The party congress, Special Olympics, and fame in Guangzhou

Some state-run media were called to a 3am meeting over the holidays to discuss coverage of the upcoming party congress. I'm not sure what to expect from the upcoming shindig, but it seems clear some power-struggles continue. So, I decided I'd make my best guess at what might be happening. Remember, I am in no way credible. But here goes:

• Shanghai party chief Xi Jinping is a lock to be on the Politburo Standing Committee.
• Jiang Zemin's team is asking that the Standing Committee of the Politburo be decreased from 9 to 7 people. Hu Jintao strongly disagrees.
• Hu Jintao will be elected to a second term.

On another note, my trip through China over the holidays was quite a success. We managed to hit perfect weather in every city we visited, allowing my guests to get a perfect view from the Peak in Hong Kong and the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai. Speaking of Shanghai, my friend Paul, who contributes to this blog, actually ran into an old friend who now manages the Big Bamboo. He was delirious in explaining how great it was to live in Shanghai, pointing out he'd left the city twice in two years, and once was on a day-trip to a rural area near the city. I could see his enthusiasm, as Shanghai was in the midst of hosting the Special Olympics and the Formula One race. Concerts coming up include Beyonce and Linkin Park. Plus international tennis and golf events are on the way. All of this must certainly cement Shanghai as the mainland's entertainment capital.

We also managed to catch a river cruise along the scenic Pearl River in Guangzhou. It was well worth it, and became one of many highlights of the trip. In my nearly one year in the city, I never managed to do it, and now realize I was missing out.

And one final thought.... I've worked at CCTV 9, China Radio International, Beijing Radio, and at News1130 radio in Vancouver. Never once have I been recognized and stopped in public -- until I went to Guangzhou. Twice in a single day, I was surprisingly recognized by viewers of Guangzhou's fledgling English Channel. As I was ordering a green tea latte (well recommended -- I will be drinking this until the chai lattes make it into mainland China) at the Starbucks on Shamian Island, the woman asked if I was visiting. "Yes," I replied, before quickly pointing out that I used to live in Guangzhou. "I know," she said. "I've seen you on the TV."

A similar situation happened at the airport, as we were tired and frustrated by not being able to locate the cTrip counter. One man in a tie kept looking at us, and we assumed he must've worked at the airport. We asked him where we could check in for Air China, and he said, "I don't know... maybe E... maybe C." Well, this made us even more frustrated, as we expected the customer service people to know where we could check in. After some intense back-and-forth, it turned out that he, too, was a regular viewer of Guangzhou EC and didn't work at the airport at all.

Consider me surprised, as I didn't expect people in GZ (which gets TVB Pearl among other channels from Hong Kong) to watch English language-state run television (believe me, you aren't missing much). Plus, I haven't lived or worked in Guangzhou for over seven months. Now I mustn't let this go to my head.