Posted on 07/19/2008 2:15:20 AM PDT by bad company
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - For "reasons of safety", bars are forbidden to serve "blacks"" and Mongolians or place tables in the street. Street musicians are being banned, and so is buying medicines containing "stimulants" without a prescription. Prohibitions are on the rise for the Olympic capital, while the first leaks reveal a grandiose fireworks display for the inauguration.
Bar owners around the Workers' Stadium in downtown Beijing say that public security officials are telling them not to let in "blacks" and Mongolians, and many of them have even had to sign a pledge. The official reason is the fight against drugs and prostitution, dominated in the past by Mongolians and persons of colour. Moreover, public places must close by 2 a.m., for security reasons, and the bar owners are being asked to remind their clients that they must always have an identification document with them. There is even doubt over whether the bars within a radius of two kilometres from the Olympic buildings will be able operate, or whether they will have to shut down for the entire period. In some areas, tables are not permitted outside, because "the presence of too many foreigners gathered outside could create problems". There is also an attempt to shut down outdoor musical concerts, to prevent disorder.
Jazz musician David Mitchell says that it is increasingly difficult for his band to find places to play in Beijing "Everything is aimed at creating stability, but they don't understand that is precisely the unfounded prejudice that foreigners have of Chinese society - that it is a highly controlled and not a very cultural place. It seems completely self-defeating".
To guarantee a "clean" Olympics, a doctor's prescription is now required for 1,993 commonly used medicines, or the package must show a warning that the product contains substances believed to be stimulating and not permitted for the athletes. One must go to a hospital to get a prescription, but many of the hospitals ask for as much as 100 yuan for each prescription, causing problems for the elderly and the poor most of all.
Meanwhile, as of July 20 a new regulation will go into effect prohibiting everyday circulation for millions of vehicles, but the three new underground lines are not yet working, and Zhou Zhengyu, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications, is unable to say when they will be opened.
But the inauguration on August 8 will be very well prepared. The programme is "secret", but it is hard to hide a fireworks display, and those who live near the Bird's Nest stadium and have seen the trial runs say they are impressed. The director Zhang Yimou has been preparing the show for three years with artists from all over the world: there was a general rehearsal on July 10, with hundreds of police standing guard to guarantee secrecy.
I was just remembering -—
When we first came to China in 1990, the four children we had then were all under thirteen years old, and all WHITE haired (”toe-headed”).
We were waiting at a train station and crowds of people hovered over us, ALL wanting to feel the children’s hair.
Police arrived to disperse the crowd, and we were shown to a private waiting room. The police said, “You are too WHITE!”
See, now wouldn’t it be more courteous and courageous to aim your insults directly at me?
Seriously...I’m a Reagan Republican going way back. It’s just that some of the statements being reported do not appear to be true.
Has anyone ever seen a wild eyed Mongolian on bender? Well, I have and let me tell you, it’s not a pretty site.
Similar thread got pulled last night as an “idiot magnet”.
To be honest, the article did say "bars", not "restaurants"....
Story of my life.;-)
:)
Point taken. This was a “pub,” a restaurant serving liquor, or a bar serving food.
I haven’t seen many outdoor places that were purely “bars.” Most seem to serve soft drinks or some kind of food. But just today I sat outside and drank a beer on a busy downtown avenue.
Perhaps I am more self respecting than her tho, because you couldn't get me to go to that 3rd world commie $#!t hole in a hundred years.
Your reports seem valid. Freepers should not be bothering you
My own take is maybe the Chinese police are telling certain bars known for being where you can get hookers and drugs.... Not to serve blacks and coloreds
BTW, hows the dog doing?
Is the movie “Mongol” playing over there?
oops, meant to be to #17 instead.
Thanks. I’m not by any means trying to paint a glowing picture here. I fully realize that any moment I could come face to face with the full power of an authoritarian state. That’s the way it is here—apparent freedom and happiness one moment, an iron fist the next.
I don’t know! Haven’t been to the theater lately. However, I did take a quick trip to Inner Mongolia earlier this week. All seemed to be well there, if you like lamb.
How was the dog,spicy?
No, but I’ll tell you what—I had a Beijing hot dog the other day at one of the fancy malls. It was delicious! They called it a New York Dog—all beef and with sauerkraut!
I had a "plan" to call the Chinese Embassy and "tip them off" that he was a spy of some sort, but he was laid off shortly after they moved in together.
A year later, the idiot went on a bender and died in a car wreak....
I hear that the Lord looks after drunks and fools: he went 0 for 2....
Your either up early or late??
I’m sorry if you found my post “insulting”—it wasn’t because it was based on the empiracal historical evidence of Chicom manipulation of all media.
You have no bona fides other than your anonymous personal “testimonials” that cannot begin to challenge the veracity of this or any other article.
Fact—China is an evil communist regime.Opinion—you,whoever you are,disagree.
Source an article not connected to the PRCPRC (Peoples’ Republic of China Public Relations Crap)that refutes this article and I will release you from my list of suspicious,possibly perfidious,socialist operatives.
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