The Thirty-fifth Day of May in Xining, China

As I walked around Xining, Qinghai province, on this thirty-fifth day of May, I noticed that at these various shopping areas:

Vegetable market

Street market

Underground shopping center

Life seemed to be going on as usual. But when I looked upon Xining's peaceful Central Square:

And later in one of Xining's major shopping districts saw police, one openly holding a large gun:

I thought of some recently shared photos from 23 years ago of soldiers in Beijing. Later, I pondered China's curious stock market numbers and the various extensions of censorship in China on this day.

For now, I will simply share a photo of these candles I saw several months ago at a temple in Zhuhai's Bailian Dong Park:

Regardless of who is to blame and why such a terrible event occurred, they remind me of the lights that went out 23 years ago.

Scenes from Qinghai Lake and Environs

Previously I shared some photos of road scenes from my trip on Friday. Now I will share some of what I saw off the road that day. Early in the morning I met 5 Chinese college students who would be joining me and our driver. Our trip lasted until the evening and we explored Qinghai Lake, China's largest lake, and some of the areas around it. The driver chose the route, and I am happy to say he made some excellent choices. I am not sure I have ever seen such diverse scenery in a single day.

As seen in the photos, much Tibetan culture can be found in Qinghai. Although foreigners require a special permit and must be part of a tour group to even have a chance of entering Tibet (which is not always possible), no such restrictions exist in Qinghai -- at least for the regions I have visited so far.

In the order I experienced them, here are some scenes I will not soon forget:

Since yaks apparently prefer to avoid humans, this was as close as I could get.

The view from Laji Mountain at 3820 meters (12,500 feet) above sea level.

Tibetan prayer flags on Laji Mountain

Horse near Qinghai Lake

Tibetan woman and boy

Tibetan woman and boy walking to some tents.

Tibetan prayer flags and rock piles at Qinghai Lake

Woman making a traditional Tibetan dish made from barley -- tsampa

Two of my co-travelers that day -- one posing for a photo with the flowers and the other taking a short ride

In the distance are snowcapped mountains, but yet again I am surround by sand dunes.
Not too far behind me is Qinghai Lake.

On the Road in Qinghai

I will keep things simple for this post, because I spent a lot of time today on the road in China's Qinghai province. Some evidence:

I have never before gone from snowcapped mountains to sand dunes in a single day. More about related off-the-road sights after I get some sleep.

Imitators Show There is Room to Grow in China for McDonald's and KFC

In an earlier post, I discussed McDonald's localized offerings in China and shared an example of how it was providing a positive impression of the U.S. to some Chinese. Kenneth Chan, McDonald's China CEO, in a recent interview on Fortune pointed out that not only is McDonald's localizing its products and services for China as a whole but also for specific segments of Chinese consumers:

We are reinventing ourselves to adapt to the changing constituency. By the end of 2013, about 80% of our restaurants will undergo reimaging. The design will vary by areas. In business districts with many young professionals, we have kiosks for coffee and pastries. In areas with young families, we reserve places for kids to play or host parties. We also offer customer-friendly amenities like free Wi-Fi and McCafes. We want to stay relevant to the younger population and make them stay longer.

He also discussed his plans for growth:

Opening new restaurants is another top priority. In addition to opening our own restaurants, we have stepped up our franchise programs. After all, McDonald's is a franchise company. At present, 80% of McDonald's worldwide are owned by franchisees; in China, only 36 restaurants were franchised by 2011. We are working hard on this.

In addition to the conventional franchise model in mature markets like the U.S., we also implement what we call a "developmental licensee" model. In certain provinces where we don't have the capacity to reach out for many years, we are looking for licensee partners who have strong financial backgrounds and strong business experience. China had seven conventional licensees and two developmental licensees as of 2011. It's still a very low percentage and over a very short time that will change. The pace of franchising in China depends largely on finding the right partners.

Chan's comments suggest that there remain challenges for McDonald's to grow in China, even if they know of additional markets where their restaurants would be welcomed by Chinese consumers. There are many reasons to believe additional demand exists in China for McDonald's and KFC, who has a larger presence and is also localizing in China. In fact, I believe I have seen relevant evidence during my explorations of China's different regions.

For example, I saw the following restaurant at a pit stop between Guangzhou and Wuzhou, Guangxi:

I am not sure what to call this restaurant since there are both "Wichael Alone" and "Michael Alone" signs. Regardless, I think it is fair to say that McDonald's served as an inspiration.

More often, I have seen stores that are very similar to KFC -- whether in Southeast China in Shanwei, Guangdong province:

Northeast China in Dunhua, Jilin province:

Or Southwest China in Chongzuo, Guangxi:

The KMC is my current favorite. Like the CBCs and other KFC-lookalikes its menu appeared to be nearly identical to a KFC menu. But the KMC went the extra distance to bring a KFC-like experience:

As I pondered KFC's "it's finger lickin' good" slogan on the wall of the restaurant I sipped at a Pepsi. I then began to wonder if the Pepsi was real. The Pepsi sat untouched after that.

Although I cannot say whether such restaurants run afoul of any laws, I find it notable that wherever I see a (what appears to be) genuine KFC or McDonald's I rarely see an obvious imitator nearby. For example, at the time of my visits I did not see a KFC anywhere in Shanwei, Dunhua, or Chongzuo. Given that pattern, I suspect it is only a matter of time before KFC or McDonald's enter such markets and push out any imitators who have kindly shown that a demand exists. Even if legal action is not an option, there is good reason to believe that Chinese consumers will want an authentic experience, especially since there does not appear to be a significant difference in price (if any). Apparently, KFC agrees that authenticity will matter:

Sign inside a real Chinese KFC in Yinchuan, Ningxia

Shopping Area in Zhuhai's Gongbei District

In making a much appreciated mention of this blog, James Fallows shared a photo of mine from Zhuhai, Guangdong province. In earlier posts here, Zhuhai provided the setting for a variety of topics such as the restrictions mainland Chinese face due to China's internal borders, volunteer efforts in China to increase HIV and AIDS awareness, a now semi-famous Android Store that I found after a random bus trip, scenes from Bailian Dong Park & Jingshan Park, and the threat posed to the U.S. by "Tiger Moms" in China.

Those posts include a variety of photos, but in the spirit of showing more "real China" scenes from Zhuhai I will share some photos I took several months ago in a shopping district in Zhuhai's Gongbei district. They are all from the public areas that can be found outside a number of stores and provide a contrast to a shopping area in Nanping, Zhuhai.

In a later post, I will discuss some of my philosophy in taking photographs and how the photographs have aided my research efforts not only in better understanding China but also guiding the design of new & improved technologies.

Busy sidewalk

Popcorn for sale

The open-air pants are common for children in China.

Street vendor on the move to avoid a potential fine

Playing Xiangqi, otherwise know as Chinese Chess

Balloons for sale

A variety of rides

Turtles for sale

Rollerblading

Shoeshiners

Roses for sale on Valentine's Day

The street vendor found a safer location.

Chinese Being Friendly to a Foreigner in China

The anti-foreigner comments made by Chinese television host Yang Rui and the support they received from others may leave some with an impression of China that would not be accurate. The issue is complex, though, and I hope to share some thoughts about it in a later post.

Before that, I want to briefly share several personal experiences. My point is simple. These experiences would be difficult to reconcile with a belief that all (or many) Chinese have strong negative feelings toward foreigners. To be clear, I would not claim that they occurred only because I am a foreigner. Nor would I claim that all foreigners would have had the same experience. Again, there are many complexities. Regardless, I think these experiences can say much.

What I will share occurred recently in Northwest China, but the experiences are similar to many others I have had elsewhere in China.

The young couple above approached me at a park in Yinchuan, Ningxia wanting to take their photos with me. We had a pleasant chat, and they offered to take me out to dinner. Sadly, I had other plans and had to decline their friendly offer.

Another day in Yinchuan I had to find a restaurant open late at night. Fortunately I found one that had excellent food. Even more fortunate was that I met the above three men who invited me to join them after I had finished my meal. Despite being stuffed, they insisted I try some of the special dishes they had ordered (tasty indeed), and they bought me several beers. We had some great conversation about how the U.S. and China compare. They were also curious about my impressions of people's friendliness in various parts of China. They were proud to say that Yinchuan was one of the most friendly places one could find.

I saw the girl above with her bags of cake and asked her where I could buy some. She pointed to a nearby store that is popular in Zhongwei, Ningxia. I looked at the long line outside and she said it might take an hour since they regularly need to bake new batches of cake to meet the demand. I sighed and said maybe I would try another day. Before I knew it she handed me a piece of cake from her bag. Refusing it was not an option nor was paying her for it.

I decided to take a cable car up to the top of a mountain in Lanzhou, Gansu. The kids above were very excited to join me in the car. The second girl from the right was particularly eager to tell me about Lanzhou. When we reached the top they introduced me to their families who were having a picnic. Their parents immediately asked that I join them.

An hour or so later I stumbled into these two college students who were happy to chat about a variety of topics. They were aware of the news about the poor behavior of some foreigners in Beijing. I asked them if it had affected their views of foreigners in general. Although I am well aware that being questioned by a foreigner could impact their response, their immediate and animated reply seemed telling. They thought the idea was preposterous because they had a very positive view of foreigners. Later, they joined me in walking around the park and visiting several temples.

During a semi-random walk in Xining, Qinghai I found this mosque and school that were reminiscent of what I saw last year in Zhaotong, Yunnan. Like before, the Muslim students were eager to meet with me and show me around. One of their teachers later insisted on personally guiding me through a shortcut in a construction site so I could more quickly reach a larger and more famous mosque in Xining.

These three young Tibetans work at a restaurant/bar in Xining. I was hoping to try a special alcoholic drink in Qinghai--barley wine or qingke jiu (青稞酒). Unfortunately, the restaurant no longer made it and only had a much weaker canned version. Noticing my disappointment, the young man told me he would treat me to some of his father's homemade brew if I returned the next day. Of course I did, and he did not disappoint. He also treated me to several other special drinks. Needless to say, it was an enjoyable night.

At the very least, I hope these experiences show that my being a foreigner does not mean I need to fear Chinese people. If anything, being a foreigner has facilitated a number of positive experiences in China. There is more to say but I need to run. It is Friday night and I am already late. I was told I will be treated to another special drink tonight.

More on Chen Guangcheng and Yang Rui

I want to follow up my earlier post of links to pieces about Chen Guangcheng and Yang Rui with two more related links worth checking out.

1. In an earlier post I questioned some of the criticism of how U.S. officials handled the Chen Guangcheng case. An article by William Han in The Washington Post shares a taste of some of the challenges they faced. For example, at times U.S. officials could not even be sure of the identities of those present at negotiations:

The Americans were greeted at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 29, by familiar faces from the ministry — chief among them Cui Tiankai, a diplomat they had dealt with countless times. But on either side of the Chinese diplomats were two men who did not introduce themselves and were not introduced by others.

Not until days later, with an initial deal in sight, did the Americans learn that one of them was a representative of China’s Ministry of State Security — a powerful branch in charge of foreign intelligence and counterintelligence operations. The other, the Americans later surmised, was from an unidentified branch of China’s intelligence apparatus.

The article is also valuable in highlighting some of the positive aspects in how China handled the negotiations.

2. Chinese television host Yang Rui is certainly not the only person in China expressing concerns about foreigners in China. The Chinese news site SINA English has posted an entire page titled "Beijing Welcomes You -- Decent Foreigners". I am hesitant to guess the true intended purpose of the site. Maybe it was to influence foreigners. Or maybe they just wanted to convince "higher-ups" that they were doing their duty. I suspect the second case would have a better chance of success.

It includes links to a variety of articles. One provides advice to foreigners:

As it happens, whether or not you are a popular guest and can win the due respect from the host will all depends upon your behaviors, and whether or not you wholly alienate or even hostile to the host.

It is advisable to bear in mind: “Only good scouting is likely to preserve the respect and freedom so dear to the heart of the eternal Boy Scout.”

I fear my year or two of Cub Scouts might not be enough.

One of the more notable sections of the page is the poll question which seems representative of some other online polls I have seen in China:

Beijing started a three-month campaign on May 15 targeting foreigners illegally staying in the capital. Your say?

• Support, as management is desirable.


• Hard to say.

I am torn as to whether it is better or worse than the paradoxical text message I received from China Mobile last year. What do you think?