The Ganzhou Railway Station: A Flying Horse, a Sunset, and a Police-Evading Truck

Yesterday around 6 p.m. I stopped by the Ganzhou Railway Station to take a closer look at it and the surrounding area. Upon arriving I found a location safe for standing with a mostly clear view of the station and a large sculpture of a horse in front. The horse is based on the iconic Flying Horse of Gansu bronze sculpture and a symbol for the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), which recently merged with the Ministry of Culture to form the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The plaque on the base of the structure indicates the CNTA identified Ganzhou as a "Top Tourist City of China".

Just before lifting my camera, I heard a loud whistle behind me and turned around. A man driving a truck had turned into an area designated only for buses and a police officer was trying to stop him. The mistake seemed understandable, and I expected the driver would soon change course.

He didn't. Instead, after slowing down and showing clear awareness of the officer, he drove onwards. When the officer went running after the truck, it quickly accelerated. The man then drove into an area partially blocked by a gate.

A number of other police immediately became involved, but most of them didn't continue chasing the truck. They knew something the man possibly did not. There was no other way out. Unsurprisingly, the truck soon returned. Surprisingly to the driver, the police had completely blocked the road. The man chose not to go all Dukes of Hazard, and the police questioned after he had stopped.

This was not a great development for the man. Or me. With all the action now in the scene I had hoped to capture and plenty of police eyes about, I didn't know a) if me taking a photo would attract attention and b) whether the police would then question me. All I really wanted a photo of the statue and station and not create more of an event, so I waited.

The man initially tried to laugh the matter off. The police didn't laugh. They then appeared to ask for ID. Things proceeded rather peacefully after that, but there was no sign of when it would all end. So, I eventually gave up and quickly took two photos.

A China's Core Socialist Values display, the Flying Horse of Gansu, and the Ganzhou Railway station
(oh, and a truck stopped by police)

Fortunately, one turned out decently enough. Also nice, nobody approached me. As I walked away, I noticed they had allowed the man to depart. Especially for a person who had just explicitly ignored police orders and tried to evade them, the issue had been handled rather calmly and efficiently.

The rest of my time at the station passed by far more mundanely. Below are a few more photos I took of and from the station, some including the hard-to-miss horse. Train stations in China can be rather lively places, but at the time the station seemed relatively subdued. But at least the setting sun added some color.

(Person in) Bear (Suit) Frightens Young Woman at a Shopping Center in Ganzhou, China

After hearing a startled scream at the the Zhonglian Shopping Center (中联商城) today, I saw a bear making sudden sharp movements with its arms approaching two young women. Of course I did the only thing possible and captured several moments which followed during which the young women refused the bear's offering and fled.

Fortunately, nobody was injured (and nobody was in any real danger). The two young women walked away laughing at times. They also made sure the bear didn't follow them. The bear left them alone after that, though, and appeared frustrated in this instance it had failed its primary task — handing out flyers.

The aggressive approach the person used wouldn't at all be common or accepted for a person in normal attire, but putting on a costume can open doors for performance. I have seen similar suited tactics before in China and have wondered how much of it is the result of the person genuinely believing it could be effective versus the person simply desiring to entertain themselves or others while performing a potentially monotonous or frustrating job.

In any case, as I left the shopping center I now had new question in mind. What would occur if this bear teamed up with Ganzhou's dancing Tyrannosaurus?

Assorted China Links: Human trafficking, Silence on Uyghurs, Inspired Student Activists, and a Canceled Column

There are several (OK, much more than several) pieces I have been keeping in open browser tabs, so I could write about them some day. In part since I am fearing they will become buried and I haven't done an assorted links post in a while, below are several of the pieces below with links and an excerpt.

1.  "Myanmar woman escapes Chinese captors after 6 years" by Todd Pitman, Esther Htusan, and Dake Kang:

When she entered China surreptitiously in September 2011, there were no border guards, no checkpoints. They walked across a shallow creek in broad daylight.

In Yingjiang, after eating a bowl of noodles for breakfast at a local restaurant, Marip Lu began to feel dizzy.

Soon, her vision blurred. Then everything went black.

When Marip Lu regained consciousness, she was slumped on the back of a red motorcycle racing down a highway, a chubby Chinese man holding onto her with one hand.

Rubbing her eyes, she saw rivers and flower parks flashing by. Then things she'd only seen in movies: twinkling skyscrapers with vast crowds walking between them like ants.

When she reached for the phone in her purse, she noticed it was missing along with her Myanmar identification card and the handful of Myanmar kyat — worth only a few U.S. dollars — that she'd brought.

Suddenly, she understood. She'd been tricked, then drugged. And now, she was being trafficked.

2.  "Muslim Governments Silent as China Cracks Down on Uighurs":

Almost three weeks after a United Nations official cited “credible reports” that the country was holding as many as 1 million Turkic-speaking Uighurs in “re-education” camps, governments in Muslim-majority countries have issued no notable statements on the issue. The silence became more pronounced this week after a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers urged sanctions against senior Chinese officials. . . .

The silence on Uighurs contrasts with outrage last year when some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled clearance operations by the Myanmar military, which the UN has since likened to genocide. One big difference between the two cases: Myanmar’s economy is 180 times smaller than that of China, which is the top trading partner of 20 of the 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

3.  "Inspired by #MeToo, student activists target inequality in China" by Sue-Lin Wong and Christian Shepherd:

They use code words to evade government scrutiny. They communicate on messaging apps using end-to-end encryption. On the heavily-censored messaging platform WeChat, they send images of articles, rotated and distorted with shapes and squiggles that can trip up text recognition functions.

When online censors tried to scrub a letter Yue posted on WeChat in April about being pressured by her university, fellow students used blockchain technology to ensure it remained accessible.

4.  For the fourth and final slot, I am going break with the link-sharing traditions and instead share a series of related tweets, the latest of which just caught eye:

The inimitable @azadessa's weekly column in South Africa's paper, Independent Media, has just been cancelled because he wrote a piece on China's internment of the Uighur minority.

— Melissa Chan (@melissakchan) September 6, 2018

This is @azadessa's full post with the news of his cancelled column because he wrote about China's internment of Uighurs.

In it, he asks: "Is this where the continent's future relationship with China is headed?" pic.twitter.com/z4daDgO8Xe

— Melissa Chan (@melissakchan) September 6, 2018

This is the article that broke the dragon’s back pic.twitter.com/gEawFBu5qt

— Azad Essa (@azadessa) September 7, 2018

Following the Rainbow: A Pagoda, River, and Bridge in Ganxian, Ganzhou

A little over a week ago in Ganzhou, I saw a rainbow — an uncommon experience for me during my years in China. Seeing the rainbow was all the more surprising because I hadn't noticed anything which made me think one was a likely possibility.

Later in the week on Saturday, I visited Ganzhou's Ganxian District (赣县区). A storm passed though during the afternoon, and as the rain subsided I thought it could be a prime opportunity to catch yet another rainbow. So I headed eastward down a tree-covered section of Meilin Street (梅林大街) to an intersection with a clearer view.

And there it was.

I hadn't ever seen two rainbows in such a short period of time in China. Looking further down the road, it appeared there might be some natural scenery to pair with the rainbow. So I changed plans and headed in that direction. By the time I reached the perimeter of Ganxian's most urban area, the rainbow was gone. Yet the view was still rewarding, and I spotted the Zhenxing Pagoda (振兴塔) in the distance.

Now intrigued by the tower, I headed toward it. Soon I was at the Gong River (贡水), the same river where I had earlier seen people observing the Hungry Ghost Festival in Ganzhou's Zhanggong District (章贡区).

Nearby I spotted the Meilin Bridge (梅林大桥).

I then headed down to the riverbank where I took in more views and also saw construction work on a riverside walkway.

The previous time I saw a rainbow, I had to give thanks to a woman for the fact I saw it all. This time, I had to give thanks to the rainbow for bringing me to sights I would have likely missed otherwise. And I still ended up making it to my original destination, which I could fortunately appreciate even after the sun had set.

One more thing . . . While I had been walking near the river, there was a brief drizzle and a rainbow appeared once more. I wasn't in an ideal location during its brief existence. But nonetheless, I finally captured a rainbow in a more scenic Chinese setting.

Elevating an Escalator at a Construction Site in Ganzhou

Two nights ago I posted a photo of one of the trucks delivering escalators to a shopping mall construction site in Ganzhou. I thought it would be interesting to see an escalator make the journey off the trucks. But nothing seemed about to soon happen, so I continued onward somewhat disappointed.

Unexpectedly late last night, though, I happened to pass at just the right time and struck gold.

Never got to see that before. Maybe someday I can get into a construction site to watch the rest.

Kindergarten in Shenzhen, China, Welcomes Students With a Pole Dancing Show

Advertisements for jobs and classes at a pole dancing school in Zhongshan, Guangdong (October 2017)

Six years ago I met a college student working part-time handing out printed advertisements for a pole dancing school in Changsha, China. Later, I met another student doing the same. After asking a few questions about the school, she invited me to take a look myself. Soon I was having an enlightening conversation with a manager during my first visit to a pole dancing school.

Since then, in a number of other cities in China I have come across signs of more pole dancing schools, and the activity's popularity has grown as a way to stay physically fit while enjoying oneself. Although pole dancing occurs in some locations, such as nightclubs, where it can more typically be found in the U.S., there are differences between the two countries in how it is perceived.

Still, when I first saw a remarkable tweet today from Michael Standaert, a freelance journalist based in Shenzhen, indicating his children's kindergarten had put on a pole dancing show for the young students on their first day of school, I wondered if it was some sort of joke.

He wasn't joking.

Below are most of Standaert's tweets on the topic, including videos of children watching pole dancing performances and some of his replies to others' comments. The tweets are from multiple threads and presented in the order they were tweeted. Read to the end to learn the school's decisive response.

It looks like opening day will be a bit different next year.

So before our kids got out of kindergarten for the summer, there was 10 days of military "activities" and displays of machine guns and mortars at the door; now the principal has welcomed them back with a strip pole dance on the flagpole bearing the PRC flag. She's gone nuts. pic.twitter.com/BJr4UI6Oq3

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

More from the opening day of our kids' kindergarten. Crazy. We're trying to get them out of there and get our tuition back. They also had a bunch of adverts out for a pole dancing school. Most likely paid the principal to put them up. pic.twitter.com/fgU946hFwn

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

Who would think this is a good idea? We're trying to pull the kids out of the school and get our tuition back. They wouldn't give us the number of the company that owns the school, but looking into that. pic.twitter.com/vEdIhuq774

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

The principal hung up on my wife when she called after saying it was "international and good exercise" ... okay, yeah for adults maybe, but not 3-6 year old kids. pic.twitter.com/OAw8S5ihzX

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

And they also had a bunch of adverts out for a pole dancing school. The gals in the videos, except for the first one, were not the principal. pic.twitter.com/xj56WegTxG

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

This was the military display from back in July. Almost took them out of the school then but they were a few days from finishing so just let them stay. It is hard to move the kids around to a bunch of different schools here, and they've made a lot of friends. pic.twitter.com/EkhGKyQJyq

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

I think she really has no understanding of the connotations of pole dancing in other countries. Yes of course it has taken off as an exercise fad for adults, but the leap from that to performing herself and inviting a troupe in for about 200 little kids?

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

To update: We met with a representative of the company that owns this school and several other schools. An understatement to say they've been getting a lot of complaints today. She told us that the principal is being removed and will be replaced, but that it will take two weeks.

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

All the pole dancing and military stuff [actually a lot of parents were supportive of the latter] was all the idea of the principal, we are told. Our kids are pretty happy with their homeroom teachers. So it looks like we may stay there, but will take a couple weeks to resolve.

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

At least this school doesn't give much homework. My daughter might want a pole in the living room.

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

Some coverage via weixin: https://t.co/Sa5ay8YMS7

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

The principal did one dance. The other dancers are supposedly from a pole dancing school that the principal belongs to. I'd seen her post some things on her own Wechat recently about it. But no idea that she was going to bring it to the kindergarten.

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

Funny you mention this. I was told by my landlord that the park where I run most days used to be where they did public executions in these parts, 30 years ago.

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

Another update before I run out of power. The principal has been fired. The Bao'an education authorities acted quite quickly.

— Michael Standaert (@mstandaert) September 3, 2018

Late Night Escalator Delivery in Ganzhou

At the Nanmenkou (南门口) Bubugao (步步高) shopping center construction site in Ganzhou

A Boat, a River, and a Mountain in Ganzhou

In an earlier post about a rainbow I saw in Ganzhou, I wrote that I had hoped to photograph the rainbow at a more picturesque location at a river with a mountain in the background. The rainbow dissipated too quickly for that to happen though. So below is a photo from the location I had in mind. I have shared other photos from the Zhang River (章江) before, but this is from the other side and a long walk upstream from the other locations.

When I first arrived at this area, I wondered why the river appeared to be much narrower than at other nearby locations. I soon discovered that I wasn't looking at the other side of the river but at a long island in the middle. None of the maps I have looked at, either online or posted by the riverside, indicate a name for the island. In any case, the scene was a change of pace from the rapidly developing new urban area in Ganzhou I had just been walking through.

Burning Down The House: Scenes from the Hungry Ghost Festival in Ganzhou, China

Near Jianchun Gate (建春门) in Ganzhou

Last Thursday next to the ancient city wall alongside the Gong River (贡水) in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, I noticed a number of people burning ghost money — imitation paper currency.

Near Donghe Bridge (东河大桥)

Thursday was the first of three days in Ganzhou when people conducted rituals for Saturday's Hungry Ghost Festival (中元节), also known in English as the Ghost Festival, the Yulan Festival, and Zhongyuan Jie. The holiday is similar to the Qingming Festival in terms of burning paper replicas to send items to people in the afterlife. The National Library of Singapore has a useful overview of the holiday in general while also pointing out some details specific to Singapore and other countries while also covering some differences between Taoist and Buddhist beliefs regarding the holiday. Baidu Baike has an article (Chinese) detailing some of the specific practices in various parts of China.

On Saturday, while walking down Xijiao Road (西郊路) I noticed a lot of smoke in the distance. And that is how I stumbled upon one of the multiple sites the local government had established for the burning rituals.

The video below captures more of the living reaching out to spirits there.

At a location next to the old city wall bordering the Zhang River (章水), I came across another sanctioned site — this one more scenic.

Near Xijin Gate (西津门)

While there, I saw some people preparing to send a house, car, and other items to the spirit world.

Soon flames began engulfing the house.

The video below captures later stages of the house's journey and also some of the other offerings occurring in the near vicinity.

One advantage Saturday provided was a rare break from the recent hot weather. One disadvantage Saturday provided was occasional strong winds. The video below was taken later at the same area and captures how ghost money was flying about, sometimes while burning, at times. I didn't see anybody get hurt, but it was definitely worth staying alert.

During the earlier evening I came across another approved site, this one at an area where buildings had been demolished between Xijin Road (西津路) and Xingan South Road (新赣南路).

I also saw offerings being made or signs of recent offerings on a smaller scale at a number of locations which didn't appear to have been designated by the city. All of the government approved sites I came across had government employees, easily identifiable with their red hats, keeping an eye on things. The site near Xijin Gate also had a few chengguan, urban management officers, around. There were frequent sounds of firecrackers around the city, but I only heard a single one go off at the approved sites. Apparently since it was isolated explosion — unusual —a chengguan who clearly wasn't happy about it didn't intervene beyond sharing a stern word.

In my personal experience, I have never before seen so many people observing the holiday elsewhere in China. I'm not sure whether that speaks more to luck or regional variations in the holiday's observance, though I suspect the latter has a significant role. In any case, there was a lot of fire in Ganzhou during the holiday and possibly many pleased ghosts as well.

An Unexpected Ganzhou Rainbow

While walking outside bit after 6 p.m. today in Ganzhou, I saw in the distance a woman appearing to take photos with her mobile phone. I paid particular attention since she was photographing in my direction, and I couldn't think of anything especially remarkable in the scene behind me. As I got closer, I could tell her phone was aimed slightly upwards, seemingly towards the sky. My first guess was there might be a beautiful cloud in the sky. Now I couldn't resist, and I turned around.

I'm glad I did. I took a photo of the big rainbow in the sky myself. The woman then approached and asked if I could take a photo of her and the rainbow with her phone. She expressed surprise when I counted down to taking the photo using Chinese numbers. After that was finished, I quickly headed to another location. A nearby river with a mountain in the distance would be a great setting to capture the rainbow. Unfortunately, the rainbow was already quickly fading. So I took a photo halfway to my intended destination. The rainbow was gone shortly thereafter.

I haven't seen many rainbows in China, though I did catch one several months ago in Qingyuan. In that case, a recent rainstorm and the sunlight afterwards caused me to look for one. Today, there was nothing I noticed which would have made me think a rainbow could be around. A big thanks to the woman. I probably would have missed the rainbow if not for her.

Some regular readers might now be wondering if me sharing this story indicates more delay for a post I mentioned yesterday.

Well . . .

Um . . .

Look! Rainbow!

A Riverside Can in Ganzhou

I'm not yet finished with what I had originally hoped to post today. Uploading three large video files through a VPN across the Great Firewall added to the challenge, but I'm happy to say at least that part has been successfully completed. For now, below is a related photo taken next to the Gong River which serves as a bit of a teaser.

Much more burning is on the way — most of it somewhat controlled.

Seated Poses in Ganzhou

A number of places sell art or antiques towards the southern end of Bajing Road (八境路) in Ganzhou. The two paintings sitting outside an art studio in the above photo stood out from many of the Chinese-style pieces nearby, and they captured scenes foreign in location and time.