Destination: Anything Goes

After a two hour plane ride from Wuhan, where I was visiting relatives for a couple of days, I finally arrived in foggy Beijing on the morning of June 13^th. Unfortunately, the program only set up two pick up times, 8 am and 3 pm, and I was lucky enough to land at 11 am, right in between the two. So, I took a taxi ride to Capital Normal University and arrived at the College of International Education.

All the students in the Duke Study in China Program live in this building, which is divided into two parts—the north part which is mostly dorms set up in a hotel style, and the south part which holds classrooms and other academic facilities for international study.

The living conditions here are very very nice. There are 16 floors (I live on the 15^th) and each room is a double. I’ve tried attaching pictures but the internet here just won't have it. (Internet is very spotty here)

Each floor has a kitchen and a laundry room, except for mine and the 12^th floor. The odd thing about this building is that there is no 13th or 14th floor. Although in western superstition, 13 is an unlucky number, I’m not sure whether or not triskaidekaphobia is also a local phenomenon (sorry—I had to throw in that big word because this is one of the only times I’ll probably be able to use the word without it seeming completely superfluous). As much as I love Yale’s residential system, it’s nice to have this opportunity to live in a more traditional college dorm setting, with smaller rooms off a large hallway.

The weather here is very very misty. I haven’t figured out yet if that is due to clouds or due to pollution. My taxi driver on the way here said that the one thing money couldn’t buy in time for the Olympics was blue sky, but apparently the government is giving him a run for his money. Rumor has it that the Chinese government was trying to clear up the skies in time for the Olympics by seeding the sky with silver nitrate, which supposedly causes precipitation and thus removal of all that debris up in the air. Of course, this means it rains some rather unhealthy chemicals, but I don’t know what they’re doing about that. It seems that it is important for China to appear hospitable and welcoming to foreigners during this quite exciting but also quite trying time.

I think China’s attitude during the Olympics brings up some interesting points about the relation of America to other countries. On the one hand, China is really invested in projecting a modern image of itself consistent with and acceptable to Western liberalism. Beijing underwent major construction overhauls to prepare for the games. Numerous skyscrapers are built on the streets where old apartment buildings used to stand and small vendors used to sell their wares. Economically the country courts numerous banks and investment firms to set up shop in bustling metropolises. McDonalds, KFCs, and TGI Fridays litter the maps of the major cities. On the other hand, China’s government is also determined to grow into modernization on its own terms. The government’s extensive control of the media and public perception attests to the importance placed on reputation, and making sure that people understand Chinese advancement in certain and limited terms by removing the not-so-palatable parts (Tibet and Taiwan). And although there are very harmful and negative consequences of exerting extensive punishment and control over those who oppose the official party line, it is regardless a sign of the struggle China is undergoing in trying to control how it operates in a new global context dominated by Western influences. This is not to say that the country should not be held accountable for what it does during these growing pains, but rather that the West oftentimes is implicated, directly or indirectly, in these troubles by either profiting from them or by promoting an image which results in their perpetuation.

One example is the toy and toothpaste scare (which included more than toys and toothpaste), in which products made in China were found to have toxic levels of certain chemicals in them. The media only fingered one of many culprits—although China certainly does hold some of the blame, the main offender is unbridled, unregulated Capitalism. It is competition between transnational corporations, each aiming for a higher and higher profit, looking only at the bottom line, which drives administrators down the chain of command to cut wages, endanger worker safety, eliminate benefit programs, ignore environmental impacts, and to compromise product quality. If the main concern is profit, then profit will be maximized by whatever means possible. Especially by CEOs who receive ridiculous benefit packages.

And although it is dubious to say the West is responsible for Capitalism (which might have had its roots in the mercantilism and global travels of European sea-merchants in the 17^th century, and of course Adam Smith) it is undeniable to say that currently America specifically holds one of the highest positions of economic clout in this system, such that it both benefits from and perpetuates the circumstances which lead to scandals like the toy and toothpaste scare. When I say America, I mean various American political policies regarding international trade and deregulation, various American based corporations participating in outsourcing and encouraging a race to the bottom, and various American military actions that undermined local governments and local economies to promote Capitalism.

Of course, like many things capitalism creates both positive and negative effects. It is the high standard of living and wide accessibility of goods in America which China and so many other countries strive to achieve, through perhaps less than perfect means. But, industrialization and entry into the first world have never come cleanly (metaphorically and literally in terms of pollution) or without obstacles.

I guess what all this means to say is that it is not enough to simply point fingers and call names. To use a friend’s favorite saying, things are almost never black and white, but a million shades of gray.