After reading the first THREE essays in Fallows' book, capture THREE specific observations and ONE specific question you have for EACH essay ("Postcards from Tomorrow Square," "Mr Zhang Builds His Dream Town," "Win In China.")
Focus on how each essay sheds light on an emerging 21st century China - what do you learn?
Xie Xie+Hen Hao!
Essay One: “Postcards from Tomorrow Square”
ReplyDelete1. Most of the products we have in America that are “Made in China” are hard to actually find in China.
2. The “Three Ds” (dirty, dangerous, and difficult) are three adjectives used to describe the types of work immigrant workers are used for in Japan. Also, the “Three Alls” (kill all, burn all, loot all) were the three provisions Japan used during World War II to occupy China.
3. China only spends half as much of its gross domestic product on its education system as do other developed countries (3 percent).
4. Question: I just want to know more about the Cultural Revolution and its impact on China.
Essay Two: “Mr. Zhang Builds his Dream Town”
1. Mr. Zhang’s “Now! Now!” remark is indicative of the American Dream and the prospect of “having it all”.
2. Board Town has six “Broad Values” similar to the “Three Ds” “Three Alls” “Eight Honors and Eight Dishonors” and “Eight Dos and Don’ts” listed in the previous essay.
3. Workers at Broad Town live on the factory grounds and follow a strict schedule, a mini-model of the Asian social bargain, “less individual latitude, more collective success.”
4. Question: What is the People’s Liberation Army?
Essay Three: “Win in China”
1. Chinese television is state-controlled and censored…surprising. Not.
2. The producer’s basis for the TV show Win in China is to enlighten the Chinese public, which is similar to the nations past religious view that enlightenment should preside over material possessions.
3. “There is no religion in China, so it is very important to promote the right kind of values.” Wang Lifen, producer for Win in China.
4. Question: How is the no religion in China…hasn’t religion been one of the country’s biggest problems, even if it wasn’t as prominent as other events?
Post Cards From Tomorrow Square
ReplyDelete1.For the price of a latte at Starbucks 24 Yuan (3 dollars) is enough for food for an average worker from a noodle shops for two days.
2.Pizza Hut and Taco Bell and is considered fine dining and reservations are necessary. Waiters at Taco Bell wear exaggerated sombreros that would cause lawsuits if in the states. KFC is a hit in Asia.
3.In 2006 The Chinese Government published “Eight Honors and Eight Dishonors” President Hu Jintao’s “ socialist concept of honor and disgrace.” Basically a guideline for morals.
Question: “Israeli teenagers aren’t obsessed with today’s Germans.” After all the years and generations that have passed, why is there still resentment between the Japanese and Chinese even after attempted official apologies from the Japanese? “…the Chinese Government has deliberately drummed up anti-Japanese sentiment – or damped it out when it seemed to be getting inconveniently robust” Its seems they try and utilize it as a tool for unity almost.
Mr. Zhang Builds his Dream Town
1.Chairman Zhang was the first person in China to own a private jet and the first certified private pilot.
2.Zhang designed the @ symbol for his logo before it was used for email.
3.“Don’t pay bribes.” “Do pay taxes.” (page 40).
4.Zhang studied ART in college? WHAT?
5.Boilers that would collapse rather than explode? Brilliant.
6.New recruits basically attend a boot camp. Organized in platoons, uniforms, living in barrack and display their unit’s flag when on group runs through Broad Town. Mandatory daily physical training at 6 AM before work.
Question: Would Zhang be able to be where he is now/then if it wasn’t for his political connections?
Win In China
1.Chinese television is state controlled and heavily censored. He is telling us that American Television has higher production values in every aspect, BUT WE DON’T HAVE THE WORLD’S STRONGEST MIDGET COMPETITIONS. If you ask me they just won that battle with one TV show. The family competition show sounds dangerously like nickelodeon’s old game show “Double Dare”.
2.WORLD’S STRONGEST MIDGET
3.Wang’s version of “ The Apprentice” is more beneficial to the contestants and the economy, instead of the prize just being a job, the contestants are entrepreneurs who are competing for capital to start their own business.
4.“ There is no religion in China, so it is very important to promote the right kind of values. Today for our society, the entrepreneur can be our hero.”- Wang (page 64)
Question: American ideals are spoken of a lot it seems in the Chinese business world, do they think of their pursuit as “American Dream” or just success?
Essay One: "Postcards from Tomorrow Square"
ReplyDelete1. Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Kentucky Fried Chicken are all very popular restaurants in China.
2. Many Chinese college students have very strong feelings about Japan even though they were not alive during the war and neither were their parents.
3. The reason why China does not have many companies of their own is because the Chinese find it very hard to trust others like doctors, accountants, and the internet.
Question: Has the air improved in China yet? Are we going to notice the difference when we get there?
Essay Two: "Mr. Zhang Builds his Dream Town"
1. Zhang wanted a more energy efficient plane now rather than later even though it was not made yet. Sounds like an American.
2. The company name is translated into english as "expansive" or "spacious".
3. The company makes its air conditioners with the assumption of worse conditions and looser management on them.
Question: What was the point of having people to his house? Business party?
Essay Three: "Win in China!"
1. There were only 3 women among the 36 survivors on the show.
2. Not only did contestants compete in the show they also received classes on finance, personnel management and other skills needed for business.
3. All of the 108 competitors had to get themselves to the Great Wall on their own expense and climb it for team spirit.
Question: Why does he feel that by doing this show it will become evidence about the Chinese Bubble?
"Postcards from tomorrow square"
ReplyDelete1. He describes what they used to do, then "this time, we're looking at shanghai to compare its skyscrapers and luxury-goods shopping malls with the tile roofed shop houses and run-down bungalows we first saw here in 1986" He talks about how much the city evolved in just 20 years.
2. They have a building that shows ads on one of its faces. China or at least modern shanghai must have heavy marketing forces tugging on its people.
3. The three all's company being rejected by China's government shows how long their memories are and will continue to be for what Japan has done to them.
4. How much do regular Chinese dislike foreigners, they know that westerners mean money but how much will they tolerate us?
"Mr. Zhang Builds his Dream Town"
1. Despite the dislike of westerners, the architecture used in Europe is cropping up in China.
2. Zhang Has 6 values " Don't pay bribes, Do pay taxes and the others are environmental protection, respect for intellectual-property rights, no price gouging, and no predatory competition".
3. Zhang doesn't seem that much different from the new money millionaires in the United States.
4. How ethical is his company and do most companies in China keep the government out of their business, or at least try to?
"Win in China"
1. China seems to have the same problem America does, Their TV is mindless.(But then again would you want it any other way?)
2. Win in China seems like they are using to to spur initiative in young Chinese business men and women who have a vision they wish to follow.
3. Win in China shows how much China has changed in the last 20 years.
4. How in a Communist country could they have a program like this?
Essay One: “Postcards from Tomorrow Square”
ReplyDelete1. American fast food is treated like fine dining in China.
2. Starbucks is still overpriced, even though it's only because everything else is even cheaper than it.
3. The Chinese utterly hate the Japanese.
Q: How does China balance their Westernized growth with tradition?
Essay Two: “Mr. Zhang Builds his Dream Town”
1. The lavish lifestyle seems more attributable to a Disney movie than to a real person.
2. The 'gimme, gimme (Now! Now!)' mindset appears to have been adopted from Western Culture.
3. Zhang is childish, but probably more entertaining to hang around than American millionaires.
Q: Is China pleased with this sort of behavior, or does the government try to stop it?
Essay Three: “Win in China”
1. I like that gamer slang is used in popular media without trying to be nerdy.
2. It's amazing that 5 million would be considered a large audience in China.
3. "Today for our society, the entrepreneur can be our hero."
Q: Is entrepreneurship encouraged in a Communist society?
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Jump on in, friends.
Xie xie!
Dr. W
Essay One) I find the way food and beverages are portrayed in China amusing. You need reservations for Taco Bell and a cheaper beer is basically produced every day. The four cautions are interesting as well. They are kind warnings about how the Chinese interact with otherparts of he world. Lastly, the schools could probably use a little work. How is that only ten schools are considered top notch in such a vast country where as here, there are plenty of schools that boast prestigious names.
ReplyDeleteEssay 2) Zhang is an interesting fellow. His revenue is derived from his proud air conditioning company that he wants to be noticed as environmentally friendly and above all, Chinese. He took interest in things that others didn't and turned it into a remarkable life style. Also, Broad Town consisting of recycled wood and other products really says something about the direction they are heading. Is Zhang really in it for environmental purposes or does he see the profit behind it?
Essay 3) Television sucks everywhere and now it is fact. Jackie Chan Grill and Wolf's Wife LOL and at least they are realizing you can be whatever you want to be. Why do people subject themselves to television?
Essay four.
ReplyDelete1.The worlds manufacturing center, the pearl river delta of Guangdong providence has a manufacturing workforce larger than the entire United States. If 1/5 the population was in the manufacturing there would be 18 million workers compared to the USAs 14 million.
2. A Town 70,000-80,000 is an "unnoticeable" in China. Burlington is 40,000 for a little perspective.
3. The same week of the Virginia Tech shooting, 32 workers were killed by molten magma, the accident went fairly reported by the press, but the shootings dominated the media..even in China
Why are there no worker unions?
Essay 5
"Boom" was used 10 times in the first page...
1.Hong Kong had the power transferred from England to China in 97'and just like Macau (from Portugal) and are mandated to operate under independent law for at least 50 years after power transfer.
2.Macau is the only Chinese territory where gambling other than state run lotteries is legal(due to the independent law). And has a revenue of 7 billion compared to Las Vegas with 6.5 billion
3. Yiu, coordinator of addiction services says the Chinese are bigger gamblers. Rate of pathological gambling is 1.8% for Chinese Americans and 3% for Chinese immigrants. I thought the Chinese were supposed to be saving money.
Why has no one made a movie about Macau?!
Essay 6
COMING SOON
POSTCARDS FROM TOMORROW SQUARE
ReplyDelete1. I have been surprised to learn that there is such a thing as a beer that is too cheap, at least for my taste. On each of my first few days on scene, I kept discovering an acceptable brand of beer that cost half as much as the beer I’d had the previous day. It was Shanghai version of Zeno’s paradox: The beer became steadily cheaper yet never quite became free. I had an early surprise discovery of imported Sam Adams, for 12 yuan, or $1.50 per 355-ml bottle, which is the regular U.S. size. The next day, I found a bottle of locally brewed Tiger, the national beer of Singapore, for 7 yuan, or 84 cents per 350ml. Soon I moved to 600-ml “extra value” bottles of Tiger 6 yuan (72 cents per 600-ml), then Tsingtao at 3.90 yuan (45 cents per 600 ml), then Suntory at 2.90 yuan (35 cents per 600ml). (page 5)
2. Beijing like Los Angeles, sits in a sunbaked basin that traps pools of air. There are also, solutions. Big industrial plants are being moved out of town, and everyone assumes that when the time comes for the Games, the authorities will do whatever they have to, closing factories, banning private traffic-to bring pollution down to an endurable level. On my first drive into the city from its Capitol Airport, in the summer of 1986, I saw pathetic little rows of saplings. Now impressive stands of trees line that same route. Throughout the city, gardens and green spots have been created, and they appear to survive. Still. If marathon runners, or even the archers, can finish their events without clutching their chests and keeling over, the Chinese authorities will have accomplished something special. (page 14)
3. For most of recorded history, China has been the strongest and richest country, not simply in Asia but in the world. Through sheer force of numbers, it seems likely someday to be the world’s richest again. Another suspiciously common slogan is that all China really wants is to achieve a “Peaceful Rise in the World.” (page 31)
My question is did all the smog in Beijing really effect the athletes all that much?
MR. ZHANG BUILDS HIS DREAM TOWN
1. As each car rolled in at the end of a circuit, a small clash of cultures could be observed. The Chinese millionaires, used to doing what they wanted the instant it occurred to them, would stride to the driver’s side of the car, past anyone who happened to be waiting in line. Then a member of Porsche’s professional-driver team would look for a tactful way to guide the guest to the passenger’s side for a first, instructional run through the slalom cones and rapid-acceleration zones on the course. (page 34)
2. Depending on the rankings, Zhang Yue stands somewhere between twenty-fifth and fifteenth on the list of the richest people in China, with assets worth as much as $300 million; Broad Air Conditioning had no debt, and last year it had annual sales of about $300 million. His wealth does not appear to be based principally on political connections, which have obviously been crucial in the formation of other empires-in real estate, construction, and broadcasting, for example. (page 39)
3. At Broad the rule seems to be “Work till the job is done.” I met some former employees who said that they typically had two days off per month; often worked till midnight; and survived by shoveling down food as quickly as they could and then using the rest of their lunch and dinner breaks, two hours apiece, for sleep. They weren’t complaining: this is modern China. (page 46)
My question is why do they care about some aspects of being environmentally friendly but they don’t seems to mind wasting gas to race Porsches on closed tracks?
WIN IN CHINA!
ReplyDelete1. Right now the curse of Chinese TV, apart from its being state-controlled and de facto censored, is the proliferation of stupid, low-budget reality shows. The oddest reality show I’ve come across while channel surfing was a World’s Strongest Man-type contest between teams of midgets. The cruelest, put on by the state-owned China Central Television (CCTV), pitted young families against one another in elimination events. Each family team had three members-father, mother, elementary-school-ages child-and did coordinates stunts. Three families survived each show to appear in future rounds, and three were sent home, the children inconsolable and the husbands and wives looking daggers at each other. (page 52)
2. When the series was over, I asked him, in English, how he interpreted his elimination. “If I had just spoken my mind, here is what I would have said before the verdict,” he told me. “I would have told the judges, ‘I don’t think I’ve given you any reason to eliminate her. Under the circumstances-her being pregnant, the struggles of a young mom, the public support-you should just take me out.’” As they did. (page 60)
3. When I asked Ms. Zhou about differences between the contest as she experienced it and what viewers saw on TV, she said she could not give any details, “because of traditional Chinese values” of discretion. “All I can say is that the exposure of the most repulsive side of human nature by us-if there was any, because of the award-did not. fortunately, appear in front of the audience. (page 62-63)
My question is how do the Chinese come up with these weird game shows?