Children in Shanghai
next to a wax figure of President Obama at the
local branch of Madame
Tussauds Wax Museum, Nov. 12.
China Daily,
People's Republic of China
Obama Can Teach Shanghai
Officials a Thing or Two
This article either indicates an opening up of China's state-run media, or officials in Shanghai have likely done something terrible to anger Beijing. Whatever the case, in this op-ed from the China Daily, columnist Hong Liang uses the imminent visit of Barack Obama to explain why young people in Shanghai love the president - and loath the 'authoritarian excess' that critics regard as the hallmark of the Beijing regime.
Scheduled on Monday to make a
grand appearance in the mainland's most cosmopolitan city during his first
visit to China, U.S. President Barack Obama is revered by young people here as
much for his superstar appeal as for being the leader of the world's sole
superpower.
At roadside shops and online
stores, souvenirs bearing Obama's image, including T-shirts, notebooks, badges,
mobile phone cases and transportation card stickers, are selling by the
thousands. Although his itinerary in Shanghai has yet to be confirmed, Internet
chat rooms are abuzz with tips on where to get a glimpse of him. Speculation
has it that he'll be staying at the Portman Ritz Carlton Hotel on Nanjing West
Road, and will be treated to dinner at a restaurant specializing in Shanghai
cuisine in the tourist area noted for the City God Temple. When
he was in Shanghai, former President Bill Clinton was entertained at that same
restaurant.
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But what has really excited young
people here is a scheduled meeting with Obama. To be sure, most will miss out
on this face-to-face talk, but they all look forward to watching live
broadcasts of their idol exchanging ideas with their peers and, perhaps, a few
jokes.
Obama is idolized
by Shanghai's youth because he embodies the personality and character of a
leader with whom they can relate to - as opposed to some of the stern-faced
Chinese officials they have learned to dread. As Shanghai becomes an increasingly international city, its people,
especially those who've been exposed to Western culture, prefer people in
authority who share their vision and are willing to talk to them and listen to
their aspirations - and complaints.
Internet blogs and chat rooms
are now the most popular places for Shanghainese to vent their frustration about
dealing with unresponsive officials at banks, phone companies, hospitals,
airports, train stations and, yes, the housing estates where they live. This is
no exaggeration. I read a story in a Chinese-language newspaper some time ago about
a man being beaten up by housing estate security guards because he reportedly
refused to park his car as they directed.
At the front door of a downtown
office building. a Shanghai colleague and I were once ordered by a uniformed
guard to get out of a taxi line because we failed to prove we were guests of a
tenant there. Seeing no point in arguing with her and not wanting to disturb
our host, we walked to the street and got into a taxi making the turn to pick
up passengers waiting in the line we just left. We evened the score.
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But at times like these, I
wonder how people feel about such official arrogance. The Obama factor has made
it clear that many people in Shanghai, particularly the younger ones, feel just
as indignant as I do about authoritarian excess. Most of the complaints I've
heard on radio and read in local newspapers and on the Internet, are directed toward
minor officials who deal with the public on a daily basis. But such a level of dissatisfaction
reflects badly on the city's bureaucracy as a whole.
President Obama with leaders at the Asia Pacific Economic Summit in
Singapore. From left, Japan Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Indonesia
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono , Singapore's Prime Minister Lee
Hsien loong and China's President Hu Jintao, Nov. 14.
When you go to a hospital
after work, as I did recently due to a worsening cold-fever, and are told that
all the doctors are off duty- by a nurse who didn't even raise her head to look
at me while she spoke - one can understand why Obama's image as an approachable
and understanding leader holds so much appeal in this city.
