“What’s new, mate?” February 9, 2012
Posted by kanewu in Viva la Vida.Tags: finance, journalism, journalist, juicy, news of the world, sources
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A colleague of mine said the other day, “When I joined, I thought of myself as a hard-core journalist, caring about nothing but getting facts straight out of the sources.” Yet he later realized that it was never like that. We talk to our sources, take them out to lunch or dinner, hang out with them, pamper them, then we can exchange information with them. It’s as much about relationship management as about hard-core journalism, yet it is not easy to strike a balance.
I recently watched Ides of March, an Oscar nominee this year casting Ryan Gosling and George Clooney. Marisa Tomei played this hard-core NYT political news reporter that is always hanging out with campaign managers, digging everything out of their mouths. She appears to be understanding and friendly, yet she is always ready for that tiny bit of juicy stuff that can possibly destroy her sources’ whole life. I wondered, if I were to become a journalist in that position, I would probably behave the same, well, maybe not including the part where she trades information with sexual favors. (more…)
Happy 2012! December 31, 2011
Posted by kanewu in A Rush of Blood to the Head.Tags: 2012, december 21 2012, learning foreign languages, new year resolutions, peace on earth, world end
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Finally it’s 2012, the last year on the Mayan calendar.
I know I’m supposed to make resolutions. But when I was about to, it somehow occurred to me that my resolutions have become but the most practical ones: to work harder, get a pay raise, rent a bigger place, travel to more places, etc. In a nutshell, I wish to make more money so that I can do more things that I like.
Until last new year’s eve, all I wished for was a fulfilling career, creating more possibilities for life, learning foreign languages, and perhaps, forming a true loving relationship with someone. And suddenly I have been on a steady career path as a journalist for quite some time, and nothing but the pragmatic prospects are the most relevant. (more…)
The attraction of elsewhere November 10, 2011
Posted by kanewu in A Rush of Blood to the Head.Tags: attraction of elsewhere, China, culture, Europe, Peter Hessler
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I am a fan of Europa. I know it’s kinda falling apart at the moment. Still, I am attracted to its history, its languages, its people, its lifestyle, basically everything that has the European tag. I would like to live there for a couple of years just traveling and knowing people. I envy the fact that they are so free to go almost everywhere in the planet and that they are mostly multi-lingual and that they are covered by good social welfare (that may apply only in some countries though).
Many friends of mine share the same passion. It is not surprising, as Chinese people are constantly allured by European elements in corporations’ branding schemes. You live in a real estate called Chateau Provence with newly implanted lavender fields, eating bread from Il Bel Paese. You buy furniture from Da Vinci, even if that turns out to be 100% domestically produced. Every couple wants to have their wedding photos taken by photographers from Paris Spring. Oh, the city even has an Oktoberfest beer contest in early October! Voila! Wunderbar!
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Jane Austin and Chinese parents October 6, 2011
Posted by kanewu in A Rush of Blood to the Head.Tags: Bennet, Chinese parents, Jane Austin, marriage, Pride and Prejudice
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Yes, I just finished Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, the original English version, for the first time. It read much more vivid and delightful than the Chinese translation. I quite enjoyed reading on my kindle on the way to and from work.
It somehow occurred to me that what the Bennets were going through almost 300 hundred years ago, is also happening in China right now. The parents, especially the mothers, have but one goal in their life: to see her daughters marry well. And they would do everything to make that happen. On the other hand, parents are so picky about the matches of their children. The criteria are always material possessions and social status. (more…)
“Pride and Prejudice” July 15, 2011
Posted by kanewu in A Rush of Blood to the Head.Tags: agenda, China, China Daily, journalism, politics, regime, State-controlled media
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I remember a conversation with a German friend a few years back in my hometown in Southeast China. He asked me, “Do Party members in your university have to sing 东方红 （Red in the East, a song dedicated to Mao Zedong in the Cultural Revolution period）at the university Party congress?”
“……” I replied.
I was the head of student union at the time. He was a visiting student in another uni. (more…)
Julian Assange’s lawyer in HK June 22, 2011
Posted by kanewu in A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y.Tags: anarchy, internet, Julian Assange, Mark Stephens, secret, Wikileaks
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Mark Stephens, among all the other glamorous titles, is lawyer of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks that pissed off so many regimes in the world, especially the US. Stephens gave a talk at the University of Hong Kong earlier this month and I was there. The whole talk was videotaped by the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at the university and you can view it also on their website. (more…)
RMB Internationalization June 13, 2011
Posted by kanewu in A Rush of Blood to the Head.Tags: Charles Li, China, China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable, currency, economy, finance, Hong Kong, internationalization, RMB, yuan
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I was invited to the third China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable earlier this month. It’s a forum my company organizes. We invite people from differnt sectors and industries to talk about the most heated topic in current times. This time, the theme was the internationalization of China’s currenty — the RMB or the Yuan.
This has been the best roundtable I have attended. Last time in Bangkok, the speakers barely had time to talk about the actual issue. Most of the time was devoted to congratulating China Daily Asia Weekly’s launch in Thailand. This time, we got Professor Fan Gang, director of China’s National Institute of Economic Research, Charles Li, CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd who interestingly used to be a China Daily reporter from 1984-1986, Peter Wong, CEO of HSBA Asia Pacific and Sean Craig, IMF‘s Hong Kong representative who couldn’t avoid being asked about his former boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s sex scandal. (more…)
Aung San Suu Kyi’s video talk May 30, 2011
Posted by kanewu in X&Y.Tags: Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma, China, democracy, dissident, freedom of expression, HKU, human rights, Nobel Peace Prize, politics
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Photo courtesy of Lisa Xu
The talk was short notice. I just came back from Beijing Saturday, which explains why I haven’t updated my blog for a while and my roommate told me that her talk was Monday afternoon. So I went there with nothing but a phone, a notepad and a name card.
It turned out to be the most lively talk I have ever attended at Loke Yew Hall in the University of Hong Kong, where the world’s greatest leaders and most brilliant minds, such as Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton and the last colonial HK chief Chris Patten, have received honorary doctorate titles and made speeches. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was just given freedom after years of house arrest at the end of last year,delivered a brief speech on education and answered almost 30 questions from professors, students, NGO leaders, the media and other folks from all walks of life who occupied not only the century-old hall but also three other rooms. And she was talking to the audience via teleconferencing. (more…)
The European attitude May 9, 2011
Posted by kanewu in A Rush of Blood to the Head.Tags: Asia, attitude, China, Europe, France, Italy, life, rights, travel
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Two weeks in Italy and Southern France, I’ve seen a lot, eaten a lot and talked to a lot of people. It was quite a fulfilling trip, even though in the end I still felt it was far from enough.
Italy’s got some of the world’s most ancient, and most far-reaching civilization. With only a Lonely Planet as my guidebook, I managed to go to almost all the important churches (didn’t get inside San Pietro in Vatican because that was closed for Easter celebration) in Milan, Venezia, Firenze, Siena and Roma, and of course, the Sistine Chapel in Vatican. I have been to quite some churches in England as well, but I have to say the churches and cathedrals in Italy are much more compelling. Of course, Italy’s got Michelangelo, Raffaello, Da Vinci, Bernini, all the pioneering artists in the Renaissance to work for the churches. (more…)
