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The following is a guest post from a good friend of mine, and current CCTV 9 news anchor James Aitken. We are posting it with his permission:

I thought about starting this piece with the phrase, "I'm no banking expert, but...", then this one came to mind: "I lost track long ago of how many times I've tried to give Chinese banks my money." Yeah, that works.

My latest adventure in China's financial industry started with a straight forward task: deposit money into someone else's account. As I traipsed into the bank branch, I headed straight to the get-ready-to-be-here-a-while ticket machine and pressed the button. 1282. I glanced up at the scrolling red computer numbers. The biggest number is 1254. Not bad. I park myself on a bench, and because this particular branch doesn't have a wall-sized TV screen running Tom and Jerry cartoons, I pull out my mobile listening device and begin my wait with the sounds of a scraggly-haired rock bank thumping in my ear drums.

Every time I make my way into a Chinese bank, I'm reminded of the massive transformations that have been going on behind the scenes. Besides my many personal adventures, I've read and heard a great deal about the challenges and changes that this country's banking system is facing. They've been going through immense restructuring. I don't know how the bottom line looks at the major banks these days, but I am quite aware of the problems they've been grappling with. Hundreds of millions of bank customers are reminded of this everyday. The poor customer service comes in many forms: interminable waits, grumpy, underpaid staff, or in my case, an Internal Technology system that is basically just Internal. Up till this point, customer service improvements at some banks have amounted to hanging up large TV screens to show cartoons. Other banks offer free cups of water.

Essentially, these long-standing issues can be boiled down to a protracted case of misplaced priorities. When various high-level bank managers have been interviewed and asked to explain the poor levels of customer service, they've responded that customer service hasn't been important to the banks because, well, customers aren't that important. The banking sector is emerging from an imposed environment of extended isolation where the concept of competition has simply been non-existent. Another key factor is simple economics. The banks make huge sums of money from a few clients, ie. big companies, government agencies etc. The rest of us commoners, hundreds of millions of us commoners, really don't add much to the bottom line. Fair enough.

The banks I've dealt with, here and abroad, generally aren't in the habit of doing customer service surveys, and I guess I know why. But if I were ever asked by a Chinese bank how they could improve their service, my comment might be this: take money - don't give it away. You see, the red ink that China's banks have been swimming in for years, the reason they have been forced into massive restructuring schemes to look presentable for their IPOs, is because China's banks have been handing out non-performing loans for years (that's executive code for bad loans). The true extent of these bad loans is unknown, but clearing them off has been a painful undertaking. Many of these loans have gone to business people with little or no business experience and business plans likely scribbled out on a napkin in a hotpot restaurant. These aspiring business people are the ones who dream of selling snow shovels in Guangzhou. The money, and any hopes of collecting interest on it, vanishes almost as soon as these businesses open their doors. The bottom line is this: banks are supposed to make money. Making money begins with collecting interest on good risk loans or taking money from guys like me. End of story.

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised when, after being escorted into a shorter lineup by a bank manager, I'm promptly told that the bank can't take my money. I mistakenly thought having the name of the account holder and their account number would have done the trick for the deposit. After all, I've mastered this task at another branch of the same name. My landlord's account is in another city, but as long as I have his name and account number, 'mei wenti' as they say here in China. Well today, at this branch, it is a 'wenti'. Today, in addition to needing the name of the account holder, and the account number, the bank also needs the name of branch where the account is held, which is in another city. I have no idea what that name is, so I point again to the account number I wrote down and tell the bank manager to simply type it into the computer. Should he do that, I assure him all manner of information about that particular branch will come up on the screen. "Not possible," I'm told. It's the kind of problem I've encountered before: branches of the same banks that can't - or simply won't - communicate with each other. Lot's of 'I' - not so much 'T'.

Deja Vu, as I walk out of the bank, pockets bulging with money that isn't really mine. My attempt to give money to another person was doomed by powers I can barely comprehend. I'm steamed, but not surprised. I've been on this ride before.

The service issue, of course, isn't just a gripe from a few impatient foreigners. I've written on this topic before and have received overwhelming response from Chinese readers with similar stories. I assume that this group is representative of an endemic nationwide problem. I also assume that those little plastic signs with the red customer service indicator lights next to each bank teller aren't all broken after all.

I'm encouraged to hear how successful some of the reforms are going in China's banking sector. Lots of hoopla about oversubscribed public offerings, record setting IPOs, and some banks are earnestly trying to shore up what little customer service they have. I've seen some progress. I generally don't have to wait as long as I used to in order to be told that the bank won't take my money.

But after this latest encounter, I'm struck by the enormity of the challenges these institutions must be facing. Competition for clients, setting oneself apart from that competition, and taking money instead of giving it away means a profound change in business philosophy - so does improving customer service on the front lines. I know it will take a while yet. I understand. My bank adventures aren't a total loss. They have, after all, given me plenty of writing material. In the meantime, I will keep my distance from the banks as much as possible. But on the next occasion, when a bank visit is unavoidable, I hope the branch I end up in has Tom and Jerry cartoons.

I remember, a few years ago, when the first Hooters outlet opened in China, in Shanghai's Hongqiao area. I was new in China at the time, and when a friend and I visited Shanghai on a road trip we figured we'd better check it out. Truth be told, as a Canadian and frequent visitor to the United States, I had never been to a Hooters restaurant before (honest!). So the Hongqiao branch was the first time I went.

Sure enough, it was kinda what I expected. Although the women weren't... erm... as "well-endowed" as I imagined (possibly as a result of the water in China... no?). When I moved to Shanghai a few years later, visiting Hooters become part of the tourist trip: first to the Bund, then the Pearl Tower, then the French Concession, then Xintiandi, then Hooters. For whatever reason, the Chinese seemed more enamored about Hooters than my foreign visitors did.

And now, Beijingers have no more need to head to Shanghai (or Hangzhou) to visit America's infamous restaurant chain. I think other North Americans can vouch that Hooters isn't exactly highly regarded in America... in fact, the only outlet in Vancouver went out of business. So I can't quite understand why a restaurant associated with low-end American culture seems so eagerly anticipated in China.

I had a talk with my girlfriend the other day about this very topic. She comes from a government family, and is fond of Mao, to say the least. She visited Hooters in Shanghai when I lived there, but was sorely disappointed that it had invaded the heart of China's capital, and her hometown. In fact, she swears she'll write an article on the editorial page of her newspaper denouncing Hooters' presence in Beijing, a la Rui Chenggang's campaign against Starbucks in the Forbidden City. (I'll let you know if she ever gets around to it.)

I live a few minutes walk from the Hooters in Beijing, which is on the northeast side of Worker's Stadium. It's a prime location, and I'm surprised that the government allowed Hooters to erect such large signage and lights around the restaurant -- believe me, you can't miss it. This, for a low-rent kind of chain.

It reminded me of local campaigns (both in my hometown of Sidney, and in parts of Vancouver) to ensure that Wal-Mart didn't set up shop and pollute those communities. Or of other areas in Canada, that fight to keep corporations and chains out of the area. It's clear that China is still having a love affair with foreign brands... but something also tells me that if the authorities fully understood how Hooters is regarded, perhaps they would've toned down the signage a bit - or asked Hooters to move to another location.

Personally speaking, I don't really have a problem with the place. It serves a certain clientèle and makes money, at least in China. Although on the night I was there, we saw an older fellow, with greasy hair flowing out from under his baseball cap, grab the rear-end of one of the waitresses. She giggled and continued talking with the two men at the table, but I couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted about what I had witnessed. My girlfriend was nearly in tears (it wasn't my idea to hit up the restaurant, by the way).

When the girls started dancing and singing songs, my girlfriend mentioned that they have probably been completely brainwashed by the company. She also said that if she ever tried to work at a place like this, her parents would give her all the money she needed just to stay home. She said she couldn't bare this kind of job, and would never be able to tell her family if she worked there.

To be fair, western girls could say this about other western girls working at Hooters. Again, I'm a practical kind of guy, and if there is a willing worker and a willing employer, and everything is above-board and consensual, then I don't see a problem. But yet, something about this rubs me the wrong way.

First, I have visited the Hongqiao Hooters twice, the Pudong Hooters twice, and now the one in Beijing. I have yet to meet a girl in any of the locations who are from Beijing or Shanghai. They are all -- 100% according to my unscientific poll -- from the countryside. Apparently Hooters pays fairly well, so the restaurant becomes a bit of a magnet for girls that need the money.

Second, I can only imagine what Mao would think (if we really care -- and most times I don't). Depending on the perspective, and if I was to spin this in a PR fashion, one could argue that China is selling out its girls from the countryside for the amusement of foreigners. (And yes, I know this has been happening for centuries -- but this situation just seems a little more overt, and with the government's obvious blessing). The fact this is occurring several blocks from China's Forbidden City leaves one with an odd feeling.

I'm not about to get too sentimental about this, because I happen to like the buffalo chicken wings at Hooters and they are now only a 5 minute walk away. One can argue whether Hooters should be here in the first place, and one can argue whether it should be promoted with giant signs and glittery lights next to a stadium honoring China's proletariat. Regardless, I can understand how my girlfriend feels.

I guess next time, I'll go with my buddies.

I am hoping, very soon, to be free of this weight which is the GFW. Thanks to the help of Dan over at China Law Blog, I may have found a solution to my hosting woes, which should make this site much more accessible in China. If anybody else wants to put their blog on the right side of the GFW, Dan has some ideas and can recommend some good blog hosts. (I'd link to his email and blog, but alas, that vital function of blogging is unavailable to me at the moment. My sincere apologies.)

There were a couple of things I wanted to discuss this week, but with my inability to link to articles and other poignant facts, I have declined until the new site is up and running. That being said, I thought I'd post my latest missive in the Times Colonist in Canada. As I'm not an American, I can't comment on what mobile phone rates are like in the United States. But I think the article will leave no doubt about how I feel regarding Canada's shoddy plans. I received quite a few comments on this article on Facebook (everybody is on there, right?) so I clearly touched a nerve with Canadians.

Let me know what you think.

Chinese progress belies stereotypes; Ease of cellphone access makes Canada look like the Third World
Times Colonist (Victoria)
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Page: C2
Section: Comment
Byline: Cam MacMurchy
Column: Cam MacMurchy
Dateline: BEIJING, China
Source: Special to Times Colonist

BEIJING, China - A recent survey released here showed that most foreigners -- before they visit China -- hold deep stereotypes about what life is like here, based on Chinese movies that make it to North America.

Many of those surveyed said that when they think about China, they think about kung fu, the ability to fly through the air and above all poor, backward farmers in straw hats tilling the land.

The stereotype is badly outdated, as China's cities are now dotted with Starbucks, wi-fi cafes and glistening skyscrapers. BMWs wind through high-end entertainment districts, and businessmen in Armani suits chat loudly into their micro-sized mobile phones.

In fact, nearly 500 million Chinese use cellphones, making it the largest mobile phone market in the world.

Many people here have never used a home phone, because mobile phone rates are cheap and much more convenient.

And with the largest mobile phone market in the world continuing to grow exponentially, Research in Motion couldn't resist trying to crack the market with its ubiquitous Blackberry.

But there's a big difference between using a Blackberry in China and in Canada -- price.

And our prohibitive pricing schemes and cumbersome customer services are holding Canada back from other technologically advanced countries like -- dare I say it -- China.

Let's say you arrive in Beijing for a six-month study or work term and you need a mobile phone. First, you'd walk into a mobile phone store, which are found on almost every block, and select the phone that's right for you.

This could range from a low-end, three-year-old Motorola right up to the newest Blackberry, Palm or Windows Mobile smartphone. Nearly all of the phones are "unlocked," meaning you can use them with whatever cellphone carrier you choose, and change whenever you like.

Then you'd pop into a 7-Eleven or another convenience store (or even a road-side vendor) and buy a SIM card (your phone number).

This will cost, on average, about $4.50 and include more than an hour of talk time. Pop the SIM card into your new phone and you instantly have a fully functional cellphone. No activation required, no paperwork, no credit check, no signature, nothing.

When you run out of airtime, you can buy $15 recharge cards at nearly every street-level newspaper vendor or convenience store across the country. Simple.

Of course, there are other options for heavy users, such as monthly plans. I once used a monthly plan in Shanghai that included plenty of talk-time and two gigabytes of data transfer for $75 a month. No credit check required. You prepay each month, and if you don't, you're cut off. Your monthly bill arrives by e-mail. Again, it's surprisingly simple, efficient and even environmentally friendly. The rate plans are cheap; the payment process is easy. So why can't this be done in Canada?

"There's no doubt that wireless data pricing is higher in Canada," Andrew McLaughlin, the director of global public policy for Google, said recently in the Financial Post. Google now offers a number of mobile services such as Google Maps, mobile Gmail, and mobile searching -- excellent services that many Canadians opt not to use because of Canada's high data surcharges. RIM is leading the way in asking the Canadian government to pressure the big three mobile-phone carriers, Telus, Bell, and Rogers, to lower their prices and give entry-level consumers access to the market.

Rogers currently offers customers a 200-megabyte monthly plan for $100. That steep fee doesn't even include talking minutes, and assuming you want to use your phone to make phone calls, you must pay extra for that. The data plan alone amounts to 50 cents per megabyte. The plan in Shanghai I mentioned earlier amounted to less than four cents per megabyte. And, for good measure, China Mobile threw in 2,000 minutes of talk time.

Why the discrepancy? As the Financial Post story continued, it's not only China and other Asian countries with cheaper cellphone rates; Europe also offers complete data and voice plans for a fraction of what's being charged in Canada. "They've got these entry-level service plans that they're putting out there that you're not seeing here in Canada," said Don Morrison, RIM's chief operating officer.

Last Christmas I arrived in Vancouver from Hong Kong and needed a pay-as-you-go phone number for the few weeks I'd be home.

I had to sign up at a Rogers counter, provide all kinds of personal details, fill out forms, sign some additional paperwork and then wait while the staff "activated" my phone. As the activation system was down, I had to wait more than 25 minutes.

All of this cost me $50 -- before I had even purchased any talk or data time. When I finally bought a card, it took several steps through an automated service before my phone was usable. This entire process in China would take two minutes at a 7-11, and cost a fraction of what it does in Canada.

Cellphone service is only one area where China has made things much more consumer-friendly. Far from being a country filled with straw-hat-wearing farmers, China has, perhaps, even zoomed past Canada in the technology field.

Sadly, it is we who are backward.

We've all been here long enough to have experienced rude service, be it in a restaurant, bar, or even on the street. I've had friends blow their tops at times, and I can totally empathize. I'm known as one of the most patient people around, but even I can barely stand it.

(I am having problems, behind the GFW, linking to other sites. For more on poor customer service, check out this post on Sinocidal: http://sinocidal.com/2007/07/18/dr-ni-dul-dik/).

As a PR person in Beijing, it often falls upon me to touch base with some of the larger corporate organizations. We are currently updating our client list ahead of an event planned in August. We hope to invite several companies to take part, and thus, need to ensure we have the correct names, phone numbers, email addresses, etc of the representatives we are dealing with.

Now, in other countries (seemingly ANY country other than China) the process is simple. Call up a business. Ask who an invite should be sent to. Get a fax number. This is not difficult. But remember, that's in other countries.

I recently called ABB China (http://abb.com.cn) because the former President had recently resigned. We needed to update our files with the new President's name. We already have general email addresses and fax numbers... all we needed was the name. The conversation went as follows:

Cam: Hi, I'm calling on behalf of (organization). I'm wondering if you can give us the name of your President?

Operator: No. What is the name?

Cam: I'm not sure... that's why I'm asking you.

Operator: If you do not have the name, I can't transfer you.

Cam: I don't need to be transferred, actually. I'm just wondering if you have the name of the new President.

Operator: If you do not have the name, I can't transfer you.

Cam: I understand. Can I talk to your manager?

Operator: No. If you don't have the name, I can't transfer you.

Cam: I can't talk to your manager?

Operator: No. If you don't have the name, I can't transfer you.

Cam: Can I please get your name?

Operator: No.

Cam: Please give me your name.

Operator: No. Goodbye. *click*

I hung up ready to throw the phone against the wall. The operator was unhelpful, rude, and worse, condescending. My colleague looked at me. "It didn't go well," I said. He had tried calling ABB China before, and I couldn't figure out why he was having so much trouble getting a simple name. "That's how China is," he responded.

Yes, "that's how China is." It's the response we all hear, everyday, when something goes wrong. The fact that we actually accept this as a reasonable excuse is absurd. Rude behaviour should not be condoned in any culture, in any place, or any language. Even if she did not want to give me any names, she could've been much, much more helpful in explaining why and perhaps transferring my call to someone else who could've helped. I could practically see her playing solitaire on her computer and being annoyed that someone had the gall to phone and disrupt her leisure time.

I have named ABB China because it's time that these organizations understand their customer service will hurt their reputations. I know everyone's had experiences like these, probably numerous times. Me too, and 99% of the time I let it roll off my back and think "this is how China is." Well, that's too easy.

That excuse shouldn't be good enough.

There are definitely things I miss about Shanghai. The subway has air conditioning, for example. My daily walk through the historic French Concession, complete with its narrow, tree-lined streets and small xiaolongbao vendors was much more pleasant than my loud, polluted jaunt through Beijing's CBD.

But one piece of Shanghai that I miss dearly is finally coming up north - Element Fresh.

Element Fresh is a western-style eatery targeting health-conscious people. It was a regular lunchtime stop for me, despite its sometimes exorbitant prices (the chicken teriyaki salad with the famous miso dressing was pushing 60 kuai, if I remember correctly) . They made excellent salads, sandwiches, and fruit smoothies which was a perfect healthy alternative to the fast food dotting much of the country.

Hopefully they open at least one location along Chaowai, near my office!

China's rural areas are falling behind; The economic boom in the cities isn't being heard in the countryside
Times Colonist (Victoria)
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Page: D2
Section: Comment
Byline: Cam MacMurchy
Column: Cam MacMurchy
Source: Special to Times Colonist

My cab driver pulled up to Beijing West Railway Station around 4 p.m. I put my luggage through security and began looking around for a waiting lounge prior to my 4:30 departure to a city I had never even heard of. My ticket said Beijing to Gucheng, which is a small town in Hubei province in central China. It's also known as the middle of nowhere.

Gucheng is definitely remote, but my final destination would take me one step further. To get there, I would have to take a 40-minute van ride from Gucheng's train station to the even more remote village of Wushan.

We arrived in Gucheng the following day. I hauled my luggage down a couple of stairs and waited as the train pulled away. I crossed the rickety tracks and stepped over broken concrete before I walked through a deformed gate and out onto the street. The Gucheng train station doesn't even have an arrivals area. It was as though the train stopped by the street and passengers quickly piled into vans or walked away.

Wushan, unfortunately, is much too small for a hotel. The village has a little over 1,000 residents, most of whom survive on about $275 a year. Our sleeping quarters, shared with a small group of journalists from Beijing, would be in a government guesthouse.

Foreign media attention often focuses on the thriving nightlife and business opportunities in Shanghai, the glittering skyscrapers in Guangzhou or the political power being amassed in Beijing.

The transformation of China's east-coast cities is vast, and undoubtedly residents are enjoying drastic improvements in their living standards.

But despite these feel-good stories, the countryside is being left behind -- way behind.

We met with Communist party cadres in Wushan, who explained that though medical insurance for villagers is only $1.50 per year, even paying that fee could sometimes prove difficult for the poverty-ridden villagers. The insurance covers about 60 per cent of their medical expenses, meaning the rest of the money for treatment has to be paid by the patient.

It was explained to me that a simple operation could still consume a lifetime's savings. The irony of villagers being forced to pay exorbitant medical fees in a supposedly communist country didn't go unnoticed.

I walked through the beautiful streets of Wushan, flanked on all sides by lush greenery with a small stream going through the village centre. I stepped into a couple of rural homes, some which didn't even have four walls.

As the sun was setting I stuck my head into what seemed like a vacant house; inside a man was sitting on his couch in the dark. He didn't have any electricity and lived in a concrete room with a large door open to the elements. About 750 million people in China -- roughly 70 per cent of its population -- live in conditions like this, or close to them.

Fortunately, we weren't in Wushan just to observe peasant life. We were actually there for a good news story, one which we might hear a lot more about in the future.

The Beijing Green Cross (a Chinese non-governmental organization not affiliated with the international one), led by Sun Jun, went into Wushan about three years ago to turn the formerly dirty village into an environmentally friendly tourist spot. At the time, litter was strewn in the streams and garbage was everywhere.

"We have to learn to take care of our environment," said Sun. "We can not be a developed country if we don't take care of our surroundings." And somehow he has been able to convince the villagers to buy into it.

Wushan now has solar-powered street lights, new environmentally friendly irrigation systems and compost piles.

Villagers have been planting trees and divide their garbage into categories ready for recycling. A town square has been built, where we were treated to dance and musical performances by some of the children.

It has also taken one of its core industries -- 100-per-cent organic green tea -- and is using it to build the town's tea culture.

There is now a tea temple, and the tea ceremonies held there are becoming famous in the area. The result of all this, combined with the region's stunning landscape, has been more visitors and higher incomes for residents, not to mention a new-found pride in their village.

Our group stayed in a renovated government house that night. Although the village is now environmentally friendly, it remains very poor. We were fed the same food four meals in a row--- beans, tomato and egg soup, fatty pork, roast pumpkin, chicken soup and a few other dishes.

The sleeping arrangements were comfortable, although I spent most of my night swatting at flies and mosquitoes.

One of the biggest challenges facing China -- if not the biggest -- is improving the incomes and living conditions for rural residents. President Hu Jintao has been clear that narrowing the widening income gap between rural and urban workers is his priority. If he fails to do so, it could lead to further unrest and threaten the party's hold on power.

A quick trip to rural China shows that there is a long way to go. But through efforts like those of Sun Jun, there is reason for optimism.

Cam MacMurchy is a Victoria journalist working in China.

cam.macmurchy@gmail.com

Two items to pass along this afternoon.

I was surprised and a little bemused to see a notice going out in this week's That's Beijing weekly newsletter.  Under the June 22 events column, I found this:

» Quebec National Day
Come celebrate Quebec's National Day with The Bookworm. RMB 120 includes buffet and three drinks (free for kids under 12). For tickets, contact Denise at 139 1011 9354.
6pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507)

Yes, I know this is a private event.  And as a Canadian, I don't much care if there are Quebec Nationalist events in China, Canada, or anywhere else (we are much more secure about these things).  But I still found the event humerous, considering China's track record with others who give the slightest hint of dealing with or referring to Taiwan as a nation.  

Obviously the Bookworm is a private business, and is not a reflection of the government.  But the next time some private group/company/organization decides to Honor the Dalai Lama or Chen Shui-bian or whatever or whomever else, we should remember this event in the heart of Beijing. (I am tempted to say this event "hurts the feelings of the Canadian people.")

And for a laugh, well, if you're not Peruvian, check out this story.  It appears Cameron Diaz has landed in hot water for wearing one of those Mao bags emblazoned with the red star that we see in all the tourist markets in China.

While the bags are marketed as trendy fashion accessories in some world capitals, the phrase has particular resonance in Peru.

The Maoist Shining Path insurgency took Peru to the edge of chaos in the 1980s and early 1990s with a campaign of massacres, assassinations and bombings.

Nearly 70,000 people were killed during the insurgency.

A prominent Peruvian human rights activist said the star of There's Something About Mary should have been a little more aware of local sensitivities when picking her accessories.

I'm wondering, now that superstar Cameron Diaz has been spotted sporting the Mao bag, if I should buy a bunch of these and begin peddling them on eBay. 

So there I was, in a taxi with one of my colleagues. We were discussing the merits of Beijing and Shanghai, something of which I touched on earlier but hope to explore more fully in the future.  He said he loves Beijing, and wants to live in Shanghai following the Olympics because he loves it there, too.  "Have you been to Guangzhou?" I asked.  "No. I have no desire to go there.  It's unsafe," was the reply. It's a common answer.

The thing is, everybody knows about Beijing and Shanghai, and the third member of the "big Chinese city" clique seems to always get left out: Guangzhou.

Ever since I arrived in Beijing I tend to ask if people have been there.  "No" is the usual response.  That's usually followed by horror stories of wallets and bags being stolen, people being cut with knives, and general violence. There are then some digs at the Cantonese and Cantonese language, and their perceived poor ability in Putonghua. Odd that such descriptions come from people who have never been there.

Just before I made the move south, my old boss at China Radio International, Xu Huazhen, regaled me with horror stories about Guangzhou.  I was excited to be moving onto a new job, and I ran into her in the hallway.  

 "Have you ever been to Guangzhou?" I asked.

"Yes... it's awful!  They eat such strange things down there, they are dirty, and it's very unsafe.  You won't like it at all."

I must admit I can't remember her exact words, but they are very close to the ones I've written above, and exact in spirit. Nonetheless, these weren't exactly the reassuring words I was looking for ahead of my big move.

I'm not sure how such a vile image of Guangzhou came about.  What I do know, is that these stereotypes of different regions in China are just as strong, no matter which region you're talking about.  Engage a Bejinger about Shanghai, or vice versa, and you will hear a torrent of criticisms and generalizations about the other.  Guangzhou people are no different. Anyone outside of Guangdong, I was told, is referred to as a laobi, or butlau, in Cantonese.  And the people in Dongbei are apparently the worst and most uncivilized.

Anyway, I could yammer on all day about stereotypes, but the point of this post is to give a much needed defense to one of China's great historic cities, a cultural mecca, China's wealthiest city, and my former home: Guangzhou.

First, some admissions: Guangzhou is probably slightly more dangerous than other places.  I base this on one fact: even people in Guangzhou told me so.  During my time in Guangzhou, I witnessed one purse-snatching. In Beijing or Shanghai, I saw zero. Although some of my friends had their cell phones and digital cameras stolen (both in Beijing). On personal account, Guangzhou doesn't seem any more or less dangerous. That being said, maybe avoid the San Yuan Li area if you can. Guangzhou residents tell me the crime is largely committed by migrants from nearby Hunan.

Now that that's out of the way, here are the other things I experenced:

• Superb southern charm - like elsewhere in China, the Cantonese people are proud of their heritage and are keen to help others and welcome them to their community.
• A rich history - Mao himself taught at a school in Guangzhou.  It was China's trading gateway for nearly 100 years during the Qing dynasty when all the other ports were closed.  It has a strong western influence.
• Weather - tropical.  Need I say more? Pollution not nearly as bad as Beijing, nor as dry. Sunshine, palm trees, and lots of outdoor swimming pools were the order of the day. I had to turn off my air conditioner in December and January. It dipped down to around 10 degrees in those months.
  
• Scenery - The banks of the mighty Pearl River have been revitalized. Each night visitors are treated to a laser-light show complete with music accompaniment (a ripoff from Hong Kong, I know). The water has also been cleaned up, and there's hardly any debris or litter that remains.  The Mayor of Guangzhou swam across the river last summer to prove its cleanliness (a bit of a stretch, I admit).
  
• City planning - Unlike Beijing, where historic buildings are being torn down to make way for the new and modern, Guangzhou is keeping its heritage.  The colonial buildings along the Pearl River and the beautiful European architecture on Shamian Island are tributes to the city's past. New business areas, instead of being built on top of these iconic spots, are being moved to either Tianhe or Pearl River New City.
• Cantonese language - I must admit, after living in Beijing previously, I was adverse to trying to learn a new language.  Those that speak both (and I admit, people that speak both are heavily Cantonese) claim Cantonese is much richer in substance and more pleasing to the ear. Since moving to Shanghai, and now Beijing, when I hear someone speaking Cantonese it brings back warm memories.
• Practical people - The Cantonese aren't concerned with politics, and while "saving face" is important all over China, it seems less-so in the south. They get things done, seem to be more efficient, and are more open (possibly due to its location near Hong Kong).
• Geographical location - Okay, I know in Shanghai I could visit Hangzhou and Nanjing.  I know there are other places.  Beijing?  Perhaps Tianjin?  What else is up here? In Guangzhou, it was, at most, 2 hours to some of the country's great cities or up-and-coming tourist destinations. Shenzhen, Dongguan, Zhuhai, Macao, and Hong Kong. I've omitted the smaller cities, but let's just say I visited some beautiful beach resorts, hot springs, and tropical locales only an hour outside of Guangzhou.
• Cantonese culture - which is a lot different from northern Chinese culture. During Chinese New Year, I must have received 60 red envelopes filled with money. Their eating customs are different, too: When we ate hot pot, they were disgusted that I put my chopsticks into the broth. They explained that the practise was dirty and could spread germs (obviously), and that nobody does that in Canton.  They use the spoon to dig out the bounty - ALL the time.

Do they eat weird things in Guangzhou?  Sure.  But I didn't eat anything too strange when I was there (except for a frog's ovaries, but that's for another post). The rural residents in Guangdong insist on eating civit cats, peacocks, and other animals. But they are looked down upon by the sophisticated city-folk.

The bottom line is Guangzhou is not one giant horror story.  It's one of China's great cities (much older and more cultured than Shanghai, Shenzhen, or Hong Kong, for example). It is the heart of Cantonese culture, a culture which has spread its wings around the entire globe. It also lies in the heart of China's wealthiest province, also known as the workshop of the world.

I wrote an article in the Times Colonist a while back that talked about how south China is the most exciting region in the country.  Even after having lived in Shanghai and returned to Beijing, which is preparing for the Olympics, I can't be more sure of what I wrote. 

Just a quick update this morning, as I rush around trying to pick up luggage from Shanghai.

• I went to the small village of Wushan, Hubei Province last week.  The village has turned itself into an eco-village led by the Beijing Green Cross. The transformation in the village has been astounding (I saw the "before" and "after" photos) and I will write at length about it shortly.  New irrigation systems have been put into place, the villagers now sort their garbage and recycle, and all the street lights are solar-powered. The village has been so successful that the program is being expanded into four new villages.
• I did another radio interview this morning on CKNW AM 980 in Vancouver, and broadcast around British Columbia on the Corus Radio Network.  It was a wide-ranging interview with more focus on June 4 (which, as I said earlier, seems to be a pre-occupation among journalists in western countries). It was nearly 30 minutes in length and even included some critical callers.  You can find the interview here, shortly after the newscast at the top of the hour.
• Courtesy of the China Law Blog comes this article in the Seattle Times about the delicious Chinese food in Vancouver.  As my hometown is Vancouver, I couldn't be more proud of the variety of cuisine there, Chinese and otherwise.
  
• And finally, imagine Rosie O'Donnell as host of the Price is Right.
  

I've lived in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.  I've spent copious amounts of time in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao.  I've hit all the main tourist places in China... Hangzhou, Xi'an, Guilin, Dongguan, Zhuhai, etc.  But one place I've never been is the countryside.

Guilin is probably the closest I got.  I caught the bus from Guilin to Yangshuo, a tourist mecca in its own right. But the bus wound through sparse roads and crumbling homes en route to the trendy West Street.  Sure, I saw chickens running across the street, and things like that.  It was rural, but not as rural as where I'm off to this afternoon.

I am heading out to a small village called Wushan in Hubei province.  It's apparently got electricity, which is good.  Not so sure on the running water part.  And I've seen photos of the bathrooms in Wushan -- let's just say it must be cold in the winter, and hopefully it doesn't rain much.  There are no hotels in the village, so I will be staying at a government guest house.

I'm looking forward to it, yet also thankful it's only for two nights.  I'll post a full report when I return.