Cloudy in Beijing Blogging about my time in China

Lazy Monday

It's kind of a common sight to see workers take naps on the streets in Beijing. I spotted these two fellas dozing off on their cart today. People walked by as if it wasn't a big deal. Instead, onlookers saw me, thinking it was strange I was taking this random photo.

Karaoke competition

The foreign students at Tsinghua University rocked the mic at last night's karaoke competition. More than 40 of my classmates participated, all singing Chinese songs for us in the audience.

Many of the contestants sang really well, with little accent in their singing voices. Some students were so impressive that they immediately won the hearts of their fellow classmates.

There are many ways to learn Chinese. But I have to say, singing it is one of the most enjoyable.

Chinese TV trash

Whether you respect them or not, gold diggers can make good TV.

This happened with Ma Nuo, a 22-year-old model who gained fame by appearing on the Chinese dating TV show, If You Are The One (非城勿扰).

When it came to the kind of man she wants, Ma notoriously said she would “rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle.” To sum up her view: luxury car trumps love.

This and her other sharp comments have catapulted Ma into stardom. Now she’s laid claim to the title of being Beijing’s  拜金女, the Chinese word for “material girl.”

Ma's career reminds me of how reality TV stars in America are sometimes born: do something controversial and you can get your own 15-minutes of fame.

But in China, it's not quite as easy to get away with such radical comments; apparently the honeymoon may be over for Ma.

News outlets across China are now reporting that the country’s broadcasting bureau has blacklisted Ma from appearing on TV programs. The reasoning seems to be because her “moral outlook did not accord with the public,” as the media has been putting it.

A large number of Chinese people seem to be welcoming the news. Ma’s most controversial comments have drawn disgust from many viewers. Others are worried that her attitudes will affect how other younger women will view marriage.

“She should have been blacklisted early on. This type of program should have restrictions,” wrote one Internet user on a Chinese blog site.

In America, reality TV stars come and go on their own. But as evidenced by Ma's plight, reality stars in China sometimes need the approval of the government.

This highlights a big difference between the two countries and their TV programming. In America, I sometimes hear about there being too much trash on TV, and it being a bad influence on people. Well, in China, the Chinese government will actually do something about it.

The Chinese justify it by saying it's moral and ensures healthy programming. But obviously the counter-arguments are that it's squelches different points of view. Furthermore, it makes for boring TV.

The Star Trek car

Notice something interesting about this car? (Other than the fact it's not supposed to be parked there.)

Only Star Trek fans would notice this. But the logo on the back of the car is strikingly similar to the one seen in the famous sci-fi franchise.

As any fan would know, all Starfleet officers wear an insignia badge that usually looks like the one pictured on the left. Save for a few small differences, Changan Auto's logo is basically the same.

I looked on company''s website and found an explanation for their logo. No mention of Star Trek, but it does use the word "celestial" at one point:

"The logo comes from the oval track of celestial body’s revolution, and the two letters “C” and “A” from “CHANA”. Through abstract combination and deformation, the logo becomes a mobile celestial body. The rising arrow head and the refined steering wheel shape indicate that Changan is a swift and smart vehicle, riding steadily on the road of auto industry to development."

To boldly go in your sedan. I was also surprised when I saw one of the car company's buildings. It looks like a Chinese-version of Starfleet headquarters.

Changan Auto isn't the only group in China to use the Starfleet insignia. Below is the logo for the China National Space Administration.

It's interesting to see how even Star Trek has influenced China in its own tiny little way, assuming it isn't just coincidence. But I don't know if you call this inspiration. Or just a form of stealing. Using the logo for your country's space administration is one thing. But putting it on the back of a cheap car?

The sight of logo lookalikes is a very common one in China. BYD, another car company in China, has clearly modeled one of their logos off of the BMW brand. Li Ning, a Chinese sports clothing company, uses a logo similar to Nike's.

Google also recently warned Chinese search engine Goojje to stop using its logo. At present, Goojje has yet to abide.