Cup of Cha
This is China

The Chinese government has announced that people attending the Olympic Games will have designated areas where they will be allowed to protest. No word yet on what topics people are allowed to protest in these areas that, no doubt, will have extremely close surveillance. Here’s the official story from the AP:
Beijing will set up specially [...]

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Recently the government released eight things Chinese shouldn’t ask foreigners. Well, we at Cup of Cha have put together eight things visitors to the Beijing Olympics shouldn’t ask Chinese people:

When it says “duck’s blood” on the menu, what is it really? (And why is blood solid?)
Why does Taiwan (ie, Chinese Taipei) have its own flag [...]

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Bush and McCain are really, really different on policy. Just ask McCain’s surrogates.

Two parts I love about this:
1. Toward the end Sanford starts talking about the McCain-Bush approach. Which, uh, is not one thing.
2. Wolf asks him about being VP at the end, almost as if to make it more apparent that this interview has [...]

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We know there won’t be any foreign, Xinjiang or Tibetan tourists in Beijing during the Olympics. But that (or at least the first part of that) might not be such a bad thing. Aside from that inconvenient fact, what if these Games basically go off perfectly? It seems entirely possible, depending on your definition of [...]

Continue reading “Hey! This Olympics Thing Might Work!” »

A few nights ago, I was minding my own business biking home from the Andingmen area on the Second Ring Road, when I noticed two police officers in full riot gear talking to a motorist on the side of the road. The one speaking had a giant plexiglass shield on his left arm, separating himself [...]

Continue reading “Riot Gear and Big Guns Near Yonghegong Temple” »

I went to buy Ibuprofen from my local Chemist on Saturday. I was informed that, unlike on every previous occasion I was not allowed to as the doctor was not present. I think the rule is that Ibuprofen can only be sold by a qualified pharmacist or doctor, none was available, thus [...]

Continue reading “Don’t take drugs or burn Beijing to the ground - for the Olympics anyway.” »

So I just tried to send a package express to the US through one of the three major shipping companies (EMS does not qualify. Sorry). They now require a photocopy of your passport. Why? “We’re now in a ’special period.’”
Damn presidential election!
I can’t wait for the Olympics to end so we can get to normal [...]

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In New York I sometimes get phone calls from wrong numbers. Sometimes they are speaking in Spanish. Come to think of it, that happened once with my US number in Beijing. Can you imagine living in Washington Heights and accidentally calling China? Anyway, callers are usually apologetic in the US, or sometimes embarrassed causing a [...]

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Um, this is so awkward it makes me kind of sad. You can just see it in his face some aid is going to get punched as soon as the reporters go away.

Continue reading “Most Uncomfortable McCain Video Ever” »

Since the first day I set foot in China seven years ago, I have heard a constant refrain of “China is still a developing country.” This is used to explain anything and everything from poor driving skills to confusing ticket-buying procedures. The truth is that in many ways China is a highly developed country. It [...]

Continue reading “Mindset, Not Infrastructure, Still Developing” »