China's Coming Out Party

So I have to thank the olympics for some recent experiences I've had. Monday night we hung out with Labron, Kobe, Carmello and the whole US National BBall team and their crew at a private party hosted by the nike boys in china whom keena met at another party the previous saturday. Met some models, let the russian one beat me in pool, and got cock blocked by Kobe. sorry to be crass, but thats the best way to put it. its an honor really, to be able to say that. i was chatting up the brazilian model, making her laugh, and all of a sudden this massive black arm consumes my entire field of vision. I looked to my right and his hand was shaking hers, and he just said "nice to meet you, i'll be over there" and just walked away.
These guys are literally giants. They're size is towering and they are fully proportional, meaning, many people their size have some kind of abnormality i.e., a hunched back, or disfigured face or hands. But not these guys, they were just giant versions of regular people ha. In the old days they would have been powerful warriors and statues of them would have been carved in marble. But I guess basketball, and all other professional sports is the new battlefield in terms of venues that create idols. but the purpose of the glorified- warrior was practical. he served the people and the govt in place. but what is the purpose of the basketball player? what need do they fulfill? luxury. they are a product of the service industry, the last remaining industry sector in the US (well that and education, but countries are getting smart and setting up their own universities using their western degrees), which by the way is an extremely vulnerable sector being that it is tertiary, the secondary sector (manufacturing) is in china's hands, and the primary sector (natural and financial resources) has been handed over to china too. they have pipelines in chad, and the entire country is one massive mineral deposit. oh and they're is plenty of man power to fuel the chinese machine, and the migrant workers that built beijing and shanghai make up a huge portion of the city's population. they mostly sleep on streets and tag their numbers and skill on walls and sidewalks everywhere. i would love to do a photo based fullbright that examines the migrant worker culture. see where they come from, maybe go visit their homes, let the world see how hard china is working, and how dedicated they are to progress, at least economically. i've yet to form an opinion on their humanitarian approach. most of the western rhetoric about human rights issues seems to be righteous-white-people-condensation. people forget, the new china is a new country and it has a long ways to go, but that doesn't mean they don't want to get there. I'm fairly sure america had some pretty fundamental human rights issues when it first started...uhh what was that one thing called, hmmm, slipping my mind....oh yeah! slavery. so relax, wear you're I heart tibet shirts, but go see things for yourself, and have an honest chat with the people in charge before you make brash accusations.
Tues night Wilson and I went to see our boys play australia in a warm up game. we got the tickets from a friend of a friend who works for ticketmaster (see? ticketmaster= american service industry.) the stadium was way out in the middle of nowhere, and coming home was an adventure since no buses or trains run out their past 10:30, and the cabs don't come that far out of the city.
Last night, was incredible. We got out of the office pretty late, so the olympic opening ceremony was well on its way. the streets were completely empty, it was the quietest I've ever seen shanghai, like something out of 28 Days Later. everyone and their mother was watching the olympics. the only people on the street were gathered around a public screen set up by the city, smiling widely as they watched the mind-blowing performance. It really was a beautiful moment to see how enthusiastic everyone is, and how proud of themselves and their country they are. Can you blame them? Did you see the incredible show China put on? It was a complete visual history of China, and its thousands of years of advanced civilization. The whole country, and its ethnic minorities were represented. The choreography? Better than the DPRK Mass Games. And it really reminded me of what I love about this country and its people. Really it comes down to Culture. America has no culture that isn't based on merchandise.
I watched the Ceremony at club called Mao (how appropriate right?), and proudly shouted Jai Yo Tsung Gou!
The Olympics haven't been all peaches though, not for foreigners, and money makers and schemers. Beijing has become so over flowing with people that foreigners who live there don't want to be there, plus simple things like having a meeting or other day to day business is impossible. The result? The flights out are booked solid, changing a ticket is hard, you'd have to buy a whole new one. I can't see my friend Fatema who lives in Hong Kong because I couldn't change my ticket. The main coffee shop gossip amongst the foreigners is how china is shooting itself in the foot by not allowing visas, keeping travel to beijing limited, and searching foreigners at subway stops. its for the sake of security, and they seem to be going a bit far, but, this is china's moment, all eyes are them, and they will do everything in their power not to disappoint. the chinese put up with it because they love their country and want to see it succeed. besides planes and visa's don't concern them, and their work is doing fine they are local.
I'm going to miss this place, and as much as i miss home, ive made a place for myself, made friends, job opportunities, and i know the city and its people. i'll be back, you'll see....