conditions of the Chinese they knew, especially the students at the universities where they taught/studied (first Qinghua and then Yanjing universities--the latter later merged with Beijing University). In other words, they were not after any 'secret' information and did not try to snoop around military bases or government offices. The data they gathered seems quite innocuous unless they're leaving something out. I especially enjoyed the accounts of cell life. The PRC authorities put the Ricketts in cells with Chinese prisoners--no foreign dormitories in jail! The Ricketts shared quarters with a wide variety of 'thought criminals', and the book intimately brings to life their class conflicts and differing backgrounds in what was quite a tumultuous time in Chinese history. All in all, a great book. The Ricketts, if alive today, are well into their 80s, and I don't know if they're still around. I did find the following audio interview with Allyn Rickett from 1995:

• Allyn Rickett Interview, Part One
• Allyn Rickett Interview, Part Two

A word of warning: the organization behind the interview is MIM, or the "Maoist International Movement". Obviously, this is a highly radical outfit. I didn't even think anyone admitted to being Maoist anymore. If you want to check them out you can visit their homepage here. It might even turn out to be more fun than the interview. Disclaimer:It should go without saying that I neither condone nor condemn this group and their viewpoints don't reflect my own. But they enjoy their rightful place in the great Marketplace of Ideas guaranteed by our First Amendment. So let the ideas slug it out. I like my eyes brown the way they are, not black! I am fortunate in that I have never personally experienced prison, either in China or anywhere else. But when I studied at SOAS in the United Kingdom I discovered that one of my English classmates, Mark Baber, had spent a few years in a Shanghai jail for allegedly attempting to smuggle marijuana. He was an interesting bloke who spent way more time in the school's basement pub than in class. He was a strict vegan, though apparently not for health reasons as he smoked roughly 800 cigarettes a day. He was also a huge fan of the Arsenal Football Club, and he's the main reason I adopted the Gunners as my Premier League faves. He said he was writing a book about his prison experiences but I don't know if he ever finished it. I lost touch with him years ago, but as far as I know he remains very active in international human rights work, maybe with Amnesty International UK.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/07/2003 04:34:00 AM| |

 
Definitely one of the highlights of my law school experience was in Spring of 2002 when I, along with a group of other vets studying law at our school, founded a student organization dedicated to supporting veterans, reservists and active-duty students at our law school. We currently number about 15 and represent all branches of service. At the moment we are primarily a social/support organization. We have beer calls every couple of weeks along with other social activities--in April we're planning a deep sea fishing trip. We also provide academic support in the form of a course outline bank. Our faculty sponsor is a veteran of the Vietnam era and he's also on the Admissions Committee so he is able to look out for any vet applicants and make sure they get a fair shake in the application process. This will be especially important in the aftermath of the Iraq War as there are sure to be many returning veterans eager to attend law school--in fact one current applicant for Fall 2003 is in Kuwait--he may even be in Iraq now for all I know. As our organization grows I hope it will begin to expand its role into offering legal assistance to vets. We've made a good start on this as we just completed an afternoon of pro bono work yesterday for New Directions, at the Los Angeles Veterans Administration. New Directions is a program to help out vets who have fallen into alcohol and/or drug abuse. To find out about its treatment program click on the "Problem and Solution" section at the above link. Many of these men and women have been in and out of prison, and have all sorts of legal troubles ranging from traffic tickets, moving violations, child support problems, tax issues, etc. The idea behind the legal affairs program is to get these hurdles settled so that the veterans can more easily concentrate on beating the substance abuse problem and getting their lives in order. The director of the legal affairs section told us that the program has a success rate of 20-30%--that is 20-30% remain drug/alcohol free two years after completing the program. New Directions' success is becoming better known among the judges in the Los Angeles area, many of whom actively work with New Directions in sending vets to the program and modifying their sentences or even dismissing traffic misdemeanors if they remain in good standing. The program is extremely tough and disciplined. Most who enter the New Directions program are voluntary admits as opposed to court admits, and so these are people who have hit rock bottom--they have finally realized they are powerless to overcome their problems and they understand New Directions is probably their last chance to avoid dying on the streets. Some successful graduates of New Directions stay on as counselors. We met several of them yesterday. It was great to see how these men had completely turned their lives around and were dedicated to helping other vets in trouble do the same. To a person each of them thanked us for coming in and giving our time. I was happy to do it, but I still feel a bit guilty as I wonder how much assistance we could actually provide in a three-hour afternoon. Many of these guys have really serious issues on top of their addictions. If any vets read this I would encourage you to look into this program and even help out financially if you are able. This is a fantastic program where veterans help out fellow veterans.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/06/2003 07:33:00 AM| |

 
Didn't I Tell You This Was Coming? One last item before I hit the hay--I mentioned in a previous post that China's response to the US State Department Human Rights Report would be a report of its own detailing alleged US human rights abuses. Well, the Chinese are nothing if not predictable. Read the English summary report of the US Human Rights Record in 2002 here. If you can read Chinese the complete report comes out to 11,000 characters. The People's Daily provides it in its entirety in three parts:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three

This may require some patience as the People's Daily site can be quite slow. I think it's safe to say the Chinese feel somewhat betrayed since they initially supported the US 'War on Terrorism'. One wonders if the particularly harsh tone of the US report this year is meant to punish China for not supporting the US/UK UN Security Council resolution to approve military action against Iraq. Hopefully I'll have time to carefully read the Chinese report later this week.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/03/2003 03:56:00 PM| |

 
So Which of the Supremes Best Describes You? Take this Supreme Court Quiz to find out. Beware, you'll be assaulted with pop-up ads and they'll try to get you to send them your email, but you don't have to do it to get the results. Here's how I come out:

1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
2. John Paul Stevens
3. Stephen G. Breyer
4. David H. Souter
5. Sandra Day O'Connor
6. Anthony Kennedy
7. William H. Rehnquist
8. Antonin Scalia
9. Clarence Thomas

No great surprises, but I thought Justice Stevens would have been my top match. If you take the quiz please leave a comment and let us know your top three and bottom three...
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/03/2003 12:04:00 PM| |

 
Here We Go Again The US State Department has just released its annual Human Rights Report. And just as it does every year, China got battered. Read the China Report here. If past behavior is any indication, China will no doubt respond by releasing a tit-for-tat government 'white paper' outlining what it contends are violations of human rights committed by the US government. It should be a doozy this year, what with the invasion by the US of Iraq, which most countries and people around the world consider in flagrant violation of international law. I think the US government should not be in the business of preparing these reports. In doing so it leaves itself wide open to charges of bias and politicization. These accusations have merit. The US harshly condemns the human rights records of those countries it considers its adversaries while commonly giving soft glove treatment to its allies, no matter how reprehensible their human rights violations may be. This apparent hypocritical behavior damages US credibility in attempts to place itself as the international beacon of human dignity and progress. Secondly, our own human rights record is less than stellar in many respects. For instance, while we rightly condemn the occasional use of torture by China�s Public Security Bureau, China will likely respond that police brutality is not uncommon in the US. I don�t know the incidence of such official violence in the US, but I bet that the perceptions of the problem among federal, state and local authorities are markedly different than in the minority communities where most of these acts take place. Also, the apparent belief of the US Department of Justice that it is not illegal to use �torture by proxy', by which it sends alleged terrorist suspects to third countries that habitually use torture to extract information, is extremely troublesome and is in fact in direct violation of the Convention Against Torture ratified by the US in 1994. The Report focuses on China's lack of due process in its criminal justice system and the habit of cloaking its policies under the guise of 'state secrets'. But given our current administration's obsession with secrecy to an extent not seen since the Nixon administration, and certain provisions of the Patriot Act which have resulted in US citizens jailed indefinitely without benefit of legal counsel, these criticisms ring somewhat hollow. China is sure to bring this up in its response. The US also criticizes China for carrying out some 4,000 executions in the past year. Some foreign scholars place the figure as high as 20,000. Many of these executions undoubtedly are unjust. Yet the US system of capital punishment is itself fatally flawed. George Ryan as governor of Illinois imposed a moratorium on executions in that state due to the discovery that innocent people were condemned to die. And one of his last acts as governor was to commute the sentences of all the condemned on death row to life in prison. Juries disproportionately apply the death penalty on the basis of the victim�s race�the murderer of a white victim is many more times likely to receive the death penalty than the murderer of a black victim. The US is also one of only six countries in the world that executes prisoners who were minors at the time they committed their crimes. The others are: the Congo, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen�not exactly the most select of company. I am not trying to downplay the severity of human rights abuses in China. I�ve lived there�I know there are problems. But I believe the current policy of the US is ineffective, and in fact, counterproductive. No country wants to be humiliated and embarrassed by another, most particularly an Asian country where the cultural concept of �face� is so important. The US has never obtained optimal results when it openly criticizes China�s human rights record. In fact, China has often responded by cracking down even harder. We have enjoyed the greatest success with bilateral, private talks between US and Chinese leaders. Next, the US must be more receptive in recognizing that the Chinese government has made significant progress in several areas. The US should acknowledge that though important problems remain, the human rights situation for the majority of Chinese people is better now than it has been in all of Chinese history. Chinese now enjoy unprecedented freedoms, especially in the economic sphere. Having stated the above, I do believe country reports on conditions of human rights are extremely important. However, NGOs like Amnesty International should prepare these, not governments. This would go a long way towards ensuring that the reports are impartial, independent and free of government taint.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 4/02/2003 03:54:00 AM| |