Today's post is about "getting things done" in China. And no, I'm not referring to one of my favorite books by David Allen. I'm referring to the strange dichotomy in China between feeling like you are under close government control at all times but also the common everyday flouting of laws that occurs.
1. Pirated Goods
It's fairly common knowledge in the US that pirated DVDs can be purchased easily in China. I recently experienced this after my purchase of the first season of Gossip Girl (yes, save the criticism of this DVD choice for the moment). After taking the box off the shelf in the store I shook it and heard nothing inside. When I took it up to the counter, the store manager went to a back cupboard and rifled through what looked like her own personal collection of DVDs in pink plastic sleeves and handed me the actual discs separate from the box itself. What should have cost something around 200 kuai (30 dollars) ended up being 40 kuai (6 dollars). And I think I got the special "expat price" (probably double what they'd quote a local Chinese person).
What surprised me though is that not only are DVDs and clothes pirated but the business has extended to alcohol! When going into a club one night I observed a rather large container being filled with 48 empty Grey Goose vodka bottles. The pirates apparently fill these with cheaper vodka and then try to resell them. The alcohol makers try to combat this by putting seals and stickers on their bottles but ofcourse these are quickly pirated as well.
It's an interesting question about why these practices flourish in China but not the US. One might think lack of enforcement but I'd bet the root cause is lower overall wages and living costs making pirating profitable compared to the US where it wouldn't cover living expenses.
2. The Black Audis
Government comes hand in hand with corruption and things are no different here in China. However, unlike the US there is one small part of government power flaunted on a regular basis each day on the streets of Beijing.
Audi at some point must have brokered an extremely large contract with the Communist Party in China, as all of the local government officials drive around the exact same model and color black Audi. They have police-like red and blue lights mounted internally.
What's interesting though is that you regularly see these black Audis turn on their lights to make illegal U-turns, get through rush hour traffic, or parked illegally on the sidewalk next to nice restaurants.
3. National Day of Mourning
Last Wednesday China declared a national day of mourning for those that died in the earthquake in Qinghai Province. The usual US practice of flying flags at half-mast was practiced. But a few additional more unusual measures were also taken.
The local YouTube competitor in China is named Tudou (amusingly "potato" in Chinese, like "couch potato"). Performing searches for popular music or television shows resulted in the search failing with a big message about the earthquake and the national day of mourning. Apparently mourning involves not listening to your favorite song and not getting a choice about it.
Furthermore, "officially," bars and clubs were supposed to be closed for the day of mourning. There is a popular strip of clubs along the west side of the Workers Stadium (Gongti Xi) that we had not yet visited. We found the street that is usually filled with bright flashing multi-colored lights completely dark and empty. However, one or two of the clubs located off the main street, set in by a half-block were proudly displaying their open doors and ignoring the rules about the day of mourning.
We were set, however, on a particular club called Coco Banana on the main drag. We walked by and it too had its lights off. Mysteriously though we still heard a rumble of bass music coming through the front doors which were closed with no lights on. We pulled on the doors and found them open but a bouncer quickly rushed forward and shooed us away letting forth a string of Chinese which luckily a member of our group translated...
...it turned out to be instructions to turn around and turn right at the corner of the club. Down the alley past the dumpsters and around another corner we found the back entrance of the club wide open and busy with clubbers going in and out. National day of mourning in China dictates you close your club? No way. Just turn off the front lights and direct people around back.
This is how you get things done in China.
