CHINA ESQUIRE

Yes, the famous line from the Rodney King Riots in the 1990’s seems to apply today so well. I wanted to highlight a piece by Paul Denlinger at China Vortex this weekend, partially because I enjoyed it, and partially because it ignited a storm of comments on his blog. Frankly, I thought it worth the read. So here you have it, the weekend review piece:

Following the Sichuan Wenchuan earthquake, it has been very interesting to watch how the Chinese government and people have reacted, and how many western observers have reacted. For the first time in Chinese history, the Chinese government has ordered that Chinese flags have to be lowered to half-staff, for three days from May 19-21. What is most significant, is that this is the first time that the flag has been lowered for ordinary civilians in Chinese history, ever.

Unlike in Washington DC, where you can find war monuments to Americans killed in WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, there are no war memorials to Chinese soldiers or civilians killed in these wars, or to any who died as a result of bad government policy decisions. For the most part, they have just become unknown individuals who died and are now forgotten.

This is why the decision to lower the Chinese flag for ordinary civilians is so different and marks a break with the past. For the first time in its history, the Chinese government is saying that it is OK to mourn for ordinary civilians. This did not happen during the Tangshan earthquake, which killed some 450,000 civilians in 1976, or in 1989, or even so much during the SARS crisis of 2003.

For the first time, a Chinese government has embraced the idea that any human life, even that of ordinary human lives, has value. Actually, this is a very western concept, and is a very important step on the road to democracy. Is this not a valuable change in China’s reforms and opening up? This will make it that much more difficult for any Chinese government to dismiss the value of any Chinese lives which are lost in the future, whether they are due to natural disaster, or war, or for political reasons.

I don’t disagree at all… and in fact, I think its a great thing. I am not necessarily pro-democracy like Paul here, though I am American and I do recognize its benefits over most other forms of government. But I digress.

What caught me is this statement: “Chinese government has embraced the idea that any human life, even that of ordinary human lives, has value.” I don’t know if you think about this too much, but this is the basis for many rights, freedoms, and privileges. The idea of the right to life (and the subsequent abortion debate) springs directly from this. The value of a human life also means the value of a human to express opinions and dialogue… or freedom of speech. I don’t think I need to carry on too much about this. But it’s an astounding concept that China has picked up from the west. Because this can be the beginning of a worldview change for the Chinese people. I don’t know it if actually will be, but this is the concept that shakes up all things.

It also means that the rule of law should become more important. Which is something I heavily favor in any society. Yes, law can be abused, no question. And it can be harsh. But in general, rule of law means that each person is treated equally under the eyes of law. Which has a host of implications, frankly. But as an advocate for the rule of law, this is one concept that leads directly to it. Because without inherent human dignity, it is hard to figure out why we want treat people equally.

Maybe I’m asking too much, but can some people, Americans especially, try to look at China through the eyes of the Chinese, and not always try to scare and frighten other Americans into asking what the “rise” of China means to the US and the west? Is it too much to think or ask that maybe, just maybe, Chinese don’t spend everyday plotting how to steal their jobs and turn America into a third-world economy? And that maybe, they are just ordinary people who are trying to get along in life, and raise their child and get him/her in a good school, and buy a house? And that the government is far from perfect, but it has allowed ordinary Chinese to have a much better standard of living than before, and is now, for the first time, beginning to care for and mourn the loss of ordinary civilian lives?

There’s a very simple rule: If you reach out and treat people like friends, they tend to act like friends, and if you treat them suspiciously, they become enemies.

I am with Paul on this one too. Getting information and displaying true sympathy and empathy will go a long way in bridging the cultural gap that exists between Americans and Chinese.

Death toll now over 51,000… Here is donation information for the earthquake:

“ More Ways to Help in the Aftermath of the Earthquake - UPDATED!” where I track reputable charities that are taking donations to help the quake victims.

I am going to keep the red badge on the site and close this thread.  The red badge actually will take you to the above link.

Well, I’m not even sure if I can call it quality fade to be honest.  Quality fade assumes the quality was good from the start and then went down later.  Its more like just the usual cutting of corners.  So perhaps its more a lack of QC and due diligence…  and it is also a clear sign of why rampant corruption can turn deadly.  This tops the Panama cough syrup glycerine any day.

Paul Midler ran an post on Friday, highlighting an article called “Why China’s Buildings Crumbled”.  I want to display more of the article than he did because it shows how deadly cutting corners can be:

But while rescue crews fought to reach the victims, awkward questions were being asked about the tragedy. One man, gazing at the corpse of his nine-year-old cousin, said he had disturbing evidence that could explain the collapse of the five-storey Juyuan school building, along with eight other schools in the region.

The man, who gave his surname as Ren, is a 32-year-old steel worker who has worked for a decade in the local construction industry. He said he always knew that the Juyuan school was a disaster in waiting. Local officials, he said, had pocketed money that was budgeted for the school, while a private construction company had saved money by cutting corners on the project.

To boost its profits, the company used iron instead of steel in many parts of the construction of the building, Mr. Ren said. It cut back on the size and number of steel braces in the cement foundation slabs. And it used cheap materials to make the concrete walls, weakening the entire structure.

Many other survivors were convinced that corruption had played a role in determining which buildings collapsed and which were unscathed. One man pointed to a new building whose first floor had collapsed, even as older buildings around it were intact. “They used fewer bricks in the new building, so they could earn more money,” he said.

The shoddily constructed buildings are commonly called “tofu buildings” because of their weak structural condition.

They should be so lucky that this wasn’t a U.S. based tragedy or the construction companies involved would be facing a very nasty civil lawsuit and probably criminal prosecution.  I’ve hard on due diligence and QC before, so I won’t beat a dead horse.  Just another warning to be careful…  you never know when human lives depend on it.

I had a post on PE ready to go, but I can’t bring myself to do it. This Sichuan quake, while it doesn’t compare to the Myanmar cyclone in terms of sheer cost of human life, has been on my mind too much. And so, I will keep on topic for another day. I apologize if you came expecting law and business advice, and feel cheated.

Rich Brubaker, from All Roads Lead to China (and his other blog, China Crossroads), recommended some other charities other than the one posted in the Shanghaiist. Here is his post:

I have emails out to several friends in local NGOs catering to smaller villages, but for now I suggest:

China Charity Foundation - Partner with Red Cross

China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation

Rich also defended the quality of the China Charity Foundation on China Law Blog under the comments:

GONGO’s in China have had a bad rap for a while - partly of their own doing - however, the Red Cross and its GONGO partner China Charity Foundation have a strong reputation and are honestly the best NGO at this point.

Ironically, a close friend of mine (native Chinese) commented that China’s government will also take good care of the people, and that while charities are great, the government will definitely do its part. I sure hope so. I am guessing that all you are hoping so as well. I will try to keep yesterday’s post (entitled “Sichuan Quake Updates and Red Cross Donations - UPDATED”, here) updated to mirror Shanghaiist on a regular basis during West Coast business hours.

UPDATE: Shanghaiist reports that there are blood drives happening in China later which could help:

May 24–Thumb Square, 199 Fangdian Rd, Pudong

May 27–Level B1, Hong Kong New World Tower,
300 Huaihai Middle Rd,Puxi

Jun 15–Thumb Square, 199 Fangdian Rd, Pudong

Jun 21–Dulwich College Shanghai, Jinqiao, 200 Lanan Rd, Pudong

UPDATE 2a: Care for Children (CFC) in China. The Care for Children website is www.careforchildren.com.cn. Rich Brubaker points out two new funds being run by CFC:

Care for Children Emergency fund;
Care for children will have a team in Chengdu from Monday to;
1. Distribute Emergency aid to our 11 orphanages in Sichuan
2. Manage and co-ordinate Trauma Counselling and Trauma Counselling Training for China Social Work Association
3. Two Lorries/Trucks are heading to Chengdu with aid from the international community’s of Beijing and Shanghai.

Reconstruction fund;
1. Care for Children will work with CSWA to construct a residential community centre in Wenchuan.
2. Care for Children will help with the reconstruction of orphanages, schools and communities effecting children we serve.
3. Care for Children will train local workers and future foster parents to take the orphans from the earthquake disaster.

Please mark all donations Earthquake Appeal

UPDATE 3 (5/14): World Vision set up a special China quake fund. Their announcement:

As the death toll from the 7.9-magnitude earthquake continues to rise, World Vision offices close to the epicenter have dispatched relief and assessment teams to provide immediate supplies, such as blankets and tents, to 10,000 people, with more supplies on the way. We are asking for an additional $1 million to support the initial response.

You can donate to World Vision here. This is one relief organization that is well regarded in the international sphere, and I have no trouble endorsing it.

UPDATE 4 (5/14): Rich Brubaker also mentioned there is a great need in orphanages out in Sichuan. He writes:

Our China adoption agency (CCAI) will route your donation directly to orphanages in the earthquake area. Type: ‘Earthquake Relief’ in the Specific Project line in the on-line donation form. As the largest China adoption agency in the US, CCAI has a long track record working with orphanages, an extensive network of representatives (including in Sichuan Province) and strong relations with the Chinese government. CCAI is a 501-3C charitable organization. I whole-heartedly endorse CCAI.
http://www.chinesechildren.org/Sichuan_earthquake.aspx

UPDATE 5 (5/14): The American Red Cross also has a China disaster fund set up here.

UPDATE 6 (5/15): China Children & Teenagers Fund (CCTF) website can be found here. From CN Reviews:

CCTF has formed a charity foundation for earthquake relief with with China Merchant Bank (CMB). Source from Sohu.

Account Name: China Children and Teenagers’ Fund
Bank Name: Bank of China, Head Office, Banking Department
Bank Address: No.1 Fuxingmennei Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China
Account Number: 0005 8908 0910 14
SWIFT?BKCH CN BJ

UPDATE 7 (5/15): Samaritan’s Purse, run by Franklin Graham (son of famous crusader Billy Graham), has given $285,000 so far. Shanghaiist reports:

Looks like evangelist Franklin Graham who previously made the news in the China Daily for “hoping to do more for China” is seriously putting his money where his mouth is. Speaking from Shanghai after a tour of Beijing, Hangzhou and Nanjing, the CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (named after his dad) and international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse has just donated a whopping RMB2 million, or US$285,000. That’s a whole lot of money, ladies and gentlemen! To put things into perspective, even Singapore, which has one of the world’s highest GDP per capita, only managed a paltry US$200,000 or RMB1.4 million.

Samaritan’s purse is taking China quake donations here.

UPDATE 8 (5/16): Chengdu YMCA needs help according to China Crossroads:

I have receieved the 2 emails from the YMCA, who need assistance with putting roofs onto their facilities. If anyone can assist them, please reach out to Larry Lieving (llieving @ yahoo.com)

Please consider the YMCA of Chengdu as a possibility for your assistance.

Right now we need to get roofs on our buildings. We do not have rooms at the YMCA or the orphanage. We had to send the orphanage kids home. We need to do the roof as soon as possible and get the kids back. We do have a guest room at the orphanage which will be usable when the roof is on. Do you have volunteers that are roofers?

UPDATE 9 (5/17): I had this in my other post, but have moved it here to keep one post for updates and the other for donation sources. Here is how to donate to the Chinese Red Cross:

If for some reason this list isn’t enough, then CN Reviews has a very comprehensive list here. Again, the key is not more information, but to just give.

The Shanghaiist posted where the Chinese Red Cross is taking donations and constantly updating the blog with developments. It is also getting thoroughly hammered right now, so I wanted to post this information for all readers.

(I have a separate post that details many charitable organizations, and it is being updated regularly. Please click here if you are looking for other ways to donate to the relief efforts.)

I wanted to help people figure out what was going on with the quake. The Shanghaiist had started a separate post for the aftershocks that have occurred since the main earthquake. Here it is:

A second earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale has hit Sichuan province, 24 hours after a 7.9 earthquake struck Wenchuan, 92km northwest of Chengdu. A quake of 5.0 magnitude was measured this morning at 7:19am at the epicentre and this afternoon at 15:07pm a 6.1 magnitude quake hit, hampering the ongoing rescue efforts in the region.

Latest estimates put the possible death toll at more than 10,000 although this figure looks set to rise given the remoteness of some of the areas hit. In the worst effected areas, numerous buildings have collapsed trapping people under the rubble. The mountainous terrain, as well as landslides and poor weather, are hampering the efforts of relief services to get to those in need. The Chinese Red Cross has appealed for donations to help with rescue efforts. Japan, Russia, Taiwan, and Germany have been amongst those who have offered assistance while the Li Ka Shing foundation has donated 30 million RMB and Carrefour 2 million RMB.

In Chengdu and Chongqing, numerous buildings were evacuated and people flooded the streets, with many unsure exactly what was happening. Fearing aftershocks and further earthquakes, some residents have spent the night in their cars or out in the open.

CCTV have just broadcast a live press conference from the State Council. In response to a question about official warnings on the internet before the earthquake hit, one official said, “Such speculation is unreasonable.”

UPDATE 1, 5:40PM Pictures of the earthquake devastation from the BBC and Yahoo.
More graphic pictures here. (WARNING: Some of the pictures are graphic in nature!)

UPDATE 2, 6:00PM The Times (UK) reports that 10,000 are dead while another 10,000 are feared missing or buried in the rubble. The Guardian has an interview with reporter Tania Branigan who describes the scene at the earthquake zone, “through the streets you see these enormous piles where buildings have collapsed”

UPDATE 3, 6:05PM The Times just revised those numbers to 12,000 dead, 5,000 more buried. APA say 60,000 are missing.

UPDATE 4, 7:30PM For you Beijingists: Sichuan Earthquake Benefit Concert, Mao Live House, Gulou Dong Dajie, BJ. Wed May 14th 8pm. 50RMB

UPDATE 5, 8:00PM The Guardian now has a video and a full written report from Tania Branigan who (as we mentioned earlier) is at the earthquake zone. She writes that many people’s anguish is quickly turning to anger, quoting one resident of Dujiangyan (where a school building has collapsed) as saying:

“These buildings outside have been here for 20 years and didn’t collapse - the school was only 10 years old. [Government officials] took the money from investment, so they took the lives of hundreds of kids. They have money for prostitutes and second wives but they don’t have money for our children. This is not a natural disaster - this is done by humans.”

UPDATE 6, 7:26AM The BBC is reporting that a group of 31 British tourists have turned up safe and well in Chengdu following a trip to the Wolong Panda Reserve. It is still unclear if this group is the same as the group of 19 British tourists previously reported missing in the area

UPDATE 7, 7:40AM Rescue teams have finally made it through to the epicentre of the earthquake this morning. The BBC reports that a few hundred soldiers and police have managed to get to the area despite adverse weather conditions and broken roads. “They found 500 bodies within a few hours - but have still not searched many devastated areas”. The report states that an estimated 60,000 people are still missing

UPDATE 8, 8:04AM The NY Times is saying that, despite protests from people within China and calls for it to be temporarily halted, the Olympic Torch relay will continue. It will, however, be scaled down according to a statement from the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games:

“As the entire nation directs efforts to the common purpose of helping the region recover from the disaster, BOCOG has decided, after consultations with Jiangxi and other provinces, that beginning with the relay in Jiangxi Province, it will simplify procedures, emphasize simplicity and efficiency while putting safety first during the relay. And prior to the start of the torch relay, all relay participants will observe one minute of silence to extend condolences to the victims of the tragedy. Donation boxes will be set up at the starting and finishing points and along the torch relay route to encourage people to help with the relief work.”

ADDED (5/15): Shanghaiist reports this positive news: Foreign workers have been allowed into the earthquake zone in this post:

UPDATE, 18:09 The first Japanese relief workers are expected to leave tonight. A group of 60 earthquake specialists together with sniffer dogs will head to Sichuan over the next few days. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has appealed for earth-moving equipment to aid rescue efforts in the region. Many relief workers are currently sifting through the rubble with their hands according to ABC News. The latest official death toll stands at 19,500 but is expected to rise sharply over the coming days.

ADDED (5/15): There is also a post that there are still fears that dams and nuclear sites may be damaged:

As we told you earlier, there had been very real fears that the Zipingba Dam, 6 miles upstream from the devastated city of Dujiangyan, was displaying “extremely dangerous” cracks. The People’s Daily is now reporting that the dam is “structurally stable and safe” following a full inspection.

Nevertheless, despite official reassurances, fears persist over other dam projects in the area with The Associated Press still reporting that hundreds of structures could be at risk.

“The National Development Reform Commission, China’s top economic planning body, said the earthquake had damaged 391 dams. It said two of the dams were large ones, 28 were medium-sized and the rest were small ones.”

Landslides have reportedly caused rivers to be blocked in Qingchuan County, creating an enormous lake, with Xinhua quoting Li Hao, the county’s Communist Party chief, as saying: “The rising water could cause the mountains to collapse. We desperately need geological experts to carry out tests and fix a rescue plan”. As the International Herald Tribune points out, “much depends on efforts to reduce the menacing pressure of water behind the dam walls”, if further disaster is to be averted.

ADDED (5/16): The Shanghaiist has slowed its updates on the quake, but CNN and Xinhua have not. Here is the latest from CNN:

A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said Friday that a devastating earthquake in southwest China destroyed or heavily damaged 436,000 properties leading to 4.8 million homeless, according to official figures.

The suffering of Sichuan’s inhabitants has been prolonged by repeated aftershocks, some 4,400 since the quake hit, according to Baodong.

The latest aftershock hit quake-damaged areas Friday, triggering landslides, blocking roads, knocking out phone lines and burying vehicles, state-run media reported.

The 5.5-magnitude earthquake rattled Sichuan shortly after President Hu Jintao arrived in the quake zone to get a first-hand look at the devastated region.

As frantic search-and-rescue efforts entered a fifth day, the official death toll issued by authorities in Sichuan Province now stood at 22,069, with 14,000 still buried, 159,000 injured and 4.8 million homeless, according to China’s Xinhua state news agency. China’s state council said Thursday that the number of dead could eventually top 50,000.

I had to highlight the numbers… this is a breathtaking amount of destruction.

ADDED (5/17): CNN reports:

Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims and rescuers are fleeing areas near the epicenter over fears of floods from a river blocked by landslides.

The stampede of thousands of people on Saturday afternoon came as Chinese officials said the official death toll from the earthquake had risen to 28,881 people with 198,347 injured.

ADDED (5/17): CNN reports the following shocking admission:

China’s State Council says the number of deaths could top 50,000.

***I am going to close this thread. There is a wealth of information on the internet and Shanghaiist has been working just fine.***