Imagethief

It won't be a one-off unless the Chinese government step up to the plate right now. This is particularly disturbing because the guy doesn't appear to have provoked the mob in any way.

If the current mood persists (or worsens) as we approach August, God only knows what the legacy of Beijing '08 will be.

Not surprising but worrying all the same. China seems to be doing its very best to destroy its Olympics.

Can the Chinese government tamp this down? This isn't like the '05 Anti-Japan protests where government elements caused it (textbook approval, UNSC stuff). A lot of this is grassroots driven on both sides, and it's much, much harder to reign that in, since the PRC can only exert pressure on ONE side. And also in '05, very few Japanese started Anti-China protests.

While I want to make it clear that I'm not condoning the actions of the mob, residents in China have to use some common sense. Given the tensions, shopping at Carrefour where there is a bunch of obviously irrational people massed outside is not a good idea. No matter how minor the crazy nationalists are in the context of Chinese society, the fact remains there is a bunch of them massed in front of that particular Carrefour in Hunan. In any case, I do not really see any major change in the situation as a whole, all it takes is for mob mentality to express itself among a small crowd and something like this would have occurred. I mean, irrational people in minimally sufficient numbers have done similar actions for even seemingly trivial things like sports. This boycott, like the anti-Japanese boycott before it (which I actually consider to be much more serious) have a difficult time of getting anything beyond lip-service support among the general Chinese populace.  I mean, taking a look at the streets of Beijing or Shanghai, there are perhaps more Toyota's or Honda's then ever before.

Well, you know all foreigners look alike. :-P

I guess I won't go to Carrefour wearing my Japanese flag t-shirt and my 'Free Tibet' backpack after all.

I'm glad you added the last sentence at the end.

Until we get more proof, this is just a rumor, like the now-debunked story about foreign students being sent home in summer.

I do however think that such an attack is within the realm of possibility, however, since we already have press accounts of Chinese-on-Chinese violence outside Carrefour.

"residents in China have to use some common sense."

Being politically correct in China is the only "common sense" required, as well demonstrated in past events like Class Struggles, Anti-right, Hitting the Anti-revolutionary, CR, etc.  Even their parents and close friends are legitimate targets regardless of whether they have done anything wrong.  So why not a foreigner ?  That must be a right target in any occasion.

When I finished that section in "River Town" I paused and reflected on how scary he made his particular incident seem, in words, without any embellishment, but also how frighteningly true it rang and it qualified Hessler immediately, in my eyes, as a guy that KNOWS China (I've been pushing that book onto others ever since).

Anyone that has been here any amount of time might have been in a situation somewhat similar and can vouch for that dynamic. This is especially true for any Caucasian that might have been in Beijing just after the Chinese embassy in Kosovo was bombed and the locals were out for American blood but settled for any whitey. A lot of foreigner/Chinese "friendships" ended in those days when the Chinese side attacked Brits/Aussies/Canucks, whatever, on the fact they were Caucasian.

How many REAL Chinese "friends" can you count on one hand?

This mob scene for "French" blood has already been repeated in Beijing. A foreign sanlitun cafe owner backing her car out onto the street (april, wed 16th, 10:30pm) and supposedly hitting another vehicle sparked a mob gathering of around 20 people and much angry anti-foreigner/anti-french rhetoric.

Police arrived to separate the mob from the owners car.

The owner appears to have been shocked enough to have closed the cafe.

I also hope it's not signs of things to come as well.

I was here in 1999 and it was a true shocker that people who I though I had known, educated, international outlook, bi-lingual etc. could be so totally irrational and unwilling to even look, never mind consider, other points of view (like what positive benefit would possibly enter into the minds of military planner to bomb the friggin Chinese embassy on purpose). Hypothesizing, trying to put yourself in others shoes to analyze a point of view, has never been a strong suite amongst the Chinese here.

There is always an yihetuan lurking under the surface here in China and it is not a bad thing to be cognizant that when shit hits the fan here, it doesn't discriminate.    Yes this will be an interesting summer, but isn't that why us long timer's live here?  Because China with its transitions and constant change is an extraordinarily interesting place to be, and beats plain vanilla risk- adverse predictability in the "west" hands down!!

"Because China with its transitions and constant change is an extraordinarily interesting place to be, and beats plain vanilla risk- adverse predictability in the "west" hands down!!"

This is true up to a point, I suppose for most expats in China. For the others, it's a ticket punch to a higher position at the home office later on.

However, when will the point be reached when the average expat finally says "enough is enough" and wants that predictability, rule of law, environmental awareness and civil society (for the most part)?? I suppose for a Chinese expat, he/she does the minimal requisite educational degree gathering until he/she can return for a hopefully high paying job at a MNC in China. Unless they plan on staying forever, raising a family with a few kids and cherishing that vanilla predictablity.

How many expats in China plan on staying forever? I know there are a few but definitely they are not the majority and with things like these "nationalist typhoons" blowing in every few months or years, that feeling of safety and predictability will never be there, regardless of how much of a sellout one is. Wonder what it would be like if Da Shan were French??

guess i am one of the few Huanxuer, but being an old student of lao zi et al, I have never been big on long term planning or selling my soul to MNC's and career pathing.  There are times when I feel like throwing in the towel, but i attempted returns to the homeland (USA) 2 times mid 80's and early 90's and just couldn't missed living in a place where I could mix my Mandarin and English in regular conversation.  So 26 years in greater China, having already raised 2 hunxuer kids, always on the edge of bankruptcy and just hoping people won't notice my blue eyes when shit hits the fan.   Damn, I wish Da Shan was French!!!... has the torch reached Canada yet?  maybe there is still hope.

Maybe the Chinese can just tell all the foreigners to stay home and not come to the Olympics. This way the Chinese team can win all the medals. Glory to China! Bwa ha ha!

These people baffles me....

Please read the update on Shanghaiist.

Volunteer in China: "I was not in fact attacked by a mob"

http://shanghaiist.com/2008/04/24/volunteer_in_ch.php

We don't agree to each other a lot of things. But there is a rule all of us should follow: Don't jump to conclusion. You think you have known the facts, actually you don't. Like the  old Chinese saying states: the things you see may not be true, let alone the things you hear.

Sorry for my poor translation.

This kind of incident is bad for China or any country at anytime. I went silent when I read the incident all over the news page. I checked all the info resources to see if it is true. I finally got to admit that it did happened because it is confirmed by the mainstream news with no mention of there might be some uncertainty.

People do have their right or excuses sometimes to do the thing they think it is the right thing to do in the circumstances. However, what's after? Instinctual reactions usually do more harm than good. We should have learned that from our own experience or others'.

What is the most basic rule for news reporting? I think everyone knows. You can say Shanghaiist is not a news agency. So what is the basic moral character for common people in the daily life? One of them is don't lie or don't spread rumors or any info you think it might be false.

There might be excuses in the given circumstances at this very time. But, who has no excuses? The mob, the fengqin, the oversea Chinese, the pro-Tibetan activists, or the people in the Western world who have never been China but think China is bad in all aspects?

I have read too much emotional, irrational and stupid comments from both sides recently. I lost hope when I found there are someone who have said they have a balance view no longer hold their cool.

I don't know will.  i see a lot of death and destruction ahead of us.