Post Olympics
Now that the Olympics are over, I plan to post some older stories that were in the pipeline soon, keep checking for new posts!
posted by Batcha at
11:52 PM
Friday, August 29, 2008
Previous Posts
- Olympics Day 8
- Olympics Day 7
- Olympics Day 6
- Olympics Day 5
- Olympics Day 4
- Olympics Day 3
- Olympics Day 2
- Olympics Day 1
- Olympics
- Participating in Class
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3 Comments:
I have learned a lot about Beijing through your experience!
I guess what all that I hear on TV is true. What is scary is when you recounted about the knocking on your door by the police. How did they even find you or even know that you were foreigners. So what if you did not have your travel documents, would you have been sent to prison and then deported?
Your encounter with the police would never happen here in the USA.
Quite scary to know that the government has so much control and involvement. It makes one wonder all that they are capable of doing.
I wish you had taken more pictures of the places you visited, and the people you met.
Actually, I would say Western TV heavily distorts many things, usually to the negative side of things. The Police knew we were foreigners living there, since every foreigner must be registered at the local police office within 24 hours of arrival. Hotels will fill out the form for you, but if you're staying with a friend, the chances are that you and your friend (and the landlord) have to present yourselves at the police station to register. Given that my friends (also foreigners) had registered long ago when they moved in, the police knew very well that they were there. They took an interest in me since their documents listed two people living there, though they found three of us (and my name wasn't in their records). A look at my registration sheet and passport smoothed things out.
If I wasn't registered I probably would have been fined (heavily) and maybe (though probably not) deported. Although its been a rule that one has to register within 24 hours of arrival, it has not been enforced until very recently (pre-Olympics). I've had friends stay with me for well over a week without registering with local authorities. Additionally, prior to the start of the games, Police were known to be knocking on residences where foreigners lived to check their papers.
There are more pictures in earlier (non-Olympic posts) and on my facebook galleries.
Like I said at the end of "Olympics Day 8" this wasn't the Beijing I knew and loved, it was something different, very temporarily different, though interesting.
Thanks for the comment.
Yo man, read all the pots. The writings evoked feelings of nostalgia and relief at same time. I truly miss Beijing as though I miss my home...but the Beijing you describe is so different than the one we spent time in that I am relieved to have gotten out when it had not changed so drastically
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