Shanghai Scrap

[Alternative working title: Shanghai Pancake Machine]

Walked out of my building this morning to find that some genius from Public Works had – in the dark of the night – built a concrete culvert pyramid on my street.

Probably unsafe to do so, but I availed myself of a closer look and found that the far side (the one facing the expensive crane, a work crew, and a very, very busy street), had been braced like this:

On a somewhat related note – I ran into a friend of mine, a recovering American attorney, who literally rubbed his hands together and cackled when I showed him these photos (still on the camera).

[Soundtrack, here.]

This week, in an effort to protect Olympic trademarks and copyrights, the State Copyright Administration hit the bottle hard and announced the following:

If a local government or a company plans to hold an event with slogans such as “May the Beijing Olympics be a great success“, it needs to get authorization from Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

Now that it’s a fairly well established fact that most if not all of Sichuan’s collapsed schools failed to meet national or provincial construction standards, here’s another hypothesis worth testing:

None of the defective materials used in Sichuan’s collapsed schools were produced in factories that met China’s national environmental standards for air, water, and other types of pollution.

The connection is much more direct, and more logical, than it might seem, and it’s one that the relevant authorities might consider as they move forward with standards for re-construction in the quake zone.

As somebody who has visited well over 100 Chinese factories concerned with the manufacture of steel, aluminum, and copper, much of which is used in the construction industry, allow me to make one more claim: the more closely a factory hews to China’s strict environmental laws, the more likely its products are exported to markets that demand quality. Conversely, when I see a factory with an unfiltered smoke stack, or discharging effluent into waterways, I can almost guarantee that it’s a locally owned facility producing sub-standard products for the local market. And, since most of China’s native-owned industries violate environmental standards, most of China’s construction materials aren’t fit for export. (more…)

As has no doubt been noted by anybody who cares about these matters, Liu Xiang was disqualified on the basis of two false starts at the Prefontaine Classic grand prix in Eugene, Oregon over the weekend. Ordinarily, this would not be worth noting. But ordinarily, Chinese athletes aren’t inclined to explain their performances – failed or successful – quite like this:

“My speed is so fast I did not realize I had the false start.”

Having spent the last few years watching Yao Ming look like he wants to apologize to the opposing team every time he pumps his fist, I’m positively refreshed by Liu’s (warranted) cockiness. Indeed, for the better part of – what? eight years? – sports fans in China have had to put up with the sad spectacle of passive aggressive Chinese Olympians pretending that all they really want to do in Beijing is join hands with their competitors – and not lay a humiliating second-place finish in the medal race on the USA.

So a heartfelt thanks to Liu Xiang for injecting some fun – some real athletic competition – into what was becoming (what a commentator on this blog called) the No Fun Olympics. Bring it on, I say. This shouldn’t be a tea party (and while we’re at it: please stop teaching Chinese sports fans how to cheer politely. That’s not fun, either).

[Of course, one could argue that Liu's statement makes no sense whatsoever. How can you be so fast as to overlook something that starts from a dead-stop? But whatever.]

[UPDATE: Over dinner, a friend correctly pointed out that Chinese sports culture - especially national sports culture - has never placed a high priority on fun. Sport is serious business, done for national (or provincial) honor, and don't you forget it. The Chinese rowing team, as described in Juliet Macur's fine 1 June NYT feature, perfectly exemplifies this attitude. Which, again, is why Liu's preening is so refreshing.]

Interesting Great Firewall news. As of yesterday (that I’ve noticed), two previously blocked websites devoted to reporting on the Catholic Church in Asia were unblocked.

First – UCANews, based in Hong Kong, offers in-depth, superbly sourced stories on Asian Catholics, particularly focused on the pastoral level. Which means, unlike any other site on the planet, it’s documented the complicated and critical dynamics between China’s underground and open Church communities. Absolutely essential if – like me – you cover religious freedom in China. Second – Asianews.it, a news service based in Rome, runs Asia-related Catholic news, but with an editorial slant that’s been consistently , and strongly, critical of the CCP’s religious policies [Go figure: as of 4:30 PM, the block on Asianews.it has apparently resumed; UCAN is still available]. In either case, the unblocking of either site (both are tacitly and/or overtly critical of Beijing on a regular basis) is a real and genuine surprise. Especially because – and this is important – both are available in Chinese.

Since early 2007, Beijing and the Vatican reportedly have been working on repairing their battered, severed (since 1951) relationship. There have been several, well-noted public expressions of this: ordinations approved by the Pope and the Chinese government; educational exchanges; and the much touted Chinese performance of Motzart’s Requiem at the Vatican (just yesterday it was announced that Hong Kong’s co-adjutor, Bishop John Tong, was invited to attend the Olympic opening ceremonies). At the same time, there’s been an unfortunate tendency among some members of the media to interpret any signs of warming between the two parties as evidence of a restoration of diplomatic ties. Yet, so far, no restoration … and so you won’t get such speculation from me. I simply don’t know. Interesting timing, though.

[For the record, I was in SE Asia for much of the last two weeks. So it's quite possible that the unblocking occurred long before I noticed it yesterday. If anyone out there has a more specific sense of the timing, I'd be deeply appreciative if you'd email or leave a comment.]

[Also, I'd like to tip my hat to whomever (if anybody) decided to open up access to either site. Good for you. That's progress.]

In fairness, this could also refer to people from the Florida panhandle.

[ed.note: at Shanghai Scrap, we argued about whether to post this particular item. And, after much discussion, decided that we would, under our "One Cheap Post Per Annum Rule.]“

You go to work wearing an official Beijing 2008 baseball cap. You ask your secretary to serve you tea in your very own official Beijing 2008 tea set. And, when local officials stop by to visit, you impress them with your official 1 kg Beijing 2008 gold bar (a US$19,500.00 value).

But despite all of your efforts to uphold the Olympic Spirit in the most ostentatious manner possible, at the end of the day you go home, slip into your bathrobe, lounge across your silk sheets and feel as if the job is somehow left undone.

What’s an Olympic fan to do?

Yesterday afternoon, while out on a bit of a stroll south of Xujiahui, I found your cure: the official Beijing 2008 Olympic Bed & Bath Store!

Alas, the shop was closed (at 12:30 PM), so I was unable to take any photos inside of this licensed emporium of Olympic-themed bed and bath products (including pillow cases, bed sheets, and bath towels). But I did my best to shoot some images through the windows, including a few of the really fine bathrobe mannequins. After the jump, some photos and unsolicited observations concerning taste and Olympic merchandising. (more…)

Last night, twenty minutes before Thai Airways Flight 664 from Bangkok to Shanghai Pudong was scheduled to land, a pleasant female voice came over the intercom to remind passengers that:

“It is illegal to take photos over China, or in Chinese airports.”

This was the first international flight that I’ve taken into China since mid-March, so perhaps this warning is nothing new. Or, perhaps, for reasons unknown, it’s a warning only made to Thai Air passengers. For sure, it’s not something that I heard on my last domestic flight (Shanghai <> Guangzhou) in mid-May.

A friend with vast China experience informs me that he last heard this warning in 1987. Could be. Whatever the case, count this as perhaps one more instance of a long-dormant or ignored Chinese law or rule that – in the run-up to the Olympics – is suddenly given new life.

And, like other such rules (see: getting visas, F, L, Z), the resurrection of this one will serve only to alienate – or, at best, put off – first-time visitors to China expecting a grand Olympic welcome. Consider, for example, the first time tourist flying into Beijing Capitol, camera pointed out the window to snap an image of the stunning new Terminal Two Three … only to be told that such photos are illegal.

Welcome to Beijing!

Of course, the resurrection of this rule is all the more absurd in light of the fact that Google Maps has long made available overhead images of what the locals like to call “sensitive” sites (ie, Zhongnanhai).

[I'm going to re-open comments for this post, in hope that somebody might confirm whether or not Thai Air is going it alone on this announcement].

I spent most of the morning in a steel mill a few hours outside of Bangkok (Thailand: come for the beaches, stay for the heavy industry). By their nature, steel mills aren’t the cleanest places, but this one was better than most. Or, at least it seemed that way until thirty minutes ago, when I came across this image while doing an initial edit of my photos.

For those unfamiliar with these matters: to the left is a hot-rolling mill of the kind that makes steel coils. In the foreground is some of the excess material that’s been cut from the slabs heated in the mill, and left (to cool) for scrap. Keep in mind that the pretty layer of dust on everything has left me coughing, off and on, for the last nine hours or so. Actually, it wasn’t as obvious in person as it is in the photo. On the other hand, this photo doesn’t begin to convey the intense heat in the building (the furnace runs at 1200° C).

Bonus photo for Ultimate Factories fans … after the jump. (more…)

Two weeks ago we learned that foreign tourist visits to Beijing were down significantly in April, compared to 2007. And, late last week, the WSJ reported, via the AP, that there are plenty of hotel rooms – high-end and otherwise – available during the Olympics:

Zhang Huigang, the director of Beijing’s Tourism Bureau, told the AP that among five-star hotels, only 77% of rooms have been booked during Aug. 8-24. For four-star hotels, just 44% of rooms have been booked, and the occupancy rates are even lower for two- and three-star hotels, Zhang added.

Most major world cities, when faced with a drop-off in tourist visits in the aftermath of natural or political disasters, will go out of their way to issue welcoming statements, and will often coordinate with tourist boards and the hotel and F&B industries to offer promotional deals to incoming visitors (think of Hong Kong post-SARS; New York City post-9/11).

But this has not been the approach taken by China. Indeed, as the Olympics draw closer, the government seems determined to find new ways to telegraph to foreigners that they are unwelcome in Beijing – without actually saying that they are unwelcome in Beijing (note the late Spring passive aggressive denials about the tightened visa policy).

Which leads to BOCOG’s June 3 press release, entitled, “Behavior guide issued for foreigners during the Olympics.” (more…)

I couldn’t spend a week down here without Bringing the Scrap to my readers. So, here it is, Scrap in Ayudhaya (roughly 45 minutes from Bangkok):

Thailand is Southeast Asia’s auto manufacturing hub and, as a result, there’s quite a bit of defective automobile scrap on the market down here, as well as a well-defined automobile waste stream that feeds mid-sized yards like this one (roughly 40 mt of aluminum auto scrap per month). The workers pictured here earn roughly US$12/day. They dismantle casings using hammers, hand-powered shears, and power-driven screwdrivers. All in all, a far more advanced processing situation than what you’d find in China or India. But labor is more expensive here (and the economy is much more developed), so it only makes sense that workers would be outfitted with real tools.

[Recommended soundtrack: the sublime Philippe Wynne at 3:20. Thanks for that, J.]

Back in mid-January, the economic geniuses who manage the Chinese economy announced that – in the face of rising inflation – they would institute price controls on key commodities. As I explained back then, and stand by now, the net result of such a policy can only be hoarding and additional inflation.

Which brings me to the latest example of heavy, ham-handed economic crisis management by Beijing’s regulators. The problem is simple and severe: the Shanghai Composite Index (the nation’s most important stock index) is down almost 35% for the year, and there is little prospect that it will rise. Regulators have tried tax changes to reverse this sad course (temporarily successful), and it has tightened listing rules (a good, long-term fix). But, despite these efforts, the market declines – along with the hard-earned invested savings of millions of inexperienced, middle-class Chinese investors.

So what to do?

One of the least remarked characteristics of China’s economic bureaucrats is their dearth of real life experience with economic crises. Unlike economic regulators in, say, in Europe or the United States, few have ever weathered economic hardship from the helm of an investment firm or company. (more…)

Beer can art is – understandably – an undervalued and much abused art form (with apologies to the sublime Jasper Johns). But, before today, it had never occurred to me that it was universal, much less potentially sublime, and even poignant.

Below, the only known (to me) example of a Thai beer can wind chime. I note only that it hangs over the doorway to an open aluminum furnace that workers approach without safety equipment, or respiratory protection. The smelter is the very definition of industrial misery, and yet somebody took the time to cut, assemble, and hang these chimes.

Located roughly an hour outside of Bangkok, in an industrial park in Chonburi.

bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp.