Scorpions to Eat and Children to Adopt: Welcome to The Middle Kingdom

Greetings from the Middle Kingdom! Getting to Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) from my home at the University of Hong Kong was pretty simple. I caught a bus to the KCR train station and caught the north-bound train to the still very substantial border crossing at Shenzhen. Even though I’ve been living in Hong Kong for a month now, my first trip to Mainland China has quickly reminded me that the 1997 handover from Britain to China had less to do with substance than it did with ceremony. Since June 1, 1997 Hong Kong has officially been a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Nevertheless, the official political designation has done little to bridge the remarkable disparities that exist when you compare the capitalist former colony to its Communist motherland. Most notable differences are things such as infrastructure, cleanliness, currency and language – but I could go on and on with a list, and I’ve just arrived! However, with that said, I certainly can't say that China is seething mass of poverty. In fact, as I type I am sipping a cup of tea in front of a flashy new computer with free internet access in a cafe that could rival any coffee house back home for slick decor.

Nevertheless, it is the cultural and economic dichotomies here that I notice the most. The area I'm staying in, Shamian Dao, is the former district that was home to virtually all foreign traders wishing to do business with China. Prior to the 1842 ceding of Hong Kong to Britain this island in Guangzhou was the only place foreigners were officially allowed to do business. Today, Shamian Dao caters mainly to tourists and businesspeople so you end up with a far different impression than, say, a few blocks north where you can buy scorpions, snakes, cats and dogs in an open street market. Despite the assurances in my Lonely Planet that after a recent crackdown the latter two are to be sold only as house-pets, I'm dubious. In fact, I’ve already seen several mangy looking cats crammed into cages that are surrounded by caged chickens waiting nervously for the client’s price that will lead to their prompt plucking and evisceration. I can’t be sure if the cats are to meet a similar fate, but I would hardly be surprised. This part of China (Guangdong province) is renowned for its penchant for rare and unusual animals such as lizards, monkeys, cats, dogs and even rats. I think it’s important to note that this rather distasteful stereotype is widespread within China itself – not just among foreigners like me who might be squeamish about eating something out of my comfort zone.

It is this predilection for unusual fare that had me a little nervous – no doubt an overreaction – about eating Chinese as my first meal on my own over here…I would have fared better with a little friendly encouragement. My guidebook led me to "I Love Lucy's," a nearby hamburger joint reputed to be a great place for American grub. I had ruled out any chance of a cultural experience for the night and that was fine with me – I've been practically eating three Chinese meals a day since I arrived in Hong Kong! Nevertheless, I was surprised to find that I was wrong. It turns out that I had stumbled into a very interesting scenario. I Love Lucy’s appears to be an unofficial meeting place for foreigners – overwhelmingly Americans – who have just adopted Chinese daughters.

This was the first time I’ve come face to face with one of the most controversial population control initiatives in the world: The One Child Policy. The Policy continues to be in full effect…that is, unless you happen to be wealthy enough to pay the fine. George, my Shanghainese roommate – an only child himself – informed me of the steep fine or bribe some families are willing to put forward for the privilege of having a second child; an interesting phenomenon in a state that still officially espouses egalitarianism. A well established patriarchal history leaves few Chinese families willing to dish out this cash for female offspring. Thus, little Chinese girls are flowing out of the country at an astounding rate. As I sipped my beer I couldn’t help being thoroughly amused by the dozens of new American parents making faces at their Chinese daughters. Tables would recognize each other and chit chat about their common experiences. “Oh, Emma is soooo beautiful!” “Well, I can’t deny that but Vanessa is a perfect little baby too!” It was truly fascinating. Many times while dining alone in Japan back in August I got a little bored and wished for a little company – but tonight I felt like a privileged anthropologist.

My entire meal including a bowl of chilli and two pints of beer ran me an even CDN$7 and I Love Lucy’s is a pretty pricy place by Chinese standards…China is way cheaper than Hong Kong! Another evident difference from Hong Kong is the profusion of pirated goods. Hong Kong has its share of pirated goods but they're usually hidden away and of inferior quality. Here in China it’s in your face. People even have complete stores dedicated to counterfeit goods. A weird example is a store called "Pepsi Sports." The Pepsi Cola logo is emblazoned on every article of clothing including a huge wall of Pepsi running shoes that could just as easily be Pumas or Adidas if you changed the machine at the factory. Above the shoe racks are Pepsi Sport advertisements featuring athletes like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan endorsing the company. The funny thing is, the photos are the same – I mean exactly the same – as ones featured in genuine Nike and Adidas ads. The old logos have simply been removed and replaced by the Pepsi Sport logo.

Capitalism is really starting to thrive here which appears to have led to an obsession with Western labels and even just Western names. A mall I walked through had an assortment of boutique clothing stores sporting English names such as “Carol and John’s” despite the fact that their intended clientele are Chinese. Another brand that is everywhere is "Playboy" clothing sporting the classic bunny head logo emblazoned on everything from wallets to t-shirts, underwear, and shoes. Women’s fashion has come a long way since the loose fitting Mao-era patriotic suit!. I’ve found several Playboy stores in strange little malls and had a laugh to myself at the thought of Hugh Hefner over here at the ribbon cutting ceremony. China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 and, as such, it is obliged to clamp down on intellectual property infringements. Nevertheless, you’d never know it from here – I suppose China is too much of an important a trading partner for WTO Member countries to make a significant stink about it. I just bought a DVD copy of Spiderman 2 for CDN$1 and I can get just about any other movie as well. Well, it’s about time I finished up my tea and headed back to the Guangzhou Youth Hostel for some sleep. It’s been a long day!

A.