Go Off the Path OR Why I Read, "China Daily USA | The Weekend Edition"

I went off the path again as inspired by The Happiness Project, this time in newspaper form. On my recent trip to Seattle, which involved so much more than the Mariners Game, I found China Daily USA, the Weekend Edition (April 26-28); so the news is a bit dated by this point, but I still learned quite a bit once I got into it. Admittedly when I first started to try to read the newspaper, I worried that I may have gone too far off the path with this choice, but soon I found myself hooked with a new approach - reading from the back of the newspaper to the front. concluding with the insert. While I did not do it on purpose, it is what worked for me in this instance.

Here's what I learned (also from back to front and then the insert):

• China Daily US Edition is now printed in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle, Atlanta, and Boston. 
• I am going to try to find it the next time I am in any of these places - hey, it's cheaper than Starbucks mugs... 
• Speaking of Starbucks, they are experiencing significant (26%) growth in China, and expects the country to be its largest market outside of the United States next year. China's newly wealthy consumers see Starbucks, and its pricey coffee drinks, as a symbol of success. Europe has remained a weak spot for the franchise.
• Filmmakers in China are hoping to be the next Ang Lee (most recently Life of Pi, but also Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).  
• Many of the popular Chinese directors are promoting Chinese values while American are promoting universal values - I am not completely sure I know what that means.
• Here is a good way to put the point into perspective Avatar grossed $182 million in China alone, but the total reported global revenue of Chinese movies in 2012  was 10 billion yuan or $166 million. Perhaps I should finally watch Avatar or Life of Pi for that matter.
• Although an exception seems to be Mandarin-language films, specifically romantic dramas. A very popular one was If you are the one 2. I wonder if seeing, If you are one the one (1) is necessary.

• NFL Analyst, Ron Jaworski is a regular guest columnist for China Daily. I love Jaws.
• A separate, specifically Chinese version of Iron Man 3 opened May 3. Apparently it will highlight Chinese actors and include additional China footage.
• Walt Disney Company - China is currently hiring for various roles in Finance, Sales & Marketing, IT, Creative Content Development, and more. Hmm, I wonder if Danny would consider a move to China...
• Yahoo China is probably not the place to work, however, since they will be stopping their email service by August 19.
• US Ambassador to China Gary Locke is the first US ambassador to make an official visit to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region  in more than 20 years. The region is rich in energy resources, including coal and oil.
• Around 6 million metric tons of petroleum or approximately 67 billion plastic shopping bags have been saved in China since a regulation banning the use of free plastic bags was put into effect by the State Council in 2008. 
• Under an arrangement between the Chinese and Canadian governments, giant pandas Er Shum and Da Mao will spend 10 years in Canada, five in the Toronto Zoo and five at the Calgary Zoo. A trip to Canada may be in order, I have never seen a panda bear in person.
• Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is causing quite a stir with his apparent attempts to separate his country from its Asian neighbors by challenging International law, specifically the definition of "aggression."
• "It may be Abe's logic that there is no need for Japan to face up to the history or feel remorse for the crimes of its past militarism if Japan's wartime acts are not defined as 'aggression.'"
• The history teacher and lover of Japanese culture is saddened by the lack of responsibility taken for events surrounding World War II.
• One of the most interesting articles in the whole paper was called, "Building resistance to disasters" as the earthquake in Sichauan province was highlighted throughout the paper. Sadly the low point of the coverage was the news that the quake had paralyzed tea production on a mountain famous for supplying China's imperial families for more than 1,000 years. I understand the importance of tea in China, but really? Back to the article I really enjoyed whose primary points were that the poor must not be seen as being too small to matter, and that protecting this region is not a choice, but an ethical obligation.
• While the H7N9 (bird flu) is still a concern, bird watchers are undaunted including one who said he does not think it is a serious matter.
• My favorite part of the newspaper was, "The Symbol for Happiness," which was a lesson in the Chinese language (both spoken and written). I recognized a few of the symbols from my lessons in Kanji (which is Chinese characters incorporated into the Japanese language). It did, however, further perpetuate my fear of attempting to speak Chinese because I learned that the word xi can mean everything from "drum induced delight" to "pregnancy" - would not want to mess that one up!
• Finally, from the insert, I learned a lot about golf course design in China. Apparently there are 587 courses throughout the country, and China is still viewed as the market with the highest ceiling  for golf growth and therefore golf course design.

I wrote most of this post in my local library, in the periodical section to be exact. A friend told me I should check there on my next hunt for a magazine to take me off the path, and she was absolutely right. Until I find my next issue of China Daily, I will go on the hunt for a new magazine. Stay tuned.