Beijing's Mean Streets
Jonathan Ansfield is out with another piece on China and, as always, it is beautifully written. If you want to read about Beijing from the perspective of a real writer (real writers not only write well, they observe things we non real writers do not) check out this piece, entitled, "Mean Streets." (h/t to Time China Blog) It is on the recent police crackdowns on foreigners in Beijing. For the lawyers' perspective on all this, check out the blog post we did a few weeks back, entitled, "China's Law Enforcement Rising."
Comments (9)
Read through and enter the discussion by using the form at the endboyce - October 12, 2007 3:01 AM
Jonathan's piece on the food safety issue is also good:
http://www.spot-on.com/archives/ansfield/2007/07/jungle_fever.html
Glen Wilkins - October 12, 2007 10:19 AM
Well written article on the mean streets, but here are a few tips to keep "the man" at bay in the PRC: Don't overstay your visa in China. Don't use, possess or transport narcotics in China. Don't become involved with the FLG or the Free Tibet movement (or Taiwan independence, for that matter) while in China. The laowai caveat should be: stay beyond reproach.
I just don't understand why people are surprised that they get hassled when they run afoul of Chinese law. Perhaps, as described in the article, expats were above the law for so long that they grew accustomed to defacto immunity. Whatever happened to 入乡随俗？
As for the crackdown, I guess it's all to easy for the men in green to round up the usual suspects since we non-Asian foreigners stick out like sore thumbs and tend to cluster in the sanlitun area. It's a new twist on profiling, I suppose.
bianxiangbianqiao - October 20, 2007 11:29 AM
I read Ansfield's post a while ago when it first came out and found it quite disturbing. I did not have time to think about it. Today I saw the news about the Canadian Pedophile who had been roaming Southeast Asia abusing boys arrested in Thailand, and immediately remembered that post and had a bunch of thoughts related to it. I could not figure out how to post a comment in his website. So I would like to share it with you and your readers, who are apparently interested in this issue. These opinions of mine may be narrow-minded, but have as much validity as his narrow-minded opinions. There is nothing more fun than two narrow-minded people speaking to each other.
Western Pedophiles, East Asians and Southeast Asians: Is It Culture or Law Enforcement?
Anther Western Pedophile was found in Southeast Asia (arrested in Thailand). His known crimes were conducted in Cambodia, Vietnam and probably Thailand (3 cased under investigation there). Oddly, this dude had a regular language teacher's job in Korea. Apparently he made special trips to Southeast Asia to prey on children. There has been no report that he had practiced his perverted hobby in Korea. I hope no such cases will be revealed in Korea. I need this to sustain my belief that we East Asians do not allow our offspring to be sexually abused by foreign creeps and perverts.
What are the differences between East and Southeast Asians that create such different experiences with Western pedophiles? Is it the East Asian governments have more control over their society? Is it East Asians have more pride in their group identity? Is it East Asians care more about their offspring? Is it East Asians hold their governments accountable at least when it comes to foreign pedophiles roaming their territory searching for vulnerable children to prey upon? At least for the Chinese, I think there are two things that the citizens would not tolerate their government to let happen. One thing is foreign criminals roaming the country. The second is foreign missionaries roaming the country. Of course, there is the third scenario that East Asians will not tolerate -- foreign troops roaming their country. If the government can effectively control these types of disasters, East Asians are willing to put up with a lot of other crap with their governments (like the North Koreans, and the Chinese). If the government cannot control foreigners' behavior in their country, the citizens will take things into their own hands, like the anti-foreign and anti-Christian Boxers did in the late Qing period, with disastrous results. There are some signs of concern in this front in China now. From the bits and pieces of information I picked up on the Beijing police's ill-treatment of Black Africans for suspected drug trafficking, I get the creepy feeling that San Li Tun is filled with foreign low lives. They even have their own drug-trafficking gangs providing targeted services to them. The Beijing police's rounding up Africans indiscriminately does noting to control the problem. Killing a chicken to scare the monkey does not work for drug dealers and potheads. The tactic doesn’t even work for pickpockets, because the monkey always regards himself as smarter than the chicken. I hope the Chinese police will wise up and take meaningful and effective measures to get what they are trying to do done. At the same time I pray that western pedophiles will never be allowed to roam our country like they do now in southeast Asia.
Glen Wilkins - October 20, 2007 5:37 PM
Actually the Boxer Rebellion was well supported by the Qing government. Ciqi outwardly opposed the Boxers but behind closed doors encouraged them to act against the foreigners so as not to directly involve Qing troops.
I think we hear a lot about crime in some southeast Asian countries because of a much more free press in certain areas. You refer to Thailand in this case. I am sure there are horrible stories of this nature that never make it to press in China. On a side note, Japan, an east Asian nation, is notorious for its strange sexual tastes, but I do not believe they care any less about their children. South Korea too.
Also, I would wager that 99% of the crime in China is contemplated and executed by native Chinese without any help from us foreign devils. Not every problem is a foreign problem, but I think a lot of Chinese people are in denial about that.
JL - October 21, 2007 3:55 AM
"The second is foreign missionaries roaming the country."
There are lots of foreign missionaries were I live in SW China, bianxiang. I don't believe the Chinese government is too stupid to know about this, so I guess they just don't care too much...
bianxiangbianqiao - October 21, 2007 5:20 PM
Glen Wilkins,
"Boxer Rebellion was well supported by the Qing government"
You are making my point. That was precisely why the Qing government collapsed. The Qing government had no ability to solve the problem of foreigners raising hell in China (pushing drugs and preaching wacky ideas) by properly exercising its sovereignty (use police and military forces). Out of desperation, they bought into the fantasy of the boxers' superman martial arts and dreamed of relying on that to tame the foreigners. When a loser government band up with a bunch of drifters, the result would not surprise anybody. I hope this scenario does not apply to today's China.
"...not every problem is a foreign problem, but I think a lot of Chinese people are in denial about that"
You are right. 99% of crimes in China are committed by Chinese. With the Chinese we have no choice. We cannot kick them out even if they are criminals. We just love the good ones and punish the baddies. Sometimes we have to put a bullet through a baddie's head if he is too bad to keep around (like child molesters). But with foreigners we have a choice. We want only those who are decent and productive to stick around.
This is true for every self-respecting nation. Like it or not, the nation state is still the basic unit of not only group identity, but also individuals' rights and privileges. That's why the American authorities are right now rounding up illegal immigrants and deporting those with criminal backgrounds. Do you want MS-13 gangsters to run around in your country?
I am surprised, alarmed and offended that foreigners in China somehow expect special treatment from the Chinese law. Just go get registered if you are required to register. Don’t tell anybody who would listen that you are subjected to "police harassment" (some blog really used these two words. I can't remember where I saw it.) Requiring foreigners to register is common practice in every self-respecting country in the world. I have been living in the US for years and have diligently complied with every single regulation the US government imposes on me. Some of these regulations are unabashedly discriminative. When I got my job offer, to get a work visa, the school had to show to the government that they had conducted a national search and could not find any American equally qualified and they were not paying me less than they would an American. (By implication, if they could find an American, I would have to be booted.) That was ok. The week before I showed up on campus, they had to post a huge ad at the building entrance which basically said "we are going to give this position to a foreigner. Before we do that, qualified Americans pleas apply." Isn't that ridiculous? I felt humiliated but didn’t protest. I dealt with it with maturity. This is their country and I am willing stay here on their terms. I am required to report to the homeland security department within 10 days if I move to a new address, every time I move. That was ok. It's their country and I am a guest. Some time ago I got a tax refund check. A month later they sent me a letter asking to have the money back. Why? I was not allowed to deduct rent or mortgage because I am a foreigner; the locals can. I am contributing to the local schools twice as much as the locals. Nobody from my family is using the local schools. That's fine. I abide by American rules as long as I live here. They started taking social security from my pay check even before I left grad school. Which old American dude is going to get that money 30 years from now? The list goes on and on.
I hope foreigners in China can live in China in these same spirits. Don’t be arrogant. Don’t expect special treatments. Go registered with the police as required by our laws. Don’t do drugs in San Li Tun. Don’t take off all your clothes in the summer palace. Don’t unfurl a freaking banner in the heart of my hometown that is not allowed by my government. Don’t urinate on our Great Wall while smoking a big joint (you are pot-trained for a reason).
JL
"There are lots of foreign missionaries were I live in SW China."
That's troubling. I am worried. The government is not doing its job apparently.
Glen WIlkins - October 22, 2007 10:10 AM
Talk of missionaries in China reminded me of something I read somewhere that said many Chinese are feeling spiritually empty what with the sudden rise in material wealth. I forgot where I saw it so please forgive my lazy scholarship. Anyway, the article goes on to discuss how a lot of Chinese are filling that void with Christianity. I found this very strange because China has such a rich history of faith, what with religious Daoism, ancestor worship encouraged by Confucian techings, and of course, Chinese style Buddhism. I thought at first that interest must be waning for the trifecta of native beliefs because Christianity is so exotic; sort of a familiarity breeds contempt sort of thing. But my Chinese colleagues tell me that few kids these days even know about Chinese religious traditions and even fewer read classical and literary Chinese, a skill which would allow them to experience these works first hand.
Maybe those wily missionaries are at it again. One can't be too harsh on them though: Jesuits and other missionaries have made huge contributions to the West's understanding of Chinese language and culture for the last 500 years, a la 利玛窦. I know foreigners catch heat for the opium war and gunboat diplomacy (well deserved) but Ciqi should have spent her funds on a real navy instead of on the Summer Palace. That was homegrown stupidity, not a foreign import.
Liebling - May 26, 2008 2:50 AM
You call that "beautifully written"? What appallingly low standards you have. Simply not repeating the same word twice in a single sentence does not a good writer make.
I once helped a guy get out of jail in Beijing for overstaying his visa by about six months or so, it's not a tough thing to do if you know the right channels.
Prad Bit - June 3, 2011 12:39 AM
That is a great piece. Is Ansfield still writing about China? I haven't seen anything from him of late