11/28/07

人民日报很快乐!
The blissful happiness of the People's Daily.


Alright, so when I get my news I don't necessarily look to the People's Daily, but it's important to see what kind of news China is projecting to its' countrymen and the rest of the world. It isn't pretty, especially the opinion section. Most of these articles, like one on global warming, are tame but seemingly well-meaning, and feature some scattered, unattributed statistics. (however the point is summed up well in the second to last paragraph as to who is really to blame.) Expect droll, numbing writing with state mandated "positive outlooks", pointing the blame, or, occassionally, ridiculous stuff like this.

Of course this is a state owned paper in the most censor heavy country on earth, so making my case is like shooting fish in a barrel. What is more interesting is state media getting hip to new, more Western or 1st world concerns like gay marriage, lessening the death penalty, even democracy. Still, China needs to deal with the hundreds of millions that live on pennies a day first and foremost rather than building the largest opera house on earth. A rich slum is still a slum.

An excellent article on the Sanlitun bar street bust. (certainly not from China Daily.) This bust specifically targeted black guys in an area filled with African drug dealers and happened nearly two months ago. I was unaware of this event before today.

* Background on Sanlitun: Sanlitun (三里屯) is an incredibly grim bar district and old expat favorite filled with Chinese girls belly dancing with snakes on KTV bar tables while 50-something American men in Hawaiian shirts drink 50RMB mojitos with massage parlor girls. (Or something like this.) Lots of drugs, prostitution and sleeze out in the open, so it's a bit like the touristy or Club-y parts of South Beach. Regardless, they have a lot of good restaurants and great DVD shops.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was considering joining a local branch of the American "Solar Temple Cult"-
Thank Goodness for the "Peoples Daily" article that warned me of it's dangers! Oh My!
(what IS the "Solar Temple Cult"?)

Anonymous said...

Kinda like the old Alcoholic Drug-Addict Slut Club of the late 70s early 80s!!!??????

Anonymous said...

So what's the "Slut Club" of the late 70's and early 80's?
I feel so uninformed!
(though in this case I feel ok in my ignorance)

Anonymous said...

whatever happened to the "Slut Club" ? (sigh). I long for the good old days.

Anonymous said...

The name says it all!!!Kind of rolls off your tongue!!!!!!
Scott, don't worry your name is NOT on any secret member list, it was mostly a girls club anyway, just reading about the Bar district reminded me of that!
What happened to the Slut Club? Grew up, grew old and learned better!!!!!!