January 14, 2008
Maglev protest videos
Translation of captions:
OPPOSING THE SHANGHAI MAGLEV ONSTRUCTION PLAN: 10,000 RESIDENTS TAKE PART IN THE 'HARMONIOUS WALK' NEAR PEOPLE'S SQUARE
On 12 Jan, Saturday, as agreed through signs that had been placed through the various affcted neighbourhoods, people gathered at 2pm at People's Square for the "harmonious walk". At 2pm, over 100 people had gathered by the Urban Planning Museum. There were about 30 policemen and 10 police cars. These were all normal policemen, there were no military police, no riot police. A public bus 205 was also there, and some from the crowd had already been arrested and put in it. From there to the fountain on the square, about 1,000 people were gathered around, and suddenly they began chanting slogans (nobody was leading them). They gathered in front of the fountain, in front of the municipal government building and began chanting, "Oppose the Maglev!" 30 minutes later, there was a loud-hailer that screamed, "Please leave immediately". The shocked crowd began to disperse quickly, but later they found out that it was just the fountain that was going to be turned on. Laughter broke out and they continued chanting. 10 minutes later, the police started rounding people up and people began dispersing. The police were generally quite ok, but there were one or two policemen who would be pushing people around, including the elderly, the women and the tourists. The police began dispersing people to outside the square. The bus (with the arrested guys) attempted to drive off but were stopped by the crowd. Eventually it still broke through the crowd and drove off anyway. 5 minutes later, the crowd suddenly broke through the police security lines and began running towards Xizang Lu. Most of the policemen were still near the fountain so they were unable to stop the crowd. After gathering on Xizang Lu, they began to walk south and then turned right on Yan'an Lu. Suddenly they seemed to change directions and went up the bridge, as if bypassing Yan'an Lu to walk towards Luwan District. After the bridge, they began going back towards Xizang Lu and then eastwards towards Nanjing Lu. By this time, the police cars had already been stuck on the corner of Xizang Lu and Yan'an Lu. As this was the peak period, there was no way they could make a U-turn. After breaking through the final police security barrier on Fuzhou Lu, they walked to Nanjing Lu pedestrian shopping street. There, the crowd was warmly received by other members of the public. As the crowd continued on their 'walk', they disseminated information on the maglev plan to passersby. The 'walk' ended on the junction of Nanjing Lu and Henan Lu at around 18:00. RISE UP, ENCOURAGE THE RESIDENTS OF SHANGHAI WITH REAL ACTION, SUPPORT THE CHINESE IN THEIR 'HARMONIOUS WALK' TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS!
Translation of captions:
SHANGHAI DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE NEW MAGNETICALY LEVITATED TRAIN.
"Everyone, unite! Oppose the maglev! Join in everyone! Oppose the maglev! Save the Children! Save the elderly! Oppose the maglev! " Unhappy with the maglev construction plan, residents along the proposed Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev line took part in the 'walk' to show their displeasure. The low-key announcement of the maglev plan was met by strong opposition from the public. Residents voiced their opinions through emails and letters. They also learnt from the PX incident in Xiamen, and took more active measures such as 'walking' to raise their concerns to the local government and to propose that the line be changed and the safety boundaries to be expanded. From 6 Jan onwards, over 1,000 residents gathered nightly at the Bailian Southern Shopping Mall, holding up signs that said "WALK". Because this gathering had not received the approval of the authorities, there were numerous brushes between the crowd and the police. Quite a few residents were arrested, and some of these were even beaten under detention and sustained injuries. Some netizens have said, because the possibility that the construction of the maglev project would be halted was miniscule, some residents had already amde plans to leave their neighbourhoods, including some civil servants. Some celebrities have also already moved out of the Jinhong Condominium (sort of a celebrity compound). Whenever the crowd walked into a new area, they would clap and welcome more people to come down and join them. From start to end, they were chanting slogans: "500 metres! danger zone!" Among the 'walking' crowd were many elderly people. One 'ayi' said, "Each of us is a drop of water, and we have come together to form a river, and this river is able to knock over the boat." It is understood that residents will gather this Saturday, 2pm at People's Square, for a continuation of the 'walk'. They plan to chant the slogan, "The people will leave from People's Avenue [along the affected route] and sit on People's Square". PLEASE SUPPORT THE RESIDENTS OF SHANGHAI AND SUPPORT THEIR VOICES, PLEASE STOP THIS TRAIN OF DEATH!
Reuters report:
BBC report by Quentin Sommerville:
Related link
China News Agency: 上海磁悬浮线路方案引起沿线居民争议(图)
Thanks to the anonymous tipper on our Contribute page.
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Ah, yes. The sense of property rights and individual rights isn't just a bunch of rumors in the countryside, the Chinese middle class in a major urban center is now standing up to be heard.
This is the kind of stuff that spurred the US Founding Fathers to pen the third amendment.
it's good to see people power, just a shame that there's absolutely no scientific basis for what they're protesting about.
Having a "scientific basis" here in China can be the sociological equivalent of the Friend of a Friend (FOAF) scenario, in which someone spreads beguiling rumors to a friend/spouse/family/acquaintance/stranger/etc. who thereby believes what was said because it "sounds just about right" from the individual who made the comment (usually as an argumental tipping point). Not to target China, because this kind of stuff happens all over the world, but hearing and believing are two things best not to assume have a correlational value. Careful followup analysis can conclude such FOAF verbatim, however, most individuals are too busy to think about it beyond hearing what was said and simply jump on the bandwagon.
Examples i've run across here in China:
Eating fish eyeballs helps me see. . . . .
Tiger hair grained into my TCM is healthy. . . . . .
Eating human baby placenta boosts my immune system. . . . .
Smoking cigarettes and drinking makes you a man. . . . .
If you sleep with your legs strait you will grow taller. . . . .
Chairman Mao was the best leader of all time because he only "served the people" by doing (fill in the blank). . . . .
Granted, this is just one argument about how "scientific basis" can be interpreted.
Labelling the Maglev a "death train" is a bit extreme. For most of us, the maglev extension is a major improvement. Having a rapid train that connects the international airport with the city center brings Shanghai a step closer to being a world class business center. Moreover, the ability to transit the distance between Hangzhou and Shanghai in as little as 30 minutes is unprecedented. This could change urban / suburban living patterns radically (probably some changes won't be welcome, but some will be).
Let's face it - as foreigners, we didn't come to Shanghai to watch the city stand still. We came to witness this amazing transformation. No growth of this speed or scale is without side effects. There have been, and will continue to be, people who bear a disproportionate brunt of the change.
The good news is that the government is getting better about actually compensating people. As for the people living closest to the tracks, do we trust that the government is keeping them a safe distance? The truth is probably that you cannot find science that's conclusive either way. The same is true of cell phones though. If China really wanted to do something to improve life expectancy, rather than limiting the growth of the Maglev, it could focus on the smoking rates!
Well isn't that a bit selfish chinaprimer. You are not a local and neither are the rest of the expats no matter how long they've lived there. Many of the locals that are being displaced have lived in those apartments for a long time, since before Shanghai was "cool".
Typical yangguizi arrogance and that is why the expat community is such crap.
To be fair, the people to whom you're referring haven't paid for those apartments. The government gave them apartments; it's the government's prerogative to move them. Besides, I doubt that the same people were complaining when some village was leveled in order to make way for the factory that produces the color TVs they bought.
The average Shanghai resident is more alarmed by the displacement of the people who have paid market prices for their apartments, as it triggers thoughts of "There but for the grace of God go I." It's a valid point, and it is important for the government to compensate such people fairly.
Re whether my comment is selfish, I am always amused by Westerners who come here, but then talk an anti-Western rhetoric. I mean, if you want a place that's "keeping it real", why not live in Shaan Xi Province? Or why not live in countries with declining living standards, such as North Korea or Zimbabwe?
Anyway, you miss the point of what I wrote. On a human level, I feel for these people. However, the greater good is served by building this train.
Government is there to lead; the shanghai government must stick to its decision to build the maglev train despite the protest.
The population of Shanghai is 16 million; a few hundred or even a few thousand protesters doesn't represent the majority.
The ignorant protesters should be educated that there is no harmful effect on living creatures including humans near the maglev line. The government can demonstrate by a simple experiment.
It is non-sense to liken people as being cooked in a microwave oven. If you put a living creature such as a cockroach inside a microwave which is on, the cockroach will be cooked to death; and if you put the cockroach just one or two inches outside the microwave and witch it on, the cockroach will immediately run away; but if you put the cockroach far away (say a few meters away) and then switch on the microwave, the cockroach will stay put, proving that the microwave has no effect on the roach.
Furthermore, the maglev line doesn't generate microwave; it uses magnetic field to propel the train forward; a compass needle placed nearby (say a meter or two away) will properly affect the compass; but if the compass needle is placed far away (say 90 meters away), then most probably the compass is not affected at all.
I meant to say: "....a compass needle placed nearby (say a meter or two away) will probably be affected......"
Let me get this clear right from the start. I do not live in China, nor have I ever lived in China, in fact, I have never even been to China, but nonetheless felt moved to reply to something I have read on the internet for the very first time!
No matter whether you live in China, have lived in China, have visited China, just interested in China or don't even give a damn about China the same rules should apply. Who are we to judge the local community on their beliefs? Whether we consider these protestors ignorant, ill informed, easily led or even just plain stupid, what gives us the right to criticise their opinions? Although most assuredly not a Christian, a Christian phrase springs to mind, quoted from the King James Bible: Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not ... judge not others, because then you yourselves shall not be judged; (Luke 6:37 biblebrowser.com/luke/6-37.html). I ask just that you ponder this.
global citizen- you're talking shite.
What if a local population decided that underground water pipes would cause them to sprout two heads.
Should
a) the government dig up all of the underground pipes, so that the ignorant can sleep soundly in their beds or
b) the citizens learn the facts?
The right we have to criticise their opinions stems from the fact that it's not a matter of opinion but of fact.
So have that.
@ global citizen:
Is that "world beat" crap messing with your head?
You are judging us with your statement.