Starbucks in China: Now in Yunnan

Starbucks rapid growth is hard not to notice in some of the more metropolitan cities in China.  In cities such as Shanghai it is not difficult in some places to find several Starbucks within a 10 minute walk of each other, if not closer.  However, Starbucks has recently begun to focus much of its growth into many cities that are unfamiliar to most people outside of China.

For example, in Kunming in the new shopping complex at the bottom of these buildings:

Is what on Thursday will be the first Starbucks to open in Yunnan, a province in Southwest China:

They will also be opening two other stores in Kunming during the following month, including one at this location only a few minutes walk away:

(extra bonus: take a look at the family of three all on one motor scooter, not a very uncommon sight in China)

Opening stores in Yunnan isn't significant only because of it being far from China's more developed eastern coast, but also because Starbucks late last year announced it would set up a coffee bean farm and processing facilities in Yunnan - significant for a province that doesn't receive the level of investment from foreign companies seen in many other provinces.

Although the first store wasn't yet open, staff were outside serving free samples of a caramel latte drink -- what for many was their first taste of Starbucks:

I was invited inside to take look around the store while they were putting on the finishing touches and starting to clean up:

While much of the style is Western, there are certainly some local touches to highlight Starbucks' special association with Yunnan:

Although the drink menu has many similarities with those found in the US, there are some differences.  For example, similar to Dairy Queen localizing its Chinese menu with mango drinks, Starbucks also has a mango drink not typically found in US stores: the Mango Passion Fruit Frappucino.  I was told that Yunnan grown coffee would not be on the drink menu, but come September customers would be able to buy Starbucks Yunnan coffee beans in packages.

Starbucks was still looking for new employees in Kunming, including these two who were applying when I stopped by:

However, Starbucks wasn't taking any risks and had brought in several experienced employees from its other stores in China, as far away as Xian and Beijing, to help for a month or two, including these two Coffee Masters:

Starbucks' employees are expect to maintain a quality and style of service similar to Starbucks' stores in the US.  While rapidly changing, service "attitudes" in much of China are different from the US so some hands on training by experienced staff is particularly important.

Based on my experience today, it seems like Starbucks has brought in a very friendly and open group to help kickoff their new store, especially my "guide" for my brief tour who used the familiar English name "Mickey":

Finally, it appears that Starbucks isn't similar to Dairy Queen only in its decision to add mango drinks to the menu, but it also faces competition similar to that faced by Dairy Queen from Mango Queen and DU.  In another part of Kunming is:

Teabucks Tea Store

Yes, Teabucks.

Welcome to Kunming, Starbucks.

[UPDATE: See details about the grand opening of this Starbucks here]

What China Can Learn From Corruption and Property Disputes in the US

In my post "Humiliation and Disgrace: Interfering with China's Attempts to Improve its Image and the Lives of its People" I shared several examples highlighting the roles "humiliation" and "disgrace" can play in China and how they may lead to self-defeating actions.

I've received some interesting feedback and would like to reply to one of the comments posted here.  "Jeff" wrote:

"Regarding the sensitivity about eminent domain issues, could it have anything to do with the reliance of local gov'ts on kickbacks and fees associated with property development?

To say that other countries in the world have similar issues is to ignore a systemic pathology that, if not unique to China, has certainly entrenched itself into the political economy."

My answer to the question in Jeff's comment is "yes" if speaking of the Chinese Government's sensitivity about the issue in general.  Many Chinese I have spoken to would readily agree that corruption has "entrenched itself into the political economy" in China (see here for an example regarding Google).  The Chinese Government likely wants to provide the image it is addressing such issues and avoid highlighting potential problems.  The Chinese Government's sensitivity could also be a result of the notable cases of strong resistance to forced relocation by Chinese people -- sometimes with deadly results.  However, I should note that the Chinese press was allowed to report on the relocation issue referenced in my earlier post and I'm not aware of any specific claims of corruption in that case.

Regardless, even if no corruption were involved in forced relocation in China I believe the issue would remain a potential embarrassment in international terms for many Chinese.  For example, in the conversation with the policeman referenced in the earlier post, while he mentioned government corruption, it was never brought up in regards to the issue of forced relocation.  Based on his words and the emotions he displayed, what he worried would cause China disgrace in the eyes of the world was that people were forced from their own homes and provided insufficient money as compensation to purchase similar ones.  I do suspect, though, that his concerns about China's image would have also caused him to not want the foreign press covering corruption in the Chinese Government.

In response to the second part of Jeff's comment, when I wrote that "similar issues of eminent domain, though not on the same scale, come up in many countries around the world and are openly discussed" I meant "similar" in the sense that the cases involved people who felt they were unfairly being forced to move -- whether the forced move was primarily caused by corruption or the government taking action for "public use".

I should also note that in many cases in China forcing people out of their homes isn't technically an issue of "eminent domain" since the land is owned by the Chinese Government (or local governments) in the first place.  Law professor Dan Cole touches on this issue in his post "Eminent Domain and Corruption in China: A Murderous Combination" in which he comments on a case of forced relocation in China that had gruesome results.

However, while it may not be surprising to many that corruption has played a role in forced relocations in China, it may come as a surprise that it may play a role in countries such as the US as well.

The US Supreme Court in Kelo v. City of New London (545 U.S. 469 [2005]) ruled that eminent domain could apply even if the land was being taken over by a private entity if there could be some demonstrated benefit to the public such as increasing the tax base or providing more jobs for the the area.  According to the US Supreme court, it is possible for people to be forced out of their home for the construction of a shopping mall, just as it is for people in China.  This point is important because the possibility of using eminent domain for the transfer of property to a private entity may increase the potential for corruption.  In fact, there is research suggesting just this: "eminent domain use for private benefit is more widely used in [US] states with: (a) higher rates of corruption, (b) appointed Supreme Court justices, (c) less fiscal decentralization, and (d) lower economic freedom" (referenced research by Carrie B. Kerekes here, more recent paper here).

My aim isn't to say that the scope of corruption in such cases is at all similar in the US and China but merely that my statement that the issue differs in regards to scale may hold even in this sense.  I don't believe this negates what many Chinese themselves will say: corruption is rampant in many parts of the Chinese Government, and it is a very significant problem.

Finally, in Dan Cole's post he also discusses how the open nature of the media and the political process in the US helped lead to the creation of further protections for property owners after the Kelo ruling (a ruling which disappointed many people in the US).  It can be a sign to the Chinese people that when foreign governments such as the US advocate for more openness in China, it isn't just because those governments believe they have something to gain, but that they sincerely believe that a more open China would be to the benefit of the Chinese people and better able to fix the problems of most concern to the Chinese people -- even those problems which they now fear could cause them humiliation and disgrace.

Google's Sergey Brin is on Facebook: Of course

An article by Ryan Tate asks, "why is Google co-founder Sergey Brin so secretive about having a Facebook account?"  After all, aren't Facebook and Google currently fierce competitors?  (HT to Bill Bishop's tweet, article originally posted on Gawker here)

My initial reaction: Of course Sergey Brin has a Facebook account.  Of course he wants to do it "secretly".

Several years ago, there was a point when I realized I would likely be joining Microsoft China. It was also time for me to buy a new laptop. What did I buy? A MacBook Pro.

I felt that especially in my role as a user experience researcher at Microsoft it would be important to be deeply familiar not just with Microsoft products but their competitors as well.  Having a Mac at home would give me critical insights that wouldn't be readily apparent without extended use of a product. Also, I was also able to still have Microsoft Windows on it (dual-boot) and Microsoft develops products for a variety of Apple products.

As a user experience researcher I am very aware that my own experience with a particular product may not match the experiences of the target customers for a product.  However, having familiarity with a competing product can help one raise the right questions to ask to gain a better understanding of the users you're targeting and what you need to do to compete. 

I would think it would be beneficial for Sergey Brin to have at least a basic understanding of Facebook  -- whether he likes it or not -- from personal standpoint.  Especially for something like social networking, it is hard to grasp many of the ins and outs without some personal use.  And given his prominence and his role at Google, it seems understandable that he would want to keep a low profile there -- both for his personal privacy and not appearing to endorse Facebook publicly due to competition reasons as cited in Ryan Tate's article.

In fact, because of his personal account Sergey Brin may now be particularly appreciating a key aspect of the Facebook user experience:  "privacy" can tricky to say the least.  Despite the fact that he apparently hid his friends list from public view, "people in his greater social circle are able to see friends in common" and they were able to report what they saw.

To sum up...

Why do I think Sergey Brin has a Facebook account: to better appreciate the user experience and how it works so he can better help Google compete and innovate.

Why do I think Sergey Brin is being "so secretive about having a Facebook account": he doesn't want attention there nor to raise the profile of a competitor.

Finally, the article doesn't say if there are indications he uses it regularly so I am not sure it is fair when Ryan Tate writes that Sergey Brin (emphasis added):

"might not want prospective users to know how deeply enmeshed he is in a rival social network."

In fact, I think I have some exclusive evidence that he hasn't even logged on recently.

Sergey Brin still hasn't accepted my friend request.

Mobile Phones in China: Local Rates, Fashion, and Fakes

I've done a significant amount of research into mobile phone use in China -- to improve existing mobile products & services, to innovate new ones, and to find ways to better market them to potential users.  In this post, I'll introduce at a general level some of the key themes in what I've discovered during my independent explorations across China by highlighting several illustrative examples.  What I'll share in this post is just the tip of the iceberg for a host of interesting topics to delve into, is focused on Chinese youth, and is not intended to be all encompassing.  I'll share more themes, examples, and thoughts on this topic in later posts as well.

To begin, what I learned about a female student in Jilin, Jilin Province (see here for some scenes from Jilin) highlighted at least two key aspects of how mobiles phones are used and chosen by some in China.

If you look closely at the photo of the student above, you'll notice she has two mobile phones -- one in her hand that she is using at the moment and another hanging from her neck.

Why two mobile phones?  One reason is that she grew up in Hunan Province, far away from where she was going to school in Jilin.  She considered the roaming fees for using her Hunan phone number in Jilin to be too high but but she still wanted to keep her Hunan number since she didn't want to lose contact with people and would be returning there regularly.  Therefore, she needed two different phones numbers, meaning two different SIM cards, so she could get local rates whether she was at home or at school.  One of her phones had a Hunan phone number, the other a Jilin phone number.  Using multiple SIM cards to get local rates is common in China and it is not unusual to find locally designed phones with the capability to hold multiple SIM cards (note: getting local rates is not the only reason some in China desire multiple SIM cards).  However, in this case the girl's older mobile phone didn't have that capability and neither did her newer phone.

Did the savings of not having to pay roaming fees more than offset the cost of an additional phone?  Well, that calculation may not have been entirely critical since there was also another important reason she had two phones.

Her older phone's paint and camera were chipped prior to her departing Hunan for college:

It was still functional in most ways, but to her it was unacceptable in large part due to a key concern.

As seen on her "Fashion Chic" shoes, fashion was very important to her.  Her scratched up phone was simply unacceptable from this standpoint.  So, while she was still in Hunan she bought a shiny new phone made by the Chinese company Oppo:

In China, it is common for many youth (and others as well) to get prepaid SIM cards and purchasing them is a simple process -- no sign up or name registration required for regular usage.  So, when she arrived in Jilin she bought a new SIM card with a local number and put it in her old phone since the new phone already had the SIM card for her Hunan number in it.  Despite the fact that she uses the old phone far more often while at school, it is the new Oppo phone that she hangs from neck.  Hanging the phone from her neck is about fashion, not functionality.

While fashion can play an important role in many countries around the world, its impact in China is particularly striking in the mobile phone domain.  Many are willing to spend a large proportion of their income to purchase a mobile phone, sometimes saving up at least several months of their full salary, out of concerns related to fashion and image.  For many people in China, their mobile phone will be the most expensive and openly visible item that can be with them many places they go -- like a car for many people in the US.  While hanging a mobile phone around ones neck isn't as common in China as it used to be, there remain many opportunities for it to be visible.

Fashion and image aren't only important for many female youth in China but many males as well.  For example, this student at a university in Wenzhou, Zhejiang was also concerned about fashion and image:

And he was willing to spend a lot of money for his BlackBerry phone:

This isn't to say that fashion and image are the only factors that go into choosing a mobile phone for such people, just that they can be primary factors in the choice.

However, there are many more youth in China that can't afford genuine fashionable foreign brand phones, even if they want one.  While some of them choose a local brand, others choose another common option in China: fakes.

For example, at this store in Chongzuo, Guangxi which sold mobile phones that were (supposedly) genuine:

Mobile phone store in Chongzuo, Guangxi

Many of its employees had obvious fakes such as this one:

"Snoy Eriosscn" mobile phone

Some fakes aren't as obvious as the one above -- there are a range of "qualities".  Regardless, the usual motivation to buy a fake is the lower price.  But why not buy an equally priced Chinese brand phone?  For an example capturing one of the key reasons, here is a girl in Shuolong, Guangxi, a small village a few hours away from Chongzuo:

She too made a variety of fashion choices:

But fashion wasn't a concern in her previous choice of a mobile phone:

Nor was it for the new phone she soon planned to purchase.  Her dream phone was a Nokia.  Not because of any concerns regarding fashion but because she believed it would be very reliable and rugged.  However, a real Nokia phone was not a possibility given their relatively high price so she wanted to get a fake Nokia phone since it would be cheaper.

Unlike many other examples I've seen of purchasing fake products, her choice of a fake Nokia versus other relatively inexpensive options did not appear to be driven by how others around her would perceive the product.  It was about her own internal expectations for what the product could provide to her based on its name - even though it would be a fake.  This distinction is critical in gaining a deeper understanding about how brands and fake products are perceived by some in China.  I'll share more in later posts about this and other issues regarding fake products.

These are just some of the highlights of what I've found.  I'd be curious to hear any of your thoughts on the above examples -- they certainly provide more to discuss than I am able to cover in this single post.  Again, more on these and related topics later.

China Scenes: Nanning, Guangxi

After I finished my week of guest blogging for James Fallows in February, I left the city of Yulin which had provided much inspiration and was briefly in Nanning -- the capital of Guangxi.  While a much larger city and full of signs of rapid development, the city still has a charm of its own.  Like in many cities in Southwest China, the residents feel it has a more relaxed atmosphere than many of China's eastern coast cities.

Some Southeast Asian influence can be seen given the number of business ties and Nanning's proximity to the region.  In fact, when I left Nanning I was able to take a bus straight to Hanoi, Vietnam (my first experience upon arriving in Hanoi is here).  Well, actually two buses since you have to switch at the border.

Here are more photos capturing scenes of China that can be lost behind the headlines, these all from Nanning:

Alley

Apartments on a hazy day

Several modes of transportation

Yujiang River

Shop with the name "No Right Just Suitable"

Market on an "old street"

The "old street" could get rather crowded

Street intersection

Contrasting advertising signs

Bridge in a city park

Quick Note on Earlier Great Firewall Post

I added a significant update (and now another one) at the end of the  previous post:

China's Great Firewall: Possible Escalation and Google's Tribute

It's particularly worth checking out if you noticed that what I reported for the non-China based Google site wasn't matching up with what you saw on a non-China based Google site.

China's Great Firewall: Possible Escalation and Google's Tribute

UPDATE AT END
2nd UPDATE TOO

[note, this post is not particularly edited.  I want to make sure to get it out before any further potential problems with the Great Firewall.]

Today I had planned to write a post about mobile phones & Chinese youth.  However, when I went to connect to the Internet I discovered I was not able to use my VPN, WiTopia, to get around China's Great Firewall.  This was a big problem to me as my site is hosted on Blogger, which is blocked in China (I'd like to hear the Chinese Government's explanation as to why all of Blogger is now blocked but sites like WordPress.com are not).

So, I went to my Gmail account to contact WiTopia.  However, I was not able to connect to Gmail -- at all.  What ensued over the next few hours was a rather frustrating experience.

What was available to me in China seemed to fluctuate during that period of time.  For example, while I couldn't log on to Gmail by going to www.gmail.com, I discovered that if I first went to www.google.com.hk and then to the US based site I could click a link and get into Gmail.  I have no idea why that worked or if there was anything special in those actions.  I am simply reporting my experience.  However, after a short period of time my Gmail account no longer functioned and the method I had previously used to log on no longer worked.

Then it appeared that only Google sites hosted in mainland China (such as Google's Chinese sites for maps and shopping) were available.  Everything else, including the China search functions which are redirected to Hong Kong, were unavailable.  However, a little later everything was back to normal (Great Firewall normal) except I could not log onto any of the Google's services I tried, including Gmail.  I'd always get stuck at a login gateway page with the format: https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin...

However, now after trying again I see I can now get to the login page and login to my account, but it takes a verrrrry long time for it to appear.  But, I am still not able to access Gmail (after waiting over 8 minutes).

There have been ample reports of recent problems accessing Google's services in China.  This was personally my first encounter with it.  I don't yet know how my experience today compares to others' or if the situation has significantly changed in comparison to recent weeks.  Regardless, the selectivity, yet broad impact, of the blocking was striking to me.

My situation forced me to seek other ways to get through the Great Firewall -- mostly by searching using Google.  What I first discovered was a mix of potentially useful sites that were blocked in China.  However, in the end I found one site in particular that proved very useful.  I used it to access my Gmail and was then able to resolve my problem with WiTopia's support.  I wasn't able to 100% trust the methods I had used to initially access Gmail so after reconnecting though a modified WiTopia connection I changed my Gmail account passwords (I didn't want something like this to happen).

This is the 2nd time in the past week I've needed additional support from WiTopia.  It suggests to me that the Great Firewall may still be attempting to expand its reach.  At this point, I can't say how directed any such expansion might be - both in terms of Internet sites it impacts and whether those impacts are being felt equally across China.  I will soon be in another location in China so I will later test to see if some of the methods which recently became blocked to me fare better in other locations in China.

Finally, while trying to "fix" things I noticed something particularly, umm, interesting on Google in China.

For reference, here is the homepage of the US Google site (as seen from a location in China) during the period I was having problems:

An apparent homage to Charlie Chaplin.  If I connected through a US gateway (while connected through WiTopia), though, the regular Google logo appeared.  I wouldn't be surprised if the above image (or something similar) will appear later in the US when time appropriate for US-based users (Charlie Chaplin's birthday is April 16).

What is most interesting, though, is Google's main page in China (hosted on servers in Hong Kong).  It too was a tribute to Charlie Chaplin (even though it is still April 15 here), but with a curiously different image:

If you click on the image while you are behind the Great Firewall you are taken to the search results page for Charlie Chaplin (written in Chinese):

At least this shows Google isn't fixing its results to its own benefits.  The number one result is on Google's main competitor in China -- Baidu.

However, if you click on the photo while not behind the Great Firewall then a video is played.  It appears to be a Google production in honor of Chaplin.  After watching it once I found it charming and did not notice any deep "messages" (though, I am tempted to look at it again).   The difference in experiences between inside and outside the Great Firewall is likely due to the video apparently being hosted on YouTube, which has the honor of being blocked in China.

So, why the different homepage images?  What was the intention?  Ask Google.  But I know what message I took from the image on the Chinese site.  Frankly, it provided a boost of energy to me as I used Google to discover a way to make sure my blog wasn't silenced by the Great Firewall today.

And the role Google played in me finding a way to express myself is part of the reason I am glad Google didn't listen to people saying it should completely leave China.

UPDATE: I now know that the video screen shot above for the "US Google site" is not what is actually appearing on Google.com to US users.  Instead, the video appears.  Some additional points:

• www.google.com (what I refer to above as the US Google site) still has the same image as shown above when seen from China.
  
• If I go to www.google.com now while using my VPN I see the video instead.
  
• Earlier, it hadn't occurred to me to check the US site while using the VPN so I am not sure what it looked like when I made the above screen captures.
  
• It is interesting that the experiences for viewing the US site differ for those who are in the US and those who are in China surfing behind the Great Firewall.
• I'd be curious to hear anyone's thoughts on why for users in China behind the Great Firewall Google would display the video on the Hong Kong based Google site, but not the US based site.
• My impression of the video screen shot was partly influenced by the appearance (based on what I was seeing at the time) that it was particularly designed for the China/Hong Kong market.  Well, good art often has many interpretations. :)
  

For those not in China, hopefully the above helps capture some of the frustrations one can have while trying to surf the Internet freely in China.  It also shows how challenging it can be to document and understand any changes in the online experience here.

2nd UPDATE:  In the update above I wrote, "Earlier, it hadn't occurred to me to check the US site while using the VPN so I am not sure what it looked like when I made the above screen captures."  That is not true.  If it hadn't been so late, I would have recalled (or better reread my own piece) that I had checked.  At that time the Google US site was showing the regular logo to US viewers.

So, at the moment I first wrote the post the choice of images (at least 3 different images on Google's main page depending on which country and how you viewed it) looked like one was being selectively used for Google's China site.  Later, that changed.

I'll just leave it at that...

China Scenes: Jilin, Jilin

A soon-to-come post will talk about a few important aspects about mobile phones and Chinese college-aged youth.  To make the points the post will highlight an example from Jilin, Jilin.  That wasn't a typo.  "Jilin" is both the name of the city and the name of the province.  Additionally, Jilin City is not even the capital of Jilin Province -- that role is held by Changchun.

To warm you up for the upcoming post, I'll first share another set of scenes from China, this one from Jilin, Jilin.

Shopping street and Nike Advertisement

Pedestrian bridge over road

Pedestrian bridge "market"

Smashed mannequins on road

Shopping street

Transportation: Auto-rickshaw, taxi, 3-wheeled car...

Newer high rises along Songhua River

Escaping into nature in a park

Discovering it isn't all so natural

Revelry -- restaurant staff enjoying a celebration

Prague Cafe, Kunming: The Drink of Choice

In yesterday's post about how "humility" and "disgrace" play an important role in China I mentioned one of the many places in China that felt far away from issues of censorship, detainment or any of the other negatives of China -- the Prague Cafe in Kunming, Yunnan:

Outside of the Prague Cafe in Kunming

However, while in many ways the cafe is a sign of progress for China there was one clear indication that progress takes time -- at least in the eyes of those of us with particular tastes in beer (see here).  Despite offering a couple of different options for Czech beer, the beer of choice by the Chinese customers there was this:

Dali Beer

The customers at the Prague Cafe were drinking a local brew -- Dali Beer.  I've had it before, in Dali in fact, and it's a mid-range quality Chinese beer (however, like for many things in China the boundaries can be fuzzy).  This may be another example of localized tastes.  More likely, though, it was related to another important issue - cost.  Many of the customers were college students and the Czech beer was significantly more expensive.

At least the customers have the choice to someday discover a wonderful Czech beer.  If they're really lucky, they'll even get to try some Czech inspired bia hoi in Vietnam some day and learn the ins and outs of how not to be tricked when trying to find some.

Humiliation and Disgrace: Interfering With China's Attempts to Improve Its Image and the Lives of its Citizens

[UPDATE: Follow-up to this post here] 

James Fallows has a post about another post by Richard Burger on the site The Peking Duck.  They are both well worth reading and they discuss how an editorial about the recent detention of the artist Ai Weiwei by the Chinese publication "The Global Times" does more damage than good to how foreigners view China -- despite its apparent aim to protect China's image.  Yesterday, in a post about the renovation of a major museum in Beijing I made a very similar point about how China's methods for trying to portray a positive image can backfire and that "When China can more openly confront its warts, its genuine achievements will be better recognized and appreciated by the world."

In regards to the concern many Chinese have about China's image, "The Peking Duck's" account includes a telling quote from a senior Chinese newspaper editor:

"'How can China admit to the world it is being defeated, it is bowing to international pressure and not doing what is right for China? How can we humiliate ourselves like that?'"

The concern in China about humiliation was particularly highlighted to me during a visit to the Unit 731 Museum in Haerbin, Heilongjiang.  Unit 731 was

"a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and World War II. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by Japanese personnel."

The atrocities committed at the site are shocking.  While I've commented before on the almost religious use of dioramas in Chinese museums, the Unit 731 Museum had a diorama that I felt effectively added to the museum's message.  It captures the insanity and terror of what happened at a nearby location in its depiction of the testing of chemical weapons by the Japanese military years ago:

Scene of chemical weapons testing on live Chinese prisoners

Sites such as these in China often bring to mind many of the sites I've visited in Europe and the US regarding the Holocaust.  One quote commonly seen at Holocaust sites is "Never Forget".  Its simple message resonates the purpose in keeping the facts of the Holocaust alive -- to ensure it doesn't happen again.

At the Unit 731 Museum a message prominently displayed in a movie room had a similarly worded  message, but I think the additional words in the message say so much about how history and current events can be viewed in China:

"DO NOT FORGET DISGRACE OF COUNTRY"

The fixation on disgrace is further exemplified at the 9.18 Memorial Museum in Shenyang, Liaoning.  It highlights other aspects of the war with Japan and further atrocities.  Towards the end of the exhibit is this set of figures:

Rows of figures of Japanese involved in the war with China

A sign nearby read:

The disgraceful end of the Japanese agressors
The unconditional surrender of the Japanese imperialists marked the shameful loss of the aggressors.  The war criminals were brought to justice by the people and history.

One of the largest displays in the museum was solely dedicated to depicting rows of Japanese apparently bowing their heads in shame, again focusing on the issue of disgrace.

Both museums are invaluable in telling their respective stories and I'd highly recommend visiting them.  However, the issue of disgrace, both China's and others', can come across as being more important than expressing a key hope -- that such horrors never happen again anywhere.

Even if one is primarily concerned about disgrace, Fallows points out that if Ai Weiwei were released, or never detained in the first place, it would not be seen by the rest of the world as a sign of weakness.  That the act to cover up or explain away a self-perceived weakness could be so self-defeating came up in another experience of mine.

Previously, I wrote about my discussion with a policeman during my detention in a northern city in China (see here).  In short, I was detained under suspicions of being a journalist (I am not) due to photographing an area with recently demolished homes.  I later discovered that it was a particularly sore topic for the local residents (as it is in many locations in China) since the previous residents didn't feel they were compensated appropriately.  The Chinese media had covered the incidents in the area the very day I made my visit.

On my part it was a complete coincidence and I ended up in the neighborhood after randomly walking about the city.  The policeman I spoke to told me they were investigating me because they believed foreign journalists typically put China in a very poor light.  His comment about the issue was particularly intriguing since he viewed the forced eviction of residents to be a genuine problem in China.  However, his concern about China's image and what he thought would best protect it trumped his other concerns.

After gaining an understanding of his feelings, I told him that similar issues of eminent domain, though not on the same scale, come up in many countries around the world and are openly discussed.  It was not an issue such as this that reflected most poorly on China, but instead issues related to what was happening to me at that very moment -- China's desire to repress news it deems unfavorable.  Although he had never considered such a possibility before, upon hearing my account he seemed to genuinely appreciate the irony of the situation and gave it thoughtful consideration.

I have had many constructive conversations with Chinese about this and other issues of concern.  Richard Burger commented on his similar experience when having a discussion with the editor of The Global Times about the error the Chinese media was making in its attempts to influence foreigners:

"This was, as I said, a long, polite and serious discussion. I never experienced anything quite like it before, because despite the mental barriers I referred, to, she genuinely wanted to hear my opinion and to learn how the West sees China, and I think she actually “got” that the GT, even if they’re right, is scaring people away and damaging its own cause with readers who are not Chinese. She actually said she wanted to discuss my argument with her superiors."

My experience was similar.  The policeman was very curious to hear my viewpoints on this and related issues.  And also like Richard Burger, I hope that my conversations have made even the smallest of differences.

Finally, James Fallows writes, "...the way official China "presents" itself to the outside world makes conditions look considerably worse than the mixed realities of the country itself."  With that in mind I'd like to share where I was when I first read James Fallows' post:

Yes, I was enjoying a tasty salad at a comfortable cafe in China (I typically like to enjoy the local fare wherever I go, but today I craved for a salad).  Not just any cafe, but one I suspect James Fallows would particularly appreciate -- the Prague Cafe:

I was in Kunming, Yunnan, a city in Southwest China, far away from the more metropolitan areas full of foreign influence, such as Shanghai and Beijing.  At this cafe and other nearby cafes, restaurants, and street markets Chinese were relaxing where they wanted to, talking about what they wanted to talk about, and sitting with whoever they wanted to openly and without fear.  The cafes themselves are also a sign of the growing number of people in China with increased disposable income -- even in relatively less prosperous provinces.  This is part of "the vast other areas of Chinese life that are ticking away open and uncontrolled" that James Fallows references.  It is unfortunate that China's advances in this regard are often overshadowed by the Chinese Government's continued desire to repress viewpoints that differ from its own and any "bad" news  -- sometimes at the expense of harming some its own citizens' lives.

So, like Richard Burger, James Fallows, and many others I hope China grows in its ability to be more open.  The world is not looking for China to be perfect -- we all know other countries such as the US have plenty of their own issues.  And countries such as America don't expect China to agree with them on every issue.  But the world is looking for more honest and open discussion about a variety of issues important to China and its people without anyone fearing detention.  This way, the world can better cooperate with the Chinese Government and its people so that China can continue to healthily grow and scenes such as of these young Chinese:

Dancing game at a video arcade in Guiyang, Guizhou

At a festival in Guangzhou, Guangdong

Rollerskating at a park in Shangqiu, Henan

Students studying at a modern library in Shantou, Guangdong

Students raising money for charity in Dalian, Liaoning

can make more of a positive impact on how people around the world view China.