Stories about the “two faces of China” and the separate universes in which they exist are now so plentiful most us skip them over – we know the scene too well. Last week’s breakdown of the transportation system in the wake of record snowstorms , however, brought the story back into the public eye with the vivid poignancy that only a photograph can. There were the swelling masses surrounding the train stations, the poor workers who have only a few days every year to be with their families, and poor Wen Jiaobao with his bullhorn, the guy the party always trots out when the masses need to be soothed.
One Beijing reporter writes today of the international consequences of this circus – of how it gives the world a picture of China that is the exact opposite of what China wants the world to think.
While the generals dined in London, the poor bloody infantry were in the Guangzhou trenches.
For them, those station platforms were evidence of the shameful fact that China is still, at heart, a fragile country, one whose political and business leaders can engineer the occasional victory to impress foreigners but find it hard to respond to the needs of the struggling billions at home.
While the weather was the worst in 50 years, I was surprised at the number of people for whom snow on the line washed no better as an excuse in Shanghai than in Surrey. The railways being state-run (and so is Chinalco, by the way), their failure was a failure of government.
In many ways, they are correct in seeing China in this light, and the desperation on the faces of those crowds, or the fate of Mrs Chu Hongling, who gave birth after spending three days in a snow-bound bus on a motorway, are a warning of the hubris that can befall any nation that is told too often that it represents the end of history.
A trillion dollars it may have in foreign exchange reserves, but the Middle Kingdom remains an unequal and fragmented society, still traumatised by war, famine and revolution, and still led by a government that is opaque, often unresponsive, and in many ways self-serving.
I wish I had a copy of some of the CCTV footage I saw last week. Most unforgettable was a clip of old men shoveling snow in front of a train station with Wen Jiaobao standing nearby. All of the four or five men were beaming with joy, flashing these shit-eating grins at the camera, looking just like those old drawings of Lei Feng grinning ear to ear as he darns soldiers’ socks in the night. “We are happy to serve our parts as cogs n the great socialist machine!” The reality was grim and dark, but the picture China was putting out to the world was all sweetness and light. It was obviously choreographed and totally artificial, but so are all their propaganda efforts.
Take a look at Spencer’s article. He cleverly draws a parallel between how China handled the storms and how it handled the secret corporate raid yesterday of Rio Tinto, the Australian mining company.
1
By HongXing
Do you know how serious freezing rain is? No country has any good way to deal with freezing rain, not China, not America, not any country. It’s common place for many Northeast American states and Canadian provinces to be without power for weeks during winter because of freezing rain (power lines are collapsed because of the weight of the ice).
And also, did you already forget about Katrina? Do you really think after the American government’s performance in Katrina, you have the face to lecture China on this issue? Give me a break.
February 7, 2008 @ 11:24 am | Comment
2
By richard
Go back through this blog and see how critical I was of my government for its mishandling of Katrina. In fact, I was far more vocal about that catastophe than about this week’s screw-up. But Red Star, this is how you always respond to every criticism of China. The government is always right. Do you want me to remind everyone how you defended the murder of Sun Zhigang? You can and will defend absolutely everything the CCP does. I criticize my own government and China’s, and at times praise them too. You are a robot, hard wired to bless the party.
I would like to see a single link to any story of sections of America’s Northeast being without power “for weeks.” It may well be true, but I have never heard of such a thing.
February 7, 2008 @ 11:33 am | Comment
3
By PB
This transportation meltdown story is much more poignant than the usual “two Chinas” dichotomy, because it involves people persevering for the most basic of things- time spent with loved ones. I hope they make it!
From a more political perspective, this is also a development that should temper the more bullish of the “China is taking over the world” crowd. The nature of the country’s feverish infrastructure build-out- rapidity and quantity over anything resembling quality- made this sort of thing inevitable. The tremendous speed and flashy nature of industrialization in China does a good job of obfuscating (at least to your average foreign audience) that the whole enterprise is built on a knife’s edge of social unrest, economic contradictions and severe environmental limitations.
Sometimes I imagine Chinese development as a blindfolded tight-rope walker running recklessly across the rope at great heights, with the hope that the momentum will somehow get him safely to the other side.
But then again, these same things could be said of the major Western societies, especially regarding the serious financial tangle we’ve gotten ourselves into. So kudos to any society of more than a billion people that, despite all odds, somehow manages to function on a daily basis. I think we often forget how amazing that is.
February 7, 2008 @ 11:47 am | Comment
4
By PB
For the record, I’d like to state that it is not common for Canadian provinces to go without power for weeks during the winter. I should know, I live in one of them.
HongXing is probably alluding to the ice storm in 1998, which certainly did cause a mess in eastern Canada and, in particular, my home city of Montreal. But this was hardly a “common” event!! In fact, it resulted in much public debate about government incompetence, bad infrastructure planning, and a penchant for my home province to concentrate more on assuring revenue from power sales to the northeast US than the grid integrity of its major metropolitan area.
February 7, 2008 @ 11:56 am | Comment
5
By Matthew Stinson
Funny that HongXing mentions Katrina. For my friends and I, the first thing that came to mind was the US government’s handling of Katrina, after which we dubbed the southern Chinese storms the “Chinese Katrina.” That is to say, the debacle makes the Chinese government look at least as bad as the US government in the case of Katrina.
There’s one crucial difference, though: in the US, we know how many people Katrina killed and how much was lost. But will we ever know how many will be killed by the storm in China’s south? Not a chance.
February 7, 2008 @ 12:05 pm | Comment
6
By JXie
This is muddled thinking at its worst. What on earth has Chinalco’s Rio Tinto move, partnered with Alcoa BTW, got ANYTHING to do with the recent ice/snow storm in China?
Chinalco’s (to a less extent Alcoa’s) move was a shrewd corporate move of which the purposes are seemingly not understood by Spencer. It’s hopeless for Chinalco to acquire Rio Tinto outright because of the likely regualatory hurdles just like CNOOC’s Unocal bid. Regulatory hurdles is a euphoric way to call it, the real reason is sheer xenophobia, but that’s another story. However, by inserting itself into the picture, Chinalco (and Alcoa for that matter) may either kill BHP’s Rio Tinto bid or make it far more costly to BHP. A combination of BHP and Rio Tinto will have too much pricing power in the world market, which is detrimental to Chinalco’s future business.
The recent China ice/snow storm in essence is like the 1998 North American ice storm happening right before Christmas.
February 7, 2008 @ 12:35 pm | Comment
7
By JXie
There’s one crucial difference, though: in the US, we know how many people Katrina killed and how much was lost. But will we ever know how many will be killed by the storm in China’s south? Not a chance.
Why? You know for a fact the numbers that will be released at the much later time, will definitely not be the best-effort numbers? Why don’t you take the same cynicism toward the official Katrina death toll numbers?
Why does this necessarily make the Chinese government look bad? Most of the modern human infrastructures are not strong enough to withstand the worst possible natural disasters. What made the US government look bad was not because the levees broke, or the high human death tolls, or the inefficiencies in rescue efforts. It was because,
The US could’ve used the money, man power and resources in Iraq at home. Folks in New Orleans could’ve used that zeal of building a perfect society at home instead in a remote foreign land.
February 7, 2008 @ 1:12 pm | Comment
8
By AC
Oh of course it was just a show, the 4-inch thick ice and snow on hundreds of miles of highways just disappeared on it’s own. Use your brain, people! It happened in a subtropical area where many people had never seen a snow flake in their live before. People in that part of the country don’t even have snow shovels, let alone snow plows. How do you suppose they did it?
I’ve been following the coverage here very closely. I know many of you want to see the government fail, because it fits the image of them in your head. Too bad, their effort has been called “a text book example of how a government should deal with disasters” by American experts. They have also just earned praises from the UN disaster relieve agency.
There is only so much human can do when facing against mother nature. At time of emergency, a leader need to calm the people, keep their moral high and assure them that he/she is on top of it, you do that on the spot on national TV. (Where the f#$k was GW when people in New Orleans needed him the most?) I was hoping Wen to show up and he did. This is what a competent leader should do. He has earned my approval and respect.
February 7, 2008 @ 1:24 pm | Comment
9
By Brgyags
China is an odd case as it is reported in Western media when a natural disaster causes death.
If people die from Katrina or something in the US, the government is blamed for every mishandling of the situation. Well, they deserve it because the US is, or as believed by most people it is, the most powerful country the human history has ever seen. They are supposed to have infinite capabilities, so they do not have an excuse.
If people die from a cyclone or monsoon rain in India, staggering numbers of death will be reported and dire footages will be aired. The western media will be keen on the suffering but generally leave the role of local governments out of the picture, which provides ample space for well-meaning, well-educated and compassionate people to contemplate on their own lives or maybe some gestures of sympathy. The western media tends to view everything associated with such unfortunate third-world countries, the people, the government, the poverty, the diseases, the corruption and the unfavoring nature, as aspects of a whole of a mess, a hopeless gestalt.
China is unique, in that the Western media want to do both to it within a same breath, with some serious earnest. The message reads like this: No matter what has been accomplished in China recently, you know, China is still a third-world country not that different from other god-forsaken countries; no matter what has not been done, the ineptness of Chinese government should take the blame for.
Not that I disagree with either of these two points. I found the special treatment for China amusing. China must have done something to its level of expectation, so somebody has to monitor it so closely; and the Chinese government must have done something to its level of expectation, so it can be held accountable for the consequences of a natural disaster like this.
February 7, 2008 @ 1:55 pm | Comment
10
By Rob
“… of how it gives the world a picture of China that is the exact opposite of what China wants the world to think”
That’s a bit of a cheap shot there.
Exactly what does China want the world to think? An advanced country that can ward off any natural disaster?
February 7, 2008 @ 2:52 pm | Comment
11
By canrun
Try this link for video of GZ:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcb_china/20080204/wl_mcb_china/trampledattherailwaystation;_ylt=AmVfu41vuRaeVshR1PLCZpSruYd4
February 7, 2008 @ 3:45 pm | Comment
12
By youguys
China Snow storm/Katrina USA :
Don’t you think it is ridiculous to have a
Post industrious Capitalist affluent SUPERPOWER USA pop: 300 Million constantly take cheap shots at a
Rising industrious Socialist China, pop: 1,400 Million (1.4billion) when, um….need I say more?
Hope we haven’t forgotten this:
I-35W collapses. While Bridges In USA collapse Bush Spends over 12 Billion$ a Month On Crusade. People died because the state ignored 10 years of warnings that the bridge was unsafe.
February 7, 2008 @ 3:51 pm | Comment
13
By richard
Thanks for that amazing link, canrun. In fairness, it looks like the authorities were doing the best they could to manage an impossibly difficult situation. My heart really goes out to those poor people.
February 7, 2008 @ 3:58 pm | Comment
14
By richard
Youguys, I don’t see it as a cheap shot. As Spencer says, the railroads are run by the government, and their failure is a failure of government. Katrina was horrible in its own right, but not like these snowstorms – Katrina was far more brutal and catastrophic, and it was not a story of a transportation breakdown but of complete government dysfunctionality. I see last week’s breakdowns in China as relatively insignificant (and “relatively” is the keyword), but a breakdown nonetheless. Again, I criticized the USA for Katrina, and it’s legitimate to criticize China for this, especially considering how they strive to present themselves to the rest of the world. A dose of reality, as painful as that may be for some of you.
February 7, 2008 @ 4:06 pm | Comment
15
By youguys
“That’s a bit of a cheap shot there. Exactly what does China want the world to think?” Rob at February 7, 2008 02:52 PM
“In fairness, it looks like the authorities were doing the best they could to manage an impossibly difficult situation. My heart really goes out to those poor people…..it’s legitimate to criticize China for this, especially considering how they strive to present themselves to the rest of the world. A dose of reality, watching it on the tele (or youtube)…as painful as that may be for some of you….
Honestly, I am confused. Are you for real?
Don’t get me wrong, I do respect ya, mate.
February 7, 2008 @ 4:52 pm | Comment
16
By Sonagi
I don’t recall any big storm in 1998, but there was a massive, record-breaking storm that moved across the US from March 31-April 3, 1993, bringing deadly tornadoes and blizzards dumping up to 3 feet of snow in some places. That storm was huge and few areas of the US were untouched. From the news, it seems that it was central part of China that was hit, not the whole country. I didn’t hear about any tornadoes and didn’t see any photos of huge piles of snow, so I don’t think the magnitude of the storm was the same. Overall, I think China has a drier winter climate than many parts of the US and probably isn’t used to seeing lots of snow in a short period of time, especially in warmer areas.
This news event reminds me of a time when I spent the night in Narita Airport because a typhoon had caused numerous flight cancellations; all the local hotels were full, so we had to sleep at the airport. There was a large group of PRC passengers screaming at the airline staff, demanding compensation; meanwhile, Japanese, North American, and European passengers were sitting quietly in their seats.
February 7, 2008 @ 7:08 pm | Comment
17
By Sonagi
Oops, there was an ice storm in Canada in 1998. It is called the North American Ice Storm, but only small parts of upstate New York and upper New England were affected.
February 7, 2008 @ 7:11 pm | Comment
18
By Sonagi
Does anyone have links to statistics (amounts of snowfall, ice, etc.) in English or Chinese on the recent storm in China? According to the Wiki write-up, the 1998 ice storm left coats of ice up to 5 inches thick.
February 7, 2008 @ 7:32 pm | Comment
19
By Rob
I do think it’s legitimate to criticize China, or any other government, for that matter. (By the way, a lot of what’s going on in my own country, Taiwan, is also quite rotten. You are all welcome to air our dirty laundry.)
By “cheap shot” I meant the dubious statement about how the snowstorm supposedly exposed to the world a side of China that the Chinese government doesn’t want the world to know.
February 7, 2008 @ 7:39 pm | Comment
20
By Rich
@JXie
Interested in this BHP, Chinalco and Rio thing. What are the likely “xenophobic” regulatory hurdles? Do they have to do with the purchase of or running of the business? Australian regs or British?
I’ve been thinking that if Chinalco wanted to avoid losing pricing power they could go cap in hand to the gov and ask for some of that loose change it’s sitting on. Could easily afford to buy the lot(BHP and Rio). Problem solved and a good investment.
On topic, I was meant to travel to Shanghai to visit family and friends on the 2nd but thought better of it. The highways were closed which was sensible and trains were/weren’t running. A huge amount of people were stranded but hey, that’s life. Everything is running fine now. My city received more than a foot of snow. Almost unheard of. Nobody had shovels initially but many arrived promptly and the shovel guy made a killing I expect.
February 7, 2008 @ 8:21 pm | Comment
21
By Si
@jxie
i fail to see how the hurdles are xenophobic – most countries have some protect of domestic industry (inc. china, as i recall). the problem is that it isn’t ultimately a chinese company buying the share but the ccp. that is the problem.
ddi anyone read the article? it isn’t taking a cheap shot. it is simply pointing out that a lot of people have made out like bandits recently on the backs of a lot of cheap labour, but when something goes wrong, it is the disadvantaged who suffer. a reasonable point, imho
February 7, 2008 @ 9:06 pm | Comment
22
By richard
youguys,who’s also posting under the name JFK, I know it’s hard for you to conceptualize this, but it is possible – maybe necessary – to balance contrary feelings in regard to China. It is not black and white, and you manipulated my quotes and put them out of context. I was saying very clearly in regard to the video clip canrun posted that the men on the street, the military and the police, were doing a noble job under the circumstances, and that my heart went out to the people. This in no way contradicts the larger point of Spencer’s article criticizing the government, a point that Si encapsulates nicely above: “that a lot of people have made out like bandits recently on the backs of a lot of cheap labour, but when something goes wrong, it is the disadvantaged who suffer”
One last thing, youguys: watch your tone. Thanks.
February 7, 2008 @ 9:39 pm | Comment
23
By Rob
“…when something goes wrong, it is the disadvantaged who suffer”
It is a reasonable point. But it is also universally true. I may even say it’s self-evident. There’s nothing particularly Chinese about it.
That’s why it was a cheap shot, though possibly unintentional.
February 7, 2008 @ 10:55 pm | Comment
24
By lavarock
I hope that there will be something good that come out of this disaster, such as making the government to improve the infrastructures to especially handle “chunyun” better.
February 8, 2008 @ 12:12 am | Comment
25
By ferin
rapidity and quantity over anything resembling quality-
That has to be done to some extent; given the necessity behind it.
The way modern China is is so non-Chinese that it’s disgusting.
February 8, 2008 @ 7:35 am | Comment
26
By Sonagi
I would like to repeat my request for links to online sources with specific weather data relating to the storm, for example, a list of cities/areas and the amounts and forms of precipitation.
February 8, 2008 @ 7:55 am | Comment
27
By youguys
@ Richard,
You have problem with my tone?
I am sorry, I was truly confused but I am even more confused now. My CBC flat mate who doesn’t comment on any blog himself did warn me about the way I comment and we’ve argued about it but I guess he is right after all. I have almost near-native English fluency and beginners to intermediate levels in other languages. I have lived in the West here and there, dated Asians, an American and a Europeans and get along very well with western people because I am just a happy-go-lucky apolitical 20 something outgoing gal from Guangdong.
Although sometimes I do get irritated, even deeply hurt by prejudicial comments from some of my more macho friends about my country, nice girl that I am, I seldom speak up. I keep it all inside and would consult my flatmate & best friend who is Asian Canadian. He recommended that I check out the expat bloggerspheres to hopefully get a more balanced picture. I did and for awhile it was nice to have a voice and I feel I have learned a lot. Anyway, I am glad on this 2nd day of CNY to finally be awaken to the hard reality that indeed boys will be boys, but more importantly, east is east and west is west. Thanks Richard, I sense you’re a sincere person. I like your lovely write up on Africa, PB and good luck to you ferin, you are wonderful – you really kicked ass! Perhaps if you’ll stop the insults your message will be better received. Gongxifacai,
good Bye. Over and out.
February 8, 2008 @ 11:35 am | Comment
28
By richard
Take care and thanks for stopping by.
February 8, 2008 @ 12:19 pm | Comment
29
By HongXing
Let me show you some pictures of this freezing rain in China:
http://blog.rexsong.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/20081291804420.jpg
http://blog.rexsong.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/happykk_733.jpg
http://blog.rexsong.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/happykk.jpg
http://blog.rexsong.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/6834-965154023_o.jpg
http://src.club.sohu.com/pic/92/ce/c8f3560ea27a55922075706fb2fece92.jpg
http://img.club.pchome.net/upload/club/other/2008/2/1/pics_hnkenan_1201848976.jpg
February 8, 2008 @ 12:36 pm | Comment
30
By nanheyangrouchuan
“It’s common place for many Northeast American states and Canadian provinces to be without power for weeks during winter because of freezing rain (power lines are collapsed because of the weight of the ice).”
Common? I grew up in the northeast, on the shores of the Great Lakes. Ice storms are the norm in the fall and spring in the NE US. They don’t bring down the power lines (which are designed to support a range of loads), they bring down tree branches on the power lines and that is what causes problems. But the NE states have experienced power crews that cut down the limbs and bring the power lines back up. Also, the main power lines are buried, so when power is down it is for specific city blocks.
In the end, red star is full of BS as usual. I walked to school and drove to jobs for 18 years in that stuff. Also note that the NE, midwest, SE, Texas and mid-Atlantic areas experience tornadoes at frequencies and strengths that most of the world can’t imagine and these happen every year.
February 8, 2008 @ 2:46 pm | Comment
31
By Rich
Ferin,
Re the other thread. Points taken. It was unfair of me to be overly critical/harsh on one party. I don’t comment much because I don’t feel I have that much to add but I do enjoy reading others’ opinions. Just really frustrated when an otherwise good thread degenerates into a slanging match. So, apologies.
Richard, thanks for the blog.
February 8, 2008 @ 3:18 pm | Comment
32
By ferin
Perhaps if you’ll stop the insults your message will be better received.
That’s my big problem. But then when I think about it, the people I insult are generally obnoxious, ignorant, nasty people. The only thing I regret is that I can’t strangle them.
February 8, 2008 @ 4:01 pm | Comment
33
By Si
with all the slagging off of the us and saying that it is taking a cheap shot at china, you all did notice that the telegraph is an english (ie uk) newspaper?
February 8, 2008 @ 4:26 pm | Comment
34
By Rob
Nowhere did I mention the US, Si. I hope you are not trying to fire a cheap shot over this.
February 8, 2008 @ 6:27 pm | Comment
35
By JXie
@Rich, it’s at the buying part. Not only the Australian & British, but also probably EU and potentially US regulators will feast on it.
@Si, a spade is a spade. China and Chinese can be quite xenophobic just as well. I am not trying to preach some anti-xenophobia morality, to me by far the biggest problem is that xenophobia hurts a nation’s total wealth.
@Richard, Katrina was far more brutal and catastrophic
The recent China ice/snow storm covers a much larger area and affects far more people. Natural disasters are not about the scale, but rather about the rarity. A few inches of snow that is nothing in New England, can wreak havoc in Honolulu. The recent ice/snow storm if had occurred in the Northeastern China, the damage would have been far less severe.
February 9, 2008 @ 1:10 am | Comment
36
By Sonagi
The photos are impressive, Red Star. Thanks for the links.
@JXie,
Could you please provide links to maps and other weather data from the storm? It’s not that I doubt the storm was a major weather catastrophe. It’s because I’m an amateur meteorologist who checks three major weather portals whenever a storm passes through. You are absolutely correct that weather events are somewhat relative in their impact. I am a Michigan native teaching in Virginia, and I chuckled last year when our district cancelled school for almost a week on account of 4 inches of snow. I think that storm would have caused severe problems in the northeast, too, for China has generally dry winters, doesn’t it? There is snow cover in northeast China, but I think that is because very cold winters keep the snow from melting. Moreover, snow usually falls when temperatures are just below freezing, not when it is very cold because very cold air cannot hold much moisture. I traveled in northeast China for three weeks in January and don’t recall much snowfall, but the temperatures were numbing!
February 9, 2008 @ 7:19 am | Comment
37
By Sonagi
Below are some links to English language weather data on the storm:
maps of snow cover, precipitation, and temperatures:
http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/highlights/2008/02/MassiveSnowStorm.htm
map of affected provinces as part of an International Red Cross report:
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/Appeals/rpts08/CNsd02020801.pdf
animated map of northern hemisphere snow cover from the US NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The animation shows two things: first, the US started January with far more snow cover than China; second, the storm blanketed most of China in snow and ice, reaching south of 30 degrees latitude.
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/snow0708.html
The closest US equivalent is probably the Storm of the Century in 1993, which stretched from Canada to Cuba.
February 9, 2008 @ 11:38 am | Comment
38
By schtickyrice
The snow storm simply increased the magnitude of China’s transportation problem every year during CNY. The current model of economic development in which peasant migrant workers are forced to live and work away from home in factory dormitories in the Pearl River delta and other coastal regions is simply unsustainable. The manufacturing bases should either relocate to the interior where the labour force resides, or migrant workers and their families should be granted legal residency status in the coastal manufacturing zones, along with access to educational and other social services. The social costs of the separation of families and an emerging generation of rural youth growing up without parental care and supervision is a ticking time bomb.
February 10, 2008 @ 5:55 am | Comment
39
By mor
“Although sometimes I do get irritated, even deeply hurt by prejudicial comments from some of my more macho friends about my country, nice girl that I am, I seldom speak up. I keep it all inside and would consult my flatmate & best friend who is Asian Canadian. He recommended that I check out the expat bloggerspheres to hopefully get a more balanced picture. I did and for awhile it was nice to have a voice and I feel I have learned a lot. Anyway, I am glad on this 2nd day of CNY to finally be awaken to the hard reality that indeed boys will be boys, but more importantly, east is east and west is west. Thanks Richard, I sense you’re a sincere person. I like your lovely write up on Africa, PB and good luck to you ferin, you are wonderful – you really kicked ass!”
A nice girl who got DEEPLY HURT BY PREJUDICIAL COMMENTS FROM SOME OF HER MORE MACHO FRIENDS, on the other side thinks that somebody saying THIS:
“Another question, how much did you buy your wife for? Did you pick her off of an impoverished farm or select from a factory line-up?”
is WONDERFUL. I guess there is no self-contradiction here? No, I guess this is just another inane query by me.
And you hypocrites dare call nanhe a sexist or even a racist. Urgent need for a reality check!
February 10, 2008 @ 6:47 am | Comment
40
By nanheyangrouchuan
Thanks mor, there is alot false grandstanding by many expats and a few Chinese.
February 10, 2008 @ 11:19 am | Comment