A Time of Change at Beizheng Street in Changsha

In a post about how China's nationwide stimulus for the economy may have led to an increase in forced evictions of people from their homes I wrote:

A few weeks ago in Changsha, Hunan province, I was walking through a neighborhood marked for demolition. While there I encountered a man who seemed curious about my presence. After he expressed his happiness in meeting an American, he had one parting message for me: the people who lived there received far too little compensation for their homes.

The neighborhood I mentioned can be found around Beizheng Street (北正街) which is close to a popular and rapidly developing shopping district in central Changsha. When I first visited Changsha over 3 years ago I noticed a number of similar buildings in other areas marked for demolition with a red 拆 (chāi) inside a circle. Now, it appears the preferred symbol is a red "征" (zhēng) inside a circle. 拆 roughly means "demolished" and 征 roughly means "acquisition".

Below are photos taken several weeks ago when I visited Beizheng Street and some nearby alleys. People still went about their daily lives and most buildings remained standing. But even if the red symbols seen everywhere were not direct in their meaning, signs of the change to come were obvious.

I recommend also taking a look at at the photos taken over four years ago shared in a blog post by Sheng Yong (盛勇) here. Not only by coincidence do at least two of the photos capture scenes found below, but they show the fuller life that could once be found at Beizheng Street, the street where Sheng grew up.

Thankfulness and Hope, An Election Epilogue

I am not aware of having earned the location of my birth. And I believe that humanity matters more than nationality. Nevertheless, recents days are symbolic of several reasons why I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America.

The debate over America's next president was not always constructive. And even between friends discussions could sometimes prove frustrating. But I find it all to be a small cost for the immense benefits of free expression and democracy.

At his re-election victory celebration, President Barack Obama captured some of my feelings (full transcription here):

Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy.

That won’t change after tonight, and it shouldn’t. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.

"People in distant nations" who desire a similar liberty yet see no obvious path to obtain it might hear a message for themselves in Obama's later words for Americans:

...I ask you to sustain that hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.

I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.

Today I am especially thankful for what requires no hope--Americans possessing the rights to engage in debate and to choose their own leaders.

I hope Americans work better together in achieving their common goals. I hope America meets the many challenges it faces. I hope Obama plays a positive role in improving America and the world. I hope I contribute.

And I hope people all around the world who seek liberty continue to hope.

The Most Beautiful Scene

Now that the first polls are closing in the U.S., I will share a photo of a sign with a message some might believe is relevant to the election.

I saw it at Changsha's Tangerine Island Scenic Area. Signs with the word "文明" (wénmíng) are rather common in China. The word can be translated to "civilization" as in the sign above. I suspect the deeper meanings and implications of signs such as this one in China could be worthy of a dissertation or two (if someone hasn't written one already). On that note, I'd be curious to hear your own thoughts about the above message.

A Grass Field in a Chinese City

This past weekend I walked to Changsha's Tangerine Island Scenic Area. While there I saw something I hadn't seen for a long time, a field of grass.

It simply felt great. Unfortunately, I couldn't do what I had in mind.

Signs forbidding people from walking on the grass are not uncommon in city parks in China.

I'll have to wait another day to lay down outside on some grass. At least it was comforting to know the grass was smiling at me.

Wrestling in China

The other day at a drink shop in Changsha I noticed some U.S. culture was playing on the TV.

It's definitely not the first time I have seen U.S. professional wrestling being watching in China. For more, see Pete Sweeney's article on Reuters, "Chinese fans bowled over by U.S. professional wrestling".

Mickey, Minnie, and Mao in Changsha

If there is an imitation Mickey Mouse in Changsha, China...

Can I call this Minnie Mao?

On another day I saw people wearing what appeared to be the same costumes participating in a promotion for something non-Disney elsewhere in Changsha but haven't seen the costumes for several weeks after that.

By the way, this, the previous, and the next post or two will have been previously scheduled to appear while I am asleep. After I wake up in the morning in China I plan to follow the U.S. election results. I have never done that before from Mao Zedong's home province, Hunan. I am not sure whether that or the large mice in Changsha would surprise Mao more.

Another Outdoor Game in Changsha

Some may have wondered why a common Chinese game didn't appear in my post "Riverside Games in Changsha". The answer is simple: I didn't happen to see anyone playing it at that park.

However, I did see people playing mahjong elsewhere in Changsha.

Like in many other Chinese cities, there are numerous places in Changsha where people can rent mahjong tables and play for hours. The above table was set up outside on the sidewalk, but I am not sure whether the players had rented it. Nevertheless, as is common for such outdoor games, a few spectators had gathered around.

Useful and Trendy iPads for Selling Memories

Sometimes what matters most about technology is what it enables you to do.

Two employees holding Apple iPads with sample photos for a marriage photography studio in Changsha, China

Sometimes what matters most about technology is being fashionable.

A Smart Photographic Opportunity with Kobe in Changsha

At one of the newest shopping centers in Changsha, Hunan province, Smart has a promotion where you can have your photograph taken with one of their automobiles.



And joining you could be a bear, a cat, and of course Smart's "brand ambassador" Kobe Bryant.



For more on Kobe Bryant's foray into China for Smart cars see a post from last year here on chinaSmack. It includes a video of an advertisement with Kobe--no cat in a pink dress though.

Capturing New Moments in the Past

Modeling as part of a photography studio's promotion, a young woman wearing traditional-style Chinese clothing received the attention of many passersby in Changsha, China.

Pundits and Teepees

I typically only post about U.S. politics here if it relates to China or one of my other "big" interests. Like many other people, the topic has attracted an unusually large amount of my online attention over the past few days due to the upcoming presidential election. My mind has been flooded with news reports, analyses, polls, pundits, polls of pundits, pundits on polls, pundits on pundits, and so on. I have also been occasionally distracted by other topics friends send my way such as $88 cat teepees. Although I have no plans to buy a cat teepee, it made me more aware of the benefits brief diversions can have in the midst of an information overload.

So in that spirit, during the next day or two I will do a series of very brief but more frequent China-related posts. They can serve as moments for some readers to flex their eyes on something different while allowing me to share with everyone more of what I have seen in China.

Soon, I will return to earlier themes here, such as college dormitories, and also reply to some readers' questions. In the meantime, though, I will keep things relatively simple.

More soon.

Riverside Games in Changsha

Whether playing Chinese chess (xiangqi),

Chinese dominoes,

or card games,

a number of men took it easy at a riverside park on a typical Sunday in Changsha, Hunan province.

And in spirit of taking it easy, that's all for this post.