One of my favorite bloggers laments the rather ridiculous changes at his Beijing apartment complex, which is about to become an elite gated community – and a bit of a wasteland, too, from what I can tell. At least it was all part of a “democratic process.”
Funny, infuriating, and uniquely Chinese.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
A peculiar hybrid of personal journal, dilettantish punditry, pseudo-philosophy and much more, from an Accidental Expat who has made his way from Hong Kong to Beijing to Taipei and finally back to Beijing for reasons that are still not entirely clear to him…
Copyright © 2008 The Peking Duck, Some Rights Reserved.
Designed by Dao By Design | Powered by WordPress
1
By Filthy Stinking No.9
Interesting. It’s the origins of the old myth of “no dogs and no Chinese” signs. Back in colonial / imperialist days, they used to have a park in Shanghai … it was fenced, and had a sign on it with quite a few regulations, and yes, one of them did say “no dogs” … wealthy Chinese were allowed to go there too, but no riff-raff off the street, and hence the idea that it said “no Chinese”. In fact, pretty much like much of China today, where you often see poor people being hassled by the police for daring to hang around areas of well-to-do people. So … it’s back to the “no dogs and no (poor) Chinese” with the gated community.
June 12, 2005 @ 7:38 pm | Comment
2
By Paul
I’m glad you said that “no dogs” sign was a myth as I have never ever seen a shread of evidence to support that there ever was a sign saying that.
Anybody provide a link to a photo, a memoir, anything?
June 13, 2005 @ 3:43 am | Comment
3
By Will
The “No Dogs & No Chinamen” sign was also at one point attributed to the Singapore Cricket Club. Not sure if its an urban legend. It’s pretty believable, really. Dogs are welcome at Blue Castle, I can report (including at least one gloriously illegal Rottwieler). It’s only Lao Taitais who are out of favor.
June 13, 2005 @ 4:09 am | Comment
4
By Paul
Thanks for that WIll, I enjoyed reading the post.
I remember reading that either Nixon or Kissinger brought his little dog to China on a 1970’s visit and the Chinese took great slight at this because of that bloody urban myth of a sign.
June 13, 2005 @ 4:14 am | Comment
5
By Martyn
I also haven’t seen hard evidence or even anidotal evidence of the famous “No Dogs and Chinamen” sign.
I always thought that it was supposed to be somewhere in Shanghai? The Singapore Cricket Club one might be another sign/story altogether.
Are there any photographs/memoirs that have something about that sign? I have read a report of two but only on certain lunatic ‘right-wing’ sites that I would rather not mention here thank you.
June 13, 2005 @ 6:13 am | Comment
6
By Filthy Stinking No.9
The sign was also supposed to be on the Peak in HK … but I see Richard has posted a photo … I’ll be interested to see where it’s from.
June 13, 2005 @ 8:49 am | Comment
7
By pete
I was told probably sometime in the 1950s by some family member, both mother and father lived in China in the 1930s, there was a “No dogs and/or Chinese’ restriction in Shanghai. No objective proof of a sign, just a family story.
June 13, 2005 @ 11:13 pm | Comment