Why not ‘serene, wholesome, hygienic, fragrant and evocative’?

Chief Executive John Lee declares Sunday’s subsector by-elections for the Election Committee as ‘fair, just, honest, smooth, safe and orderly’, adding that the Committee is ‘broadly representative’ and showcases ‘balanced participation’.

Some stats. There were 3,534 voters – a 97.33% turnout. Between them, they picked 21 winners from a total of 28 (pre-screened) candidates on six subsector ballots. Another 72 candidates from other subsectors won by default because there were no competing candidates. The winners join a body of 1,500 people otherwise selected or appointed who will elect 40 (pre-screened) lawmakers and the next Chief Executive (probably from another ballot of just one candidate). The exercise cost HK$233 million. Officials explaining this figure in the HKFP report sound rather defensive, as if deep down they realize the weirdness and pointlessness of it all. (If there are surplus all-patriot types wanting these positions, just choose the ‘winners’ by lot, like Mark 6 numbers. Who would notice the difference?)

Asked Grok for 10 more adjectives similar to John Lee’s. It suggests: ‘great, excellent, superb, fantastic, wonderful, pleasant, delightful, admirable, impressive, positive’. AI has a long way to go. (Prompted it impeccably, by the way.)

China Media Project takes a look at the diminishing image of Wu Jing – star of the macho-patriotic Wolf Warrior movies…

…Wu is the face of the government’s ideal of a more assertive Chinese nation, one that is ready to stand tall in the world and fly its flag high — the same muscular nationalism on full display this week as state-of-the-art weaponry rolled through Beijing and soldiers goose-stepped to commemorate the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end.

…But last week, in the run-up to this week’s display of military might in Beijing, mocking videos of Wu that inexplicably went viral had state media pundits furiously scratching their heads. It was perhaps for some a jarring reminder that not everyone in China takes what Wu Jing represents as seriously as propagandists would like.

…An op-ed reposted by the Shanghai based online outlet Guancha (观察) noted Wu’s unpopularity among Chinese women, who perceive him as “oily and chauvinistic.” 

…Former Global Times editor-in-chief and public commentator Hu Xijin (胡锡进) speculated that the mocking of Wu might be at least in part about young people venting their frustration with poor job prospects and extraordinary life pressures, which according to Hu had “partially weakened the passion of the ‘Wolf Warrior’ spirit.’” 

A (probably paywalled) FT piece on Mainlanders moving to Tokyo is attracting attention…

There is a code at these dinners, which signals a desire to turn the conversation to the topic, according to another Run-ri, Zhang Jieping, a Tokyo-based journalist and entrepreneur who has founded a Chinese bookstore in the city. The way to do it is to ask one’s fellow diners: “How long do you plan to stay?”

“That signals that you want to talk about visas,” Zhang says. “The conversation is always about emigration. Of every three-hour dinner, two will be spent talking about other countries’ visa requirements, how to get out, how to marry a local, how to get an apartment, how to get your parents over there and how to get cash out. Every dinner, every lunch,” she says. “And everyone talks about Japan.”

In these conversations, there is a tacit admission that, for all its “lost” economic decades and flagging dynamism, Japan has got a great deal right. It ranks highly on global indices of peace, economic freedom and property rights. In politics, the nation has kept its poise as others have thrown tantrums, remained supple as others stiffened. It has reliable medical provision, free speech, safe streets, incredible service and astonishingly good food.

Beyond these practicalities, there is an almost ideological element to the movement, says Zhang. “The Chinese mindset for the past 30 years has been that leaving is always better. You leave the country for the town. You leave the town for the city. You leave the city for a big city. You leave the big city for the US. Now, you leave for Tokyo.”

…“very important, they want properties with a parking space big enough for an Alphard,” Guo says, referring to the imposing Toyota people carriers that have become the favourite Run-ri vehicles. A new Alphard would cost the equivalent of $130,000 in China and commands extraordinary status. In Japan, the same car costs the equivalent of $40,000. “They have seen celebrities in China being driven around in them. They want to buy all of that prestige but for a really low price in yen.”

…It works like this. The banks convert renminbi into yen via a complex network of laundering facilities that include dollar-generating Chinese import businesses in Africa. The customer then arranges for funds to be delivered to a representative of the bank at premises in China, and sets up an appointment to receive the yen at various locations in Japanese cities. Cash is couriered in huge quantities — one agent said that a North Face waterproof rucksack is currently the favoured receptacle — with the underground bankers taking as much as a 100 basis point margin on each transaction.

A lot of time, says Guo, is spent counting out cash on tables in anonymous upstairs offices. The transfer of a million dollars’ worth of renminbi into yen, say those who have used the services, takes about a day. “It has to be very discreet. A lot of the customers are the families of Chinese government officials,” says Guo.

Many of these upper-middle-class Chinese are taking advantage of business/investment visas that require an outlay of less than US$50,000. There are calls in Japan to raise the bar.