China- A Brave New World?

This might be the last blog post for awhile, as we aren’t sure if we’ll have the opportunity to post because of Chinese internet firewalls.

We are on our way to China in just 3 days, and it is both with wonder and trepidation that I look ahead to the next 3 weeks. When I was 17, I did an exchange program within China. It was an eye-popping adventure. I was a Tibet-loving kid who hadn’t really been exposed to true poverty before, and since then, I’ve seen a lot. I know a lot has changed in the last 16 years since I’ve been there, but I wonder if Luna will be as affected as I was by exposure to China. The other night I was doing research on GDP in various countries. In the USA, the average household makes about $53,000/year. In Japan, $38,000/year. In China, that number drops to $6,700.00/year. Ten years ago, in 2003, the average amount that the Chinese household brought home was $1,200/Year. China has come a long way in a short time. Yet, there is a huge gap between the wealthy and the poor. There are more Louis Vuitton Stores here than anywhere else- yet there is also more poverty and innumerable human rights violations.

To prepare for our visit to China, we’re reading a very engaging book called The Age of Ambition, about China’s rise in the last 20 years. It is fascinating, and so many things seem to parallel an Orwell novel that at times, it seems absurdly comical. If you are looking for a highly interesting non-fiction book that will really open your eyes to China, read this book. Here are some of our favorite and disturbing tidbits thus far:

A blogger recently noticed that a state news report on China’s newest fighter jet included footage from Top Gun. As he stated, “Look closely, and there was Tom Cruise destroying a Soviet MiG.”

Between 2003-2011, the home prices in Beijing, Shanghai and other big cities rose by over 800%.

There is an actual Propaganda Department in China. This department has an unmarked building in Beijing, among all of the other important buildings. Its job is to censor everything, and make sure that the people don’t know what’s going on in the country. There is no such thing as free press. Blogs and websites, magazines and books that go against the grain or offer new ideas disappear- this process is deemed “harmonizing” by the government. Weekly, new search terms are barred from the internet. The latest one? “The Truth.”

The Chinese government doesn’t lower it’s flag for tragedies that hit its masses, like earthquakes, but will lower it when a government official dies. The government often doesn’t release figures of casualties, or report disasters at all, for fear of upsetting national pride (another example of saving face).

The Government officials in China spend as much money on drinking and dining on the state each year as the annual military budget for China.

In 2009, during the Xinjiang uprising, a riot broke out and over 200 people died- the government feared people gathering and didn’t want them communicating and organizing. The government abruptly disabled text messages, cut long distance phone lines, and shut off Internet access almost entirely-for 10 months. The exports in this region fell by 44% during this time period, and the government was willing to have the economy suffer in order to make its point to the people.

There are restaurants in China that are so high end that dinner costs $1800.00/person. When you arrive, a poet creates a poem just for you, in your honor while you dine (Josh could always get a job here if we ever move to China).

We don’t know if we’ll have access to the blog while we are away, but we’ll do our best to stay in touch!

with love,

The Kears