Headlines in China: Hillary, chemical fire, albino whale

China is a frustrating place for a newshound; not because the government doesn't let you get the news, most Chinese people around me don't care about the news. Even more frustrating is that Western journalism training taught me nothing about the priorities of Chinese editors.

Case in point: the China Daily stuck in my door every morning by the fuyuwan is often yesterday's paper. It is because of this that I hadn't heard about the chemical plant explosion that killed 18 people and injured as many as 60 in Yizhou city in the Southern province of Guangxi. It wasn't until I turned on BBC World News (which is occasionally yesterday's news also) to hear about the Democratic National Convention that I heard of the 11,500 citizens being evacuated from the city for fear of poisonous, sulfurated hydrogen and carbon monoxide, according to the International Herald Tribune site.

That said, the Guangxi spill is one of the top five stories on both the China Daily Web site and the South China Morning Post Web site. Surprisingly, the domestic story plays second fiddle to Hillary Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention and a story about an albino whale.  Though no new news is coming on the Hillary front, the albino whale was found off the coast of Australia and has been named Wilgi Ma Nung, white whale in an Aboriginal dialect.

"China Licks its wounds after Liu Xiang's withdrawal"

Liu Xiang, China's favorite to win the gold in this year's 110m men's hurdles, offered a formal apology after dropping out of the race preliminaries Monday morning.

"I am so sorry to China," Liu said, broadcast live on China Central Television. "I wanted to go on but I couldn't. I know I will have another go at it. After all, I am at the top of my game."

Liu dropped out of competition before even competing in the first heat of this year's 110m hurdles. Liu currently holds the world record for the event. 

CCTV 9 reported half of spectators present to watch Liu's race in the Bird's Nest left after Liu withdrew from the race. 

China's strategy in this Olympics is called "Going for Gold." Throughout this Olympics, Chinese fans have treated anything less than a gold as worthless. In fact, CCTV reports China tops the medals charts because they have more golds than the US, which has the most in total medals. 

However, reactions of spectators and news casters to Liu's withdrawal was shock and confusion, but not condemnation. 

Officials from the Beijing Olympic Committee have called Chinese fans' reactions to Liu's withdrawal a "great leap forward in China's attitude toward sportsmanship."

"After being stripped of the role as a superhero, he is returned to his role as a human being," said Yong Rui, commentator for CCTV 9 show Dialogue. "A ancient Chinese proverb says, 'The temporary retreat will pave way for future progress.'"

Liu Xiang drops out of race

Liu Xiang, current world record holder for the 100m men's hurdles and national Chinese hero, dropped out of the 100m men's hurdles before the start of the first heat.  

According to an article in the Guardian, Liu did not leave the starting block when the gun sounded for the first heat. The other runners were recalled for a false start, at which point, Liu grabbed his leg and headed off the track.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/18/liuxiang

Liu Xiang's 17 days of pressure

Blogs and media across China have reported on the immense pressure on Chinese athletes to perform. But of all the Chinese athletes, Liu Xiang faces the greatest pressure.

Xiang holds the current world record for the 110meter Men's hurdles and will race to retain that record in about 30 minutes.

My first introduction to the expectations placed on Liu Xiang was by one student in my high school class in Zhabei. I asked the group of students what Olympic sport they liked best. One student, Lily, literally jumped up from her seat, and with eyebrows raised yelled, "Oh! Liu Xiang!"

Watching the preliminary news coverage to Liu Xiang's race, I was struck by a newscaster who, when asked to introduce coverage of the men's rowing team, stuttered and stopped, saying she could only think of Liu Xiang's race.

"I can't imagine what's on his mind right now," Lijing Right, anchor for China Central Television International 9, said. "He bears the burden of a nation's expectations and I have to add a bit more pressure myself because I want him to win. You can't imagine how hard my heart is pounding."

Let's hope Liu's race ends well, or he have to flee the crowd of reporters in tears, like athlete air rifle athlete Du Li did after coming in fifth place. See links at the bottom of this page.

Top Shanghai sites in a nutshell

Just like the expats and Chinese fleeing Beijing because of Olympics overload, every Shanghainese person I've met is totally over Shanghai's tourist sites. In fact, one of our guides even threatened to go get breakfast while we were in the Jade Buddha temple. So I'll make this brief, but impressionable.

Yuyuan Gardens: Built by the Pan family during the Ming dynasty, the Yuyuan Gardens begin with these pictures of the floating tea houses. The gardens are typical of Ming garden design, with ponds and swimming, orange carp, winding paths and plants growing out of cliff-like rockeries, according to my Lonely Planet guide book to China. It's an essential site to see in Shanghai, but the weekend crowd is overwhelming and your guide is like mine, he'll say, "If you see anyone who looks like they're from Xinjiang, watch your bag. They're always thieves." Stereotypes are an obstacle.

Jade Buddha Temple (Shown in the lower right picture with the ribbon-bound dragon): One of Shanghai's few active temples, the Jade Buddha Temple is an example of a Disney-ized Chinese landmark. Fortunately, this one's only about 100 years old. The temple was decked out in its Olympic best, complete with Chinese and Beijing Olympics flags waving everywhere, including the main worship hall. Donations made to the deities seemed to be oranges, fruits, 7-Up and Fanta.

Oriental Pearl Tower (cloudy picture bottom left): This Jetson's looking tower is the TV tower in Pudong, the new area on the East side of the Huangpu River. The observation deck is great, but only on sunny days. At 100 kuai, it's only worth it if you go to the historical museum inside. The language used on the museum signs (describing when Shanghai was a "metropolis infested with foreign adventurers") provide useful insight into party lines and stereotypes.

East Nanjing Road (in the video): Nanjing Road is a long pedestrian mall that dead ends at the Bund. This video shows the intersection of West Sichuan Road and East Nanjing Road, at the bicycle crossing. The flood of bicycles and motorbikes is still an unmatched characteristic of China. For a good clip of the Bund, Pudong and the nighttime look of Nanjing Road visit the YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GRn8Y3NaxQ 

Jia Yao Zongguo! Opening ceremonies in Shanghai

After seven years of planning and months of last minute house-cleaning, 8-8-08 arrived and from what I could see, the Shanghainese were ready to celebrate--freely, in many ways. In Zhabei, the Southwestern neighborhood I'm staying in, the locals watched the opening ceremonies on several huge LCD screens on the sides of buildings in the 2-year-old, upscale Western shopping area, Daning. (The Chinese are wonderful singers and from my few days here, it seems they have songs for everything. Those same LCD screens that showed the Olympics last night normally show the song and music video for the Daning shopping center. It's titled "City Living At Daning" and is regrettably infectious.) Zhabei is a middle-class neighborhood, from what I can tell, with many poorer people, thus about 200 people going into the shopping mall to watch the Olympics; they don't have their own televisions. Daning was built for what I've heard is a growing expat community in Zhabei, although I have yet to see many other white people in Zhabei.

In downtown Shanghai, I have to assume most people are affluent enough to have their own TVs because there was no public showing of the opening ceremonies and there was NO ONE on the streets. My fellow Meigouren (Americans) and I went to an expat bar, Windows, to watch the ceremonies. Though expat bars in other countries can be a sea of white people, it was about 50/50 Europeans, with a smattering of Australians and Americans, and Chinese women (very few men).

In the video (which I can't upload now, but I will in a few hours), you can here the Chinese in the bar chanting "Jia Yao Zhonggou," Go China, over and over again. I only have about 25 seconds recorded here, but the chant went on for more than two minutes. There was a similar chant for Yao Ming at the beginning, but I didn't catch that. Interestingly, the crowd cheered: Cuba, Canada, Australia, Iraq, beautiful women and fat men. The crowd booed France and Japan, throwing things at the screen during both teams' entrances. The crowd would laugh anytime there was a small island country (black skin is a laughable taboo here). And though most people cheered for the U.S. they booed President Bush. 

Carnival of Zhabei Park: caged Canaries, ballroom dancing and more

Zhabei park is an expansive neighborhood park that occupies more than two city blocks. Until five years ago, visitors had to pay two kuai (roughly $.25). Now it's free and the hub for hundreds of morning exercisers, dancers and men who want to take their caged birds for outings. 

Like most traditional Chinese gardens, Zhabei park has many paths, ponds and temples set against the backdrop of China's progressive high rises.

The woman in this picture is one of a large group practicing ballroom dancing. As shown in the video, there are hundreds of people dancing, doing aerobics, practicing traditional swordplay and Qi Gong. This video was taken at Zhabei park at 7:15 in the morning.

The men in this picture are resting on the curb beside their caged canaries, which they've taken out of the home, walked to the park and hanged in the trees. There are probably 20-30 birds in bamboo cages hanging in the trees near their owners. 

Don't let jet lag get you down

Though I arrived in Shanghai Saturday afternoon, sever jet lag didn't hit me until Monday morning. I woke at 3:30 a.m. Fortunately, I had read enough about Chinese culture to know that mornings are the most active time of day for many Chinese people. I'm currently staying in Zhabei, a southwestern neighborhood of Shanghai where people are more Earthy than the average Shanghainese. Because of this, morning time features many older people walking and younger people setting up their days' wares in the market or on Yanchang Lu. However, the bulk of Zhabei's morning crowd goes to Zhabei gong yuan, or Zhabei park. As my program director said when giving me a tour of the park Tuesday morning, Zhabei is at its carnival best first thing in the morning.