Kitchen Notes: Michelin Star Goes To ... Hong Kong Hole-in-the-Wall!

Awesome.

Hello Kitty Monstrosity of the Day: 35 Years of Kitty Madness

Smoothie King just tried to kill me by sending me this link. I emailed him back and said that the website made my eyes melt into pools of flaming blood. With friends like these, I don't need enemies!

What's going on? A horrifying photo gallery of Hello Kitty's 35th birthday, that's what. Look if you dare! She is currently being honored with a huge exhibition in Hong Kong. (Click there only if you have a strong stomach.)

Will no one rid us of this turbulent mouthless cartoon cat and her global tyranny of cuteness? Her empire forges on. (At the HK exhibition, you can apparently get Hello Kittified identification papers. How terrifying is that, especially for history students?)

The Cinema-Mad Sibling Recommends: "Storm Warriors"

The Cine-Sib suggests the following trailer for "Storm Warriors." It looks good, and the cast is full of Hong Kong actors. A bit more info on the film here. Enjoy!

Taiwan: Press Freedom Declining in China's Shadow

Read the 2009 edition of Freedom House's annual press freedom report (if you like charts, look at this PDF) and then read this analysis.

On the Taiwan front, there is disturbing news indeed. Last year, Taiwan was rated as Asia's freest press; this year the honor goes to New Zealand (if you want to argue about ethnic Asianness, then I can tell you that Japan is the freest large Asian nation). Last year, Taiwan was ranked 32 in the global survey; this year it falls to 43.

(For comparison, the US is 24, the UK and Canada are 27, and Australia is 38. #1 went to -- drum roll, please! -- Iceland. Dead last on the list? North Korea.)

See this editorial by Leon Chuang, chairman of the Association of Taiwan Journalists. He writes, among other things:

The lesson is that if Taiwan’s media cannot resist penetration by China, Taiwan will before long go the same way as Hong Kong.

President Ma Ying-jeou and his government should bear full responsibility for this black mark on the record of their first year in office.

Hong Kong's press freedom rating, by the way, has dropped from "free" to "partly free." China, in case you're wondering, is rated "not free" by Freedom House.

Things do not look good at all for either HK or Taiwanese media. Wake up, people.

On Freedom: Bruce Lee Versus Jackie Chan

Here is a follow-up to "Chan-Gate." From Foreigner in Formosa come two Asian action movie stars and two views for you to compare and contrast:

"The Moment is freedom. — I couldn't live by a rigid schedule. I try to live freely from moment to moment, letting things happen and adjusting to them."

- Bruce Lee

“I’m not sure if it’s good to have freedom or not. I’m really confused now. If you’re too free, you’re like the way Hong Kong is now. It’s very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic. I’m gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we’re not being controlled, we’ll just do what we want.”

- Jackie Chan

I'm with Bruce. Be water, my friend!

UPDATE: Another nice Lee quote here: "I have come to discover through earnest personal experience and dedicated learning that ultimately the greatest help is self-help; that there is no other help but self-help—doing one’s best, dedicating one’s self wholeheartedly to a given task, which happens to have no end but is an ongoing process."

Jackie Chan Backlash from Hong Kong and Taiwanese Democrats

First there was the idiotic comment.

Now comes the (well-deserved, IMHO) backlash. News blurb:

HONG KONG (AP) - Action movie star Jackie Chan questioned the need for freedom for Chinese people during a speech Saturday, prompting outrage from lawmakers in Taiwan and Hong Kong, who accused him of insulting his own race.

. . . "He's insulted the Chinese people. Chinese people aren't pets," pro-democracy Hong Kong legislator Leung Kwok-hung told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "Chinese society needs a democratic system to protect human rights and rule of law."

"His comments are racist. People around the world are running their own countries. Why can't Chinese do the same?" another Hong Kong lawmaker, Albert Ho, told the AP.

"He himself has enjoyed freedom and democracy and has reaped the economic benefits of capitalism. But he has yet to grasp the true meaning of freedom and democracy," Taiwanese legislator Huang Wei-che said.

While Chan's comments were reported by the Hong Kong and Taiwanese news outlets, they were ignored by the mainland Chinese press.

Hear, hear!

We also get the somewhat odd spectacle of one Hong Kong native accusing another of being a racist. Raaaaaaaaaacist! (Sorry, I couldn't resist. I've spent too long listening to arguments from identity politics!) By the way, gentle reader Lumpy was first on scene with the race-based angle. He was, I dare say, being a bit tongue-in-cheek with his comment, but the angry HK lawmakers are apparently quite serious about the accusation.

Idiotic Comment of the Day: Jackie Chan Unsure If China Should Be a Free Society

Hey, obviously you don't have to be American to be an actor who sticks his foot in his mouth. Observe Asian film star Jackie Chan's foot-tastic moment, brought to you courtesy of blogfriend Dignified Rant:

BOAO, China – Action star Jackie Chan said Saturday he's not sure if a free society is a good thing for China and that he's starting to think "we Chinese need to be controlled."

Chan's comments drew applause from a predominantly Chinese audience of business leaders in China's southern island province of Hainan.

The 55-year-old Hong Kong actor was participating in a panel at the annual Boao Forum when he was asked to discuss censorship and restrictions on filmmakers in China. He expanded his comments to include society.

"I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not," Chan said. "I'm really confused now. If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now. It's very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic."

Chan added: "I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want."

Ai-ya is all I can think of saying right now! Then again, Jackie's been known to say goofy stuff before, like sneering at the Taiwanese presidential election (between Lien Chan and Chen Shui-bian). Just can't quit lobbing cheap shots at Taiwan, can you?

Thanks for nothing, Jackie, especially in terms of the many Chinese dissidents (and political prisoners) whom you've effectively stabbed in the back. Don't even get me started on Chan's little sneer at Hong Kong and Taiwan, where democracy activists are working hard. Geez Louise, the sheer arrogant, selfish NERVE of this guy, who -- wealthy, famous, free to jet-set and enjoy a kind of luxury that millions of people can't even dream of -- is basically saying "a good life of freedom and privilege for me, but not for you." He's even FROM Hong Kong.

Stick to making movies, Jackie. That's what you're good at. Pfffffft.

Meanwhile, don't you want to know if Hong Kong really is, as Chan says, "too free"? Not from what I've heard. And if you care to have a look, Hong Kong's press freedom has deteriorated since the 1997 handover. You can also look up the news reports of numerous pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong since 1997. (Here's one I linked at random.) Too free? Not by a long shot, pal.

Taiwan: More on the Recession

OK, things are pretty bad in terms of the US economy. Nevertheless, in the grand global scheme of things, things are worse just about everywhere else. Look at Europe . . . and look at the imploding economies of Asia (check out Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and miserable Japan).

I posted previously about Taiwan's economic woes, and the latest set of numbers aren't too good. The unemployment rate is the highest it's been in 6.5 years, and the Taiwan dollar is the lowest it's been in that same timeframe. The exchange rate is now $1 US = $35 Taiwan.

Silver lining in the cloud? I can get more bang for my American buck in Taiwan . . . but I actually can't afford to go back there this summer (in terms both of time and money), so I guess I'm STILL all out of luck.

Oh, I'm depressed! You too? How about a cute pink baby dolphin to cheer us up?

Chinese New Year: A Photo Gallery

Via Tigerhawk comes the link to this delightful photo gallery of Chinese New Year photos from all around Asia.

Happy Year of the Ox! (And that's no bull.)

China: Former HK Governor Says China is a "threat to democracy"

This is too interesting not to post. Christopher Patten, former British governor of Hong Kong, has spoken with the BBC on the topic of China. See what he has to say about China as a threat to democracy:

The threat looming from China is not to do with cheap exports but the "dooming of democracy", former Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten has told the BBC.

Lord Patten said China promoted the idea that one could get rich without needing democracy - and such an idea posed a threat to the West.

The prose is rather breathlessly exaggerated, but there is an interesting idea behind all the panicky-sounding words. Now, I'm not so sure about the supposed "dooming" of democracy -- that sounds much too excessive a pronouncement (and anyway, democracy as an idea has PLENTY of passionate adherents around the world).

No, the idea to think about is how China is an influence on the rise and spread of real, meaningful democracy in certain places in the world -- and I mean it's a bad influence. I think, though, that the chilling effect China has on democracy is more to do with emerging systems (or the potential for such emergence) than with the established democracies of the West per se. You don't need another rant from me about China's international shadow (and how it often cynically protects thugocracies) or the entire mess with HK democracy and even Taiwanese democracy.

As for the idea that you can get rich without needing democracy . . . Well, that's another can of worms that I don't have time to open right now. All I'm going to say now is that China's economic "miracle" (or whatever you want to call it) has come with a huge non-financial price tag in mass human misery (but away from the shiny cities that China likes to show Westerners), environmental degradation, and the intensification of internal social schisms. The rich have gotten richer, but in many cases the poor have gotten poorer, and these are real problems for the Middle Kingdom in the long run. The China cheerleaders can rah-rah all they want, but the reality is that China is not a free country and indeed in many ways is a pressure cooker internally.

As for me, I remain committed to the idea of free markets and free people. If you really want a rant, here's me ranting about money-making and democracy in a Taiwanese context.

OK, I'm back to pre-holiday work and madness!

Toxic Chinese Eggs Discovered in Hong Kong

Eggs tainted with poisonous melamine have been found in Hong Kong. Origin of the eggs? China, source of the current melamine-tainted milk scandal.

How many times do I have to say it? NEVER EAT ANYTHING FROM CHINA.

Ranking Courts and Judicial Systems in Asia

The China Law Blog has the link. Short version -- here are the 12 nations involved, ranked from best to worst. Look, of course, for Taiwan and China.

1. Hong Kong
2. Singapore
3. Japan
4. South Korea
5. Taiwan
6. Philippines
7. Malaysia
8. India
9. Thailand
10. China
11. Vietnam
12. Indonesia

Friday Fun + Quirky Asia Files: the Lego Olympics

Look at this cute Lego lunacy, created by some Hong Kong fans! The entire project required 300,000 Lego bricks and 4,500 people who had nothing better to do than play with 300,000 Lego bricks.

I still don't like the Bird's Nest stadium, whether it's the real version or the Lego one. The Lego Water Cube is rather cool-looking, though!

Nerd News: Harvard Scholar Detained in Hong Kong

Read the whole story as printed in the Boston Globe. Blurb:

A Harvard scholar and human rights activist who returned to Brookline last August after five years in a Chinese prison was prohibited from re-entering his homeland this week, just days before the opening of the Olympics in Beijing.

Jianli Yang, who was exiled after the deadly pro-democracy demonstrations in Bejing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, was among several dissidents trying to return to a country that is anxiously preparing itself for the eyes of the world. Yang said he was planning to participate in a human rights walk in Hong Kong and visit the mainland province devastated by an earthquake earlier this year, but was detained at the airport in Hong Kong, which will host equestrian events on Saturday.

"I want to challenge the authorities on the issue of the right to return home ... too, too many dissidents now don't have the right to return home,'' Yang told Reuters by telephone.

Hong Kong News: Martin Lee Announces Retirement from Politics

Martin Lee is a long-time advocate of democracy in Hong Kong, and now at age 70, he has announced that he will quit politics.

The Wall Street Journal has a nice little piece about him. You can also go directly to Lee's website.

Lee has been banned from travel to China, and because of his endless support for HK democracy (i.e., direct elections), Beijing has called him all sorts of nasty names such as "Chinese traitor" and "running dog of colonialists."

I am inclined to rather like Lee, and I give you a little quote from his announcement. He may be stepping down from public office, but he vows to "continue pushing for democracy for Hong Kong until we have democracy."

Indeed. Lee's successors have large shoes to fill.

Meanwhile, I can't resist adding, part of a real democracy is a free and open press. Just as Lee the democrat announced his retirement, the latest news from Chinais about civil rights advocate Hu Jia, whose "crimes" included talking to foreign journalists. He has been sentenced to 3+ years in prison; his wife and child are under house arrest. Reporters Without Borders estimates that last year China jailed over 100 journalists and dissidents.

Hong Kong: Beijing Delays Full Democracy for Hong Kong

Here's the latest from the ongoing wrangle over government in Hong Kong. Plenty of people are furious, and protests have sprung up in HK. You will remember that China had pledged eventual full democracy to HK after the 1997 handover, but no date was actually set, and, as usual, Beijing's proving to be less than fully forthcoming.

Now Beijing has said that greater HK democracy and universal suffrage will be granted in 2017 -- ten full years away. HK pro-democracy activists and lawmakers are pushing for a faster schedule -- 2012. In any case, full democracy from HK is by no means guaranteed by the latest dicta. Really, Beijing's ultimate goal, I dare say, is to stall indefinitely. Who is naive enough to believe Beijing's promises about granting democracy to anybody? Democracy is too much of a threat, and so are the trappings of a fully free, open, democratic society -- just look at China's infamous censorship of media.

Now for a little look at the news media. Come and see:

• IHT has this headline: "Full democracy for Hong Kong Questioned."
• The Sydney Morning Herald from Australia has this: "Activists attack China ruling on Hong Kong democracy."
  
• The Associated Press, though, has this ridiculous headline: "Hong Kong Granted Greater Democracy." (What? The AP sounds almost identical to Xinhua and the other Chinese propaganda mills on this issue.)

You'll remember the status of things in HK. HK residents can directly elect only half the members of their legislature, and the HK chief executive is appointed by a committee packed with Beijing loyalists. The ongoing struggle in HK is for HK to elect directly all of its legislators and also its chief executive. I don't know about you, but if I weren't able to elect my own political leadership, I would not call that government "democratic." Anyway, the delay tactics in HK reinforce a conviction long felt by many in my Taiwanese circles: "We don't want to be a second Hong Kong."

Anyway, I really like this quote, taken from banners held by pro-democracy protesters: "Democracy delayed is democracy denied."

UPDATE: Am I wrong about Chinese "democracy"?