Savvy Thinker » China http://savvythinker.com thinking about life, playing with makeup Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:10:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Baby selling in China http://savvythinker.com/baby-selling-in-china/ http://savvythinker.com/baby-selling-in-china/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:18:36 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=2049

What a tragedy for all the babies and their birth families. While I was aware of baby selling in parts of the world when I adopted from China, 10 and 12 years ago, I didn't believe it happened in China at the time I adopted. Who knows how much of it went on in those days.

Where there is money to be made illicitly, there always seems to be some degree of greed/need. But there is no thought given to the innocents in this, to the babies. Will they reunite them with their families? will any families come forward?

Tragic that families feel the need to sell their children or are swindled into doing so.

Every child deserves a loving family, but in this world it doesn't always happen. Let us work and pray for a more equitable world, for the safety and health of children everywhere, so that no child is separated from their family, from necessity or neglect or scandal, and can grow into their selfhood unencumbered and in joy. So let it be.

Karin

Henan police break up alleged baby-trafficking ring

By Chen Qian | 2009-1-8 | ONLINE EDITION

HENAN Province railway police caught 11 suspects of an alleged baby-trafficking ring after finding seven infants less than one month old taken onto a train.

The seven infants were girls. They were saved by police at Zhengzhou Railway Station in Henan. The girls are now at a social welfare home in the city, Xinhua news agency reported today. Two more suspects are still at large, police said.

Police were suspicious of eight women with infants at the railway station on October 21, Xinhua said. Police couldn't understand their dialect so they stopped them for questioning.

They soon confessed the infants were not their babies and they were taking them to Shandong Province for sale. Four of the suspects are Guizhou Province natives and four are from Yunnan Province, the report said.

The alleged leader Long Fang confessed to police that she asked her in-law Liu Yongqiong to buy babies in October. Liu later contacted a man surnamed Huang and three other suspects to purchase infants in Yunnan.

Liu and Huang remain at large.

Long purchased five infants for 14,600 yuan (US$2,147) in mid October and organized five women to transport them to Shandong, where her accomplice Zhang Li was waiting for the babies, the report said.

Six suspects took a train from Guiyang in Guizhou Province and met two other accomplices half way. The pair had two babies they purchased for 8,000 yuan in Guizhou. They arrived at Zhengzhou Railway Station on October 21 and planned to take a bus to Shandong with the others, the report said.

After catching eight women in Zhengzhou, police caught five more suspects in Shandong, Yunnan and Guizhou in the following three weeks. Among them, 11 have been detained and two are still being investigated, according to the report.

Originally posted 2009-03-20 19:11:15.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/baby-selling-in-china/feed/ 0 China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power http://savvythinker.com/china-road-a-journey-into-the-future-of-a-rising-power/ http://savvythinker.com/china-road-a-journey-into-the-future-of-a-rising-power/#comments Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:01:37 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/06/17/china-road-a-journey-into-the-future-of-a-rising-power/

Rob Gifford writes about his travels across China from Shanghai through the Gobi Desert on Route 312...he was the China correspondent of NPR for the last six years and is now back in Europe. The story takes him across the desert and recounts the people he meets and his views on changing China.

I have not read the book, but it sounds interesting!

China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power

Karin

Originally posted 2007-06-17 12:03:24.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/china-road-a-journey-into-the-future-of-a-rising-power/feed/ 0 The Painted Veil (movie, China) http://savvythinker.com/the-painted-veil-movie-shanghai/ http://savvythinker.com/the-painted-veil-movie-shanghai/#comments Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:30:53 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/01/17/the-painted-veil-movie-shanghai/

This is an interesting article about making this movie, with Edward Norton.

He mentions many areas in China: Shanghai, Yunnan, Guilin, Guanxi, Xian, and the Uighur people. I've been to China 3 times, and I don't think I'd ever get tired of it.

I didn't realize that he studied Chinese history at Yale, his father had lived in China, and that his brother does river trips there.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-01-17 15:15:32.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/the-painted-veil-movie-shanghai/feed/ 0 Red Mandarin Dress by Qiu Xiaolong http://savvythinker.com/red-mandarin-dress-by-qiu-xiaolong/ http://savvythinker.com/red-mandarin-dress-by-qiu-xiaolong/#comments Fri, 05 Aug 2011 01:12:37 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2008/07/07/red-mandarin-dress-by-qiu-xiaolong/

This is the first book I've read by Qiu Xiaolong, though he's written a number of other books. I chose to read this book because the cover jumped out at me from the library -- a beautiful Chinese woman, drawn from just above the mouth, rising over a city (Shanghai) -- and because of the Chinese subject matter.

This is the fifth book in the Chief Inspector Chen series, according to Qui Xiaolong's website, though he has written other books, including translations of poetry. I found I could easily pick up the stories with this book, then read the others.

He dedicates this book to his elder brother, Xiaowei --

but for luck, what happened to him during the Cultural Revolution could have happened to me.

I am privileged to know someone who was caught up in the Cultural Revolution, so this book had a secondary appeal to me.

In a way, this sets the stage for the book which moves from just before the Cultural Revolution up to the present. The book is interspersed with much Chinese poetry, heady insights into the Cultural Revolution and its costs to Chinese society, Shanghai history and Chinese culture (including the concept of 'face' as it plays out in the story.) It also has a couple of scenes of cruelty to animals in cooking (also befitting the story.)

Chief Inspector Chen has decided to take a vacation that coincides, fortuitously, with his being asked to investigate a corruption case that is going to court. He can't directly say no, but he can use this time to take a literature course wherein he has to write a paper.

He doesn't appear a lot in the first half of the book. Instead we meet the other characters, including the lawyer in the corruption case, officials, his counterpart in the force who is taking over for him while he is gone and this man's wife who is interested in helping her husband solve the case. (Women play pivotal roles in this story.) But like a fox, he solves the case in a slow and steady way, using love poems along the way.

If you are interested in learning more about Chinese culture, this series would be for you.

Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai, but now lives in St. Louis, MO. A poet and translator, he has an MA and PhD from Washington University.

The book has a feel of being translated from Chinese. By this, I mean that it is easy to slip into the world of China, because the choice of words or phrases is a bit different than a native American English speaker would choose. I'm not sure this is a deliberate literary ploy or if we are just blessed because of who is writing it.

I felt the book was as valuable for what it says about China both literally and through the story and the interactions of the characters as it was for the actual story.

If you have a Chinese child or a heart for China, you should not miss this book. It is not always easy to read (such as the scenes of cruelty in cooking and the fact that it has a feel of being translated and because you'd like to remember the cultural references) but it is very worthwhile.

I look forward to reading his other books. Have you read it?

I give it a 4.

If you would like to see the story behind the book, go here.

Karin

Leather Case Cover for eReader Amazon Kindle 3 - Pink Leather Case Cover for eReader Amazon Kindle 3 - Pink Paypal US $8.99 8h 8m
Kindle e-reader as is use for parts Plus charger Model d00901 Kindle e-reader as is use for parts Plus charger Model d00901 Paypal 3 Bids US $6.50 23h 6m
New Pink Silicone Soft Cover Case Compatible w/ Kindle 4 Tablet eReader New Pink Silicone Soft Cover Case Compatible w/ Kindle 4 Tablet eReader Paypal US $8.95 1d 1h 13m
New Red Silicone Soft Cover Case Compatible w/ Kindle 4 Tablet eReader New Red Silicone Soft Cover Case Compatible w/ Kindle 4 Tablet eReader Paypal US $8.95 1d 1h 13m
New Clear Silicone Soft Cover Case Compatible w/ Kindle 4 Tablet eReader New Clear Silicone Soft Cover Case Compatible w/ Kindle 4 Tablet eReader Paypal US $8.95 1d 1h 13m
New Black Silicone Soft Cover Case Compatible w/ Kindle 4 Tablet eReader New Black Silicone Soft Cover Case Compatible w/ Kindle 4 Tablet eReader Paypal US $8.95 1d 1h 13m
Leather Case Cover for eReader Amazon Kindle 3 - Pink Leather Case Cover for eReader Amazon Kindle 3 - Pink Paypal US $8.99 1d 5h 25m
Amazon Kindle 3 E-Reader w/ 3G + Wifi + Free Leather Book Cover w/ Reading Light Amazon Kindle 3 E-Reader w/ 3G + Wifi + Free Leather Book Cover w/ Reading Light Paypal 0 Bid US $139.99 1d 22h 59m
NIB Amazon Kindle 2nd Generation e-reader and Leather cover also NIB NIB Amazon Kindle 2nd Generation e-reader and Leather cover also NIB Paypal 0 Bid US $170.00 2d 16h 35m
New Black Silicone Soft Cover Case Compatible w/ Kindle 4 Tablet eReader New Black Silicone Soft Cover Case Compatible w/ Kindle 4 Tablet eReader Paypal US $7.95 2d 22h 57m


No items matching your keywords were found.

Originally posted 2008-07-07 12:37:58.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/red-mandarin-dress-by-qiu-xiaolong/feed/ 0 What it’s like to be a teen in China/choosing an English name http://savvythinker.com/what-its-like-to-be-a-teen-in-chinachoosing-an-english-name/ http://savvythinker.com/what-its-like-to-be-a-teen-in-chinachoosing-an-english-name/#comments Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:04:39 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2008/05/27/what-its-like-to-be-a-teen-in-chinachoosing-an-english-name/

For those of us who wonder what it might be like if our Chinese child were still in China in their first family, here is an interesting article.

I also thought it was interesting that his parents chose the English name for him of: Seven Eleven (not Jack, for example.)

Some of our adopted Chinese children came with what sounded to us like odd names. Others of us were lucky enough to have someone tell us that the name occurs in a famous ancient poem, perhaps, one that is not commonly known to the modern scholar.

Karin

Originally posted 2008-05-27 17:28:48.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/what-its-like-to-be-a-teen-in-chinachoosing-an-english-name/feed/ 0 Second child in China http://savvythinker.com/second-child-in-china/ http://savvythinker.com/second-child-in-china/#comments Mon, 04 Jul 2011 01:00:32 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=2523

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/26/content_7618314.htm

Craving for a second child? Govt will dent your pockets
By Xin Dingding and Wang
Updated: 2009-03-26 09:04

Wealthy families that violate the country's family
planning policy by having more than one child may
be subject to increased penalty fines from this
year, an official said Wednesday.

Deng Xingzhou, chief of the capital's family
planning commission, said the penalties will vary
"depending on the families' annual income", instead
of the average per capita.

Currently, the fine, or "social maintenance fee" as
it is called, is usually three to eight times the
average income per capita in Beijing, which according
to 2008 official statistics was 24,725 yuan ($3,600)
for urban residents and 10,747 yuan for rural
residents.

Many affluent couples have been known to voluntarily
pay the rather trivial fine to have a second or
third child.

News of Chinese celebrities having more than one
child has often stirred wide discussions on the
legality of the second child's birth.

"The public does not appreciate the fact that the rich
or famous can get away with breaking the family
planning policy just by paying the fine, which is well
within their means," Deng said.

Beijing will draft new rules for rich families,
specifying correct ways to calculate penalties based
on their annual income, he said.

Guangdong and Hubei provinces have also adopted measures
to increase the fine for violators in a bid to achieve
social justice.

However, many still believe increased penalties will
not be enough to stop the rich from having more than
one child.

Timothy Wong, an associate at a management consulting
firm, said: "A one-off fine will not bother the rich.
What they spend in a hospital will still cost a lot
more than the penalty.

"Why not penalize the violators in the form of
long-term taxation? That will make them think twice
before having a second child."

Song Yini, a senior consultant at a Beijing-based
consulting firm, said how the government utilizes
the fines it collects should be made transparent to
the public.

"Maybe the rich should be asked to donate directly
to an orphanage or old people's home," she said.

Beijing is under tremendous pressure to achieve its
goal of restricting its population to below 18
million by 2020.

By last year, Beijing's population had reached
16 million.

"Seeing how the population continues to grow, we
will not be able to achieve the target," Deng had
said earlier.

The capital will stick to the family planning policy,
which as a fundamental national policy will exist for
another 20 years, he said.

To encourage people to follow the rule, Beijing also
plans to increase the subsidies for couples that
abide by the rule.

"Three decades ago, the monthly subsidy of 5 yuan
for parents with one child accounted for 10 percent
of a worker's salary. But it seems too trivial now,"
he said.

China's family planning rule restricts only 35.9
percent of the population, mostly in large- and
medium-sized cities, to have one child. Until last
year, the policy has helped avert about 400 million
births.

End of article

Originally posted 2009-03-30 07:45:13.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/second-child-in-china/feed/ 0 Scout Bassett, athlete, Chinese adoptee http://savvythinker.com/scout-bassett-athlete-chinese-adoptee/ http://savvythinker.com/scout-bassett-athlete-chinese-adoptee/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 21:44:11 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=3954

Scout lost one leg, but she competes in triathlon events.

Scout tells the story of never leaving her orphanage, never seeing the outdoors, for 7 years. When I adopted our oldest Chinese daughter, it was clear she had never been outside either. She was about 13 mos old at the time of her adoption.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-07-09 00:15:35.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/scout-bassett-athlete-chinese-adoptee/feed/ 0 Review: On Gold Mountain by Lisa See http://savvythinker.com/review-on-gold-mountain-by-lisa-see/ http://savvythinker.com/review-on-gold-mountain-by-lisa-see/#comments Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:40:11 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7536

On Gold Mountain is the story of Lisa See's Chinese-American family and how they came to America. Several of them married Caucasians, and she herself is red haired and Caucasian looking. She speaks no Chinese, so when she went to China to research the Chinese part of her family, she had to use an interpreter. At that time she stayed at the White Swan on Shamian Island, Guangzhou, which is where many of us stayed when we adopted from China.

The book is really quite fascinating. She blends fact with fiction and with the multiplicity of "facts" the older family members gave her as she was writing the book (none of which are the same). Along the way it incorporates all kinds of historical information to help the reader put it into perspective. The book includes building the railroad in California, also early Sacramento and Los Angeles.

I particularly enjoyed it for the perspective it gives.

For example her grandfather, then in the US, had two wives and a concubine. He had married a child bride in China who had been bought for him before he left, so he would not forget China (she was left there; the marriage was not consummated at that time; she was 10 years old). This is the life some of our Chinese girls might have lived not so many years ago. No one remembers the name of the concubine. She is just known as the prostitute.

See mentions that when one of her relatives died, Chinese wives were seen in public for the first time ever. They had always stayed inside the house before. This is in the US.

I found it a little hard to read the family tree because of the style of the lines connecting people. I often had to read it several times to see what she was saying and follow the characters along.

But it was sure interesting.

Have you read it?
I rate it 4* out of 4*. I bought several copies so my girls could each have their own. It is also available for Kindle.

Buy: On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family

Buy: On Gold Mountain (Kindle Version)

Karin
www.savvythinker.com



Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-on-gold-mountain-by-lisa-see/feed/ 0 Review: Coming Home Crazy, an alphabet of Chinese essays by Bill Holm http://savvythinker.com/review-coming-home-crazy-an-alphabet-of-chinese-essays-by-bill-holm/ http://savvythinker.com/review-coming-home-crazy-an-alphabet-of-chinese-essays-by-bill-holm/#comments Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:20:30 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7518

Coming Home Crazy is truly an alphabet of Chinese essays, by Bill Holm. [ISBN # 0-915943-42-5].

This book is one that I thoroughly enjoyed. The author is very witty. It brought back fond memories of my trips to China and introduced me to other areas in China that I no doubt would also have loved. It is a loving memoir of the friends he made and the frustrations he battled to get anything done. I think I would have enjoyed it before I traveled, but I loved it even more after I experienced some of it. While I ordered this from our library, it is a book I decided also to own.

Here's a couple of quotes I liked:

The middle class of Europe and North America regards children these days as a burden, a spur to guilt, an impediment to travel, and tries to buy itself a little free time with expensive toys. The Chinese love children in the old way. Watching the silliness of Disney 'toons'...part of them becomes a child again...[this tells] an unexpected truth about the Chinese soul. p 119

My introduction to the erhu shamed me and taught me something about human parochialism and the limitations of ... notions of education....It is one thing to read abstractly that you are not the center of the universe, and that truth, divine or otherwise (if such a distinction is possible), was not dropped exclusively in your lap, for your personal amusement and salvation. The lesson to be learned from these shocks is to cultivate modesty and curiosity and to eschew evangelism and certainty. We do not need more fixed ideas but more experience, more erhu music. p 75

The book is copyrighted 1990, he lived there in the 80's and at that time he still saw bound feet on some of the older women.

Have you read this?
I rate it 4* out of 4*. It is available from Amazon.

Buy: Coming Home Crazy: An Alphabet of China Essays

Karin
www.savvythinker.com


No items matching your keywords were found.


Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-coming-home-crazy-an-alphabet-of-chinese-essays-by-bill-holm/feed/ 0 Battlefield Band meeting Chinese musician and dancers http://savvythinker.com/battlefield-band-meeting-chinese-musician-and-dancers/ http://savvythinker.com/battlefield-band-meeting-chinese-musician-and-dancers/#comments Sun, 09 Jan 2011 08:16:13 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2008/01/23/battlefield-band-meeting-chinese-musician-and-dancers/

Thanks to Gordon for finding this interesting clip. It reminds me of when we used to 'whistle' with the little angel wings that came off our trees growing up. Of course, we were one note wonders, not like this.

Karin

Originally posted 2008-01-23 13:02:33.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/battlefield-band-meeting-chinese-musician-and-dancers/feed/ 0