Rebiya in NZ
I went to Rebiya Kadeer's speech in Auckland. Her visit was organised by the Green Party and Amnsty Internaional in NZ, two well-kown "anti-chinese" organisation among politically minded Chinese students here. However, I was there to hear another side of the story, not to protest, and I did gain some knowledge on her story and position on a range of issues.
But I was more interested in the role of Chinese government in regard to leaders like the Dalai Lama and Mrs Kadeer. Kadeer was not a well-known figure before the unrest in Xinjiang in July this year, before that if you refer that name to a Chinese, he or she is more likely to have very little or no knowledge on who she is.
People sometimes joke that Chinese government regularly award two awards that are even more important than the Nobel, namely GFW's Web Choice award and Chinese Government Recommended Award - if you know a website is blocked by the Great Firewall of China, you know it's a website worth to visit. Similarily, if Chinese government blames someone, you know he or she is worth to listen to.
A state like China needs enemies - if you go back in history, at any point of time, Chinese government always propoganda at least one enemy of the state to its people - the Dalai Lama, oversea chinese democracy movement, "oversea anti-chinese forces" and so on. This is a bit like Bush administration, it's the only way to divert people's attention.
However, for the speech itself, I was in fact quite disappointed. It was a good introduction for her positions on some issues, but nothing else was there but more of a blame game. I still think that her popularity is largely due to the help for the communist government, in real life, she's no way near the Dalai Lama.
Interesting. I was also there. I mean the evening speech in Freyberg Place.
I agree her speech was very weak. Not unexpected though. I doubt she has much influence in Xinjiang. I spent nearly four months there this year, met plenty of unhappy Uighurs, and never remember her name coming up in conversation.
The main thing that struck me about the Freyberg Place event was that nobody who spoke, whether the invited speakers, those asking questions, or those protesting, seemed to have much idea of what was really happening in Xinjiang.
The other thing I noticed was that Keith Locke seemed to discriminate a fair bit against the Chinese 'skeptics' (protesters is wrong since only some of them were protesting). He was probably just being unfair, though perhaps it was his 'revenge' for what he considered bad behavior at the earlier lunchtime event. Some of the Chinese questions (and 'protests') were just dumb - the 'Free New Zealand!' line is getting a bit tired. . . more than a year since Aotea Square and nobody has figured out it makes no real sense? On the other hand, even a dumb skeptical question is perhaps more interesting than a question like "What can I do to help?" Nobody non-Chinese asked her a single difficult question. Poor form given that her presentation were full of generalizations and blame-shifting.
Ah, I was there too, missed a chance to meet :) I was sitting just a few rows behind her.
It's really a pity that people judge things base on one side of the story or even without any knowledge to back themsleves up. I do criticise more on my countrymen, they have the opportunity which many NZers don't have or don't bother to have - hear both side of the story and make an informed judgment, but only a few of them there seemed to be able to do that. I like the comment on One news: "it's like a disucussion where everybody talks but nobody listens" - they can't have a geninue discussion as not many of them have a geninue understanding on the issue.
It's really hard to know what is really happening in Xinjiang, especially now as internet access in the area has been cut for quite a while. For the past decades the legality of communist rule was based on economic development, or as I put it, "fill your month with food so you don't speak", but this is definitely failing in non-han regions as far as I can tell - money can't buy people's heart, espcially for those with a faith. The trouble, as I reckon is both han and those unhappy Uighurs base their opinions and actions on irrationalities, and that is really really dangerous.
I'm planning to visit Xinjiang this Christmas if the situation stabilises. Would love to see what's really happening on the ground. Any plan to visit China next year? when did you visited the region, before the unrest?
I was in Xinjiang until a couple of weeks before the unrest. Obviously unrest like that was unexpected, but when I saw the news I did immediately wonder if some Uighur acquaintances of mine had been involved. I don't mean they belonged to any special organizations or anything like that. They were just very angry young men with a grudge against the world in general - but especially against Han. As it turned out, they had not been involved.
It's an odd place though. There is definitely heavy surveillance going on, and if you live your whole life under this type of scrutiny you must get stressed by it. My first trip there a couple of years ago I got detained briefly by plain clothes police for taking photographs (nothing serious, they just asked what I was photographing and checked my camera). On my recent trip I heard and saw lots more of this kind of thing. Anyone with 'controversial' opinions is ultra careful about what they say and who they say it too. Worse for the women too I think, since they have stress from a state that (arguably) 'oppresses' Uighurs, plus stress from a religion that (well, again arguably I guess) 'oppresses' women.
I imagine everything must be 100 times more tense and stressful now.
I may be back in China in a couple of weeks, but that will be Shanghai. I doubt I'll be back in Xinjiang any time soon.
Interesting. Sounds even more oppressive than life in Tibet, last time I visited I was even able to discuss possible future scenarios for the Dalai Lama with many people there without having any kind of trouble. Maybe a foreign face does attract a lot of attention from police officers,
I'll be having a week or two stopover in and around Shanghai in mid-november before I get back to my hometown. Any pub to recommend? ;)
Depends what type of pub/bar you want. . .
A couple of good places for beer:
- KaiBa is a reasonably new Belgian place on Kangding Rd. (just west of Xikang Rd.). Big selection of Belgian beer if you like that. If you don't like it then right next door is Cuvee (a good wine bar focused on French and Australian wines). I think KaiBa now has a second location somewhere else but I didn't go there yet.
- Boxing Cat Brewery sells their own US style micro-brews along with decent food. On Fuxing Rd. about two or three blocks north of Wulumuqi Rd.
A couple of good ones for cocktails:
- Constellation has excellent cocktails, in a mostly Japanese style (which basically means old-style American cocktails made with care). There are two locations (old location at Xinle Rd. just west of Xiangyang Rd., and new one at Yongjia Rd. where it hits Maoming Rd.). The old one is very small and can get quite full, but the atmosphere is probably better than at the new one. Tuesday is a good day to drop by the original location since the boss will normally be there. The rest of the week he's at the larger new location - which is kind of nicer but less atmosphere.
- Kitos is another Japanese style cocktail bar, vaguely in the style of the original Constellation but a little more feminine (the boss is a Japanese woman and she only seems to employ female bartenders). To get there you walk a block south (or really south-east I think) of Boxing Cat Brewery, then turn right and look for the small bar on your left. I think there is a Heineken sign outside.
A couple of extra ones just for fun:
- TMSK in Xintiandi has very interesting decor. The drinks are just average but the Pina Colada is worth ordering just for the special glass it comes in.
- Haven't been to Barbarossa for a couple of years but I used to quite like this one. It's in People's Park - entrance not far from the Shanghai Art Museum. Kind of Moroccan/Middle-Eastern style. Drinks and food are just average but the terrace overlooking the little lake can be nice in summer.