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Thursday, June 13, 2019

The Economist Depicts a Handcuffed Hong Kong

The statement about the extradition protests in Hong Kong on this week's cover of The Economist is rather . . . arresting.

Cover of The Economist depicting the word "Hong Kong" using handcuffs
Source


It seems safe to say that it won't be easy to get a complete copy of this issue in China. The image has all the stronger of a punch to me given that I spend most of my time in mainland China. I often associate Hong Kong with the greater freedoms and protections available there. An article in the magazine helps to explain the use of handcuffs on the cover and how the extradition law could negate important aspects of what Hong Kong offers:
With the threat of extradition, anyone in Hong Kong becomes subject to the vagaries of the Chinese legal system, in which the rule of law ranks below the rule of the party. Dissidents taking on Beijing may be sent to face harsh treatment in the Chinese courts. Businesspeople risk a well-connected Chinese competitor finding a way to drag them into an easily manipulated jurisdiction.

That could be disastrous for Hong Kong, a fragile bridge between a one-party state and the freedoms of global commerce.
More at The Economist in "The Rule of Law in Hong Kong".

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Students, Tear Gas, and Masks: Today's Hong Kong Extradition Protests in 42 Tweets

people protesting proposed extradition law in Hong Kong
Photo taken by Chung-wah Chow of the protest in Hong Kong today before police cracked down

The march in Hong Kong two days ago against a proposed extradition bill was not the end.

Today in Hong Kong people continued to protest. Today in Hong Kong the police responded with tear gas and more.

Below is a series of selected tweets covering a variety of topics regarding the protests that I shared after checking into Twitter this afternoon. They are presented here in the order I shared them, not the order in which the tweets originally occurred, with the exception of the first two since they provide overviews of what has motivated then protests. As usual, if you are viewing this post through an RSS reader and the images, videos, or referenced tweets don't tweets appear, try viewing the original post.

The last tweet was made not long before publishing this post. As it indicates, the protests haven't ended. What will happen next isn't at all clear.

















































Added note: Although there were relevant reports, the word "blood" in the original title was changed to "masks" since none of the above tweets directly mention them.

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Yulin Too Has a Horse Flying for Tourism

Some readers may have noticed that a photo of Yulin's Youth Square in a recent post included a sculpture based on the iconic Flying Horse of Gansu bronze sculpture similar to the one at the Ganzhou Railway Station in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, I featured last year. Indeed, as in Ganzhou, the horse is a symbol for the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and the base of the sculpture indicates the city was identified as a "Top Tourist City of China".

Unlike the sculpture in Ganzhou, the one in Yulin is surrounded by area frequented by pedestrians — or on some days skateboarders.


"Top Tourist City of China" Flying Horse of Gansu sculpture at Youth Square in Yulin, Guangxi


My impression is that in their central districts Ganzhou offers more for tourists than does Yulin. However, I suspect Yulin's award may be for the many sights in its other districts. In any case, Yulin has its horse sculpture.

Monday, June 10, 2019

Protesting Against Extradition in Hong Kong

There was a big march in Hong Kong today:
Over a million people have joined a mass protest against the Hong Kong government’s controversial extradition bill, according to organisers. . . .

The protesters marched towards the legislature over an issue that has underscored divisions in society over trust in the legislature and the Chinese judicial system.

Hong Kong’s government first proposed legal amendments in February to allow the city to handle case-by-case extradition requests from jurisdictions with no prior agreements, most notably China and Taiwan.
To add to the many already out there, with permission I will pass on some photos of the protest shared by friends in Hong Kong. A few were shared publicly, and those are attributed. Most were shared privately, so out of care and such they aren't attributed.


"let Hong Kong be Hong Kong" sign


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill
Source: Chung-wah Chow


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill
Source: Chung-wah Chow


protest over Hong Kong's proposed extradition bill
Source: Chung-wah Chow

Thursday, June 6, 2019

A Claim About Truth at a Uniqlo Store in Yulin

The Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo recently made the news due to the some shoppers', shall we say, intense desire to buy items from a newly released clothing line. I don't know whether the only Uniqlo store, which opened less than two weeks ago, in Yulin faced similarly enthusiastic customers. A shirt from another collection did catch my attention on the 30th anniversary of the crackdown at Tiananmen though. I had noticed the shirt similarly displayed before, but the words and apparent image of a brick wall on it had a stronger effect that day.

"There is Always Only One Truth" Uniqlo shirt


The shirt also reminded me of last year's post here "A Tiananmen Story Told Through Shirts & Dresses in Guangzhou, China". Had I done something similar this year this Uniqlo shirt probably would've been part of it.

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Another Anniversary of a Crackdown in China: Today in Yulin and 30 Years Ago in Chengdu

In Yulin, Guangxi, nothing seemed unusual at Youth Square (青年广场) this evening on the 30th anniversary of the crackdown at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

Youth Square (青年广场) in Yulin, Guangxi


The same held true for Dongmen Plaza (东门广场) in Yulin.

 Dongmen Plaza (东门广场) in Yulin, Guangxi, at night


And again, nearby on the other side of the Dongmen Commercial Plaza (东门商业广场) nothing seemed out of place, including the children running about and chengguan (Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau officers) keeping street vendors away.

view from the back of the Dongmen Commercial Plaza (东门商业广场) in Yulin at night


While considering the date's significance I have previously shared the seemingly everyday nature of what I saw in front of my eyes on June 4 in Chinese cities as far apart as Hengyang, Hunan, and Xining, Qinghai. But the first time was eight years ago when I was in Chengdu, Sichuan. So of all the excellent recent pieces on this topic, for now I will just share a link via a tweet to U.S. Representative Andy Levin's account and photos of the crackdown in Chengdu, where he was a student at the time. It's yet another reminder that what happened 30 years ago in China wasn't at all limited to just Beijing.

Friday, May 31, 2019

Uncle Sam Wants You in Yulin, China

Uncle Sam wants you . . .

job advertisement for a beauty care store with a depiction of Uncle Sam

. . . to work at a Color Lady (出彩丽人) beauty care store in Yulin, Guangxi.

This is far from the first time in China I have seen Uncle Sam in job advertisements. But it is the latest I unexpectedly found myself face to face with this popular symbol of the United States and pondered its usage here.

Gone from Tiananmen But Remembered

screenshot from a video about the Tiananmen Square protests
Screen capture of "Tiananmen Square Massacre: Black Night In June"
I'll never forget that young couple. When the shot moved in, the way she looked at me.

A journalist decides between staying to record more or preserving what they have already captured. He left. Presumably the young couple stayed. He can still share the story so it is remembered. They made the story.

Arthur Kent's video: "Tiananmen Square Massacre: Black Night In June"



Jennifer Creery's article in the Hong Kong Free Press: "Video: 30 years on, Canadian journalist shares newly restored footage of China’s Tiananmen Massacre horror"

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Watched By a Gigantic Panda in Yulin

I am working on a post about the opening of a new shopping mall in Yulin, Guangxi, which speaks to a variety of issues in China. While I don't share a lot of video, in this case I feel it is quite useful for communicating some what occurred. However, uploading the video across the Great Firewall will require more effort and time.

So for now, I will just say my recent time at this new mall has helped me gain appreciation for the fact that even after all of these years in China I'm still not sure what to think when a gigantic panda intently stares . . .


gigantic panda costume


stares . . .

Panda staring at me


. . . stares, I say, at me.

panda thinking nothing but murder


Good times. After this, the world only become more unusual when the panda danced on the stage. The moves were at times, shall we say, intense for a creature of such a size. Or really any size. At least the panda was distracted from me. I hope.

More later.

Friday, May 24, 2019

Answers to a Special Return in China

Nicki in Haikou was the first person to correctly guess part of the significance of a location I recently came across on the first night of my return to a city in China. It is where I took the photo currently used in the header image at the top of this blog. After posting a third photo of the location, Nicki then became the first person to respond with the correct city without me providing extra hints not in the posts here.

Rather curious, I asked her how she did it. She replied, "Third photo.... I can read". I had checked that no signs in the photos displayed the city's name before sharing them, so I wondered what I had overlooked. It didn't take me long to now find it.

Here is a closeup photo of one of the non-cone-shaped traffic cones plainly in view in the third photo:

traffic cone with advertisement for the Yulin Ruidong Hospital


I have seen traffic cones with advertising for at least two different hospitals in numerous parts of the city. In this case, the advertising is for the Yulin Ruidong Hospital (玉林瑞东医院). And yes, the Yulin Ruidong Hospital is unsurprisingly in . . . . Yulin — a city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Although the text on the cones is rather fuzzy if you significantly enlarge the third photo at the highest resolution I shared, it is good enough.

So I award the prize for this edition of "Name the City" to Nicki. I even have a special prize in mind, though admittedly it's something I was planning to do anyway. I won't reveal what it is, but when it happens readers here should be able to recognize it. Nicki certainly will.

Sam Crane, who teaches contemporary Chinese politics and ancient Chinese philosophy at Williams College, deserves an honorable mention for my favorite incorrect guess that I received — Guangzhou. There are several aspects of the third scene, including the architecture, which may have lead me to consider Guangzhou too had I never been to this location in Yulin. After I provided some hints that didn't involve traffic cones he correctly figured out the city as well.

This was a tough one, folks. I wouldn't have expected anybody to correctly identify the city without digging deep into my blogging history, recalling some of my earliest posts over 8 years ago, having much familiarity with Yulin, or receiving additional hints. There is still more I have to share about why the location is significant to me and my blogging. That shall come later, as will more about Yulin.

Finally, a piece of advice: never ignore traffic cones.

Monday, May 20, 2019

One Last Photo for a Special Return in China

Last week I posted a photo of a location significant to this blog and later I posted a photo of the same place taken from a different vantage point. Before revealing all, I will share a photo of the same location also taken on that first night of my return but from a vantage point that offers a far more iconic view.

street market at night in China


Do you see it now?



Update: Answers are here.