Aug 03 2008
Heard It on the Grapevine
The expatriate community in Beijing thrives on gossip. Even at a local level, China’s decision-making processes remain closed to the public, and especially to foreigners, or laowai (“old outsiders”). As a result, the rumor mill is often the best source of information about things both extraordinary and mundane. In preparation for the Olympic Games and international scrutiny, Beijing has undergone many major and minor changes in infrastructure, security, appearance, and regulations. The gossip has increased proportionally in volume and drama, so some of the best rumors come after the jump.
1. As of July 20, new traffic regulations went into effect to curb pollution and traffic. The new rules allow only private cars with license plates ending in even numbers to drive on even-numbered days, likewise limiting cars with odd-numbered plates to odd days. But neither of these restrictions applies to vehicles with diplomatic plates, which is the suspected motive for the rumored spike in diplomatic license-plate theft. This threat is being taken so seriously that the US Embassy here has offered to “work with any interested employee to better secure their license plates.”
2. The title of a recent article in the Financial Times dubbed these Olympics the “No-Fun Games.” Indeed, there is a fear in Beijing that many of the city’s best watering holes will be closed for the Olympic or raise prices exponentially. Even if bars remain open and affordable, new government-imposed restrictions promise to put a damper on the nightlife. According to the Washington Post, the restrictions include: “no tables on the sidewalk, no excess partying, no displays of affection, and no service for foreigners with prostitutes.” Sounds like an office party.
3. There are also rumors that live music venues will be temporarily shut down. The Beijing Cultural Bureau released a statement that “all concerts during the Olympics would need government approval.” Since China’s new rock, hip-hop, and experimental music scenes are still largely underground, no one can say for sure what type of concerts will be approved. In general, the government associates rock and hip-hop with youth degeneracy and social instability, two things to be avoided at all costs.
4. Shockingly, the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the major Hong Kong daily paper, reported on July 18 that bar- and club-owners in Beijing have been ordered by police to “sign pledges agreeing not to let black people enter their premises” (full article at shanghaiexpat.com). According to the proprietors interviewed by the SCMP, the racist restriction is part of an effort to “stamp out drug dealing… ahead of the Games.” A week later, the SCMP reported that the Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced the reports as being “without foundation.” The government is now in a bind: it cannot confirm these reports, but denying it makes the ever-skeptical laowai population only more convinced that the government is implementing such a policy. That being said, the African-American members of the US Olympic Committee already here in Beijing told me that they have not experienced any problems.
5. And to wrap up, here’s an equally shocking story. “Maggie’s” is a famous institution in Beijing, even if it is more often called by its sobriquet: “Maggie’s Mongolian Whorehouse.” Besides being a bar and club, Maggie’s has long been arguably Beijing’s most famous brothel. Some weeks ago, all of Beijing’s brothels were closed for inspection—but Maggie’s has not reopened. Although I have heard a number of versions of the same theory, I was told by one woman whose “friend was in Maggie’s the night it was closed” that the police found the mutilated bodies of a couple working girls in one of the back rooms. To my knowledge, Beijing’s laowai never previously suspected this sort of thing might happen at Maggie’s.
With all eyes on Beijing, the Chinese government is trying hard to clear all the skeletons out of its closet, but the utter lack of government transparency encourages speculation. The rumor mill compensates for the lack of trustworthy news from conventional sources.
But don’t despair—I will continue to do my best to provide a reliable account of the 2008 Olympics, including the juicy gossip.