In memoriam…

Red Palace in Raleigh has closed.

Read the farewell letter on the Red Palace site.

Read one of the many articles in which Greg Cox, from the N&O, waxes poetic about this restaurant.

And be on the watch, looks like Red Palace may relocate to Cary.

A great summary of the Olympics…

For a smile.

Thanks, Nick

A faceless mob in action

What an incredible time its been in the Triangle for those interested in China and Tibet and the world. I spoke last night with Grace, the woman from Duke who has received death threats, who has been blacklisted from China, and whose parents have gone into hiding as a result of a mere request at last week’s Duke Tibet protest for tolerant conversation between those who are pro-China and those who are pro-Tibet.

I was practically in tears from her experience and the ugliness that is the fruit of misunderstanding refusal to listen – it’s unfortunate how we ignore the obvious solutions sometimes – in this case, tolerance and dialogue – to hear our own voices shout above the rest.

Here are some of my notes from speaking with Grace- much of it is more paraphrase than direct quote.

“The Chinese side did not give the other side opportunity to speak. That’s why I would rather risk my neutrality to foster communication and let the other side have a chance to speak.”

“People don’t feel the need to learn about other cultures and have self-centered perspective. Every
culture is a rich book – it has a starting point, plot development, climax, and end. Just like this Tibetan issue- if the Tibetan language is disappearing. If I could speak their language, if Tibetans could speak Tibetan, if more Chinese could understand them, they could understand their culture.”

Grace is an amazing woman – she is working her way through four suitcases of books that she brought to school from China. She’s learning to speak German and French and hopes to learn Arabic this summer. She wants to learn ten languages by the time she is 30 and her English is in many ways better than mine, even though I’m American. In all of these ways, she is a person, an incredible incredible person. And in these times, we need to remember that on both sides there are people like her. Incredible people.

And we must remember this and remember the people and find human solutions in these times – else it is inevitable my generation and the rest of time will inherit a world “swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, where ignorant armies clash by night. “

Two things…

1. The contact information of a girl who spoke out at the Duke University’s pro-Tibet/pro-China protests last week has been distributed on the the Duke Chinese Scholars and Students Association website and through its email listserv. “The student said she has received some messages calling for her to be burned alive with oil.” The DCSSA have since published an apology on their website. (Thanks to Scott for the tip!)

2. The N&O published a profile today on Scott Savitt, a journalist who spent 15 years in China – and a month of that in jail. He will participate in tomorrow’s Tibet panel.

Leave a comment if you want to go, there are still open spaces in my car!

Intersection of Interests: Tibet, China, and the Western Media (Panel Discussion): Updated

Note the new speaker, location, and date! Leave a comment if you want to go but don’t have a ride; I’ve got six seats to fill up in my car!

Updated Info:

The Duke University Asian/Pacific Studies Institute presents:

A Conversation on Tibet

6:30-8:00pm, Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Griffith Film Theater, Bryan Center, Duke University West Campus

with:

Gang Yue, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Asian Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Tashi Rabgey, Director of Contemporary Tibetan Studies Initiative, University of Virginia
Losang Rabgey, Emerging Explorer at National Geographic

Scott Savitt (Duke ’85), former foreign correspondent in Beijing for Los Angeles Times and United Press International

moderated by:

Ralph Litzinger, Associate Professor, Department of Cultural Anthropology; Director, Asian/Pacific Studies Institute, Duke University

Perspectives of Sudan

In the past few days, NC Hillel’s Holocaust Remembrance Week has worked to bring attention to the horrors of the Holocaust and educate people on the subtle steps that lead to genocide.

Aside from educating campus about past genocide, they have used this knowledge to help prevent the perpetuation of genocide in Sudan.

On Thursday, there will be a 24-hour reading of those lost in the Holocaust beginning at noon. At 9 there will be a vigil for all victims of genocide. On Friday, Hillel will host Survivor Shabbat with genocide and Holocaust survivors beginning at 6:15 at the Hillel house on Cameron.

These programs raise awareness of ethnic cleansing in Africa, but also serve to remind us how connected we are culturally despite distance. The world is shrinking quickly and we become more and more internationally intertwined each day.

Another branch in Sudan’s genocide happens to be China. Though Olympic protests have recently been directed towards China’s treatment of Tibetans, attention will quickly turn to China’s contributions to the Sudanese government, Khartoum, for oil. With this funding, Khartoum allegedy aids militias, such as the Janjaweed, who in turn continue violence in Sudan.

Dream for Darfur, in particular, works to pressure the Chinese government into ending violence in Sudan. The organization also raises concerns about human rights within China itself and in neighboring territories. Mia Farrow is deeply connected with the organization; Ben & Jerry’s pledged two trucks to the cause. Other companies, such as Coca-Cola and Lenovo have also expressed concerns about the upcoming games.

“Here is the thing: our demands for internal human rights are not something that Chinese people don’t want, nor are they anything the Chinese government hasn’t explicitly promised to do. We’re pushing an open door. These companies are making a huge mistake in thinking the Chinese respect them for saying what they think they want to hear. Just the opposite. The Chinese government respects foreigners who repeatedly and reliably tell them the truth. How hard is it really for G.E. or Microsoft to push for something that the Chinese government already said it is receptive to doing?”

-Minky Warden, the media director at Human Rights Watch (quotation from the New York Times Magazine)

We must remember, however, that there are many perspectives to every conflict. In order to gain the depth and understanding to act compassionately – humanly – on anything, all sides must be considered.

Hanna Alli, a freshman in the college of arts and sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill, lived in Khartoum for almost two years. She offers a rare and interesting perspective on Sudan’s international influences and the conflicts in the south.

“China kind of stepped in and was the aid that Sudan needed,” Alli said. “I feel that China actually helped the economy of Sudan.”

Watch this video for more of the interview, including a bold statement about genocide in Sudan:

Basic Math

If there are 1.3 billion people in China
And the Chinese love basketball, and as a result, Michael Jordan (See: Qiao Dan)
And Michael Jordan went to UNC-Chapel Hill
Then by transitive property of ALL THINGS GOOD:
Then, that’s at least 1.3 billion people in Carolina blue today.

Bet you can see that from the moon…

GO HEELS!

On Tibet 2, some perceptive perspective

I received comments on my April 2 post about Tibet that – I believe- highlight an issue difficult to address in the international community:

“Living here in England, I find that many people seem to have closed themselves to really understanding what the Chinese perspective on the issue is.”

“It is a failure to see the other side which keeps the fire of hatred burning.”

- Cheshmgir

It’s important to understand both sides of an issue, whether or not you agree with either of them, otherwise even those with good intentions can forget compassion and become part of a faceless, animilistic mob.

So, in turn, here is additional perspective from someone who has lived in China:

“I would say, I am sort of a warhawk when it comes to the Chinese government, because I am from China,” said Wang Jimin, a teaching associate and political science student at UNC-Chapel Hill.

“I think the Chinese government is going through a learning curve,” Wang said. “On the one hand [the Chinese government] is very good at handling economic matters. On the other hand, due to a sort of historical indebtedness, it’s a little conservative in handling political issues. So I think it will change gradually, and we will see a positive side come out,” Wang said.

On Tibet

I never wanted to participate in media, said professor Gang Yue. I never participate in media; I never watch TV. However, China’s traditional approach to the media in Tibet has been counterproductive.

Yue, chair of the Department of Asian Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, spoke out last Friday in regards to the riots in Tibet.

(3/28 Professor Gang Yue, Chair of the Department of Asian Studies at UNC, speaks out about Tibet)

I don’t express my opinions, because I want to present myself and facts disinterestedly for the benefit of students. Today’s talk is different, Yue said. Today is different, and I will express my opinion on the subject clearly.

Yue conducted most of the speech in Chinese, so I apologize that I’m unable to provide accurate translation for most of the talk. However, I’ll include one analogy from Yue that I understood clearly and believe to be important:

The Chinese government gives Tibet plenty of money, Yue said, and they don’t understand why Tibet is dissatisfied. To give something supplies and food until it is fat, and expect it to be happy, that’s a pig. You can’t do that to people. People are not pigs. You cannot merely give people food and necessities and expect them to be happy.

Yue said he believed the first step to peace was to bring the Dalai Lama back.

If you are interested in learning more about the conflict between Tibet and China, I strongly encourage you to attend this event:

UPDATED:

Intersection of Interests: Tibet, China, and the Western Media (Panel Discussion)
Date: Wednesday April 16, 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Griffith Film Theater, Bryan Center, Duke University West Campus
Moderator: Ralph Litzinger, Director of Asian Pacific Studies Institute, Duke University
Participants: Ms. Tashi Rabgey, Professor of Tibetan Studies, University of Virginia ; Losang Rabgey, Emerging Explorer at National Geographic, Gang Yue,Chair, Department of Asian Studies, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Scott Savitt, former foreign correspondent in Beijing for Los Angeles Times and United Press International

If you are interested, I might be able to give you a ride – just leave a comment.

The way to global tolerance begins with individuals. Hey, that’s you!

The Biscuit

A million thanks to The Biscuit for the blog shoutout.

Check out this colorful, in-depth review of No. 1 Panda House in Durham.

(Let me know if you go; all this blogging can make a girl hungry.)