World View: Beijing Is Shakedown Street
We recently came across a brilliant blog post from an American Jam Fan current living in Beijing comparing that city to the lot scene at a Dead / Phish concert. We asked Sasha of Movin’ On Up, to the (Far) East Side if we could share it with our readers and he kindly obliged…
“1 For $3, 2 For $5”
Riding the 656 bus from WuDaoKou across the city to Wang Jing, cramped in what is easily the most uncomfortable seat on the bus (seriously, epic fail here – the row of seats in front of mine had excessive leg room, while I had zero – T.I.C.), I gazed out the window at the sun, attempting to peek through the haze of pollution that dominates the Beijing sky, shining down on a gargantuan statue of Mao. There are a lot of statues of Mao in China. I mean, A LOT of fucking statues. He is everywhere. I’m actually pretty sure that Mao invented the statue. He invented everything. Al Gore did not invent the internet; he simply stumbled upon some old notes of the Chairman’s that he never had time to attend to.
Today is a rare day for me in Beijing. Today, I wish I was somewhere else. Of course, there are the occasional longings for home (notably the family, friends, food, beers, and bands that I associate with home), but since the moment I arrived here back in August, I have not had a severe longing to be elsewhere on this lovely planet Earth. However, today, there happens to be something special going on in another location – Jamaica, mon. Today, a couple of bands, along with 800 crazy people who enjoy their music, are kicking off the sequel to the best music festival ever (I’m sure Woodstock was cool and all, but I will take Caribbean Holidaze any day). Sadly, due to my proximity to the location of said festival, my lack of vacation days, and my lack of student loans to pay for the trip (again), I am sitting this one out.
READ ON for a comparison of life in Communist China and a Phish festival…
