Just so we're clear

In case any question remains about whether the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is using the Beijing Olympics for political gain, here's the answer, from a Xinhua interview last month with BOCOG President and CPC official Liu Qi:

The success of the Beijing Olympics is attributed to the strong leadership of the CPC and the Chinese Government and the concerted efforts of the Chinese people. It testifies to the need for us to unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and make the most of its institutional advantage that allows us to concentrate resources on our major tasks.

China Fun Fact: At least 8 million people visited Beijing during the National Day Golden Week holiday from September 29 to October 5. The Bird's Nest and Water Cube received 493,000 visitors in one day, while the Forbidden City received about 100,000 visitors per day. To put those numbers in perspective, the Bird's Nest holds about 90,000 people.

Tai Shan

During the National Day holiday I went to Tai Shan, a Daoist mountain in Shandong Province (photos here). Apparently everyone else in China had the same idea, because it was packed.

On Monday I took the bus down to Tai'an, where I met some friends who teach in Zhengzhou. That afternoon we visited the Dai Temple in town, then wandered around looking for a place to eat dinner.

The next morning we left our bags at the train station and took the city bus to the Tai Shan entrance, where we began the steep four-hour climb to the top. The plan was to spend the night there and wake up early to catch the famed sunrise, but when we reached the top the hotel prices were so high we decided to turn around and climb back down the same day. The pollution at the top was so bad it wouldn't have been a great sunrise anyway.

I think this worked out for the best, because as we climbed down we passed hundreds of people climbing up, hiking overnight to arrive in time for the sunrise. Somehow I think jostling for a spot on the lookout with all these people, cameras raised, would spoil what should be a peaceful, reflective moment. We spent that night in town again and I returned to Beijing the next day.

On an unrelated note, this article made my blood boil. Xinjiang is a resource-rich autonomous region in western China that is home to the Uighur ethnic minority. Uighurs are Muslim and chafe under Chinese rule that denies them job opportunities and undermines their culture, with some calling for independence. Over the years the movement has occasionally become violent, with bomb attacks as recent as this summer. The United States lists the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organization.

The United States detained about 20 Uighur men with ETIM ties at Guantanamo Bay, with no evidence they posed any threat to the U.S., solely to maintain China's support in the war on terror. Seven years later, the Uighur detainees have been repeatedly cleared but now find they have no place to go. China might greet them with torture or execution, the U.S. won't let them set foot on American soil and no other country will accept them because they're afraid how China would react. On October 7 a U.S. District Judge ordered their release - they were supposed to stay with Uighur families in Florida - but the next day a three-judge panel granted an emergency stay while the Bush administration appeals the decision. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino had this to say, according to a Reuters report:

The district court's ruling, if allowed to stand, could be used as precedent for other detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, including sworn enemies of the United States suspected of planning the attacks of 9/11, who may also seek release into our country.

So because the U.S. knowingly rounded up people who bore no ill will toward the United States and grouped them with people who do, the former will end up with the same legal rights as the latter - that is, none at all.

China Fun Fact: The Chinese version of "cheese" when smiling for photos is chiezi, which means "eggplant."