Reports from China, by a British student

"Went back to the old haunt D22 near to Beijing University where we used to hang out in 2007, one of the main rock/punk venues in the city. While punk is still mainly underground in general, not receiving any radio airplay at all, the band I saw, Gumbleed, are further underground than most, playing a combination of thrash punk and Chinese plus Irish traditional, with songs with names such as 'Never Forget Class Struggle' and 'People's War'. Sounds like a throwback to the 1960s, but Gumbleed are very much driven forward by their ideas of punk and youth (they're all about 23 years old) toward social change in the present. The venue itself is on a road that almost symbolises China's unequal development, with the north side housing the huge skyscrapers of Microsoft and, formerly, Google, with their fountains spraying out water all day long, while on the south side of the road the small restaurants and street food venders serve out of generally one-storey buildings which don't really keep out the cold, none of which have toilets. The only bathroom available is a public toilet down the road, which lacks even running water, contrasting sharply with the waste of water resources just over the road by the multinationals. Gumbleed's new EP, 'No War but Class War', is also a sign that China is not all about GDP and a drive to get rich. I went for some BBQ mutton and beer with the band after the gig, the kind of evening I miss so much, with everyone sat on small stools round a tiny table, the air thick with the smoke from the roasting lamb, and the conversations going on deep into the night.

This last week I have been in Xi'an, a city towards the Northwest of China, home to the Terracotta Warriors and a sizeable muslim population. A smaller city than Beijing, Xi'an is a much better place to spend any period of time, with a more local feel about the place. Yesterday a friend and I cycled around the old city walls, giving a great view of the city, of all the old buildings which are being smashed down with new, more modern and clean, ones being put in their place. Ironically the very workers (mostly migrant workers from the countryside) who put up the new houses, are the very ones whose former houses are being knocked down, and face the inevitable move to the outskirts of the city as the new housing is way too expensive. From the top of the city wall we saw a house with just half a wall still standing, and on that wall painted the words in Chinese "the government works for the collusion of the officials and businessmen while the people are cheated." 

I was one week late arriving in Xi'an to see the anti-Japanese demonstrations, which resulted in an overturned car being set fire to, even if this car was in fact provided by the government to the protestors. Can't really imagine that happening in England! While anti-Japanese feeling is running high at the moment, the protests give people an opportunity to come out and express all sorts of frustrations, which are normally bottled up but not far beneath the surface. This could relate to human rights, but is more likely to be concerned with the pressing needs of endemic corruption, lack of transparency and the fact that anyone in any position of power stands above the law. A few months ago in this very city, a lawyer was arrested for 'disturbing the peace' and sentenced to 3 years in prison, that's after being held for 1 year without charge already. This man, Zhao Dongmin, was actually working through already existing legal channels to prevent the sell-off of state-owned companies for the profit of a few individuals, while laying off the workforce with little or no compensation in a climate where jobs are increasingly hard to come by. While Liu Xiaobo, the recent Nobel Prize winner, is famous in the West for his pro-democracy and human rights stance, China is full of countless numbers of people like Zhao Dongmin who try to protect people's rights in the name of the Communist Party itself, appealing to its basic goal of a just and fair society. And they are rewarded with prison sentences.

One hot topic on the web in China at the moment is a story about a man who while drink driving knocked over and killed a student. The man fled the scene but was stopped by people who recognised him, at which point he said "what, are you going to sue me? My dad is Li Gang!!" Li Gang of course is the chief of police in that city. While there is still no certainty as to whether his son will be prosecuted, public anger has exploded at the impunity and collusion of officials between the local government and the police. Even a tearful apology live on TV by Li Gang himself did not abate the anger, as it is still not certain whether his son will be brought to justice. And the phrase "my father is Li Gang" has become a popular and ironic symbol of the general impunity of local leaders all over China.

Last night, my friend in Xi'an took me to meet a guy who has started a soup kitchen in Xi'an to feed the hundreds of homeless people, many disabled or unable to find jobs, who sleep on the streets of this city. This guy, Tony, had reached a point in his life where he had had enough of his life in England and decided to sell his business and head abroad. Meaning to travel to India, he eventually ended up in Xi'an and never left. He has started the first soup kitchen in the city, which last night fed about 70 or so people as well as giving out free clothing. With no local safety net, Tony eventually settled on this idea of a soup kitchen. He asked the head of the local Catholic Church whether he thought it would be possible and the priest replied, "yes, but why would you want to do that?!" An interesting reaction from a 'man of god'. But anyhow, it is a strictly non-religious organisation even as it is housed in a building later provided by the church itself, and is now entirely run by volunteers. Judging from how cold it is here already, the thought of a night on the street, let alone a whole winter on the street, is a pretty rough one. If anyone feels like donating financially or with clothing, the website is http://www.soupkitchen.cn/. Though it is also understandable that at a time when the safety net in Britain is being attacked both financially and ideologically by our right-wing coalition government, you might want to put more energy into resisting that ;)

Just in case you've got the feeling I've been bumming around out here, I'm on my way further north on Monday for more discussions with teachers about where I'm going to be based for the next year. People have been very interested in my topic of rural education so far, and I'm building up some contacts who will be able to facilitate my work. Hopefully, the next time I write, I'll have a permanent address. But you never know. And just in case you feel it's all doom and gloom here, my days are still filled with countless encounters with interesting people, a good few beers and a lot of mutton. Over in Xi'an, children greet us on the streets with the phrase 'Hello, welcome to Xi'an!' And I already feel very welcome, which is good because Shaanxi is the province I'll most probably be in for the next year."