24 October 2015

Gentlefolk,

Previously I was pretty good doing weekly posts describing our lives in China, but recently the blog has taken a bit of a back-seat.

Why do I lack motivation? Here are some possible reasons (excuses):

The start of a new semester is always busy, getting to know the new students, and preparing suitable lesson plans.

Another reason may be the lovely weather (see below).  I've been riding my bike around Tang Dao Wan bay, and going swimming, and going to the gym.  All good fun, but of course take time.

Can I also blame 'naps'?  My brother, Papa Andy, has long espoused the benefits of an afternoon nap, but I have never felt the need.  Until now. This semester I've started having a nap most days - and finding it great, especially when I have night classes (7 - 8.50pm).  It gives you that extra bit of energy to carry you through a long day, but again it takes time.

Another reason is that I've started reading "Mao, the unknown story" by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday. I'm on page 366 and still have 500 pages to go! I'll talk more about that below.

And, WeChat; finally, I've succumbed. Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin are blocked by the Chinese Government so, thankfully, we are spared those temptations, but I have joined China's answer to Whats App for contact with local friends.  That little 'ping' sound as a new message arrives is so seductive, isn't it?

And, finally, after 5 years working and living in China, we might be getting used to life here, and there don't seem as many strange or unusual events or issues to record.  Are we in a 'new normal'?

Anyway, the blog is not a 'do-or-die' situation, so I'll just relax and do posts whenever inspiration strikes.

Here are some comments on recent happenings.

Autumn

We've had a great Autumn. It's normally cooler by now (they've had first snow-falls up North already), but here the temperatures are still around low-20s Centigrade - very comfortable - although temperatures are forecast to drop next week.  It's usually windy here in Autumn, but not this year, which has been great.

 Michael (an American colleague) and I have been riding our bikes to Silver Beach (about 30 minutes by bike) a couple of times a week, and swimming in the Yellow Sea. It's a shallow, safe, beach. Normally pretty calm, but yesterday the waves were bigger and we were able to body-surf.

My students can't believe that we are still swimming in the sea; they all put their shorts away on 30 September.

A view of Silver Beach at low tide. It's off the beaten track. so not crowded.

The Grand Wyndham Hotel looks over Silver Beach. It's a big modern hotel with good facilities, but few guests - it has been a bit of a "White Elephant". 

Yours truly enjoying the water last week.

Wedding anniversary

Last Sunday was our 42nd anniversary.  Brought back memories of our wedding which took place at the Australian Ambassador's residence in Jakarta.  The Ambassador, Bob Furlonger, conducted the marriage ceremony in front of 200 family and friends. A night to remember!

We invited some friends around and Vera cooked a wonderful meal.    She is amazing, the way she can knock up a great meal for a dozen people.

Best thing I ever did, marry that gal!

Some of the guests at our Anniversary Dinner. From left: Vera; Graham (Australia); Rai (India); Michael (US) and Steven (US).

Other guests, from left: Thomas (Germany); Sun Yu (China); Vera; Baby Luna and her mother Hao Yu (China); father Gautier (France).

Some of Vera's dishes - always delicious!

One of our guests was Laxmisha Rai who teaches Computer Science at Qingdao University of Science and Technology.  We both featured on Qingdao TV last year when they did a series on foreigners living and working in Qingdao.  Andrew put a copy on YouTube - to see the program click HERE, but be warned, it's about 25 minutes long and the story alternates between Rai and me.  It is in Chinese, but there is enough English to get the gist of it.

Book on Mao Ze Dong

As mentioned above, I am reading "Mao, the unknown story" by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday.

Jung Chang is probably better known for her 1992 book "Wild Swans" which illustrates much of the history of China in the 20th Century through the experiences of 3 generations: Jung Chang, her mother, and her grandmother. A fascinating story, the book was an international best seller, selling more than 10 million copies in 30 languages.

  

Jung Chang (Chinese 张戎; pinyin: Zhāng Róng).  She was born (1952) and raised in Sichuan.  Her parents were upper-level CPC cadres who were purged during the Cultural Revolution; she was sent to the countryside to work as a "bare-foot doctor".  In 1978 she got a scholarship to study in the UK, and became the first PRC-citizen to earn a PhD from a British university (1982, York University, Linguistics).  She is married to Irish historian Jon Halliday.

Jung Chang in London in 2010.

The "Mao" book was published in 2005.  Apparently it took 12 years to research and write - the Bibliography of Sources covers more than 50 pages, and the list of interviewees is 15 pages long!

The book seeks to explode the myths surrounding Mao.  He is exposed as totally self-centered, a megalomaniac, a tyrant, cunning and vengeful, who showed no mercy for opponents, inside or outside the Communist Party of China (CPC), and was responsible for the deaths of many millions (an estimate of "up to 70 million" is given).

What a journey for Chang: from adoration of Mao as a 14 year old Red Guard, to total loathing at 50.

Could Mao really have been as bad as portrayed by Chang and Halliday?  They put him in the same category as Stalin or Hitler, even worse.  While admitting that he made some mistakes, Mao is greatly admired by most Chinese as the founder of "New China".  They are brought up on a diet of praise and love for "The Chairman" and of course Jung Chang's and other critical books are banned in China.

There are many "wow" moments in the Mao book as parts of Mao's character and exploits are revealed. At present I'm up to the 1948-49 period when the civil war between the Nationalists and Communists is climaxing.  It is an epic story.  The idea that a rump of 8,000 bruised and battered Communists at the end of the Long March, could, within 15 years, defeat a strong opponent and rule the most populous country on earth seems completely fanciful. But that is what happened, and this book explains how and why, in great detail.  Fascinating stuff.

Some of the most surprising things for me so far:

• Many of the "battles" waged by the Communists, either against the Nationalists or the Japanese, didn't happen (or at least not in the way portrayed in current Chinese history books).  A good example that 'history is (re)written by the victors'.

• I didn't realise how close relations were between the young CPC and Moscow.  The Communist revolution had succeeded in Russia and Moscow was a vital source of funds, weapons, personnel, and constant advice/direction. Stalin took great personal interest in developments in China - what a coup if China were to become communist!  According to Chang's book, the CPC would not have succeeded without Soviet help.

• Before he turned against the CPC, Chiang Kai Shek (pinyin: Jiang Jie Shi) sent his son to study in Russia. According to the book, Stalin held him as a hostage, and as a consequence Chiang was softer on the CPC than he could have been.

• In the early years in Yan'an (the CPC base at the end of the Long March) Mao & co resorted to growing and selling opium as a source of badly-needed funds.

When I finish this book I hope to read Jonathan Fenby's "Generalissimo: Chiang Kai Shek and the China he lost". I like Fenby - his "Modern China" is excellent - and I think his book would make an interesting balance to Chang's book on Mao.

Well I never ...

There have been several instances where Vera & I have reacted with "Well, I never expected to see that in China".

Buses

Public buses used to drive through pedestrian crossings, just like cars do.  But no more, at least in our suburb of Huangdao.  Bus drivers now stop if there are any pedestrians on zebra crossings.  Cars still, as previously, push their way through any pedestrians, but now buses stop.

Never thought we'd see that happen here.  A great start ... maybe car drivers will follow suit one day?

Sidewalk vendors

One of the things we've always liked about China and Asia in general is the busy, lively, chaotic but always interesting, street life.  Vendors set up a little stalls in any given space, sometimes just using a simple rug, to sell all manner of things and try to turn a profit - see photos below.

But no more. The local government has cracked down on side-walk vendors, and they are not allowed to operate now.   At least that was the case in September, when we returned to campus. Now, slowly, we see some vendors sneaking back, usually working off the back of a parked truck or van, ready for a quick get-away should the fuzz appear.  I, for one, hope the local govt relents and lets the vendors operate again.

Toilets

One of our abiding fears has been to be "caught short" and have to use public toilets. They are all squat-type, of course, and not conducive to our old bones.  But more important was the cleanliness, or lack of it - invariably they were smelly and filthy.

A couple of years ago our area of Huangdao built new facilities in key locations around the city. What a welcome change that has been.  I don't know about other locations in China, but we feel much "safer" now.

These new toilet facilities are now dotted around Huangdao.

The original urinals in the new toilets, as pictured, were much too small, and always overflowed when flushed.  After 6 months they were all replaced!

Like father, like son

We were delighted to learn this week that the Liberal Party of Canada had won the general elections, and that the new Prime Minister will be Justin Trudeau.

Justin's father, Pierre Trudeau, was the Prime Minister of Canada when we lived in Vancouver 1975 - 77.

Tall, handsome, debonair, clever, progressive, Pierre Trudeau dominated Canadian politics for 15 years.

He was Whitlam-esque, before Whitlam.

Trudeau was one of the world's most eligible bachelors and dated several famous women, including Barbara Streisand. Imagine the shock when, in March 1971, he married Vancouver girl Margaret Sinclair.  He was 52, she was 22.

They had 3 children, all boys, in six years: Justin, Alexander, and Michel.  Then the marriage fell apart; the age difference was just too great.  Pierre was engrossed in running the country, but Margaret couldn't stand the official 'cage'.  He got custody of the boys, and she went to New York to party with the Rolling Stones.

Pierre died in 2000, at the age of 80.  Many dignitaries attended the funeral, including Jimmy Carter and Fidel Castro.  A life well lived.

Wedding day, 4 March 1971. North Vancouver. 

Happy days.

Family photo in 1976.  They separated the following year.

Pierre Trudeau brought up the three boys.

Justin Trudeau with his mother, Margaret, in 2013 when he became leader of the Liberal Party. In October 2015 the Liberal Party won the general election making Justin the 23rd Prime Minister.

Pierre would be proud of you, Justin.  Let's hope this is the beginning of another great Trudeau era for Canada.

Jean Chretien

One of the enduring memories I have of that time is a speech by Jean Chretien.

Jean Chretien held several Ministerial portfolios in Pierre Trudeau's administrations.

In 1977 he visited Vancouver in his capacity as Minister for Trade and Industry.  He was guest speaker at a lunch hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in the grand old Hotel Vancouver.  Generally, businessmen in Western Canada didn't like the Liberal Party or French Canadians, so he had a hostile audience.

Chretien wasn't particularly clever or imposing.  In fact, he had a facial impediment which meant that he spoke in a strange way, out of the left side of his mouth.  But he was a 'man's man' and possessed great charm.  It was an unforgettable  performance - from the moment he started speaking, he captivated the audience and at the end he got a standing ovation.  Remarkable.

Fifteen years later Jean Chretien became leader of the Liberal Party, and was Prime Minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003.

...

That's it for this post.

Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Saturday, 24 October 2015

PS Australia plays Argentina in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals in 24 hours - go the Wallabies!

14 October 2015

Gentlefolk,

This post is about our trip to Zoucheng, Jining Prefecture in Shandong Province, 28 September to 1 October 2015.

This year Mid-Autumn Festival (holiday) was on Sunday 27 September, and the National Day holidays from 1 - 7 October.  Our university decided to combine the two holidays rather than split them.  So we had off from Sunday 27 September to Sunday 4 October and teaching resumed on Monday 5 October.

One of our colleagues, Steven, is married to a local girl.  His wife Amy is pregnant (for mid-November) and is now staying with her family in Zoucheng.  Steve was going to see his wife and we decided to accompany him.

The other reason for wanting to visit Zoucheng  was because it is the home-town of Mencius (often referred to as "The 2nd Sage", Confucius being the 1st Sage).  It is located about 30 km south of Qufu, the home-town of Confucius.

Zoucheng and Qufu are located in Jining Prefecture, south of the Provincial capital Jinan and not far from famous Mount Tai (Tai shan).

As the crow flies, Zoucheng is about 300km from Qingdao but there is no direct route.  Trains go via the provincial capital Jinan and the most convenient highway goes via Rizhao.

The fast train from Qingdao to Zoucheng was sold out, so we took a sleeper berths on the slow train ($24 each).  It took almost 8 hours (11am - 6.45pm), but we could sleep and read and it was quite comfortable.  We decided to take the bus back - a 5 hour trip via Rizhao.

It was good to see Amy again - she was looking very big with only 6 weeks to go.

On the first day we visited the Mencius Temple (where he taught) and Mencius Mansion (where he lived).  We also visited the Zoucheng Museum (impressive building, but not much inside), had lunch with Amy's family, looked around the city centre and Steve & Amy's apartment in a relatively new complex on the Western edge of the city.

The following day we all took a bus to Jining City, the main urban area in this Prefecture.

Mencius (Chinese: Meng zi; 孟子)

Popularly known as "China's 2nd Sage" (Confucius is the "1st Sage"), Mencius promoted Confucian philosophy.  But while the Confucian Analects contain short, pithy, self-contained statements, Mencius' writings (collected in a book just called "Mencius") were longer, in-depth and analytical.

Mencius believed that human nature was basically good. He said that kings should rule through persuasion rather than force and if they became too "self-seeking" then revolution was justified.

Mencius's mother is often held up as an exemplary female figure in Chinese culture. A well-known traditional Chinese four-character idiom is 孟母三遷 (mèng mǔ sān qiān; literal translation: "Mencius's mother, three moves").

This saying refers to the legend that Mencius's mother (his father died when he was young and she faced hardships bringing him up on her own) moved house three times before finding a location that was suitable for the child's upbringing. As an expression, the idiom refers to the importance of finding the proper environment for raising children.

When his mother died, Mencius took leave for 3 years from his official post, which is regarded as a example of great filial piety.

Here are some pictures of our trip:

We stayed at the Green Tree Inn (there are three in Zoucheng). Nice room for $22 per night (including breakfast).

A view from the 5th floor breakfast room. The blue room covers a huge market.  Amy said that she often went there with school-mates.  But it is quiet now, having been overtaken by shops and malls.

Confucius (Kong Zi), popularly known as "China's First Sage" (551 - 479 BC). His home town was Qufu, about 30 km north of Zoucheng.  Don't you love his eyebrows and his buck-teeth!

Mencius (or Meng Zi) regarded as "China's Second Sage" 372 - 289 BC.   He lived 100 years later, but was a keen follower of Confucius and propagated his ideas.

Another depiction of the two Sages, leader and follower.

The cover of a scholarly book on Mencius.

The main gate of the Mencius Temple in Zoucheng. Entry cost $6.50. Unfortunately there were no English-speaking guides available, so we hired the audio guide.  

Amy, Steven, and Vera at the entrance of the Mencius Temple.

One of the halls in the grounds of the Mencius Temple.  Lots of cypress trees - some said to be more than 800 years old.

The Mencius Family Mansion included an activities area for visitors.  Here is Steven showing off his archery prowess (10 arrows for $1.60).

We visited the Zoucheng Museum, built 12 years ago for about $6 million.  A big, impressive building, but unfortunately not many exhibits inside. Entry is free.

Waiting for a bus in the downtown area of Zoucheng. We had surprisingly good pizza at Margritta Pizza ($2 per slice; they had a promotion "buy one, get one free" which effectively made it $1 per slice). 

Amy and Steven have a nice 2 bedroom apartment, which cost about $60,000. Zoucheng is a relatively small, inland city and everything is significantly cheaper here than in big cities such as Qingdao and Jinan.

Amy & Steven's apartment is in the complex at the back.  Now some high-rise towers are being built along the main road to Jining City.  But construction seems to have slowed down - perhaps the developer is in financial trouble?

A short, but interesting visit.  It was good to get away from the campus for a few days.  We have now seen both Qufu (Confucius) and Zoucheng (Mencius) - there is no doubt that Qufu is bigger, livelier and on-the-whole more interesting.

...

That's it for this post.

Best wishes, Stay well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn

Wednesday, 14 October 2015.

9 October 2015

Gentlefolk

As you know, I compile a monthly summary of news items, with a focus on news on China.  

There is so much competition within Western media outlets that usually only the unusual, sensational, or bizarre gets a mention. Hopefully this summary will give you a better idea of some of the things happening in China.

The events/items included are not necessarily the headlines, but rather things which caught my eye.

The second list, international events reported in China, is basically for me.  There are so many things happening around the world (information overload!), that I find it useful to have such a list to look back at. 

These news items were sourced from the China Daily newspaper 1 – 30 September 2015. 

Actual events usually occurred a day or two before they appeared in the China Daily newspaper. 

Currency shown is US$, and the exchange rate used this month is US$1 = Yuan 6.3.

Remember: the China Daily is a government newspaper whose main purpose in life is to make the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Government look good.  But if you strip away the propaganda, there is still quite a lot of interesting stuff in the paper. 

I can’t guarantee the accuracy of the information. I am aware that in the last few weeks a number of Western commentators have begun to question the accuracy of Chinese economic data.  An old joke does the rounds here: The Premier asks the head of the National Statistics Office “What was GDP growth last quarter?” The reply: “What do you want it to be?”  I don’t think manipulation of statistics is nearly as bad now as in the ‘old days’.

Events which made the news in China in September 2015

(a) Domestic (in China) events and news

4 Sept	Big parade in Beijing yesterday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Japan which ended the Sino-Japanese War (1937 – 1945) and WW2. Peoples Liberation Army (PLA): 12,000 troops marched; 500 pieces of the latest hardware such as tanks and rockets on display; 200 aircraft.  1,000 foreign troops from 17 countries participated, most from countries which had little to do with Japan in WW2, such as Russia; Belarus; Kazakhastan; Afghanistan; Mexico; Cuba; Venezuela; Fiji; Laos; Cambodia. 30 foreign leaders attended, notably Vladimir Putin (Russia) and Park Geun Hye (South Korea). Most Western countries were represented by their Ambassadors. President Xi Jin Ping announced plans to reduce the size of the PLA by 300,000 to make it more efficient.
	China consumed about 70,000 tonnes of cheese in 2014, 94% imported.
	Steel output in the first 7 months of 2015 totalled 476 million tonnes, down 2% on same period in 2014. Steel exports in the first 8 months totalled 72 million tonnes (up 27% on same period in 2014).
	China exported tea valued at $1.3 billion in 2014 (8% less than 2013).
5	Chinese airlines handled 210 million passengers in January – June 2015 (up 12% on same period in 2014).  Lower oil prices boosted profits.  Air China said its profit for the first half of 2015 was $550 million largely due to a 30% fall in fuel costs.
7	Some netizens criticised Taiwanese singer Fan Wei Qi (Fan Fan) for showing a lack of respect when she posted happy photos of her twins on her Weibo account on 3 September, the day China commemorated the end of the Sino-Japanese War. She is hugely popular in China, with 47 million Weibo followers.
	An explosion at a chemical factory in Dongying, Shandong Province: 13 dead, 11 injured.
8	Li Qing Gui, Party Chief of Xin Xiang, Henan Province, was demoted for failing to control corrupt subordinates.
	The Mayor of Jining, Shandong Province, Mei Yong Hong, resigned to join a local insurance company. He will earn 3 times his former salary of about $900 per month.
	The Shanghai Composite Index (the main share-market index) has had a bad time.  On 12 June it was 5,166; on 8 July 3,507; on 26 August 2,927; and on 7 Sept 3,080.
9	International trade in August 2015: exports totalled $189 billion; imports totalled $131 billion.
	In 2011 China started ‘trial’ emission trading markets in seven major cities.  The Govt has announced that a nationwide system will be introduced in 2017, and be fully operational by 2020.
10	The National Statistics Office announced that it will adopt the IMF’s approach.  In future, GDP will be based on a single quarter’s data (previously calculated on cumulative figures).
	Since the end of 2012, 125,000 members of the CPC have been disciplined.
11	24 year old Guo Mei Mei was sentenced to 5 years in prison and fined $8,000 for “operating gambling houses” during the 2014 Soccer World Cup.
	The Nissan joint-venture, Dongfang Nissan, was fined $19m for ‘violating anti-trust laws’ by fixing car prices (Mercedes Benz was earlier fined $55m and Audi $39m).
	The World Leisure Games were held in Qingdao, 12 – 21 September.  Contests included: rock climbing; roller skating; street dancing; dragon boat racing; martial arts.  About 15,000 contestants participated.
	The Ministry of Finance reported that Apple under-paid tax of $71 million in 2013.  Apple paid the $71m and incurred a ‘late fee’ of $10m. In the 2nd Quarter of 2015 Apple sold 120 million iPhones in China – represented 11% of China’s smartphone market. The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus and the iPad Pro were launched in the US yesterday.
12	Casualties continue to rise from the huge explosions at a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals in Tianjin on 12 August: now 165 dead (including 99 firemen and 11 policemen). Eight persons still unaccounted for - will probably be added to the ‘deaths’.  239 injured are still in hospital. The Govt has announced families of dead will receive compensation of $360,000 each.  The Govt will also buy badly damaged apartments for 30% above the previous market price.
	Five large stockbrokers were fined a total of $28 million for “illegal trading activities” which aggravated the recent stock market crash.
14	Starbucks has 1,400 outlets in China; it plans to have 3,400 by 2020.
	A Chinese shipbuilder has delivered the largest-ever container ship (capacity of 18,000 standard containers equivalent) to a French buyer.
	An investigation of the China State Construction Engineering Corporation found that 24 senior managers were ‘naked officials’ (ie, their wives and/or children were living permanently abroad). One decided to bring his family back, the others were demoted.
	August was the 4th month of declining sales of Passenger Motor Vehicles. 15 m units were sold in the first 8 months of 2015.
16	Universal Studios announced plans to joint-venture with 4 State Owned Companies to build a $8 billion theme park in Beijing.
	The number of Chinese visitors to the US totalled 2.2 million in 2014 (up from 397,000 in 2007). The average stay was 14 days and they spent an estimated $23 billion. In November 2014 the US introduced 10-year multiple-entry visas for Chinese which is expected to boost visits even more. There are 274,439 Chinese students studying in the US (31% of all foreign students).  They contribute an estimated $22 billion to the US economy.
17	Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, won the bid to host the 2022 Asian Games (Beijing was the host in 1990, and Guangzhou in 2010).
	Three internet giants, Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent, all establish film/movie subsidiaries.
	China’s annual 3 month fishing ban ended yesterday.
19	Futer Energy’s coal-to-oil project ($2.2 billion) started in Yulin.  1st phase capacity is 1.1 million tonnes per annum; 2nd phase may increase to 10 mtpa. But recent low oil prices make this project uncompetitive and the 2nd phase will likely be postponed.
	Average price of new apartments rose in August 2015 in 35 of 70 largest cities; average price up 1.7% over August 2014 (Tier One cities saw larger increases: Shenzhen up 30%, Beijing up 14%, Shanghai up 7% on a year ago).
21	Yesterday’s Beijing Marathon had 30,000 runners (65,000 applied).  No shorter distances were included this year.  Pollution level PM2.5 @ 160 for the race was “medium". Kipchumba (Kenya) won the Mens in 2h 11m; Cherrenet (Ethiopia) won the Womens in 2h 27m.
	State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). There are 111 SOEs under the National Govt, and about 25,000 under Provincial and Local Govts. Profits of National SOEs fell by 3.1% in the first half of 2015.  Reforms in the pipeline.
24	Currently an estimated 12% of Beijing residents commute by bicycle (down from 38% in 2000). The Municipal Govt is trying to promote cycling. By the end of 2015 it will have 50,000 bikes-for-hire around Beijing and ‘no-parking’ by cars in bicycle lanes will be strictly enforced.
	In 2014 China attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of $129 billion.
26	Popular children’s author Du Hong died of cancer.  She spent $120,000 to have her brain cryo-preserved in the USA (kept in liquid nitrogen at minus 196C) in the hope that future technology will enable her to “return”.
	SOE coal miner Heilongjiang Longmay announced 100,000 job cuts.  It produced 50 million tonnes of coal in 2014 but suffered losses of $815 million.
	Molson Coors announced that it is pulling out of the Chinese market – too much competition.
29	Tianjin University announced that it will run an elective course on 'dating'.
	Celebrations of the 2,566th anniversary of Confucius birth.
	Groundwater in China is being over-extracted by an estimated 17 billion cubic meters per annum. New plan being formulated to restrict the extraction of groundwater.

(b) International events

5 Sept	Hundreds of thousands ‘migrants’, primarily from Middle East and Africa, attempting to reach northern EU countries.
	China Railway Rolling-stock Corporation (CRRC) won contract to upgrade Boston Metro. CRRC is building a manufacturing plant in Springfield, Massachusetts (investment of $95m).
	Kentucky clerk Kim Davis jailed for refusing to marry gay couples.
	Judge Richard Berman overturned the NFL’s four-game ban on Tom Brady for allegedly using deflated balls during the Patriots – Colts game last January.
7	The Chinese Womens Volleyball team beat Japan in the finals to win the World Championships.  China gets automatic entry into the Rio Olympics next year.
10	Queen Elizabeth 2nd passed Queen Victoria’s record reign of 63 years.
	Wayne Rooney’s goal in England’s win against Switzerland brought his total to 50.  He passed Bobby Charlton’s 45 year old record of 49 goals to become England’s top scorer.
11	Election in Singapore: Lee Hsien Loong’s People Action Party won a resounding victory with 69% of vote.
	Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the US.
12	A Pew Research Center survey found that 54% of Americans have an unfavourable opinion of China, while 38% have a favourable opinion.  Issues of most concern: huge US debt held by China; loss of manufacturing jobs to China; alleged cyber-attacks by China; China’s human rights record; huge US trade deficit with China; China’s pollution; China’s growing military power; disputes over islands in South China Sea.
	The United Nations voted 119 to 8 (45 abstentions) to allow the Palestinian flag to be flown at the UN headquarters.
14	Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the British Labour Party.
	A crane collapsed in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing 107 and injuring 200 Haj pilgrims.
	Floyd Mayweather beat Andre Berto to win his 49th professional fight (equalling Rocky Marciano’s record). Mayweather announced his retirement from boxing.  His winnings since 1996 total close to $1 billion.
	US Tennis Open: Flavia Pennetta beat Roberta Vinci (who beat Serena Williams in the semis). First all-Italian final. Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer to win his 10th Grand Slam (Federer has won 17).
16	New Australian Prime Minister when Malcolm Turnbull beat Tony Abbott 54 – 44 in a Liberal Party leadership ballot.  Turnbull is Australia’s 29th PM (and 5th in 5 years).
	A subsidiary of SOE Bright Food Group will buy 50% of Silver Fern Farms, New Zealand’s biggest meat cooperative, for $197 million.
	Australian rugby league star Jarryd Hayne switched to the San Francisco 49ers American Football team. He fumbled his first catch, but SF went on to beat Minnesota 20 – 3.
17	In two separate incidents, two American-Chinese Sherry Chen and Professor Xi Xiao Xing, were accused of giving classified information to China.  After investigations, both have been released and all charges have been dropped.
	New documentary by director William Mundell “Better Angels” on Sino-US relations.
18	8.3 earthquake hit Chile; 12 dead, widespread damage.
	Didi Kuaidi invested $100 million in Lyft, Uber’s competitor.  Didi has 80% of Chinese market for car-hailing.
19	Wearables market, 2nd quarter 2015 top three: Fitbit sold 4.4 million units, Apple sold 3.6m, and Huanmi (Mi brand) sold 3.1m.
	China’s Biostime bought 83% of Australian Swisse Wellness Group for $989m.  There is strong demand in China for foreign nutritional products.
21	Japan’s Diet (Parliament) passed the new Security Law which will allow Japanese troops to fight overseas.
	Rugby World Cup in England.  Big upset when Japan beat South Africa 34 – 32. England was beaten by Wales and Australia, so is out of the competition.
22	President Xi Jin Ping started his visit to the USA today, accompanied by First Lady Peng Li Yuan. First stop Seattle for China – Governors Forum and Business Round Table.  He will tour the Boeing (Boeing has orders from China totalling $38 billion) and Microsoft Headquarters.  24 Sept official visit to Washington DC and meetings with President Obama.  26 Sept at United Nations in New York.  He pledged $1 billion to the “China-UN Peace & Development Fund”; $100 million to the African Union; $2 billion for South-South Cooperation; $10 m for the UN Women’s Group; training in China for 30,000 women from Developing Countries). Back to Beijing 29 Sept. This is President Xi’s 7th visit to the US since 1985, but his first official visit. A new book “The Xi Jin Ping Era” was published, edited by Professor James Hsiung of New York University.
	Visit to China by George Osborne, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer.
	Aussie Jason Day, 27, won the BMW Championship in Illinois and became the World #1 ranked golfer. It was his 4th win in 6 starts.  He shot impressive 61 and 63 in the first two rounds, and ended up winning by six strokes. (But 10 days later Jordan Spieth won the FedEx Championship and replaced Day as World #1).
	Smoke from fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan blanket Singapore and parts of Malaysia.  Singapore has closed schools.
26	A stampede of Haj pilgrims near Mecca results in 800+ deaths and thousands injured.
	VW admitted incorporating rogue software to improve emission standards in about 11 million diesel-engine cars.
28	Catalan separatists won in regional elections.
	Thai police say that the bombing at the Erawan Shrine on 17 August (20 killed, 120 injured) was in response to their crackdown on human trafficking syndicates.

September saw the start of the 2015-16 academic year, which will be our last in China as we intend to finish teaching in July 2016.

Best wishes to you all, keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn

Friday, 9 October 2015.