Matt Schiavenza From the Dragon to the Apple- A Sinophile in New York

End of Month Notes

First off, apologies for the recent power outage caused by exceeding my bandwidth allotment. As it happened, I was so busy with midterms that I wouldn't have had time to post anything anyway. The problem has been solved though so this site will remain bright for the foreseeable future.

- US mid-term elections happen on Tuesday, and even the most optimistic Democrat would have to admit that our side is in for a long night. The causes are obvious: the economy remains poor, and unemployment is still very high. The recovery that looked imminent last fall stalled and then dissipated. The conservative narrative that this election is somehow transformative, in the vein of 1994, is off-base. Should the economy recover, so should the fortunes of Obama and the Democrats.

- That being said, the Republicans will do their best to keep the recovery from happening. Think that's too cynical? Look at this comment from Mitch McConnell, the party's Senate majority leader: 'The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president'. Such a statement should be shocking, but it fits perfectly with the behavior of the Republican Party since Obama was elected.

- With that in mind, I agree with James Fallows and Paul Krugman that the pending Republican victory in the House will not somehow work out for the best. If Obama found it difficult pushing his agenda through Congress before, he's going to find it nearly impossible now. I sincerely hope the president channels his inner Bill Clinton and learns how to make his political opponents look petty and amateurish.

- Christine O'Donnell is an idiot and has no business serving as a US Senator. I find her position on social matters abhorrent. But this story published by Gawker, in which a dude recounts his near one-night-stand with her, only makes her seem more sympathetic and human. Voters want to empathize with their political leaders. This is why George W. Bush's admission of a drinking problem, Bill Clinton's sexual peccadilloes, and Barack Obama's struggle to kick a cigarette habit help endear them to the public at large. The fact that Christine O'Donnell got drunk and got it on with a guy she thought was nice is hardly unacceptable behavior in our culture. I doubt this story will make a difference in the polls- O'Donnell is still likely to lose- but if the goal was for her 'hypocrisy' to be exposed, then I'd say it backfired.

- On a related subject, the reason why people don't like Mitt Romney despite his reasonably successful pedigree isn't because he's too moderate, it's that he really seems to be the do-gooder Mormon that he says he is. And that creeps people out.

- Oh, and I happen to agree with the Superficial's take on the matter here without going into detail.

- A lot of people here are headed south for the day to attend the twin Washington, DC rallies held by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I'll be going the opposite way, visiting a friend in Boston. But the rallies should provide the requisite hilarity.

- And I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that my heart is firmly in San Francisco at the moment due to the success of my beloved San Francisco Giants. I've been a Giants fan since the age of 8, when in 1989 they met the cross-Bay Oakland A's in the World Series. Of course, in the moments prior to Game 3 the massive Loma Prieta earthquake shook the area and suspended the Series by 10 days. The Giants were vastly inferior to the A's that year and were swept resoundingly.

Since then, this is only the second time they've been back. In 2002, they lost to the Anaheim Angels in heartbreaking fashion. But 2010 feels different so far. The Giants lead the Texas Rangers 2 games to 0 after a pair of drubbings in San Francisco. The series now heads to Texas for Games 3,4, and if necessary 5. The Giants simply need to win 2 of the next 5 to win their first ever World Series since moving to San Francisco from New York in 1958.

I've never seen San Francisco get behind its team so much before. The 2010 team is as kooky as the city itself; Brian Wilson's beard, Tim Lincecum's shaggy haired stoner look, the Aubrey Huff rally thong, and even Barry Zito's yoga obsession all fit into the SF id like never before.

The series resumes tonight in Texas, and I'll be watching from somewhere in Boston. Here's a little something to whet the appetite:

In the Woods

If this view doesn't look like a part of Manhattan you're familiar with, that's because it's from somewhere else. This weekend, I spent two days camping at Lake Sebago, an idyllic spot a mere hour northwest from New York City. The trip was organized by the head of the International Security Policy concentration at SIPA, Dr. Richard Betts, and was attended by roughly 40 or 50 students in my program.

The Transition

In the period after deciding to go to Columbia, people in Kunming would say: 'That's a transition- Kunming to New York!'. I must admit I felt a little bit anxious at the prospect of going from a third-tier Chinese city to arguably the world's most prominent city. Would I be able to handle it? Did the years I had spent in Kunming soften me to the extent that I can't enter the 'real world' again? Shouldn't I have chosen to go somewhere a little more, well, transitional than New York?

So far, and with the caveat that the weather has been good and there hasn't been much school-work yet, I should say that the transition has been easier than I had expected. In a strange way, life in China is actually a better preparation for New York than one might realize. New York is crowded, but nothing like Hong Kong or Shanghai. Chinese cities have more concrete and much less green space than New York. The pollution there- even in Kunming- is worse than it is here. And while New York is famously noisy, the lack of construction noise is conspicuous to anyone who has lived in contemporary China.

Changes ’round Here

As you may have noticed there are a few cosmetic changes here with the site. Since my primary residence will be in New York City for the next two years, I felt writing a blog entitled 'A China Journal' seemed slightly incongruous. Not to worry, much of the content will be China-related. However, now I'm also interested in recording my transition from Kunming, China to New York City. This explains the blog's new subtitle: from the Dragon to the Apple.

I also felt that the blog's minimalist style had grown tired and that a fresher look was needed. I've kept the Manichean color scheme but have added a few touches. The photo in the background, for instance, was one I took on a visit to Beijing's 798 arts area in the winter of 2008. I hope that by looking at it I'll be nagged to keep up my study of Chinese characters!

The adventure will begin in a couple of days. Hope you stay with me!

The World Cup and Coming and Going

One of my first memories of Kunming was from the summer of 2006, when I first came here on vacation after wrapping up my teaching contract in Fuzhou. With a couple of friends I walked into the Camel Bar, the second (third?) edition, and watched a World Cup game with a lively mixed crowd of expats and locals. The friendliness of the scene contributed to my decision some months later to relocate to Kunming to study Chinese. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now, it is 2010 and the World Cup has returned. Suitably, perhaps, the Cup will mark the end of my tenure in the Spring City just as definitely as it marked its beginning. In the past four years, the city has changed somewhat. The Camel Bar shut down and then re-opened near its former location.The number of bars showing games has multiplied. But the spirit remains the same- a large, international community watching the world's greatest sporting event in a frenzied atmosphere.

In citing its internationalism I am forced to laugh at one of my stated reasons for moving to Kunming- that the city wouldn't have so many foreigners. I was determined to live in a city where I wouldn't be tempted to spend my free time speaking English in dingy bars, and for whatever reason thought Kunming would be a suitable place for such a purpose. In the end, of course, Kunming's concentration of foreigners is what likely has kept me here for this length of time.

I used to feel a little guilty now and then about how much time I spent immersed in the laowai scene while living here. Maybe it's the latent Catholic in me, but I sometimes wished I had made more Chinese friends, had learned more about Chinese culture, and, of course, had learned to speak and read better Chinese.

Thinking back, though, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I now have friends from countries around the world, and have learned much from all of them. I've had many wonderful experiences while living in Kunming, from traveling around Yunnan Province by bicycle to drinking and dining in the city with friends. I like to grouse about Facebook, but the fact that more than 200 of my friends are ones I made while in Kunming is a testament to the rich tapestry of people I've come across here.

I'm often asked why I chose to live here rather than in Beijing or Shanghai or Guangzhou or Shenzhen or wherever. I will admit that occasionally I've asked myself the very same question. Certainly, I'm envious of friends in those places- ok, maybe not in Shenzhen- for the rich array of culture on hand, for the economic opportunity, for the cosmopolitanism that Kunming cannot offer.

My flippant reply is that as a Californian, I can't live anywhere with a harsh winter. But this only muddles rather than illuminates the truth. Kunming offers something that I find unique- the diversity of a big city combined with the intimacy of a small town. I like being able to walk down the street and run into people I know. I like being able to see all of my friends at an nighttime event, if only because there's nowhere else for anyone to go. I like sharing in excitement when the little trappings of cosmopolitanism- a good ska bad, a real cappucino- arrive in our town.

So upon further reflection I find that there's really no reason to feel guilty at all. Growing up in the Bay Area, I had friends from all over the place- something that enhanced, rather than diluted, my very American childhood. And in Kunming, being able to wander to a table and participate in an argument about Italian soccer followed by sitting in while a different table dissects the finer characteristics of Yunnan ethnic minority groups has truly made the past four years special.

And in the end, my fondness and understanding for the Chinese language, people, and nation itself has likewise grown immeasurably. That's the ultimate issue, isn't it?

So tonight I shall traipse down to the bar street and watch more soccer, surrounded by screaming partisans of Japan or Paraguay or whomever. And I will think that these nights, in the warm Yunnan air, are almost as good as it can get.

Comeuppance

Over the past year I have been unable to obtain more than a three-month, single and double visa at any given time, so as a result constantly must be vigilant about the validity of my stay here in China. This has resulted in no small amount of frustration, particularly when other Americans in my position seemingly have very little trouble getting vastly superior visas.

When I submitted my visa application form a few months ago, I was led to believe my request for a one-year multiple-entry visa would be granted. Alas, it wasn't- and in a moment of pure frustration I loudly swore in the visa office on my way out.

Last week I went back to apply for yet another extension. The officer in charge remembered me. He wasn't happy, either. Speaking good English, he accused me of swearing at him and of humiliating him. He said that he had no control over my visa and that it wasn't right for me to be so angry at him.

I mildly protested that I wasn't swearing at him, that I knew he didn't make the decision, and that I was merely frustrated with the whole process. But within a minute I began to apologize profusely. Fortunately, the official accepted and shook my hand. 'A new beginning', he said.

So I left with my tail between my legs. Lesson learned? Two, actually. One- never assume that the people you deal with in China can't understand English. Two- intemperate outburts can be easily misinterpreted, and are probably best avoided altogether.

Christmas

Between filling out grad school applications, hosting a good friend as part of his round-the-world tour, and preparing to move to a new apartment I haven't had much time to contribute to this space. 对不起!

Christmas is four days away, and for the second year in a row I'll be spending it here in China. Although in a perfect world I'd be able to visit my family in California the combination of work responsibilities, financial restraints, and other logistical hurdles  prevent that from happening this year.

Nonetheless my friends in Kunming do a fine job acting in loco familias. The city's foreign population is large enough that we're able to obtain a pre-cooked turkey from a cafe, something that I imagine might arouse the envy of my fellow laowai in other parts of China. I myself am fairly suibian about the contents of Christmas dinner- growing up as a Noritalerican infused me with disparate culinary influences- but my British and Australian friends seem to think Christmas won't be Christmas without the bird. And who am I to complain? Turkey is good. Maybe next year we can engineer a Turducken.

China remains an officially atheist country yet has embraced the commercial side of Christmas, something that would make  advertising executives proud around the world. Christmas decorations have appeared everywhere in town and you can't walk into a supermarket without hearing a constant stream of English-language Christmas music. Proportionally few Chinese worship Christ or are even aware of what conventional Christmas traditions are, yet culturally they appear very comfortable with the crass commercialism that characterizes the holiday.

Mind you I'm not complaining. As a non-Christian myself I see Christmas as a pagan festival celebrating the end of the year, the presence of family, and other such sentimental milestones. That the Chinese have appropriated the holiday is a positive, not a negative, development.

To my readers I'd like to wish a 圣诞节快乐, a Merry Christmas, and other holiday greetings.

Happy Thanksgiving

In honor of Thanksgiving Day I'd like to take the opportunity to thank each and every one of you for reading this blog, particularly those of you who have commented and e-mailed over the past year. It's been a pleasure conversing with such an intelligent, well-informed audience. I hope you'll continue sticking around!