I was originally going to title this post "Cat in the Elevator", as yesterday, when I went to the gym, a small cat walked into the elevator in the lobby. It was an interesting elevator ride up, and made me think about how different cultures react to things that are slightly out of the ordinary. For instance, there is no way that Germans would have allowed the cat to get on the elevator in the first place. In the German mindset, cats do not belong in elevators. Cats belong outside. But the Chinese just seemed to take it in stride, and were generally bemused by the whole thing. People remarked how the cat looked hungry, and how it probably just wanted to go for a ride. I was just hoping it didn't have rabies. I don't think it ever made it into the gym itself, but it was a good break from the routine of everyday elevator rides. The elevator at the gym is incredibly, incredibly slow, which is another one of the quirky things about the gym, apart from the static electricity shocks you get from the treadmills. Apparently there are stairs, but according to one of my classmates who dared to take the stairs yesterday, they are dark and covered with broken glass. I'll be riding the slow elevator with the cat.
Yesterday's announcement about the protection of private property rights in China, though, displaced the cat excitement. My one-on-one teacher, who I am slowly starting to like more and more, came to class very excited today. He gets really excited about the role of the legal system in protecting individual rights, and is one of the all-too-few people in China who really understands that individual property rights and human rights are very closely related. Any time Xinhua comes out with a special Internet page dedicated to the theme of "Know Your Rights" (more or less): http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2007-03/16/content_5818133.htm - it's huge. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the law will be enforced, but as my teacher explained to me, private property is now protected by law - theoretically, it should hinder developers in their relentless pursuit of "拆迁" - chai qian - destruction of property and relocation of people for the developers' own private gain. We will see (or probably won't see, since it probably won't be reported on) whether or not this legislation will be effective. The one question I asked my teacher was, "well, doesn't this go against one of the basic tenets of Communism, which is that all property belongs to the state?" "Well, yes it does," he replied. "China is basically returning to the system it had 100 years ago." In effect, guaranteeing private property rights for landowners takes the "commune" out of "communism", which is why the law was vehemently opposed by a lot of the old Party hardliners. Very interesting stuff! (As an aside, vehicle owners are protected as well - previously, no matter what, a car had to be taken off the road after 15 years. Now, it can stay on the road as long as it passes inspection. I think this aspect of the law has less to do with private property, and more to do with the fact that Chinese people just really love their cars).
So, just something to keep an eye on and know about. Not as cute as the cat in the elevator, but a lot more important!
