Just a quick post to say that my life has recently become centered around studying for midterms and getting ready for spring break - two things which are very difficult to do at the same time. Part of me is really excited to get to go travel, and part of me is totally stressed out that I have to give a five minute talk on intellectual property rights tonight - in Chinese. Also, part of me is really annoyed that I can't find a Chinese-language article about the recent decision by the US to file a claim against China at the WTO for failure to properly crack down on piracy in China (and also for their refusal to allow more than 40 foreign films to legally enter the country every year, which leads to such widespread piracy in the first place). There are English language articles galore, but nothing I can find in Chinese. OK - update. I found an article on the head of the intellectual property rights ministry talking about how much progress China is making in fighting piracy, then googled his name and found an article on the current situation buried somewhere on page 5 of a local newspaper. Basically, the Chinese reaction is that the Americans are totally unjustified for attacking them, as they're doing everything they can to crack down on piracy, and as an aside, most of the pirated movies now in China come from the United States (and not from enormous factories in Guangzhou, which I think is the more accepted truth).
Basically, the current situation is that if you want to watch anything good, you have to either buy it pirated or download it from the Internet. Technically, watching "Friends" is illegal - but the fact that almost everyone here has watched at least one episode makes you fully aware of how widespread piracy is - and also, how much people like watching "Friends", regardless of nationality. The US right now is attempting to make China cease its current level of cultural censorship, and open up its market to more imported American television, movies, and music, which the Chinese government is, as could be expected, hesitant to do. If they were ever to go in the opposite direction, and vigilantly crack down on pirated DVDs and TV shows available on the Internet (meaning no more Prison Break, Lost, or Sex in the City) - there would be a revolution. Seriously. I need to start watching "Prison Break", because my roommate loves it, and most Chinese people I met seem to share her opinion. I've never even seen one episode, which is what I get for spending all of my time studying Chinese, and not watching television. If it weren't for Antiques Roadshow, I think I would just cancel cable altogether... but I can't miss Monday nights at 8:00 live from Tulsa, Oklahoma... yes, I realize how lame that is. ok... and now back to studying. Heading over to Hamamas this afternoon for a brownie sundae and a grilled cheese sandwich... vital ingredients for successful talk preparation!
