DISPENCE

Before I head to Seoul in South Korea to try for a new visa, I have to address something that’s been frustrating me lately.

I’m getting fed up with what I hear from people I’ve talked to in the States about what is really happening in Beijing right now. It seems like American/western media is reporting what the West would like to hear – That Beijing is cracking down and that will make the Olympics lame. Well not really. Here’s some points that I feel like I have to clear up.

The Culture Ministry has also been busy. A handful of dance clubs and bars have been closed, mostly around Worker’s Stadium.

A bar owner in Sanlitun’s embassy district said the crackdown threatened to leave tourists with the impression of Beijing as a boring, culturally dead and uptight city when the opposite was true.

Oh, don’t worry. There will still be PLENTY of wild parties next month. But there’s no reporting on that, or the other 99% of places that will stay open.

There’s just too much politics with all this Olympic stuff. I hope it all goes away once the Games actually get going.

And, oh, by the way, did you hear that three (yes three) new subway lines opened? One even goes to the airport. There’s several new bus routes special for the Games. There are even tourist bus routes on big buses with large windows. Flowers are all over the city and all the streets are spotless.

What if the Olympics were in New York City or Washington DC? Surely there would be National Guard Soldiers at every landmark or monument. So what’s the big deal with Chinese security everywhere?

It’s their country, don’t forget, and they can do whatever the hell they want and do it their way. China may look a little like the West, but it sure doesn’t operate that way. That’s the biggest thing Americans don’t understand. I can correctly single Americans out here after talking with Australians and Canadians I’m working with.

America is petrified of China for many reasons that I won’t go into here. Americans can’t waltz in here and expect to get things done the American way. It’s just not possible. Just try to book a plane ticket online with a local airline.

It’s too bad because most western media will only be here a month and won’t get a full view of Beijing or China at all. They’ll come in, choke on the smog, criticize the government and its policies and then leave. They will ask why, but won’t accept the answers, like the clubs closing for example.

China and its government is trying to keep this country under control. Remember, there’s 1.3 billion people here. That’s a lot to keep happy, and the only way for the government to do that is to remain single party and crack down on any dissent. Without a strong hand, the country would fall apart. The worry is that as soon as one person goes (gets fed up with the current situation) the rest of the country will follow. The government can not let that happen, so they’re acting tough this summer. Do we really want China to fall into chaos?

Everyday on the way to work I walk over a pedestrian bridge crossing the Fourth Ring Road. It has excellent views of the Birds Nest, Water Cube and Pangu Plaza (where I work). Usually it’s pretty smoggy and last week I snapped these two photos to compare the weather. Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of really nice days in Beijing, but there are plenty of really not-nice days too. (Click, then click again for full size)