Absurdity, Allegory and China

As the flap over the audio and video enhancement of the Olympic opening ceremony widens, Zhang Yimou, the director of the spectaculorama, is taking it on the chin. The foundation of his reputation was built upon his portrayal of life in the countryside, showing the world a side of China that the Chinese were not [...]

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Back in China two days - Beijing and Tianjin - and have yet to see my shadow, though there seems to be a squint of hope this morning. I can see some blue skies peeking through, though it’s still quite early. I got a ride back to Tianjin yesterday on the Jingjintang Highway, and it [...]

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I have been quiet concerning the events on the Plateau over the last couple months for a variety of reasons, all having to do with my involvement with a local school in Qinghai for the past three years, all very legal and officially approved in a place that is, even by Qinghai standards, known to [...]

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It’s been a bad week here. The Sichuan earthquake is, of course, dominating the news and finally kicking the torch relay out of the spots. In fact, there has been much Chinese criticism of the relay now that it has returned to home territory, with calls for it to be suspended and the money saved [...]

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Ciren Wangma

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I’ve been following the Tale of the Torch on its way up Qomolangma via Reuter’s Countdown to Beijing blog. The biggest story coming from the Everest Base Camp where Nick Mulvenney, David Gray and Mark Chisolm are holed up is that there is no real news to report, though they have been there for a [...]

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While talking is better than not talking, the guarded hope that some are spilling forth today should be even more tempered than it already is. There are certain conversations I would have if I must: with the police if it were to keep me out of jail; to a person with a gun if it [...]

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Beijing Olympic flame arrives in Pakistani capital: w/photo fm Xinhua (China)
He’s back on the plane. Jiang Xiaoyu stepped off the torch jet in Islamabad holding high the lantern. A few days back I wondered what had become of Jiang, since he seemed to have disappeared after the abbreviated San Francisco leg. Good to see him [...]

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The most curious aspect to the current Olympic torch relay is, of course, the security team, or, as they are better known around this household, the BOGSFPU (Beijing Olympic Games Sacred Flame Protection Unit), the special unit of the People’s Armed Police (PAP) who are shadowing The Flame on its whirl around the globe.
There have [...]

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I would never make the claim that I view everything being written about the current problems in the Tibetan cultural region of China, but I try my best to read as much as I can, given the constraints imposed by my current location. Information is, at best, second and third hand, since each (all) side(s) [...]

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