China's Job Lag Post-Graduation

There is a huge lag in the transition from college to landing a job in the field of studies that a student graduates from. China’s economy has been progressing so fast in such a short period of time that there are just not enough job position openings for college graduates. It is estimated to be over “4.95 million graduates this spring, up 820,000 from last year”. This staggering number will only grow as each June passes by. In addition to this problem, through my research and interviews with various students, there are also many other factors leading to such a high unemployment rate post- graduation. Many students don’t feel prepared as they progress through college and into graduate schools. 7 out of 7 students that I interviewed felt that the teachers are not competent in the courses they teach, as one said “the professors were not good,.. they are nice, but not very informative”. This has lead to many students not taking classes very seriously, “I don’t even think some students learn from college, I have skipped classes 7 days in a row and nothing happens”. In return, graduates are not prepared for the reality of the real world. They simply do not have the necessary skills to get what is needed, done in the jobs that they will be applying for.

Though my collective data through my interviews are not sufficient to make any solid conclusion, it has help solidified the rest of my research in the fact that an educational degree in China’s current economical situation does not guarantee a job. There are just too many people graduating each year that the workforce can’t keep up. To add to that problem, as I have learned talking to various students and confirmed through my readings, China’s educational system have somewhat failed the students. With good intentions to supply more skilled graduates to the workforce to keep up pace with China’s growing economy, the university had expanded their yearly enrollments. But China has not been able to provide these greater number of students with enough knowledgeable professors who themselves are up to date with the vastly changing economy. Therefore at the end of each school, instead of creating 5 million new skilled workers, China has just thrown 5 million more people, or at least added half of 5 million people into China’s unemployment statistic. Though it looks dark and gloomy at the moment, on the bright side, the government is acknowledging some of these problems. The government has recognize that more qualified college professors are a necessity to China’s future and has invested billions in these programs to help those that want to become the new mentors of China’s future leaders and decision makers. Though the government has yet to fully accept student’s voices of opinion and freedom of speech, they seem to be willing to listen to corporate companies, for they are the center of China’s growing economy. The employers are asking for more quality graduates, and with intentions to provide, the government has also invested money to provide through vocational schooling, these types of workers that employers are asking for. So though the present looks gloomy, if China is willing to listen, learn to improvise, and make changes; the future will surely be brighter.

(Full link to paper http://chinasjobglagpostgraduation.blogspot.com or click right below on my name Nou Chee and click on my China's Job Lag Post-Graduation blog) Enjoy.

Happy 19th Anniversary!

Last night I visited Tiananmen Square. I came along with a couple of friends. We had candles and much curiosity to see what it feels like to be standing on the place of tragedy exactly 19 years after the first shot that night. That was on June 3rd 10:30 pm. It did not occur to us that the square closes for visitors every night after the flag is taken down. Yet, there were quite a few people standing close to the square, mostly posing for photographs next to the shiny light up of Forbidden City with taking only a few glances behind them.

I visited Tianamen Square again this morning at 4:30 am, in order to witness the daily flag raising ceremony. There were a couple of hundred people crowding on the designated space for observers. I couldn't tell whether it was more or less than usually, perhaps about the same. The perfectly synchronized peace keepers marched in at 4:45 and gave their honor to the flag. A storm of camera clicks followed. Once the flag was flapping in the air, the tourists walked back to their buses and the regular life around the mausoleum resumed. I noticed a couple of people who looked different others, perhaps they were civil rights activists or concerned citizens. They could have been from the secret police too. Or maybe I am just making it up, because I was looking around too eagerly. Many people were weaving their own small Chinese flags, breakfasting, buying souvenirs. Early rising seniors came to wind off their kites.


I did not regret getting up to see the ceremony. I knew it would have been unreasonable to expect a great spectacle or civil disobedience. However, I was hoping that I would catch a hint of unusual piety. Nineteen years after the massacre, it remains a taboo. There are no apparent marks of the event on the ground and the flag is raised all the way to the top of the flagpole. Does the lack of tangible demonstrations of grief signify that they have forgotten?

The square remains, even today, The Gate of Heavenly Peace.

Beijing at Work

Beijing is a city at work. I am convinced that this is the one city that never rests. Living in here I have discovered a million occupations that I was never aware of before. I decided to dedicate a day of my life in watching working people and documenting their efforts.

I took off to the streets of Beijing on Sunday, the 25th of May at 4am and spent 24 hours meeting people who were earning a living while talking to me. They were street sellers, construction workers, shoe makers, repairmen of all kinds, restaurant staff, security guards, prostitutes, shop assistants, puppy breeders, policemen, hairdressers and many others.

I encountered many different reactions while attempting to take a snapshot. Me, a curious foreign intruder, was met with understanding, fear, excitement and anger. More often than anything, I was regarded with suspicion. I was asked over and over again, why it is that I want their picture. Why would I be interested in what they do? And why would anybody be interested in how they spend most of their waking hours? And with my poor Chinese I usually managed to splutter something like: My teacher and I enjoy watching. It is very important. Which they probably did not understand, but appreciated by attempts to communicate.
The workers showed me their children with pride and explained how they make a living. I tasted unknown kinds of fruits, pastries and teas. I also toured a construction site, played pool, sliced pineapples and learned to smoke like a real Chinese car mechanic. Most of the time I forgot to take pictures. Despite of that, I collected about five hundred photos during the day.

After much pondering, I decided to select and present 24 of those, as a symbol of feverish activity on the streets at any time of the day or night. They may not be the best photographs that I took, but they best represent what I learned about the working people of Beijing in those 24 hours. This day will remain a fond memory of mine, because I took a full day to learn by observation.

This project was my effort to create a small marker in time. It documents work and serves as a tribute to the working people of Beijing.

Beijing at Work - 24 Hour Business Day

Final Project: Senior Citizens in China

Ever since orientation, when I spontaneously joined senior women doing their morning exercises in a park, I have wanted to test my hypothesis that senior citizens in China are generally more active than senior citizens back in the United States. This project allowed me to focus on several aspects of a senior citizen’s life: family, socioeconomic status and finally leisure activities.

Family, as I have learned this semester, really is the focal point for the Chinese. In our readings, some children are currently being raised by their grandparents, as mothers and fathers search for higher paying jobs outside of their villages, sometimes thousands of miles away. Every day I see grandparents walking with their grandchildren and I knew it would be easy to get pictures documenting these bonds. Nowhere was this more prominent than when I went to the zoo with my friend—families took over the park! Many were three-generational, and after our “Little Emperor” class, I could finally see how that theory was developed. It must be expensive for a family to go to the zoo—after paying for tickets, there were balloons, bumper cars, ice cream, rides and stuffed animals all available near children-oriented exhibits.

The contrast between Beijing and rural areas was very apparent during our trip to Teng Cheung. At the market in Teng Cheung, elderly people made up the majority of vendors, and were very proud of their crops for sell. The market also serves as the center for getting the latest gossip, according to one woman that we interviewed. While interviewing people in the market, senior citizens were the most eager to participate and were very patient with our broken Chinese.

As for leisure activities, it is common for elderly people to participate in two exercise classes each day- one in the morning and one in the afternoon. For the entire semester, I have been walking past a group of senior citizens doing tai chi in the morning, so I decided to photograph them one day. After I was done, I was invited to come back the next day and participate! I have been getting up early for the past week and joining them—I can see why they are in terrific shape now! Most of them are more flexible than I am at the moment. The yeyes and nainais could not have been more welcoming or willing to share their fans and swords with me so I can learn the techniques.

Compared to the elderly at home, who do not seem to have a reputation for being particularly active, and more often than not, seem to be dismissed from the population, the elderly in China have quite the opposite role in society. I am inspired to be as in good shape as my friends in my tai chi group are when I am their age; this project has also enabled me to make friends and great memories to take home with me.

Here's the link to my photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/katie.hondorf/SeniorCitizensInChina. Let me know if it doesn't want to cooperate!

To Win

Any Olympic athlete is under an enormous pressure to do their best, even more so any athlete from a country that is organizing the Olympics. The pressure on the Chinese athletes is unimaginable.

Recently, NY Times published an article, which describes the practice routine of the rowers in the national team. The Russian trainer of the Chinese Olympic athletes describes the expectation of his supervisors.

“Silver? It means nothing here; you might as well finish last,” Grinko said. “Coaches like me come, help them win gold medals, or we are fired.”

Gao, 25, is a typical rower here, taller than 6 feet, long-limbed and lean. She began training full time when she was 13, leaving her parents, who are vegetable farmers in Jiangxi Province, to become a javelin thrower. At 17, she was moved to rowing, just as Beijing was awarded the Games. Through an interpreter, Gao said she dreamed of becoming a fashion designer wearing high-heeled boots with hot pants and a spaghetti-strapped top. Asked about her motivation to train, Gao bit her lip.

“For fame, reputation and honor?” she said. As the interpreter spoke, Gao glanced at Grinko, who nodded in approval. Grinko said she would be a farmer if not for rowing.

China is striving to show the world the best face she can have – no doping, just medals. Even this good effort might turn out to look negative in the end. When we will see the Chinese taking most of the medals this summer, will we be honestly able to congratulate them, or will we rather think of their infamous athletic camps?

“If you are surprised at how good the Chinese have gotten, then I think you should come here and watch them train and see this place,” he said at the complex. “If you think this is not going to lead to performance, then I’m sorry, you are stupid. You are kidding yourself.”

The Chinese Olympic athletes are going to take more Olympic medals than ever before, I would bet on that with anyone. The world is going to be in awe, but with a noticeable bitterness in their voice. I can already imagine hearing statements such as: "They are robots anyway." But the truth is the Chinese Olympic athletes are most likely not robots or on drugs. They have to win more than anyone else on the world, because they are not given any other option. That is why the whole world should wish them good luck - they are not running just for gold, they are running for life.

57 steps to make China look good this August

China released a guide yesterday giving instructions to foreigners planning to attend the Olympics this August. The guide was posted online, but was quickly removed with this notice posted on the China Daily:

The BOCOG has apologized for the language used in a manual for volunteers to describe physically challenged athletes.

The English-language manual has stereotypes, which Zhang Qiuping, director of Beijing's Paralympic Games, has said was the result of "poor translation".

"We would like to express our deepest apologies to the organizations, athletes with disabilities and friends who were offended by our publication," the BOCOG said in a statement Monday.

The organizing committee has recalled the manual and is correcting the discrepancies.

The book offered guidance to volunteers on a wide range of subjects, from how to serve the physically challenged to the basic rules of the Paralympics. About 30,000 volunteers have signed up to work for the Sept 6-17 Paralympic Games.

Because of this "poor translation" we'll have to wait a little longer to get all the tips. Both Chinese and foreign journalists did manage to get a hold of the manual before it was pulled. Chinese media presented the manual as a simple guide to staying in China which includes visa processes, transportation, and accommodations. It also states some of the obvious rules against bringing dangerous weapons, materials, and narcotics as well as being a general introduction to Chinese laws. Among these are prohibiting all guests from making any displays or protests around religious or political topics. Although this aspect is quickly criticized by foreigners, these rules are pretty much in line with the International Olympic Committee's longstanding rules which do not allow such actions anyways.

The New York Times also reveled some of Beijing's pointers. Among the list of 57 question & answers listed are "does China have any regulation against insults to the flag or national emblems?” and my favorite thus far, “after eating or drinking at restaurants or hotels, if you have diarrhea or vomiting symptoms, how do you lodge a complaint?”

I do think China in line to publish such a listing of guidelines, but they also need to be cautious in the approach they take with such materials (beyond translations which turn into offensive stereotypes). China's every word is being closely watched giving them little room for mistakes or opportunities to test their boundaries.

Chinese Markets

This is my final project looking at Chinese shopping markets. China has a large variety of shopping markets. Due to my limited time, I focused on a couple different ones: three in Beijing plus one in a more rural setting.

Xiding

I started out by looking at a small village in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Region. On most days, the two streets which run through the town are fairly empty with the small population working in the pu'er tea fields which surround this town in its hilly location. Every Thursday morning, however, the town transforms into a large market for the surrounding area. People of the surrounding villages converge in Xiding to buy and sell their products for the following week. The items sold in the Xiding market are largely necessity items (food, basic clothing, cooking utensils, etc.) with the occasional vendor selling CDs, playing cards, and other pieces of entertainment. One of the town's largest appeals is the variety of ethnic minorities which attend the market. Although they are present at the market as both buyers and sellers, they are not selling any of their culture specific clothing or crafts, which appeared to disappoint a couple fellow tourists. The ideal visitor to this market is one who expects it to be a unique viewing experience, rather than an opportunity to take away a souvenir.

Panjiayuan Folk Culture Market
Panjiayuan, more commonly called the "antique market" or "dirt market," has a history dating back to 1992. Over 4000 shop owners and nearly 10,000 shop assistants sell a variety of furniture, handicrafts, ornaments, and cultural revolution relics, but is most associated with its large selection of antiques (some real some not). Although the market is open 365 days a year, Saturdays and Sundays are the most popular attracting as many as fifty to sixty thousand visitors in a weekend. Many of these visitors arrive as early as 4 or 5am when many of the best deals are said to be made. Panjiayuan's website, as well as other Beijing marketing materials, marks the large market to be one of the three essential experiences of visiting Beijing, along with eating Peking roast duck and climbing the Great Wall. The market clearly has many features which cater to foreign travelers and is currently undergoing some more design changes to give it the typical "traditional Chinese" look that you see at so many other tourist spots. Despite this, because of its variety of items and reasonable prices after bargaining, it attracts locals and foreigners alike.

World of Different Nationalities Market (located in Xidan area)
I stumbles on this market while walking around the Xidan area, largely because of its name. I still do not know where the name comes from since I did not see any stores with distinct items from Chinese nationalities, but it was interesting nonetheless. Surrounded by numerous large modern shopping malls, this market with a large open courtyard provides a much more relaxed atmosphere than many of the other markets in Beijing. The items sold varied from clothing to luggage to small accessories, but not too much of the typical Chinese collectibles found at many other markets. Although its location seems to make it appeal to both locals and foreigners, it is rather discrete and I wonder if its one story setting will soon be replaced with another six story shopping mall.

Xiushuijie
More commonly referred to as "Silk Street," this market has a history of over 20 years starting out as a single story street market, before being demolished and rebuilt into its current multistory structure in 2005. Silk Street sells a variety of clothing, jewelry, and Chinese collectibles. This market is targeting largely towards tourists which the prices and approach of the vendors really shows. On any given weekend, you can see a line of tourist buses parked in front of the market. Over the past couple of years, Silk Street has had problems with counterfeit goods. This story from the Asia Times Online talks about a lawsuit in 2005 from five world-famous brands against the market. Silk Street's solution to this is to launch their own Silk Street brand of clothing, teacups, and collectibles, although it has not become very popular yet.

Let the Thirty Million Flower Pots Bloom

Beijing is a city like many others – it has its problems and issues, which are not going to disappear simply by a wave of the magic Olympic torch. But many seem to think so. Here is a quote from a piece of news article published by the official website of the Beijing Olympic Games 2008.

Thirty million flower pots will brighten the streets, hotel reception areas, Olympic venues and scenic spots of Beijing in the lead-up to the Olympics. The new scheme to beautify the capital city will create a "floral belt" with a total area of 630,000 square meters.

Surely, it will be a spectacular sight. The naturally arid Beijing in bloom once again. The history repeats itself.

Living in Beijing has taught me to expect unexpected. The Spring and Summer this year came as a great surprise to me. After getting used to the greyness of everything around me (maybe only every now and then distracted by the sight of yellow taxi cabs) the warm months brought a change, which could have been caused by more than the occasional sunlight - perhaps the decision of the Beijing Olympic 2008 Committee to organize 'Green Olympics' made a difference too.
Many have told me that I am very fortunate to be studying in Beijing at this point in time, when it is undergoing painful, yet spectacular changes, and it is said to be cleaner than ever before. And I agree, it is a truly exciting time to be in Beijing. Unfortunately, the beautifying efforts I have been observing hardly seem reasonable to me.
How much are the improvements taking place in the city actually effecting the quality of life of Beijingers? And to keep this question simple - Is the city really cleaner and healthier?

Recently, Zou Huan, an expert in urban heritage preservation at Tsinghua University's architecture school, let himself be heard saying that "it was understandable that authorities would use a temporary fix to present a good image during the Olympic Games.

"Fixing the facades but leaving the interiors the same -- that's like someone washing their face but not their neck," he said. "I hope that this kind of work will continue."

(Reuters)

Similarly, I worry about the long-term effects of this Spring clean-up. From my personal experience I know that sweeping the dust under the carpet does not usually make it disappear.
I took these photos right outside of Beijing's art district last week. I didn't have to look very hard.










For those who have more time on their hands and a curious mind, I recommend taking a look at this video from UC Berkeley's Special Spring Workshop: The Beijing Olympics, in which Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Associate Professor, School of Design, University of Quebec at Montreal; You-tien Hsing, Associate Professor, Geography, UC Berkeley; Youjeong Oh, Graduate Student, Geography, UC Berkeley discuss the impact of the Games on the face of Beijing.

Teens not helping hopes of a smoke-free Beijing

As one of the many efforts to make China's major cities more comfortable to use Westerners, China has pushed to add more non-smoking areas into public spaces. An article this April on ShanghaiDaily.com (I've linked to the website, but the article is only available to subscribers) talks about Shanghai's plan to make Nanjing Lu, which is basically a more extreme version of Wanfujing, smoke-free or at least set up specified smoking areas to encourage smoking away from large public crowds.

A recent article in the China Daily shows that these efforts may not be too successful. According to the article, the rate of teenage smokers is growing rapidly with over 11% of the 13-18 age group claiming to already be addicted. It is also far more likely for young girls to be hooked on the habit than their mothers.

Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention deputy director, Yang Gonghuan, blames the increase of users on advertising and television. Although I do not disagree with Mr. Yang, I think the fact that, according to the Worldwatch Institute, China produces 32% of the world's cigarettes (99% of which remain in China unlike the US which exports 24% of its products) plays a major role as well. The government has a vested interest in keeping visitors happy, but it would lose a lot of revenue if China's cigarette users drops.

China has laws which prohibit the sale of tobacco products to children under 18, but 90% of the smoking teens surveyed claim to never have encountered problems purchasing tobacco products. Creating such a law sounds great, but if it is not enforced there's really no point to it.

Beijing aims to have a smoke-free Olympic Games. Will they succeed?

Exempt from one child policy; How much could it benefit?

The 1979 law introduced to limit parents in having only one child was passed in order to control the population growth in China. In some areas of the nation, the only exception to this one child policy is if the first child is a daughter. Anyone who doesn’t follow this policy is denied benefits and public education.

On May 12, 2008 an earthquake killing over 40,000 people, according to an article in New York Times, reported an estimate of 10,000 students deaths. So many parents have lost their only child due to this earthquake, that in almost 30 years, a second exception has finally taken place. Announced by the Chengdu Population and Family Planning Committee, those parents whose only child had died or were gravely hurt due to the quake were exempt to have a second child.

It's obviously an unfortunate tragedy for these parents who have long prayed and supported, in hope for their one child to be the best. I must say that maybe the exemption of being able to have another child could possibly help the mourning of these poor parents, but it would and could never replace the mishap of their "missing" child. There are no claims of this exempt being a replacement, but the idea of allowing these families to have another child is, if not close, a way of redeeming the situation. Thus, how do you then deal with those parents who have undergone medical surgeries, or surpassed the childbearing years, who are not able to produce more? What then could the government provide?

Reduce for the Win; Reuse or Repay

As of January 2008, free plastic bags have been banned from retail and grocery stores in China. Customers are given the option of purchasing plastic bags for their own use while shopping, but bags will no longer be free. Although customers will now have to pay for plastic bags, the price is not set to be profitable, but only to serve as a reminder that if you don’t reuse, you will repay. The reason for the new law is to encourage the re-usage of old plastic bags and help gear China toward becoming a more environmental-friendly country.

When things are giving out freely with no cost, people tend to disregard reusing it. Not only does this become an unnecessary waste issue, but a dangerous environmental problem as well. This is especially true with plastic bags, according to the article in China Daily, which take over 100 years to decompose, and if incinerated, becomes a global warming factor. Ideally, considering the population size of China, every little bit will add up. If one person reuses just 1 plastic bag in 1 day, you would have saved over 14 million bags.

But who is to say that, in the future reality, every plastic bag used in the market will be charged for? And also, does this ruling apply to “all” markets? Which ones?