Time to Clear the Air

Aaahhhhhhhh.

Take a deep breath, dear readers.  Relax. We here at the YRC we hope you enjoy that fresh air feeling.

Now, cough like the popcorn just got torched in the microwave or you power-bonged some harsh weed. Why?  Today at the Yellow River Chronicles we are going to talk about our least favorite place to visit:  Reality.  Enter, the Great Air Quality question in the PR of C.

So here's the question we have been asked many times about the PR of C.  How good/bad is the air in China?

Another sunny day on Tienanmen Square. 

First things first.  Here is the official story, direct from the highest Chinese authorities.

The air here in China, as measured by the Chinese air measurement authorities, is very good, and in fact, improving.  Here are the facts from China Daily, published 12/19/2011:

274 Days of Blue Sky in Beijing in 2011:

BEIJING - As of Saturday, Beijing had enjoyed 274 days of "blue sky" in 2011, fulfilling its annual target ahead of schedule, an official at the city's environmental protection bureau said on Saturday.Beijing experienced an overall decline in the concentration of various pollutants in 2011, said Zhuang Zhidong, deputy director of the bureau.The concentration of PM10, or particulate matter of less than 10 micrometers, decreased to 114 micrograms a cubic meter this year, the lowest in four years, according to the bureau.The city's overall air quality was better than last year, with 22 more days of Grade I air quality, Zhuang said.Beijing uses a five-grade classification of air quality on the basis of pollution indices, with Grade I being the best and Grade V the worst.Days with Grade I or II air quality are considered "blue sky days."However, Beijing also experienced several days of poor air quality as a result of adverse weather. Factors such as weaker winds and a rise in humidity are unsuitable for the dispersal of atmospheric pollutants, according to the bureau.
Air quality monitoring in Beijing made headlines recently due to public debate over different standards of measurement. (YRC emphasis)China currently uses PM10 to measure air quality, but the public has urged government authorities to apply the tighter PM2.5 standard, which measures finer matter that is considered more hazardous to human health as it can go deeper into the lungs.The Ministry of Environmental Protection said it has been reviewing the standards.It said that a new index standard, which would include PM2.5 and ozone density, is scheduled to be fully implemented nationwide in 2016, with pilot projects in certain regions ahead of the national deadline.

So You're Telling Me It's Good Air, Comrade.

Good to know, right, pumpkins?  Breath deep. There are as many blue-sky days in Beijing as there are in Aspen, Colorado, for example.  However, just so you know, the Chinese government has a measurement system focusing on the 10-micron standard, which measures the important BIG particles, we figure.

Many others, however, seem to think that its the small particles, like 2.5 micron, that are important.  So, outside the PR of C, there are multiple reports from every news source on the planet which record that Beijing and many cities in China have air quality close to the exhaust from an ancient coal-fired generator at a big chemical refinery...that is on fire.

In This Case, Red is Bad and So is the Air, Comrades.

WHO data. Over 20 mcg is bad...

Take this article for example from Shanghaiist:  

It's no news that China's air pollution is bad. In fact if this NASA map (courteously provided above by your elite YRC photo staff) of PM2.5 levels is anything to go by, Eastern China has it the worst in the entire world. But why is the air pollution in some Chinese cities is simply bad (like Guangzhou) while others are super bad (like Beijing?) And which provinces are actually doing anything about it?
Greenpeace recently took air quality statistics from China's Ministry of Environmental Protection and lined up 28 important cities located in the country's economic powerhouse regions to reveal what exactly is going on:
Beijing's air is really, really bad (duh), but so is Nanjing's and Hangzhou's
Beijing had the dubious honour of landing itself at the bottom of the 28 cities when it came to comparing PM10 levels. In 2010 the city exceeded World Health Organization standards for PM10 by a whopping 605%, hitting an average of 121 ug/m3 for PM10 (the WHO recommends a maximum of 20 ug/m3). Joining Beijing was Nanjing at number 27, and Hangzhou not far behind.

Enter the Americans with Their Rooftop Air Quality Monitors:

The plot thickens as the air darkens.  Remember the data cited above is provided by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection.  The U.S. embassy in Beijing has provided air quality readings to the public for years now.  Why, we do not know, but maybe they were just....curious.  However, this has been a source of conflict between the two nations because the American data is grittier, so to speak.

This from the New York Times:

The Chinese government has monitored exposure levels in 20 cities and 14 other sites, reportedly for as long as five years, but has kept the data secret. 

It sought 18 months ago to silence the American Embassy in Beijing as well, arguing that American officials had insulted the Chinese government by posting readings from the PM 2.5 monitor atop the embassy on Twitter. A Foreign Ministry official warned that the embassy’s data could lead to “social consequences” in China and asked the embassy to restrict access to it. The embassy refused, and Chinese citizens now translate and disseminate the readings widely.

Now....on to Shanghai.

Official photo of Shanghai taken from official YRC offices

But what about Shanghai, the city of dreams?

Our loyal Yellow River Chronicle readers will be pleased to know that we Shanghai residents now have access to the same monitoring data provided by the U.S. embassy in Beijing.  However, according to the Shanghai air monitoring authorities....it could be wrong.

US data clouds Shanghai air readings 

Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The United States consulate in Shanghai has begun issuing its own pollution data, giving a much darker assessment of air quality than government statistics.
Hourly data from a monitoring device in the consulate compound is being posted online and on Twitter.
And throughout yesterday morning, air quality was classified as "unhealthy," even as the local environment bureau called conditions "good."
The discrepancy raised concerns among local residents.
"I firmly believe the US data should be trusted," blogger Xiao She posted. " It's beyond imagination ... that our monitoring center said air quality is good when it looks full of dust."
Shanghai officials blamed different measurement standards and said the US figures only relate to a "limited area around the consulate."
Most mainland cities base air-quality information on particles of 10 micrometers or larger, known as PM10, and do not take into account finer particulates that experts say are most harmful to health. But the US consulate figures, like those already being issued by Washington's embassy in Beijing, do monitor the smaller particles known as PM2.5.
State media said Shanghai will release readings that include PM 2.5 particulates from next month.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Well, gosh darn it, is the the air here in the 'Hai good or bad?

We were startled to learn that the Chinese government, under pressure from the Chinese citizenry, has recently agreed to publish new air-pollution standards, using some of the international standards.

This from the Associated Press, on the recent release of the data from Beijing.

 Steven Andrews, an environmental consultant who has studied Beijing's pollution data since 2006, said he was "already a bit suspicious" of Beijing's PM2.5 data. Within the 24-hour period to noon Saturday, Beijing reported seven hourly figures "at the very low level" of 0.003 milligrams per cubic meter.
"In all of 2010 and 2011, the U.S. Embassy reported values at or below that level only 18 times out of over 15,000 hourly values or about 0.1 percent of the time," said Andrews. "PM2.5 concentrations vary by area so a direct comparison between sites isn't possible, but the numbers being reported during some hours seem surpisingly low."
The Beijing center had promised to release PM2.5 data by the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year on Monday. It has six sites that can test for PM2.5 and 27 that can test for the larger, coarser PM10 particles that are considered less hazardous. The center is expected to buy equipment and build more monitoring sites to enable PM2.5 testing.
Beijing wasn't expected to include PM2.5 in its daily roundups of the air quality anytime soon. Those disclosures, for example "light" or "serious," are based on the amount of PM10, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the air.
Beijing interprets air quality using less stringent standards than the U.S. Embassy, so often when the government says pollution is "light," the embassy terms it "hazardous."

And so the air quality question leads to one more question:

Photo courtesy of The Beijinger, who stole it from somebody else

So what are we going to do about it?.  We here at the YRC are going to look and see if perhaps gas masks can be...sexy, people!  

We must confess we do not know who is right on this air-monitoring disconnect (we have a few ideas).  But as we always say, why take chances?

We are going to acquire a few industrial-strength air scrubbers, wear them on the Metro or out on the town, and you know, man, make a fashion statement out it, man.  After all, we can't hold our breath that long...

Hello and welcome to this week's "Getting Around the People's Republic" issue of the Yellow River Chronicles.  Here at the YRC, we always try to stretch the boundaries of contemporary journalism with a zesty mix of repartie, induendo and outright mendacity.  We have also added video, which brings granularity and density of vision to the column....we think.

Getting around China.  The three-year-old tricycle pilot.

As you know, the YRC staff likes to "get around" and China is no exception!  We start this weeks issue with...well, it's a great example of childcare and traffic, Chinese style.  Watch the video and we'll chat when you get back.

Wild, yes?  That crazy kid!  We think we see a future Chinese racing car driver in training, don't you?

First, thank goodness he made it.  Second, what we found interesting was that NOBODY stopped their buses, cars, or motorbikes to get the kid.  No, we have places to GO people and....hey, drive around that kid on the bike would you?   Third, the policeman brings the kid home, yuks it up with Grandpa and all is well.

And yes, this sort of thing happens in the PR of C quite frequently.

Cruising the river on the Pearl Number Seven:

Pearl No. Seven and Bridge death match.  Pearl loses.

This just in from China Daily, the choice for objective news reporting in the PR of C.

"The luxury cruise ship Pearl NO 7, bumps a bridge in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, May 23, 2012. No injuries were reported, but the deluxe liner lost its chimney which left a mark on Wenzhou Bridge. The cruise was being dragged by four tugboats to a downtown terminal ahead of opening to the public during the National Day holidays in October. The accident is believed to have been caused by miscommunications of the ship's height, Wenzhou City News reported. [Photo/CFP]"

Honey, the Ledo deck is out of commission.  Want to hit the buffet before the crowds?

How to avoid a car inspection in Nanjing:

Watch the black car.  Watch out for the black car!

And now for an exciting article and video from ChinaSmack.

As exposed by internet user “JEEPNJ”, on 2012 April 3rd around 3pm in the afternoon, on Nanjing’s Gaochun Road, in order to escape inspection, a driver in a black Buick Excelle staged a mad charade, smashing into 12 cars before fleeing the scene. Currently, police are still investigating. This is the above-mentioned user’s dash-cam recording.


Click here for the article and video

(http://www.chinasmack.com/2012/videos/chinese-driver-hits-12-cars-to-escape-police-checkpoint.html) (If it doesn't work, paste into your browser, please).


Our favorite part is when the motorbike pulls into the "lane of destruction", followed by a large group of people.

And finally, a birds eye-view of traffic patterns in a typical Chinese city:

According to www.driver.com, "To the North American eye, used to simple traffic, simple rules and lots of space, it looks impossible and disorganized. A China-bound tourist might take one look at this and understand immediately why rental cars in China usually come with their own driver.


However, upon closer scrutiny, the 'chaos' is not so chaotic. The Chinese themselves are used to this more informal relationship with rules and their expectations of other road users are vastly different from the North American expectations.


As journalist Ken Wills points out in an article on the Boston.com web site, Chinese driving habits appear to be "a direct extension of China's bicycle culture, whereby every move is a calculated negotiation among throngs of cyclists flowing at roughly the same speed and in the same direction."


So that's it people!  You now know why we are somewhat nervous when we step out the door in the morning.  It's an adventure, we'll tell ya!  Thanks for tuning in, check those mirrors and as Bill Murray said....don't drive angry.

Part Two of the Lair of the Shanghai Voodoo Princess

Okay, so we are BACK with part two of the "Lair of the Shanghai Voodoo Princesses".   In our last episode, (like those wonderful days in World History class when you only had a film to watch), we reviewed the Canadian Broadcast film "Shanghai-Sin City".  There will be a quiz at the end of the column, so here's a quick summary.

Shanghai 1949

Ahem.  Shanghai was a sleepy fishing town until the British kicked the crap out of the Chinese, burned the Summer Palace to the ground and decided they needed their own place in Shanghai.  After all it was a port and would be a great place to distribute opium.  Along with the opium came a veritable buffet of vices, earning Shanghai the "Vice Capital of the Universe" title for many years.

Shanghai was also "open" from the standpoint that there were three "governments", the French Concession, The International Settlement and the local Chinese government, (no visa, passport or identification was needed to enter the city).  The city was run by the Green Gang.   You can read up on the Green Gang here but they we some seriously evil dudes, yes sir.

Shanghai lost the Vice Leadership title (maybe to Toronto??) when Mao came to town.  Shanghai suffered a major "clean-up" during the Cultural Revolution.   We will now fast-forward to today, where Shanghai is the logistics capital of the world, the architecture capital of the world, and heir-apparent to Hong Kong on many if its titles.

But where is the vice?

Where is the Padd Thai restaurant?

Luckily, your friends at the Yellow RIver Chronicles are in possession of their famous "VIce Seeking" GPS.  During our travels in many of the major cities of the world, we have accidentally wandered through shooting galleries, interrupted drug deals when looking for directions, accidentally asked itinerant prostitutes for restaurant recommendations, and generally have consistently blundered from Soi Cowboy to Makatai to Shimabara.  How about a late night stroll in Belize City?  Whoooooo boy.

So, using our GPS-VIce app, in a moment of breathtaking photojournalism, we now take you to the land of the Shanghai Voodoo Princess.  But before we go, it should be noted that this is not prostitution.  While prostitution is legal in over 50 countries in the world, (see here) it is illegal in Shanghai and in China.

One of the many Lairs of the Shanghai Voodoo Princesses

We cheat drunks, tourists and Japanese

No prostitution (as far as we have been told) is practiced there. Instead, the Lair of the Voodoo Princesses is involved in the universal sport called "Cheating Drunks and Tourists".  The Lair involves tourists, drunks and drunk tourists.   As you wander down this neon-lit lane in the old French Concession, you will see the following vignette:

Middle-aged, Western or Japanese men, intoxicated or seeking intoxication, wander nearly one or two blocks from the safety and serenity of their tourist hotels (The Hilton, for example).

They will pause curiously outside a bar with a name in English, like "Cats", or "Roadhouse" or "Route 66".  The attractively dressed bar girls will then swoop out in a dark-clad swarm, grab the unwary laowai and bring them into the bar.

The Game in the bar is simple.  You buy drinks for me, I keep you company for the evening and leave right before you get the stupendous bill.  Easy, yes?

It's all innocent fun.  Ha hhahaaaa hhaaa haaaaa.  Your elite YRC staff was wandering south on Lair Street one fine evening when we saw a pod of wounded Kiwis surrounded by quick moving shapes, like sharks darting around wounded beluga whales.  As we approached, three of the group were being forcibly dragged into a bar while one survivor fought bravely with two extremely attractive young predators.  

As we passed we caught his eye and murmured..."Resisssst".  Luckily, the spell was broken, the Kiwis disengaged and escaped with wallets and potential virtue unscathed.  When they caught up with us a few blocks later, they wanted directions to "good Chinese food".  That way, lads, be off with you, and beware the Princesses.  Nobody, nobody escapes twice we murmured dramatically as we vanished into the night as silently as we had arrived.

Hello, Sir!  Would you like to come in for Happy Hour?

Part One of The Lair of the Voodoo Shanghai Princess and Other Adventures

Helllloooooo and welcome back to the Yellow River Chronicles, the blog that always takes more that it gives.   To bring you up to date, your hardworking YRC staff have returned from a family-oriented sojourn to faire Florida and South Carolina.

We're back, rested and we have something SPECIAL for this week's missive as we continue our sojourn along the banks of the HuangPu!

The Bund, circa 1928

To begin our story, we will start with some some background and scene setting.  Yes, it is perspective time!   As you probably know, Shanghai has a, how you say, multi-textured past.


After extensive research for this week's column, the alert YRC staff stumbled across a documentary.  Shanghai - Paradise for Adventurers was produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  The rather startling video "profiles the growth, flowering, and decay of Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s." (It is a 45-minute video, but rather fascinating if you have time).

NOT FOR MINORS!!!  OVER 21 BIG KIDS ONLY!

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:  "Shanghai - Paradise for Adventurers"

"In the period between the first and second world wars, Shanghai was a notorious hot spot of sin and vice. Nightclubs never closed and hotels supplied heroin with room service. No passport was required. Refugees of war, poverty, and politics wandered the streets among the gangsters, prostitutes, and cops."

Yowsers!


However, the Communists came in 1947 and cleaned the whole mess up.  Thank goodness!  In China today, there are strict bans on everything "sinful", including drugs, pornography and prostitution.  There is no nudity or profanity on television or in the movies.  There are no "adult" magazines sold in the many news stands.  The place is like Disneyworld, run by Mormons, we will tell you.  And, given that we have taken 44-minutes of your time for a video, we will take you to The Lair of the Voodoo Shanghai Princesses in Part Two, next week!