You Must Be This Tall to Read This Week's YRC...

Howdy there and welcome back to the Yellow River Chronicles!  This week we are continuing the Other Side of the World tradition of incisive journalism with a look into another PR of C amusement park you may find..well, you may find us at a loss for words on this one, dear readers.

As you may recall, the last article covered the plans to build a multi-billion dollar amusement park just outside Tibet's capital, Lhasa.  This is a potentially sensitive subject for some, but clearly not for anyone currently residing in China AND living there on a residency visa.  However, as it turns out, the planned Lhasa amusement park is not the only example of the PR of C penchant for optimism and honesty in the face of potentially sensitive topics.

Eighth Route Army Culture Park in Shanxi Province:

Eight Route Army, Shanxi

The YRC has learned that a NEW theme park opened a year ago, located in Shanxi, a province that has many  "red tourism" destinations. During the 1930s and 40s, over 90,000 of Shanxi's residents joined the Eighth Route Army, making up the majority of the 140,000 troops that would fight over 4,300 battles against the Japanese.

According to The Atlantic, the theme park features trench simulation scenarios that allow visitors to don either Japanese or Eight Route Army outfits and shoot toy weapons. The Eighth Route Army was a unit of the National Revolutionary Army that fought against the Japanese. Besides dressing as them, visitors can also ride a train and shoot at Japanese soldiers.

There are even live-action performances that show actors dressed as Japanese troops that "stick samurai swords in plainclothes Eighth Route Army soldiers and then shoot them".  Um...yeah.  Where's the Eight Route Army bar, by the way?

This, from the article in The Atlantic:

What would you get if you were able to mix Red Dawn with both a Civil War battle reenactment and Disneyland, and then translated the whole thing into Chinese? At the Eighth Route Army Culture Park in Shanxi province, named after the Communist military unit that fought behind Japanese lines in the 1940s, visitors can dress up as either Chinese or Japanese troops and pretend to blast away at each other with toy guns.

A boy dressed as an Eighth Route Army soldier aims down the sights of his toy gun during a live-action role-playing game. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

Complete with staffers who play out scenes of Japanese oppression for the patriotic benefit of Chinese onlookers, the theme park is also equipped with a shooting-gallery attraction that takes would-be soldiers through a model village populated with fake targets, as well as trenches where tourists do battle in live-action role-playing games. The park cost the local government about $80 million to put together. At a time when anti-Japanese sentiment is running high in China over the two countries' island dispute in the East China Sea, the theme park seems to have hit on a timely business opportunity.

Actors' performances at the Eighth Route Army Culture Park can involve elaborate visual effects. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

No, This is NOT a Joke:  Now you may say, "How imperialistic do you have to be to go on this ride?", or you may question if the the good old YRC is following The Onion into journalistic history (more on that next week).  As proof, here is the link to the article, if you wish any further details:  Veracity Check and Atlantic Article HERE!!

What are We Doing About It:  You will be please to know that the YRC staff is hard at work researching other interesting and educational Theme Parks. Some potential ideas are the "Tora Tora Tora" theme park where Japanese citizens can sink models of American battleships, or the "Barbarians Enter Through the Front Gate" theme park based on the Battle of Stalingrad.  There, Russian citizens can see ballet troupes from Moscow reenacting scenes from the battle.  The possibilities are just endless.

Remember!  You must be THIS TALL to read the YRC, and THIS TALL you are!  Until next week!

P.S.  They are planning a Disney World in the good old 'Hai!  This from China Economic Review:

Shanghai Disney ResortScheduled to open in 2016, Shanghai’s Disney Resort will cover 963 acres in the Pudong district, approximately three times the area of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. At an initial cost of RMB24.5 billion (US$3.7 billion), Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and the park’s majority owner, the Shanghai Shengdi Group, aim to build a whole new world of entertainment and adventure, including a park, two themed hotels, a retail, dining and entertainment venue, and an array of recreation facilities.

Slow Down and Enjoy Life with the YRC!

Hello and welcome back to our little hut by the sedate Huang Pu River.

This week's Yellow River Chronicles may contain even less content than usual because of the current "slowdown" of Internet services.   The slowdown has created a small problem here at the YRC.  As you may have noticed, we don't actually do anything original here.  We simply read the China Daily and shazam, a column is born.  But things are moving a little slooooooow here on the Other Side of the World, so there may be less photos, but more facts, people.

Slow What?    Many foreign observers and media have falsely assumed that the Internet was slowed as part of a general "information management" effort here in the P.R. of C during the Party Congress.  For example, this from the LA Times:

Google and many of its services, including its popular email service Gmail, are being blocked in China, according to a report from GreatFire.org, a Chinese website that monitors outages.

Google could not be immediately reached for comment.

[Updated at 9:33 a.m.: In an emailed statement later, Google said: "We've checked and there's nothing wrong on our end."]

The search giant has weathered intermittent outages in the world's most populous market since Google said it would end its practice of acquiescing to Chinese government officials' demands to censor search results in China nearly three years ago.

Google's Transparency Report shows a decline in traffic to all of its products in China over the last several hours.

Users trying to reach Google services end up at a vacant IP address, GreatFire.org reports. Only those with  special access to a virtual private network, or VPN, can now reach Google services, it said.

GreatFire.org argues that this outage could be a step toward "fully separating the Chinanet from the Internet."    Others speculate it could be a temporary move during China's leadership transition.

Google pulled the plug on its search engine operation in China in March 2010 after a tense standoff with the Chinese government over Google's allegations that it had been a victim of a sophisticated cyber attack originating in China. 

What Are They Talking About?  All of this conspiracy, schmiracy about the epic changeover in leadership during the Party Congress and the control of ping pong balls (This from the NY TImes):

BEIJING — A word of advice to anyone hoping to celebrate the gathering of Communist Party apparatchiks who are about to descend on the capital next week to anoint a new generation of Chinese leaders: Leave the balloons at home.

As Party Congress Nears, Beijing Fears Subversive Ping-Pong Balls

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The window crank of a Beijing cab was removed to prevent riders from tossing out anti government messages.

As this sprawling city of 20 million people steels itself for the 18th Party Congress, all sorts of potentially buoyant objects — balloons, homing pigeons, Ping-Pong balls and remote-control toy airplanes — are finding their way onto lists of suspicious items that could potentially carry protest messages and mar the meticulously choreographed political spectacle.

And this is just a tiny portion of the government’s rules and restrictions, circulated on the Internet but never officially acknowledged, that seem likely to make daily life especially challenging during the week long congress, which one provincial police department likened to a “state of war.”

In recent days, kitchen knives have been removed from store shelves, Internet access has mysteriously slowed to the speed of molasses, and international news channels like CNN and the BBC have disappeared from television sets in upscale health clubs.

At the Bookworm, a popular English-language bookstore, the section previously devoted to Chinese politics and history has been stuffed with Stephen King thrillers, child-rearing guides and Victoria Beckham’s “That Extra Half an Inch.”

“We’re just reorganizing,” one employee said with a helpless shrug. “They’ll be back after the party congress.”

In recent days, the list of interruptions and inconveniences has grown longer than a post-congress communique. Running marathons, academic conferences, pet adoption fairs, film productions and jazz concerts have all been canceled or postponed. Not just in Beijing but across the country, business deals at state-run enterprises have been frozen for weeks, employees say, while one frustrated Web designer said no new sites could go up until after party elders publicly presented the new slate of top leaders at the end of the congress.

Nihao, China!!

What a Bunch of Nonsense.  Really. This all simply not true.  Complete fabrications.  The truth is, all of this mishegoss is in preparation for the Elton John concert next week.  It's that simple.

Everybody knows that Elton John is terribly afraid of ping-pong balls (ever since that unfortunate incident in Vegas).  The Internet is slowing down because everyone is downloading megabits of Elton tunes.  Why you can't get in an elevator without somebody humming "Your Song".

So slow down, foreign media.  Chill out.  Relax.  Put on "Madman Across the Water" and open a Tsing Tao or two.  The Party Congress is over and its time to....party!  See you in two weeks (visitors next week!) at the Yellow River Chronicles!

 Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli check out the stage where Elton John will perform on Thanksgiving Weekend.

A Solution to the Difficult Problem of Travelling to...You Know Where...

The Elite Lhasa Guard (VOA photo)

The Yellow River Chronicles returns its haunt on the banks of the Huang Pu this week!
As you may remember, the YRC staff was not able to obtain a permit to visit Tibet this year.  We suspect that some of you may have written ahead to them as a warning, but it turns out that those who have residency visas in China cannot visit...China, but the part that used to be...Tibet.

But, we have an update for you.  New stuff has come to light!  To bring our loyal YRC readers up to speed, while it is extremely difficult for foreigners to get a permit, if you are planning on going and you are not from one of the "restricted countries" (UK, Norway, Korea, Austria, the Philippines and Vietnam) you may have a now have a chance of visiting the Roof of the World.  But don't pack your bags until you read the rest of this missive, please.

Note absence of YRC staff in this photo...(VOA photo)

New Policy Issued on Travel Permits:

Tibet Tourism Bureau issued new policy on issuing Tibet permits at the beginning of May. The new policy stated that Tibet permits will not be issued unless there are at least 4 tourists with the same nationality in the same tour group. Later, it became more harsh. Tibet permits will only be issued to a group with minimum 5, even 6 travelers with the same nationality. The new policy makes many individual travelers find that it is hard to get Tibet permits.

 According to Explore Tibet, the new rules for Tibet travel are as follows: 

Based on the need of specialty of Tibetan nation tradition, historical sites and environmental protection, Government releases new Tibet travel rules for non Chinese citizen; foreigners, Taiwan visitors and overseas Chinese (Chinese who hold foreign passports) must apply for Foreigner Tibet Travel Permit issued by Tibetan Tourist Administration before they enter Tibet. At the same time, foreign journalists, diplomat and government officers can’t go to Tibet with visitor identity. (There is no need for citizens in Hong Kong or Macau to transact Tibet Travel Permit only they have Home Return Permit or Hong Kong/Macau pass)B. According to rules of National Tourism Administration, foreigners, Taiwan visitors and overseas Chinese (except for citizens in Hong Kong/Macau who hold Home Return Permit or Hong Kong/Macau pass) are not allowed to free travel in Tibet.C. The overseas tour group must obtain Tibet Travel Permit from Tibetan Tourism Administration or other local office.

A New Solution to the Problem Emerges:

But, as a wonderful lesson in how things are handled on The Other Side of the World, we YRC staff members were pleased to learn that you can now get...FAKE permits to visit Tibet.  After all, if you are a world premier destination for "artificial" luxury goods, pharmaceuticals, food, software and hairy-crabs (see earlier YRC for explanation  then you would naturally find a solution to the travel problem by provide low-cost and high quality fake permits.  So, an elegant solution to a knotty travel problem.

This from ChinaTibetTrain:

Fake or Real?

Fake TTB Permits: The lucrative tourist business in China is booming and the issuance of fake permits are increasing. As such TTB permits can only be issued by the Lhasa Tibet Tourism Bureau who will mail them out to various cities in China as well as Kathmandu. This policy changes from time to time so double check with your tour company as well as ChinaTibetTrain.com This is why it is important to apply for the Tibet Entry Permit 30 days in advance.

So there is some possibility that if you are planning a trip, you may actually get to go.  But there is an excellent reason you may want to wait a few years before visiting (and the real subject of this week's YRC).



Why Are We Babbling About Visiting Tibet Again?

The Lhasa Palace (Google Earth)

Millions of Chinese visit Lhasa and Tibet every month here on the Other Side.  There are posters everywhere and many of our Chinese colleagues have visited.  No permits, no hassles, just grab your ID card, a pack of smokes and head out.



And when they return, they generally have one comment.  There is NOTHING TO DO in Tibet.  Sure, you see the sights in Lhasa, you ride around and look at the mountains, you go see a few flat spots where a famous, ancient temple used to be, but then what do you do?

The Answer to "What to Do on the Roof of the World?"

The People's Republic has come up with an answer, as they always do.  They are going to put a huge theme park in Tibet (this from the International Business Times):

Chinese authorities hope that a new $4.7 billion theme park will promote ethnic harmony and attract an additional 5 million tourists each year to the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Chinese name for Central Tibet.   The 800-hectare (2,000-acre) cultural park will open just outside of downtown Lhasa, the capital and hub of regional tourism, and tell the story of princess Wencheng, the niece of a Tang dynasty emperor who became a symbol of ethnic friendship when she married Tibet's King Songtsan Gambo. Visitors to the park will view Wencheng-based outdoor performances and explore other educational and entertainment facilities relating to the princess and her adopted home of Tibet.

The Planned "Prayer Wheel" Adventure Ride...(Global Times)

In true YRC fashion, we will not bore you with facts or details,  attached below from a highly reputable source,  The Telegraph.  We will let you browse it and draw your own conclusions, but this is not a joke, people.

 The YRC mind begins to wander when one thinks of the possible attractions at the $4.7 billion amusement park.  The "Everest Climber" frozen custard stand?  The "Catch a Yak" hoop throw?  The "High Altitude" Ferris wheel with oxygen masks and of course, the "Prayer Wheel" roller coaster?  The possibilities are endless.

For our part, we at the YRC can only say (now that we can get a "permit" <wink wink>) we can't wait for the theme park to open!!  It is bound to be....epic.

By Tom Phillips, Shanghai

1:45PM BST 16 Jul 2012

Comments

Plans to build the theme park on the outskirts of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, were unveiled last week and are part of a government drive to attract 15 million tourists to the region by 2015.

Campaigners warn that promotion of mass-tourism could prove ruinous for Tibet's environment and culture and brings few economic benefits for the Tibetans themselves.

But Monday's edition of the Global Times, widely seen as a mouthpiece for the views of China's Communist Party, delivered a strongly worded rebuke to critics.

"Ordinary Tibetans do not want to live in a backwater museum to be exhibited to foreign visitors who can appraise how well their culture is 'preserved'," argued the article, written by commentator Chen Chenchen.

"The latest grand tourist project will further fuel the local economy and provide more opportunities for direct interaction between locals and visitors Economic growth and cultural prosperity are not in opposition."

Mr Chen rejected claims that developing China's western region posed a threat to traditional Tibetan culture.

"If Han [Chinese] culture is a form of invasion what about the intrusion of US culture in China, from Disney to hamburgers? Is this also a form of cultural genocide?"

The announcement of plans for the theme park comes at a time of increasing instability in Tibetan areas of west China, where campaigners say more than 40 Tibetans have self-immolated over the last 18 months.

Last week London-based campaigning group Free Tibet claimed there had been a "heavy security crackdown" in Damshung county, near Lhasa, after a 22-year-old Tibetan man set himself on fire in protest against the Chinese government.

Stephanie Brigden, Free Tibet's director, said the "Disneyfication of Tibet" through mass tourism projects would do little to improve the situation.

"We are not opposed to development per se but this type of [large-scale] tourism will not benefit Tibetans and will actually further marginalise [them]. Any kind of development within Tibet has to be inclusive of an informed by the opinions of Tibetans."

"[The government] believes that economic growth is the way to secure harmony [but] economic growth in itself does not bring harmony," she added.

Mr Chen said it was "increasingly impossible that a bulwark can be erected to "protect" the Tibetan culture from external impact." "[Whether] Western observers like it or not, the younger generations in Tibet are already making changes to their traditions. They speak Tibetan, and they also browse web pages in Chinese and English. They join in family religious ceremonies, and they also visit nightclubs.

"Tibetan culture is also evolving along a common road that many cultures have already experienced."

Four Things You Will Not Find in Shanghai...

Hello, hello, HELLO! Welcome to this week's Yellow River Chronicles.  During the staff wanderings of the Great American Midwest last month, we spent some time in Youngstown, Ohio.

The ancestral home of a member of the YRC, Youngstown has the honor of being named by Forbes magazine as the Fourth Best City in America to raise a family (http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eddf45gihi/no-4-youngstown-ohio/).

Former home of the "Youngstown Tuneup", Youngstown is one of the "vanishing American cities" in the Rust Belt that were once dependent on the U.S. steel and automotive industries and are now trying to positively adapt to "de-population".

A brief history back story.  As went the American steel industry, so went Youngstown.  This from www.answers.com:

When the war ended, steelmakers wanted to roll back union gains that the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt had forced the industry to accept, but the USWA had grown too big to destroy. Between 1946 and 1959, the USWA struck five times in an effort to win higher wages and more control over workplace conditions for its members. Each of these strikes shut down the industry. 

As a result of these disputes, America's steelworkers were among the highest paid manufacturing employees in the country. The cost of these wage gains contributed to the collapse of the industry in subsequent decades.
Foreign competition also contributed to the industry's decline. Countries like Japan and Germany first became major players in the international steel market during the 1960s. Later on, countries like Brazil and South Korea would break into the American market.

Youngstown Population digits

Although friends of the American steel industry would often complain of unfair competition from abroad, foreign producers' use of new technology and the failure of American steelmakers to innovate also explain these developments. For example, two Austrian firms developed the Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) in 1952. This process, which used pure oxygen as the only fuel in the furnace, was much more efficient than the then-traditional open hearth method. No major American steelmaker adopted this technology until 1957. U.S. Steel, still the largest firm in the industry, did not commission its first BOF unit until 1964. 

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/iron-and-steel-industry#ixzz2B2x6QAhK

Did the Chinese Do it??  And nooooo, the steel industry did NOT move to the People's Republic.  China actually alternates between exporting and importing steel.  The largest exporter of steel in the world is...Japan!

But More About Us:  But enough about dull old global economics.   Your hard-working and far-traveling YRC staff left the banks of the extremely polluted Huang Pu river in the city of Shanghai and wandered to the shores of the mildly polluted Mahoning River in the  city of Youngstown, Ohio.

And there in that city, we found, along with fresh air and blue skies, four things that we would not find in the mega-city of Shanghai, no matter how hard we looked.

The Four Things that You Will Never Find in Shanghai that are in Youngstown, Ohio:

Lots of house for the money

Number One:  Inexpensive real estate!  Housing is nearly the most expensive in the world in Shanghai, while in Youngstown, your housing dollar goes very, very far.

In fact, about 43 percent of Youngstown's land is vacant; and, as of January of last year, Youngstown had 4,500 vacant structures throughout the city.  You get a lot of house for your yuan, there.

A kilo of the ham, please...

Number Two:  Excellent cold cuts.  Let's be honest, people, Chinese cold cuts are an unearthly shade of pink and taste like recycled Barbie Dolls. Youngstown, with its Italian/Polish/German heritage, has an EPIC number of lunch meats.  The legendary (wait for it, Youngstown buddies)  Chipped-Chopped ham is no widely available, but memories remain.

Note the blue skies of Ohio...

Number Three:  Great doughnuts and tasty cop coffee.  Sadly, there are no great donut (see sign) shops in the 24 million strong international powerhouse that is Shanghai. In tiny Youngstown, you can find some of the best 'nuts in the world.  And a cup of java runs 89 cents at the Plaza. Find that in the "Hai...

The lunch special is lasagna

Number Four:  DINERS!!  Because the restaurant scene solidified sometime around the closing of the steel plants, Youngstown has many excellent diners, with all the homemade "cobler" you could want, served by waitresses who call you "honey".  Try and find that in Shanghai, unless...well, let's not go there...  Let's have some of the meatloaf or maybe another Turkey Manhattan, please...

But we do hope you will come back for a second or third helping of the Yellow River Chronicles next week.  See ya then!