October 1:
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's air force deployed a "magic-like" range of chemicals and technology to clear Beijing's smoggy air for a grand parade marking the 60th anniversary of Communist China ... Chemists and officials worked for weeks on the country's most ambitious ever attempt at weather modification ... The evening before the parade chemicals were fired into the hazy skies, and a light rain washed the city clean. Surrounding provinces had already been loading clouds with silver iodide and dry ice, to try and force rain to fall before it reached Beijing ... Contingency plans allowed for the teams to use one kind of chemicals to bring down rain in the parade area, and another to hold it off ...October 1:
BEIJING (Reuters) - China celebrated its ascendance with a show of goose-stepping troops, gaudy floats and nuclear-capable missiles in the nation's capital on Thursday, 60 years after Mao Zedong proclaimed its embrace of communism.August 22, 2007:
Thousands of troops cleared central Beijing of all passers-by for the anniversary parade for the birth of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949 ... Even those living on the parade route were banned from peeking out their windows. Flights into Beijing were stopped during the parade and even kites and pet pigeons grounded.
"Go home! Leave now! Go watch TV at home!" a portly policeman bellowed through a bullhorn at a crowd trying to gather miles from the square.
... China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation."Self-described China experts will tell you that the whole problem is the Chinese Communist Party and their attempts to hold onto power. If only the problem was that logical.
I suppose you wouldn't believe me if told you that the reason China isn't a democracy is because Chinese technocrats are still trying to figure out how to perfect democratic government.
Ah, well, this isn't the era for an American to point out Chinese blind spots. But it doesn't have to be perfect, for crying out loud. You just get out there and do it.
Sen no Rikyū, where are you when we need you?
1 comment:
My own opinion, for what it is worth, is that such obsessiveness is part of the cultural heritage. By being perfectionists, they can then look down on imperfection as "barbaric". After all, round-eyes are barbarians.
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