The Fairbank Report...(如意報告)
**NB: Signed articles represent the opinions of the respective
authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of THE FAIRBANK REPORT/RUYI BAOGAO (如 意 報 告).
30 December 2017
F*CK YOU, 2017!
2017 was an annus horribilis for us! Or was it an anus horribilis? Both were, unfortunately, true!
15 December 2017
16 November 2017
Of History and Sexual Abuse
It is now manifest that sexual abuse is rampant in certain industries (to wit, the entertainment conglomerate, the news media, and politics.) People should demand to know why such abuses were allowed to go on for years with impunity, and where there is sufficient evidence, responsible parties should be held to account criminally -- and morally in instances where the statute of limitation bars prosecution.
But there is another area for concern. History is replete with examples of hysterical mass accusations. During the Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts, community members were indeed incentivized to confess their involvement in witchcraft and to accuse others. At first, it was the easy target -- Tituba, a black slave from Barbados. Then, it was some neighbors with whom the accusers had a grudge. Next, half of the community was accusing the other half of witchery lest they get accused first. Finally, fear, chaos, and gross miscarriage of justice. Many of those too principled to confess or falsely accuse were hanged.
Some three hundred years later, the same dynamics replayed themselves in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China. Husbands accused wives of being counter-revolutionary, the Marxist equivalent of witchcraft. Students accused teachers, and workers accused their factory foremen. Too many heartaches, bodily injuries, and deaths to count or permitted to count -- even to this day.
I am not suggesting that the current rounds of sexual abuse allegations are anywhere near these historical precedents. But then again, we have only just begun. Let's be careful and mindful of history. That's all I am saying. While history rarely repeats itself, it often rhymes...
But there is another area for concern. History is replete with examples of hysterical mass accusations. During the Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts, community members were indeed incentivized to confess their involvement in witchcraft and to accuse others. At first, it was the easy target -- Tituba, a black slave from Barbados. Then, it was some neighbors with whom the accusers had a grudge. Next, half of the community was accusing the other half of witchery lest they get accused first. Finally, fear, chaos, and gross miscarriage of justice. Many of those too principled to confess or falsely accuse were hanged.
Some three hundred years later, the same dynamics replayed themselves in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China. Husbands accused wives of being counter-revolutionary, the Marxist equivalent of witchcraft. Students accused teachers, and workers accused their factory foremen. Too many heartaches, bodily injuries, and deaths to count or permitted to count -- even to this day.
I am not suggesting that the current rounds of sexual abuse allegations are anywhere near these historical precedents. But then again, we have only just begun. Let's be careful and mindful of history. That's all I am saying. While history rarely repeats itself, it often rhymes...
09 October 2017
celebrating the 19th Party Congress
The Party Congress to commence on 18 October, 2017, in Peking. Some experts believe that at this Congress, the Chinese Communist Party Constitution may be amended to allow General-Secretary Xi Jinping to serve beyond the two five-year terms currently stipulated in the document. Interesting.
21 September 2017
Is Porn Star Evelyn Lin Now a Finance Guru?!
We know Asians are sexy and smart, but this is way too sexy and smart!!! Is Evelyn now a know-it-all financial maven?
16 September 2017
20 August 2017
A Classic K-pop Song by Suki
The song is classic k-pop in that it is rhythmic, moving, and sing-along-able! Suki is a real talent.
06 August 2017
Another Great Talent!
This Chinese-Malaysian kid is quite talented!
Chinese name:
江卓权
English name: Joseph Kan
31 July 2017
"Milk Girl" Zhang Zetian is Now a Billionairess
She married an old dude who happens to be a co-founder of the second largest e-commerce company in China, JD.com. We don't fault her. It's right that she monetizes her (ephemeral) beauty/youth for long-lasting money! See our features of Ms Zhang from 2011 by clicking on her name in the label section. Has it been that long since we drooled over her?!
03 July 2017
SLAIN IN THE USA!
Zhang Yingying, the 26-year-old scholar in residence at the University of Illinois (UI), was kidnapped by a former UI graduate student. She is presumed killed. She had only been in the United States for less than a month. Another senseless murder of a promising life. Why does China keep sending its best, brightest, and most beautiful to the US only to be killed?!
30 June 2017
17 June 2017
KARMA IS A BITCH DURING MENSTRUATION: THE LEE KWAN YEW FAMILY
IN TIGHTLY CONTROLLED SINGAPORE, THE PUBLIC IN RECENT DAYS HAS BEEN ENTERTAINED BY THE FRATERNAL IN-FIGHTING AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE LATE DEAR LEADER, MR LEE KWAN YEW. THE KIDS, INCLUDING HIS ELDEST SON, THE CURRENT PRIME MINISTER OF THE ISLAND REPUBLIC (OR IS IT KINGDOM?), HAVE BEEN SQUABBLING OVER THE DEAR LEADER'S WILL AND POLITICAL LEGACY.
DURING HIS 56-YEAR REIGN OF THE ISLAND, HARRY LEE KWAN YEW RULED WITH AN IRON FIST: KILLING, MAIMING, IMPRISONING, AND BANKRUPTING HIS FOES ONE BY ONE. TWO YEARS AFTER THE DICTATOR KICKED THE BUCKET, THE KIDS ARE AT EACH OTHER'S THROAT -- IN FULL VIEW OF THE PUBLIC BECAUSE THEY CHOOSE TO AIR THEIR DISPUTES VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.
THE ALMIGHTY BUDDHA WAS RIGHT: KARMA IS A BITCH!
27 May 2017
Chinese Locusts?
For many years, this Fairbank Report has been critical of Hong Kongers' hateful attitude toward their Mainland brethren. We had accused them of being self-hating slaves who still worshipped their English overlords. We are sure there's a small tranche of the HK population that fits this mold. But now, we realize that the Hong Kongers' description of their Mainland cousins as locusts may not be that far-fetched. The problem with the Chinese is their sheer number. China's middle class -- at 500 million people -- is larger than the entire population of North America. The number is larger than the entire population of the European continent!
So, when these "locusts" are on the move, they are terribly disruptive. They raise property prices, buy up all daily necessities (such as baby formula, over-the-counter medicine, toiletry, etc.), take up hospital beds and university seats, and clog up the transportation systems. It's not that they are individually terrible or objectionable. In fact, they can be very nice and friendly. And China's post-1990 generation is quite sexy and alluring.
But collectively in their large numbers, Mainland Chinese cause significant disruption, displacement, and inconvenience to the locals wherever they show up. Throw in the general lack of sophistication (they've been rich for only 20 years), and we can easily see the Hong Kongers' angst. In fact, people in Australia, New Zealand, and North America are beginning to experience the effects of the Chinese locusts, something that Hong Kongers have been dealing with for at least ten years. We are beginning to feel the Hong Kongers' pain and experiencing their angst...
19 April 2017
10 April 2017
FUCK UNITED AIRLINES
We've never been fans of United Airlines because of its old fleet, crappy service, and unattractive flight attendants. Now, we can add several more reasons to dislike UA: racism and brutality. Beating and dragging an aged doctor off the plane just because he's Asian is just so wrong in 2017. Hell, it was wrong in 1947. #boycottUnited
26 March 2017
In Love with Summer Le
This Vietnamese-Vietnamese (as opposed to the Westminster-Vietnamese) cutie pie is a gracious and beautiful food blogger about Danang cuisine. Her English is impeccable, and her charm and elegance just make our hearts flutter!
Summer, will you marry me?
21 March 2017
18 March 2017
12 March 2017
12 February 2017
22 January 2017
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