Eating Red Herring in a Harmonious Society

Eating rice and fish on a Chinese airplane, I am again in tune with the pleasantries of in-flight meals and free drinks. These perks, long since disappeared in America’s economy class, afford a sense of pleasant harmony to my travels. And with kudos to these airlines, tickets are fully refundable when one’s trip to Tibet is cancelled.

Today I am in Hangzhou; I could not make it to Lhasa. The 50th anniversary of the 1959 ostensible liberalization was this week. Sunday, March 15 is the anniversary of last year’s riots. On the 1,956th anniversary of another famed Ides of March, one might ask, “Et tu, brute?”

As expected, most foreigners are met with no answers when denied access to the Tibetan capital. However, I luckily received a firm response. According to the chairman of the autonomous region, as reported in the March 8 China Daily, my inability to travel may have been due to restrictions regarding the “region’s climate and geographic conditions.” I appreciate and respect this response, for I am easily chilled and Lhasa is 17 degrees centigrade today.

Just as China liberated Tibet fifty years ago, so also are foreign newspapers biased towards liberality. One such newspaper reported March 5 that authorities have imposed an “unofficial state of martial law” in the Tibetan highlands, ordering the largest military deployment since the earthquake. This report was certainly not objective, as he incorrectly witnessed that he was “driven through the Tibetan areas of arid Gansu Province while being detained by the police for 20 hours.” This report was certainly not just, stating that thousands of military forces previously guarding the Olympic Bird’s Nest are now stationed in Maqu, where no special visa is required, to remove foreigners. This report shows the immense prejudice of foreign media against the harmonious society.

In China, where airlines still serve food, one must not wonder why he is kept from Maqu. I simply assume that the climactic conditions in Maqu are also precarious, and I respect the government’s concern for my safety.

There is one very heartening piece of this affair. The government released a message regarding last year’s rioters in Lhasa, reported in the China Daily. It stated that only 76 prisoners were sentenced to prison, representing only 8% of the rioters detained. Some were sentenced to only five years; others to life. I am thankful for a government that only sentences 8% of detainees in order to maintain peace in society; I would be discouraged if the number were higher. I am pleased that these horrifying mutineers will join the Panchen Lama in order that all people may live freely and without fear.

It is good to be back in Hangzhou, where the weather is warm and fish is delicious.






China Daily Articles: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/07/content_7549558.htm

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/09/content_7555462.htm

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/09/content_7557101.htm


NY Times Articles: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/world/asia/05tibet.html?scp=5&sq=tibet&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/world/asia/03briefs-TIBETCHINA.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=tibet&st=cse

Inauguration Day

We spent most of Inauguration Day fighting the crowds in D.C., running between medic tents. At some times, we were really close to the White House and the Capitol Building (in the Blue-ticketed area), but didn't have the chance to stop and snap photos.

Here are a few photos from that day:

In the Silver Ticketed Area (9am)

Looking at the Blue ticketed area (9am)...

Looking back at the crowd in the open area along the mall (9am)

A First Aid tent along the parade route.

The Parade Route at Pennslyvania and 11th.

President Obama and Michelle along the Parade Route.

Flags on the parade route.

Clock tower along the parade route.

A Military band on the parade.

Matt, Steve, and Andrea at the parade.

The Old Post Office.

The Vice President and his wife.

The Parade.

We Are One Concert (January 18)

We came to DC to help with the first aid tents scattered throughout the Disctrict. On Sunday, we ended up at 8 medical aid stations on the Mall, down to the Lincoln Memorial, for the We Are One Concert.

This We Are One concert drew 400,000 attendees inside the gates, in addition to an estimated 500,000 at the Washington Monument (to watch from afar). We made it inside the gates to check on the aid tents, and we stayed for the concert....

Aside from the regrattable circumstance which not only excluded Bp. Gene Robinson's invocation from the HBO broadcast, but also in strange coincidence reduced the loudspeaker volume significantly during the same invocation, the concert was inspiring even for those who may not be Obama-maniacs, so to speak.

The following are some pictures that I snapped during the event:

The Lincoln Memorial, before the concert.

The crowd at the Reflecting Pool...

The crowd that couldn't get in through the gates. They stood at the Washington Monument to watch the Lincoln Center concert.

The crowd at the Washington Monument....

The crowd at the Washington Monument....

View from the Washington Monument

We Are One concert stage

Looking back at the crowd during the concert...