Cup of Cha
This is China

If you want to understand the difference between how Chinese and Western observers see the push toward the Beijing Games, all you need to see are these two political cartoons:
From China Daily:

Note the peace doves at the top left. The insect’s arms say “obstruct” and “destroy.”
And here is one from the Denver Post:

It seems [...]

Continue reading “Two Views of the Olympics: Pictures Say More than Words” »

I’m going to list several insults with the author and target deleted, and you decide which is the most offensive. Let’s call it a test of perspective:

war criminal
the Devil
a wolf with a human face
goons and thugs
Satan
someone who makes junk
son of a motherless goat

I’m going to go out on a limb here, but “goons and [...]

Continue reading “The Meaning of China and the Press Blame Game” »

Who would have thought that 5,000 glorious years of history could be derailed by one man, Jack Cafferty. As a New Yorker, I am very familiar with Mr. Cafferty’s relatively undistinguished career, and am thoroughly amazed that this long-time local anchor has managed to send the Chinese Government into a tizzy. Good thing they haven’t [...]

Continue reading “Mediocre Journalist Cause of China’s Woes” »

Slate has an interesting take on the torch relay from Anne Applebaum. I don’t agree with all of her conclusions, and I think parts of it show the bias of someone looking from afar (note: my use of “bias” is not the same as my Chinese brethren). Yet she nonetheless makes some good points. She [...]

Continue reading “The Harsh Spotlight” »

As I’ve always suspected, the top levels of the Chinese Government eagerly await Cup of Cha’s thoughtful advice. After I advised China to look for a PR firm three weeks ago…they did. Image Thief has a link to a NY Times article on the issue.
Now I know what you’re thinking: but of course they listened [...]

Continue reading “Government Takes a Cup of Advice” »

Without in any way endorsing or rebuking the torch relay protests, I have come to the distinct conclusion that they are extremely important to the psyche of the collective Chinese populace. The jubilation expressed in message boards when the torch’s Argentina stop went smoothly is striking. You would have thought that it is really unusual [...]

Continue reading “Why Olympic Torch Protests Matter” »

If you had any doubts that the Chinese media campaign to convince its population that there are three threats to the stability of China (Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang) is working, let me dispel those notions. Recently I was chatting with a 20-something, highly-educated Chinese friend of mine about the Olympics. She said she was looking [...]

Continue reading “The Tibetan，Taiwanese Terrorists and the Scourge of Nationalism” »

The great coming out party is how the Olympics are usually described. The Beijing Games were supposed to show that China has truly arrived on the international scene. Strong, economically powerful, militarily able and fully confident. As the last few months have shown, China perhaps is not as far along as the world once thought.
There [...]

Continue reading “Will the Olympics Destroy China?” »

We all know there is enough smoking in China to give a Parisian a coughing fit. Yet the recent push to make sure that fewer people are smoking in day care centers and primary schools boggles the mind. Did China really need the Olympics to discover that smoking around toddlers is a bad idea? [full [...]

Continue reading “China Tightens Smoking Ban…In Day Care Centers” »

Several people have argued that there should not be an Olympic boycott of any kind, and I’m inclined to agree. If athletes want to make statements (i.e., 1968) I would be all for it, and I have no problem with non-violent torch protests. Here’s what the the always entertaining Andrew Sullivan had to say:

I’m thrilled [...]

Continue reading “Arguments Against Olympic Boycotts” »