JISHOU, HUNAN — This fairly quiet city made international headlines early last month when nearly a third of the population took to the streets to protest a massive real estate scheme that swindled them out of billions of dollars.

I have tried to piece together a more substantive review of the whole mess, which for good reason I have posted on The Daily Kos, after a commenter there encouraged me to do so.

China is famous for its “Great Firewall,” which prevents Internet users here from accessing sensitive websites. In order to gather information about the Jishou mess, I had to circumvent the firewall by relying on the Tor proxy network. I figure posting a frank review of the Jishou incidents here would result in my blog being firewalled, too, making it really hard to me to maintain it. Other bloggers in China have had similar problems.

So, if you want to read all about it, go to The Daily Kos. Leave some comments, too.

October 5th, 2008 | Tags: China, daily kos, jishou, real estate swindle | Category: China, Commentary | Leave a comment

JISHOU, HUNAN — On my Facebook status I posted a few days ago, I asked the rhetorical question, “Why is there is unrest in the streets?” Today, as a class exercise in speaking, I asked my business English students to help me understand our local economic crisis.

Imagine if 70% or more of a city’s population all invested in the same companies, who were promising 50% to 100% returns on these investments. Imagine if some of those investors, including some city officials and retirees, had put their entire savings in this scheme.

Then imagine what would happen if word got out that all those investments were lost, perhaps forever. We’re talking, say, about US$1 billion in funds.

People might just get a little upset.

Well, that’s what happened in Jishou. It’s why there was enough of a public outcry that this small city in the middle of China actually made it into the Washington Post early this month. It’s also why my ability to leave campus to venture into the city has been somewhat limited from time to time. It’s gotten bad enough for the school to close its gates recently, blocking entry to the campus.

Here’s what I was able to glean today from my class of 12 business management students, three of whose families have lost money in this scandal.

September 26th, 2008 | Tags: China, investment scandal, jishou | Category: China, Commentary | Comments (2)

JISHOU, HUNAN — This past work week was a short one, by virtue of the Autumn Moon holiday, but nevertheless eventful.

It started not all that auspiciously, however. My lesson plan for the sophomores was sort of a failure, complicated by the poor timing (first morning class after a three-day weekend) and by my overestimation of their speaking and listening skills. I recovered after the first 15 minutes of dead silence from the class, but those 15 minutes were the longest in my life.

Now I know how a comedian who’s bombing feels on stage.

The rest of the week went well. The older students are warming up to exchanging emails with me and several have joined Facebook, where they can practice their English more. As I blogged already, the concert Thursday by the China Philharmonic was excellent. And yesterday, I started a bank account at China Construction Bank with the able assistance of senior English major Ava (her Chinese name is Niannian). All the bank needed was 10 yuan and my passport to start the account, but the application forms were of course in Mandarin Chinese, so I needed a translator.

My pay is directly deposited and the ATMs on campus are bilingual, so in about a week I’ll feel more like I’m at home. And I won’t need to pinch my pennies (or jiao, as the case may be) quite as much.

September 21st, 2008 | Tags: chna, english speaking, jishou, princeton-in-asia | Category: China, Teaching English | Comments (6)

JISHOU, HUNAN – I fulfilled three of my shopping objectives this afternoon, while witnessing the special brand of capitalism of the new China.

Here, stores that sell similar goods are clustered together. If you don’t like the price or selection at one place, you just need to walk next door or across the corridor and try somewhere else.

Thus, Christopher and I visited at least three stores before I bought what I wanted, without having to drive miles in a taxi to do so.

As a consumer, I like the convenience, but cannot see how any store owner could make any money trying to compete with someone right next door.

Our first store did not offer us a price that Christopher (after conferring by phone with his friend) felt was acceptable for a three-speaker system. The young woman working the sales floor was polite and efficient, but did not offer any wiggle room on the price of the Hyundai speaker set I was interested in. Her price was 130 yuan, and I was more amenable to 100. Nevertheless, I was able to leave there with a decent-sounding microphone headset and an optical mouse for 50 yuan (roughly US$7). The mouse says “Sony,” but I wonder … All I know, it works. She let us try them out before I paid for them.

We hopped on over to another couple of stores with the same results on the speakers. Then, Christopher led me upstairs to the shop where he had bought his computer, suggesting they might cut us a deal since he was a returning customer.

September 11th, 2008 | Tags: China, jishou, shopping | Category: China, Commentary | Leave a comment

JISHOU, HUNAN — Since the university is about two miles from downtown Jishou, I miss a lot of the activity there. Last week, I wanted to visit a downtown computer store, but my friends here advised me there was some kind of citizen protest in Jishou City, and that perhaps I should wait to do my shopping.

Little did I realize the ruckus was big enough to make The Washington Post. As described in this ex-pat’s blog and in this one, the protest involved about 10,000 people who apparently felt they had been cheated out their money in a fund raising scheme. There were arrests and 50 protesters were injured. Troops were called in.

So, yeah, I guess it was better I stayed home.

By and large, I have never felt threatened or ill at ease since landing in Hong Kong. The travel guides say that, with a few exceptions near border crossings and seedy parts of town, street crime is practically non-existent here. The biggest danger is actually dodging cars and other vehicles when cross the streets. Cross-walks, as we used to joke in New York, are really just target zones.

Money brings out the worst in people, especially if they have risked their life savings in some high-yield investment scheme. According to The Post article, the rapid expansion of the Chinese economy has spurred a consequent increase in corruption by people trying to make a quick yuan. The high-interest investment scam here was just one example.

September 8th, 2008 | Tags: China, jishou, protest, unrest | Category: China, Commentary | Comments (2)

JISHOU, HUNAN, Sept. 3 — Having spent the day (and night) before walking, riding the Hong Kong metro, taking two shuttle buses, flying on an airliner and finally riding soft-seat on an overnight train, I alighted at Jishou station bedraggled and somewhat sleep deprived. The total journey took on the order of 17 hours, about three of which included waiting for the train.

But I was here.

My contact person here, David Luo, met me at the train station. The train was packed with university students, who like me, needed to start class the next day. To get to campus, you either need to take a bus or hail a cab. David and I had to fight our way through this mob of college kids to find a cab not vying for their attention.

Let me tell you something about Chinese cabbies. They are fearless. Even in Jishou, a city of about 200,000, traffic at certain times of the day can be pretty hairy. The streets are occupied simultaneously by cabs, buses, private cars, scooters, motorbikes, pedicabs, bicycles and pedestrians. American-style traffic rules are non-existent. As in the ticket-window and train-boarding queues, it’s everyone for himself on the streets. I’ve now ridden in a Jishou cab — they are all red-and-black compact Citroëns — a half-dozen times. Cabbies will take any route, short of driving on the sidewalk, to get to your destination — even against traffic — cutting in front of trucks and buses, nearly nicking pedestrians and motorcyclists. Since all of the cabs seem to be undented or otherwise undamaged, I figure the cabbies can be trusted and I’ll just let the fates prevail. No sense in worrying about something I can’t control.

September 3rd, 2008 | Tags: arrival, China, jishou | Category: China | Comments (6)

JISHOU, HUNAN, Sept. 2 — I planned my departure from Kong Kong carefully, but the actual trip was not as smooth as I had expected.

Given my available funds, and time remaining before classes started here, I decided to fly in to China instead of taking the train. There are no direct flights from Hong Kong to Zhangjiajie, the nearest airport to Jishou. Those flights leave from Shenzhen, so I had to figure out how to get there.

Conveniently enough, there is a coach that departs every half hour from Hong Kong that takes you to a special transfer point. The immigration controls for both Hong Kong and China share the same building, which straddles the border. After leaving there, you board another coach that shuttles you to the airport.

Even more conveniently, for me, the ChinaLink Bus Company leaves from the Elements shopping mall right above a Hong Kong MTR stop (Kowloon station). So, all I needed to do was walk a half block from my hotel to the MTR station at Yau Ma Tei, transfer at Central station on Hong Kong Island (yes, you do not have to take the Star Ferry to cross Victoria Bay!), get off at Kowloon station, go up one floor and walk a short distance to ChinaLink’s depot across from Starbucks.

[My alternate plan was to take the MTR to the intercity rail station, take a train to Shenzhen's rail station, then buy a ticket to Jishou. I rejected this plan, because it would have required an overnight train. As things turned out, it would have made no difference.]

September 2nd, 2008 | Tags: changsha, China, jishou, shenzhen, train | Category: China | Leave a comment