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).
27 August 2018
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...
09 September 2012
Happy Ending?
Yes, we are using double entendre here. A high-ranking Chinese official and his hot mistress (Is there any other kind?) found dead and naked in delicious sex poz in a locked car. Cause of death: Carbon Monoxide poisoning. What a pleasant way to go...
Warning: Explicit photos of the deceased couple in their compromising position in the link below.
http://www.ministryoftofu.com/2012/08/rumor-that-senior-military-officer-and-mistress-died-of-co-gas-poisoning-while-fornicating-censored-in-china/
22 August 2012
27 November 2011
21 October 2011
Today's Asian Kids Are So Epic!
"Cute"
While some netizens have accused him of being gay, he's just a "pretty boy" who has classical
Update: His name is "Calvin Her." Yep, he's a Her. LOL!
18 July 2011
Chinese GOLD Medalist Begging in the Streets
Top Chinese gymnast found begging on the street
One of China's most promising young gymnasts, who seemed destined for Olympic glory before his career ended in injury, has been found begging on the streets of Beijing, prompting criticism of the country's Soviet-style sports system.
Zhang Shangwu: His gold medal-winning performance was the highlight of his career, and he seemed certain to make the cut for the 2004 Athens Olympics until he broke his left Achilles tendon in training in 2002 Photo: AFP
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
1:02PM BST 18 Jul 2011
Zhang Shangwu, 28, a specialist on the still rings, had even sold the two gold medals he won at the World University championships in 2001 for just £10 in order to buy food.
Mr Zhang said there were others like him who had found themselves in a desperate situation after being cut loose from China's state-run sports system.
Speaking on a mobile phone he bought for 30 yuan (£2.90) in order to find work, Mr Zhang said he had received a phone call recently from another struggling gymnast.
"He thought I might draw some attention to the problem. But I can barely look after myself at the moment, let alone take on anyone else's worries," he said.
Born into a peasant family in Baoding, Hebei province, Mr Zhang was sent to a local gymnastics academy at the age of five. After seven years of gruelling training, he showed enough promise to be selected to China's national team and in 2001 he was entered by officials into the World University Games, despite not having an education outside his sport.
From the Web
His gold medal-winning performance was the highlight of his career, and he seemed certain to make the cut for the 2004 Athens Olympics until he broke his left Achilles tendon in training in 2002.
He never fully recovered, missed the games, and in 2005 he retired with a 38,000 yuan (£3,650) pay-off from the government in his home province of Hebei. "The money meant the local team no longer had to take any liability for my future," he said.
"After I left the sports system, I got a job as a food delivery boy, but after a while my injury got worse and worse so eventually I couldn't run or even walk for long periods".
His savings were wiped out, he said, when his grandfather had a brain haemorrhage. "That used up all my remaining money, and then I was forced to sell my medals because I did not have any money for food."
Shortly afterwards, in 2007, he turned to theft and was arrested in Beijing, only being released in April this year. "Since I got out, I have been begging and I was sleeping overnight in an internet café," he said.
Mr Zhang's situation has shocked China, which spares no effort in honouring the winners of Olympic gold medals, showering them and their families with gifts. Critics said that it was unacceptable for the majority of athletes, who retire in anonymity, to be left in difficult circumstances.
Xing Aowei, a former team-mate of Mr Zhang and a winner at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, told a Chinese website that he was concerned about the impact his story would have on gymnastics.
"With a world champion descending into such a life, who would want to be a gymnast in the future?" he asked.
Other Chinese sportsmen have also struggled after leaving the protective blanket of the national team. Ai Dongmei, a former marathon champion, sold the 10 medals she had won in international competitions in order to support her family after her husband was laid off. Zou Chunlan, the national female weightlifting champion, worked at a public bathhouse as a masseuse.
Mr Zhang said he was now living in a hotel paid for by a Chinese newspaper and was happy to accept charity until he finds himself a stable job.
11 June 2011
27 March 2011
06 February 2011
28 January 2011
USD4,000 for her virginity
The woman, who declared unmarried at 30, said, "I want to meet my prince who is charming," but was forced to return home with little more than the stern glares of passers-by.
According to a Chinese news portal site, a long-haired woman in a yellow jacket attracted a barrage of criticism on the street of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, Jan. 25 in local time.
"I am selling my virginity for 25,800 yuan," the woman's pink placard reads, stating a figure equivalent to around 4.3 million won. Revealing little about herself other than her age and marital status, the woman silently waited for a man from the streets to approach her.
She attracted significant attention as ordinary people on the street took photos with their camera phones; however, hardly any men seemed to indicate any intention of fulfilling the woman's wishes.
When a reporter on the scene asked the woman what had driven her to such action, she replied, "A friend who has watched me being single for a long time gave me some advice. She said that if I demonstrated some courage, I might increase my chances of meeting a nice man. That is why I have come to be here doing this today."
The woman endured the sharp stares of other people in the street before eventually being restrained and sent home by the guards employed at a nearby bank.
"By offering her body for a clearly stated price, the woman was engaging in illegal prostitution and, if caught again, may be arrested," said a police officer.
18 January 2011
16 January 2011
Sunday Girl: Zhang Zetian (张则天) as sweet as yelai xiang
China's Zhang Zetian (张则天)... So beautiful...So adorableHu's on first
from the Christian Science Monitor
The Chinese often speak in numbers, as in the "four pillars of destiny," Mao's "five-anti" campaign, or the Three Gorges Dam. (That was the Three-Examples List.)
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In this spirit, here is the Four Things to Watch For list to help anyone who might be watching the Jan. 18-21 visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to the United States (notice they also all start with "B" – which also helps in remembering them):
1. Bonding buddies: How cozy have President Obama and President Hu become after their many summits? Personal relations matter in diplomacy, even more so as these two giant countries try not to clash with each other. Will they smile at each other, stand close, share intimacies? First names, perhaps? (Or is it last names, in China?)
2. Big protocol oops: Hu's last official visit in 2006 was marred by at least two incidents. An interpreter mistakenly announced the Chinese national anthem as that of the "Republic of China," the official name of Taiwan. Then, in a White House press conference, a Chinese dissident raised a flag of protest. Similar mistakes this time would force Hu to lose face as he prepares to leave office next year.
3. Bearing gifts: In Chinese tradition, Hu will likely come bearing gifts. He already gave one: a promise of closer military-to-military ties made during the recent visit to China by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Gifts during Hu's visit may simply be the dozens of business contracts expected to be signed with American firms on his trip to Chicago. Why is that such a gift? Well, Obama is looking for job creation, right? And by the way, China needs to deflect criticism in Congress about its currency manipulation and export subsidies.
4. Bring it home: The closing moments of such state visits usually include a joint press conference and a joint statement. Will the two men have more agreements than disagreements – on North Korea, currency, Taiwan, climate change, security issues, etc.? Or no joint statement at all (unlikely)? How will Hu handle questions from the troublesome American press? Will Obama (the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate) embarrass his guest by mentioning jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo (the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate)?
There, see how numbering things makes its easy to get a handle on important stuff? Maybe this state visit by Hu will be as simple as 1-2-3.
15 January 2011
Continuing our worship of Miss Zhang Zetian
11 January 2011
22 December 2010
Chinese AIDS Orphan Update
A 6-year-old AIDS orphan who lived alone in a remote mountain village in Liuzhou, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has found a new home in a charity organization.
A Long, an HIV-positive child, received widespread media coverage when his plight was publicized last month.
Offers of assistance have since flooded in from across the country, including those from netizens who wanted to buy toys and decorate his room for him to make his life more comfortable.
The local government intervened on his behalf and arranged for him to live at a home run by an unnamed charity.
His grandmother, who lived nearby, was also relocated and the two were awarded a monthly stipend of 1,200 yuan ($180) to help meet their needs.
(Xinhua News Agency)
21 September 2010
中秋節 Not Chuseok
Yet, the Koreans claim it as a "Korean holiday." Calling it "chuseok," Arirang TV translates it as "Korean Thanksgiving." There's no such concept as thanksgiving in the Sinitic world or in the broader Asian world. Thanksgiving is a Western concept, and Thanksgiving Day is purely American.
It's Zhongqiu, and it's Chinese in origin with Korean and Vietnamese variations.
This year Zhongqiu falls on September 22. So happy 中秋節!