jeanne boden

olympic beijing - burning flame

olympic beijing - press in the bird's nest

olympic beijing - public in the bird's nest

olympic beijing - public in the bird's nest

olympic beijing - volunteers

olympic beijing - volunteers

olympic beijing

There was the China before the Olympic games and the China after the games. Nationalist feelings are strong in China and the position of China in the world is on many Chinese minds. With all eyes focused on China in 2008 the tension about 'hosting the best Olympic games ever' was rising in the months before August. But all went well and there were many things to be proud of. It is amazing how strong the impact of the central government is and how far it reaches. But it is also amazing how almost every single person in Beijing and far beyond participated in making the games into a success.

having fun - at work

Chinese people like to play games. On the streets in Chinese cities and villages you see people playing cards, weiqi 围棋 better known in the West under the Japanese name of 'go', xiangqi  象棋 Chinese chess， 麻将 mahjong, billiards, ping pong, and all kinds of other games. There is a kind of public playfulness we seldom see in the West. Promotion campaigns in China, that often last a full day, therefore engage in animating the public. The public is invited onto the stage for competition games where promotion article prices can be won. Lots of fun going on!

restrictions of the hukou 户口

Even after all these years I keep finding it unbelievable how fast urbanization takes place in China. In the 1950s the Chinese government adapted the system of household registration, a system of permanent residency, the 户口 hukou. It tied all Chinese people to a certain location in the country. At this appointed location they where were entitled to housing, food, school for the children, and all the necessities in life. After the opening up in 1978 everything changed. People started to move around and to migrate from one location to another. This resulted in fast urbanization and the so-called 'shadow population' (people actually living in a city while having their hukou in another location) in each city. 

Today the hukou still exists but it has become a kind of a burden. Changes and relaxation in the hukou system took place over the years. In many cities people could get a working permit. Since January 2008 some provinces abolished the difference between a rural and an urban hukou. These days the rule is loosening again: companies are now allowed to hire graduates without hukou. This enables these graduates to move around more freely to look for a job. You can read more about the 户籍改革 reform of the hukou system in the 世界商业报道 World Business Report.

promoting haier