Beer and Patriotic Shorts on the 2nd Day of the Victory Over Japan Holiday in China

Yesterday after the “Commemoration of 70th Anniversary of Victory of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War” military parade had finished, I saw people eating Japanese food during the Victory Over Japan holiday. Today is also a day off for many due to the holiday. But again I didn't see anything which specifically mentioned the holiday. But also again, I saw something which may be a sign of people celebrating.

Tonight in the new Walmart in Zhuhai's Gongbei subdristrict, two young women discussed which beer to purchase. One of them even wore shorts with a patriotic design. I am not sure if they were looking for a Japanese brand, but I didn't see any. Interestingly, their final choice was a beer from Germany, another country which came out on the losing end of World War II.

Or maybe, like with the Japanese food, it had nothing to do with the holiday. Hard to say.

Chinese Traveling to Japan During the Victory Over Japan Holiday

Chinese are spending their time during the Victory Over Japan holiday in a variety of ways, including watching the "Commemoration of 70th Anniversary of Victory of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War" military parade or eating Japanese food in China. Takuya Karube reported for Kyodo on another way which presumably involves Japanese food:

Japan was one of the most popular overseas destinations for Chinese tourists during a three-day national holiday through Saturday, travel agencies said. . . .

“I chose this time to visit, because the government suddenly announced (in May) this special holiday,” Yu Yong, a 40-year-old employee of an information-technology company, said. “I heard that Japan is a very good place and recently it’s a hot tourist destination.” . . .

Yu said he made a good decision to leave Beijing around the time of the parade and it has been worth seeing the many differences between the two countries with his own eyes, although he thinks the 70th anniversary should be observed at a state level and by the rest of the world.

As Liz Flora noted in Jing Daily, the increase of Chinese travelers to Japan, not only during the current holiday, is remarkable:

After seeing a dramatic downturn in the number of Chinese tourists in the wake of China’s fall 2012 anti-Japanese riots, Japan’s rebound has been swift. Buoyed by price-conscious Chinese shoppers chasing a weaker yen and no sales tax for foreigners, the country is expected to see 4 million Chinese tourists by the end of 2015, a two-thirds increase from last year. . . .

Despite an onslaught of anti-Japanese propaganda TV shows and films in the lead-up to the parade, this summer saw especially high Chinese traveler growth numbers in Japan as many Chinese tourists opted to skip South Korea due to the MERS outbreak and Hong Kong due to increased travel restrictions and anti-mainland sentiment.

So while Beijing has been loudly displaying its growing military power, Japan may be more quietly building its soft power.

Eating Japanese Food on the Victory Over Japan Holiday

Signs of some national holidays in China, especially Chinese New Year, can be easy to see, even if just through store promotions. For example, around Labor Day earlier this year I saw a patriotic image used for a Labor Day sale in Shaoyang, Hunan.

“Commemoration of 70th Anniversary of Victory of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War” events no doubt left their mark in China today, especially in Beijing. But although the crowds were noticeably larger in shopping districts in Zhuhai's Gongbei subdistrict, an area which sees a large number of tourists, I didn't see a single thing specifically referencing today's Victory over Japan holiday.

Perhaps people were quietly feeling patriotic as they shopped. And maybe it was no coincidence one person I saw wore a "VICTORY OR NOTHING" shirt today. Maybe it was also no coincidence she made an order at a small establishment serving Japanese-style food.

Or maybe not.

Whatever the case, anti-Japanese sentiments in China weren't stopping her or others from eating Japanese food today.

Maybe that is a small positive sign.

22 Holiday Tweets: A Military Parade in Beijing Marking a 70th Anniversary

Today is a special national holiday in China marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The most notable set of events today included a military parade in Beijing with the official title “Commemoration of 70th Anniversary of Victory of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War”. I didn't watch the parade. Instead, I kept up to date using Twitter. The Great Firewall blocks the service in China, but there are still ways to access it, including through use of a VPN. I am not sure which methods are preferred by official Chinese news services such as Xinhua and People's Daily, but they, like many others, tweeted comments, images, and links regarding the parade.

Below are 22 tweets which offer various perspectives, some including humor, on a parade difficult to fully characterize (images may not appear if viewing this post through some RSS readers). The tweets aren't intended to be representative of all peoples' viewpoints, even just on Twitter, but together they tell a story. What that story is will depend on your own viewpoints.

Tanks rolling into Tiananmen pic.twitter.com/IokDotmPXx

— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsin) September 3, 2015

"Don't breathe this." pic.twitter.com/kw1lKu8VI3

— Alan Wong (@alanwongw) September 3, 2015

#VDay Highlights: PLA female soldiers of the guard of honor of the three services pic.twitter.com/8BwnsT79I0

— People's Daily,China (@PDChina) September 3, 2015

WW2 parade begins with traditional symbols of peace and anti-fascism pic.twitter.com/HcuUD1zbRf

— China Daily Show (@chinadailyshow) September 3, 2015

Nukes "a sheild for national sovereignty and national dignity" pic.twitter.com/jtnBIHiDus

— Erik Crouch (@erikcrouch) September 3, 2015

OK, I confess: I turn back to Victory Parade, and they’re showing “Now the second formation of NUCLEAR MISSILES.” Do we do this even in US?

— James Fallows (@JamesFallows) September 3, 2015

Also, my gay Chinese friends are loving the colorful fighter jet display and keep sharing this: pic.twitter.com/Nzwuc9fy7t

— Katharin (@Whitey_chan) September 3, 2015

From the Beijing home. pic.twitter.com/I2g5g7A9TO

— XQ (@MissXQ) September 3, 2015

Mao's grandson taking much more relaxed approach to #VDay than Chairman Xi pic.twitter.com/rfAeSkTaYO

— Robert Foyle Hunwick (@MrRFH) September 3, 2015

Snapshots of foreign troops in China's #VDay parade. Which country starts its name with "V"? #Vanuatu, #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/Xmke4KVFN7

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 3, 2015

Meanwhile, in Japan... #VDay (via @Aelkus) pic.twitter.com/S7pfrcO7Yf

— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) September 3, 2015

The much less reported Taiwan defeat of fascism in China parade with a lot of veterans http://t.co/eeUTBoxEmD pic.twitter.com/15WBCo9nPg

— China Rhyming (@chinarhyming) September 2, 2015

Xi and wife Peng Liyuan greet Sudanese President Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court. pic.twitter.com/aVLSFQs3gs

— Chris Buckley 储百亮 (@ChuBailiang) September 3, 2015

so basically: china is throwing a big party for winning a war it didn't win. and the most notable guest is an international criminal.

— Gerry Doyle (@mgerrydoyle) September 3, 2015

Oops. Just warned by building security that snipers saw us pop open the door to snap this photo at #China parade. pic.twitter.com/kSeoLBDNIH

— Eunice Yoon (@eyoonCNBC) September 3, 2015

By tweaking the pic, I’ll bet this was what China’s leaders thought about the parade’s theme of “peace” @eyoonCNBC pic.twitter.com/govF0KXTzn

— Daniel Lin (@DLin71) September 3, 2015

Xi Jinping: "We love peace" State TV commenter on parade: "Look at this missile, it can hit Hawaii"

— Benjamin Haas 本雅明 (@haasbenjamin) September 3, 2015

Lots of sniggering about parade here on Twitter but for many Chinese watching, ample pride in knowing China will never again be invaded.

— Kaiser Kuo (@KaiserKuo) September 3, 2015

My Weibo and Wechat feeds full of pride, but also not insignificant amounts of snark about the waste of money etc... https://t.co/Sxgx2190xa

— Jeremy Goldkorn 金玉米 (@goldkorn) September 3, 2015

Even friends who previous complained abt waste of money and inconveniences of life due to military parade are now full of pride

— Offbeat China (@OffbeatChina) September 3, 2015

This is the ultimate demonstration of Xi's power over PLA, and everyone in the PLA understands that. Even if some foreign pundits don't...

— Bill Bishop (@niubi) September 3, 2015

And at the end of all that, the doves of peace. pic.twitter.com/9uTLwbHfuw

— Edward Wong (@comradewong) September 3, 2015

Genuine and Not So Genuine: Baltimore Ravens Boxer Shorts and Other NFL Items for Sale in China

A small portion of the vast Zhuhai Port Plaza

Hundreds of stalls in the underground Zhuhai Port Plaza shopping center in front of the Gongbei Port immigration checkpoint in Zhuhai, China, sell a wide variety of clothing. Yesterday I saw an unexpected item there which reminded me of where I last lived in the U.S. — Baltimore, Maryland.

Assorted underwear and sleepwear for sale

A young saleswoman said the boxer shorts with the logo of the Baltimore Ravens, a National Football League team, cost 25 RMB (about U.S. $3.90). Although bargaining would likely lead to a lower price, the shorts are already much cheaper than any similar items for sale on the Baltimore Ravens official online store. Obvious imitation products are plentiful at many shops in the market, so it is easy to believe these boxer shorts aren't entirely legitimate.

In regards to counterfeit Baltimore Ravens merchandise coming from China, a few years ago the Baltimore Sun quoted the NFL's vice president of legal affairs as saying "If you're buying merchandise from a China-based website, you're probably not getting the real thing". But the claim doesn't appear to be as true anymore, since the NFL now has a store on Alibaba's Tmall.com which is referenced on the the NFL's website for China.

NFL store on Tmall

A Ravens hat currently sells there at nearly a 50% discount for 158 RMB (about U.S. $24.80), not very different from the same hat's current discounted price of $22.99 on the NFL's U.S. online store.

New Era Baltimore Ravens Training 39THIRTY Flex Hat for sale on Tmall

The Ravens page at the NFL Tmall store doesn't list any other items. The store offers five items with the logos of the Ravens' biggest rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, though.

Items for sale on the Pittsburgh Steelers page at the NFL Tmall store

At least the Ravens can take heart in the fact I didn't see boxer shorts for any other NFL teams at the shop in Zhuhai.

But the Ravens and the NFL shouldn't look at the shorts themselves as necessarily a sign of growing popularity in China. It is not uncommon for people in China to wear clothing with logos more familiar elsewhere simply for their look without concern for their full meaning. Although there are indications the NFL's relatively small fanbase is growing in China, I very rarely meet anyone familiar with it, sharply contrasting with widespread recognition of the NBA. Likely similar to most people in China, the saleswoman didn't know the meaning of the logo. Nor she she seem to care in the least when I informed her of its connection to an NFL team in the U.S. Nonetheless, if the Baltimore Ravens later notice a fan base unexpectedly growing in Zhuhai, these shorts may be where it all began.

Minquan Road Mobile Phone Street in Zhongshan, China

Although many mobile phone stores exist elsewhere in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, Minquan Road in the central Shiqi District may have the greatest concentration. Below are just a few scenes from there during March earlier this year. Most of the stores sell new phones of brands common in many Chinese cities. The Minquan Xinyi Shopping Center — a collection of stalls selling a variety of lesser known brands, more blatant imitations, or second hand phones — is similar to the Bu Ye Cheng (Long Xiao) Communications Market in Shanghai but much smaller in scale. The photos provide a sense of the brands available and how some stores are changing their look to stay "fresh". They also provide context for a particular store which will be the focus of a later post.

Store featuring Vivo, HTC, Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, Meizu, Oppo, and Gionee

Store featuring Apple

Android robot promoting the iPhone 6

Store promoting Samsung, Huawei, Vivo, Apple, Xiaomi, and Oppo

A store with a strong Apple theme

Store featuring Oppo and HTC

Promotion for Oppo

Minquan Xinyi Shopping Center

Inside the Minquan Xinyi Shopping Center

A Mix of Old, New, and Inexpensive: Shanghai Yinxiang Cheng Electronics Market

Shanghai Yinxiang Cheng (上海音像城) offers a shopping experience which feels like a cross of a flea market and a large electronics store. I haven't seen any official names in English, but instead of the previous transliteration the name could be translated as Shanghai Audio & Visual City. And at least one online site refers to it as the Qiujiang Lu Electronics Market, though that doesn't reflect its prominently displayed Chinese name. Whatever the case, it is easy to find the market just east of Shanghai's Baoshan Road metro station — part of the complex sits underneath the elevated metro tracks. It may not be where to go if you want something like the latest models of popular mobile phone brands, but it offers an wide array of electronics for sale not seen in many other electronics stores in Shanghai.

Below are a few photos I took there. They only provide a quick look at the market and don't capture many of the second-hand classics available. Like the Bu Ye Cheng (Long Xiao) Communications Market near the Shanghai Railway Station, a visit can be eye-opening even if you aren't interested in buying anything.

More scenes from markets elsewhere in China later. I will also have more to say about mobile phones like those which appear below.

Running for Red Star: A Near Miss on an Old Street in Nanping

Yesterday while I stood in a narrow old road in Nanping Town, Zhuhai, a boy quickly ran by. As I tried to the capture the moment, something surprised both of us — an incoming man riding a scooter. The boy deftly responded.

Nobody was hurt, and life went on. I didn't expect to see the boy again, yet he soon returned running with a focused expression on his face. For a brief moment when I glanced down, I noticed the small bottle of Red Star erguotou he now carried. Presumably he had purchased it at a nearby small store for someone older, perhaps his father or grandfather, who would have more interest in strong alcohol than a typical boy. I would have asked, but clearly this was a boy on an urgent mission.

Assorted Links: Agriculture Spying, Child Brides, Exploding Ducks, and China's Democracy

For today, here are links without much introduction to some unrelated pieces which caught my eye:

1. An engrossing story, much of it set in Iowa, emphasizes how trade secrets about agricultural products can matter in ways similar to those about military weapons for the U.S. and China.

“These are actually very serious offenses,” Lin says.

“They could treat us as spies!” Ye interjects.

Lin, exasperated, responds: “That is what we’ve been doing!”

2. Thought-provoking examples offer some light on child marriage in Bangladesh.

“When I asked both girls if they were happy they seemed almost confused by the question,” Joyce said. “They both replied along the lines of ‘Well this is my fate, I didn’t have any say in it. This is my life now.”

3. Roasted duck is a part of Hong Kong culture. Blowing them up with bombs is not. Yet two men in Hong Kong are accused of doing just that in a country park. Their stated goal was to kill wild boars. No word on whether exploded roasted duck would also be on the menu. Hopefully the passerby who was injured had a speedy recovery.

4. And finally, a brief point about a peculiar Global Times editorial which claimed China is the world's largest democracy.

Another Outdoor Meal in a Familiar Place

Last night I didn't eat a meal on a train. Instead, I ate a late dinner in more spacious conditions.

It felt good to be back in Zhuhai, a city where I have enjoyed many late night meals before, some in this same alley, and where I once saw a giant inflatable Vivo-Android robot.

Tofu, Bud, and a Wobbly Doll: Killing Time on an Overnight Train in China

Not long ago, I felt inspired to make a long trip by overnight train instead of taking a plane. To pass some time during the evening portion of the ride, I decided to buy one of no-frills meals for sale from a passing cart. When I asked if there was a chicken option, the man pushing the cart looked at me like I was crazy. So like the last time I rode an overnight train, I paid 25 RMB (about U.S. $4) for the only option available. I also noticed beer in the cart. Although it was far from my favorite, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy a can of the unexpected brand for 10 RMB.

The meal was more substantial than my earlier overnight train meal, and the fried fish tasted just like the fish sticks I commonly ate as a kid. The tofu-like object tasted like tofu. The other stuff had flavors. And the beer had just as little taste as I expected, so I ordered a second one to wash down the first one. Overall I give the meal and the beer a passing grade, as they proved successful in helping me kill some time in a cramped space.

After sleeping, or finishing trying to sleep, the next day dragged on more than expected since the train arrived two hours late. But fortunately a friendly four-year-old girl provided some entertainment.

Better than the beer.

Needless to say, I am not in Shanghai at the moment. And I am not even sure where I will be tomorrow night. But I will be somewhere, and I will be moving forward with the various posts mentioned earlier, plus other posts, including one about a wonderful item I found in Shanghai for the first time which surprised me far more than finding American Budweiser as the sole beer for sale on a Chinese train.

Bu Ye Cheng (Long Xiao) Communications Market in Shanghai

About 300 meters (1000 ft) to the east of a pedestrian bridge near the Shanghai Railway Station is a market which fills the majority of a large building. The market's name is written, translated and transliterated in numerous ways. A map inside the market, the sign of a complaints office for the market, and a sign by the market's management, all indicate a name which includes the Chinese "龙晓通信市场" which I'll translate as "Long Xiao Communications Market"*. But names more closely resembling "Bu Ye Cheng Communications Market" — "Bu Ye Cheng", sometimes spelled as a single word, comes from the name of the entire building — appear to be more commonly used. Whatever you call the market, fortunately the gold-tinged building with a large digital billboard at the intersection of Tianmu West Road and Meiyuan Road is easy to spot.

If you so desire, you can collect business cards from the hundreds of stalls and marvel at the different names they give the market. But of more interest to me are the various mobile phones and related products that mostly fill its six dense levels.

I think it offers the closest experience in Shanghai to some of the markets in Shenzhen's immense Huaqiangbei electronics commercial area. I recommend taking a look, especially if you are interested in mobile phones and won't be in Shenzhen. I will refrain from sharing more details about what I saw there, since a closer look is in store for some similar markets in Shanghai and elsewhere in China.



*Two of the signs used the slightly longer name "上海龙晓通信产品市场".