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By Elizabeth M. Lynch, June 20, 2010

Like every other country outside of the United States, China is a soccer-crazed nation and with the 2010 World Cup, employers fear a loss of productivity of their workers.  With China six hours ahead of South Africa, the matches begin at 7 pm local time, with the last match starting at 2:30 AM., giving most Chinese the opportunity to watch the matches with their friends into the wee hours of the morning.  And it appears that many are taking advantage of this time difference even without a hometown team to root for.

Given China’s dominance in recent Olympics as well as its people’s love for soccer, it’s weird not to see a Chinese team at the World Cup.  Especially since even its neighbor – poor and ideologically-suffocating North Korea – made the cut.  China was able to build up its curling prowess to win a bronze in women’s curling in Vancouver – a sport most Chinese, actually most people outside of Canada, have never heard of.  Surely it can train a World Cup-worthy soccer team.  So what gives?

China - Economic superpower but not a soccer one

A recent article in the L.A. Times essential blames China’s “socialism with Chinese characteristics.”  While China’s state-controlled capitalism – where the state programs and controls much of the “free market” – has allowed for success in the economic sphere, it’s destroyed any hopes for soccer dominance.  China’s various professional soccer leagues are managed by the Chinese Football Association, a commercial entity that is overseen by the General Administration of Sport, a government body.  With dueling ideologies, the result is confusion and lack of coordination.  Additionally, China’s professional leagues have been plagued by high-level corruption, gambling scandals, and match-fixing, rotting the sport to its core.  While a recent clean-up of the corruption might have short-term impact, without better checks and balances, expect corruption to return to Chinese soccer and stymie any hope of creating a World Cup-worthy team.

Vuvuzela - Made in China

Although there is no China presence on the field, there is plenty of China presence in the stands.  Those annoyingly loud vuvuzelas that drown out referee whistles and any sounds from the field are mostly made in China.  And China’s wig production saw a huge uptick in demand for wigs dyed the national colors of various nations.

But what has received the most attention is ESPN’s Martin Tyler’s on-air comment that the North Korean fans are in fact paid Chinese actors, an allegation that was also made last month in the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph.  As a team playing in the World Cup, North Korea is given a large number of tickets to give or sell to its people.  But for most North Koreans, a flight to South Africa would cost too much, leaving many of the North Korean-designated seats empty.  But supposedly, these tickets have been transferred to China, who is sending 1,000 actors to cheer on its neighbor.

Both China and North Korea remain mum in regards to the nature of the North Korean fans and have neither denied nor confirmed the rumors.  But China has hired “professional” fans in the past.  Most notably the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  In order to fill empty seats, the Chinese government sent groups of enthusiastic Chinese volunteers, wearing yellow shirts and armed with thundersticks, into the stands to cheer for both teams playing.  That’s right – the Chinese sent volunteers to cheer not just for their own team, but for whichever teams were playing.  Essentially, the Chinese Olympic officials wanted to guarantee an enthusiastic crowd for the teams playing.

During the 2008 Olympics and now for the North Korea matches in the World Cup, the Chinese received criticism for

Fans cheer on North Korea at the 2010 World Cup

this “manufactured” support.  But I sort of think this type of magnanimity is cute and I kind of like it.  Imagine if you are the beach volleyball team from Luxemburg – you don’t even have beaches in your country let alone fans of beach volleyball that are going to watch you at the Olympics.  So how inspiring must it be to play in the Olympics and have a cheering section.  Sure it might be manufactured, but sometimes it’s just the cheers that matter for the team.  And for the other people in the stands, having a section that starts to get into the match, makes watching an otherwise boring event fun.  People don’t do the wave during the ninth inning of a tied Yankees-Red Sox game.  No.  They do the wave when they are bored, when the defeat is so obvious that you need a little entertainment to keep you involved.

So Monday morning, when North Korea takes on Portugal, I hope the fans – be Chinese or North Korean – are there wildly rooting for the North Korean team.  China should look to market this thing – a cheering section for hire and an enthusiastic one to boot?  There are a lot of politicians and disgraced corporate executives in the U.S. right now that might be interested.

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By Elizabeth M. Lynch, August 20, 2009

When one studies Chinese or anything China, the question inevitable arises from others: what’s the best Chinese restaurant?  Like all things China, it’s complicated and like the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese food is not

Best Steamed Shrimp Dumplings Ever - Corner 28

monolithic.  Today in “Just for Fun,” we review Corner 28 in Flushing, Queens.

Corner 28 is not easy to find and that’s a good thing.  This gem of a Cantonese restaurant lists an address on Main Street but in reality, the entrance is around the corner on 40^th Rd.; you will have to walk around the flower vendor to enter and then up to the second floor.  But once in, the effort is worth it.

The menu offers a wide variety of Hong Kong delights, from congee and noodle soups, to various dim sum standards.  This is a great place to go for dim sum if you are looking to avoid the crowds and carts of the traditional dim sum places.  All of the dishes use fresh ingredients with lots of flavor, but the best dish was by far the steamed shrimp

dumplings.  It’s hard to find steamed shrimp dumplings with the proper ratio of wrapping to shrimp; most times the dumpling wrapping overpowers the shrimp and leaves a stickiness in the mouth.  But at Corner 28, the chef has evidently perfected the proper balance between shrimp to wrapping by providing a huge serving of meat that has been marinated in a sweet and light sauce.  With the first bite, the flavors of the shrimp cannot be denied.

Also of note was the Thousand Year Egg congee.  While rice gruel often does not appeal to non-Chinese, this is unfortunate, especially when it is the Hong Kong version – congee.  Congee offers a meal in and of itself and Corner 28 serves a strong one.  With the congee are thick and soft breadsticks, known in Mandarin as youtiao (oil sticks).  These are some of the best youtiao out there.

Prices are also extremely reasonable.  With dim sum dishes averaging around $2.50, Corner 28 will not break the bank.

Housed in a relaxing and modern atmosphere, above the hubbub of Flushing, Corner 28 not only offers fresh and yummy Cantonese food, but also provides a great break before getting back on the subway.

Rating:

Corner 28
718-886-6628
40-28 Main Street, Flushing NY
(entrance around the corner on 40^th Road)
Take the 7 train to the last stop, Main Street, Flushing

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By Elizabeth M. Lynch, August 6, 2009

For those of us in NYC without a home in the Hamptons for the summer, every Friday, the question inevitably arises – what to do this weekend.  If you are sticking around the city, China Law & Policy recommends that you check out Song Dong’s new exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art (Friday nights are free, FYI).

In this inaugural post of the “Just for Fun” series, Taliesin Thomas reviews Song Dong’s exhibit “Waste Not.”

Taliesin Thomas is the Director of AW Asia, a private organization in New York that promotes the field of Chinese contemporary art through institutional loans and museum acquisitions, curatorial projects, publishing, and educational programs (www.awasiany.com). Ms. Thomas is also currently an MA candidate in East Asian Studies at Columbia University and a specialist in the field of Chinese contemporary art. She lived in rural Hubei Province , Central China from 1999-2001.

Cross posted on the Chinese art blog RedBox

Song Dong’s “Waste Not”

By Taliesin Thomas

Right now New Yorkers have the opportunity to step inside a genuine chapter of twentieth century Chinese history at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). An installation by Song Dong, titled “Waste Not”, is both a portrait of Chinese culture and a homage to the artists’ late mother. The exhibit is more than just a nostalgic presentation of personal effects; it is a devoted work of art by one of China’s most talented and conscientious contemporary artists.

For more than 50 years, Song Dong’s mother accumulated and held on to everyday items in an effort to “waste not” (wu jin qi yong). Empty toothpaste tubes, dry water bottles, tattered shoes, battered boxes, bowls, plates, cups, pens, buttons, styrofoam, plastic, ceramic, glass, cloth, wood; some 50,000 miscellaneous objects of every shape and color as tallied by Song Dong himself.

In 2002 Song Dong’s father died, and his mother became isolated and withdrawn. She amassed more and more belongings in an effort to console her grief. The result was a home filled with emptiness. Song Dong approached his mother about turning her possessions into an art piece that would bring renewed meaning to these old objects. After her initial protest, she gradually assisted him in organizing the contents of her house. This process pulled her out of her sadness, and re-engaged her with the stationary material life that she had built up around herself.

A veritable Chinese treasure chest turned upside down, the dense display of numerous weathered household items arranged in MoMA’s atrium is an intimate portrait of one woman’s world. That woman died unexpectedly early this year while trying to save a wounded bird high up in a tree. Song Dong’s careful placement of his mothers physical reality reflects a lovingly organized memoir, with individual items appearing like stanzas of an epic poem. In this particular verse, one can almost hear the bittersweet song of the bird.

I had the opportunity to hear Song Dong speak about his “Waste Not” project at a lecture that he gave at Pace Wildenstein gallery several days after his MoMA debut. Hosted as an evening art salon in conjunction with the China Institute, the talk was a beautiful addendum to his installation. Song Dong eloquently described the impetus for this project, revealing personal family stories that increased my appreciation for the energy, consideration, and effort that went into creating “Waste Not”.

Standing there in the middle of his poignant art piece, I could not help but recall the basic premise of Buddhism: impermanence. For all that we can posses in this life, in the end we leave the entire corporeal world behind, entrusting someone else to manage the articles of our former existence. Song Dong’s filial piety brings Chinese contemporary art to a sincerely sacred place, one that is filled with reflection and hope.

Show runs now through Sept. 7.  Click here for details.